Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
His face lit up like a Christmas tree. “I would love for you to stay.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that. Palmer volunteered to help Joyce Miller with the music class over at Seaside Elementary, helping the kids learn the violin.”
Gannon drew his brows down in confusion. “She knows how to play the violin?”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “No, she does not. But she sure has been practicing at all hours of the day and night.”
After giving me a blank expression for a good thirty seconds, Gannon eventually burst out laughing.
“Only Palmer,” I said with a giggle.
He shook his head. “I don’t know how she finds the time to do everything. How many jobs does she have now, anyway?”
Looking up while I counted, I said, “Um, four? No. Wait. Are we counting her volunteer work?”
“Let’s,” he replied.
“Okay, she has her pooper-scooper job on Tuesday and Thursday. She pet-sits and house-sits for people, but those are random gigs. She works at the vet clinic as a receptionist on Monday and Friday. She volunteers at the pet shelter on Wednesday, where she plays with the dogs, cleans out the kennels, and works the front desk when they need her. And then she walks dogs every day.”
“So that’s five jobs.”
“Not including the music lessons.”
Gannon shook his head. “Why in the world did she volunteer for that if she doesn’t know how to play the violin?”
“To give her a bit of credit, she did take lessons for like three years when she was younger. She has the basics down, which is all Joyce cares about. But now Palmer is obsessed with learning it again. She’s taking lessons via YouTube.”
I watched Gannon really try to keep from laughing, though he soon lost the battle.
“Try living with her,” I mused.
“No wonder you’re at my house so much.”
I gave him sexy smile. “I’m at your house all the time because the sex is good.”
A look of alarm moved over Gannon’s face, and he cleared his throat and jerked his head toward something behind me. When I turned and saw my father standing there, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Who cared that I was thirty-one years old? No one should ever talk about their sex life in front of their parents. Especially not their father.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and quickly stood, blocking Gannon from my father’s view. If looks could kill, Gannon would be on the floor right now.
“Dad, did you need something?”
He peeked around me to look at Gannon, and then rolled his eyes and focused back on me.
“I was coming to ask if you could place the produce order for me. Your mother is in the middle of making lasagna for tomorrow’s special.”
“Yes!” I said, a little too enthusiastically before I brought it down a few notches. “I’d be happy to. I’ll do it right after I have lunch with Gannon.”
Dad stepped to the side and looked directly at Gannon again. “That’s fine. But make sure you keep your voice down a little. We don’t need the whole restaurant knowing about your…ah…um… That part of your life. So stop talking about it.”
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. “Sorry you heard that, Dad.”
He finally moved his death-ray stare away from Gannon. “He’s only alive because I like him.”
“I didn’t even say it—she did!” Gannon proclaimed.
Dad slowly shook his head. “Someday, son, when you have a daughter, you’ll get it.”
Patting my father on the arm, I said, “Leave the list on Mom’s desk, and I’ll take care of it before I leave.”
Before he left, my father pointed at Gannon and spoke in Gaelic. “Gortaich I agus gheibh thu bás.”
Gannon’s eyes went wide, even though I knew he had no idea what my father had said. When Dad finally walked back toward the kitchen, Gannon asked, “What did he say to me?”
“My Gaelic’s a little rusty, but I’m pretty sure it was something like, if you hurt me, he’ll kill you.”
Gannon’s eyes darted toward the kitchen, and I saw a look of fear on his face, as if he thought my father was in the Irish mafia or something. I had to press my mouth into a tight line to keep from laughing.
When he finally looked at me again, I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my smile.
He cleared his throat and attempted a casual, “Oh, is that all?”
Gannon
“Gannon, are you going to concentrate, or do I need to find a new partner?” Brody shouted as he tossed the ball and damn near hit me in the face.
“I’m sorry if my mind’s on other things,” I said, tossing the basketball back at my brother.
Braxton sighed, looking over at Chip. “How do you work with him?”
Chip laughed. “It can be trying at times.”
I rolled my eyes. The three of them weren’t planning on asking the woman they loved to marry them later tonight. It wasn’t my fault my mind was somewhere else.