Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 86444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
I smile at Ralph. “We met when she answered the door,” he says, and then I watch Caroline take Ariella and then pass her to Zara. I walk over to the table to sit down and take a sip of water. Maybe I’m just dehydrated, I think to myself.
“You three should take a picture,” I say, looking over at Justin as he stands with Evan and Ralph.
“Put Ralph in the middle and somehow make a joke about ‘turf war.’” I pop a strawberry in my mouth.
Evan shakes his head. “My sister’s always working.” He looks at Ralph. “She’s a social media expert.”
“Really?” Ralph says, then looks over at me.
“Oh, yeah,” Justin says. “She’s the best. You should hire her.” He slaps Ralph on the shoulder. Ralph looks at me like he wants to say something, but instead, he turns back and starts talking to Justin.
Zara comes over and sits next to me at the table. “I know that look,” she says softly, grabbing a water bottle and bringing it to her mouth for a drink. Looking out into the backyard, I wish I had shades on to shield how I’m watching Ralph. He’s holding Ariella again, as she just looks around, taking in all the commotion.
I turn to look at Zara. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I mean you are looking at him in a way that you’re curious, and that can only lead down a road and path I don’t think you want to go down.” She puts her hand on my arm and squeezes it. “It’s just . . .”
I swallow over the lump in my throat and get up. “I need to go to the bathroom.” I walk away from her and step into the house. “She’s right,” I say to myself. “Nothing good can come of this.”
Chapter 4
Ralph
Ari smiles almost the whole day as she gets passed from one person to the next until she’s over it, and now she just wants me. She starts to get a bit cranky, and then she goes from zero to a hundred in point three seconds. I shake my head and look around to ask Candace if I can go inside, but I can’t find her anywhere, and Ari’s cries are only going to get louder.
Getting up, I walk into the cool house and come face-to-face with Candace standing in the middle of the kitchen writing something on a piece of paper. When she looks up, I try not to stare at her too much. Fuck, she’s so fucking gorgeous. She took my breath away the minute I walked in, and just having that reaction to her made me feel uneasy.
“Hey,” she says. Flipping her ash blond hair over, she stands up straight, and her shirt rises just a bit, showing a sliver of her stomach. “Is everything okay?” She drops her pen, and her blue eyes just pop even more. Walking around the counter, she comes to us as Ari screams bloody murder. She brings her hand to Ari’s cheek. “What is all this fuss, pretty girl?” she asks her softly, and Ari stops crying, just looking at her. Ari looks at me and then back at Candace, forgetting she is hungry.
“She wants a bottle,” I say to Candace. Her eyes come to mine, and I quickly look at Ari. “Do you think you can hold her while I get the bottle going?”
“Hold this little angel?” she says, grabbing Ari from me who then decides this is a bad idea and wails at the top of her lungs. I’m waiting for her to pitch Ari back to me, but instead, she starts bouncing her up and down and walking away from me.
Looking over her shoulder, she says, “I’ll try to keep her busy by walking around the house and showing her things.” I don’t say anything to her as she walks away. Instead, I stand here for a good three seconds, wondering what the fuck is going on. I also listen to see if Ari is going to continue her fit, but she’s settled substantially, and all I hear are whimpers of irritation. Walking to the fridge, I grab a bottle, then head to the sink and run the bottle under the hot water. I continue to listen for her, but I don’t hear her, and when the milk is warm enough, I go looking for them.
Heading down the hallway, I’m not sure where I’m going and don’t want to walk into a room I shouldn’t. “And this, right here is my second client I ever got.” I hear Candace’s voice. “He was a hard one, but I finally got him on track,” she continues, and I stand in the doorway of what is an office. Her back is to me, so she doesn’t see me standing here. Ari has her head on her shoulder as she chews on her pacifier, listening to everything that Candace says. “This is my girl Zoey.” She points at the picture of baby Zoey smiling at the camera. “She’s my favorite,” she whispers to Ari. “Don’t tell anyone.” She leans down and kisses her cheek. It’s then that she looks over and sees me. “Hey there, is the bottle ready?” When she turns, I can’t say anything to her, so I just hold up the bottle in my hand.