Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Sweet Jesus. I didn’t mind observing the actual butt-flap opening in his pajamas either. With a quick flick of my wrist, his bottom would be exposed.
Their living room was cozier, with a huge comfy couch, two matching chairs, a thick rug, and the biggest flat-screen I’d seen outside of Best Buy and sports bars. A ton of pictures on the walls too, and more colors. The living room was where they stored mementos from their travels. Each destination chosen because not many people went there. Aside from their annual winter cruise, they opted for places like the Galapagos Islands, Madagascar, Nepal, and Svalbard.
They claimed a metropolis like London or New York was great for a long layover, an extra weekend, as they called it, but what they wanted to explore were cultures way more foreign to them.
One of the first times I’d had dinner with them, we’d talked vacations and the tradition Nate and I had had with the kids, where we’d traveled to our national parks. And when I had asked James and Jordan about their own travels, Jordan had explained that it was always their goal to survive on James’s paycheck and some of his dabbling in the stock market. Jordan’s money was set aside for trips.
I guessed you could do that when you didn’t have children.
“Did James say anything else when he let you know I was coming over?” I asked and sat down.
The TV showed a nature documentary Jordan had paused.
“He just confirmed you’d stop by with supper.” He got comfortable with three blankets and made sure they fanned out across my lap too. “You gots to stay warm, Sir.”
I smiled and pulled the coffee table closer.
He had his pillows and duvet here too. And knowing James, it was he who had prepared the table with some essentials for Jordan. His water bottle, a couple of fun-sized bags of chips, popcorn, a bowl of carrot and celery sticks, a bag of gummy worms, and a few comic books. Even a power bank.
“I see you have no plans to move for the rest of the night,” I said.
“Correctomundo!”
I chuckled and moved his soup closer. “Let’s get some food in your stomach.” I handed him his spoon and the bread too.
“Thank you so much.” He crossed his legs under the blanket and kept the bowl in his lap, then reached for the remote and pushed play. “I hope you don’t mind watching cute birds with me.”
Would there be any ducks?
“Not at all.”
He grinned and scooped some soup into his mouth.
I should’ve bought something for myself too.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t been very hungry at Nate’s house. I’d managed two pizza slices before my stomach had twisted uncomfortably, as it tended to do over there. The hunger reappeared once the danger was over.
“Do you like all birds?” I wondered.
“Ummm—I find most fascinating,” he replied thoughtfully. “I have favorites. Like, hummingbirds, penguins, gannets, albatrosses, ducks, and blue jays.”
“Ducks, huh?”
He averted his gaze quickly to his soup. “Mm-hmm. But also, a lot of birds are super funny when you see their mating rituals. They dance! They look so silly.”
I grinned, noticing how quickly he changed the subject.
“Any other animals you like?” I wondered.
He thought about it, and I handed him a paper towel that he hurriedly scrubbed over his mouth.
Too fucking cute.
“I like tons of animals. I collect T-shirts from charities I support. But my favorite creature that’s not a bird has a dirty word in it, so I’d have to whisper it in your ear,” he said frankly.
I lifted my brows. “All right. Cockatoos are birds.”
He laughed and scooted closer. “I knowww. This is something else.” He reached up and leaned in, while I steadied the bowl in his lap. “I love nudibranchs,” he whispered.
What the fuck were those?
I inched back, too curious to maintain the close proximity. “I’ve never heard of that. It sounds as made-up as the illness James said you have.”
It took Jordan a beat to understand what I was talking about, and then he giggled behind his hand. “You mean abdomflixifluxitis? It’s super real. I heard it from Corey, an online friend in the Mclean community.”
Wait, what? Corey?
“Corey Cruz?” I pressed.
Jordan widened his eyes. “Yes! You know him?”
“Uh, yeah. Cute little shit. He’s datin’ a buddy of mine—Greer. Bratty as fuck too.”
“That’s him! He’s so awesome.” He shook his butt where he sat and ate more soup. “To be fair, he’s mostly innocent. Sadists set him up to be a brat.”
Ha! That was funny. Yeah, brats were known for their innocence. And Santa was real.
“So, what are nudibranchs?” I asked.
“They live in the ocean. Not to be confused with sea slugs—but kinda, still. They’re stunning. I’ll show you pictures later, okay?”
“Okay,” I chuckled. I couldn’t wait to look at pictures of…sea slugs.
Paws snuck into the living room and skidded under one of the chairs.