Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Chapter Two
“All alone again?” Jaxson asked.
Tillie lifted her head up from her book, and at first she frowned, but then she saw it was him, and he watched her smile. “Jaxson, hi, and you should know by now, I am never alone.”
He looked down to see Belle under the table, on her lap.
“Does she not like to sit on the floor?” he asked.
“Not particularly, I have a feeling I’ve got a dog that doesn’t like to get dirty.”
He chuckled. “What’s your poison today?” he asked, pointing to her coffee cup.
“Oh, you don’t have to get me a coffee.”
“I insist, besides, it’s hot as fuck to sit indoors, and I’d love the company.”
“Then I’ll have a caramel mocha please, with cream.”
He winked at her and made his way inside the coffee shop. He stood in line. This was always a busy and popular spot for coffee, had even won a couple of awards over the years, so the line went quick. Once he was able to, he ordered himself a sandwich as well as a cinnamon roll, and their coffee.
The waitress gave him a flirty look and offered to bring it to him. Callie did that thing where she bit her lip, which told him she was hoping for a lunch quicky, and that was not happening. He was not currently fucking any of the town women.
Rather than respond to that lip bite, which he had done in the past, he made his way outside and took a seat opposite Tillie. Last night it had killed him to see her so upset. He had no idea it had been her parents’ anniversary, and all he wanted to do was make her happy. She didn’t deserve to be crying.
“Are you having a good day?” Tillie asked, looking at his clothes.
He had stains, oil, grease, and some other dirt as well. “Let’s just say it has been productive.”
She laughed.
“How about you?” he asked.
She lifted up a book, and he saw it was a pattern book, and not that he was about to tell her, but it was one of the books she had been requested to review.
“Is it titillating?”
“If you love reading about the construction of patterns, it’s a great read, and of course, you’re doing the patterns in a review.” She gave that one-shoulder shrug. “Which I am.”
“Have you done any yet?” he asked.
“Not yet. This morning I was deciding on my size, tracing the patterns.”
“Tracing?”
“Yeah, I am not going to go out and repurchase this book every single time I want to make something out of it, so I have to trace the patterns. Also, if something doesn’t fit me and is either too big or too small, then I can go back in and trace a different size—” And just like that she stopped with her lips in a beautiful pout. “And you don’t need me to tell you all this, because this is boring.”
He chuckled. “I don’t even know if it is boring or not.”
“Sewing is not for everyone.”
“I don’t mind you talking about it. So, if you’ve done all the tracing, why are you here and not in your studio making it?” he asked. He had loved her video on Friday night, it was all about her June sewing plans, and she had a lot, including trying out the five patterns that came with her book. He didn’t know anything about the book, other than her excitement when she was able to get it.
“I wanted to take Belle for a walk, and I figured I would treat myself to a coffee, then head back and get some sewing done.” She tilted her head. “And right now, I am basking in that sun.”
He chuckled, and Callie brought out their drinks and his food. He thanked her, but he also wasn’t too polite about it. Callie wasn’t exactly a nice woman.
“Thank you,” Tillie said, offering Callie a smile, but the other woman just glared at her, and it pissed him off.
Callie stormed off.
“Oh, dear,” Tillie said, as she let out a wince. “I don’t think she’s very happy.”
“Ignore her.”
She laughed. “Didn’t you and she...”
He raised his brows. “What?” he asked.
“Date?”
“I don’t date.”
“Oh, right, you just sleep with women and leave them,” Tillie said.
He looked at her and took a bite of his sandwich. “And you have a problem with that, do you?”
“Me, no, why would I?” she asked.
“Because you mentioned it.”
“Jaxson, whatever you do in your spare time is totally up to you. Trust me, I’ve heard all about you, that you’re the town playboy, the rebel and all that.” Tillie smiled at him and he saw there was no judgment, but he fucking hated his reputation. His father had warned him there would come a point when he would regret the decisions he’d made as a young man. He always figured his dad was just talking shit, but right now, he felt it.