Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 321(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 214(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 321(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 214(@300wpm)
We sipped our lattes in silence.
“When I was a kid, I thought adults had the answers. Turns out, they were scamming us all along. Adults are stupid. No one knows what they’re doing and if they tell you they do, don’t believe them. I think we’re all just trying to figure out a way to belong. A way to…make a mark, be seen for who we are and not what others want us to be. The louder voices and old regimes win by default when we’re too afraid to speak up or take chances. I think it’s time for me to take a chance again.”
“Then you should.”
“Yes.” I sighed heavily and in my most dramatic tone, added, “It can be difficult when you’re shy like me.”
Riley burst out laughing. “You don’t have a shy bone in your body.”
“My dick is a little shy right now.”
“That’s because it’s forty degrees out here,” he huffed, sliding his sunglasses on again.
“Forty degrees. You know I still have to compute that into Celsius,” I said, hoping to steer the conversation to lighter topics.
“That would be four degrees.”
“Show-off. Your dual citizenship pays off, eh?”
He waggled his brow. “Absolutely. Best of both worlds. Including holidays. I get to choose my favorites and sometimes, celebrate twice.”
“Like Thanksgiving. Does that mean you’re celebrating Thanksgiving with the natives this week?”
“Vinnie and Nolan invited me to Nolan’s mom’s house. I don’t think I’ll go, though.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
“Ehh, I don’t know. It sounds like a lot of people and lights and noise, and…things that bring on headaches. I don’t want any setbacks ’cause—”
“You’re afraid,” I intercepted. “I understand. But you’re on the mend. Your last MRI was better, your doctor likes your progress, and you’re on track to return to your team in less than a month. It’s time to test your powers.”
“How? By wearing sunglasses inside? It’s bad enough that I skate in the dark. I’ll look like an asshole.”
I scoffed. “I am an asshole and they still invited me. They’re good people and good friends. It would be good for you to venture outside your cocoon.”
He inclined his head. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good. I saw the highlights from the Bruins game last night. I can’t believe we watched the Slammers instead,” I teased.
Riley snorted. “Right? We don’t look good. We’ve lost the last five in a row. We need to fix those holes on defense. Carpenter’s timing is way off. One of my old coaches from college told us to…”
I listened to him chatter about hockey…the Slammers’ losing streak, the coaches he’d wanted to impress in college, the time he’d cracked his ribs and the tape was so tight he almost passed out on the ice. I shared my own war stories, which brought us back to yesterday’s sports news. And you know, we could have been a couple of ordinary guys bellied up to the bar watching a game while nursing a beer or five, and not…lovers.
It was so easy to navigate between weighty subjects like fear of falling behind or fear of failure to current events with Riley. He was easy to be with, easy to talk to, easy to confide in.
Easy to fall for.
And on that somewhat disturbing thought, I kissed his cheek and pointed toward the diner. “I have a long commute to work. I’d better be on my way now.”
He walked with me to the gate, clearing his throat as I opened the latch. “Hey, uh…I could go with you to check out the pizza parlor. My grandfather was a contractor. He used to drag me with him to job sites thinking I’d be into the hard hats and heavy machinery. It wasn’t really my jam at all, so he’d end up taking me out for ice cream afterward. And now that I’ve said that out loud, I can tell I’m very unqualified to give an expert opinion, but if you want the company, I’d be happy to join you.”
My lips curled into a crooked grin without my permission. “Okay. I’ll text you.”
We smiled at nothing in particular, then leaned in at the same time, our mouths hovering an inch apart. I wanted a lot of information all at once. I wanted to know about his grandparents, his favorite flavor of ice cream, and while we were at it…his favorite color, his favorite song, his favorite movie. And yes, I wanted to taste him.
I brushed my lips over his as I caressed his cheek.
Crisse, I had it bad.
Pinecrest had a similar old-world charm to Elmwood with stately trees, narrow streets, and homes that had been around for a hundred years or more. A small lake rambled along the perimeter of the town, providing a natural border between Wood Hollow to the north and Fallbrook to the south.
Elmwood was the fourth town in the Four Forest region and was sort of like an annoying younger sibling to the west of the others, separated by a winding road and a lot of trees.