Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
She nodded, wincing. “I can’t say it was my best moment.”
A knock sounded again, and without thinking I opened it and blinked at the young man on my stoop.
“Can I help you?” I asked him.
He was young, maybe Attie’s age if not just a year or so older.
He was wearing blue jeans, a black polo shirt, works boots, and a Letterman jacket that declared him a member of the Kilgore Bulldogs.
His hair was cut in a military style, trim and neat.
His eyes were the color of muddy water, and they were completely and totally focused on Attie who was sitting on the couch staring at him in shock with her mouth open.
He was big, too. Oh, boy, was he big.
Bigger than Drew, big, and Drew was no slouch in that department.
Drew was six three and two hundred and eleven pounds. I’d seen a weigh in on the scale just this morning.
This boy, though, easily had fifty pounds on him.
And about five inches.
“Hello,” I called. “Can I help you?”
The boy’s eyes turned down to me, and he smiled.
“I’m Mace Turner,” he rumbled quietly. “I’m looking for her.”
He pointed at Attie, who squeaked and ran away, slamming the door to the bathroom in her haste.
“I’m not sure she wants to see you,” I told him carefully.
He laughed.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “She’ll want to see me. Just let her fix what she thinks is needing to be fixed. I’ll wait out here.”
I snorted and gestured to the couch.
“Have a seat, young man,” I gestured. “Can I interest you in some water?”
He pointed at the bottle I’d dropped earlier while talking to Drew.
“I have one of those,” he says. “Use it during football practice. Works awesome to mix up the protein powder or some PowerAde.”
I smiled, picking the bottle up.
“I have to do a review on it,” I said, placing it on the counter and walking to the kitchen cabinet.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to use that kind of stuff in it,” Mace said carefully.
I looked down at the Kool-Aid powder in my hand, then promptly stuck my tongue out at him.
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” I told him, taking the bottle, twisting the top off, then putting the powder into the top where the directions indicated.
Once I filled the bottle up with water, I replaced the lid, then watched as the button on the top depressed on its own, as the water infused with the powder, becoming the perfect consistency without me having to lift a finger.
“Sweet,” I hummed, popping the top and taking my first drink.
It tasted perfect, too.
“Works better with actual protein powder,” Mace offered his two cents.
I stuck my tongue out at him.
“So…Attie,” I started.
Attie chose that moment to come out of the background, and Mace’s eyes lit with an inner fire that I often saw in Drew’s eyes when he looked at me.
He turned and looked over his shoulder without turning around, and Attie’s eyes widened.
“You’re…here,” she said softly.
Mace nodded.
“Told you I would be.”
Attie’s return smile was brilliant.
And suddenly I felt like I was intruding.
“I’m just going to take my laptop on the front porch and try to get today’s blog post written, okay?” I said softly.
Mace’s head turned back toward me, and he nodded once, thankfulness brimming in his eyes.
“You need more clothes on than that,” he said. “Wind’s got a bite to it.”
I snorted and left the room without another word, grabbed the snow boots I’d written a review on last week and shoved my feet into them.
The next thing I grabbed was the huge parka lined with a Sherpa like material that belonged to Drew.
The back read ‘KFD’ and it not only went all the way to the ground, it also drug behind me like a train when I wore it.
He’d given it to me last night when I told him I wanted to watch the snow and hadn’t taken it back this morning when he’d driven to work.
I moaned at the smell that wafted off it when I wrapped it around my shoulders, my eyes nearly crossing when I groaned in pleasure.
It smelled exactly like Drew.
Lemon with a hint of whatever aftershave he used.
I wished that I could bottle the smell and make a candle out of it.
Not to mention the smell turned me on.
Grabbing the laptop that’d been charging all morning in case the power went out, I stepped outside and was immediately assaulted with the cold winter air.
It was a cold twenty-five out, and the snow that was supposed to continue through the afternoon fell steadily in soft, fluffy flakes.
Although I was nice and warm in my coat, I still walked back inside and grabbed the quilt Downy had brought back, freshly laundered, and laid it down over my rocking chair before I took a seat in it.
Then, I wrapped it around my body, and got situated before I got my laptop out and started on my review.