Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 133975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
“My wife is a little fairy princess,” Master said. He had a gruff voice and he was a big man. Really big and intimidating. “I think you’re tinier than she is.”
She directed her smile at him. “I suspect most people appear small around you.” She wasn’t calling him Master. And Player? Where had they come up with their names? She made certain she didn’t sound offended. Her acting was a perfect blend of a woman trying to be friendly to her man’s friends and being a little shy. Not too shy. She ran a successful business and was excellent at it. She couldn’t come off as needy and clingy, although she could see all three men thought she was. They thought she was using Keys.
“You looking to set up a business?” Player asked, mild curiosity in his voice, but the look he sent the other two men was one of outright suspicion.
“I’m a hairdresser. Keys told me about some empty buildings here in Caspar where I might be able to set up a salon.” She indicated the row of clearly empty shops across the street.
She had looked Caspar up on the internet when Keys insisted they were going to live there. She knew the town was small, located on the Pacific Ocean and bounded on three sides by state parks. It had been a significant logging town at one time. From what she understood, Torpedo Ink had purchased a good deal of the land and buildings downtown that had been up for sale.
“We should take a look at the buildings,” Keys said, his hand slipping to the small of her back. “I particularly like the space next to Label 287, where Lana works. She has a good outdoor patio that would connect with the outdoor space you would have. There’s a half wall, so if your clients were waiting out there, or hers were, they wouldn’t get into each other’s space but could still visit if they knew one another.”
Keys’ hand on the small of her back urged her forward, across the empty street toward the row of shops. From what she could see, only four businesses were operating aside from the clearly thriving grocery store. One was the famous Label 287. There appeared to be a gift shop that looked intriguing. There was a rental shop for scooters, bicycles and kayaks. She thought that was a cool idea. There was an ice cream shop. The outside of the shop was bright, inviting and cheerful. Outside, on the sidewalk, there were little tables and chairs under an overhang, extending the capacity, since the inside of the shop was quite small.
Already, her mind had simply shut out the fact that Keys’ Torpedo Ink brothers were trailing after them. This was a beautiful little area, still underdeveloped. There weren’t any nail or hair salons close. The community seemed small, but there appeared to be a movement to build up the small downtown area and make it appealing to tourists. Her kind of hair salon would fit perfectly.
She could ride out the time with Keys, keeping the relationship just between the two of them and avoiding his brethren. She didn’t need to make connections with his family because they had made it clear they didn’t want to make any with her. She would focus on him, on making memories with him every single day, so when the time came and he dumped her, she would have something to take with her. She didn’t need to worry about what his brethren thought of her.
Keys entered the code to open the door to the shop. She stepped inside and her breath caught in her throat. It wasn’t just the beauty and perfection of the place, it was the feel. She had always been sensitive to atmosphere, and this very large set of rooms felt welcoming and hers. She had often found little shops that she fell in love with, but not a single one had called to her the way this one did.
The building had a spacious main room, where she was already visualizing the layout. If they would let her paint or even wallpaper, she knew what she would do with the walls that weren’t made of that beautiful, highly polished wood. The back closet was large enough to house all her products. The second room was perfect for facials and lashes. It was large enough to fit her table and lamps. She was already thinking of blues and golds. The bathroom was ADA compliant and it too was spacious. There was a small fenced-in backyard with a patio. An overhang helped to keep the coastal weather at bay.
“Keys, it’s perfect. Do you have any idea how much they want for the rent?” She held her breath, sending the best possible thoughts into the universe. She really wanted this space. There was so much she could do with it. It was inviting and right across the street from the grocery store, a major perk.