Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
I didn’t see a laundry basket and there was no way I was going to gather up the entire icky mess in my arms. Sighing, I gingerly picked up a discarded item in each hand, using the pads of my thumbs and pointer fingers to pinch them tightly. Each trip required me to traipse through the house to transfer the very wet and definitely smelly clothes to the washer located on the back porch.
After my fourth trip, I dropped my sneakers into the machine but decided not to start the load as the washer most likely shared a birthday with the fridge and water heater. I’d need to be on the lookout for overflow, plugged up drains or excessive sudsiness and whatever other mishaps could happen. I was rather proud and congratulated myself for making such a reasonable decision. It had nothing to do with the fact washing was the easy part. Once the cycle finished, I’d have to wrangle each item through the wringer next to the washer, and then hang them out to dry. And since I couldn’t see any clothesline in the backyard, laundry moved down the list of chores and a new laundry line and clothespins joined the list.
Do they even make those anymore?
“Of course they do!” I said and then had to wonder if perhaps I was wrong. The last time I could remember even seeing a clothespin had been watching Grammie O pinning up sheets and telling me there was nothing quite as rewarding as going to bed on sheets that smelled like sunshine. Well, if they didn’t have those old-fashioned wooden ones, I could always grab a few plastic ones they had in the grocery store. Everyone always had a few of those around to close bags of chips and cookies to keep them fresh…
“You don’t need—”
“Why thank you ever so much for reminding me, sir,” I said in a tone so sweet it threatened to give me a cavity. A tone I never used to converse with my internal pessimist as she’d spot my insincerity in a heartbeat. Nope, this verbal “thank you card” was meant for the man I was sure thought he was responsible for teaching me so many things about what I needed. But what he’d actually taught me was that if I didn’t get away, I’d simply cease to exist—or wish I had.
As I’d been doing for the past month, I refused to allow myself to dwell in that cesspool and instead expanded my list to include corn chips, bean dip I could scoop straight from the can, more soda, and fig bars as I’d eaten the last of those the night before. And, of course, that would require I make sure to find some cute plastic clips to keep all those lovely bags securely closed. I could actually picture Roland’s jaw clenching as his blood pressure rose and…
Cesspool alert!
I nodded a silent thanks to my inner self and I washed my hands and dried them on the seat of my overalls as excitement filled me. I’d begun transferring my mental shopping list to paper during breakfast and once I’d added the new items, I headed out the door for my first trip to town. The county road I’d taken to Grammie O’s branched off those leading to Tumbling Falls so I’d yet to see if the town proper was anything like I remembered.
After hopping down the porch steps, I paused for a moment to lift my face to the sun, smile and shout, “Look out Universe, here I come!” Once in my car, I tucked the list into an empty cup holder and started the car. The day was far too gorgeous to keep outside so I rolled down the windows and let the breeze blow through my hair. I began to hum as I turned onto the dirt road that led to town. With any luck, I’d have all my shopping done in an hour and have the first coat of paint on the hives before lunchtime.
Of course, that was before I ran off the road in a plume of dust and a squeal of brakes.
Chapter Five
Lincoln
I’d called it correctly. I hadn’t been asleep for more than two hours before I was dragging my sorry ass out of bed again.
“Look at it this way,” Luther said as he simultaneously slapped a pair of gloves in one of my hands while pressing a mug of coffee into my other. “Our family will be increased by a little girl or boy by morning.”
I looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head. “Were you fucking asleep when Dad was giving the ‘talk’?”
The question had him grinning. “Are you kidding? Don’t you remember how much fun it was watching him getting all red in the face and flustered? No way would I miss that!”