Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
"Yeah, I guess you can add those, too. But every time he said that, he kept telling me he didn’t know a veterinarian. My mother would laugh at him and remind him we didn’t have any pets." I smile, thinking back on the memory. "He kept saying that the reason we didn’t have any pets was because he didn’t know a vet." Her laughter fills the coffee shop, and it’s a laugh you want to hear again. It’s a laugh you hear, and all you want to do is laugh with her.
"How is your mom doing?" she asks, and I’m blown away by her questions. "It must be hard for her."
I’ve just met her, and already she is asking stuff that not even my roommates have asked me. They were there when my dad died and gave me all the support they could, but I never sat down with them and discussed how I was doing or how my family was doing. It was something I kept to myself. It was my loss to handle. "She pretends that she is okay." I finally admit to someone besides my sisters. "But I think she’s a little lost." The words hit me in the middle of my chest. "They were together for over twenty-five years. Then one day, he goes to work and doesn’t come home. I think that is what hurts her the most. They never got to say goodbye." I shrug. "I mean, can you ever be ready for someone to die, even if they are sick?"
"No." She shakes her head. "Even if you had years and years to come to terms with the fact someone is going to die, you will never be ready for that moment. I can’t even imagine how my mother would be," she says, letting go of my hand. The itch to grab her hand back comes over me, and I have to stop myself. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"I have three sisters," I say, and she opens her mouth in glee.
"I wish I had a sister," she shares. "Instead, I have two brothers."
"How about I trade you a sister for a brother?" I bring the cup of coffee to my lips.
"Deal." She holds up her hand so we can shake on it. "Which one do you want?" she asks. "I have the cowboy or the military guy." She holds her hands, moving them from side to side as if she is weighing my options.
"Ohhh," I say, tapping my chin. "It depends on which sister you are going to take. Shelby, the oldest one who thinks she’s always right." I smirk. "Clarabella, who just assumes she’s always right. It’s her way or the highway, and then Presley who sits back and just waits to clean up whatever mess it is that they made."
"They all sound amazing."
I laugh, shaking my head. "Trust me, they are not. I had to drive up there this weekend to put out the fire."
"Oh, no." Her eyes widen. "Hope everyone came out unscathed."
"You and me both." I take a sip of the coffee. "My mother was all in their business because, well, she has nothing else to do, so that started a fight."
"Oh, nothing quite like a family fight." She laughs. "My older brother, Quinn, and my father usually butt heads. But that has to do with work."
"What does he do?" I ask, wanting to know all about her.
"He actually has an equestrian therapy farm," she explains, and I can tell how proud she is of him. "He really helps with people who were abused mentally and physically."
"Holy shit, that sounds amazing. I bet he helps a lot of people."
"He does." She nods her head. "But when he started it, he wanted to do it on his own, and well, my father—"
"Wanted to give him money." She looks at me with wide eyes.
"How did you know?" she asks, shocked that I guessed.
"My mother just did the same thing with my sisters," I say. "They are starting their own business called Happily Ever After Wedding Event Planning. They had this big dream of buying this run-down farmhouse with a barn and fixing up the house to be their office, and then the barn would be their venue. A one-stop-shop kind of thing."
"That sounds like so much fun," she says, and I literally could talk to her all night if she lets me. "Did they just decide to do this?"
"Yeah, I guess it started with my mother and her sister who did event planning until Mom stepped back when she had the kids, and then when my aunt was retiring, she gave my sisters all her contacts. My mother decided she would give them money, and they fought her, so she decided it was a good idea to go straight to the bank and withdraw their application for a loan."