Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 102185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Don’t overthink it, Greene. She’s a woman who has a kid. Does that make me feel differently about where we were headed? Of course. That changes things. More important things will need to be considered. It’s not frivolous fun anymore. I need to be careful with her as much as she needs to feel I’m someone worthy of introducing to him. That’s not something that can be rushed.
Her questions are valid.
I’m not in a hurry, but am I willing to stay to see where things go with her?
I catch the ball again and shoot. This time, I make it. Reputation saved. “You have fun, dude.” I hold my hand out for a low five, which he smacks. “I’m going inside.”
I’m ready for a tall glass of tea and to kick back on the couch for a bit. See if any games are on and return to the puzzle I left on the coffee table. Otherwise, I’ll be sitting around staring at my phone the rest of the day, waiting for a certain pretty woman to text me where and when. And feel like a fool if she doesn’t.
Not that I don’t think she’ll text. She will. But it won’t serve me well if I’m only hanging around this town hoping for her to give me the time of day. I need to get my shit together and really think about the next steps in my life.
The Riggins house comes to mind. An opportunity in disguise? Is it a chance to have a piece of the peach pie for myself? I have no idea, but it’s not a bad situation to be in.
It’s not as nice as her so-called cottage, but the old farmhouse isn’t so bad, especially if I fix it up. But I’m no fool. Thoughts like I’m having about Cricket Dover only lead to one thing—me breaking her heart. She’s a mom. I can’t do that to her. Getting ahead of myself won’t do me any good, though. But I’m also not ready to walk away from her. I adore everything about her, especially that mouth.
We’re adults who know what we’re getting into.
No one is getting hurt.
Even if a little damaged, hearts will remain intact.
I sit down with a cold glass of iced tea and flick on the TV. After I find a preseason game out of Houston, I discover a puzzle piece to complete the corner I’ve been working on. This life isn’t so bad.
I glance over at my phone. No message. Yet.
This is different. I can’t say I’m comfortable waiting to hear from someone I like. It’s a bit eye-opening to feel anxious, wondering if she’ll contact me. With my knee bouncing, I place a puzzle piece to connect a whole corner and am immediately reminded of the table Cricket moved in her office when she didn’t need to. Her nerves were getting the better of her.
I don’t know what she’s doing to me, but I shake my head, guessing this is karma paying me back. But I smile right after because I can’t wait to see her again.
CHAPTER 19
Cricket
“So you know . . .” Savvy starts, handing me her phone. “I approve of him.”
I work through a few word search options with no luck, but ask, “Who?”
“Nice try,” she says with a laugh. “He’s cute. Just like I said the first time you saw him.”
No point playing dumb when she saw more than she probably wanted of me and Griffin this afternoon. “I’m glad you approve, but don’t get too ahead of yourself. No matchmaking.” I glance at her next to me. “No leaving me to hitch a ride from him tonight. No setups at all.” As I try a few new words and am victorious with the word crawl, I add, “Please let things happen organically. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.” I hand the phone back to her.
She looks at the progress of the game we’re playing, then back at me. “And if it doesn’t, are you still going to tell him about Jacob?”
My breath stops hard in my throat before I can exhale. In the dark of the back seat of the car we hired to drive us to Whiskey’s Bar tonight, I can barely make out her features, other than the little light drifting in through the windows. The gas station lights are blinding for two seconds as we pass. When my eyes adjust to the dimness of the vehicle, I whisper, “I told him about Jacob, Sav. This afternoon.”
“You know what I mean.”
I lick my lips as my heart starts thumping. “I’m not following.” Fine, I wasn’t going to play dumb, but I feel forced into a corner, and it’s all I can think to do to protect the secret I’ve been keeping from her about Griffin.