Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Brody took a step closer. “Don’t do that. Let me swing by and take a look at the switch.”
With a reluctant nod, I glanced over his shoulder to see Harlee walking up. “Hey, did you order the paint?”
She smiled at Brody. “Hey, Brody, how are you?”
He returned her grin. “Hi, Harlee. I’m doing well. You?”
“I’m good. Excited I get to help Sutton paint her entire house!” She looked over at me. “And to answer you, yes. Paint is being mixed now.”
Brody focused back on me. “Painting the house, huh? Do you guys need help?”
With a shake of my head, I replied, “No.”
At the same moment, Harlee gave an excited, “Yes!”
Brody raised his brows. “I don’t mind helping.”
I smiled. “Having you look at the light switch is a great help already.”
Harlee huffed. “Oh man, there is so much to do in that house. Jackass left it a mess.”
Laughing, Brody reached behind me and plucked something off the wall I’d been staring at. “When’s a good time for me to stop by?”
“Um. Well, anytime that’s good for you,” I said. “I close the store at four during the off season, so anytime you want. Or whenever you’re free, I mean.”
“I’m off today. Why don’t I meet you there and take a look at things… unless you need to get back to Coastal Chic?”
Before I could utter a word, Harlee spoke up. “Sutton closed the store for a few days. We can totally meet you at the house in, like, maybe thirty minutes?”
I stared at my best friend with an open mouth. When I realized Brody was waiting for me to agree, I cleared my throat. “Yeah, sure. That works. Give us about thirty minutes to pick up the paint and some other supplies.”
He winked, and I suddenly became hyperaware of my entire body, including the way my nipples tightened and my stomach fluttered.
“Sounds good,” he said. “See you ladies then.”
My heart hammered in my chest as I watched him turn and head back down the aisle.
Without even knowing what she’d done, Harlee turned to face me. “This is awesome! Maybe Brody knows someone who can help get some of the bigger issues fixed. And if he can help paint, we’ll knock it out even faster.”
I didn’t pull my eyes off his retreating back as I replied, “I’m sure he has more important things to do than help us.”
Harlee laughed and began heading down the aisle. “Are you saying our project house won’t be fun?”
It was my turn to laugh. “Project house? That’s one way of describing it, and no, I don’t think this is going to be fun. If I was smarter, I’d put it on the market and sell it.”
Harlee grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “I thought you loved that house.”
I shrugged. “Once upon a time, I did.”
I saw pity in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Sutton.”
“I’m not. The only thing I’m sorry about is the years I wasted on Jack. It’s time to move on—and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Come on, let’s go get that paint.”
Doing a little happy dance, Harlee started for the paint counter, an extra pep in her step. I glanced around the hardware store and paused when I saw Brody near the front, checking out. He was laughing at something the cashier said. Then he looked over at me and our eyes met. It was only for a fleeting moment…but I found myself replaying it over and over in my head as Harlee and I headed back to my house.
Brody walked through the entire house, adding to my list of all the things that needed fixing. As I stared at one of the wires in a light switch that had obviously been cut, it was all too clear that my ex had done a good portion of this to cause me heartache.
I hope you choke on water, you asshole.
Brody frowned and looked over at me. “Sutton, it’s going to cost you a fortune to hire someone to do all of these repairs. Let me do it.”
I shook my head. “I’m not going to let you do all of this for free.”
He exhaled, rolling his eyes. “Fine. Then you can pay me in home-cooked dinners.”
I folded my arms over my chest. There was no way I was going to allow Brody to do all that work for a few meals. And the last thing I wanted was to be indebted to anyone. “Home-cooked dinners?”
“Yeah.”
“How about I pay you twenty bucks an hour, and I throw in a home-cooked meal every now and then? That’s all I can afford right now.”
Brody’s brows furrowed slightly before he relaxed his features. “We’ll work it all out. I’m going to head back to the hardware store and pick up a few things while you ladies start painting.”