Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
“How are you going to get to work in the morning?”
“I’m going to take the bus. I’ve had to take it before when my car was down for repairs. It would have been nice if they hadn’t stolen it before I forked out the money for a new set of tires.”
“When was that?” he asked as they came out of the bedroom.
Sage shrugged. “About a month ago.”
As he drove her home, he was surprised when she reached out to hold his hand as it rested on the console. She had never initiated contact with him before.
“Thank you for being so considerate tonight. You gave me a night I’ll never forget.”
“My pleasure.” Lifting her hand to his lips, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “You sure you won’t let me drive you to work in the morning?”
“I’m sure.”
He didn’t argue, not wanting to press the issue. So far, he had gotten away with Sage not realizing he had been the one who’d come into Matthias’ kitchen. He knew she didn’t want him to connect her to the cleaning company she was working with. It was wiser to distance himself from that area of her life.
“I have to go back to Queen City this weekend to check on my house. I won’t get back until late Sunday evening. When can I see you again?”
“Monday, I do my grocery shopping. Tuesday, I take my nieces out to the park and hit a restaurant. Wednesday, I have to catch up on laundry and cleaning. Thursday—”
“I could go with you on Tuesday.”
“I don’t expect you to.”
“I want to,” he cut in. “We can do lunch like we’ve been doing, but I don’t want to wait until Friday to spend time with you outside of the office.”
“My nieces can be a handful,” she warned.
“I like kids. I was a handful myself.”
“All right, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Giving him a mysterious smile, Sage ran her thumb over his knuckles on the hand she was holding. The intimate gesture made him want to put his hand where she could rub something else, which was becoming painfully erect.
“What does that mean?” he said, trying to take his mind off the renewed desire she was unaware of.
“Wait and see.”
THIRTY
“Do me, too!” Jumping off the bed, Colby ran into the bedroom, putting out her arm. She tugged on the bottom of her top to get her attention. “I want to smell pretty, too!”
Sage leaned down to put a dab of perfume on each of Colby’s wrists.
Not content, Colby went on her toes to look at the bathroom counter. “I need a necklace, too.”
“Of course, you do. I didn’t forget.” Opening a small box on the vanity, she took out a neon-colored, silicone turtle necklace. “You look gorgeous.”
Content, Colby flounced out of the bathroom to show her mother and arouse jealousy in her baby sister.
Hurriedly, Sage brushed her hair then grabbed a tri-colored, beaded pacy holder before going to stop the wailing coming from Tinsley.
Picking her up, she hooked the pacy holder onto Tinsley’s pink shirt then attached it to the pacy in her mouth.
“There you go, sweet pea.” Gray, misty eyes stared at her while Tinsley continued to suck on her pacy.
Colby noticed the pink pacy holder and made a face. “That was mine. I want it back.”
“Colby, you gave it to Tinsley when you stopped using your pacy. It’s nice not to take something back that you gave as a gift. Besides, you have your necklace. Tinsley wants to look pretty, too.”
“Okay,” Colby conceded reluctantly, placing a protective hand over her necklace. “But I’m not giving her my necklace.”
“You might feel that way now, but you might not when you get older.” Sage sat down on the edge of the bed, making a face at Glory. “Feel free to jump in at any time.”
Glory laughed. “Why should I when you’re doing an excellent job? I had to deal with them arguing who had more fish sticks for lunch. Are you sure you want to take them on your date with you?”
“I warned him they were a handful.”
“And he still wanted to go? Brave guy.”
“Do you want me to help you into the living room so you can meet him?”
“Another time. I think being introduced to two women in our family is more than enough for the night.”
Sage knew that overwhelming Kent wasn’t why she didn’t want to meet him. Glory was self-conscious about her looks.
“Perhaps next time. I’m not going to let you put it off much longer. I want you to meet him. I need your opinion.”
“Take pictures of him. I want to see what the guy sweeping my sister off her feet looks like before I meet him in person.” Glory reached out to untangle Tinsley’s fingers from the necklace Sage was wearing.
“I can’t just take a picture of him,” Sage protested.