Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 57908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Yes, she does. And I would love to have her here. And to know she isn’t alone.” Hannah nibbled her lip. “You really love her?”
“Absolutely.”
“What about Josh?”
“I hope to get him back in my life. I think your mom would be a big part of that.”
She was quiet for a moment. “I always wanted a sibling.”
I chuckled. “Well, he’d be a little brother of sorts, I guess.”
She grinned. “So, for sure, you’d be my step—”
I laughed, cutting her off. “If you’re gonna call me Dad, then I’m going to insist on making it official with Cherry G out there.” I winked. “Cherry S has a good ring to it, I think.”
She blinked. “Wow. You men move fast here, don’t you?”
I cocked my head to the side. “Would I have your blessing, Hannah?”
A smile curled her lips. “Yeah, Dom, you would.”
I grinned. “Thanks.”
I didn’t say anything to Cherry. I didn’t want to add to her overthinking. I wanted her to recover from what had happened so we could move forward. She was a great patient—for two days. Then she became restless and bored. She walked around the house, rearranging things. Folding and refolding blankets as best she could with one arm. Dusting things she’d already dusted. We went for walks, Hannah came and took her to lunch, but by day three, she was ready to get back to life.
We were sitting on the sofa when the call came in from her insurance adjuster. I got up to get us more coffee when I heard her gasp of anger and a string of expletives leave her mouth. My eyebrows shot up in surprise, as she rarely swore or got angry. She stood, pacing as she spoke, and I watched her, trying not to notice how sexy she was when she was mad. The color in her cheeks highlighted her prettiness, and the scowl she wore reminded me of a sexy librarian, especially given she was wearing a set of reading glasses she’d forgotten to take off.
She hung up, tossing her phone down.
“Problem, Cherry G?”
She pulled off her glasses, dropping them beside her phone. “The fire was caused by a curling iron left plugged in. It fell off the shelf onto the unfolded towels the girls never finished.” She was almost growling. “It was an older one without an automatic shut off. You always check before you leave. Everything. Their carelessness cost Connie her business and me my home.” She met my eyes, furious.
“It could have been worse,” I reminded her.
“I know. I repeated myself over and over. They were always anxious to leave at the end of the day. I wasn’t there, and they closed up without finishing their work, and now none of us has a job.”
I looped my arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I’m sorry, Cherry G. I know that must hit hard. So unavoidable.”
“It makes me mad.”
“I can tell. What can I do to help?”
“I know you have to go to the garage. I want to come with you. I don’t want to stay here alone. I can visit Charly and the kids.”
“Sure,” I agreed easily. I would feel better if she was where I could see her. “You get ready.”
At the garage, I got busy, fast. Cherry headed to the house, and knowing she was okay and safe, I got to work. Cars and trucks were parked everywhere, and I grabbed the schedule, figuring out my first job.
Hours later, I wiped my hands, pleased at what we had accomplished. I was headed to the staff room, needing five minutes and a cup of coffee, when I heard it. Cherry’s voice and her laughter coming from the office. I walked in, surprised to see her and Charly, the computers on, invoices and inventory sheets on the desk.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “This hardly looks like a visit.”
Charly grinned at me. “We need help with the books and keeping up. Everyone is so busy. I hired Cherry.”
I blinked. “You hired her?”
Charly looked incredibly pleased with herself. “It’s perfect. She has experience and needs a job. We need help. Chase is busier than ever with his custom work. The new client is bringing more business than we thought. You’re getting more in demand with your extensive experience. Cherry can take over a lot of the office stuff. She knows the software we use.”
I met Cherry’s gaze. Her eyes were warm and filled with excitement. She was smiling. The thought of having her here and close every day made me stupidly happy.
“Don’t overdo it,” I warned quietly.
“I’m not. Charly is showing me everything. I can only use the one arm, so I’ll be slow, but once this silly cast comes off, look out!”
I had to grin. She had a job, which was another reason to stay here. I bent and pressed a kiss to her head. “Look out, indeed. Go get ’em, baby.”