Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Common-sense warned her not to get too close to this family, her membership into the exclusive Hawthorne club was temporary. She didn’t belong here… she wasn’t really one of them. But the prospect of being part of a close-knit family where people looked out for each other and cared about one another was an enticing one.
Beth’s smile faded slightly at Fern’s lack of response to her previous comment, and Fern felt immediate regret at being the cause of the woman’s sudden uncertainty.
She reached out—initiating contact with someone was unusual for her—and squeezed Beth’s hand reassuringly.
“Thank you so much for your kind words and your warm welcome.” She sounded stilted, ludicrously formal. “I’m sorry if I seem a little out of sorts. I’m still rather tired. It’s been a whirlwind couple of days.”
Beth’s face softened and her eyes lit with understanding and contrition.
“And here I am kuh-keeping you on the doorstep. Come on in.” Beth and Gideon stepped aside, ushering them into the quaint interior of their cozy home. “We’re having a braai. Gideon’s got the fire going. Although… do you eat meat? I’m sorry, I should’ve asked sooner. Oh my God. How rude of me. It’s okay, we have a couple of haloumi burgers in the fridge, we could make you one of those? Did you know that haloumi can reduce inflammation? It also assists in digestion and it can aid in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes. Not that I think you’re at risk of getting diabetes mind you. It’s just a healthy alternative to meat.”
Fern blinked at her in confusion—not quite sure which part of the woman’s statement to address first—and Gideon chuckled.
“You wanna give that another go, Lizzy-bit?” he asked, his indulgent voice deep and smooth as silk. His wife gave him an indignant glare, which he blithely ignore.
“What I meant by all of that is, are you a vegetarian or vegan, Fern?”
“No.”
“Great, no need to break out the haloumi after all, Lizzy,” Gideon said, still laughing. “Nice try pawning it off on our guest though. You bought the things, you’re gonna have to eat them… eventually.”
“I mean, I’m really happy to eat anything you have to offer,” Fern said, desperate to appease any hurt feelings. “In fact, a haloumi burger sounds…”
“Fucking awful,” Cade interjected, surprising her. “She won’t be having that.”
Well, that was—
“You can’t simply…” she began indignantly, when he interrupted her again.
“And no nuts, aye?” he told his sister-in-law with a gentle smile. “Fern is allergic.”
He remembered a comment she’d made in passing? Of course, she should have provided Beth with that information upfront, it had been negligent of her not to have done so immediately. She hadn’t expected Cade to remember or care about her allergy.
The fact that he had was… well, it was nice. After her mother’s death, she’d quickly learned that if she didn’t take care of herself, nobody else would. Fern could easily become accustomed to having someone take pre-emptive measures to insure her health and well-being.
And that was dangerous. It was best not to become too dependent on him. Self-sufficiency was her central goal.
“I know that,” Beth said, rolling her eyes. “You messaged Gideon about it yesterday.”
He had?
“Just a reminder,” he said, voice urbane, shrug nonchalant.
His big, warm hand landed in the small of Fern’s back as he directed her through the house. He seemed to know exactly where they were going and Fern was happy to have him steer her.
She halted in the sitting room, as her eyes fell on the artwork adorning the wall.
“Oh, these are amazing,” she said, moving away from Cade as her feet took her toward the many framed pictures on the wall. She soon recognized that most of the art was of Beth, in various guises and poses. In one she had horns, a tail, and a pitchfork, with a wicked smirk on her lips, and she was wearing a tiny, tight outfit that made Fern blush.
“Gideon’s work. He insists on drawing these ridiculous images of me, then framing and displaying them where everybody can see,” Beth said with a dismissive wave of her hand, even though Fern could see she liked it and that she felt loved because of it.
“My wife is hot,” Gideon said with an easy shrug. “You can’t blame me for wanting to showcase that.”
Fern had known that Gideon was an artist of course, but this was simply beyond anything she’d imagined.
“They’re brilliant,” Fern said, her eyes bouncing from picture to picture. How did it feel to be loved like this? She felt a tight ache in her chest, something that could only be described as longing. “I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that you’re immensely talented, Gideon.”
“Yeah yeah,” Cade muttered, his voice sounding uncharacteristically snide. “My brother draws pictures for a living. He’s a fucking national treasure.”