Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
As soon as I think the thought, the hair on the back of my neck stands up and I know that feeling. There’s only one time I get it. I glance around and spot Derek, a few feet away talking to another partygoer.
He must have followed me back. Darn, this is why he’s so confusing. He pretends he doesn’t care then watches over me. He doesn’t know that I know he follows me home or that he’s the one who always puts a protein bar in my locker when I haven’t had a chance to eat on shift.
“Is everything OK with Derek? He’s acting grumpy today. Well, grumpier than normal,” I clarify. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s bothering him and he needs a friend. Sure, I’d like to be more than his friend. I’d like him to push me up against the rig and kiss me breathless. I’d like him to cup my bottom while murmuring in my ear that I’m his good girl. But that stuff can’t happen. Even if it could, he doesn’t think of me like that. I’m pretty sure he sees me as a little sister. I don’t know why the thought hurts so much.
Journey reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “Don’t take it personally. He received a letter in the mail before we left for the lodge. I think it really upset him.”
I wonder what that letter could have possibly been. The chief is always unhappy with Derek, probably because he pushed for me to get hired. Derek never told me that. I was able to glean it from eavesdropping on conversations between Cam and Lincoln. I think that’s why the chief is always on my case too.
Last month, Derek told me I should study up on some town ordinance. It was an obscure one that rarely applies to our day-to-day work. That evening, the chief called me in and gave me a pop quiz on the topic. He was pretty angry when he couldn’t trip me up.
“He’s not getting fired, is he?” I look to Cam. He’d be the first to know.
Cam shakes his head.
I glance over in Derek’s direction again. When I see him already staring at me, I look away. “Yeah, it probably doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
I can still feel his gaze raking over me, like a lover’s caress. It’s not time to think about that though. I’m here to be present with my friends, not fantasize about my hot grumpy boss.
Cam and Journey are whispering again and I’m pretty sure they want to be alone. I excuse myself and head to the table where Lincoln and Lucy are. Lincoln has twins, Lyla and Leo. They’re adorable. When Lucy showed up as his nanny, he fell for her instantly. She’s pregnant now and the four of them couldn’t be happier about it.
“I want to play,” Lyla complains with a hand on her hip. She’s sending Lincoln a pout that I think would normally be too hard for him to resist. But right now, he has an arm tucked around Lucy’s shoulders. Her features are contorted in pain.
“Not now,” Lincoln answers. “Lucy has a headache.”
I clear my throat, remembering what he told me at the station last week. Lucy has been getting migraines during her pregnancy. The doctor thinks it has to do with her shifting hormones and that they might clear up within a month or two. “I’m kind of lonely, Linc. Could I go play with Leo and Lyla for a few hours?”
The kids shout their agreement and I hold out my hands so they can grab onto me.
Lincoln sends me a relieved look. “Thanks. I’ll take Lucy up to our room and get her settled. Kids, you have to do what Wynter says. She’s in charge. Even of you, Lyla.”
“Take your time,” I tell him. “There’s lots of fun stuff for us to do together.”
I spend the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening, playing games with the kids. It makes me miss my siblings who are still living at home with our parents. I haven’t seen them in so long.
Lincoln checks in by text message, but I keep reassuring him that they’re fine. So far, we’ve played tag and hopscotch, explored a stream, and had fun with hide and seek in the lodge.
Dinner is outside on picnic tables, and I settle Leo and Lyla beside me with the gluten free meal that I asked Lincoln about. His daughter has Celiac disease so it’s important that she eats a special diet. Even when they visit the fire station, I have to be careful about which snacks I offer them.
Derek joins us at the table and the two of them brighten instantly. Cam and Derek are like uncles to the twins. He chats with them for a few minutes, listening to the stories of all they’ve done today and the adventures they’ve had.