Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Josh moved into her space, his hands going to her hips. “Hey, if there is wickedness here, it’s almost surely me.”
“Yeah, but you’re the rich kid. Your wickedness will be overlooked. Grim and me are the ones in danger,” she replied, but it was easy to see this conversation wasn’t bothering her.
She’d said she was an open book, and she was when it came to her emotional state. He could tell when she was nervous, when she was happy, when she felt safe.
“Then I’m going to have to protect you both,” Josh said.
He held her close and looked back at Grim, his gaze a vow.
They would both protect her. From everything.
* * * *
“So, Nicole, what is it you do for a living?”
Abigail Barnes-Fleetwood looked damn good for her age. She had auburn hair and green eyes and looked like an older version of her daughter, who was sitting across the table from Nicole.
The elegant table in the stunningly luxurious house. It might be a ranch house, but these weren’t hard-scrabble ranchers. This was a wealthy family, and their home showed it.
It was almost like she was back in Childswood, sitting in the dining room of her mother-in-law’s house. She’d been forced to sit there every holiday and listen to all the reasons why she wasn’t good enough to be one of them. She wasn’t well educated. She wasn’t amusing or charming or any of the other -ings that would make her suitable.
She’d given them time to get used to her and then she’d told Micah she would never step foot into his parents’ house again.
She’d spent two days in the hospital and was there at the next mandatory dinner party.
She’d been asked a question. It was best to answer and not anger anyone. “I’m waitressing right now, but I start a job in Austin in a couple of weeks. I’m going to work in the marketing department of a small corporation.”
Nice. Neat. Easily malleable for most situations. She’d sat up late at night constructing the reply. It was general enough to not tempt someone to ask more questions. It sounded boring and normal, and most people let it go.
“Which corporation? I know a lot of the Austin business world.” Jack Barnes sat at the head of the table. There was zero doubt the man was the authority figure of the family.
She felt herself flush and her stomach churn. “It’s a start-up. I’m one of their first employees.”
“What does the company make? Or are they a service provider?” Jack asked.
She forced herself to take a drink of the sweet tea she’d requested. It had tasted delicious only moments before. “They sell restaurant equipment.”
It was all she could think of. She’d heard Christa complaining about the company that provided her refrigerators.
She knew absolutely nothing about buying or selling restaurant equipment.
Sam nodded as he scooped up some refried beans. “So you’re going into sales.”
Nic felt like there was a spotlight on her, like she was a one-woman show and the audience would decide if she got another booking or closed down all in one night. Of course they wouldn’t simply close her down if they figured out who she was. They would call the police and have her arrested.
“I think Nicole would be great at sales.” Olivia had been playing the role of cheerleader.
“Is sales what you did in Chicago?” Abigail asked politely.
The parents seemed nice, but it was obvious they were feeling her out. She’d hoped they would view her as a passing fancy, but she was definitely getting vet-the-new-girlfriend vibes off them. “No. I waitressed in Chicago. And I’m not in sales. I’m in marketing. That’s what my degree is in.”
Well, it would be if she’d been allowed to finish her last year of college. She’d been dumb and gotten married.
She’d put her last year of college off because he’d said he wanted to spend more time with her. She could go back later, he’d promised.
He’d lied. It was what Micah did best.
“Do you have a place to stay in Austin?” Jack was one of the most intimidating men she’d ever seen. And she’d been in the room with a murderer.
Somehow Nicole thought Jack Barnes would have handled the situation better than she had. “I’ll stay with a friend until I can find an apartment.”
“Why didn’t your friend come get you when your car broke down?” Sam asked.
“Because she’s incredibly stubborn and doesn’t like taking handouts.” Josh seemed to take charge. He was an awful lot like the man who had to be his biological dad, but maybe he seemed less scary to her because she knew how cuddly he was. “Kind of like some other people I know.”
“I didn’t take handouts, son,” Jack said with a slightly shady grin.
“No, you took blackmail payments,” Sam shot back.
“Sam,” Abigail chided. “New friends.”