Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
“Did you hear me? No caffeine? Like ever? Never ever?”
“Kurt says the soaps they make are amazing.”
“Well, Kurt is a big fat liar, in case you didn’t know.”
“Is he?” I goaded her.
“And then there’s Brad’s brother, Dave,” she went on, ignoring me, “and his wife the high-powered tax attorney with her immaculate, modern style. All white walls and glass. I’ve never been in a house so devoid of warmth.”
“You’re just jealous,” I baited her, the chuckling giving me away. “Kurt said she enlightened him on the difference between eggshell and ecru, ivory and alabaster, and—”
“Stop.”
“Whatever, who cares. She loves Dave and is supporting him while he writes his magnum opus that will be the next Game of Thrones.”
“If he ever finishes it.”
“Have faith, kitten.”
Her laugh was pure evil.
“Anyway, I’m here, so thank you. I will never forget you taking my mind off Kurt during this drive. I owe you.”
“George, my love, last Christmas you saved me and my family from actual death. I tease you, but you are forever golden.”
“Aww.”
“Even more importantly, you love my brother the way I always dreamed it would be. The way you look at him… I could not be happier.”
“Well, I don’t do it for you.”
“Yes, I know.”
“And he’s very loveable.”
“He is, and he loves you back, which is pretty great as well.”
“That’s the part I like,” I said, driving toward the valet area. “Okay, I’m here.”
“Good. Now go in and protect him, and make sure you call me from the car on the way home. I want to hear this.”
“Will do.”
“Kiss, kiss,” she said and was gone.
Funny to think back to last Christmas, when I didn’t really know her at all. Now I was so comfortable with her, trusted her completely, and knew she loved me. Surprisingly, I loved her back. And, if I was being honest with myself, the person who first began the change in me was Hannah. Her being the squeaky wheel in my life, a person I couldn’t ignore, who demanded both my attention and affection, paved the way for Kurt’s sister, who was now my sister as well. I was in her debt for opening my eyes, and God help me, I might have to actually tell her that.
But not today. Maybe at the wedding. I’d play it by ear.
At the moment, however, the love of my life needed me, and that was crazy too. My first impression of Dr. Kurt Butler was that he was opinionated, uptight, closed off, and conceited. He had judged me as a man who used violence to solve his problems. Knowing now what I did about his father, he had probably lumped me in with him. All his icy reserve had been directed at me at the beginning of that fateful night. But then we talked a bit, and I got hurt later, and by the time they were taking me away in an ambulance, he couldn’t help himself. Taking me home was all he could do.
I told him often that he had tumbled into my trap, and he was always quick to reply that maybe I had it backward. Maybe he was the spider and I was the fly. I wasn’t buying it, but whatever made him happy. It turned out I was utterly devoted to making Dr. Kurt Butler happy.
After giving the valet a big tip to park my car close so it would be easy to get out, I strode toward the entrance to the restaurant—a beautiful redbrick building with gas lamps outside.
A party was coming in behind me, so I stopped and held open the door. They were gracious and thanked me, and I wondered, as I smiled back, how I should present myself when I met his mother. Normally, I was quiet at first. I liked to take in the lay of the land, and if I reached the table and Kurt was at ease, I would make myself melt into the background. If not… It would all depend on how he looked when I got there.
Inside, the hostess station had three stunning young women waiting for guests, all in short black dresses, and one older woman, clearly in charge, in a beautiful Valentino suit. I liked her glasses and told her so once it was my turn in front of the podium.
“Thank you,” she said, tipping her head as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I suspect you’re meeting someone.”
“I am. My fiancé and his family. Their reservation was under Marcum.”
“Yes, excellent. I have that right here,” she said, about to hand me off to one of the younger women. “And may I say, so nice not to have to offer a man a tie. I know it’s summer, but we don’t even have a patio.”
I grinned at her, pleased that I fit in wearing my navy Tom Ford suit, white dress shirt, crimson tie, and black wingtips. I had come straight from work, and thankfully, it had been a talk-to-new-people-about-to-need-protection day, and not a running-down-people-who-needed-to-be-fired day, or worse, showing up at ex-employees’ homes to collect work property. It was amazing how many people thought that taking home a laptop or a phone and then quitting, meant no one was coming to collect items that were the property of Sutter. I was always surprised. Still. Finn Murray, whom I was training, was always as shocked as I was.