Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“I don’t think that’s quite what Travis’s mom said, Alex.”
My son was oblivious to the innuendo. He shrugged and kept on eating.
“Coach Brick is a general contractor,” I explained. “He offered to give me some referrals for the contractors we need.”
Levi studied my face. “Uh-huh.”
“He also gave me an air conditioning company to try. Did you see the estimate that the first company gave us?”
“Yup. It’ll drain almost the entire operating account, and we won’t see a dime more if we wind up selling the place since the buyer plans to tear it down.”
“We’re selling The Palm Inn?” Alex asked. “It’s going to get torn down?”
I hadn’t explained that as a possibility. “We’re still trying to figure that out, honey.”
Alex shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth. “I like it here.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full of food. But I like it here, too.”
Alex looked over at his uncle. “Do you not like it here, Uncle Levi?”
“Of course I do. It’s just that…sometimes as adults we have to make decisions that aren’t always based on what we like.”
“What are they made on then?”
“Well, lots of things. Money and time, for example. A place like this takes a lot of both to keep running.”
“So you don’t make a lot of money playing football?”
I sat back and enjoyed my son’s impromptu inquisition.
“I do, buddy. But—”
Alex frowned. “Oh, I get it. You’re too busy. You’re going to go back to being a cruncle, aren’t you?”
Levi looked to me for help. When all he got was a grin, he rolled his eyes.
“How did we get from the pipes to me being a crappy uncle so fast?”
I chuckled. “I’m not sure, but I’m glad we did.”
Levi shook his head. “Why don’t we talk about neither? What plays do they have you running at football camp?”
For the rest of dinner, the boys talked football. I was impressed at how much my son had learned already. He’d memorized most of the plays and was able to describe them to Levi using the right terminology. Just as we were finishing, one of Alex’s friends knocked at the door and asked him to ride bikes.
“Can I, Mom?”
I looked at the time on my phone. “For an hour. And no going off the block.”
Just like earlier today, he bolted before I’d finished my sentence.
Levi and I cleared the table. I set our plates in the sink and turned on the water to rinse them. “These are the little things I love about living here,” I said. “Never in a million years would I tell my son he could go outside and ride his bicycle unsupervised in New York City.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
As I loaded the dishwasher, Levi leaned against the counter next to it. He folded his arms across his chest and lifted an inquisitive brow. “So…the coach wants to give you his pipe?”
I waved him off. “That’s just my friend Kat being cheeky. Jeremy was being polite and offered to help with referrals for The Palm. He’s a general contractor, so he has a lot of contacts. Kat is making it more than it is.”
“You sure about that? Men don’t generally offer a woman help without wanting something in return.”
“So you’re saying there’s no such thing as nice people anymore? Everyone just wants to get in each other’s pants?”
“Not necessarily. It’s not always about getting into someone’s pants. But there’s usually something people want in return when they’re nice.”
“Yes, they want kindness in return, Levi. When did you become such a cynic?”
“I’m not a cynic. I’m a realist. Half the time, we don’t even recognize we’re doing it. It’s just human nature. If your rent is late, you’re a little nicer to your landlord because you’re going to need an extension. You have two weeks to return something and it’s been two and a half since you bought it? You walk into the store and smile at the lady behind the counter. You want in a woman’s pants, you offer to help her find the contractors she needs.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Oh really? Well, you just helped me clean up after dinner. What exactly would you like from me?”
Levi’s eyes flickered to my lips a moment. It was so fast that I almost thought I’d imagined it. But the heat between my legs told me I hadn’t. He looked away. “We’ll agree to disagree. But don’t say I didn’t warn you if the good coach wants more than to be helpful.”
***
The following afternoon, I again sat with Kat on the bleachers, waiting for camp to end for the day. That woman had some sort of radar, because she didn’t seem to miss any hot-guy sightings.
“Holy crap.” She lifted her chin toward the bottom of the bleachers. “I’m glad that guy wasn’t standing in front of me at the gym this morning. I was doing thigh presses, and I might not have been able to open my legs to pee later.”