Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Burgers?
Close. Salmon burgers.
What would make you do such a horrible thing?
Your dad’s inexplicable youth.
Even if it made you live forever, still wouldn’t be worth it.
LOL. I went back to eating my burger and watching my daughter work on her math homework.
A few minutes later, he texted me again. Can you come over?
I stilled at the question, afraid something was wrong. Everything OK?
Yes. I just want to talk to you.
My heart started to race in fear because I didn’t know what the subject of conversation would be. It was an unexpected request, and he didn’t tell me what he wanted, which was unusual.
He texted again. I can come to you if that’s easier.
No, I don’t mind at all. I’ll be there in 20 minutes. I set the phone down.
Lizzie stopped working and turned to me. “What is it?”
It amazed me how observant she was, just like me. She might not be good at math, but she was extremely intuitive. “I have to do something for work. Not sure how long I’ll be gone.”
Lizzie had gotten used to my absence, especially when I first started my job. But once I didn’t need to help Derek write his story, I was home in the evenings more often, so she got used to that just as quickly. She never gave me a hard time about it because she knew I had to do whatever was necessary to support our family, but this time, she stuck out her tongue. “Run off to Dr. Gorgeous…”
“Lizzie, don’t call him that.”
“What? He is gorgeous.”
“You’re way too young to find a man that age attractive.”
“Whatever. You think he’s hot too.”
“Do not!”
“Yeah, okay…”
I finished my food and carried my plate to the sink. “I’ll see if Grandma can come over here. If not, you can head over there.”
“Mom, I’m almost thirteen. I can stay home by myself for an hour. Sherry stays home by herself all the time.”
And Sherry would probably be pregnant by sixteen. “No.”
“Mom, come on. I’m just gonna do my homework. You don’t trust me?”
“It’s not that. Something could happen, and you might need help.”
“Well, Grandma and Grandpa are down the hallway, and I have a phone, so…” She wasn’t even a teenager yet, and her attitude oozed from her pores. She picked up her phone and waved it at me. “Seriously, I don’t want to pack up all my stuff and go over there.”
I knew Lizzie was responsible enough to stay home unsupervised for an hour. She was a good kid with a good head on her shoulders. But leaving her alone for the first time would force me to acknowledge that she was getting older. Having her at such a young age had been so difficult, but I couldn’t imagine my life happening any other way. The closer she got to eighteen, the tighter I wanted to hold her. But I had to start letting go. “Okay. We’ll try it.”
Lizzie gave me an incredulous look, like she couldn’t believe I’d actually said yes. “Cool!”
“You stay right there and do your homework. No ice cream.”
“Okay, fine. Grandma gives it to me all the time behind your back, but whatever.”
I swore that my mother purposely spoiled Lizzie as payback for me having a baby as a teenager.
Derek had asked me to come over with no time to prepare, so I shouldn’t have to change into something nice, but I wanted to maintain my professionalism since he paid me such a high salary. So I put on a dress and heels then headed to the door. “Call Grandma if anything happens.”
“Mom, nothing is gonna happen.” She grabbed her pencil again and got back to work.
I stared at her for a moment, pride rushing through me at the sight of her working on her homework. She was such a sweet kid—when her attitude wasn’t burning at full force. She had a wonderful personality, a beautiful face, and I was proud she was mine. “I’ll be back soon.”
When I approached his door, I pulled out my keys and let myself in so he wouldn’t have to get up when I knocked. My heart was still beating hard because I was anxious. He never asked for my presence after hours like this, at least not without giving a reason. I knew he wouldn’t fire me, so I figured it was something much worse.
When I stepped inside, he was standing there, waiting for me. In jeans and a shirt, he stood with his arms over his chest, his dark hair still styled like he’d taken a shower when he got home. His brown eyes were fixed on me, unblinking, like he didn’t want to miss a single second of this moment.
I shut the door behind me and set my purse on the nearby table. “Hey.” I came closer to him, my eyes shifting back and forth to take in his serious features. He usually looked like this, with stark emotion, like he was furious and subdued at the same time. But tonight, something seemed different.