Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 87573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“No, I got caught at a showing. It was only supposed to be one house, and the next thing I knew, we were looking at ten houses in neighborhoods all over town.”
“Real estate agent problems.”
“Tell me about it.”
I put up with a lot of shit, but I actually liked these clients. It was why I’d put in the extra effort. I wanted them to find their dream home. That moment when they walked through the house in a daze and just knew. Their eyes meeting across a kitchen island as they pictured filling the space with their things and making memories. It was the best.
“How’s the car?” Whitt asked.
West and Nora jerked their heads to him simultaneously. Whitt didn’t deign to meet their interested expressions.
“Still at the dealership. They gave me a loaner. Thanks for the assist.”
“Sure,” he said, his gaze intense.
“What assist?” Nora asked, interjecting herself into our conversation.
West was looking at his brother, but Whitt purposely glanced away.
“I had some car trouble, and Whitt helped me out,” I said as if it were no big deal.
And honestly, from anyone else, it wouldn’t be. Nora would have done it in a heartbeat. But of course, I didn’t want to bang Nora.
“Really?” West said. “Whitt is good with cars.”
“Found that out,” I admitted.
A vision of him shirtless with his hands under the hood flashed through my mind. A flush rushed through my chest and centered on my core. Yeah, I couldn’t stop thinking about that muscled torso and biceps and shoulders and…
Fuck, brain! Shut the fuck up!
“What did Brian say?” Whitt asked.
“He agreed with you. Timing belt.”
And it was going to be at least five hundred dollars. I’d winced at the amount when I’d first heard it. He’d even said it was a deal because he was friends with Whitt. I didn’t know how he knew everyone in town when I’d lived here longer, but I was thankful for the discount. Even if the amount quoted was going to bankrupt me until I got that Wright money coming in.
Nora sidled up next to me. I could see that she had questions in her eyes. Nora, after all, was the person who had first tried to get me and Whitt together. I’d admitted my attraction to him, and she’d laid the groundwork for us. She’d never understood when I told her it hadn’t worked out. I bet I was going to get an earful once we were alone.
Thankfully, she didn’t dive in at that moment because the crowd roared its approval as Jensen Wright strode out onto the stage. I winked at her and faced forward. Whitt’s attention was still on me though. I might have been able to fool Nora if he wasn’t still intently staring at my face. Watching me as if I had a secret that he was trying to decipher.
West hit him on the shoulder, and he broke my gaze to look at his brother. Then cleared his throat and faced Jensen as he began his announcement speech.
I didn’t give two shits about politics. The politicians and policies certainly hadn’t been designed for people like me. But it was hard not to get swept up into Jensen’s enthusiasm. He had a charisma onstage that couldn’t be faked. Either you had it or you didn’t. And Jensen had it in spades. No wonder he’d been an incredible CEO for the company. With the Wright good looks, a sharp wit, and an even wider smile, he won the crowd over instantly. By the end of the speech, the audience was in a fit, screaming his name.
“That was so good,” Nora said. “Especially considering what happened.”
“What happened?”
Nora sighed. “His son was arrested.”
My eyes widened. A Wright had been arrested. “Here in town?”
“No,” Whitt said. “He has an older son from his first marriage. He’s in high school in New York.”
“Oh yeah. I’ve seen him around before.” But still, I was shocked that a Wright would do anything to get arrested. “What did he do?”
“We don’t know,” Whitt said.
“And it’s none of our business,” Nora added. She nudged me.
“I bet the news is going to report on it once they find out since Jensen is running for office,” Whitt said.
“Why do you have to be a Debbie Downer?” Nora joked. “West, make him be nice. This is just going to blow over.”
West chuckled. “Have you met my brother? He’s probably formulating a new five-year plan for Jensen to take this stain off of his immaculate reputation.”
“I’m doing no such thing.”
“He’s a Wright. He’ll be fine,” I said immediately.
“Can we go to the carnival and forget about this?” Nora asked.
I’d promised another client that I’d see them in a few hours when they got off work. Which meant I had a few hours to kill…
“All right. I have clients later though.”
“Boo!” Nora said. “Get out of it! Think about it—you, me, Ferris wheel!”