Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
When they were finished, he led her back to her seat.
“How was that?” Devon asked, watching her with a small smile.
“I haven’t laughed like that in years,” she said, unaware that the two men stiffened.
“Fuck, darlin’. You’re making a good case for me to kidnap you.” Shaw frowned.
“What?” Devon asked, looking startled.
“Someone planted the idea in Arabella’s head that she’s lacking,” Shaw explained.
Devon’s gaze narrowed and stretched out his arms. “Tell me who. I’ll take care of it.”
Jeez.
What was it with the men in this town? Or maybe it was just these two.
“No one. Really,” she said.
“Still think I should kidnap you,” Shaw said.
“You can’t,” she said with alarm.
Shaw drew his phone out, swearing. “Shit. It’s getting late and I have to go.”
“Oh.” She tried to hide his disappointment. “Thank you for line dancing with me.”
“Anytime. You be good, darlin’. Do what Devon says or he’ll let me know.” He pointed at her. “And don’t listen to people who try to pull you down.”
She raised her eyebrows. “And what will you do if I misbehave?”
“I don’t know. Probably spank you or something.”
She gaped at him. “You wouldn’t!”
He winked at her.
Yeah, he had to be joking. He definitely seemed like a bit of a trickster.
Hmm. He probably thought she was gullible or something because she’d never been to a bar.
That was kind of true. In some ways she hadn’t experienced much of life. And in other ways she’d experienced far too much.
“Wait!” she said quickly. “I . . . I probably won’t see you again.”
He walked backward toward the door. She had no idea how he didn’t bump into anything. But everyone just walked around him, seemingly unconcerned. Perhaps they were used to him.
“You never know when we will meet again. Especially if Devon tells me you’ve been naughty, then I’ll have to track you down!”
Oh, dear Lord.
He was terrible. She turned back around to sip on her orange juice in the hopes of hiding her red cheeks.
She wouldn’t see him again, but it was a nice fantasy.
Three months later . . .
Los Angeles
“Arabella! Arabella, where are you?”
Shoot. She wiped her hands on her apron. He wasn’t supposed to be home for another few hours and she’d just gotten the cupcakes into the oven.
Oh well.
She’d just tell him they were for the nursing home. That would annoy him, but it was better than him knowing that she was making money selling her baking.
Not that it was much money.
It wouldn’t pay for Pop-Pop’s nursing home or his medication. Or even her Epi-pens if she had to replace them regularly.
But at least it felt like she was doing something.
“Arabella!” her father yelled. “Where are you?”
Crap. Crap. Crap.
She took off her apron and rushed out of the kitchen, banging into the corner of the island as she ran.
Ouch.
Shit.
That was going to leave a bruise. She quickly checked her appearance in the mirror in the hall, then headed to her father’s study.
As she entered, she saw him pouring himself a drink. She grimaced when she saw it was only two in the afternoon.
And he was already drinking?
That didn’t bode well.
“Is everything all right, Father?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm and emotionless.
Her father wasn’t fond of emotions. At least when it came to her. He loved to express his own emotions.
Turning to her, he looked her up and down. “Why do you look like such a mess?”
“I’m sorry. I was in the kitchen.”
“In the kitchen? What are you doing in there?”
“Well, since we had to let Michelle go, I’ve been cooking and baking.” To say their financial situation was dire was understating it.
At least the nursing home was paid for another two months. She had to figure out a plan before Pop-Pop got kicked out.
He waved his hand through the air. “Forget about all of that. I’ve solved our financial issues.”
A feeling of dread filled her. “How?”
His business was in a financial mess that she was meant to get him out of by marrying Cole. But that hadn’t worked the way that her father had thought.
Since Cole was now living in Haven with his former assistant. And her husband.
Who she guessed was now Cole’s boyfriend too.
Anywhere else people would look askance at someone being in a relationship with two people. In Haven, no one had even blinked. In fact, from what she’d heard while they’d been there, that wasn’t even the most unusual arrangement.
She’d been thinking about Haven a lot. About how women were treated there.
Protected. Cherished.
She’d never experienced that from her own family, let alone strangers.
It was unusual and intriguing and she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about what it would be like to live in that cute town where people seemed to really care about each other.
She was certain there was a catch. There had to be.
Her father thought they were all weird sickos.