Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69424 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69424 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
The old man waved, and his decrepit looking dog gave one last exhausted bark before the door was shut.
I walked back to the truck with my spoils—a bucket that had the Grinch on it that was filled to the brim with candy, cookies and a few random drinks—and had a smile on my face as I did it.
When I’d first tried to decide what I wanted to do with my life, never had it occurred to me to do anything like this. But I was finding that I really liked it. It was peaceful, and I got to listen to audiobooks all day while doing my job. I couldn’t find anything bad about that. Plus, I got my steps in.
The smile stayed on my face until my phone rang four deliveries later.
“Hello?”
“Calliope?”
I stiffened at the sound of my sister’s voice so close to tears. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Because if my sister was calling me, there was something seriously wrong. Because Anders didn’t call me unless it was an emergency, and I was the last resort.
I sort of felt badly about that and all, but I was exhausted from having to help raise them.
It’d been years, but the animosity still somewhat lingered. Which sucked, because I didn’t ever want Anders or Kent to feel like I didn’t love them. I did. I just hated that I had to help raise them when I wasn’t an adult myself at the time.
Anders sniffled then said, “Can you come get me?”
I looked at the brown truck and then back toward my phone. “I have like four more deliveries to make, and then I can drop my truck off and come get you.”
“Okay,” she hiccupped. “Please hurry.”
I didn’t linger on the deliveries. I also didn’t volunteer to help like I usually did when I got back. Instead, I got into my truck and…nothing.
It didn’t start at all.
In fact, it didn’t even make a noise indicating that it was trying to.
Just a bunch of nothing.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
“Come on,” I grumbled as I got out.
I noticed the hood slightly ajar and walked to it woodenly, hoping that it would be an obvious fix—like a battery cable disconnected.
But no such luck.
And no such battery.
There wasn’t one, actually.
The space where the battery used to be was empty.
Fucking great.
The last thing I wanted to do was call anyone for help, because I just knew that motherfucker was going to tell me “I told you so,” but I did it anyway. Because Anders didn’t call me crying for no reason.
And seeing as Searcy was busy today with the kids at some Santa function at the local smokehouse, I wasn’t going to call her.
I had no other choice but to call Doc.
“Calliope,” he greeted me in two rings.
I gritted my teeth. “My stupid truck won’t start, and there’s something wrong with Anders and I have to go pick her up from school.”
I wouldn’t admit that the truck wouldn’t start because there was no battery in it.
If I was a guessing girl, that wouldn’t be the only thing wrong with it, either.
He paused. “I thought Hush fixed it for you.”
I ground my teeth together for a few seconds before I said, “He did. But it seems to be broken again.”
He sighed. “Where are you? I can’t come. We’re at a retreat outside of town working on some training.”
I didn’t point out that I hadn’t asked him to come.
“Do you mind asking one of your friends to give me a ride?” I begged. “I just need a ride to the school, then back to my place. I’ll deal with a tow truck and my truck once I get home.”
“I’ll send someone now.” He hung up before I could reply.
I just prayed that it wasn’t “Hush.”
Jasper really fuckin’ liked to get on my nerves, and he wouldn’t miss a single opportunity to really rub this in.
I paced in front of my truck, hoping beyond hope that the man coming wouldn’t be the one I had a feeling was about to show.
My luck didn’t hold out.
Jasper was, of course, who I got.
Hush rode up in his sparkly red pickup and pulled right to a stop directly next to me.
I didn’t waste any time getting into the back seat, since I noticed his ‘friend’ was in the front seat. Not to mention there were so many fuckin’ bags in the back that Anders wouldn’t fit with me.
The woman was gorgeous, and I fucking hated her.
“What’s wrong with your truck?” he asked, sounding amused.
I didn’t reply. “Need to get to Anders’s school, please.”
Jasper chuckled quietly, and I wanted to reach around the seat and chop him in the throat.
I did none of those things and stayed quiet as he started to drive.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Jazz?” the blonde bombshell in the front seat asked.
“No,” Jasper answered. “No point.”