Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
I now believe Flynn has never dated, because if he had, he’d be married. Some woman would have snatched him up. I don’t know if I’m ready to snatch anyone up, but I’m definitely putting Flynn on my wish list. Clicking the heart icon. And I know I’ll think about him long after our date ends.
“But seriously,” he says. “Can you imagine that life? A big house. Never thinking twice about what something costs? Steak for dinner? Fresh produce. Eating a whole avocado with your breakfast?”
I chuckle. “I think that is the life to imagine. I fear the life you had growing up is what’s unimaginable.”
“Don’t do that.” He shakes his head. “Don’t feel sorry for me.”
“Flynn, you’re eating dinner with Minneapolis’ best tour guide. No one can feel sorry for you.” I give him my best flirty grin. Playing hard to get is overrated. Or maybe it’s not. I think he’s been playing me for the past week, and he’s still doing it.
He chews slowly, studying me. “You did that on our first date too.”
“Did what?” I narrow my eyes.
“You jokingly suggested that I should feel lucky to be with you.”
“Oh, no. I mean. Yeah. I’m totally joking.” I hope he knows I’m kidding. I’m just nervous.
He uses his middle two fingers to slowly wipe his mouth. “Well, you should be serious because I’m seriously feeling lucky to be with you.”
I’m sure my face is every shade of red, unable to hide my attraction to him. “Thank you,” I whisper before clearing my throat. “I feel lucky to be with you too.”
“Liar.” He chuckles, leaning back in his chair.
“I’m not lying.” I reach across the table and hold out my hand.
He stares at it for a minute, like he doesn’t trust me. But as he lifts his gaze to my face, he rests his hand on mine. My fingers tease his wrist, and he does the same to mine.
The chills are real. And those butterflies flutter out of control.
“When are you going to kiss me?” I ask.
My mom said she didn’t play it cool with my dad when they met. I knew I would be different. And I tried to be cool and make Flynn chase me, but I’m failing.
“I don’t know.” He gives me a sexy smirk. “I feel like we missed our first-kiss moment. This attraction now feels worthy of more than a kiss.”
I giggle, sitting back in my chair while grabbing my drink. “We’re not going to walk before we crawl.”
His eyebrows slide up his forehead. “June, are you implying that you want to get on your knees?”
“Oh, my gosh! No.”
Flynn eats up my embarrassment like a second helping of chicken fingers. “Are you done?” He points to my leftover food.
I nod. “It was good, but I’m full.”
“Well, can’t let it go to waste.” He shoves the rest of my fries into his mouth, chews a few times before swallowing, and inhales the rest of my chicken.
It’s hard to keep my smile from faltering. Does he go without food when he runs out of money between paychecks?
“Wanna get out of here?” he asks after downing the rest of his drink and mine.
“Sure.”
When we pull out of the parking lot, I don’t ask him where we’re going. He’s pretty good at surprising me, so I let him take the lead. We end up near the lake. A different lake. He turns onto a street that heads up a steep hill.
“That’s the Rawlings’ mansion.” He points to the right.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Ya think?”
“Of course,” I say. “It has an old charm to it.”
“Yeah, but would you want to live there?”
I shrug. “I mean, I would. It’s just a house.”
“Just a house? Are you blind?”
“No,” I mumble, staring at the house. “I’m not blind. I see everything that’s special and heartbreaking.”
“Heartbreaking?”
I nod. “It’s heartbreaking because the people who live here have hired someone to inspire life.” I touch my palm to the window as if the view before me is a picture in a frame. “But it could just as easily house kids, a dog, maybe a bird or two. Laughter could bounce off the walls and echo in the rafters. But either way, it’s just four walls and a roof.”
“June, that place has a lot more than four walls.”
I face him and grin. “You know what I mean.”
He bobs his head. “Yes and no. You’re much smarter than me.”
I want to lean forward and kiss him, but I fear he’ll deny me again.
“No kids. No bird,” he says. “But there’s a cat. After the matinee (with those ridiculous subtitles), Mrs. Rawlings mentioned wanting a cat, so I took her to a shelter. Of course, her grumpy husband doesn’t like cats, but she ended up adopting one anyway.”
“You went to a matinee today?”
He sighs with a frown. “Unfortunately. This job is so random. I’m sure Mr. Rawlings loves that he no longer has to take her to movies with subtitles.”