Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“Vivianne, you’ve got a visitor.”
I looked up from the table I was serving and smiled the moment I saw Ladd walk in with his younger brother, David.
Focusing back on the couple in the booth, I asked, “Is there anything else I can get you right now?”
The young girl grinned. “That’s it, thank you.”
I hustled over to drop off their order before heading to the counter. I leaned over to meet Ladd, who had leaned over as well. We kissed, and David made a gagging sound.
Ladd and I had been dating for nearly six months, and it was the best six months of my life. We didn’t get to see each other as much as I would have liked since I was working two jobs, waitressing part time at a café and part time at a pizza parlor. I had gotten some academic scholarships, but they only covered my tuition. I still had rent and food. I had even sold my car during my sophomore year just to get rid of the expense. Between gas and insurance, it was taking up most of my paychecks.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” I said as I stood back and looked at his brother. “Hey, David.”
“Hey, Vivianne.”
“When do you get off?” Ladd asked.
I glanced at my watch. “I’m off in ten minutes. Let me make another round and tell my tables Lisa’s going to be taking over for me.”
After getting everyone settled and letting Lisa, who had just clocked in, know what was happening with each table, I grabbed my purse from the back room and met Ladd and David out front.
The moment I saw Ladd again, I ran and jumped into his arms.
“The two of you are gross,” David mumbled before he headed toward Ladd’s car.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked, frowning.
Ladd glanced back at his brother and sighed. “A girl he was kind of into broke things off with him. I guess one of the football players asked her out, and she told David she wanted to see other people.”
“Wow,” I said as I looked at David, who was slipping into Ladd’s car. “That was a shit thing to do.”
“Tell me about it. I didn’t like her anyway.” He focused back on me and smiled. “Plans for tonight?”
“Nope. I thought I told you I had the night off. Maybe we can go to a movie?”
He suddenly looked nervous. “Well, I was wondering if you might want to go out to dinner.”
We started to walk toward the car. “Or I can make you something at my place, if you want.”
“You don’t want to go out?”
I gave a half-shoulder shrug. “I mean, I will if you really want to. But I’ve got the house all to myself tonight. The girls went to Denver to see Clint Black in concert.”
“I didn’t know they liked country music.”
Nodding, I replied, “He’s touring with Alabama.”
“I would have liked to have seen him.”
“Well, there are better options for us…like back to the house being empty for the entire night, Ladd…”
Wrapping his arm around me, he pulled me closer and kissed me. He bit my lower lip, pulling away slightly before he released it. “We can do all kinds of naughty things then.”
I waggled my brows. “We can.”
“After we go to dinner with my mother and father, who are in town.”
He rattled off his words so fast, I hardly had time to process them. Then he kissed me, took my hand, and headed to his car.
I yanked on his hand. “Wait a second. Did you say we’re going to dinner with your mother and father?”
He cleared his throat. “I didn’t know they were coming to town, and they really want to meet you this time while they’re here. My mom was hoping we could go to Marco’s tonight.”
I blinked a few times. Ladd’s mom and dad had been to Fort Collins a few times since we had started dating last spring. I hadn’t met them yet because each time they were here, I was either working, or I came up with an excuse not to meet them. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to meet them, I was just scared they wouldn’t like me.
“Your parents want to meet me?”
Surprised, he said, “Of course they do. Why wouldn’t they, Viv? I talk about you all the time, and we’ve been dating for six months. Don’t you think it’s time to meet them?”
I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. “You said your dad told you not to fall in love, Ladd!”
He tossed his head back and laughed. “Don’t worry about that. They already love you.”
A nervous bubble of laughter slipped free. “How could they already love me? I’ve never met them.”
“Because Ladd talks about you nonstop,” David cut in as he got out of the front seat and moved to the back.