Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
It wasn’t a total lie but if I told Max anything close to the truth, he’d freak out, grab all the Reckless Bastards he could and set Glitz on fire until he found out who spiked my drink. No thanks. That was a headache I didn’t need or want.
Especially now that I was home safe and sound.
“Good mornin’, babe. Morning Maze, did you have a good birthday?” Jana was the bomb. She was beautiful, even for an older woman, with short blonde hair with silver streaks and gorgeous brown eyes that made the scar on her face hardly visible after all these years.
“I had a surprisingly good time. That club, Bullets & Beer, is really fun.” At least what I could remember of the club. “Maybe it’s somewhere you and Aunt Teddy could go on your next girl’s night out?”
Jana tossed her head back and laughed with her whole body and then she rubbed my shoulder. “I love you for thinking that’s anywhere close to my crowd, but wine and painting is more my speed.” She shared a look with Max that was more intimate than any kiss or touch I’d ever seen. “Your Uncle Max didn’t tell you that’s how we met and fell in love?”
“Uncle Max? Painting and wine, seriously?” I asked with a disbelieving snort.
“Don’t let him fool you, Maisie. That man can appreciate art when he wants to. He just doesn’t like to admit it.” Jana leaned in and stage whispered, “Between you and me, I think his mid-life crisis is showing.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud because Max was pretending to read the paper but I could see his ears turning red. Jana winked at me and went back to her cooking.
“So, what are your plans for today?” Max asked, pointedly looking at me over the paper.
“I thought I’d go for a run and then go to church with Bonnie. I have to get my birthday sweat on, you know.” I grinned at him and he shook his head.
“You kids and your fitness obsessions. In my day, we just went outside and played until it was too dark to see anymore.”
“Yeah, and in your day, people died of polio and other preventable diseases. I think I’ll take my chances with a run, thanks.” I ruffled his hair as I walked by and he swatted at me.
Jana chuckled and handed me a plate of food. “Here you go, birthday girl. I made your favorite.”
I groaned when I saw the pancakes, bacon, and eggs on my plate. “Jana, you know I love your cooking, but I’m trying to be good. I don’t want to ruin my diet.”
“Nonsense. Yesterday was your birthday and we barely got to see you. Indulge a little. Besides, you’re too skinny as it is. A little extra meat on your bones would do you good.” Jana patted my cheek and I knew there was no use arguing with her so I sat down at the kitchen table.
I dug in and moaned as the flavors exploded in my mouth. Jana was right. This was exactly what I needed. “Oh my God, this is so good.”
“I know, right?” Jana beamed at me and I knew she was just as happy to see me enjoying her food as I was to be eating it.
It felt good to be home and surrounded by people who loved me, even if Max did drive me crazy sometimes.
Max came to the table and sat down, the blush staining his cheeks at odds with the thick gray beard and perma-scowl he wore. “You got a problem with me painting and drinking wine, kid?”
“No! I’m just surprised is all. Gunnar always said y’all would surprise me. And you do.”
“They all will,” Jana assured me. “They’re all big and bad and tough on the outside but on the inside,” she smiled and poked Uncle Max in the beer belly. “Marshmallows.”
“Shut your mouth, woman.” He scowled at her but Jana only laughed and pressed an exaggerated kiss on his cheek.
“For the right woman, anyway. Otherwise, I wouldn’t fuck with any of ’em.” She winked, her eyes so filled with love that for the first time in my adult life, I thought love might be something I wanted.
“Amen,” I told her and stood to refill my coffee mug. “You guys need me to do anything for you today?”
“Nope. We’re hanging out at the clubhouse if you want to come,” Max offered with a smile.
“Nah, after my run, I’m gonna head to church with Bonnie and then go for a late lunch with her family.”
Max shook his head with a grunt. “I don’t know how a grown ass woman just up and decides to start believing in God and ghosts, but if you’re happy with it then so am I.”
“God’s not a ghost, silly,” I told him, but honestly, I wasn’t wholly sure Jesus or God wasn’t a ghost. Bonnie had convinced me to go to church with her once sophomore year and I agreed because we were friends and I was curious. I liked the sense of community and all that, but I didn’t know all the rules and sometimes the rituals were kind of cheesy.