Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
She barely glances at the mirror. “Yeah, yeah, Issi. It’s great, thank you. So where’s the paper?”
I wince even though I’m trying hard to keep my reactions hidden. “I think it’s in the hallway.”
She rears back, confusion on her face. “Why would it be... shitfire... they’re in there. They’ve done something, haven’t they? Those five grandsons of mine are going to be the death of me yet.”
“Now, G. There’s no reason to get upset. No one did anything scandalous or anything.” Damn, I hope they didn’t anyway. I really don’t want to be lying to her right now.
She holds her hand out to me. “Bring me the paper.” And as an afterthought, she adds, “Please.”
I stand up from my chair to go get the paper. When I come back in, I hold it out to her, and she takes it. I have to give her credit. She may be getting up in age, and her eyesight might not be what it used to be, but she finds the column a lot faster than I did. She scans the article and then zones in on the picture of Lucas before dropping the paper in her lap. “First of all, it says five most eligible bachelors. Only four of my grandsons are eligible. How is it that they always forget Beau is married and has been for some time now? How do they think Natalie feels about that?”
I know Lottie doesn’t expect an answer, so I keep my mouth shut. But I know she’s right. I really like Natalie, and the last few times I’ve seen her, there has been a sadness in her eyes. I can’t help but wonder if everything is okay with her and Beau. Before I can get too lost in thought, Lottie picks up the paper again and points at the picture, reading the caption. “On the prowl.” She flicks her hand at the paper in frustration. “That boy needs to settle down, and that’s all there is to it.”
I’m not going to call it panic, but there’s a part of me that feels the urgency of her words. “He’s the youngest brother, G. Don’t you think you should start on the others first?”
I scrunch my nose up as soon as the words leave my mouth. I always tell myself to stay out of it when she gets like this, but it looks like I can’t keep my mouth shut when it comes to Lucas. The fact is, I hate seeing pictures of him with other women. It guts me in a way that I’ve never felt before, but what Lottie is wanting seems too much to me. How in the world can I be here when he’s in love with another woman? Can I stay on, working as Lottie’s nurse and taking care of her while crossing paths with Lucas’ serious girlfriend or even wife in the hallway? I don’t think my heart can handle it.
Lottie reaches for me, holding on to both of my hands. “They all need to find a good woman and get married. And Beau... don’t get me started on him. He needs to fix whatever he’s got going on with Natalie. But Lucas... He needs, hell more than any of them, he needs to find a woman that will love him like he deserves to be loved. He doesn’t trust anyone... He thinks they’ll all leave and how.... How can I leave here not knowing that someone is here for him, Issi?”
I know that Lucas and Lottie are close. I may not know the whole story, but I remember my own grandmother saying that Lottie was like a mother to him. Plus, the fact remains that while all the other brothers have their own homes, Lucas lives in his grandmother’s home. It’s not because he can’t afford one of his own, that’s for sure. No, he chooses to stay here. I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “First of all, you know I hate it when you talk about leaving us. I don’t want to even think about it. Second of all, Lucas is a very capable man. Yeah, he works too much, but he’s happy.”
“Happy!” she harumphs. “He wouldn’t know happy if it bit him in the ass.”
I try to contain my laughter because it always cracks me up when G throws in curse words. She’s all regal, classy and conservative, but I think she uses them to throw us all off. “Okay, so talk to him. Let him know you’re worried about him. You know that man better than any of us, but even I know he’d give you anything you asked for. He loves you, Lottie. We all do.”
She nods her head. “I know. I just....”
I cut her off and squeeze her hands. “I know. You need to know when you leave that your family is going to be okay. I get that. I really do.” I bite my lower lip and try not to think about Lucas settling down. I wasn’t lying. If Lottie asked him to, he’d do it in a heartbeat. I’ll just have to deal with whatever happens because even though I love Lucas, I know he would never notice me.