Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Johnny scrunches his face. “You’re standing in your childhood home.”
I clench my jaw. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, we know,” June replies softly. “But in Aaron’s defense, he wasn’t aware of any of that.”
Had he been, would he still have asked? I’m not sure. Except, given how he reacted after the studio visit, he likely would have. Either way, it’s not a good idea to let my guard down.
Johnny pats my shoulder. “Jack’s always been the sappy one.”
I scoff. “What the hell?”
“You act all grumpy, but it’s really about holding everything inside.” He points a finger in my chest. “All the sentimental stuff you cherish.”
“Whatever,” I grumble.
He’s not wrong, but I don’t tell him that. There certainly were days I seemed to struggle harder than June, who’d also lost her husband. I could barely manage getting out of bed, and the only reason I did was to keep the station running. For them. It seemed the right thing to do.
I spot Aaron approaching cautiously, and I head over to him, wondering if he might’ve heard any of that conversation.
“If you want me to leave, just say the word,” is the first thing out of his mouth. He sounds so wary of my reaction that I feel guilty.
“Nah, it’s cool you came.” He follows me into the backyard. “Want anything to drink?”
“Uh, I actually brought a bottle of wine.” He holds up the offer. “Though I’m not sure it’s a good year or whatever.”
I glance at the label, and though it’s not one I favor, he did go out of his way to think of it. “Looks good to me.”
I introduce Aaron to Uncle Chuck, who’s the only one to not have met him. That strikes me as strange for someone only passing through town.
Aaron holds his own in various conversations with my family, which helps me relax a bit more. I’m not sure why his presence affects me so much, but it might be because I’m yet again letting him into my private sanctuary. This time with my family. But he’s quite charismatic, and I can see him cutting deals with his partner, Rocco. Even though he claims he’d prefer to be more hands-on than anything.
I open his wine and pour us a couple of glasses while I sit beside him on the deck and chat with Frank, who’s decided to show up tonight. He doesn’t always attend our functions, but we consider him family, so he’s welcome anytime.
“BMWs have that sweet hologram display on the windshield,” Frank says to Johnny as he explains taking Aaron’s car on a test drive after the work was done.
“Really? I would probably crash.”
“Nah, you get used to it after a couple of days,” Aaron replies.
“Fancy,” June says as she tops off our wines.
“Yeah, Rocco convinced me to get the feature added since I refused to buy a new car. It’s probably my only splurge.” He almost seems guilty about having a nice car.
“Bet your apartment is top-notch too,” I say, and he quirks an eyebrow as if surprised I’ve given it any thought.
“Almost too sterile, honestly. I like the craftmanship in yours.” He glances toward the kitchen area through the sliding glass doors. “This one too. The midcentury vibe.”
“Yeah, my parents loved that aesthetic.”
His eyes widen. “This was your parents’ house?”
I nod, my throat feeling clogged. “Johnny decided to live here and has pretty much kept it as is.”
“Unless you count his dirty underwear on the floor,” June teases.
“Hey, now.” Johnny wields the tongs in her direction. “You leave me and my underwear alone.”
She scrunches her face. “Not a problem there.”
Everyone laughs as Johnny motions to us that it’s time to eat. We all gather at the table and dig into the grilled chicken and steaks, along with a ton of side dishes.
“You’re right, June. Your famous potato salad is amazing.”
Uncle Chuck pretends to slide some money to him across the table for the compliment, and everyone laughs.
“My wife mentioned you were interested in property around here?” Uncle Chuck asks, and I bristle.
“Just out of curiosity.” Aaron throws me a sidelong glance, likely remembering our terse conversation about flipping houses. “I’d been thinking lately about going back to my roots.”
“Your roots?” Uncle Chuck asks.
“Getting my hands dirty. Restoration or remodels.”
“Unfortunately, there aren’t many properties for sale,” Uncle Chuck says with a frown.
“I hear you on that. We had a good ride for a few years, though, eh?”
Uncle Chuck smiles as if he knows exactly what Aaron means. As a matter of fact, there was a conversation last month that the housing bubble had burst. And now I wonder if that’s why Rocco was trying to go in for the hard sell. But if they’re struggling, they certainly never gave off that vibe. According to my uncle, there are always ebbs and flows, just like with any business. Besides the fact that we’re a very small town with little turnover in residential or commercial properties. Thankfully, Uncle Chuck has the bees to keep him plenty busy and the general store is thriving.