Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
But living that way means missing out on so much of the good stuff.
As I follow my sister back over to Autumn and Tarek, I can’t deny the little pinch of regret when she takes Amira and settles her on her hip. The little girl gazing curiously in my direction is a stranger to me, but she’s also my niece.
I’m not much for conversation after that. Nora’s seen me shut down more times than anyone else in the room, so when she realizes it’s a lost cause and she needs to cut me loose, she passes Amira back to Tarek and tells me and Autumn she’ll show us to our room.
I was planning to stay downtown, but after all this, maybe I should take advantage of the opportunity to spend a little extra time reconnecting with the family I’ve lost touch with.
Nora takes us downstairs where the guest bedrooms are. The whole lower level looks more like a level people actually use. There’s a movie room, a few bedrooms, a family room, and a “billiards” room.
Nora gets a kick out of calling it that as we walk past the pool table. “A little pretentious, I know.”
“I feel like I should have a cigar and a glass of brandy,” Autumn volunteers.
“Tarek, I’m retiring to the billiards room. Be a dear and fetch me some cookies.”
Autumn side eyes my sister. “You can’t eat cookies in the billiards room, Nora.”
Nora sighs, playing along. “God, you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. Clearly, I’m too low-class for a room like this.”
It makes me smile to see them getting along so easily. While they’re making fun of the hoity-toity rec room, I’m checking out the walls, noting the framed baseball uniforms—not the first baseball paraphernalia I’ve noticed since we got to the house.
“I take it someone’s a big baseball fan.”
Nora glances back at me, then her gaze flickers to the uniforms hanging on the wall. She makes a dismissive gesture with her hand. “Oh, yeah. Tom’s a retired player for… the Twins, I think? I’m not sure, I don’t know baseball, but yeah. Don’t worry, when you meet him, he’ll tell you all about the glory years.”
Fantastic.
Nothing I enjoy more than getting to know yet another of Mom’s temporary husbands.
“What do you think of him?” I ask her, since I haven’t met the guy yet. “Does he seem all right? Treat her like he should?”
“I don’t especially like him, but when do I ever like Mom’s husbands?” she tosses back. “I don’t even think Mom likes him, to be honest, I think he’s just the richest guy who’s ever been into her.”
That’s pretty much what I figured when I pulled in and saw this place, but having Nora agree with that hasty assessment feels like confirmation.
Nora seems to realize how this must sound to an outsider. She looks back at Autumn. “You must think I’m a terrible gossip.”
Autumn’s eyes widen. “No, I wasn’t thinking that at all.”
“Tell me some of your family drama, make me feel better for bitching about mine.”
Autumn cracks a smile, but it’s a small one. “No family drama to speak of. I’m an only child and an orphan to boot, so…”
“Oh, shit.” Nora grimaces. “I’m sorry, that’s… I don’t even know what to say.”
“Maybe we don’t have to talk about that,” I suggest.
“Right, sorry,” Nora says quickly, just as she steps into another room. “Well, we’re here, anyway.”
The bedroom is standard, but spacious—roughly the size of the motel room we stayed in last night.
There’s an attached bathroom with a nice, big shower. It has glass walls so you can see right through. There’s a whirlpool tub big enough for two, and his and her sinks with plenty of counter space.
It’s a nice bathroom, but it has something I don’t expect to see in a bathroom, too—a window seat.
Nora peeks her head in. “If you guys need towels or anything, there’s a linen closet right across the hall from your bedroom.”
I don’t need towels, I need a drink.
Autumn might need a towel. And a shower.
I gave her privacy to shower last night even thinking she’d run if she got the chance. I don’t think that tonight, but right now there’s nothing I’d like more than to pour myself a whiskey neat, sit in that window seat, and watch Autumn take off her clothes.
That’s what I’m gonna do.
Mind made up, I tell my sister we need a little time to settle in, and I tell Autumn to sit on the bed and stay put. She obeys me even though she looks a bit confused by her own acquiescence as I leave the room.
We left the pie and my bag in the car when we came inside, so I go out and fetch them. I don’t dally, though. I hand the pie off to Nora to deal with and head back downstairs with single-minded focus.