Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
“They need a minute,” I tell my daughter as I set her on the stool at the island.
“I hate that they didn’t have parents to lean on,” Millie says, wiping her eyes, “but I love that they have each other.”
“Darby’s going to be awesome.” I glance outside and see Holden wiping the tears from Darby’s cheeks. “It’s going to be scary, but she’ll kick ass.”
“I can’t imagine starting college in my mid-thirties,” Millie says, shaking her head. “That’s incredible.”
“It’s not like we’re old, you know.”
“You are old,” Birdie says as if she’s breaking bad news to me, patting me on the shoulder, and Millie busts up laughing. “Sorry, Dad.”
“Why are we sorry?” Dani asks as she walks through the door, wiping the last of her tears away.
“Dad’s old,” Birdie replies.
“Oh, I knew that.”
I narrow my eyes on her. “Get over here.”
With a sassy grin on her delectable lips, she saunters over to me. “Yes?”
Leaning in, I press my lips to her ear and whisper, “That’s one less orgasm for you tonight.”
“I have a secret for you,” she says. “It was worth it.”
We’re absolutely, squarely into fall. Now that we’re into the middle of October, all the trees are in the process of shedding their leaves. My parents will be here tonight for the next week so Mom can do all her favorite fall activities, and the weather will continue to get colder.
Brooks is finally finished fixing Dani’s car, so I’m walking over to my brother’s automotive garage to pick it up for her. I had the day off after a particularly grueling six straight days of work.
The arsonist struck again this week.
The motherfucker.
A bell dings when I push the door open and walk inside of my brother’s business. It smells like motor oil and tires, and I grin at Brooks when his head pops up out of an engine.
“Hey,” he calls out, wiping his hands on a rag.
“Bad time?”
“Nah, it’s fine. You here for Dani’s car?”
I nod and lean on the counter. Brooks is the oldest of us. He’s in his late thirties and is built like a brick shithouse.
Whatever the hell that means.
We’re all big guys. It’s in the genes. But Brooks puts in extra hours in the gym, and it shows.
“How much do I owe you?” I ask him.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head and takes a drink of water. “It was a cheap part, but it was a bitch tearing the engine apart to replace it.”
“I’ll pay you for your time, you know.”
“Dude, you’re my brother. I’m not taking your money. How is Dani, anyway?”
“I haven’t seen her much over the last week or so, but she’s good. She had a run-in with a parent last week. The mom of some kid came into her class and accused Dani of trying to force-feed the kid sugar. Apparently, the kid had never had sugar before and asked Dani for a snack from her snack closet, and she gave it to him. He discovered the beautiful world of sugar, and the mom was not happy.”
“Did Dani get into trouble for that?”
“No, because the mom didn’t put it in her son’s paperwork that he’s not allowed to have sweet treats. She just trusted him to know better.”
“How did Dani do standing up for herself?” Brooks’s eyes soften.
“She told the mom that if she had a problem with the snacks in her closet, maybe she should contribute to the stash so her son had things to eat during the day.”
“Good going, Dani.”
“Right? I was proud of her. Are you going to see Mom and Dad tonight?”
“Nah, I’ll have a late night here tonight, but I’ll catch up with them tomorrow. You?”
“I’ll see what Dani wants to do.”
Brooks grins at me. “She’s just running the show now, huh?”
“It’s considerate to take her wants and needs into consideration, you jerk face.”
Brooks laughs and then passes me Dani’s keys. “It’s parked out front. I’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks, man.”
Dani will be finished with school in just a little while, and given I haven’t seen her much lately, I’m hoping that she votes to stay home. I thought I’d get some good takeout for my girls, watch a movie, and then after Birdie goes to bed, I’m going to fuck my woman senseless for most of the night.
It’s a solid plan.
Chapter Eighteen
DANI
Today has sucked.
Badly.
It might have been the worst day of my teaching career so far, and while I know that six school years into said career isn’t a lot, it’s enough to know the worst day ever, and this was it.
It’s Friday, and that’s my only saving grace.
Because between two kids messing their pants, one kid deciding to be a cannibal and bite three students before I could stop her, and a parent who demanded to know why I’m not teaching her child multiplication—they’re five, ma’am—I’m ready to forget that I’m a teacher at all.