Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
“He passed?” Mack asked and then realized how stupid that had to sound. “I mean, I’m sorry your friend died.”
“Thank you, Mack. I understood why you were asking.” Grey took his hand off the steering wheel to wrap around Mack’s leg just above his knee.
Grey’s heat radiated through his pants. It felt good. Mack laid his hand over Grey’s and squeezed gently. “Thoughts get jumbled up in my mind sometimes and come out screwy.”
“I think that happens to everyone, Mack.” He took his hand back to turn a corner and Mack missed it immediately.
“What happened when you read the will?”
“It was obvious my friend had not shared his plans with his family. Nor had he shared all his family with his family.”
“What does that mean? He had other relatives who some of his family didn’t know?” Mack asked, trying to deduce the problem.
“Yes. He had an additional family unit—another female partner and a daughter.”
“What? How did he keep everyone from knowing all that? Did she live in another country?”
“The housekeeper,” Grey said, letting Mack fill in all the details in his mind.
“Oh, fuck! And the wife didn’t know?”
“Watch your language. She was most upset about having to find a new housekeeper. She was good,” Grey shared.
“I don’t even know what to say.” Mack’s mind was scrambled.
“They actually had a friendly conversation. The housekeeper is moving into the west wing of the house and will continue to clean in exchange for room and board. My friend’s will guaranteed he would continue to pay for the daughter’s private school education. The same school his children with his wife attended. And college.”
“The housekeeper doesn’t get anything from the will?” Mack asked.
“Oh, yes. She gets a chunk of money and keeps the investments my friend already made for her. She’s quite a rich woman now.”
“But she’s going to keep being a housekeeper?”
“She enjoys the family, the house, and the work. In the end, they’re all tickled with how it worked out,” Grey summarized.
“Oh, to be a fly on a wall in your office,” Mack commented.
“Or in Armando’s. I’ve seen a woman throw a plate of hot spaghetti on her date.”
“No way! I bet Armando flipped,” Mack said, forwarding the last bookshelf picture he could find.
“It was all cleaned up very quickly and quietly. There was, of course, a buzz in the dining room,” Grey said as he turned into his gated community.
He paused at the guard shack and waved at the man inside. When he emerged, Grey said, “Burt, this is Mack Oliver. He’s staying with me. Could we get him an access card?”
“Apply online and I’ll watch for it and process the application quickly. Welcome, Mack,” the large man said pleasantly.
“Thank you, Burt,” Mack replied politely.
“Yes, thank you, Burt,” Grey echoed. He waved and drove through the gate.
“They looked at me a bit when I walked out,” Mack said with a laugh. “It’s the man bun. They probably thought I was the pool boy.”
“Without supplies?” Grey asked.
Mack just looked at him and laughed. “I think I’d have the perfect tool for a pool boy.”
“And here I am pool-less. Maybe I need to get started on that.”
“Nah. I never understood just lying around at the pool. I’d rather watch a movie or play a sport or a game. My mind gets bored just chilling,” Mack shared as Grey pulled into the lit driveway.
The lights must be on a timer.
“Says the twenty-six-year-old,” Grey said with a laugh.
“How old are you?” Mack asked.
“Forty-eight.”
Mack did the math. Over two decades divided their ages. That seemed crazy, but being with Grey didn’t.
“Does the difference bother you?” Mack asked.
Grey turned off the car and turned to look at him before answering, “No. How about you?”
“It doesn’t seem to matter.” Mack shrugged his shoulders. Grey felt right.
“Then we don’t worry about it. Stay there. I’ll come to get you.”
“I can get my own door,” Mack said with a chuckle.
“Only if you want a red butt,” Grey warned, catching his gaze for a long second before turning to get out.
Mack blew out his breath. Why did that make him so hot? The image of being stretched out over Grey’s lap flashed into his mind. He stared at the handsome man rounding the hood of the car. How was this happening?
Grey opened his door and leaned in to unfasten his seatbelt. Grey’s hand brushed against Mack’s thighs as he drew the restraint away from his body. At Mack’s sharp inhale, Grey said, “You feel it too, don’t you, Little boy? I’ve never had this instant connection with anyone.”
“Never,” Mack breathed.
Grey stood and held out his hand to help Mack from the car. He pressed that hand against Mack’s back again to steer him inside. “Are you hungry?”
“No. I had plenty to eat at Armando’s.”
“Is Poutine hungry?”
Horrified he’d forgotten his stuffie, Mack reached up automatically to double check that his stuffie was still hidden. When he found her safe, Mack unfastened his hair and hugged the small plush otter. “I think she’s okay. We sampled a new dish at break time. We can sit with you if you’re hungry.”