Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 69794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
I nodded.
“Then I have a different suggestion,” Court offered up. “Instead of you selling your shares to me, why don’t we equally buy into the company? You and I split up the shares. Or, you keep your ten percent, but come in with me and we’ll be the owner and you’ll just vote with me. Or, I could buy all but five percent, and you buy the five percent from one of them. Then you’ll share the same fifteen percent as Seraphina. Your vote will cancel out her vote. She’ll hate it.”
Charleigh tapped her finger to her lips for a few seconds before saying, “Okay, I’ll do it. You’ll have to help me quit my job, first.”
I would’ve stayed to hear more of the discussion, but my principal walked up in the next moment, stealing my attention.
He held out his hand and said, “The kids are excited for you to come back, my friend.”
I grinned. “I’m excited to be back. Never wished Thanksgiving and Christmas away before but…”
“It’ll be here before you know it.” He held out his hand for me to shake once more. “See you in January.”
By the time the short conversation was over and I returned my attention back to the two people next to me, their conversation was over and they were looking pretty pissed.
“On that note,” I said. “I’ll get with the lawyers tomorrow, Court. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to sign.”
Court nodded. “Sounds good.”
EIGHT
I don’t know if I’m fighting demons or I am the demon.
—Beau to Magnolia
MAGNOLIA
I was bone-tired.
So tired, in fact, that I would say I felt worse now than I did when Iris was an infant and keeping me up at all hours of the night.
“Pssst.”
At the sound that Iris made when she wanted my attention but didn’t want to talk, my mind finally focused.
I looked over to the living room to see Iris standing there with her backpack on by the front door with her hand on the knob.
“Is your bus here?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Yes,” she signed.
I walked quickly to the door and opened it for her, waving at the bus driver who was patiently waiting for my girl.
She always would.
Iris liked to take her muffins and cookies.
Sometimes she even slipped her a bottle of apple juice when I had the money to buy them from the store.
Which, admittedly, wasn’t very often.
I’d had a series of unfortunate events lately.
One, the washer and the dryer went out at the same time, requiring me to buy new ones.
Second, there was a plumbing issue in my house that I’d bought that’d required me to move out of said house for two months while all of the old plumbing was replaced. Not only did the repairs on my house cost a whack, but I also had to pay rent two months at an apartment.
Third, the fees for the private investigator that I had constantly running around to keep an eye on Cain McDuff had nearly tripled. With the price of fuel going up, they’d had to raise their prices.
Fourth, my car had broken down, and I’d had to buy a new one.
Fifth, the private school that I sent Iris to had increased their annual fees. And, seeing as she was doing so well in the school that she was in, I hated to move her.
Adding all that into the money that I put aside each month in case I needed to pay a lawyer to fight for Iris, I was Broke. Broke with a capital B.
Hence the reason I was so tired.
I’d had to get a second job.
Luckily, the job was fun and easy—most of the time.
I worked at the clinic in town as the receptionist.
They worked well with my schedule, as well as allowed Iris to hang out in the break room once she was done with school.
Ultimately, I’d lucked out with both of my jobs and my childcare situation.
I was sad that I wouldn’t be at the clinic for long.
It was too bad that I couldn’t keep the same job after I retired from soccer. I loved the people and the environment. I thrived in chaos.
Today was a clinic day with a light practice in the late afternoon.
Tomorrow was our second-to-last season game—the second-to-last of my entire career—and I was really looking forward to it. It was against the first-place team in the league…and my old team.
It was bound to be exciting, if not a little sad.
I’d liked the players there, but not the coaching staff.
I’d probably have retired there had it not been for them.
Iris had just gotten to the end of sidewalk when a revved engine caught my attention.
Heart in my throat, I could do nothing but watch in horror as the car sped down the street, heading right for Iris.
“Iris!” I called as the bus driver started to lay on their horn.