Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Whenever Tracy came out to finish tickets, his gaze wandered over to Madigan’s dinner party—and it made me hope, for Tracy’s sake, that he got to experience more of this. His meal break hadn’t been enough. I’d watched them earlier, and Tracy had seemed so happy chatting with Abel and Kit.
One of the Tops—Colt, I was fairly sure—came over to the bar when Tracy and Adam got one of the last orders ready.
Tracy split his attention and glanced at Colt. “Is everything okay, Sir?”
“More than okay, little one,” Colt replied. “Just wanted to give my compliments to the chef. I’m not sure even Texas can compete with that brisket.”
Adam deserved all the praise for that one, and he turned around and smiled. “It’s my pride and joy. Glad you liked it, man.”
Meanwhile, I was stuck on Colt calling Tracy little one. A term of endearment many Daddies used in our community, whether it was a friend, partner, or a very new friend of a partner. But envy still struck me because I wasn’t in that place yet. I wasn’t calling Tracy that, and I fucking wanted to.
“You should try the brisket leftover sandwich sometime,” Tracy urged. “We serve it for lunch. It’s so good. Adam soaks the bread super fast before throwing it on the grill.”
“Damn.” Colt lifted his brows, visibly interested. “I’ll be sure to do that before we fly home.”
Tracy beamed, pleased as punch.
He was too goddamn adorable. So expressive, so eager to please.
He made me hunger.
CHAPTER 6
Tracy Judd
Ileft work that night with two very conflicting emotions. One, I’d wanted so badly to head over to Abel and Madigan’s place. They were continuing their get-together with board games and drinks, and Abel had invited me. But having heard some stories, it didn’t feel like the best idea, because either I would keep them from taking things further, or they would turn the night into a sexy show but I wouldn’t have anyone to play with. Well, I might become the platonic third wheel for Abel and Madigan, but it wasn’t the same. So I’d declined.
Two…I was freaking miserable!
It was all Griffin’s fault. I mean, yeah, I’d been lonely before his return to town, but not to this degree. And it was getting increasingly worse when he was nice to me. Like tonight. He’d made me the most delicious burger—and he’d fussed over me! He’d reminded me to eat.
I kicked at a pebble and picked up the pace—whoa. I stopped short outside a Realtor’s window, where I’d stopped many times before, but now there was a new listing.
That cabin was beautiful.
Perhaps it was time for me to buy a place. I was lucky to dream about locations that few others did, so I wouldn’t be buried in debt for too many years. A nice cabin up in Westslope often went for under two hundred grand, and that would give me a good chunk of land too.
At the same time, while I really wanted to live out in the middle of nowhere, close to nature, I wasn’t sure I could do it alone. On nights I felt particularly lonely and vulnerable, I might freak out if I heard the wrong type of rustling or encountered wildlife right off the porch.
“You window-shopping?”
Fuck. My pulse went through the roof, and I swung around to spot Griffin up the street. But why? I’d thought he’d left.
“Kind of.”
He trailed closer, smoking a cigarette.
The street was so empty at this hour that I heard the faintest sound of his boots scraping against the pavement.
“I thought you went home already,” I noted.
“No, I went over to have a word with Jameson. He was working late.”
Oh.
He put out his smoke and came to a stop next to me, and he glanced at the listings.
I swallowed. My stomach felt all fluttery suddenly.
I want you, I want you, I want you, and I think you might want me a little too.
“Are you buying a house?” he asked.
“I’m thinking about it.” I pointed to the red cabin I was developing a crush on. “I like that one.” In short, it would be the next best thing. What I really wanted was a boat, but it didn’t make any sense yet. My rent was sky-high, so if I was going to buy something, it should be a home. Unless I lived on the boat… “Do you know if it’s expensive to have a boat in the marina in Downtown?”
Griffin side-eyed me. “Cheaper than the Ponderosa marina, pricier than the one south of Silver Beach.”
I hadn’t thought of the last one.
“Did you grow up fishing with your old man or something?”
I shook my head. “My grandpa. I spent every summer with him in Maine.”
“Damn. It’s nice over there.”
It really was, but I preferred Washington. “Nothing beats this place, though.” I smiled to myself and checked out another row of listings in the window.