Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
She nodded.
“Use your words, Little girl.”
“Sorry. Yes, I think the app can work. It’s matched a bunch of people,” Melissa shared.
“Then we have to trust the process. It’s worth meeting at least once, right?”
“I guess. I don’t want to waste your time.”
“Somehow, I know meeting you is the best use of my schedule possible. When will you finish work? At five?” Rocky asked. “How about if you meet me at Romano’s for dinner?”
“I’ll have to shower first. My job is pretty dirty.”
“I can’t wait to hear about it. I’ll see you at six at Romano’s,” Rocky said firmly.
Melissa hesitated for a minute before blurting, “I’m scared.”
“I know, Little girl. That’s why we’re meeting at Romano’s. There will be others around us. Can you be brave?”
“Yes.” Melissa said that confidently and knew at five fifty her attitude would be totally different.
“Thank you, Melissa.”
She looked at the screen after they’d said their goodbyes. Everything felt so different. Melissa wanted to sit there and look at his picture, but her watch beeped. She should have already been at her next client’s home.
Closing the app, she tucked her phone in her fanny pack and forced herself to concentrate on her work assignments. Tami was counting on her, and Melissa had big plans for the future.
CHAPTER 2
After hooking the bag of bread and peanut butter over the doorknob, Melissa struggled to fit her key into the top lock with her left hand. She’d always been thankful for the additional locks Tami’s Daddy, Archer, had installed for her. Now, each lock was another obstacle to tackle.
Tami and Archer had met her at the urgent care. She hadn’t wanted to go, but Tami had insisted. The dog that bit her had all its shots, thank goodness. Tami always made sure of that. It had been that kid’s fault. If the five-year-old hadn’t pulled Mister’s tail, the sweet dog would have never chomped down on her upper arm.
Tami had a zero-tolerance policy. They would never clean that yard again because the dog couldn’t be trusted. Melissa had tried to convince her the kid should be banned, but that hadn’t worked. Tami knew the family would slack on keeping the child indoors after a short time.
Melissa looked at the next keyhole and sighed. This was going to take forever. She heard a whistle and swapped the keys over to her right hand. Gritting her teeth, she opened the locks as quickly as possible, ignoring the pain.
Her new next-door neighbor made her uneasy. She’d just opened her door when he reached their level. Melissa waved before snatching the grocery bag off the handle and rushing inside.
She ignored the “Hey! Wait!” and hurriedly closed the door and locked it. Looking down at the mangled bag, Melissa sighed. It looked like she’d eat smashed peanut butter sandwiches for a while.
Her eyes landed on the clock. Six ten. She’d missed her date. Melissa knew she owed him a phone call.
She put the jar of generic peanut butter and bread into the refrigerator. It was the safest place for anything. There was a slight pest problem, despite Archer’s attempts to keep her apartment free of rodents.
Pulling her phone out of her fanny pack, Melissa called Rocky.
He answered immediately. “Melissa, I thought you’d changed your mind. You haven’t, have you?”
“I’m sorry, Rocky. I got hurt at the next house I serviced. Urgent care took a while, and they had to fill out paperwork for the dog bite.”
“Are you okay?”
“My arm hurts, but I’ll survive. I’m sorry I’ll miss meeting you.”
“I’ll put an order in for a pizza to go and come to you. You have to eat,” Rocky told her. “What do you like on a pizza?”
“Anything but peanut butter,” she tried to joke, but it sounded too true to be funny.
“Got it. We have the same taste. Peanut butter on a pizza sounds almost as bad as broccoli—my least favorite food.”
“At least it would be broccoli and cheese. That’s a good combination,” she said, knowing she was babbling with nervousness and reacting from all that had just happened. “Maybe I’m not good company tonight? We could do this another time.”
“I need to check on you, Little girl. I won’t stay if you don’t want me to.”
The concern in his tone made her blurt, “I can’t wait to meet you.”
“Then I’m on my way as soon as the pizza’s ready. I want you to eat something. I know you missed dinner.”
He was so perceptive and focused on her. “Thank you. I am hungry,” she admitted.
“The app gave me your address. I’ll be there soon.”
“Park under a light,” Melissa suggested.
“We have a lot to talk about.”
She looked at the phone after he disconnected. That last statement had sounded just how she’d imagined the Daddies in those books she devoured over and over again.
Booming bangs on her door made her turn to look out the peephole. It was her neighbor. “Sorry. I can’t have company now.”