Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 106774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
“Come in,” Renn says.
I push my way into his office and close the door behind me. “Hey.”
“Hey to you.” He sits up in his chair. “Thanks for your help with Mom today. She’s usually so on top of her shit, but this new boyfriend of hers has scrambled her brain.”
I laugh, biting my lip because what’s going through my head—that more than Rory’s brain is probably getting scrambled—wouldn’t be a welcome response to my boss.
Renn lifts a brow. Yup. I was right. Not welcomed.
Sitting my bag on the floor, I take the seat I always choose and grab my clipboard for notes. “So what do you have for me?”
“How are you, Astrid?”
I balk. “I’m fine,” I say slowly. “Why are you being weird?”
He chuckles.
“You’re freaking me out,” I say, chuckling too.
“First things first,” he says, fiddling with a pen. “Where do we stand on my wife’s party?”
I glance down at my list. “The only thing we’re waiting on is a playlist that your brother Ripley is putting together. I still don’t know why you let him take control of that,” I mumble, much to Renn’s amusement. “Your brother Gannon has literally doubled the security at his own expense. He said that if his kids are there with a bunch of strangers …” I look at Renn and shrug. “I just let him have it. You can’t tell Gannon no and survive to tell the tale.”
“Hey, as long as he’s paying for it.”
I laugh. “Jason is making sure we have a plane to bring the Carmichael family up from Florida. There was a slight issue because they’re bringing so many people, but Jason is working it out. And that’s it.” I smile brightly. “You’re good to go.”
“Where did we wind up on the attendee count?”
“Two hundred and twelve, give or take. You know a lot of people, my guy.”
“The problem is that everyone loves my wife.” He winks at me. “You and Gray are coming, right?”
I sit back in my chair and sigh.
Renn was so great when he found out that Gray and I were together. I worried about telling him—afraid that he would find it a conflict of interest or think that I was unprofessional for getting involved with a coworker. His response? He laughed and said that it was about time. Apparently, he suspected this was going to happen when he learned that Gray defended me in the locker room back when we still hated each other.
I’m glad he suspected it, because I sure as hell didn’t.
“We actually can’t make it,” I say. “Thank you for the invitation, though.”
“What better thing do you have to do than come to a huge party that was organized by the best party organizer in the world?”
I snort. “Calling me a party organizer is a reach itself, but I’ll accept your compliment.” I grin at him. “Gray and I are going to the ranch. It’s Cathy’s birthday. She’s a woman who has worked there for years and is really like family to them. Gray and Hartley are throwing her a surprise party. I planned that one, too.”
“That’s fair. Just know you’re welcome to show up. You’re like family to us.”
Renn throws that line out there like it’s not a big deal, but it literally stops me in my tracks. “You’re like family to us.” I look away, batting back tears, because at some point over the last few weeks, I’ve turned into a person with feelings.
It’s so gross, as Gianna would say.
A knock raps on the door behind me. My gaze lands on a set of broody, and familiar, deep brown eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, gripping the armrests so I don’t spring off this chair and rip his clothes off right here. I told him not to leave the house in grey sweatpants.
A slow smirk settles against his lips.
“Bastard,” I whisper as he sits next to me.
He laughs. “Hey, Renn.”
“Hey, Gray. Good to see you. Ready for the game this weekend?”
“If you’re asking me if I’m ready to bring a title home to Nashville, then the answer is yes.”
“Glad to hear it.” He pulls out a drawer and then flops a stack of papers onto the center of his desk. “I have something to show you.”
Gray’s brows pull together as he scoots to the edge of his chair and takes the papers. He scans them, not bothering to give me any indication as to what it’s about and then pulls his gaze to Renn’s.
“Are you joking?” he asks, jaw slack.
“Nope.”
“But I thought this wouldn’t be decided yet,” Gray asks slowly.
Renn smirks. “I’m the boss. It’s a perk of the job to be able to do what you want, when you want to do it—if it fits within the league rules, of course.”
“It’s super rude to have a conversation with me sitting here and not tell me what you’re talking about,” I say.