Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 99766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
I wish I could be a fly on the wall, listening to each and every question that makes him squirm. Unfortunately, Jace is about to go insane beside me. With a heavy sigh, I turn on the Jeep and boldly drive past Eli’s house. Jace slouches, but I rubberneck the whole time.
“Insane,” Jace grumbles. “Just like your dad.”
At this, I laugh. “Dad is not insane.”
“Aww, the little princess is blind to her crazy-ass pops. He’s my best friend. I’ve seen him in action. He’s a fucked up power monster like you.”
“Power monster?”
“You heard me, psycho.”
“Dad gets shit done.” I shrug. “You want to grab a burger?”
Jace snorts out a laugh. “I think you might even be related to Cal. Only Cal would do something so fucked up and then want to eat afterward. You’re a Hoodlum all right.”
“I am not a Hoodlum.” I roll my eyes as I pull into a burger restaurant parking lot.
“And I’m not an ex-con. Riiiiight. Look up the definition in the Webster dictionary,” he throws back. “I’m pretty sure your name is etched in right beneath Cal’s.”
“Whatever, old man. Buy me a milkshake. I’m famished after an intense afternoon of sweet revenge.”
“If Charlotte makes Hoodlum T-shirts, your ass better be first in line.”
“I’m not wearing a matching T-shirt with anyone, especially the Hoodlums.”
“Whatever you say, Hoodlum.”
I flip him off and give him a dirty look for good measure.
Terrence
My heart is so full it could burst. Each time I get to see Zella feels like a gift. On Sunday, we spent six hours together. Since then, she’s come over two more evenings. Each time, Renee has delivered her to me and then ran her home. Tonight, she said I could drop her back off at Jack’s after my visitation. Soon, maybe she’ll get to stay with me all the time.
“You want another juice box?” I ask.
Zella’s brown eyes light up and she nods. I rise from the table that’s full of chatter and head for the kitchen. Cal’s parents are over. Kate showed Charlotte how to make one of Cal’s favorite dishes. Penny came over too, but she wasn’t interested in learning to cook. She’s spent her time playing with Zella. Even now, they’re immersed in girly whispered secrets that makes my heart melt. It’s important my little girl likes my girlfriend.
Penny and Zella share a smile and when I start back for them, they both try to pretend they weren’t whispering. I push the straw into the juice box and hand it to Zella.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. This girl already has me so wrapped around her pinky finger. Just hearing her call me Daddy is enough to make my day.
“Anytime, Mello Zello.”
“So Cal told us you’re working on your teaching certification,” Kate says once I sit back down. “How’s that going?”
I shrug and shake my head. “Not as easy for me as it was for Cal.”
“Not my fault I’m a genius,” he throws back.
Charlotte rolls her eyes at him. “Don’t be mean.”
“He knows no other way,” Penny supplies. “Besides, you like that mean boy for some reason.”
Cal flashes everyone a smug grin that has most of us groaning.
“Everyone learns differently,” David says. “But you’re enjoying it? You really want to teach?”
“Yeah, man. I like coaching and I want to continue to do that, but I’d like to do more. At first, it sounded kind of out there, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I realize I’d like to do it.” I smile at Zella. “Plus, with having Zella around, it’d be nice to have a job that’s off on summers and holidays.” I chuckle. “Though, I’m not professor material. Not interested in teaching college students like Cal.”
“Actually,” Cal says, perking up. “Charlotte’s decided to go to the local college first to get her basics under her belt. We’ll move wherever she needs to later when she goes to medical school. Rather than getting my master’s to become a college professor, though, I was thinking about taking the steps to become a principal.”
I choke on my green bean. “What?”
His grin is pure evil. “What? Like I can’t cut it as a hard-ass principal? Have you met Karen? She won’t be principal forever. Someone has to carry the torch and I’m her favorite.”
“You’re not her favorite,” Penny argues.
“Not yet,” he agrees. “But eventually. And my guess is when she’s ready to retire, she’ll be desperate to fill the spot. Who better than me? I’m going to be ready for when that day comes.”
“I think you’ll be a wonderful principal,” Kate says, beaming at her boy.
David chuckles. “He won’t put up with any troublemakers, that’s for damn sure.”
“Mark my words,” Cal says with a shrug. “By the time the ankle biter Hoodlums reach high school, I’ll be primed and ready to keep them all in line.”