Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“Just an excuse to fuck with you, Dad,” I said. “Just like she cheated on you and had me with another man. Just like she’s stolen money off of you for going on thirty years. Just like she…”
Dad held up his hand when Ida Bell’s head turned to survey the crowd.
Her searching gaze paused when they landed on us.
“Shit,” Dad said.
Ida Bell stood and walked out of the room.
She passed by Koen so fast that he paused in his discussion with our VP, Major, and followed after her.
Nettie came our way again, bringing Grams with her.
“How’d that go?” I asked as I pushed off the wall and caught a seat from a nearby table.
Grams sat and shook her head. “Like a turd in the punch bowl.”
“Grams, it didn’t go that bad.” She paused. “I hope she hates Gail as much as I do now.”
Sawyer snorted. “Honey, you hate with your whole heart. I don’t think anyone is like you in this entire world.”
Nettie blew him a kiss and winked at me before heading to the food table.
I followed behind her, leaving Dad and Grams to talk quietly.
I got two plates of food, balanced rather precariously and followed behind my girl who got so much that there was no way she’d finish even a quarter of it.
The Dixie Wardens MC had catered, and there was so much food to choose from that I was sure she didn’t know where to start.
I followed behind her with three Dr Peppers tucked between my arm and chest and found the first seat that was open which happened to be by Eddy and Weaver.
“Ugh, I’m so tired.” Nettie practically collapsed into her chair. “And I’m cold.”
I immediately shrugged off my shirt, thankful I had a white tee underneath.
She smiled at me gratefully and shrugged into it, sniffing it when she got it buttoned up all the way.
I dug into my food, but I did it with my heart happy as fuck.
“What is she doing?” I heard Weaver ask Eddy.
I looked over to see my wife eyeing my meat.
“Honey.” I barely contained my laugh. “Do you want a bite?”
She licked her lips and scrunched up her nose. “I shouldn’t.”
I held the eight inches of meat in front of her face, and she groaned before leaning forward and crunching into the sausage. Juice dribbled down her chin.
She wiped it away with the sleeve of my shirt, and I chuckled.
“Want a napkin?” Eddy threw a balled-up one at Nettie’s face.
It hit her between the eyes.
Nettie caught it when it bounced off her lap and unraveled it.
She wiped her face with it, then kept eyeing my meat.
“Are you going to eat that?” my wife asked.
I paused with it a few inches from my face. “You want it?”
She batted her eyes at me.
I handed it over and reached for my brisket sandwich.
Gentry and Odin joined our table with their own piles of food.
“Odin,” I said. “Glad you could make it.”
He grunted.
That was pretty talkative for the man, so I left him alone and said to Gentry, “How’s the marathon training coming?”
“I’m not marathon training.”
“Then why are you running every day like you are?” Nettie teased him.
We all knew why.
Gentry had a girl that’d gotten under his skin.
Sage, a nurse at the hospital that was there on a travel nursing contract.
She was set to leave in a few months, and he hadn’t convinced her to stay yet.
But seeing as I tried to stay out of other people’s problems since I had enough of my own, I didn’t know all the fine details.
Nettie was clearly interested in knowing them.
But Creed and his woman, Birdee, came up with Creed’s sister, Bernice, with them.
Bernice only had eyes for the quiet man at the table who was trying really hard not to make eye contact with her.
Yet another pairing that was odd to me, but still seemed to fit perfectly well.
Though, Odin was trying really hard not to give away his feelings.
“We’re going to head out,” Creed said. “Bernice is having some trouble breathing tonight.”
Odin’s head snapped up as he studied her with critical eyes.
Odin had a thing for the asthmatic bombshell that was Creed’s sister. Though, he’d probably never admit it.
Watching Bernice watch Odin underneath lowered lashes let me know that Bernice felt the same.
My lips twitched at the sight of the two trying not to appear that they were staring.
A sound came from Bernice’s lips that had my doctor ears—even ones that usually listened to animals—perking up.
“Have you used the inhaler yet?”
Odin’s words.
Odin didn’t say much, but when he said stuff about medical knowledge, you better damn listen.
Odin, in his former life, was dual board-certified in infectious disease and gastroenterology. He was a real-life Gregory House, only surlier and without the drug problem.
His last case he’d ever worked was a young girl that was undiagnosable by any other doctor. As a last-ditch effort, the little girl’s mother had driven her across the country to the hospital that Odin worked at. She’d begged him to fix her child. He had, but that’d been the turning point to a vicious game that the little girl’s father had been playing.