Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 117357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
She’s acting like she’s trying to hide a murder weapon, not a half-filled bag of Starburst.
“Will he really care if you eat candy?”
“No! Of course not. But I’ve learned my lesson—if he sees it, he’ll demolish the rest of my stash in like five seconds. I swear the man can unhinge his jaw like a snake if there’s sugar involved.”
We’re hurriedly scooping up the rest of the candy and stuffing it back into the stove just as the voices reach our cabin. Leanna closes the heavy iron door and sags against it, tossing me a conspiratorial wink before she reaches for my hand.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to the guys.”
She tugs me toward the door and we’re outside before I can even think to protest or explain to her that I might already know them. In fact, I’m pretty sure I do. Trey was the guy at the diner the other day, right? The nice one who stood up for me.
The sun hangs low in the sky, hidden behind the thick wall of trees. Scattered golden light highlights the three guys chatting at the bottom of the stairs that lead to Leanna’s cabin, and just as suspected, I recognize all of them.
Leanna keeps tugging me forward then thrusts me in front of her so I’m standing at the very top of the stairs, looking down on them.
“Raelynn, this is Trey, Anthony, and Ben.”
I was right about Trey. He’s the tall Asian guy with short black hair and a wide friendly smile. Then there’s Anthony, and Anthony is…Anthony, already grinning huge at this turn of events. Beside him stands Ben, and I don’t know what he’s doing because I can’t look in his direction. I did for a split second right as I stumbled out of the cabin with Leanna, and it was enough to make me feel like the earth was falling out from underneath me.
They’ve just come back from practice, clearly. They’re in workout clothes stained with sweat. Their hair is matted down with it too and…I can’t help myself…I steal another glance at Ben and find he’s looking at me, brows scrunched together with curiosity. He’s not smiling exactly, and yet I don’t think he’s annoyed to find me here…
His brown hair looks almost black, wet with sweat. His USA Basketball team shirt is sleeveless, which means his tan arms are on full display. They’re not overly bulky, but they’re so damned cut and muscled I could chip a tooth on them.
“Guys, this is—”
“Our hero!” Anthony interjects, cutting Leanna off.
She frowns back at me in confusion. “Hero?”
I shake my head. “Ignore him.”
“She saved our life,” Anthony insists with a teasing smile.
I roll my eyes. “I gave them directions. That’s all.”
“She was our waitress the other morning too,” Trey says, filling in his wife as he walks up the stairs to press a kiss to her hair before offering me another welcoming smile. “Hi, Raelynn.”
I give him a little wave.
“Well good. I’m glad everyone knows each other,” Leanna says. “You guys want to shower really quick and then we’ll walk over to get dinner at the main house? I bet they’ll have everything set out soon. Raelynn, are you hungry?”
For once, not really. We’ve been snacking all afternoon.
Besides, I have things I need to get back to. Like my real life.
“Thanks, but I’m gonna get going.”
I’m a few stairs down before I remember to grab my cleaning stuff. I turn back for the cabin door. My cheeks tinge pink as I start to collect everything. I hate that I’m embarrassed by the fact that they’re all watching me, undoubtedly remembering that I’m just the help, no one important enough to bother with. Leanna might have spent her afternoon with me, but it was only because she was dead bored and I was marginally more interesting than staring at a blank cabin wall. I have no doubt that on any normal day, she’d be skipping around Beverly Hills, buying whatever her heart fancies, and then having dinner with, I dunno, Miley Cyrus.
I want to evaporate into thin air. I wish I’d already loaded my stuff earlier when I finished cleaning. Usually, I’d make two trips to get everything back down to my nan’s car, but I can’t stand the thought of dragging this out, so I lug the plastic handle of my caddy up onto my forearm and try to carry the vacuum in my other hand. It mostly works until I stumble on the vacuum’s dangly cord as I step out of the cabin door.
Ben’s up the stairs and taking the vacuum out of my hands before I can even register that he’s moved.
“Here, give me all that.”
His tone leaves no room for arguing, but I don’t let that dissuade me.
“I can take it,” I say in protest, not letting him lighten my load.