Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 131387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“Mabel would never fuck me up,” Hutch said low.
To which, Stormy jabbed a finger at him and said, “There’s your answer, brother. So don’t blow it.”
“When she called me after she saw Paisley, Stormy…fuck.” Hutch swallowed and carried on. “The drive to her house was torture. Scared as shit they’d come after her. Unknown entity, didn’t know if they had weapons. Did know they didn’t give much of a shit about women. She had a husky and her wits, and until I got to her, that’s all she had.”
“This is a different discussion, Hutch,” Stormy said. “And I don’t suggest you go to Harry and ask him if he’d take back what limited time he had with Winnie knowing he was going to lose her so fast. But I bet I could answer for him. He wouldn’t. It fucks me that Mabel went through what she did with those people, and you went through what you went through having to take the time it took to get to her. But I’ll point out, your reaction to that is your answer too.”
Hutch stretched his neck again.
“Just talk to her, man,” Stormy advised quietly.
Storm was right.
It was time.
He already knew it was before he knocked on Stormy’s doorframe.
He had to talk this through with Mabel, tell her where he was at.
And he hated it.
Because she could end them.
And he hated that.
THIRTY-TWO
Marilyn Monroe
Hutch
Hutch parked behind Mabel’s shop, let himself in the back, and greeted Tonks as she came running.
When he hit the front, he saw Mabel was alone and straightening some sweaters.
She looked his way. “Hey, honey.”
“Hey. Where’s Abigail?”
“Sent her home early. I think she might be getting that flu Emma had.”
He arrived at her, put his hand to her waist, dropped his mouth to hers for a kiss, and when he was done doing that, said, “Little late for that incubation period.”
“Brett had to stay home with Liam today because he got it. Maybe from school. So she might have escaped the first volley but is succumbing to the next one.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah. I’ll check in with her later.” She smiled up at him. “It’s time to close. I’ve done everything so we just have to turn out a few lights, keeping some on for the furries. We can turn the rest off when we come back to get them.”
The plans they’d made were to have dinner at the Double D before they headed back up the mountain.
“I’ll do the lights. You get your jacket,” he said.
“Deal.” She smiled again and headed to the counter.
He left the hanging pendant on, and when she met him at the door, she switched the sign from saying Heck, Yeah! We’re Open! to Come On Back Tomorrow, We’re Closed.
They went out, she locked up, and he slid an arm around her shoulders as they hunched against the cold and headed down the block to get to the crosswalk to hit the Double D.
“Good day?” he asked.
“Sold all those designer bags. I knew they’d go, but I didn’t know they’d go this quick. We’re thinning out on Halloween stuff really fast because apparently, Misted Pines is even bigger into Halloween than I thought. And I already thought it embraced that holiday wholeheartedly. And I still haven’t sold that freaking leather chair. I’m gonna have to reduce the price and that’ll hurt, since I spent so much time on it. How about you?”
“Got your tires on, the weights in the back, and Harry showed me around the compound and gave me an update.”
The rest of their short walk he shared that update with her, and when they hit the Double D, Heidi, one of the servers, aimed a smile at them, and Hutch led them to a side booth at the back.
He waited until he and Mabel took off their jackets and hung them up on the hook that rose above the booth, and Mabel picked the seat facing the wall, and only then did Hutch slide in opposite her.
Heidi was there immediately, sliding cloudy turquoise plastic tumblers of water on the table in front of each of them.
“You,” she said to Hutch, “California Combo.”
Hutch smiled and said nothing because there was nothing he ate on their menu but the grilled chicken breast, avocado and bacon sandwich on a whole grain bun that came with fruit and cottage cheese.
Unless he was there for breakfast, and then he got the yogurt, granola and fruit or oatmeal.
She turned to Mabel. “You’re flummoxing me. You never order the same thing twice.”
Mabel was proving her right by perusing the plastic-coated menu like she was cramming for a test.
“Diner food is a culinary adventure, Heidi,” Mabel replied to the menu. She looked up to their server. “You could come in here and always get the patty melt, or the Reuban. But what if the tuna melt or club sandwich are gonna rock my world? Or the meatloaf? Or beef tips? Do you want me to die without experiencing the Double D’s beef tips?”