Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“Most of the time, it’s great. Then there are the few that come in, and they need a ton of work. Not just grammatical edits but plot holes, and those are a nightmare. It doesn’t happen often, but it has happened. I pretty much have the set of authors that I love working with. I’m not taking on anyone new at the moment.”
“How’s school going?” Ramsey asks me.
“I think they’re all ready for a holiday break. They’re either super chatty, moody as hell, or sick. I know kids get sick, but at no time during my education did they teach me that I’d become a human tissue.”
The ladies grimace. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, but it’s not on purpose. They come in to hug me or hug my legs, and they conveniently wipe their faces on my clothes.”
“Ick.” Alyssa’s face twists at my imagery.
“I can’t believe I’m getting ready to say this, but I’ve gotten used to it. I had one with their head in the trash can puking the other day.” This time it’s me who grimaces. “Sorry, I know we’re eating.”
Kennedy waves me off. “One of those kids you’re talking about is mine. I feel like I should apologize to you.”
“No. Not at all. Please don’t think that. I was just venting. I’m used to complaining to Rush, and he doesn’t get grossed out over anything.”
“Speaking of Rush, what’s going on there?” Jade asks.
I shrug. “Nothing. He continues to ask me out, and I keep turning him down.”
“You have to give us more than that,” Alyssa tells me.
“He says he wants to get to know me.”
“He’s a good guy,” Ramsey says.
I sigh. I’m going to have to break down and tell them about my past for them to understand. I don’t want them to think that I’m stringing him along. “We’re going to need alcohol for this,” I tell them.
“Oh, we can all drink!” Jade moves to the refrigerator and snatches two bottles of wine. “I have more in the garage fridge if we need them.” She smiles widely.
“We’re probably going to need them,” I say to her. Jade fills each of us a glass of wine and passes them out.
“Let’s go get comfortable in the living room,” Jade suggests.
We grab our glasses of wine and follow her to the living room. We each claim a spot, and all eyes look at me expectantly. “When I was four years old, I went into foster care.” Their mouths drop open but I forge on. I tell them how my parents overdosed and how I was shuffled from one foster family to another growing up. I don’t stop until I’ve told them about my ex-boyfriend and my ex-best friend, who really was more just a friend. I never confided in her. Not like I have these ladies. “I’m closer to all of you than I was to her, but it still hit me here,” I tell them, tapping my hand over my heart.
“Damn,” Ramsey mutters. “I don’t know what brought you to Willow River, but you have a home here,” she tells me. “We are your people.” She places her wineglass on the table, comes over to where I’m sitting on the chair, and hugs me. “I had a difficult upbringing, but Aunt Carol and Uncle Raymond were there for me. I met Palmer, and we became fast friends and this town.” She shakes her head. “This town is almost magical in a way. The minute I rolled into town, my heart shredded. It felt like home.” She grabs her wine and takes her seat.
“That’s tricky for me,” I tell them. “I subbed since I graduated with my teaching degree. This is my first year of having my own classroom.”
“How is that tricky?” Kennedy asks. “The kids love you. Trust me. I hear it every day.”
“I love them too.” I take a hefty sip of my wine.
“Pause.” Jade stands and finishes off her glass of wine. “Let me grab another bottle.” She disappears into the garage and is back in no time, filling all of our glasses before taking her seat and nodding at me to continue.
“My contract is only for one year. If they don’t renew, I have to find another job, which won’t be here in Willow River.”
“They’re going to renew,” Kennedy says with confidence.
“I hope so, but there’s a chance that I might be moving on. I had a plan. I found a nice rental, and I was going to put all of my focus into being the best teacher I could be. I didn’t plan to meet an amazing group of ladies.”
“Friends,” Alyssa speaks up. “We’re your friends, Crosby.”
I nod, feeling emotion well in my throat. “Friends,” I repeat. “I can’t tell you what it means to me that y’all have accepted me into your lives and the lives of your family. I’ve never had this. A group of people who I truly feel as though I can be myself with.”