Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Not sure who that is,” I tell Darby.
“Go find out. I have to toss this salad so the dressing doesn’t all settle and get soggy.”
I grin and kiss her, then walk through the house and open the front door, stopping cold when I see who it is.
“You missed me. I can see it written all over your ugly face.”
Zack never just shows up. My famous friend doesn’t have the luxury of doing things on a whim. His life is too regimented.
“Holy shit,” I reply and step back so he can walk in.
“I love a good surprise,” he says. “And something smells fantastic. I’m fucking hungry.”
“Come on, there’s plenty.” We’re already walking back to the kitchen. When we get to the doorway, I start to say, “I’d like you to meet—”
When Darby interrupts with “Holy fucking shit, you’re Zack Prescott.”
Her blue eyes are wide and pinned to my best friend, who immediately slips into charming-movie-star mode.
“Guilty,” he says, his grin the exact same one that’s made him a gazillionaire.
“Tuck, why is my hall pass standing in your kitchen?” Darby asks, not taking her eyes off Zack, who just busts up laughing, and I scowl at him. “Am I hallucinating? What was in those brussels sprouts we just had?”
“So, I’m your hall pass?” Zack asks, and Darby goes bright red.
“Did I say that out loud?”
“I will fucking kill you,” I say calmly, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Which one?” Zack asks.
“Both of you.” Jesus. But Darby gets herself together and clears her throat.
“Sorry, wasn’t expecting this. I had—anyway. Are you hungry? We have plenty.”
“Starving,” Zack confirms and then turns to look at me. “Don’t worry, I won’t—”
“Not fucking funny,” I reply before he can finish his thought. “This is Darby, my Darby, and you’re welcome to stay for dinner and tell me what the fuck is going on.”
He blinks at me, looks back at my girl, who’s busy getting the last of dinner finished, and then back at me. “It’s like that.”
“Yeah. It’s like that. Duchess, this is Zack. He used to be my best friend, until I found out you’d like to fuck him.”
“Tucker!” She spins and then starts to laugh. “I do not. Well, not anymore.”
“Hey, that hurts the ego,” Zack says, pressing his hand to his chest as if she just shot an arrow through his heart.
“Sorry, if you’re my man’s best friend, you’re off limits.” Darby shrugs. “It is what it is. When you’re a man that I’ll never in a million years actually meet, you can be a hall pass.”
“Do you have others?” he asks her.
“Nope. You were it. Guess I’ll just have to be content with the monster dick over there.” She smirks, her eyes full of mirth as she tosses a cucumber in her mouth. “Come on, let’s eat.”
“I like her,” Zack murmurs as we follow her to the dining room. “She’s good for you.”
“You have no idea.”
I grilled steaks and made extra with the idea of having beef stir-fry tomorrow, but this works perfectly.
“So, how do you guys know each other?” Darby asks as she cuts into her steak.
“Known each other since kindergarten,” I inform her with a smile. “Zack grew up here.”
“Huh, I didn’t know that. Of course, I don’t really pay attention to media, I just watch movies. You’ve made some good ones.”
“Thanks.” Zack grins at her.
“You’ve made some bad ones too.”
The smile widens, and I want to kiss the hell out of her.
“Can’t deny it,” Zack replies. “You can’t win them all. So yeah, grew up here, went to LA right out of high school. The rest is history. But I come home pretty often—”
I snort.
“—and check in with this one.” He nods his chin at me. “My mom’s in assisted living in Bitterroot Valley, so I check on her too.”
“Is she okay?” Darby asks around a bite of salad.
“She has memory issues,” Zack replies. I’m honestly surprised because my friend doesn’t give personal information to strangers. But, he also knows that if Darby’s mine, she’s safe. “So she rarely knows who I am, but I still show up. Sometimes, she thinks I’m my dad, and well . . . that’s a whole can of worms. Anyway, pretty Darby—”
I growl, but he ignores me, and Darby reaches over to put her hand on my thigh.
“—tell me about you. Are you from here?”
“Bitterroot Valley,” she confirms and her phone rings. “Sorry, I’m on call. But this isn’t Dr. Fisher.”
She frowns and answers the phone, and Zack and I share a look.
“Hey, Dani, what’s up?”
Her sister, I mouth to my friend.
Hot? He mouths back.
Married.
He shrugs, and I smirk.
“Yeah, that sounds fun. I’ll be there. Love you too. Bye.”
She hangs up and smiles.
“Sister lunch tomorrow. I haven’t seen them much since I’ve been home.”
“How many sisters do you have?” Zack asks her.
“Three. I’m the oldest sister, and we also have an older brother. Do you have siblings?”