Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
“We both did. I made us a feast, plus enough for leftovers.”
There’s a long pause on the line.
“You guys ate together? Like, at the table?”
“We did.”
After another long pause, she says, “Wow. That’s...unexpected.”
Apparently I’ve said too much. “Teagan’s doing great,” I say casually. “You don’t have to worry. I’m looking out for her.”
My business partner and vice president of the firm, Austin Pope, knocks on the open door to my office. I mouth my sister’s name and motion for him to give me a sec. He nods, making himself comfortable in the chair opposite my desk.
“Listen, Mare, I’ve got to go. I’ll let Teagan know you’d like to hear from her soon.” We say goodbye and end the call.
“Who’s Teagan?” Austin asks.
I keep my expression blank. “Some former foster kid Mary’s roped me into helping.”
“She’s staying at your house?” I shoot him a firm glare to drop the subject. “Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing that you’re making breakfast for a woman after three years of self-imposed celibacy.”
My gaze is stone cold, but the guy doesn’t even shiver. Being ex-military, he’s had to stare down the devil enough times that he’s honed his poker face to a knife’s edge. If he wasn’t my oldest friend in the world, I’d have already thrown his ass out of my office for making a crack about my dry spell.
“I’ve been busy,” I growl, “unlike some people at this firm.”
“Apparently so. I mean are we talking oatmeal, or something more complicated, like French toast?” The brown carpet on his face shifts to accommodate a wiseass grin. He’s the only man I know who can grow a fuller beard than me, which he refuses to shave even in summer. I’m convinced he keeps it just for the pleasure of busting my chops.
Good-natured rivalry has been the backbone of our friendship since we were teenagers. If I did fifty push-ups, he had to do fifty-one. At parties, I took great pride in drinking his light-weight ass under the table, even if it meant apologizing to his mom in the morning.
I joined the police academy after graduation. Austin joined the fuckin’ army.
We fell out of touch and into our respective callings for a few years. When I moved to Mary’s to recuperate after getting shot, she suggested I reach out. She’d run into Austin’s younger brother, Mike, at the drugstore. He more or less hinted that my old pal was having a hard time transitioning back to civilian life. I thought about calling him, but I was too busy feeling sorry for myself.
About a week later, he showed up on my sister’s doorstep. Not bothering with Hey, how are yous, he just held up a six pack and followed me outside. It was like he could sense I was at my lowest. We sat on Mary’s back porch for a while, drinking, not saying anything. Eventually, as was always the case with us, once the words started flowing you couldn’t shut us up.
We talked about all the crazy shit we’d gotten into as kids, the pretty girls we’d kissed, those burning-hot summers we worked construction for his uncle. After a while, we got to talking about starting our own construction firm.
Six months later, Pope & Parkes, LLC was born.
Naturally, Austin’s name had to come first in the lineup; it was the only way he’d settle for VP.
“Did you just come in here to bust my balls,” I ask, “or do you have an actual reason for gracing me with your presence?”
“I just came to ask if you still want me to bring ribs Saturday.”
Saturday? Well, shit. Every month, one of the senior members of the Pope & Parkes team holds a dinner for the entire office and their families. My old partner, Cal, has even been known to make an appearance from time to time. I’d completely forgotten it was my turn to host.
“Sure, bring ‘em,” I say. “The way this horde eats, the more food, the merrier.” I have no fucking clue what I’m going to tell everyone about Teagan, and the last thing I want to do is overwhelm her by filling the house with strangers. But a part of me likes the idea of introducing her to the important people in my life. Pope & Parkes is a family, and if Teagan’s my woman, that makes these people her family, too.
If she was an orphan before, she’s just been adopted by an entire construction firm.
As Austin turns to go, my gaze snags on the faded Army Ranger tattoo on his forearm. With the shitstorm I’ve been dealing with today, I’d also forgotten I wanted to ask his younger brother, one of our project managers, where he goes around here to get his ink.
“Hey, tell Mike I want to talk to him before he takes off for the day.”