Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
“Oh, my, isn’t she adorable?” Susan said, and stroked Belle as if her growling was nothing. It seemed to do the trick, as Belle settled right onto her lap.
“Hi, Mrs. Riggs,” she said.
Susan took the seat opposite her. “Please call me Susan. I wanted to invite you to dinner this Sunday. You and Jaxson.”
“Oh,” Tillie said.
The other woman waved her hand. “I’m aware of the town gossip, and I also know my son is absolutely smitten with you, and he’s terrified of you coming to meet us, in case you don’t like us.”
“Do you think Jaxson would like me to meet you?” she asked, not exactly sure how she should handle this.
“Absolutely. You totally should. I look forward to it. I’m cooking roast chicken with a variety of salads. There is no way I am cooking too much in this heat. I might also bake a lemon meringue pie. That sounds absolutely delicious. I’ve already got fresh ice cream in the freezer. My man does not like to eat that store-bought stuff. He says it’s mine or none.” Susan smiled. “Anyway, I better get going. These groceries are not going to deliver themselves. I thought I would invite you, and I’ll get Mark to handle Jaxson. He is going to be nervous, but my boy has a good heart.”
Susan got to her feet, then stopped. “And don’t mind what those women say. They may laugh and giggle and think this is not the real deal, but I know my son, and I know it is. Jaxson has a good heart, he just has a funny way of showing it.”
Tillie hadn’t even realized that Susan was behind her in the coffee shop line. Before she got a chance to apologize, Susan was already on her way. She took a sip of her hot coffee, and it helped soothe her.
Running her hand down Belle’s back, her dog settled in, and time ticked by. She had gotten their lunch covered with some plastic wrap as they were eating outside. She pulled out her cell phone to see if there was even a single text from Jaxson, and still, there was nothing. He should have already been here. She stayed there for a good hour, ordering a second coffee for herself. Finally, just when she was about to gather their food, Jaxson was running toward her.
“I’m so sorry,” Jaxson said, and quickly pulled out his chair. He still wore his tool belt around his waist, and he was wet, and she also smelled a horrible musty scent.
He moved in close and kissed her lips. “The job at Cruz’s ranch took way longer than I anticipated. Every time I reached for my cell phone to call you, something else fucking happened. Then, on the way here, I dropped my fucking phone on the foot pedal of the passenger side. I’ve just literally made it to Kate’s shop, and my truck has completely died on me.”
“Wow,” she said.
“Yeah, it has been a shit morning, and trust me, being on Cruz’s ranch is not fun. In fact, I would go so far as to say it was one of the shittiest days I’ve ever had. He’s fucking tight and thinks he knows best.”
Tillie chuckled.
Jaxson leaned close. “I do not know what Kate sees in him. Trust me, he is a monster.”
“Your mom stopped by,” Tillie said.
“She did?”
“Yeah, she has invited us both to lunch on Sunday.”
Jaxson looked across the table, and it appeared as if he had lost a little color. “Do you want to go?”
“Would you like me to go?” Tillie asked. “You’ve not talked about meeting your parents, and that is a pretty big step.”
Jaxson reached across the table and took her hand. “I want you to be there. I want you to meet my parents. I just wish I was there to kind of buffer between the two of you. My mom can be a little much. I’m her little boy.”
Tillie smiled. “Of course you are, and besides, I happen to like your mom. Are you worried they’re going to hate me?” She hadn’t thought about that.
“No, my parents are going to adore you.”
Chapter Eleven
“When are you going to marry her?”
Jaxson looked over at his dad. They just finished his mother’s delicious meal, and he and his father insisted on doing the dishes, rather than allow their women to clean after they cooked. His father had done this all his life. When Susan cooked, it was their responsibility to do the clean-up.
“Dad? What the ... seriously? She is just outside. She could hear you.” And he didn’t want to scare Tillie away.
She’d been so nervous about this meeting. He moved toward the back door to check to see Tillie was still on the back porch, enjoying a glass of his mom’s homemade lemonade. Sometimes his mother did it a little on the sour side, but today it was perfect and he knew it was because of Tillie.