Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Ramsey nodded his head. “Thanks for dealing with that on your day off. I know that you have Lottie today.”
“Speaking of Lottie,” I said as I walked to my truck and opened up the back passenger door.
She looked up from where she was watching The Lorax from my iPad resting on the middle console and said, “Door!”
I chuckled as I closed the door, rounding the hood at the same time that I cracked my fingers.
“What was that?” Sutton asked.
I felt her body close in before she’d said a word, I was that aware of her.
“It’s cold, and she doesn’t like the cold,” I explained as I turned around and took her in.
Today she was in a pair of black leggings that showed off her ankles, tennis shoes that were bright orange and very eye-catching, and a sweatshirt that was two sizes too big.
One that looked a whole lot like the one I’d given her in high school during a soccer tournament.
“Is that mine?” I wondered.
It was the flush on her face that had my suspicions confirmed. “I…no…I didn’t think I’d see you this morning. It’s one of my favorites because it’s so soft.”
I found myself smiling despite my shitty morning.
“It’s fine. It probably won’t fit anymore anyway,” I teased.
Her face stayed a tomato red.
“Where do you want to go eat?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
I allowed it, but I didn’t forget.
“Hate to break it to you, but Lottie only eats two places, so we don’t really have a lot of options. We can go to Chick-fil-A or El Sombrero. She eats chicken nuggets, macaroni, white queso, and tortillas. Everything else is iffy at best.”
“She’s that picky?” Sutton asked.
“You have no idea,” I grumbled. “I’ve tried everything that I can to get her to eat healthier, but I swear, the harder I try, the worse she gets. She used to be much better at this eating thing, but she’s become more assertive about what she likes best.”
“I’ll try to help you with that,” she offered.
“You and every other person in our lives,” I mumbled. “Nothing is working.”
She tossed her keys into the air, then caught them again. “I’m down for either one of those.”
“Follow me,” I suggested.
I waited for her to get to her car—and checked out her perfect ass as she did—before I got into my work truck and headed for the closest Chick-fil-A.
When we got there, I waited with Lottie beside the front door until Sutton was at my side.
Sutton waved at Lottie, who loudly yelled, “Hi!”
Sutton grinned. “Hi. How are you?”
“Great!” she chirped. “I love ick-fil-a!”
“Me too,” Sutton declared. “They have a really yummy salad here that I really love.”
Lottie tilted her head before she said, “Ewww.”
I snorted and caught the door for Sutton, who walked in front of me into the restaurant.
She stood directly in front of me in line before looking at Lottie who was perched on my hip and saying, “I’ll bet you’ll love my salad. It’s so good. Even my dad likes it, and he only eats steak and mashed potatoes if he can help it.”
The two of them talked for the next several minutes as we waited for the line to go down.
By the time that we’d ordered, paid and were sitting down near the play area, they hadn’t once stopped to catch their breath.
Lottie took off, yanking her shoes off as she went, and throwing them to the ground wherever she happened to be as she moved.
I got up, collected the shoes, and let her into the play area before returning to Sutton.
“Is the salad actually any good?”
Sutton smiled and crossed her arms over her chest before bringing her legs up to come to a rest against the table.
“Yes,” she answered. “It’s fairly decent for a fast-food salad. To be quite truthful, I’d choose it over the salad I’d make at home. Even some restaurants. Nothing is better than a Salt Grass salad, though. Sometimes I go to Salt Grass and buy a pint of ranch so I can have salads at home.”
“I can’t say that I’ve ever had one there,” I admitted. “We’ll have to go sometime.”
Her eyes flickered up to meet mine before they dropped to my chest. “Maybe.”
My lips quirked.
She was nervous.
I knew she would be.
We’d had two really great days of sex before she’d been forced to leave, and I’d needed to return to my fatherly duties.
When she’d left, there’d been no awkwardness between us.
But she’d also had three weeks to overthink everything that she’d done.
No way would she be able to come back completely confident after the childhood that she’d had.
We both sat down at the only open spot that was as close to the play area that we could get, and sat in silence watching Lottie play.
“I feel like all of that stuff in there is completely unsanitary,” she admitted as she watched one kid cough so much that some red juice had spewed up with his cough. “I mean, that’s disgusting. And the kids are just sliding down the slide straight into it.”