Total pages in book: 254
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
“I have my cell. Let me know if you need something, okay? I’ll wipe Sienna’s butt, but I’m not wiping yours, Matti, until you’re at least in your seventies,” I told them before backing out of the room as another throw pillow went flying through the air. “Love you, guys,” I called out, shutting the door of their room before making eye contact with my donut. “Well, Dunky, I didn’t want to go downstairs by ourselves, but we’ve got no choice. Might as well get used to it. At least we have each other.”
He tilted his head, his “yes” a reminder that we were in this together.
We had changed tires in the worst conditions of every season, we’d come across brown bears on hikes, and we’d been stranded in the middle of nowhere once or twice overnight.
Duncan and I had been through some stuff.
Neither one of us might have been cowboys, but this wasn’t our first rodeo, and we were a team.
Team Duncan Donut.
We were going to have to acclimate eventually and meet people without Matti and Sienna. That part was non-negotiable. So, with my boy by my side, we headed downstairs. There were sounds coming from every direction. I hadn’t asked how they handled the whole eating situation with the people that lived here. Last night, the four of us had dinner in my trailer while we’d grabbed our bags. The elder with the glasses, Franklin, had been vague about how many people lived in this building. Did they all share food? Did everyone buy their own groceries and put names and labels on their things? I had questions. The only people I’d ever lived with were my parents and Sienna.
“Good morning, Nina and Duncan.”
I turned in the direction the voice was coming from. Down the hall, the elder who gave us a tour yesterday dipped his head in greeting. I lifted my hand. “Good morning.”
It was clear from the absence of puffy facial features that Franklin had been awake for some time. In a button-down shirt with a maroon vest over it, tucked into khaki pants, his glasses riding low on his nose, he made me think of a librarian. He looked so… disarming.
For some reason, I didn’t trust that impression.
And I noted again, like I had confirmed during our tour yesterday, that I couldn’t sense his magic.
I was confident I’d seen a bracelet on his wrist. His long sleeves hid any trace of one at the moment too. What was he? Would Henri tell me what he was if I asked?
“Was your room comfortable?” the elder asked.
“Yes. It’s perfect, thank you.”
His nod was a little stiff, at least I thought so. “I’ll escort you to the kitchen. Henri is making eggs, and it’s a real treat when it’s his turn to cook for us.”
I could not make a face at the idea of mountain man Henri making eggs for more than just himself. So I pressed my lips together and nodded. “That sounds great.”
The older man waited for us outside a cracked door—with a smaller doggy door at the bottom—that a quick peek inside confirmed was a bedroom. His, I imagined. The only thing visible was a sliver of a bed a little bigger than a twin, and it was made. Franklin smiled when Duncan stopped at his feet. The older man reached down to scratch the top of his head. “How did the handsome boy sleep?”
The handsome boy stretched up to bump his nose against the man’s hand in his own answer.
He couldn’t be so bad if my boy was being affectionate, could he?
Plus, I was a sucker for Duncan compliments. He might seem suspicious, but he had good taste. “Great. He didn’t want to get out of bed this morning.” He’d slept across my chest for half of the night, and I’d barely been able to breathe, but I was never, ever going to complain about it.
Franklin nodded before gesturing for me to follow him to where he’d explained yesterday the kitchen was located. When we had gotten thirsty last night, we’d gone to my trailer and gotten water from the five-gallon jugs I refilled at grocery stores instead of wandering around. I wasn’t shy, but I hadn’t been ready to treat this place like home so soon.
“Do you have questions?” The elder turned to me. “We went over things quickly yesterday.”
That was a relief. “I was actually just wondering right now… how many people live in this building?”
“Three of the elders call the clubhouse home, myself included. We’re all on the first floor, along the hallway there where you found me. The others are both offsite at the moment, visiting their families. One of the children also has a bedroom by ours.” He hadn’t mentioned that last night. “On the third level, there are two unmated members of the community who either choose not to live with their family members or don’t have that option.”