Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Beth had always been tall.
Even at fifteen, she’d been a heartbreaker with all that long blond hair and those cat-shaped, pale blue eyes. She’d filled out since then, especially in the chest and arse department.
“I love your dress,” Georgia complimented Beth.
Beth glanced back at us and grinned. I felt that fluttery sensation in my gut, the one I usually got before a big game.
“Thanks.” Her cat eyes swept over Georgia. “I love yours too. And your handbag.”
“Aw, thanks. I got it for crazy cheap on this app where people sell their used designer stuff. I mean, this person hardly ever used this bag.”
“Seriously?” Beth waited on the next landing for Georgia. “What’s the app called?”
Georgia told her and then grasped at Beth’s wrist. “Oh my God, is this from Tiffany’s?”
I craned my neck to see what she was pointing at. A silver bracelet comprised of round beads and a small pink heart charm gleamed brightly around her wrist.
“It is. A gift from my parents for my twenty-first birthday.”
“So cute. I’ve always wanted something from Tiffany’s, but feel like it should be a gift, you know?”
“Who’s to say you can’t buy yourself a gift?” Beth nudged Georgia as if they’d known each other forever. “You deserve to buy yourself a gift.”
“Do you think?”
“Oh, absolutely. These.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, and I peered down at her from behind them, swallowing hard at the sight of her long, smooth neck. She fingered her earlobe where a large diamond stud was accompanied by two smaller silver studs. “I bought these for myself the first year my company made a profit.”
“You own your own company?” Georgia gaped in awe as we reached the ground floor. “What do you do?”
“I run a social media management company. Social Queens. I’m the CEO.”
“That’s amazing. You’re so young! I’ve always wanted to work for myself.”
Beth immediately launched into an enthusiastic diatribe about self-employment, and the women disappeared out of the entrance doors, having completely forgotten I existed.
CHAPTER THREE
CALLAN
Idon’t know how they’d managed it, but Beth and Georgia were already standing next to Beth’s MINI Cooper by the time I’d followed them out of the building. I knew it was her MINI because this wasn’t the first time we’d bumped into each other in the last two weeks. When it became clear we left our flats around the same time, I’d started leaving for training earlier.
Until today, of course.
I strode toward my Land Rover, eyes on the women as they chatted easily, gesturing with their hands, and laughing. What the fuck?
To my horror, their phones came out and they exchanged numbers.
When I’d dragged Georgia out of bed, I told her I’d drop her off at her place on my way to the training ground. So I waited impatiently for her as she laughed at something else Beth said and then bloody well hugged her.
First Baird. Now my one-night stand?
What was it with this woman?
Georgia hurried over to the Land Rover as Beth peeled out of our car park in her shiny new Cooper that I’d assumed Mummy and Daddy Carmichael paid for. But having heard her tell Georgia she owned her own company, maybe Beth had paid for the car herself, after all. To be fair, I didn’t know anything about her anymore.
She’d made it clear she didn’t want to have anything to do with me when we were kids.
I’d showed her, though. Who lived in the penthouse? Who was plastered across national ads and representing his country in world tournaments?
Aye, Beth Carmichael would never make me feel less than again.
Pissed the hell off now, I climbed into the four-by-four at the same time as Georgia.
“Your neighbor is a total sweetheart,” she gushed. “We’re going to meet for coffee next week. I have this idea for my own business, and Beth said she’ll give me any advice she can about starting up. Can you believe that?”
I grunted.
“She said her name was Carmichael. You don’t think she has anything to do with the Carmichaels, do you?”
Swinging out of the car park, I didn’t answer. “Where am I dropping you off?”
“Comely Bank. I mean, she could be a Carmichael. She has the look of someone who was born to money, you know. I wonder if it would be rude to ask when we meet up. But how amazing would that be? Jocelyn Carmichael is a big deal ever since her book series got adapted for TV. And Braden Carmichael is practically a real estate king in Edinburgh.”
Aye, Jocelyn and Braden Carmichael were Beth’s parents and they were both well known in Edinburgh. They were a “big deal.” And Beth thought so too. Too much of a big deal to be friends with the poor kid who transferred to her school. At sixteen, I’d been awarded a football scholarship to the academy Beth attended. I was only there for a year when I was scouted by Caledonia United Under 18s (U18). I’d been with them ever since, and Caley had become my family.