Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“Oh, no?” Martha paused in what she was doing. “I could’ve sworn you did.”
“I like lamb,” Jimmy called.
“Oh good. Well, there you go.” Martha resumed what she was doing.
“I might as well be the red-headed stepchild of this family,” Jess told Austin in a murmur. “She never remembers what I do and don’t like. One year for my birthday dinner, she made stuffed shells.” She paused and gave him a deadpan look. “I hate stuffed shells.”
“Okay.” Martha wiped her hands, took a sip of her beer, and smiled at them. “I’m going to head up and change.” She pointed at Jess. “Say hi to your father. Go give him that beer there.”
“The garage,” Austin whispered as Jess led him into the other room.
She laughed. “Right? It’s something.”
“It sure is something, yes…like a fire hazard…”
“Dad,” she yelled when they were standing about three feet from him.
Finally Pete looked up. He was an aging man with gray hair and wiry eyebrows that lifted immediately. He brought up a hand, one finger out, to stab at the iPad before removing his headphones.
“Jessie!” He set all of his things on the edge of the orangish seventies couch, which had no business in that room, and stood from the recliner that was crammed up against it. “Oh. Thank ya.”
He took the beer and smiled at Austin. “Austin! Pleasure to see you again.” His handshake was firm and eye contact direct. “I hear you’re dating our girl.”
“Living with her, yes, sir,” Austin said. “I plan on being around forever, if she’ll have me.”
Jess’s smile was radiant, her eyes sparkling. It made him feel like a million bucks.
“Well then, as the kids all say, put a ring on it.” Pete laughed, his belly shaking, before turning to Jess. “Where’s your mother?”
“She went to get dressed. I’m just going to show Austin my old room.”
“Uh—” He pointed a finger at Jess. “No hanky-panky. Leave the door open.”
Jess frowned at him and then took Austin by the hand, leading him across the living room, around the banister near the door, and up the stairs. The décor in this place was strange. The worn carpet was brown, the wall to his right was a different shade of brown, and the nice, rustic wood ceiling offered yet a third brown. Oh, and the polished banisters added one more brown to the collection. None of the rooms or areas had a unifying concept. The curtains were cream, the other walls were a different cream—
Mimi would lose her mind if she saw all this. He couldn’t wait to see her face on Christmas. He’d definitely be showing her that garage.
A little landing at the top of the stairs had a painting sitting on the ground. He assumed it was eventually supposed to go on the wall. Or maybe it had fallen there and never been replaced. It was hard to tell.
“They’re not really into the details, huh?” Austin asked, passing hall closets with no doors and trim that hadn’t been nailed to the wall. “How long have they lived here?”
“Most of my life.”
Around the corner and straight ahead was what he figured was her old room. It appeared to have been turned into a sort of library with no shelves or organization. Books were stacked on all available surfaces.
“I don’t really get this place,” he said, looking this new scene over and over.
She slid her arm around his waist, hugging him close. He dropped his arm around her as he took in the place where she’d spent her formative years as a Jane. Back then, she’d had no idea that someday she’d grow into a magical powerhouse capable of shifting into a gargoyle and leading an army.
“I’m not sure why I wanted to show you this.” She looked around the space. “I don’t really have anything in here left over from when I lived here. Except maybe those.” She pointed at some glass canisters screwed into the wall with decorative rocks inside.
“What are they?”
“Candleholders. They should have water and floating candles in them, but the water kept evaporating and leaving lines on the sides, so I gave up.”
“And left them there?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want them. As you can tell, no one really cared.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “This place is a trip.”
She turned to him then, leaning in. “I like having you cross over into this life. I feel more excited about our relationship for some reason.”
“You like showing me off?”
She tilted her head up for a kiss. “Yes. I found someone extraordinary, and I want everyone to know it. Even if you didn’t have magic, or that face, or this incredible body, you’re kind and supportive and my biggest fan. You treat me like a priceless treasure, and I want people to know how lucky I am.”
He kissed her, his body tightening with need. It was the way wrong time for that, unfortunately.