Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
“Can you paint mine red like yours?” Luna asked.
“Sure.” I glanced at Hallie, who was looking down at her sneakers. “What do you think, Hal? Red? Purple? Blue?”
She smiled. “You really have blue?”
“I really do.”
“Okay.” She looked a little anxious about it, but she nodded. “I want blue.”
“Great. Then maybe we can show off our toes at the pool today. Why don’t you go tell your dad we’re going to play salon over here, and I’ll get everything set up?”
“Okay!”
“And when you come back, just wear flip-flops, okay? Or bare feet. You won’t be able to put on socks and sneakers.”
They joyfully skipped back toward their place, and I headed for the upstairs bathroom to get all my supplies.
As I went up the steps, I wondered if Dex would come too. If I’d had his number, I’d have texted him an invite. When I got back downstairs, I set the nail polish bottles on the counter and decided to go over and knock on his door.
I went to the front this time, and he opened it with a cup of coffee in his hand. He wore gray sweatpants and a US Navy T-shirt. His mouth curved into something close to a smile, making my heart flutter faster. “Morning, neighbor.”
“Morning. I came over to ask for your number.”
He took a sip of his coffee. The mug had a firefighter’s boot on it and read My Dad is My Hero. “Why?”
“I think my place needs a fire inspection. I thought maybe I’d call you to schedule one.” I grinned. “I know how you are about safety.”
“Ah.” He sipped again, his brown eyes dancing. “Then I suppose I could give it to you. For safety reasons.”
“Why don’t you come over with the girls and we can exchange information?”
“Just information?”
I laughed. “This time, yes.”
“I could come over,” he said, like he was doing me a favor. “Have you eaten breakfast?”
“Not yet. Just coffee.”
“I’ll bring you a monkey bread muffin.”
My eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Were you at Plum & Honey already this morning?”
“Yes. The girls insisted.” He paused. “And I might have asked your mom what your favorite muffin was.”
“Look at you being a nice guy.”
“I know.” He put his grump face back on. “Don’t fucking tell anyone.”
I zipped my lips. “Your secret is safe with me. See you in a few.” As I headed across his driveway toward my place, he called out.
“Hey!”
“Yes?” I turned around.
“Did you hear back about the job in Rhode Island?”
I smiled, pleased that he remembered. “Yes. We’re going to talk by phone next week. I’m really excited.”
He nodded. “Good.”
That evening, I headed over to Cloverleigh Farms to help Millie with a large wedding reception. Usually, our Aunt April was on hand to help with big events, but she and her family had gone down to Chicago to see one of Chip’s games.
It was a long night, and by the time the wedding party went back to the bar at the inn to keep the celebration going, it was after eleven. Millie and I left the staff to break down the room and retreated to her office, where I dropped onto her couch and kicked off my shoes.
“Shot of whiskey?” she asked, taking a bottle from a shelf behind her desk.
“Yes, please.” I stretched my legs and feet. My red toe polish reminded me of giving the girls pedicures this morning. It had been so much fun, and Hallie had been excited enough about her blue toes that she’d forgone her water socks and gone barefoot at the pool—at least for the ten steps between where she’d left her flip-flops on the cement and the shallow end.
But Dex had called it progress and thanked me with a secret smile that made my heart threaten to burst.
Millie poured a little whiskey into two old fashioned glasses and brought them over to the couch. “Sorry I don’t have ice.”
“It’s fine.” I took the glass, scooting over so she could sit next to me.
“Cheers.” She tapped her whiskey against mine. “Thanks for the help tonight.”
“My pleasure.” I took a sip, enjoying the way the fiery liquid warmed my throat.
“So what’s new with your dad crush?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s not my dad crush. He’s just my neighbor.”
“So you haven’t fooled around with him again?”
I took another sip. “I didn’t say that.”
My sister laughed, kicking off her shoes and tucking her legs beneath her. “Tell me everything.”
“There’s not much to tell. We hung out on Thursday night and . . . stuff happened. But we hung out all day today, and nothing happened.”
“What did you do today?”
I told her about playing salon with the girls. “I painted their toes and they did my hair, which was—interesting.”
Millie laughed. “Remember when we played salon and Felicity cut her bangs so they were like an inch long?”
“Yes!” I howled at the memory. “Dad was so mad at us. There were no scissors involved today, but there were a lot of accessories. They brought over a bag of hair bows. I looked like I’d been gift-wrapped by a toddler.”