Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 13640 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 68(@200wpm)___ 55(@250wpm)___ 45(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13640 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 68(@200wpm)___ 55(@250wpm)___ 45(@300wpm)
My dad's place hasn't been home since my 18th birthday, nearly seven years ago. My place isn't far. While it's one of the best pieces of property Tamworth has to offer, termites don't care about the walnut porch swing I carved with my bare hands. The swing was their appetizer before they tore into the spruce siding. Luckily for me, the tent covering my house for the next few days gives me time to reacquaint myself with my Cody.
I can tell we have a lot of ground to cover, and what better way than to invite her to dinner?
By the time I get her to agree, and hopefully stay at Dad's, I know I'm going to be late for work. However, it's worth it because I want to pick up where we left off those years ago. The change between us is something I refuse to ignore because she's not a sister to me. Cody is so much more.
There's a sharpness to her wit, an edginess to the way she approaches life, and a soft beauty she likes to tuck away. I want her, and it doesn't matter that our parents have been married for the past decade. It's completely selfish of me, but I'm okay with their divorce. It takes the awkwardness out of me pursuing my heart's desires.
Truthfully, our parents were convenient for one another rather than in love. Cody needed a father figure, and my dad insisted I have a mother. My mother's not dead, just not interested in motherhood. However, Miss Ellie, Dakota's mom, is the sweetest thing walking most of the time.
My father's decision to end his marriage has been a long time coming, and it's not surprising to me at all. However, the shock in Cody's eyes tells me it's a blow to her. My mind continues to flash between our last night together and her standing in front of me now.
The fullness of her breasts hides behind a denim jacket, peeking from behind a form-fitting tank top. The loose gray sweatpants slinking off her slender waist give my eyes a line to follow. A line leading my imagination on a journey that ends between her thighs, that ends with my tongue, and so much more leaving their marks of discovery. I leave her standing outside the house and head into town for my shift.
Fantasies overwhelm me as the day drags on, watching various monitors from camera angles around the most popular department store in Tamworth. I thought becoming a security guard would save me from the mundane life of suburbia. Yet, the biggest crime to ever come inside Flannigan's is an expired coupon.
There are times when I dream about taking my talents and starting my own firm. There may not be much work in Tamworth, but we're close enough to DC where I can scrounge up a few clients. Yet, all of the possibilities come crashing to a halt when thoughts of my father pop into my head.
Despite the opportunity his divorce presents, there's a part of me that won't ignore how old he's getting. The double shifts come one after another because soon he won't be able to work any. I might have to stay put to make sure he's okay, which leaves me to put my dreams on the back burner. However, seeing Cody reignites that passionate dream once more.
I want to give her more than just being an inventory preservationist. Every time I hear the job title, it makes me laugh. Flannigan's idea of being competitive in the job market means fancying up terms for basic positions. Regardless of their efforts, the idea of mediocrity carrying me into retirement doesn't sit well. There aren't enough excuses to stop me from pursuing my dreams.
Now, my dinner with Cody has me anxious because I want to tell her things she can look forward to if she chooses to be with me. This is definitely pulling the horse before the cart, but there's something about our connection that only seems to grow stronger whenever we get together.
Even as I clock out, my heart races with the anticipation of seeing her. There are so many things I want to know and a ton of things I want to tell her. The closeness we used to have as teenagers stems from me wanting her and wanting to be around her. But with our parents, there were a million chances for us to cross paths in Tamworth, but the single chance occurred the day they told us they'd eloped.
My heart drums hard enough to hurt like the first day we met every time I see her, and now that she's back, there's no way I'm letting this go. I have to know if she feels the same. So I'll rush to get out of here, out of Flannigan's to rush to my father's house where I hope Cody is waiting for me.