Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
I catch Abby dropping her gaze to her watch before she shakes her head.
“Is there somewhere you need to be?” I laugh. “Kirby’s bedtime is a little over an hour from now, so you can have your fiancé all to yourself soon enough.”
When our eyes meet, she’s smiling. “We’re going to Queens after dinner to see my folks. I’m both excited and nervous.”
“I get the excitement.” I lean back in my chair. “Why are you nervous?”
Her gaze darts to where Declan and Kirby are engrossed in a conversation with Jo. “I should let Declan tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
Her lips part, but she shuts them just as quickly.
I huff out a laugh. “I guess I have to wait for Declan to drop the news.”
She nods without a word.
“How are your folks?” I ask, pushing the conversation forward even though I’m curious about what the big secret is.
“Great.” She smiles. “They’ll be even better after we see them. I tried to get Carrie to tagalong but she’s having dinner with a friend.”
Hearing the name of her stepsister piques my interest.
Carrie is a beautiful woman with a brilliant mind. We met briefly months ago when she stopped by to see Abby at work.
Just as I’m about to ask how Carrie is, I spot Declan approaching us with a multi-layered cake in his hands.
My daughter is beside him, her gaze on the cake.
“I’m pretty lucky,” Abby whispers as she catches sight of her fiancé.
“You’re a lucky ducky,” I say when I know Kirby is within earshot.
My daughter’s high-pitched giggle tells me she heard what I said.
“I’m the lucky ducky, Daddy,” she says, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I get to have wedding cake for dessert. Maybe one day you’ll get married, and I can have it for dessert then, too.”
I ignore the comment because I have everything I want in life right next to me. I get to be her dad forever. I’m the luckiest duck at this table.
CHAPTER FIVE
Carrie
Telford shoots me a look from where he’s sitting.
We should be side by side, but he sat near the exit when Mr. Black’s assistant, Eda, told us to settle in for a few minutes in the waiting area outside his office.
She clears her throat. “You two look worried.”
Skimming a hand over the skirt of my navy blue dress, I manage a small smile. “I’m not.”
Telford mumbles something that I can’t quite make out. I can tell Eda can’t either because she shrugs before she turns her attention back to me.
“How’s your sister, Carrie?” she asks with a grin. “The last time we talked, you mentioned something about her getting married.”
I nod. “The countdown to that is on. It’s only three days until the big day.”
“Three days?” Panic edges her tone. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be running around town taking care of last minute details?”
I let out a soft laugh. “Abby claims she has it all under control. Besides, I’m leaving at noon on Friday to handle whatever needs handling. Mr. Black approved that a few weeks ago.”
“I approved it,” she confesses. “I’m an expert at scribbling out his initials.”
My eyes widen. “You approved it?”
“Don’t worry,” she reassures me as she pokes the end of a pencil in the air in the direction of Mr. Black’s closed office door. “I ran it by him, although I didn’t realize you needed the extra time for wedding prep. I would have approved a week for that.”
I laugh. “A half day is more than enough time.”
She nods. “For future reference, Mr. Black will always approve extra days off if it’s related to love. That’s a boss hack to keep in your back pocket. Don’t spread it around, though.”
I file that in my mind under important information because if I ever need an extra day off to devote to self-care, I’ll tie something love related into it to guarantee I score the time away from the lab.
“Do you know why he wants to see us?” Telford pipes up. “My palms are sweating up a storm here.”
I can attest to that since I see two hand-shaped stain marks on the thighs of his light blue pants.
“I do.” Eda’s smile beams. “Let’s just say you’ll be two happy chemists when the meeting ends.”
I lock eyes with Telford as a grin creeps over his lips. “Seriously?”
Before Eda can say another word, the door to Mr. Black’s office swings open, and his wife, Ellie, walks out with her blouse slightly crooked and not completely tucked into her black pants.
Mr. Black appears behind her, his hand raking through his brown hair. “Sorry for the delay. How are you, Carrie? Telford?”
His gaze volleys back and forth between us.
“You’ve got a little lipstick there, boss.” Eda drags a finger over the corner of her lip. “Left side.”
Ellie turns around and wipes it away with the pad of her thumb before her husband can react. “I need to get back to work. I’ll leave you to spread the good news.”