Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 176012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 880(@200wpm)___ 704(@250wpm)___ 587(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 880(@200wpm)___ 704(@250wpm)___ 587(@300wpm)
For me.
Just for me.
I lock up my shop one last time as Hailey takes her car, and I walk my bike out of the alley and toward the street. It’s almost ten in the morning, the sun beating down already. I dig out Lucas’s hat and pull it on, weaving my bicycle through the thick crowd lining both sides of High Street.
He could be here. Somewhere.
Deacon.
The parade is just kicking off, the marching band spilling festive notes into the air and everyone is covered in color. Firecrackers go off, a few teenagers jumping around and laughing.
Inching up on my tiptoes, I spot Madoc and Fallon sitting on the back of a classic convertible, my brother beaming, waving, and shouting joyously at friends he sees in the crowd. Fallon, on the other hand, always looks like she’s suffering through a calculus class. I laugh to myself. She’s a good sport with the whole public profile aspect of her husband being a mayor. She found the trick to survival, though. Focus on the kids. She smiles and waves at all of the little ones, taking balls from a box on the back seat and tossing them to the children.
I see another blond head, my heart skipping a beat, until I realize it’s just Hunter. Kade is next to him. They breeze past, walking their dog, Tank, and tossing T-shirts into the crowd to promote their frat, while A.J. rides Dylan’s back as she and Aro play rebel soldiers play-fighting Hawke—the British redcoat. They look like the three stooges, antagonizing and fake-kicking each other’s butts.
I don’t find Lucas in the crowd.
A.J. tosses candy to the spectators, while James does the same from his ATV. Should he be riding that on the street?
I find my way to Jax and Juliet who stand on the sidelines with one of Aro’s siblings whom they foster.
“Isn’t that like a safety hazard?” I ask, motioning to my ten-year-old nephew on his four-wheeler.
Jax stands behind his wife, his arms around her. “I’m sure.”
I sigh, looking at all the phones out filming everything. “Madoc is trying his hardest to get canceled.”
Just wait till someone online takes issue with it.
“And yet, everyone just adores him,” Jax says with a hint of pride. “What do you think, honey?”
Juliet leans back into Jax’s nuzzling. “I think we’re about to have a senator in our pocket.”
Jax laughs, and I turn my eyes back on Madoc, seeing him shoot one of Fallon’s balls like a basketball into an empty stroller, the parents clapping and laughing with the toddler in their arms.
“You don’t wrangle him in,” I mutter, “you’re going to have a president in your pocket.”
They chuckle.
I don’t.
They stop smiling because they realize I’m not kidding.
Jax’s face falls, followed by Juliet’s worrying wide eyes.
“Jared would kill him,” Jax says.
“Fallon would kill him first,” she replies.
I continue on my way, amused. We could all try to hold Madoc back, but an unhappy Madoc is like a sea monster. You’re not sure it exists, and you don’t really want to find out, either.
I weave through the parade, cross the street, and jump on my bike. Pedaling hard, I work my way back up to Eagle Point Park, the scent of freshly mown lawns and charcoal barbecues filling the air. Firecrackers and bottle rockets pop and whistle as I ride past houses, and the music from the parade follows me, only fading a little through all the trees that hang over me in the park.
I coast, climbing off the bike and standing on one pedal all the way to my booth. Codi has arrived and helps arrange the treats, while Hailey stocks napkins.
“I’m burning some calories today,” I joke as I halt the bike and park it behind the booth.
A few people start to drift down through, while others are still busy setting up nets and lawn games for the kids.
I step up to Codi’s side. “Thank you for being here.”
She peeks up at me through the hair in her eyes, and I quickly take in her clothes. She wears cut-offs, but the same tattered, dark blue T-shirt hangs over her body.
“The parade will be over soon,” I tell both of them. “We’ll be swamped.”
“That’s cool with me,” Hailey calls out. “The more tips, the better my night’s going to be.”
Codi doesn’t add anything. What is she doing tonight? From what Farrow says, Weston might show up, but I haven’t seen them yet.
I touch Codi’s arm. “Sit down.”
I point to the chair, and she hesitates. But she sits.
Pulling my brush out of my backpack, I gently take her long hair and start untangling the ends, lightly at first, in case she gets nervous.
But Codi doesn’t fight, and before long, I’m running the brush over her scalp, relaxing when I see her head fall back a little and her eyes close.