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)
It made me think of my own father. What did he look like now? Was he still tall and wiry? Did he still have dark hair? Mean eyes? Were his knuckles still scarred?
Or would he be old and frail now? White-haired and stoop-shouldered, just another old man shuffling toward death, burdened by the weight of regret. Maybe I wouldn’t even recognize him.
Tyler frowned at his computer screen. “Can you text me a short bio by the end of the day?”
“Sure.” Maybe Winnie would help me with that.
“Thanks. Before you go, I’ll take your picture.”
“Okay.” I ran a hand over my hair. Had I even brushed it today?
“Don’t worry about your hair, Matthews. They’re all going to be looking at those guns.” He grabbed a shirt from a file cabinet drawer and tossed it at me. “Here. Put this on. It’s a medium, so it’s probably going to be a little tight, but that’s the idea.”
I laughed. “Okay.”
After the guy at the desk took a picture of me in a very fitted Bayside Sports T-shirt, I shook Tyler’s hand, thanked him, and told him I’d get the bio to him later tonight.
“Perfect,” he said, giving me a smile. “Welcome to the team.”
On my way home from Bayside, I stopped by my sister’s house. I hadn’t spoken to her all week, and I felt bad about it. She and I were close, and even though I had no intention of changing my mind about seeing our dad, I didn’t want that to come between us.
I let myself in her side door just as she was coming into the kitchen. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know.” I ran a hand over my hair. “I was in the neighborhood, thought I’d stop in and say hi.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “I just got the kids down for a nap. Let’s go outside.”
“Okay.” I went out to the deck and dropped into a chair, slipping my sunglasses on. Bree came out a minute later with a baby monitor, setting it on the table before she sat next to me.
“Justin around?” I asked.
“No. He’s at a dentist appointment.”
I nodded and looked around their yard. “Tell him I said he should mow the lawn.”
She nudged my leg with her foot. “Tell Hallie I said you should stop wearing her clothes.”
Glancing down at my ridiculously tight shirt, I chuckled. “My new uniform.”
“You got another job?”
“Just part-time. I’m going to do some conditioning sessions over there. Give them a little taste of boot camp.”
She laughed. “I’m sure they’ll love it.”
We sat in silence for a moment. On the monitor, Prescott made a few fussy noises, but settled again.
“How’s the first week of school going for the girls?” Bree asked.
“Good.” The tension in my jaw eased a little. “They really like their teachers, and Naomi says Hallie hasn’t had any anxious mornings.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful.”
“Did I tell you they conned me into getting a cat?”
Bree laughed. “How’d they manage that?”
“They ganged up on me. Sneak attack. But it turns out a cat will be fine alone for twenty-four hours, so I won’t need anyone to feed her while I’m at work.” I paused. “Although Winnie offered to feed her.”
My sister glanced at me. “How’s that going?”
“Fine.”
“Justin said you were going to apologize to her for something you said.”
“Justin has a big mouth,” I muttered.
“Well, it was obvious something was wrong on Monday. I didn’t need to be told that. I just wondered what it was.”
I exhaled. “I was a dick. I said I was sorry. It’s done.”
“What were you a dick about?”
“None of your beeswax,” I said.
“Let me guess.” Lifting herself on the arms of the chair, Bree tucked her legs beneath her. “She noticed you acting like a bear with a thorn in his paw and asked what was wrong, and you gave her the finger and told her to mind her own beeswax.”
“Something like that,” I said with a one-shouldered shrug.
“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to tell the truth every once in a while when someone asks if you’re okay.”
I clenched my jaw again. “I made it right with her.”
“Good. So when will you get this cat?”
“Not sure. I don’t know how long the adoption process is or even where to go, but Winnie knows a few places.” Her name was out of my mouth before I could think.
My sister shook her head. “You’re really gonna be lost without her when she moves away, aren’t you?”
“I’ll be just fine.” But I shifted in my chair, and the silence that followed bothered me.
“So what was it you wanted to talk about?”
“Dad, I guess. Did you see him?”
“Not yet. But we spoke again on the phone.”
I kept my focus straight ahead and said nothing. Part of me was curious about the conversation, but I refused to ask.