Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
He scoffs. “You can do better.”
Fury rolls through me. Ace is the strongest, most selfless person I know. He’s put his life on the line for my dad repeatedly. “Better than a man who saved your life?”
“Better than men who come from nothing. Men who have been disposable their whole lives. But you—you’re something special. You deserve the best.”
I swallow hard. For the first time, I see this isn’t about me. The way my dad and Ace grew up scarred both of them in very different ways. My heart aches for the boys they were. Boys who were denied love and affection. “I love him.”
Dad winces.
I continue, “And do you want to know why I kissed him that day? Because I was at my mom’s funeral, and all I could think was that life is short. Mom left with no regrets. She loved with everything in her. And the thing is that I’ll never regret loving him. Or you.”
Dad blinks, his eyes having misted over. “No gushy stuff with him. Not in front of me.”
I nod solemnly and nudge the plate of cookies toward him.
He accepts the peace offering and chews the food slowly.
It’s probably not the best time to bring it up but there’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and I want him to know this. “I don’t like you being alone.”
“I got my girl,” he answers far too easily.
I know he’s about to dismiss whatever I say, but I still need to get it out. “Daisy is a sweetheart, but you need a woman, Dad. It wouldn’t make me mad or sad or anything. I’m grown, and I know that no one can replace Mom.”
He frowns. “Why are you saying these things?”
“I want you to be happy. If you find another chance at love, I want you to take it. Don’t hold back because of me.”
He waves a hand. “I tell you what to do, young lady. Not the other way around.”
I fight a smile. He’s used that line on me since I was a little girl. “So, we’re OK?”
He chuckles. “We’ve always been okay, kiddo. Just needed a couple of days to wrap my head around it.”
My heart is growing lighter with every passing second. “Is it cool if I bring my new boyfriend to our weekly dinners?”
“If he ever breaks your heart, I’m kicking his ass. I don’t care how long we’ve been friends,” he promises with a twinkle in his eye.
I grin at him, and this is the moment that I know we’re all three going to be OK. We’re going to muddle our way through this and figure it out because that’s what family does.
14
MACKENZIE
I wipe my palms down the side of my jeans before I walk into the restaurant. This is the meeting that I’ve been working toward for the last two weeks. I role-played the meeting with Ace several times. But each time, we ended up making out for hours. After that, I switched to role-playing with Ginger, who is a much better interviewer.
“You have nothing to be nervous about,” I remind myself as I approach the table where the middle-aged TV executive is waiting for me.
Shelley gives me a warm smile. She gestures around Liquid Courage, the bar turned restaurant. “I love this. It’s such a cute, quaint little town.”
I search her face for any sign that she’s looking down on me or my hometown. When I don’t find it, I relax. “I love it here.”
We order our drinks, and as soon as they appear, she tells me, “I think you know why I’m here. We want to offer you a contract. A show on the home channel.”
She rattles off their viewership stats, proposed salary, and several other details. Finally, she explains that I will travel around the world to help single women with their various home repair projects.
She’s enthusiastically gesturing with her hands when she says, “Your personality and your warmth come through with every video. It’s not that you help women with home repairs. You make them feel empowered, that they can do anything. We want to bring more of that positivity and can-do spirit.”
It’s everything I wanted, everything I’ve been working for. But I’m not so sure that I can leave. It’s more than Ace or my dad. I love this small town. I love that all my friends are here. I love that I know everyone.
I nod. “I think you’re right. Part of what makes my show popular is that I help women feel empowered. But I also think part of what sells it is Courage County itself. The world loves peeking in on the small town and watching as I visit the various shops.”
“This is a really good opportunity,” Shelley says, pushing back.
“It is, but Courage is my home. I don’t want to spend my time traveling from place to place. I want the show to be local, set right here in my hometown.” When I talked about this with Ginger, I realized I’d rather walk away from this opportunity than leave the hometown I love.