Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“More than business?”
“Yes,” I replied firmly. “Family first.”
“Ah.”
“How was your day?”
“Chaotic.” There was a noise behind her. “Still is. AJ is starving.”
I felt a flash of disappointment I tamped down. She had priorities that were far more important than chatting with me.
“Go feed him, and call me when you can.”
“How was your day?” she asked.
“I missed you.”
There was a beat of silence. “Oh.”
“You were on my mind a lot, Rosie.”
“I asked Mrs. Watson if she could look after AJ one night. She said Wednesday worked for her. She has bingo tomorrow.”
“Wednesday seems so far away.”
She laughed. “The way my week is shaping up, it’ll be here fast.”
There was a note to her voice. Was it tension? Worry? I couldn’t tell. She sounded tired, but it was the first day back from the holidays, so no doubt it would take her a bit to settle back into her routine. One that I hoped included me now.
“I will look forward to it. What time can I pick you up?”
“I can be ready for six thirty.”
“Perfect.”
“Momma!” AJ’s voice called.
“I have to go.”
“Call me later.”
“I will.” She paused. “Asher?”
“Yes, Rosie?”
“I missed you too.”
She hung up, but her admission made me smile.
I sent her flowers the next day. I had casually confirmed the name of the company she worked for when we spoke later that night. I wanted to send her something that reminded her of me and let her know I was thinking of her. She texted me in the afternoon, thanking me and telling me she was looking forward to seeing me the next day.
It does seem forever away.
Your flowers are beautiful.
I replied swiftly, ignoring the people sitting in front of me.
Not possibly as beautiful as you.
The little heart emoji she sent back made me grin. The proposal we were going over was granted more money than I had planned to give. It seemed right somehow, given they were working on helping single mothers.
My staff left the room wondering if I had taken leave of my senses. It was rare I doubled the suggested contribution.
But my respect for single mothers had changed drastically. I’d admired them before Rosie. Now I thought they should be revered.
I had a feeling she would be pleased with my decision.
And even though I was going to see her the next day, I showed up at her door at nine that night, knocking quietly in case AJ was in bed.
She opened the door, looking surprised and, to my delight, happy to see me. She was in a long nightgown sort of thing. Shapeless, huge on her, and, no doubt, fuzzy and warm. She looked sexy and sweet all at once.
“Asher? What are you doing here?”
“I missed you,” I replied.
She pulled me in, throwing her arms around my neck. I held her tight, enjoying the feeling of having her close, then slipped my fingers under her chin and kissed her. Our mouths moved together, lips and tongues touching, tasting, exploring. She was sweet tea and mint. Warm hellos and soft whimpers. I drew back, gazing down at her. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she replied.
“Can I come in just for a few moments?”
“Yes.”
I toed off my shoes and laid my coat over the sofa arm. “AJ out?”
“Yes. You missed him by about fifteen minutes. I was just having supper.”
“You didn’t eat with him?”
“I had a really late lunch. I sat with him while he ate his dinner so I could hear all about his day.”
She tugged me into the kitchen, and I shook my head. “Toast and tea? That’s your dinner?”
“I love toast.”
“I know, Rosie, but you have to eat more than that.”
“It’s all I wanted. Do you want some?”
I wasn’t going to argue with her. “Yes.”
She put some bread into the toaster and poured me a cup of tea. She handed me the peanut butter with my toast, but hers only had butter. I made a mental note to check her butter supply. I would make sure she had bread as well. If all she was going to eat was toast, I needed to know she had the supplies for it. We carried our “dinner” to the sofa and sat down.
“Why such a late lunch?”
She sighed quietly, and I noticed she looked tired.
“My new boss is rather, ah, demanding.”
“Oh?”
“She has different ways of doing things. She’s very brusque. To the point. And likes things her way. She’s almost rude, if I’m being honest. I get the feeling she wants to make an impression.”
“Sounds like she has. A negative one.”
“I was lucky with Albert. He was a family man. He understood that with my being a single parent, sometimes I had to leave early, or if AJ was sick, I would work from home. He knew I always got the job done. Ms. Wells, as she prefers to be addressed, informed me she won’t cut me any slack for my situation.”