Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“So, someone has to literally die for you to stay in Monksville long enough to see us, Uncle Atty?”
Tina slapped her son on the arm. “Kyle…”
I shook my head. “You know if you really needed me, I’d drop everything and come back to New Jersey, right?”
“Well, that’s sort of what you’re doing for Nicole,” my sister added.
My niece, Kenzie, gave me a hug. “Did Nicole tell you I stopped by?”
“Yeah. She said you guys had a nice talk.”
“We did.” She smiled.
“Good.”
“How’s Emily?” Kieran asked. He knew Tristan’s fiancée from the tour.
“Wouldn’t you love to know…” I taunted.
Kieran asking about her was a running joke. “How’s Emily?” was always the first thing he said to me. I liked to tease him about his little crush on Tristan’s fiancée. They’d even gone out to dinner once, but nothing ever came of it, because unbeknownst to him, Emily had already been obsessed with Tristan.
As we sat down to dinner, I grilled Kieran about his new job. “What’s the latest with that TV gig? What are you doing there again?”
“I’m working in the control room at a cable station here in New Jersey,” he told me. “I’m liking it. Most especially I like the cute morning news anchor I’ve gone out with twice now.” He winked.
“Nice.”
“Yeah. Only problem is, she’s looking for other jobs in bigger markets, so I don’t know how long she’ll be here.”
“Well, not like you have too much going on. You could always move and find a similar job somewhere else, couldn’t you?”
Tina glared at me. “Don’t encourage that, please. I don’t need my son following some girl around the country.”
“Sorry. But he needs to do what he needs to do. Spread his wings.” I reached for a roll. “Although, I have to admit, there’s no place like home. It’s just that sometimes you have to leave home to figure that out.”
Kyle put his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mom. You’ll still have me when the other two are gone.”
Kyle had one aspiration in life, and that was to become a firefighter like his dad. He wanted nothing more than to do that right here in Monksville and had pretty much been guaranteed a position. The current fire chief had been a good friend of Brian’s. He was just waiting for Kyle to finish the appropriate training.
I grinned. “Dude, I can’t wait to see you in that uniform. Your dad would be so damn proud.”
“Thanks, Unc.”
I turned to my niece. “What about you, princess? Tell me what’s new.”
“Just weddings up the wazoo.”
“I know you’re not too happy about that.”
“I’m not. I feel like my creativity is stifled. But the weddings pay the bills.”
I smiled at Kenzie, though I knew Tina wasn’t thrilled about this. “Do you think you’d want to go on tour with us…as the band photographer?”
“Get out of town.” Kenzie dropped her fork. “What are you saying?”
“Well, Layla, who’s worked for us up until now, just got married and is pregnant. She can’t travel anymore. So, we’re looking for a new photog. I asked Doug if he’d be okay if I offered you the position.”
“Oh my God.” She looked over at her mother. “Did you know about this?”
Tina nodded. “He mentioned it to me, and while I’m apprehensive, I think it would be cool for you. So I’m not gonna discourage it, even if you going on tour freaks me out a little.”
Kenzie turned to me. “This is a dream come true. When is the tour?”
“Early next year. I can send you all the dates once I confirm them with Doug. Can you swing it, though, if you’re already committed to weddings?”
“I’ll figure that out. I work under a larger company with a group of photographers, so I’m sure with enough notice they can help me get coverage.” Her eyes sparkled. “Are you serious about this, Uncle Atticus?”
“I am. The only thing is, I might have to kill someone if they mess with you. The crew can be pretty rowdy. That whole scene is nothing to play with. So you have to promise me you won’t get into trouble.”
“I survived just fine,” Kieran told her. “I’m sure you will, too.”
I took a bite of chicken. “I’ll tell Doug we talked, and I’ll have him get in touch with you.”
She nodded. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Her look of joy made my heart happy. I loved being able to afford my niece this kind of opportunity, though I hoped I didn’t regret it.
***
I stayed at Tina’s pretty late, chatting with the kids. When I returned to Mimi’s house, it was quiet. I peeked in on Mimi, and given the time, I assumed Nicole might also be sleeping.
When I opened the door to the bedroom, I found her in bed as expected. But she wasn’t asleep.