Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“I don’t even know why I try with you.” I slam the phone down, but not before I hear her laughing.
I turn to my computer and try to Google her name, except all I have is her first name. I search the company directory to find her full name: Lauren Harrison. With that, I turn back to Google and go on my search.
I see that she has a Facebook account, but I can’t access anything because she has it set to private. The only thing I can see is the profile picture that she has of her two kids. She is in the middle with her son on her side, hugging her, and her daughter on her lap. You can’t see her hands, but you know she is holding both of them. Her son looks nothing like her, but her daughter is her clone. I try to look through her friends, but I can’t get anything. When a knock on my door startles me, I close down the page and yell out.
My partner, John, comes walking in. “Hey,” he says while he makes his way to the chair in front of my desk, throwing himself down in it. “Just saw your new temp.” He whistles. “If I weren’t married, I think she might be worth bending the rules for.” John has been married to his wife, Dani, for twelve years now. ‘College sweethearts till the end’ is their motto. She works at a big marketing firm downtown. We often use her when promoting our brand.
I shake my head at him and say, “Dani would skin you alive and leave you with nothing but your two balls hanging all the way to the floor. Right before she sets you on fire.” I know full well she would do that and so much more.
He laughs out, folding one leg over the other. “She pretty much would leave me with maybe the hair on my head. Other than that, it will all be gone.”
“If you’re lucky. How was Vegas?” He just got back from Vegas. He went to see if he thought branching out there was doable for us. I’m still unsure about it.
“It was what you expected. It’s hard to get your foot in the door anywhere. They all ‘have their own people.’ Dani and I checked around, but I’m leaning more toward shelving this for a later date.” I nod, agreeing with everything he is saying.
We spend about thirty minutes talking about the projects we have going on. He has four restaurants that are opening up in the next three months. All different cuisines and atmospheres, so he’s excited for what is to come. We discuss the nightclub/restaurant project that I have taken on. It’s more of a challenge, because everything has to work for both purposes.
After that, he tells me he’s leaving. I look at the clock, seeing it’s only six-thirty. I haven’t been out of the office this early in forever. I decide I’m going to hit up the gym.
I close up everything, making my way outside. I walk by Lauren’s desk, where her scent of berries lingers lightly. I see that she has Post-its all over her computer screen.
I walk over and can’t stop myself from moving a few around. It’s childish, I know, but I can’t help it. This is what she does to me.
Chapter Six
LAUREN
He asked me to stay late—as if. I was very specific about that when I filled out the form. I pick up the phone right before I head out, dialing Kaleigh. I’m surprised when I hear Rachel’s voice, “Hiya, Mommasita.” I smile just thinking of her standing there in the kitchen with her curls bouncing.
I walk out to the car telling them I’ll be home in twenty minutes. I pull into my driveway, put the car in park, and rest my head on the steering wheel, clearing the stress of the day away by drawing in a few breaths and letting them out. I think it’s the first time all day that I finally breathe normally.
I don’t have much time to myself before I hear Gabe running out of the house. “Mom, you have to come in quick.” The tone of his voice snaps me back to reality.
I sling my seatbelt off, getting ready to run inside. “What’s the matter?” I look at him.
“Aunt Kay is making supper.” He looks at me nervously, his big, brown eyes open wide in dismay.
“Oh, crap,” I say and quickly head into the house. The last time she attempted cooking us dinner, we ate sticky peanut cauliflower wings. There was nothing good about that concoction. Hell, it was barely edible. I won’t even talk about the aftertaste it left in my mouth, either.
I hurry in the door just as I hear the smoke detector go off. “Oh, dear Christ, Kay, what the hell are you doing?” I grab a broom out of the closet and position myself beneath the smoke detector, using the broom to fan the smoke away. “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” I chant while looking over to the kitchen in time to see Kaleigh pulling a tray of charred, smoking cauliflower out of the oven.