Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 101758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“Whenever you’re ready to go faster, go ahead and kick it up. No hurry.”
He immediately boosts up the speed, and when he lands on a nice, easy jog, I say, “There you go. Keep it there.”
Xander’s gaze turns to me, and his face says Really?
“I can do this in my sleep, Red.”
“I know, but you have to start slow, remember? You’re not pounding too hard.”
“That’s what she said,” he says, barely even winded, and I can’t help but snort.
Fuck he looks good. His ass is so fantastic and looks even better while he’s running. As if that’s even possible.
“You’re a riot.”
“I know. Let’s go to the movies later.”
I lift an eyebrow. “Do people still go to the movies?”
“That was code for watch something in my media room,” he replies and kicks the speed up by one, as if I’m not standing right here.
“You have a whole media room?”
“Of course I do. I have to watch hockey somewhere.” He grins and must think I don’t notice when he kicks the speed up by one more notch.
“I see you, you know.”
Before he can reply, my phone rings, but I ignore it. I usually turn the ringer off altogether when I’m working, but I forgot today.
Unfortunately, it starts to ring again.
“Get it,” Xander says.
“Don’t touch the speed,” I say, trying my best to make my voice hard and bossy, but Xander ignores me. “Hello?”
“Ivy, this is Bridger Blackwell with the Bitterroot Valley Fire Department. We’re at your bar here in Silver Springs.”
My heart bottoms out, and I squat, my knees unable to hold me up any longer.
“My mom?”
“We got her out. She seems just fine, but she’s being checked out by medics. She’s not terribly with it mentally, so if you could come answer some questions, it would help us out.”
“Okay. Yeah, sure. Okay. You need me to come now?”
Jesus, I don’t even know what I’m saying.
I feel Xander’s hand on my back, and then he takes the phone from me, and I cover my face with both hands as I listen to him take over.
Thank God he’s here to take over.
Because I feel myself spiraling into a panic attack.
“This is Xander Hendrix. I’m with Ivy. Hey, Bridger. Fuck, yeah, okay. We’re on our way. Be there in ten. Thanks, man.”
He sits next to me on the floor and runs his hand down my braid, soothing me.
“Take a breath for me, Red.”
“Oh my God.”
“Breathe. I know this is a shock, but we have to go, Ivy, and I need you to calm down first.”
I nod and take in a shaky deep breath. Xander does it with me, his eyes on mine, and after the third one, I swallow hard and then feel my lower lip wobble.
“What did she do, Xander?”
He’s grim when he brushes his thumb under my eye, over my freckles. “I don’t know. Let’s go find out.”
“You don’t have to—”
“You’re not finishing that sentence, Red. I’m with you.”
He climbs to his feet and then helps me to mine, and once I’ve grabbed the small handbag out of my work bag and he has his wallet and keys, he leads me out to his SUV. But I have my truck here.
“I can follow you in,” I tell him.
“I don’t want you driving right now. You’re upset. We’ll get your truck into town later, even if I have one of my siblings help me. Let’s go.”
I don’t bother to fight him because I don’t want to. I like having him with me. Before I know it, I’m buckled in and he’s driving us into town.
“What does it say about me as a daughter that my first question is what kind of bullshit did my mother pull to cause this?”
“I’d say you’re a daughter who knows her mother,” he replies simply and reaches over, laces his fingers with mine, and gives my hand a squeeze. “Bridger will have some answers. Maybe it wasn’t her fault. It must have been a bigger fire if the Silver Springs department called in Bitterroot Valley for help.”
“God.” I close my eyes and continue to cling to Xander’s hand. “That building isn’t freestanding. There are other businesses around us. Someone could have been hurt. Someone could have lost their business. Oh my God—”
“Hey, no panicking. Bridger said they have it under control.”
I nod and lick my lips and take another shaky breath, doing my best to keep myself calm, but I have a really bad feeling about all this. To my surprise, Xander lifts my hand to his lips and presses tender kisses to my skin.
And just like that, my heartbeat slows down a little, and Xander keeps my hand in his, resting on his thigh, for the rest of the drive.
Finally, Xander pulls into a parking lot down the block from Lucky’s, where the fire department has the street blocked off, and I push out of the car and hurry around the barricade with Xander right behind me.