Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
There had been a time when I thought I would have had a boyfriend by now—maybe even a husband—to share the good and bad times with. Yet, life had pulled the rug out from under me on that one, too.
Henry had been there to help me pick myself back up after the nasty breakup with my last boyfriend had nearly cost me everything—my apartment, my credit, and a good portion of my own self-worth.
In the six months since, I’d been slowly starting to rebuild my life, but there was no denying that without the help and guidance of my mother—who’d let me move back in with her while I worked to get myself back on my feet—and my job here at Patty’s Petals, that process would have been a lot more difficult.
There were already days—especially lately—when it felt like I might never be able to climb back out of the hole I’d dug for myself with my last boyfriend, but when I’d start to feel that way, I always thought back to what Henry would say.
Keep your head up and keep going. When you’re going through hell, keep going.
I didn’t know if or when I’d be ready to love again—didn’t even know if I trusted my heart to recognize a good thing anymore—but what I did trust was Henry’s wisdom. It hadn’t let me down yet, and it was all Naomi and I had right now.
“We just have to keep our heads up,” I said.
Naomi rolled her eyes but grinned anyway. “And keep going?”
“You know he’s right,” I said, smiling back. I wasn’t surprised at all that Naomi had recognized the classic Henry-ism. “I think it’s pretty good advice.”
I felt a little better as we closed up the shop and left for the day, the feeling of Henry’s presence and wisdom guiding us—just the way he always had when he’d been alive. I hoped Naomi could feel it, too.
If Henry’s sudden passing had taught me anything, it was that I couldn’t predict or control the future, but I hoped that as long as I kept doing what was right—the way Henry had taught me—that when Brady did finally come and take over, he’d start to love the place as much as Naomi and I did.
And really, the man was Henry’s son, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.
Chapter Three - Brady
I secured the last box in the bed of my beat-up red pickup and slammed the tailgate shut before looking back at the apartment I was about to leave behind.
I wasn’t sure if it was funny or pathetic that after ten years in the NFL—basically my entire adult life—everything I owned could fit in the back of my truck, with plenty of space left over.
Hell, it wasn’t even a full-size pickup.
Most players at this point would be millionaires. Yet, between never being a big star and continuous injuries that soaped up my money, I never made it. At this point, I was nearly broke.
I clenched my jaw, looking over my packing job. Yeah, probably more pathetic than funny, but I’d never needed a lot of stuff. I’d never had time to enjoy what little I had, anyway.
Over the past ten years, I’d been playing on different fields all over the country more times than I could count. Other guys dreaded the back-to-back games that kept them away from family and friends, but I had always been eager to go. I’d been my coaches go-to guy, right up until the minute the league decided my body might not be able to handle it anymore.
I turned away from the truck, spitting on the ground as I crossed the gravel parking lot back toward the now half-furnished apartment where I’d bunked whenever I was in town for the last few years. It looked threadbare and deserted without my belongings.
Tyler, my soon-to-be-former roommate, wasn’t any more of a homemaker than I had been.
“I guess that’s everything,” I said, nodding in the direction of my room—my old room—as Tyler got up from the couch to see me off. “Try not to have too many wild parties now that I’m gone.”
“Are you kidding?” Tyler grimaced and looked around, eyes flicking over the newly emptied living room. “The place isn’t gonna be the same without you, man.”
“And I’m not gonna be the same without this place. It’s a hell of a lot different than where I’m going, that’s for sure.”
“No shit,” Tyler nodded, stepping outside with me. “You’re not planning on staying in Castle Falls, are you?”
“No,” I shook my head. “Hell no. Castle Falls is—was—my dad’s town. I don’t think I could ever stay there without feeling like he was constantly looking over my shoulder.”
Tyler winced. “That’s gotta be rough.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking as uncomfortable as I was feeling with the direction the conversation had taken. That didn’t stop him from asking more questions, though. “You don’t think it might be a little easier there, or… something? Now that he’s gone, I mean?”