Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Kane smiles over at me, a knowing look going with it because he’s heard Abby go on like this just as often as I have.
“Aren’t you gonna say hi to Abby?” Kane asks, waiting for his moment when Abby actually takes a breath.
“Oh, Jen’s staying over. I told her to let herself in,” she clips, waving off her dad’s interruption.
But I notice his expression changes when she tells him I’m staying over.
“You’re staying?” he asks me firmly.
I give a series of nods, hoping it’s good news for him too, but his face clouds for a moment.
He looks…troubled by the idea.
“We’re having a girl’s only weekend, Dad,” Abby chimes in. “Unless I get called away to New York, of course,” she reminds us both, spinning and twirling on the spot.
Making me feel dizzy but also a little irritated.
Do I want a whole weekend of listening to the Abby Gray show or some more conversation and fewer clothes with her way more mature and incredibly hot dad?
Hmmm…. I know which I’d prefer right now, but since Abby walked in, Kane’s whole mood changed.
And that magic I was feeling before? It kinda feels like someone just draped a big wet blanket over it.
“Didn’t you say you had some big news of your own, Kane?” I ask, wondering if that’s what made him look so gloomy all of a sudden.
I was assuming it’s good news, but now I’m unsure.
I only realize what I’ve just said, calling him by his name, when I notice Abby’s eyes narrow on mine.
That strange look she gave her dad and me when she first walked in is all over her face again.
“…I mean…Mr. Gray…,” I correct myself, feeling like this might be the weekend from hell if Abby’s gonna be weird about me including her dad in our conversations.
But her dad did tell me to call him Kane.
And as distinguished as Mr. Gray sounds, I think we’re all adults enough to use first names.
Don’t you, Abby?
I guess not.
Abby’s expression sours, but only for a bit.
“So what’s your big news, Dad?” she sighs, rolling her eyes in my direction.
“I won’t be going back to work,” Kane says. “I’ve officially retired,” he adds. His deep voice makes the news sound even more permanent.
“Retired?” Abby scoffs, but her eyes widen with some shock. But probably only because it outdoes her own big news.
“Yup,” Kane replies, shooting me a smile and a little wink.
“It means you’ll be seeing a lot more of me around more often,” he explains, broadening his smile.
And something inside me feels like seeing more of Kane could never be a bad thing.
CHAPTER FOUR
Kane
I’m happy for Abby. I really am.
She’s my only daughter, and I love her like nothing else.
Right now, the only thing I want to be doing is talking to her best friend, Jen.
My Jen.
I surprise myself by actually feeling annoyed when Abby pulls up.
Any other day of the week, and I’d be hustling to meet her before she even gets out of her car.
But today’s different, and as much as I hate to say it, I’d rather just have it be Jen and me.
For a couple of hours, at least.
The time we’ve spent together already has flown by.
I guess I really do just want her all to myself.
Not just physically, either. Jen’s smart and fun to talk to. She’s just great to be with.
I can see why Abby loves her so much as a best friend.
On the other hand, as her father, I’m not sure I like the idea of Abby just upping and heading off to New York on her own either.
I know, I know. She’s old enough to make her own decisions, but New York?
It sounds like a great opportunity and all. But….
And it’s a big ‘but’ in my mind. If Abs was a few years younger, I’d be putting my foot down with a firm ‘no.’
But she is twenty—a legal adult, old enough to come and go as she pleases.
I guess it’s the dad in me that feels just as protective of Abby as I think I’m quickly becoming of Jen.
The feelings leave me torn inside, and I can sense Jen picking up on my mood.
And I hope like hell she does not think it means I’m not interested in her.
Even my announcement I’m retiring mixed in with Abby’s big news isn’t enough to quell the obvious, intense attraction I feel for Jen.
She’s only been here a short while, and she’s already all I can think about.
She’s all I want to look at. And she’s definitely everything I want in a thousand other ways.
I’m glad to see her smile as I feel my chest puffing out just a little.
Happier, too, once I learn Jen’s staying for the whole weekend.
Abby’s shocked at my news, but it’s not completely out of left field. I’ve been working less over the past few months, and my bosses have long anticipated my leaving the company.