Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
I struggle not to outwardly cringe.
“Um–”
“Everything’s been fine,” Jerry interrupts, squeezing my leg hard under the table. He shoots me a glance that basically tells me to keep quiet and not bring up today’s incident. All I want is to be done with this meal, so that works for me anyway.
“I just can’t wait to see what beautiful children she produces,” Laura chimes in.
That’s it. I just can’t keep my mouth shut.
“Produce?” I chuckle. “Do women…produce children? That sounds more like something insects do. Like what bees do when they produce honey.”
I look around the table for reactions, but nobody is laughing. Especially not my father, who is actively staring me down as though I just made a joke that will get me cancelled.
“Well,” Laura says slowly, “what word would you prefer, Michelle?”
I glance back at my father, whose eyes have not shifted.
Hell. That’s what this is. The first layer of hell. And the rest are soon to come.
“Never mind. Produce is fine.” I smile. “It was a joke. A bad one clearly.”
The meal continues. The rest of the courses are brought out, and I keep my head down and my mouth shut as much as I possibly can. The one thing keeps me distracted and my mind off just how awful all this is is thinking back to my conversation with Casey.
I wonder what he’s doing right now…
He’s definitely back at the site, working with his crew. But is he just swinging a hammer, pouring concrete and sawing some boards–or is he doing like I’m doing and thinking of me?
Did our conversation mean as much to him as it did to me?
A guy with looks like him, there’s no way he doesn’t pull lots of girls. And he had the confidence to come right up to me and start a conversation, so it’s not like he’s lacking in game.
Suddenly, I feel jealous, picturing other girls fawning all over him. I only saw him in work clothes, but I have no doubt he has a ripped physique under there.
And those thick hands of his. I can only imagine what it would be like to have them on my thighs instead of Jerry’s–
My God, what am I doing? I never have thoughts like this. I’m a reverend’s daughter! I’ve never even had a boyfriend before Jerry. And now I’m sitting at a family meal, fantasizing about a man I just met?
What’s gotten into me?
3
CASEY
“So tell me again why we’re driving twenty minutes out of Holebeck to drink, when we could just go to Maggie’s like we always do?”
Dave, who’s driving, sighs at Rodney, in the back seat. “Because, Rod-lover. That waitress at Maggie’s has a thing for me, and I’m sick of ducking her, all right?”
“The one with the sleeve tat, old enough to be your grandma?”
I laugh. “You’ve gotta stop denying, bro. You two are meant for each other.”
The whole car cracks up, and Chris flips everyone the bird. A few minutes of friendly smack talk later, we’re pulling into The Low Rider, a bar I’ve never been to. I’ve been to plenty of dives before, but this one looks like a cheap hotel crossed with a dumpster.
“Seriously?” I ask as we walk to the door.
Chris shrugs. “You too good for a watering hole now? A few minutes with the Reverend’s daughter turn you into royalty?”
“Shut up,” I growl, threatening with a jab as we swing through the door.
The old man checking IDs is nearly sleeping and wouldn’t know the difference if we were middle-schoolers. We find a booth, and Dave waves down a waitress in a black tank and shorts that leave nothing to the imagination.
“You a shooter or a rider, cowgirl?” he asks with an obnoxious wink, eyeing her boobs as she leans on the table, letting her cleavage do her work for her.
“Depends on whether you tip or not, baby,” she replies. This gets the boys laughing.
“Why don’t you bring us over a pitcher,” I chime in, handing her a five up front. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” She smiles. “My name’s Destiny, by the way.”
“Not as bad as you thought, eh?” Dave asks as she steps away from the table.
“So Casey,” Chris says. “Fill us in. Yesterday you were about to tell us this issue you had with the Reverend. What’s the deal? He kill your dad or something?”
Just like that, my palms start sweating, and I’m clenching my fists. “That guy’s a real son of a bitch. He may look the part, but he skims money from the church. That’s how he’s so rich.”
There’s a pause before anyone speaks.
“You serious?” Dave asks. “No way. How could you know?”
“My mom’s got a friend who works for the church on the business side. Trust me, it’s real.”
Destiny returns with a pitcher of beer and four glasses. She flashes me a grin and bends just the right way to get a guy’s attention. I fake a smile, and she leaves.