Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
“How do you know that?” Has he been secretly stalking me? I’m having my own lumberjack romance story unfold in my mind. This one won’t be a secret baby, though. I don’t know why I love those so much. Because you secretly want a baby. Oh, no. I shove that thought all the way down. I have to stop reading all those romance books. It’s hard when your best friend is a damn librarian and knows which ones you’ll love.
“Your profile is on the town’s website. All the city officials are.” Duh, I’m the one that updates that website.
“Right. I forgot. You’re all into the Internet.” I wouldn’t have guessed Marco to have Wi-Fi, but his home is nothing like what I thought it would be. Add some Christmas lights outside and decorations in the home, and this place would be perfect for a family.
A picture perfect one. But I’m guessing a man who lives out in the middle of nowhere alone isn’t looking to fill his home with people. He’s out here by himself for a reason. A reason I really want to know. I’m not sure if I should bulldoze my way in and ask, which is my normal way of doing things, but Marco isn’t what I thought, so maybe my approach should be different with him.
“Into the Internet.” He lets out a deep chuckle.
“But still. Why is that interesting?” He’s reading me and I want to know what he sees.
“I’m guessing your parents were very absent in your life but you worked hard to get your degree. Bet you graduated at the top of your class to impress. Did they show up to your graduation?” Wow, that is crazy accurate. I’d even graduated with a higher GPA and more honors from college than they had.
“No.” The reminder burns. I try to pretend I don’t care, but I do. They didn’t show up to my high school or college graduations. They had sent someone to give me flowers at my high school one.
“You worked so hard, and they didn’t even take the time to notice. I’m sure they did when you didn’t go on to law school.” His tone gets more serious. I put my fork down.
“They did.” They both lost it. It was the first time I had both of their attention on me. We’d fought back and forth over the matter for hours. I don’t think they realized I wasn’t as much of a pushover as they thought. I’d partly raised myself. Plus, I was the daughter of two of the best lawyers out there. Arguing was in my blood. Here they thought they’d been grooming me into a lawyer. You have to be around to do that. If anything, they made me more independent. “I didn’t want to be a lawyer, so it doesn’t matter.” Them not being around taught me that I didn’t want their lifestyle. One that didn’t have room for anything or anyone that wasn’t involved in their jobs.
“It matters, angel. If you ask me, you got the shittier end of the stick when it comes to parents. I don’t have to think about what mine would want me to be doing.”
“Are you always this good at reading people?”
“When you grow up in the system, you learn to understand and predict what people are going to do. It’s a language of its own.” Marco gets more interesting by the second. This isn’t helping the crush I’ve been harboring for him.
“They were crappy parents at times, but I never went without. In fact, I had too much.” I can’t deny the privilege I was given. I might not have gotten goodnight kisses and I love yous, but the world of opportunity was there for me. The best schools, clothes, and anything really. I would only have to send an email to one of their assistants about what I needed, and boom it was there. I’m sure their assistants were on a standing order to just send whatever I asked for.
“They had too much,” he corrects. “Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it does buy freedom.” Damn, that’s so true.
“I suppose you’re right. They had no control after I got my degree. That had been the stipulation of my trust. That money did grant me freedom to choose another path. I knew I’d be a shit lawyer anyhow.”
“I very much doubt that.” Marco shakes his head. “Is there anything you put your mind to that you don’t accomplish?” He’s right. I can be a bit relentless. I’d beat a horse until it was glue. I might not have wanted to be a lawyer, but whatever that drive is my parents have in them it’s in me too. I only choose to channel it somewhere else. I want something else. A different life than what they had.