Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Anytime Maddie has brought up her brother today, I’ve made it a point to avoid asking about him even though I’m dying to do just that. I can’t seem to stop myself now. “So, uh, is he always like that?”
Maddie tilts her head to look at me. “No, he’s not. I’ve never known my brother to be like that. Funny story, he made me promise to be nice to you.” She holds her hands up. “Which is crazy in itself, because I’m almost always a nice person.” She pauses and looks at me. “He must really like you.”
I can feel my face heat. “Well, uh, he’s just a nice guy, that’s all. He was sort of there when everything went down at the Feed Haven. I’m sure he felt like he had to help me.”
Maddie laughs. “Uh, one thing you’ll learn about my brother is that he never does anything because he feels like he has to. He only does things he wants to do.”
I swallow hard because I had wondered that about him and have asked myself a hundred times why he’s helping me like he is. But there’s a part of me that doesn’t believe what Maddie is saying. “Okay, well, he feels sorry for me. He, uh, well, I’m pregnant.”
She just blinks her eyes, and her reaction is nothing like what I thought it would be. I expected her to be surprised. I mean, I have a very small baby bump right now; there’s no way it’s obvious, but then she drops a bombshell. “He told me.” She covers my hand with hers. “And not because he was gossiping or anything. He just thought I should know. How you feeling?”
I let out a ragged breath. “Tired. But I’m just about out of my first trimester, so I’m hoping that goes away.”
Maddie purses her lips. “Don’t count on it. I was tired all the time, but the good thing about working here is, if you need a nap, take one. You can pretty much make your hours as long as the job gets done. Trust me, Elliott is very understanding when it comes to pregnant women. I put him through the wringer.”
I lean back in my seat. “Oh no, I’d never nap on the job. I’ll make sure to get a good night’s sleep. I’ll be fine.”
“If you’re tired, you rest. That’s it.”
The sound of Elliott’s gruff voice in the room has me turning in surprise. How in the world did he get in here without us knowing? He’s a big man, and there’s no way he’s light on his feet. I grip the edge of the chair I’m sitting in and try to get a hold of myself. My hormones are raging and are having this crazy effect on me any time I look at him. “Oh, I’m fine. I promise I can do the work.”
Elliott starts coming toward me, and he catches himself because he stops around three feet before he reaches me. “If you’re tired, you go lay down. Anything else can wait.”
I laugh and roll my eyes thinking he’s joking, but it’s obvious by his stare that he isn’t trying to be funny. “Elliott, I’m here to work. I won’t be sleeping while I’m supposed to be working.”
“If you’re tired, I guarantee you’ll be resting if I have to destroy every computer in this house.”
I gasp, and Maddie’s eyes get as big as saucers. She stands up and gives her brother a dirty look. “What my brother is trying to say and doing a really poor job of is that nothing we do in here is on a time crunch. Since I was pregnant and had RJ, we’ve had to rearrange things and the process of how we handle things. We can work around anything.”
Overwhelmed, I nod my head. I can feel the emotions rolling through me, and I know I’m about to start crying. I have no control over it, and before the tears start to fall, I force a smile to my face. “Okay, well, I’m going to go to the ladies’ room. I’ll be back.”
I practically bolt from the room to the surprised faces of Elliott and Maddie. As soon as I’m out of the kitchen, I’m running up the stairs toward my bedroom. I get in and close the door, breathing heavily. I lean my back against the hard wood just as a knock sounds on the door. “Camille.”
I hold my breath, and I’m not sure what I’m thinking. It’s not like I can act like I’m not in here. He undoubtedly just saw me run in here. “Hey, Elliott. I’ll be out in a minute.”
His voice is muffled. “Can I talk to you, please?”
I take too long to answer because he says my name again. “Camille… please?”
I’m debating on whether to answer him or not, and I’m trying to dry my eyes as I do.