Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“Do you really think one of his past women might harm Azelie out of jealousy?” Penny asked, speculation and anxiety in her voice. “He is a heartbreaker. I didn’t think of that.”
“He isn’t a heartbreaker,” Azelie corrected. “You have a false impression of him, when you haven’t ever talked to him to get to know him.”
“Women always think they can change a man,” Carlton said carefully. “But leopards don’t change their spots. He’s a man women fall all over. They come easily to him, and he looks like he might know what he’s doing in the bedroom.”
Azelie felt color rising beneath her skin. Andrii certainly knew what he was doing when it came to sex. “Please don’t worry. I don’t rush into things with my eyes closed.” She had her own concerns about the relationship, but not the ones they had, and she wasn’t about to share. “I’m always cautious.”
She fiddled with her drink and then decided to take the plunge. “I’m aware all of you have to know about my past. My brother-in-law, Quentin, murdered my sister, niece and nephew and shot me three times before he turned the gun on himself. I lived with my sister and her husband for a number of years. I can’t say I thought Quentin was a great guy or a good man, but I did think he loved his children.”
Her fingers inadvertently tightened around the latte cup, nearly crushing it. She wasn’t as disconnected as she’d like to be. She thought of Andrii and what he’d gone through. He hadn’t told her about the scars on his body, but she could imagine how he’d gotten them. Or maybe she couldn’t. She didn’t have that kind of imagination. How could adults be so brutally cruel to a child?
“Don’t look so sad,” Doug implored. “We did know about your past, Azelie. We just never brought it up. It’s for you to decide you’re going to share with your friends and what you don’t feel comfortable sharing. Maybe we’ve gotten overprotective of you, but all of us feel you’re important in our lives.”
That was the nicest thing Doug could have said to her. Azelie felt the burn of tears behind her eyes. She had no idea he felt that way about her.
“You bring us joy,” China said. “If you’re in the room, it feels like you bring rays of sunshine with you, even on the stormiest days.”
Azelie blinked rapidly to keep tears at bay. She wasn’t a crier, but the sincere emotion China gave to her was overwhelming.
Blanc agreed, nodding solemnly. She placed her hand over Azelie’s briefly. “I sometimes get very depressed when we’re fogged in. You know San Francisco gets a great deal of fog. I always know if I come to the coffee shop and you’re here, I’m going to feel so much better.”
Azelie had seen Blanc depressed several times in the past. She would go very quiet and sit without speaking for long periods of time. Azelie would worry, and she often spent time telling funny stories about the antics of the children she babysat to make Blanc laugh. She had no idea Blanc deliberately sought her out to lighten her mood. That made her feel good.
“It’s true,” Penny said. “You have this way about you. I’ve seen everyone respond to it. Children especially.”
Azelie considered that. Children did respond to her. She could easily stop a baby from crying when sometimes the parent couldn’t. In the park, she got the children playing and laughing if they’d been fighting or arguing. Luke and Teddy Tudor, Bradley’s five-year-old twins, had been considered little hooligans by most of the other parents who frequented the park. The moment Azelie arrived, they changed their behavior. Betsy, Abigail Humphrey’s three-year-old toddler, would instantly stop fussing the moment she caught sight of Azelie.
“And seniors, older women and men,” Carlton added. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to be around you. You have an uplifting personality. Shaila and David have spoken of it many times with me.”
Azelie was uncomfortable with so much praise. She wasn’t used to compliments. Andrii gave them to her right and left. He did so casually, as if he were throwing out facts and she should just accept everything he said as gospel. Maybe compliments were catching, like a virus. Someone put them out in the air, and everyone around became infected and needed to hand them out.
In any case, she knew the things the merry widows and Doug and Carlton said were heartfelt. That brightened her world. She hadn’t known others viewed her in such a positive way. It was clear they cared a great deal about her.
“Thank you,” she murmured, not certain what else she could say. “What I was trying to say in a roundabout fashion is that I’m not a complete pushover. Andrii is a strong personality.”