Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“Are we all good here?” I ask the guy who has now picked up every brochure he tossed during his fit of frustration. “You’re going to do better and show Gloria you’re worth her time, right?”
“Right.” He nods as he drags himself to his feet. Once he’s there, he shoves a hand at me. “I’m Derrick, by the way.”
I take his offered hand and shake it. “William Knight.”
“Thanks for stepping in.” He rubs a hand over his jaw. “What you saw is not who I want to be.”
“Good.” I pat his shoulder. “Get out of here and don’t come back until you’re the man Gloria deserves.”
“Will do.”
I turn just as Rupert reaches me. “You must be Rupert.”
“And you’re Mr. Knight.” He grins from ear to ear. “Mr. Will Knight, right?”
“William Knight,” I make the subtle but vital correction. “It’s good to meet you.”
15
Opal
My internal debate about whether or not to wrap the signed Turquoise Crown special edition game for William in shiny gold paper was short. I knew that dragging my modest gift-wrapping station out of the closet of my crowded apartment would be overkill.
All I want to do is make up for spilling smelly dip on him. I’m not trying to impress the man, although if I were, I’d hope that the pretty black blouse I’m wearing with my dark wash jeans would grab his attention for more than a few scant seconds.
I’m about to find out since Mr. Knight just knocked on the door of my bar. I can’t say I’m surprised in the least since I’m the one who summoned him here after he sent me a text message this afternoon asking if his friend had reached out yet about booking the bar for a private function.
His friend had indeed called me yesterday. I was shocked when I realized that the man on the other end of the phone was Jasper Arison. Many consider Mr. Arison’s family New York royalty, so I was surprised that he made the call himself. He explained that he’s always been a big board game fan. We went over all the details, and he promised he’d send me a deposit to guarantee that Turquoise Crown will be closed the night in question so the retirement party for his trusted employee can go off without a hitch.
I steal another glance at the door to find William staring through the glass at me. As soon as he catches my eye, a broad smile slides over his lips.
I run my hand over my hair to smooth out any wayward strands before sprinting to the door to unlock it.
“Hey, Opal,” he greets me with another dazzling smile and what looks like a cup of coffee in his hand. “I got this for you.”
Even though it’s the thought that counts, I’ve already had three cups of coffee today, so I’ll take the obligatory polite sip before subtly placing it down somewhere. More caffeine is the last thing I need today.
I take the cup from him. “Thank you.”
As soon as I bring it near my lips, its fragrance warms me from the inside out.
“It’s that organic orange tea you like,” he explains. “I asked Chelsie to lower the water temperature a notch. It was too hot last time.”
This man thinks of everything. I take a sip. “It’s perfect, William.”
His gaze trails over me from head to toe. “It is.”
I can’t help but wonder if he’s talking about me, but before I can give that much thought, his eyes catch on the reason I invited him here. He spots the special edition Turquoise Crown game on a table behind me.
He moves around me to head straight to it. “Is this what I think it is?”
Cradling the warm cup in both hands, I nod, even though he can’t see me. “What do you think it is?”
It’s a silly question because his reaction is all the evidence I need to tell me he knows that he’s looking at a special edition of the game he used to play as a kid.
He turns to look at me. “It’s a goddamn treasure. That’s what it is. When I was a kid, I tried to save up enough money to buy it. The toy store near our house had one for sale, but before I could get my hands on it, some asshole scooped it up. I was in the store that day, staring at the game because I did that a lot. All of a sudden, this guy wanders in and snatches it up. He said he thought it would look good on a shelf in his office.”
I don’t say anything because I can tell by his expression that there’s a lot more to this story.
“I did every odd job I could think of around the house to up my allowance, but my folks didn’t hand out more than five bucks a week, so I went to the neighbors to see if they could supplement my income.”