Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 82747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
"I feel so guilty," she mutters, her back still to me. "I'd offer to help pay for part of it, but I'm flat broke."
"Insurance will cover most of it, but the problem is that what materials they think I should use aren't the same grade of stuff I have in my house. I take pride in the work I put into that place. It's why I wanted the McGees to come and see what I'm capable of."
"No one in town doubts what you're capable of, Mac," she says in a way that is so to the point that I believe that she believes it.
"Thank you," I say, feeling genuinely grateful for the boost of confidence.
"If only it were that way with everyone from around here," she says, turning off the faucet and reaching for a hand towel to dry her hands. "I, on the other hand, have to decide when the best time is to put my house up for sale because it's inevitable that I'll have to move into one of Jason Brakeen's duplexes."
"This is your family home," I say, remembering her living here the entire time that her family has been in town.
She shrugs as if it doesn't matter, but I can see in her eyes how devastating that would be for her.
"Taxes are too expensive. I can either sell the house and keep plugging away at my dream, or I can sell the house and move to the city where I can get a job in a restaurant, making someone else's dream come true. I'd much rather stay in Lindell."
"The only thing I worry about now is asbestos in the duplexes. Jason isn't exactly known for doing things above board."
"There isn't asbestos in those duplexes," I say, a hint of the same anger I felt last night with Walker's lie rearing its head. "Walker lied to Claire in order to get her to move in with him."
Her mouth hangs open, but then a smile spreads across her face. "That's sort of sweet and a little toxic."
"Seriously," I mutter, fighting the offer in my head that I can't seem to push down.
Chapter 15
Riley
We went from talking over breakfast after a night of the most amazing sex I've ever had to him walking out with a kiss brushed against my temple.
And then...
Nothing.
Not a text, not a wave when I drove past him on the way to work the other day.
Nothing.
As quick as he is to make suggestions about my food where the people of Lindell are concerned, he kept his lips clamped shut when I mentioned having to sell the house my parents left for me when they chased after my brother after he got married and then announced his wife was pregnant less than a year later. I fully understood them wanting to be near a grandchild, but they barely even looked back when they left town. The obligation to go to them in San Antonio has been left to me for holidays and family gatherings. I spent Christmas alone because my parents and my brother's family went on a cruise, something I wasn't able to afford.
I know a lot of my battle to be successful has a lot to do with wanting my parents to be proud of me. They always boast about Ricky's, and his wife's, successes. They don't outwardly insult me, but there are no accolades tossed my way, either.
It stings to be that one in the family, and I want to change it. Pride keeps me in town because both my mom and dad told me I couldn't make money here, that a business in Lindell would be a waste of money and a sure failure. They never saw this town as their final landing place. They raised their kids here and didn't blink when leaving it, and me, in the dust after Ricky graduated law school and stayed in the city.
The silence from the last couple of days paints surprise across every feature of my face when I answer the door and find Mac standing on my front porch.
He stands there, without speaking, as he chews the inside of his cheek.
"You have a loose board right there," he eventually says, pointing to the board I know better than to step on in fear of falling through the porch.
"And the toilet in the hallway bathroom refills at random intervals throughout the day," I mutter. "Did you come here to criticize anything else?"
My annoyance with him is evident, but honestly, I'm annoyed with everything right now. Sage had to cut some of my hours back this month because people are focused on getting fit for their New Year's resolutions, and reading tends to drop some until the middle of February when anticipated new releases pick back up. I can't fault her for making business decisions that are good for her, no matter how much they affect me. But I had to put in an application at several businesses in town because I get indigestion every time I think of selling this house.