Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 76000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“The fact that it looks different helps,” Sarah replies. “Also, the fact that my psycho of an ex-husband isn’t in here threatening to kill me helps, too.”
Neither Luna nor I laugh at that, and Sarah sighs.
“I refuse to let him have any more power over me. He took a lot of years away from me, and he doesn’t get this, too. You’re my bestie, and I love you. This is your home, so that’s what I focus on every time I come in here. Besides, you had the floor professionally cleaned, and there’s no trace of anything that happened here.”
No matter how much I loved the original floors, had the cleaners not been able to remove the blood stains, I would have ripped out every board and replaced it. “The fact that you’re willing to try to be as comfortable as possible is really touching and makes me feel loved.”
“Good, because I do love you. Now, enough of that. Let’s talk about how brilliant this floor plan is. Even with the blue tape lines down, I can see how well the space is going to flow.”
“I agree,” Luna adds before popping a potato chip into her mouth. “It’s so cool. When do those windows go?”
“The crew from the church who are going to receive them was supposed to come next week, but they called today to ask if they could bring the truck on Saturday instead. I said hell yes. Get these windows out of here.”
“Did you really say hell yes to the church people?” Luna asks, making me snort.
“Hell yes.”
“They’re pretty,” Sarah says, “for a church.”
“Exactly, and this is definitely no longer that. I feel really uncomfortable that Jesus is watching me a lot of the time.”
They both snort laugh, and I join them.
“Okay, I have to tell you about the date from hell.”
“Yes, I’ve been waiting all day to hear this,” Luna says. “Spill it.”
I do. I tell them about every second of it from the minute I arrived at Three Sisters until I found Apollo standing behind me at my truck.
“I’m so glad that Apollo was there in case that schmuck decided to try to beat you up or something,” Sarah says, shaking her head. “What an asshole.”
“He thinks he can drive me out of business?” Luna’s eyes flash with anger. “As if.”
“He’s not going into business,” I inform them both. “I’m meeting with Sally and Fred Newkirk tomorrow. They’re the couple I bought this place from, and they own the land that Eric wants to buy. I’m going to do my best to talk them into selling to me.”
Sarah and Luna stare at me for a second, and then they both cheer with glee.
“Hell yes,” Sarah says and high-fives me. “What will you do with the property?”
“Assuming they sell it to me?” She nods. “Well, there are two buildings currently standing on it. They’re abandoned, but I think I can fix them up and use them as long-term or vacation rentals. That way, it’s only two rentals, not some giant hotel run by a money-hungry idiot, and they won’t impact the inns and hotels in the area. No one goes out of business, and everyone is happy.”
“You be careful,” Luna warns me, a frown on her face. “I worry that you’ll piss off this Eric guy, and he’ll try to hurt you in some way.”
“He can try.” I shrug, not concerned in the least. “When what he wants to do to our town gets out, no one will sell to him. He can just tuck his tail between his legs and get his ass back to New York City.”
“Still, be mindful,” Luna insists.
“I won’t do anything stupid. I promise.”
July 4, 2012
* * *
Dear Diary,
Remind me NEVER to date someone I work with ever again, okay? That was a fucking disaster. He stole my clients and left to start his own business. What a prick. Why do all men suck so bad? Is there even one out there that isn’t a complete waste of perfectly good air?
I have to go scream into my pillow now.
Xo,
June
Chapter Six
Apollo
It’s been a shitty week, full of work drama that has had me running all over town from job site to job site. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was as if the universe knew that all I wanted was to spend time with Juniper, and it laughed its ass off at me.
I haven’t seen her since that night in her chapel, and that’s absolutely unacceptable. I crave her company, which might make me a masochist, given her fiery temperament, but it is what it is.
I want Juniper
Today, the stained glass windows are being removed from her chapel, and I wouldn’t miss seeing them go for anything in the world.
When I pull up to the curb down the block, just on the far side of where the city has set up barricades so the construction crew can maneuver the crane without worrying about traffic, I realize I’m not the only one who wanted to watch the show. There’s a small crowd on the sidewalk across the street. Most of them are standing around, chatting and watching the crew, but there are a handful of people who thought ahead and brought camping chairs. Smart.