Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68735 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68735 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
“Oh, my,” Kayla breathed. “I’ve never in my life seen that kind of magic.”
I chuckled. “Chronic ear infections.”
“Jett had chronic ear infections, too.” Parker could only shake his head, eyes deep in a memory. “But we had to chase him around like a damn feral cat. Then we had to hold him down. He was the worst medicine taker ever. The only thing that worked was getting him to a point where he could swallow pills. He hated that damn pink shit.”
“Do you remember that one that smelled like dirty diaper?” Gunner looked amused. “Oh, my god. I felt so bad about giving him that one.”
“Apple!” Lottie cried.
Gunner took the apple and said, “Do you want it sliced?”
“Just take a bite,” I suggested. “Think Webber taught her that.”
Gunner took a bite and swallowed. Lottie clapped and took the apple.
“There’s a hundred percent chance she won’t finish that and will leave it somewhere were it’ll smell later,” I admitted.
Gunner snorted, his eyes sad. “Yeah, I remember that.”
I patted him on the back and said, “With y’all here, I think I’ll leave you to hanging out with her.”
Gunner walked with me down the hallway. “You okay with all this? I know it can’t be easy.”
I bumped him on the shoulder as I said, “I always knew she wasn’t mine, Gunner. I know you think that you’re stealing her away from me, but some part of me always knew that I was only a placeholder. I love the hell out of that little kid, and I’ll do everything that I can to fight this battle you have coming up with her. But don’t worry about me. One day, my time for a baby of my own will come. But she was never mine. She’s in my heart,” I thumped my fist over my chest, “but she’s in it right next to y’all. Right next to all of the club kids.”
He smiled slightly. “You’re a better man than I am.”
I snorted. “No, you’re just processing.”
He sobered for a moment. “I know you’ve told us all about this battle with the Combs, but I don’t think that I’ve given it near enough attention as I should have. What am I up against?”
I winced. “The devil himself.”
I was right about the Combs being the devil.
My next-door neighbor called me a couple of hours after I’d gotten to my most recent job site with the news that there was a man looking for me so he could serve me.
I groaned. “Thanks, Frannie.”
“You’re welcome, dear.” She sounded contrite. “I didn’t tell him where he could find you, though.”
“Appreciate that,” I thanked her, even though I knew he’d find me anyway.
I wasn’t trying to hide.
“There was also some random man here with a button-up shirt and a pullover that looked really out of place,” she continued. “I only know that he was here to see you because he left me his business card. His name is Dr. Stoker.”
I frowned. “What kind of doctor?”
“The card says psychiatrist.” She sounded distracted. “I have to go. The trash men are refusing to take my cans again. What the fuck?”
The slam of her screen door sounded just before she hung up on me.
I chuckled as I got back to work.
Frannie and her trash.
She liked to throw tree branches into the trash bins even though it clearly stated no yard waste, and then the trash men refused to take it because they had specific pick up days for yard waste. Then she’d go out there and fight them until they took the trash.
I was unsure of why they couldn’t just take it, because they damn well knew that she was going to do it, but they always had to go through the song and dance.
“What are you doing there?”
I grinned at my overeager helper.
Webber’s daughter was here today, once again telling me that she wanted to be my apprentice.
I was okay with it.
I liked passing the knowledge of plumbing on to the younger generation.
Everyone thought it was a bullshit job, having to deal with piss and shit all day, but it wasn’t just that.
I got to do all kinds of things outside of the piss and shit.
And now that I’d been established in the DFW metroplex for over a decade, I got the jobs that everyone coveted.
Like the apartment building that I was currently working on.
“Come on over, Eedie,” I said. “You’re late.”
“I’m actually perfectly early, especially when you told me I could come in whenever I wanted to,” she pointed out.
I grinned. “How’s school going?”
“Awful,” she admitted. “I hated high school. One would think that the college experience would be a little less rigid but it’s like some of the high school teachers went on to become college professors and decided that they were just going to continue their reign of terror. I have a English 1301 teacher that takes roll every day. Why would she do that?”