Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Come to think of it, 4225 West is a mess of daddy issues. We’ve all got them.
Totally chose the wrong band name.
Nick is as close as I’m going to get to having a real friend around here, even though he’s my frenemy. When he sits, he doesn’t say a word about my father. He talks about the ice machine making some strange noise, to which Noah tells him that the repair person is on his way. Nick tells me the boosters stuck him on the setup crew for their next fundraiser, which makes me laugh because Josie probably did that and knew Nick would show up even though he really doesn’t have time for it.
Then, much to my surprise, he brings up Teagan.
“Lowery ran me ragged over my annoyance with setting up,” he says. “I’m a doctor. I have office hours, rounds at the hospital, a football team to run, and my complaint is valid. I don’t have the time to work setup. Take down is much easier.”
I can’t tell if he’s upset about his PTA responsibilities or the fact that Teagan, the woman he sees every day, and just spent a full minute talking about, didn’t side with him when he questioned his assigned duties.
“You’re worked up,” I say, “over a woman you see every day.”
“She’s impossible.”
Nick looks at me with his mouth gasping for air because he knows he’s been caught red-handed. He drinks his beer and doesn’t answer, which to me screams loud and clear, Nick has a crush.
“When you see her next time, don’t lead with football or with anything about the fundraiser,” I tell him. “Ask her how the fuck she is and when she starts talking about work, gently interrupt her and say, ‘I’m asking you, Teagan. Not Ms. Lowery.’”
“Why would I do that.”
“Because you’re lonely and I may puke after saying this, but you’re family. My wife and son worry about you . . .” I look at Noah who nods. “The shit Aubrey did, you gotta move on. I get the whole, I’m going to be single for my kids, but your kids don’t want that. They want to see their dad happy. I see the way you look at Teagan, the way she gravitates toward you. She won’t make the first move because she’s your boss, so you need to do it.”
He calls me an ass and finishes his beer. But he doesn’t say no.
He stares into what’s left of his beer for a long minute, and then he asks me how. It’s just the one word, so quiet I almost miss it over the game on the TV. This is a man who has told parents their kid needs surgery without his voice catching once, and he can’t get the rest of the sentence out of his mouth.
I make him ask me anyway because this is Nick Ashford and I’m not giving him anything for free.
“How do I talk to her without it turning into things about work?”
“Let’s practice. Pretend I’m Teagan.”
His eyes widen and he does that gasping for air thing again with his mouth. “Wh-what?”
“You heard me.” I stand and pull his knees around so he’s facing me. I try not to look at Noah because he’s smirking and if I stare at him, I’m going to lose it.
“I’m Teagan, let’s go,” I tell him.
“Um . . .” He looks over his shoulder at Noah, who thankfully has his back turned and is doing inventory. Nick clears his throat. “Hello. You’re looking well.”
I cover my face with my hand and shake my head. How did this dude end up with Josie all those years ago? Did she have to do all the heavy lifting?
No, I don’t want to think about my girl being the one to flirt with Nick.
Nope.
“That’s something you say to one of your patients. This is a woman that you want to get to know, a woman that you want to . . .”
“Don’t say it, Westbury.”
I eye him. “Fuck? Bang? Make looooove to?”
Nick blushes. “You’re so crass.”
“You’re blushing. Is it because you have a crush on me?”
He shakes his head. I reach out and touch his knee. “It’s okay if you do.”
Nick bats my hand away and I can’t stop laughing. “All right. I’ll stop but come on. You can’t talk to her like that.”
I sit down next to him. “Tell me something about her.”
“Okay, uh . . . her hair is a normal length.”
Another face palm. “Are you filling out a police report, Ashford?”
He goes quiet then, and when he finally talks, he doesn’t look at me. “She hums when she’s reading and she doesn’t know or think anyone is near her.”
“See, you are paying attention to her. What else?”
“Her hair. That’s why I said what I did. When she wears it down, she twirls a strand between her fingers when she’s concentrating. And she volunteers to read to the children at the hospital on the weekends. No one knows but me. I’ll watch her sometimes. She doesn’t shy away from the kids that are sick and when she’s there, their parents get a break for an hour. I don’t know if she knows this but that means a lot to them.”