Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“Little girl, you shouldn’t open the door unless you know who is on the other side,” Barren scolded.
Lord, he looked gorgeous. That salt and pepper hair was cut short, but it looked amazing on him. He had lines and wrinkles, but somehow they made him appear more attractive. He wore black pants and an off-white shirt. Simple, but classic.
Perfect.
“Oh, but I knew it was going to be you.”
He shook his head, giving her a stern look. “You should still check. Are you ready to go? I’m glad to see you have a jacket on even though we’re not going outside. I don’t want you getting cold.”
He was so very sweet.
“Got your key card?”
“Yep!” She patted the pocket of her jacket. “I’m all set!” She shut the door behind her, and he checked to make sure it was locked.
“You know, my dad always did that too. He was always checking that the doors were locked. I never had to worry about stuff like that when I lived with him.”
Darn it. Why was she talking about her dad? Most of the time she managed to push her sorrow deep. To put on a happy face. But sometimes it still hit her hard that he was gone. Her biggest supporter. Her best friend.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. How long has he been gone?”
“Eight months,” she replied as she walked beside him. “I still miss him a lot. We were really close. I still lived at home. Which sounds a bit bizarre when I’m twenty-eight. But I had my own apartment in the basement with my own entrance. I just didn’t like to be alone and neither did he.”
“If I had a daughter, I wouldn’t want her to live alone,” he said firmly. “And of course you still miss him. I still miss my parents and it’s been years since they died. What happened to your dad if you don’t mind me asking?”
They’d reached the restaurant by now and the server led them to a table. Barren drew out her chair and pushed it in for her.
She could feel herself blushing with pleasure. “He had a heart attack. His job was stressful. And he didn’t take care of himself very well. I should have helped take care of him better.”
Barren reached out and clasped her hand. “Look at me.”
Phoebe glanced up at him. “I’m sorry.”
Surprise filled his face. “Why are you sorry, sweetheart?”
“This was supposed to be a thank you for rescuing me and all I’ve done is talk about sad things.” Nothing good came from talking about stuff. It only made her feel worse.
“No.”
“No?” she asked curiously.
“No, you aren’t to apologize for that. You haven’t done anything wrong, understand? And your dad wouldn’t want you thinking that you could have helped him or that you did something wrong. He’d want you to live your life.”
She managed a shaky smile. “I’m trying. So, tell me about you. What brings you here?”
“A divorce,” he replied.
Phoebe grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was really tough at the time, but I think it might end up being a good thing. I’m not sure that I was happy for a long time.”
“Maybe we should change the conversation. So, come here often?” She wriggled her eyebrows at him.
“Not often, no.”
“Hmm. Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see.”
He groaned. “That was terrible.”
“It was? Let me try harder. Did you just come out of the oven because you’re smoking hot.”
This time, he laughed.
Mission accomplished.
Barren couldn’t believe that he’d such a good time tonight. They were so far apart in age that they shouldn’t have had much in common. But it was surprising how easy the conversation had gone.
And as he walked her back to her room, he found himself reluctant to say goodbye. They reached her door and he leaned against the wall, staring down at her. “I had a really good evening, Phoebe.”
She licked her lips, most of her lipstick had disappeared over the course of the evening. Reaching out, he brushed some of her hair off her cheek. Her skin was so smooth. He swallowed heavily.
It wasn’t right to be attracted to her. But it was hard not to be. She was gorgeous, funny, sweet. She was the first person he’d been attracted to since Krystal. Which was hard to get his head around and, at the same time, a relief. Because he never thought he’d be attracted to someone else.
He leaned in. “Phoebe, I need to—”
Bang!
A door slammed down the corridor and he stepped back. Shit! Had he been about to kiss her.
“What is it?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”
He cleared his throat. “No, sweetheart. I just wanted to wish you good night and to tell you to have a good time here. You’ve got my phone number if you need it.” They’d exchanged phone numbers earlier. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.” Turning, he strode off, ignoring the urge to turn around and kiss her. To see if she tasted as good as she looked.