Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“Wow, that means you’re good with numbers and finance stuff?”
I nodded. “You could say that.”
She nodded with a look of longing in her eyes. “Can I ask you something?”
I paused but nodded cautiously. “Do you like what you do?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I’m good at it, and I like the results.”
Sela nodded thoughtfully. “Did you choose it for yourself, or is it a family business?” Her brows knitted into a frown. “Feel free to tell me I’m being too nosy if I am.”
I waved off her warning. It was refreshing to have a real conversation with a woman that wasn’t about my money. “It’s not a family business, but in college, I was good at math, accounting, and economics. I had a knack for it, and the more I understood it and how it worked, the more I liked it.”
She leaned in close, eyes wide and curious. “Can I ask you a stupid question?”
“There are no stupid questions, Sela.”
She swallowed and then nodded. “Okay. How do you know what to invest in? I mean, did you learn that in school, or do you just know?”
I laughed, not at her but at her tone. “Sometimes, I think I just know, and I’m wrong. Other times, I’m unsure, and I’m right. Mostly, there’s a list of criteria I use that boils down to the good outweighing the bad. Are you thinking of investing?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “No, I was just curious how you found your passion.”
“Brock, you’re here!” Nix’s voice sounded about two seconds before she appeared at the table. “Lee said you were thinking about it, and now here you are!”
I stood and let the overly affectionate woman wrap me in a tight hug. “Hey, Nix. This place is great.”
She pulled back and studied me and then Sela. “Thanks. You should’ve said you were here. How are you settling in?”
“Fine,” I grumbled. “The woman at the B&B tried to set me up with her granddaughter, so I went for a walk and met Sela.”
Nix laughed. “There is a shortage of eligible bachelors in town, and gorgeous bachelors are worth their weight in gold.”
“Who says I’m a bachelor?”
“Lee,” she answered easily with a knowing expression in her eyes.
“Where is my talkative friend anyway?”
Her smile brightened. “He’s busy making sure everything is just right for your welcome dinner. Mac is in town, and Ryan, my brother, is coming too.”
Sela stood as she finished off her coffee. “I have to run. It was nice meeting you, Brock. Nix, that strudel is going to cost me ten extra pounds. Keep up the great work.” She handed me a sheet of paper, and I wondered if it was her phone number. “Good luck with the house hunt,” she said and left.
I looked down and saw the name Krista J, the realtor.
Nix laughed. “You seem disappointed it wasn’t Sela’s number.”
I shrugged. “Only a little. She thinks I’ll break her heart.” I wasn’t in the habit of breaking hearts. I’d been on the wrong end of heartbreak before and never wanted to revisit it, so maybe Sela did us both a favor.
“She’s not wrong,” Nix sighed. “Not that you’d do it on purpose, but you’re like Lee, except not grumpy, which makes you a unicorn. Hot, kind, and charming.”
“Don’t forget rich.”
“That’s just a bonus,” she said dismissively. “Lee is rich, but have you seen him naked?” She wiggled her brows.
“There’s that oversharing we talked about, Nix.”
She laughed. “I’m just saying, the money is nice, but the abs are nicer. You’ll see.”
“Now that’s a unicorn,” I shot back with a smile, suddenly a little happier to be stuck in this small town for the foreseeable future.
Chapter 3
Sela
I am NOT thinking about the ebony-haired hottie.
I told myself that no less than fifty times since I arrived at the Holiday Grove Food Bank three hours ago. Brock was everything a man should be, and if I was on men again, I’d be really interested in him. Obsessively interested in him.
But now, I just found him a nice piece of eye candy. And a good conversationalist, which was surprising. He lit up when he talked about his job and how he got into it, which was refreshing. I envied him that. I wanted that for myself.
“Sela, my dear. Aren’t you as pretty as a picture!” Edith Rockwell strolled into the Food Bank, where I was packing boxes for Thanksgiving, wearing a lime green tracksuit with bright white sneakers. “If I had that body, I’d wear something a little more show-off-y.”
I laughed. “Good afternoon to you too, Edith.” The woman was nearly one hundred years old and as incorrigible as they came. “You are quite colorful today.”
She laughed. “It’s the only way a woman my age can be seen. But look at my butt. It looks amazing, right?”
It was actually pretty great. “High and firm. Amazing indeed.” We shared a laugh, and I went back to packing canned and boxed goods for the needy families of Holiday Grove. “Are you here to drop off more food?”