Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Shit.
I am baffled.
I glance at the wedding topper. Definitely a bride and groom, right? Or maybe that groom is a more manly bride? Is she…
“My bad,” I say quickly, shaking my head. “Your wife, then. Your partner. Significant other?”
Yeah, I’m flailing.
“Nope. Nada. None of the above.” Her throat ticks as she swallows, shaking her head roughly. “There’s no one else. It’s just me.”
Oh.
“I see,” I say flatly.
Just her, with a pretty little wedding cake on the table and a wedding dress on the floor. I’ve heard of these people who marry themselves, but I never thought I’d meet one.
Goddamn, what sort of crazy does Solitude attract?
We just opened this place not long ago.
But she sends me a pleading look, and even though an urge to play detective eats at me, I let it go.
I still have Colt and his minions to sort out.
I turn back to my son, who shrinks in his chair.
“So,” I say, tapping my fingers against my bicep as I look at the way the kids trade panicked glances. “Who wants to tell me what you guys were doing here?”
“We really were at Evans’,” Colt says. The other two nod furiously. “We were doing science, Dad. I was helping them with that summer project for extra credit.”
“Right.” I let silence fall as I wait for the rest of it.
“Even Bree,” he says. The girl takes another bite of cake, smacking her lips like this is no big deal. But her shoulders and neck show tension.
Her dad’s a hardass construction manager and a former Marine. He’s going to be mad as fuck that she’s out here causing trouble, and I don’t blame him.
So am I.
“It was my fault, Mr. Rory,” Evans confesses, hanging his head. There’s a smear of icing on his plate still, and he looks at it sadly. “My brother, Jack, he offered to drive us out here. We figured it would be sort of fun to light off a few.”
I study each kid slowly.
“So Jack chauffeured you guys all this way to dick around with my guests?”
Shamefaced, Colt slides a company key card over.
“We… we thought it would be empty,” he mumbles. “I checked the schedule yesterday at your office when we stopped by. There was no one booked.”
“Oh, my.” Winnie’s cheeks flare red. “Yes, it was a very last-minute booking. I’m sorry.”
“No. You do not apologize for my boy and his friends when they could’ve burned this place down and you along with it,” I snarl and immediately regret it.
Damn.
See, this is why Patton is the client-facing brother in the rare cases where we need to deal with our base personally. I don’t have the bedside manner for it.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
To my surprise, the flicker of a smile crosses Winnie’s face again. “It’s been a long day for me, too. I totally get it.”
Colt looks at her with dawning respect. Guess it’s been a long-ass time since somebody has taken to me snapping at them so well.
“Yeah, sure,” I say. “Long day. Not helped by fools with contraband fireworks.” I hold back on calling them little assholes, even if that’s what they are. I’m not looking forward to telling their parents what I caught them doing.
I switch my attention to the brown bag by the wall.
Not that I need anyone to tell me what’s in it. More fireworks, I’m sure.
Enough to destroy this place, the surrounding woods, and get me investigated for arson and insurance fraud.
Colt and Evans, taking their usual shit a step too far, and probably trying to impress Briana along the way.
I’m lucky I’m not stuck in a police station with burly cops and firefighters growling questions in my face.
“Let me guess,” I say, “Jack bought you the fireworks too? Anything else you’d like to add?”
“Dad, we… we weren’t firing them off next to the house. We set up in the gardens. It was stupid, yeah, but we used common sense.”
Common sense?
I’m never a violent man with my boy.
But I’m closer than I’ve ever been to smacking him across the face.
“They really weren’t. Not that it makes it okay. It’s super dry out there.” Winnie positions herself between me and the kids like she thinks she needs to shield them or something.
Annoying.
I look at her, waiting for more.
“I think they only set off a couple before I noticed. Basically just a big dumb Roman candle and a little bottle rocket.”
“Leave this to me. I know how to handle my kids when they’re doing their damnedest to ruin my property,” I say coldly. This time, she does flinch back. “You just focus on having a nice stay, Miss…”
“No Miss. Just Winnie.”
“Fine, Winnie. We’ve ruined your night enough and these guys need to get home. Thanks for your trust, and you enjoy your stay now.” I dig around in my pocket and fetch a business card, leaving it on the island for her. “If you need anything else, here’s my personal number.”