Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 57257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Moving quickly, I snatch the number from the fridge and grab my cell phone.
“I’m sorry about this,” I say, watching as Rhett leans down and scoops the raccoon into the thick trash bag with a dustpan.
He stands, ties it tightly, shaking his head. He’s wearing a plaid shirt like last time, sleeves rolled up… like last time. But something feels different now. It’s in his eyes. When he looks at me, there’s more emotion there than before. Pity, maybe? Because I couldn’t handle this myself?
“Have I got something on my face?” I snap.
“No.” He clears his throat, dragging his gaze back to mine. “Forget it.”
I fold my arms. His eyes flick to my chest—then dart away. Guilt shadows his expression. Maybe he thinks he’s too old for me. There can’t be more than ten years between us. Maybe just ten.
“I’ll get rid of this,” Rhett mutters, turning away.
“Rhett!” Mira beams, running onto the porch, her hair still wild from sleep, wearing her pink fluffy pajamas.
When I see her smiling up at him in those PJs, my heart tugs. I’ve noticed several times over the past year that she looks like a walking contradiction when she wears her old PJs, but now, it’s like the old Mira is back.
“What’s in the bag?” she asks, pausing a few feet short of Rhett.
He winks. “It’s a secret.”
“Is it a gift?”
“What sort of gift would you want it to be, huh?”
“Umm. A big hug?”
Rhett chuckles, holding out his fist. “How about a fist bump instead?”
“Okay,” Mira huffs, then bumps fists with Rhett.
“Ow,” Rhett says, shaking his head. “You’re stronger than you look.”
Mira giggles in delight, spinning to me with bright eyes blazing with the sort of glee I couldn’t have imagined just a few days ago. I feel almost drunk just looking at her. “I’m strong, Sissy.”
“You are,” I say, touching her arm, getting choked up. “You’re the strongest girl I know.”
“Is Rhett coming to town with us?”
Rhett looks at me, jaw tight. “No, I’m sorry, little lady, but—”
I take a chance and interrupt him. “Yes, he is.” I arch my eyebrow at him with a silent message. Unless you’re busy?
He smiles and nods. “Sure, I can come.”
“Yay!” Mira throws her hands in the air. “I’ll get a pretty dress, yeah?”
“We’re going to see a lawyer,” I say. “You don’t need to—”
I stop myself when I realize what I’m doing: thoroughly raining on her parade.
“Sure, put on your prettiest.”
She runs into the house. I watch her go with a lump in my throat.
“She seems like a good kid,” Rhett says quietly.
“She is,” I tell him. “She’s the best sister I ever could’ve asked for.”
He swallows, scratches his beard. “So, uh, where are you folks?”
“Why does that matter?” I hiss. “We’re here, and we’re starting a new, and that’s all there is to it. So don’t worry about my folks or anything else.”
I grip the porch so hard my fingernails bend, my breath coming hard and fast. That was too much, too honest.
“Rhett, I’m sor—”
“You don’t need to apologize,” he says, and I feel his eyes burning into me.
“I do. That was rude.”
“I can take rude, Elle. Don’t worry about it.”
I turn to him and offer a small smile. “Thanks… for the raccoon. And for being rude proof.”
He smirks. “It’d take more than a little sass to upset a big, strong… not to mention handsome man like me.”
The laughter takes me by surprise. I smile, really smile, and my cheeks heat as if there were little fires inside me.
“I should get changed,” I murmur. “Are you sure you want to come? You don’t have to. It’s just finalizing some stuff for this place.”
“When your sister smiles, Elle, you light up. It’s like you’ve been waiting for it. It’s like the best gift you could receive.”
“Well… yeah.” Tingles shimmer up my spine, and my heart does a funny flip. “You’re not wrong.”
“But you are,” he says. “I have to. For that reason.”
I roll my eyes, trying to play it cool. “Okay, Romeo.”
He chuckles warmly. “Romeo with a dead raccoon. How romantic.”
I laugh and then run inside before I get carried away.
CHAPTER 5
RHETT
“Road trip!” Mira sings from the back seat, leaping up and down.
I glance at Elle. At the flush in her cheeks and the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, she keeps trying to tame it. Like she thinks she doesn’t deserve it.
I need to tell her who I am. That I know what happened to her. That I was there the night her world went to shit. It’s why I asked her about her folks. I was hoping the conversation would lead there. But her reaction gave a clear message.
She wants to bury the past. It’s not like I can blame her.
“Rhett, what’s your job?” Mira asks.
“Mira,” Elle mutters.
“It’s fine,” I say, looking at Elle. But not for too long. She’s wearing a summer dress that hugs her curvy body, shows a glimpse of her round and full breasts, and her bare, tempting legs.