Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
My heart went out for both the kids and Dominic. He’d obviously tried hard, and it hadn’t worked out for very long.
I was so engrossed in the story that I barely even watched when Tye turned over at my request. Yes, the sculpted muscles in his abs and chest were impressive, but I was curious about the story now. “So you want to become lawyers to… what? Restart the summer camp?”
Now that Tye was on his back, I could see his blue eyes when he answered. Probably if I wasn’t making him talk, he’d have them closed, but I didn’t want to halt the conversation now.
“Maybe,” he said at last. “But we’re aiming a bit higher. There are a lot of pro athletes who want to give back to the community, but like Dominic, they’ve often never done anything like that before. He hired the best experts he could, but they ended up leading him astray. So we’re going to focus on corporate law, specifically the creation and running of nonprofits and charities.”
Suddenly it all made sense. “So you can help other athletes set up their own programs and do better than the lawyers did for Dominic?”
“Exactly.” Tye smiled wryly before closing his eyes. “Of course, none of that’s going to happen unless we pass the LSAT.”
Wow. These guys were impressive for more than just their bodies and their athleticism. They really wanted to make a difference. And who better than them to work with athletes and to help them with their charitable endeavors?
“You will,” I said as I stood behind his head, rubbing my fingers around his collarbones. I didn’t have any basis for my claim, but these men genuinely wanted to help people. It would be extra cruel if all their studying came to nothing.
“We’ll see.” There was finality in his tone, and I understood he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. I finished the rest of his massage in silence, taking extra care to loosen up his taut muscles and make him feel good. From time to time, I got a whiff of that enticing scent I’d noticed before, but it didn’t overwhelm me anymore. I was too busy thinking about what he’d told me.
My mind was still on that when the massage was done and Tye was finished dressing. He looked good in a button-down shirt and khaki shorts. He looked far more relaxed than he had forty-five minutes ago. He also looked cuter, too. His normally tousled hair looked even more unruly after being pressed against the table.
“How do you feel?”
“Good.” That was all he said, but it sounded like he meant it. “Your phone vibrated while you were in there.”
“Thanks.” I had a suspicion I knew who it was—and that he’d just keep calling me until I picked up—but I’d deal with that later. Part of my job was maintaining a serene vibe at the end of a massage. “If you see any of the others around, please let them know that my table’s open.”
“Will do. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I hope you—”
My phone vibrated again, the buzzing sounding loud and jarring.
“Guess I’ll let you get that,” Tye said.
I sighed but nodded. The buzzing had already killed the mood. “Good luck with your studying.” Forgetting to move in a slow, fluid way, I stomped over to the table by the window and picked up my phone before the vibrations stopped. “Hello?”
“What were you doing?” Frank asked. “I called three times.”
“I was giving a massage. Which, if you may remember, is my job.”
“We need to talk about the lease,” Frank insisted.
I sighed. “Can’t we talk about that when I get home?” I turned around to perch on the edge of the table and caught sight of Tye lingering by the top of the stairs. When I caught his eye, he nodded and then headed down. That seemed strange. Had he wanted to ask me something after I was done with my phone call?
But I’d never be done, because my father would just keep calling. I never should’ve moved in with him, and I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been in such a bind.
“We’ll still have two days to decide about the lease after I get back,” I reminded him.
“It shouldn’t be that hard of a decision. If you’re going to stay another year, we should move to the bigger unit. I like my space.”
I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t the one who had to sleep on the sofa.
“I’ve got to go, Frank. I know we have to decide, but I also have to work. We’ll talk later. Like when I’m back in Illinois.”
“All right. But you be careful down there. A girl like you in a house with three men…”
“I’m fine. Talk to you later.”
Frustration filled me after I disconnected the call. He’d noped out of years of my life, and now he thought he had the right to play the concerned father? The only thing he’d done for me, aside from the occasional restaurant meal in this past year, was to let me move into his small, cluttered apartment. Now he’d decided that if I was going to stay, we’d move to a bigger apartment in the same complex.