Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 126840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
“This space is fantastic,” I told him.
“Did it myself,” he replied.
“Color me impressed.” I put feeling into that, because I was.
He said nothing, but his arm around my shoulders gave me a squeeze.
“How long have you been here?”
“In this house?”
“Yes.”
“Couple of years.”
That was enough time to own a blender.
“Hmm…” I hummed.
“Hmm what?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I muttered and took another sip.
“Got something on your mind, say it,” he urged.
I stopped staring at the wide-seated, comfortable chairs across from us and twisted my neck to look up at him.
“No shade, your house is awesome, though it looks like you just moved in.”
He smiled at me, gave me another squeeze, then said, “I can lay the shit out of flagstone, but got no clue when it comes to lamps and pictures and all the rest.”
This information led me to another belated realization.
He not only was single, but if he’d lived there a couple of years and it looked like it did, he had been for some time.
Which, with all things Core, seemed impossible.
“Now what’s in your head?” he queried.
“You cleaned up my tissues.”
A shock of surprised laughter and, “What?”
“When I had my crying jag. You cleaned up my tissues. You put away the chip bags. You took me out for a Baconator. And just now, you grabbed my tote and took it to the bedroom for me.”
“Is it my turn to remind you of shit that happened the last couple of days?” he joked. “Warning, my list is probably gonna be indecent.”
I had to laugh, because that was funny.
Then I said, “No, I just…” I shrugged and looked away, bringing the wine to my lips. “You’re a rare breed.”
I took a sip.
“Babe.”
I turned back to him.
“Her name was Kiki. We lived together for three years. I loved her. We ended. So it’s her you got to thank for training me.”
Not your sadly deceased mother?
I didn’t ask that. I’d put my foot in it with a mention of his mom once. I was going to let him take us there if it came up again.
And anyway, the mention of a woman with the kickass name of Kiki and “I loved her” was enough to focus on, thank you.
I lifted my wineglass and said cautiously, “Here’s to Kiki.”
He read the caution. “It was a while ago, Hellen. And it ended in a way it was a definite end.”
“But you loved her?” I asked quietly.
“She was great.”
Oh boy.
He dipped his face closer to me. “It’s over. I’ve run into her once or twice since we were done. She’s got someone new,”—his eyes twinkled—“I’ve had some fun. Now, in case you missed it, I’m about seeing where things are gonna go with you.”
“I’m about that too.”
“Good we’re on the same page.”
“Though, my turn to give a warning, if I’m going to hang at your house, a trip to HomeGoods might be essential.”
He assumed a mock offended expression. “What, fancy-assed wineglasses aren’t enough for you?”
“You need toss pillows.”
He burst out laughing.
I watched.
He was really handsome, totally gorgeous.
But when he laughed, his face clear of anything but humor?
He was beautiful.
Still doing it, he dipped in again, this time to kiss me, pulled back and asked, “You get all your work done?”
“Why?”
“Because I leave for LA on Monday, and I want you here when I get back, so I better get on those toss pillows, and I sure as fuck ain’t gonna pick them.”
Not a fan of the LA trip.
However…
The other part.
Score!
I twisted toward him excitedly, which had the unfortunate result of dislodging his arm, but he just tangled his fingers in my hair, and that worked for me.
“Okay, first, while you’re away, can I take care of Nanook?”
“Absolutely,” he murmured, a softness coming to his gaze.
“And second, I do have my work done so we can totally go shopping tomorrow.”
“Sounds like we got a plan,” he agreed and took a pull from his beer.
I leaned over his thighs to where Nanook was now lying on Core’s rug, head up, eyes closed, tongue out, panting, in Happy Zen Doggie Land.
“Nanook,” I called.
He swung his head to me.
“Did you hear that? I get to take care of you when daddy’s away, and tomorrow, we get to go shopping.”
Sensing my vibe, he woofed excitedly.
“I’m not taking my dog shopping, babe.”
I looked to Core. “If I’ve had to put up with all those fucking poodles and mops in strollers when I’m trying on shoes, now that I have access to a canine, I’m getting mine back.”
Humor lit his eyes as he remarked, “I see this is a thing for you. But unless it’s a service animal, no dog should be out in public like that. It’s not about the public. It isn’t cool for the dog. You can know to your bones how your dog will behave, but you can’t begin to guess what shit people will pull. Anything can happen. They got instincts. They’ll react. It isn’t okay to put them in that position.”