Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 62095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
“Wherever they end up, they’ll make enough money to visit you frequently,” I said. “And you can visit them too, Chlo.” She and Aiden loved to take weekend trips together.
“It’s not the same.” She was in full grouch mood. “The nest is almost empty. I hate it. If I were a few years younger, I probably would’ve convinced Aiden to have a baby with me.”
I chuckled. Technically, she still could. Forty-two wasn’t that old.
“Then again, go through all the sleepless nights… Jesus Christ.” She shook her head and shuddered. “I’m just bitching. Gray and Isla have at least started giving me grandkids.”
Exactly.
Speaking of Gray…
“How are Darius’s parents?” I asked. “Are they enjoying the onslaught of grandkids too?”
Smooth.
“Oh yeah, they’re adorable.” Chloe brought the baked potatoes over to the dinner table. “They’re older, of course, but you kind of need to be a firecracker in order to raise a family like theirs. Can you imagine? Five boys and two girls.”
No, I seriously couldn’t. My God.
“They lost their eldest years ago, sadly,” she went on. “Afghanistan. Such a tragedy.” She returned to the stove to plate the steaks.
I assumed Darius was the eldest Quinn brother now, and where Ethan wound up in that bunch, I didn’t know.
“I think I’m gonna stop by tomorrow,” Chloe said. “She’s watching her youngest daughter’s kids because Elise and Avery have a date night.”
I smiled and returned to my task. The salad was almost ready, only the baby spinach missing. “How do you keep track of them all?”
“You meet them, and then you can’t forget.” She winked at me.
The whole big-family thing was so new to me; that was all. Growing up as Army brats, we’d learned from a young age that friends were temporary. Brad had been my first friend I’d been unable to say goodbye to. So we’d stayed in touch when my family had relocated.
A couple minutes later, Chloe called out for Gideon and Aiden, and I brought the last stuff to the table. Aiden was in the middle of a deadline, so he moseyed in like a zombie. Now, there was a man who didn’t mind growing older. He had that whole rugged vagabond vibe going, with cargo pants, Henleys, and a graying man-bun.
“Hello, Natalie.” He smiled, surprised to see me. “Good to see you again.”
“You too.” I smiled back. “How’s the next best seller comin’ along?”
“Not great, if you ask my editor,” he grumbled, taking a seat at the head of the table. “He’s an asshole.”
I burst out a laugh. That was too funny. Considering his editor was not only his longtime friend from college but the husband of his daughter.
“This looks amazing, darling.” Aiden pulled Chloe close as soon as she was within reach. “What would I do without you?”
“Not eat,” she teased and kissed him.
“Painfully true,” he chuckled.
Gideon was the last to arrive and the last to sit down. “Fuck yeah, steak. Hey, Auntie Nat.”
“Hey, sugar. How’s life?” I plated a steak and filled the rest with salad.
“Awesome. I’m me.” He smirked.
Chloe snorted softly. “Just remember you’re gonna mow the lawn after dinner.”
He was a little less happy now.
My digging was unsuccessful for the rest of the evening, so I went the old-fashioned route the moment I got home. I looked up Ethan on social media.
With a moving box for a coffee table, I grabbed a Coke Zero and a bowl of grapes and got comfortable on the couch in the living room.
Facebook. He was friends with all my nephews. This was probably not his platform of preference, though. His profile was open, and the last post was from February.
Gym bro… Oh, Insta. Yeah, we’d go with Insta instead.
Bingo.
Ethan Quinn of Quinn’s Fitness Center. Holy crap. Almost three hundred thousand followers wanted to see more of his gym selfies, of which there were thousands. Jesus H Christmas, this man loved showing his muscles. He ran a “Motivational Monday” with “new week, new goals, new gains.” Goodness. He was a single step away from being officially bulky.
In his likes section, I saw the people I followed too. Liked by Gray, liked by Gideon, liked by Gabriel. Or rather, liked by graywinger1, liked by GabrielNolanGoalie, liked by theoneandonlygid. I followed them but never left a mark, considering it was my work account.
Gym selfies, gym selfies, gym selfies, oatmeal with protein powder and a motivational quote, gym selfie, gym selfie.
We were not the same, Ethan and I.
Every now and then, he posted photos with clients too. More accurately, their progress. He’d advised me yesterday to take a “before” photo, so I’d done that.
So far, I had no complaints about the food I ate. Sure, I had some minor cravings for chocolate and cake, but I hadn’t eaten that every day before either.
My phone buzzed with a message; it was Ethan checking in.
Evening, Natalie. How goes it today?