Total pages in book: 198
Estimated words: 186242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 931(@200wpm)___ 745(@250wpm)___ 621(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 186242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 931(@200wpm)___ 745(@250wpm)___ 621(@300wpm)
I hesitated for a second. “Are you sure?”
His tightened mouth melted away, and he just looked at me. For a second. For two. Then he murmured, almost softly, “Yes, Aurora. I’m sure.”
I smiled. Maybe I should’ve asked if he was really sure, but I didn’t want him to take back the offer. So I held up a finger and said, “One minute. I was actually just in the middle of signing his birthday card.”
Rhodes dipped that cute cleft chin before shifting his attention back to the disaster that was the garage apartment. It wasn’t that bad, but I’d been in his house enough to know our interpretations of “clean” were pretty different. I didn’t have a sink full of dishes or overflowing trash cans, but my clothes had slowly stopped finding their way to my suitcase at some point . . .
But I focused back on the card and scribbled my friend a little message.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMOS!
I’m so happy we’re friends. Your talent is only overshadowed by your good heart.
Hugs,
Ora
P.S. Diarrhea
Might as well take it back to the moment that started it all, or at least the second moment.
I cackled a little before stuffing bills between the folded card. Then I glanced back at my landlord, who hadn’t moved an inch, and said, “I’m ready. Thank you for inviting me.”
He just looked at me as we walked side by side toward his house.
“Did you have a good day today?” I asked him, taking a peek at his silhouette.
His attention was forward, but his eyebrows were knitted together like he was worried about something. “No.” He let out a heavy sigh before shaking his head. “There was an accident with a little girl and her dad while I was on my way to the office.”
“Was it really bad?”
Rhodes nodded, his attention forward, eyes glassy. “They had to LifeFlight both of them to Denver.”
“That’s terrible. I’m sorry,” I said, lightly touching his elbow.
His throat bobbed, and I had a feeling he hadn’t even registered my touch.
“That’s so rough. I hope they’re okay. I hope you’re okay too. I’m sure that’s hard to witness.”
He wrung his hands almost subconsciously, picturing or thinking about who knows what, before finally shaking his head and saying in a troubled voice that pierced at my heart, telling me exactly how deeply the accident had gotten under his skin, “It’s hard not to picture it being Am.”
“I’m sure.”
He finally glanced at me, and that glassy gaze was still there. So were the lines on his forehead. “It probably doesn’t help that it’s his birthday.”
I just nodded, unsure of what to say to reassure or comfort him. So I waited a second until I went with the first thing that came to mind. “When is your birthday?”
If he was surprised by my question, his face didn’t register it. “March.”
“March what?”
“Fourth.”
“How old are you turning?”
“Forty-three.”
Forty-three. I raised my eyebrows. Then processed the number again.
If it weren’t for all the silver in his hair, he might look a lot younger. Then again, he looked exactly like the hottest forty-two-year-old I’d ever seen, and that was not a bad thing. Not by far.
“What are you?” he asked out of nowhere. “Twenty-six?”
I grinned at the same time he happened to glance down. “Thirty-three.”
That amazing silver head jerked. “No, you’re not.”
I winked. “Promise I am. Your kid has a copy of my driver’s license.”
Those gray eyes roamed my face for a moment before flicking even lower. The lines on his forehead were back. “You’re thirty-three?” he asked in what sounded like total disbelief.
“Thirty-four in May,” I confirmed.
He looked at me again, and I was pretty certain his gaze hung on my chest for a second longer than before. A very long extra second. Huh.
We were both quiet as we went up the deck and into the house. Johnny was standing in the kitchen, holding a can of beer with his eyes glued to the TV. On the couch, Amos and Jackie were sitting together, watching TV too. Some action movie was playing. There were three boxes of pizza sitting on the kitchen island.
And all three heads swiveled to look at me—and Rhodes by default—the second we stopped between the kitchen and the living room.
“Hi, birthday boy,” I called out, a little more shyly than I would’ve expected. “Hi, Jackie. Hi, Johnny.”
“Hi, Ora,” the teenager called out as Jackie hopped off the couch and came over to hug me, Johnny’s greeting ringing out too.
We were good together, but she had never really hugged me before, probably because of the awkwardness. Secrets and lies could do that to people.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Amos got to his feet and headed over too, looking like he wasn’t totally on board with the idea but resigned. I was winning this kid over slowly but surely. Just as Jackie pulled away, he gave me one of those little half smiles that I could only guess he’d learned from his dad and said, “Thanks for helping with the cake.”