Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 155775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
You’re nothing. No one special.
Just a girl who is scared of life. Who can barely speak. Who barely lives. And has so many hangups that she can’t remember a time where she wasn’t scared of something.
No. Definitely not her.
“But you are in the right headspace now?” She typed the words slowly, reading them over before pressing send. It was somehow easier to talk with Batman asking the questions.
He tilted his head to the side as he stared down at her. They were still so close that parts of them were touching.
And those parts of her were all tingling and warm.
“I guess I am. However, I’ll stop.”
Oh shoot. She didn’t want him to do that, though, did she?
She just wasn’t brave enough to tell him that.
“Friends?” he asked, pulling back to smile down at her.
Addie had to fight the urge to cry as she nodded.
“Friends.”
32
“Ugh, oatmeal. Really?” Ralen asked as he looked at what Cash was spooning out into bowls.
“Oatmeal is good for you,” Cash told him.
“Says who? The oatmeal people?” Ralen asked. “Because you absolutely cannot believe them.”
“Who are the oatmeal people? Is that some new band?” Monroe asked as she skipped up to them. It amazed Cash how easily she could bounce back. But as she grew closer, he saw how much makeup she had on her face. Was she always dressed up like this, or was she hiding something? And her smile seemed a bit forced.
Maybe she wasn’t bouncing back as well as he’d initially thought.
“No, it’s not a good breakfast,” Ralen told her. “It’s the worst breakfast in the world.”
“It’s hardly the worst breakfast in the world. I’m sure there are far worse breakfasts,” Cash said. Although he had to admit that the oatmeal wasn’t looking all that appetizing right now. It might need a ton of sugar, and maybe some cream.
But that wouldn’t really make it that healthy, would it?
Might be the only way that anyone ate it, though.
“What would be a worse breakfast then?” Ralen asked. “Haggis? They don’t eat haggis for breakfast, right?”
“I’ve never tried haggis, but surely it can’t be that bad,” Monroe said.
Cash turned to stare at her. “Really? Not that bad?”
He didn’t think it sounded that good.
“What about Rocky Mountain oysters?” Cash said. “They’ve got to be worse than oatmeal.”
“Hmm. I guess that’s true,” Ralen replied.
“And kidneys,” Cash added. “Bacon and kidneys fried on toast. There’s no way that oatmeal tastes worse than that.”
“All right, all right.” Ralen held up his hands. “I’ll eat that glop you’ve cooked. Although what is wrong with hashbrowns, fried eggs, and ham? Nothing. Nothing is wrong with that.”
“Not very healthy, though, is it?” Cash said.
“Since when do you care about being healthy?” Ralen asked.
Since he took charge of Addie’s health.
“Well, I’ve decided I’d like to live for another fifty years. Instead of dying of a heart attack when I’m forty-five.”
Probably a bit of an exaggeration . . .
“If it’s a choice between eating oatmeal and living longer, or not eating oatmeal and dying sooner, I know which one I’d choose,” Ralen said.
Cash rolled his eyes at him.
“Oatmeal will be good for Addie’s throat,” Monroe said, giving him a knowing look.
“Right. Yeah, of course,” Ralen said, running his hand over his face. “I didn’t think of that. Sorry.”
“What’s going on?” Dotty asked, joining them.
“Cash made us oatmeal for breakfast,” Monroe said. “Wasn’t that kind?”
“It is. Thanks, Cash.” Dotty sent him a smile.
Cash had to hide his surprise. He wasn’t sure he’d seen her smile since meeting her.
Over her shoulder, he spotted Butch sitting at the table, glaring at him.
That man really needed to learn how to loosen up a bit, maybe even smile once in a while. But he guessed that personality transplants were hard to come by.
“Nothing much,” he replied. “Just milk and oatmeal and a bit of salt, that’s it.”
“What are you gonna put on top of it?” Ralen asked as Dotty moved to the table where she’d set up her laptop.
Hmm. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead. “I don’t know.”
“There’s only one topping for oatmeal,” Ralen said as he searched through the cupboards. When he returned he had a bag of brown sugar. “This is mine. The rest of you can find something else to put on your oatmeal.”
“I don’t need anything on mine,” Monroe said, frowning at Ralen. “I’m happy with it just the way it is. But I might take mine to my room, if that’s okay?”
Cash was starting to have some suspicions about Monroe and her eating and he didn’t like what he was coming up with.
“Eat out here,” Ralen said with a firm look at Monroe.
“I’d rather not,” she replied with a big smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes.
“Stay out here,” Butch said. “We need to talk about a few things. Ink is going to call at ten.”