Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 53052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
I see the dots moving, telling me he’s typing, then deleting, then typing again.
Be sure you keep in touch. Where are you going?
I grind my teeth, and type: Does it matter?
It does if you want to test my patience. We may be at an impasse with the information we each have, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make your life miserable.
His threats are getting old but for now, I’ll let him have this play. I’m going to Miami.
To Jack. He deserves to know he’s going to be a father. What he does with that information afterward is up to him. I’m having this baby and one way or another, I’m going to build a new life.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jack
I love this time of day at the club, before opening when it’s not too busy. The music is playing low over the speakers and my partners and I are hanging around, waiting for the night to begin. My twin brothers are here. They both work for the Thunder, Miles as the director of community relations and marketing, and Hudson as the director of player operations. My father is rotating them in and out of different departments so they learn every detail of running the team. I’m glad at least two of his children are interested in continuing his legacy.
We went out for dinner earlier and now we’re upstairs in the VIP area, overlooking the dance floor. Miles leans against the railing while Hudson and I sit in chairs as we talk.
“I hope there are hot women here tonight,” Hudson says, then takes a sip of his IPA.
I let out a laugh. “There are always hot women here. The question is whether they’ll be interested in your ugly mug.” I’m joking, as we always do.
Hudson, the more charming of the twins, never has a problem picking up a woman for the night or asking one out. Miles, on the other hand, is the brooding brother and with his grumpy ass, I don’t know how he gets laid. But I keep that thought to myself.
“Look at me.” Hudson gestures to his face. “I have no trouble picking up women. And because he looks just like me, neither does he.” He points his IPA bottle toward his silent twin, who merely rolls his eyes.
“What’s happening with the Charleston location?” Miles asks me, changing the subject.
Every time I hear the name of the city, Taylor immediately comes to mind, and I force myself to let the memory of her go. I’m surprised by how difficult it’s been considering two months have passed since I last saw her.
I turn my attention to my brother. “Since it’s considered a historic building, we’re waiting on permission from the Board of Architectural Review to construct the outside deck and some inner changes our architect recommended.”
Lucas and Tristan flew to Charleston that same weekend I called them. They saw the space I’d found for the nightclub, agreed buying the building was a solid investment, and we made an offer that was accepted. For as fast as we’d purchased the property, I fully expect the permits and licenses to take much longer.
“Sweet. I’m happy for you,” he says. He takes a sip of his drink, the same beer as his twin. “Hey, did Rainey rope you into that Bahamas retreat she’s got planned?” He looks extremely unhappy at the prospect of time away with the family.
“He means, did she not take no for an answer?” Hudson chimes in.
I nod. “She might be the oldest, but have any of us ever said no to her?” I ask with a grin.
Hudson chuckles while Miles merely groans. “She’s a handful.”
“And you adore her,” I remind him.
He lifts one shoulder, but a small smile takes the edge off his normal grumpy look.
“How’s work?” I ask them.
Miles pushes himself off the railing and takes a seat. “Quiet on my end. Not so much on his.” He gestures to Hudson.
Hudson frowns. “Yeah. Jace Kenyon, our wide receiver, got into a fight outside a bar downtown. Bad publicity, and he had to be bailed out.”
I shake my head and groan. “Not the first and won’t be the last with his temper.” Kenyon is known for his tantrums on the field and off. If it weren’t for those golden hands and his ability to run routes like a champ, he’d be long gone.
“Truth. But he needs to settle down or even his talent won’t keep him on the team,” Hudson says.
The music suddenly grows louder, and I glance at my watch. “Opening time,” I tell them.
For the next thirty minutes, I watch from my perch above as the club fills up, and the beat and tempo of the music rises and gets faster. The twins make their way downstairs to do their own thing and eventually, I do the same.
Lucas is standing by the bar, and I know he’ll be out of here early because he wants to get home to Rainey. Now is the perfect time to ask him about an issue we’ve been having with one of our vendors who’s consistently late with orders.