Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
This man is likely to make me a puddle on the ground before the day is out.
“Okay, spill. How did you make these clues . . . ? They don’t exactly sound like you.”
“I might have had help?”
“Molly. You really wouldn’t be able to survive without her.”
“I would if . . .” His unsaid words don’t need to be said because the meaning is clear as day. He’d be okay if he had me.
Yep. Puddle, here I come.
By the time we arrive at the hotel, it’s obvious that all the staff are in on today’s events, because as I step up to the reception desk, a woman hands me a large iron key and a clue is attached.
You can find me at the fork in the road.
I lift the clue in the air. “Did you even try with that one, Dane?”
“Um, yeah, Molly had to get off the phone, so no, Hellfire, I didn’t.”
I throw my head back at his words. “To the vineyard we go.”
This time, when we walk, we’re side by side, and every time I swing my arms, my fingers skim his. The touch of his skin makes my whole body hyperaware that in only a few more steps, we will be where it all changed. Where an innocent drink with a stranger became so much more.
Finally, we get to the path that leads to the vines. On the floor is an arrangement of tiny pebbles. The same ones we looked at that night.
“Funny, in the light of the day, it doesn’t look like a fork or a trident.”
“Are you sure?” Dane reaches out and grabs something sitting right next to the stones.
How did I not see that?
I narrow my gaze, but he’s picked it up so fast that I didn’t see what it was. That is until he dangles it from his finger.
My bracelet.
But this time, two charms are hanging from it.
Dane holds it out, and I take it in my hand, lifting it to look at what he added.
It’s a small disc, and it appears that there are tiny letters or maybe symbols etched into the metal.
“What does it say?”
He shakes his head. “When the time is right, I’ll tell you.”
75
JOSIE
Time has a way of moving fast when you don’t want it to.
It’s been two weeks since I fell. My ankle is healed, and my concussion is no longer an issue either. While I should be happy, and I am, of course, I’m also disappointed that Dane won’t need to visit me as much.
Now that I’m officially healed, I can move back into the guesthouse again, and although I know Dane will still want to see me, he won’t feel obligated to come over and “grovel.”
Since I’m feeling one hundred percent better, I know where I’m going, and where I’m going is to watch the Saints play.
It’s a home game, and I texted Molly to tell her I’m coming with Sherry.
“Thanks for coming with me,” I say from the passenger seat as she drives us toward the arena.
“Are you kidding me? I’m delighted you asked me. Robert is always on me to go to a game, and I always say no.”
“You do?”
“Yep, gotta keep them on their toes. That’s my motto,” Sherry says as she makes a right turn, going in the direction of the arena.
“That’s funny. How long have you guys been together?”
“Seventeen years.”
“Wow, really, that’s a long time.” The idea of a couple being together brings me hope. My mother never had boyfriends. Never brought any men into our house at all. I always assumed it was because of me, but now after everything, I understand it was to protect me. Being a parent must be hard. I pivot to look at her while she drives, my brain going a million miles a minute until I finally ask the question that has been on my mind for some time.
“You never thought about having kids?”
She shakes her head. “We tried, but it never happened.”
“Sorry,” I mumble under my breath. Foot meet mouth. I’m well aware you’re never supposed to ask a woman about kids, but apparently, my curiosity won out.
“It’s okay. I have everything I need . . . and that includes you, Josie. I want us to be a family. You, me, your father, and even your mom. Think you’d want that?”
My throat feels tight and my tongue heavy.
These are words I’ve always wanted to hear, and now I’ve heard them from more people than I ever imagined. The car around me blurs. From the dashboard to the window, everything becomes fuzzy with my unshed tears.
“I’d like that.” As I blink away the water collecting, my cheeks grow damp.
Is this what it’s like to get everything you’ve ever wanted?
I think it is.
I’m a little late, but that’s okay. I hurry to my seat but can’t find Dane’s number on the ice. Looking toward the penalty box, I spot him. With a quick glance at the board, I see that he has thirty seconds left in his penalty. Dropping my gaze, I try to catch his attention, my arm lifting in the air. It’s as if he knows I’m here because his head tilts up, and our eyes lock. Instantly, his demeanor changes, and a smirk pulls at his lips.