Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Her hand went to her chest. “Kian, this is criminal. It’s so wrong on so many different levels.”
“Good thing I know good lawyers.”
Hitting me playfully on the arm, Cadie said, “Ha ha. I’m serious; you are missing out if you’re not watching the Christmas movies. They usually do a Christmas in July, but it isn’t nearly as fun as watching them during the holiday season.”
“I’ll remember that this November.”
“You mentioned that Moose Village has fun events like the scavenger hunt; what else do they do?”
I thought for a moment. It had been a hot minute since I was home. “Well, I haven’t been back home in a while, but they at one time did things like a spring fling dance, wine tours, founders’ day celebrations. Oh, they also do farmers’ markets once it warms up a bit.”
“I did see that the farmers’ market opens in April. I’m super excited about that!”
“Yeah, it’s great. We have a lot of local farms. Let’s see, there used to be an Easter egg hunt on Main. All the stores got into that one. They also did Halloween trick-or-treating. In the summer, they do a music fest on The Green. I know for a fact that is still going on. Opal talks about it. It’s one of the bakery’s busiest times during the music fests.”
“What is The Green?” Cadie asked.
“It’s an area off of Main; well, more than an area, it’s a small park. You can take blankets and sit on the hill overlooking Moose Lake. There is a stage set up, and musicians play. They called it the Moose Jam Fest. Not sure if it’s still called that.”
She nodded. “When was the last time you were home?”
I exhaled. “We used to always come home for Christmas, but the last five years or so, we haven’t.”
“You haven’t come here for Christmas, or you didn’t get together as a family?”
“Both.”
“Why?” she asked in horror. “I would imagine it would be beautiful here during Christmas.”
“Oh, it is,” I agreed. “But we let work be an excuse. My mother and father usually work part of Christmas Day.”
Her mouth fell open, and she stared at me. “That’s sad, Kian. You didn’t work it, did you?”
I shook my head and turned into the furniture store’s parking lot. “I would work Christmas Eve and then usually take Christmas Day to catch up on some much-needed sleep.”
“My gosh,” she whispered. “No wonder you needed a fresh start.”
Laughing again, I pulled in and parked. Looking at Cadie, I said, “I guess we’re both starting over in our own ways.”
“I guess so.”
I clapped my hands and said, “Ready to go shop?”
“Not something I would ever expect to hear a guy say, but yes! Let’s do it!”
“Wait here,” I said before slipping out and making my way around the car to let her out.
“Such manners, Mr. Carter.”
I winked. “I try.”
Cadie’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head before walking toward the entrance to the store.
With a smile, I followed her. This was going to be fun; I could just feel it.
Shopping for furniture wasn’t fun. At all. Especially when it wasn’t even my furniture.
“I’m going to sleep like a baby tonight,” I said as I sat down in the booth at the little café we had stopped at to grab a late lunch.
Cadie thanked the waitress and took the menu. “I thought it was fun!”
I looked over the menu at her. “You call that fun?”
She giggled, and I had to ignore how the sound seemed to travel through my entire body and heat it.
“How often do you get to go and order so much stuff!”
I set my menu down and looked at her. I didn’t see when she went to pay; somehow, she had managed to do it without me being there. I had no idea if she put it on a credit card, paid cash, or got credit from the store. I could ask my buddy who owned the place, but that was one step I wouldn’t take. Invading her privacy. Not that her finances were any of my business.
“You’re a simple kind of girl.”
Her head snapped up. “Is that a compliment or…”
I chuckled. “It’s a compliment. Were you planning on having to buy furniture?”
“I had it budgeted, yes. Not all rentals come fully furnished. Short term ones do, but not usually long term. You should know that.”
What did Cadie do before moving to Moose Lake? Wasn’t it Sally who said she worked in a bakery in Chicago? She said she loved to bake and worked in that industry, but she couldn’t make that much money as a baking assistant. I went back to reading the menu, but it was like she was reading my mind as she answered my unspoken question.
“I owned a bakery.”
It was my turn for my head to pop up. She was sharing, and I found myself holding my breath. “Past tense?”