Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
“Grammy! That’s so creepy.”
“It would be creepy if we were watching from Loretta’s window with binoculars,” she said in a way that suggested they may have done that first. “We are just a bunch of women casually having some lemonade on the lawn.”
“You are too much.”
“I am having the time of my life, my dear.”
“You really are.”
“Which brings me to my next order of business,” she said, dropping down across from me at the table.
“Okay. What’s that?”
“You.”
“Me? You mean the business? It’s going… well.” Inwardly, I winced at that pause. I had to carefully avoid letting her know there was anything about Vital Greens that I wasn’t telling her. And I couldn’t tell her. No matter how much it was eating me alive to keep it quiet.
I simply couldn’t tell her. It was too dangerous.
While the assisted living facility was relatively safe, it wasn’t the kind of safe where men with guns would be deterred if they wanted to find her and use her against me.
“The business is the only thing I’m not worried about.”
If only she knew.
“I’m okay, Grammy,” I said, thinking that she was worried my mental health was in the toilet again.
“Are you, though? Today is your day off. And you’re here with me. And judging by those bleach spots on your shorts and tee, you spent the morning doing what? Cleaning and laundry?”
“And shopping,” I grumbled.
“None of that represents a social life, Rue.”
“I know. It’s just… hard. I don’t know anyone. And even if I did, what, am I just supposed to ask someone to hang out?”
“Yes, my dear. That is how people make friends.”
“It feels awkward.”
“Because you’re out of practice. Try it with someone low-pressure. Maybe someone you see all the time at the coffee shop or something like that. Each time you do it, it will get easier. I’m not just being nosy here. I’m concerned about you. It’s not human nature to be alone all the time.”
“I hang out with Traeger at work.”
“And he’s the only reason I haven’t come to you about this sooner. But it doesn’t sound like you go out with him much, and I think you need to really try to make a friend or join a club. It’s important. For the community, the connection, and even just for something to look forward to.”
She wasn’t wrong.
I could feel it creeping up on me for the past six months or so—a sadly familiar sensation of hopelessness, of bleakness. It wasn’t anything bad, not yet. But I knew the signs. I knew that I had to keep my eye on it. Then I had to act if things took a nosedive.
Clearly, maybe it wasn’t something only I was seeing.
“I will look into clubs or classes or something,” I promised her. It felt easier than trying to put myself out there for possible rejection.
“Good. Now that that is over,” she said, getting to her feet. “Let’s go meet Mitsy’s new kitten—Sabrina.”
By the time I climbed back in my car, I was covered in white kitten hair, and I had a plan to spend my evening with some takeout while researching a new social activity to add to my calendar.
As I was waiting for traffic to pass so I could pull out, I saw several of those ‘delicious’ men my grandmother mentioned.
As I turned, I could have sworn I saw a familiar tall, dark, tattooed, and handsome man.
My heart leapt as my head whipped over, but he was already gone.
If he’d been there at all.
Clearly, my imagination was running away with me, thinking I was seeing Kylo at the damn house across the street from my grandmother’s facility.
Maybe I really was losing it from all the stress.
CHAPTER SIX
Kylo
“Uh, incoming?” Dixon called from the living room.
“Huck?” I asked, knowing he was supposed to be rolling in soon. Unless their road trip back to Florida took them on some sort of detour.
“Nah, man,” Dixon said, shooting me that trademark smirk of his.
The family resemblance was strong in the Cider brothers. Both tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed, both sporting lots of ink. But Caymen, the elder of the two, clearly spent a bit more time in the gym, had a square jaw and a trim beard, stern brows, and a more serious demeanor. By contrast, Dixon was the lighter, easier brother with a clean-shaven face, thick lashes, and lips prone to smirking and smiling easily.
True, since they’d shown up, even some of Caymen’s seriousness had lessened a bit. It was likely thanks to the fact that he was no longer solely responsible for his little brother and their safety and livelihood. He knew that with us, he had other people to rely on. It let him let loose. And, apparently, engage in primal play with the club girls who were into getting chased, thrown over a shoulder, and fucked senseless.