Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“I’ll be by your place in twenty minutes.”
She laughed. “No, Gabriel. That isn’t—”
“Kierra.”
“Yes?”
“Put your shoes on and bring your sketchbook. I’ll see you soon.”
I found her waiting on her front porch. She headed to the car and hopped in. When she looked over to me, she shyly smiled and thanked me for coming to get her.
“Always,” I told her.
Oddly enough, I felt that was true.
I didn’t know I could say always to a person I hardly knew—and mean it. Yet there I was, promising it.
She kept smiling but didn’t reply. She held her sketchbook close to her chest and tilted her head toward me. She reached out and gently touched my eye. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve been worse.”
“Well, we’ll take that answer tonight.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Her full lips fell slightly. “I’ve been worse,” she echoed.
I snickered. “We’ll take that answer tonight.”
I pulled off and we drove back over to my property that sat right on the coastline.
Kierra’s eyes widened in amazement as she looked at the cabin-style ranch home with large windows and a wooden porch that wrapped around the whole house. The place wasn’t huge, but it was comfortable. I owned a good handful of acres, and I could’ve expanded the size of the house if I wanted to, but it was just me and Bentley inside the place. I didn’t see the point of having a huge home that would just feel empty most of the time.
It was lit up by the string of lights I had set up around the porch, and two rocking chairs facing the backyard had drawing tables. I spent a lot of my nights out there sketching for hours, listening to the waves crash against the shoreline. My boat was sitting at the dock, floating back and forth slightly from the waves.
As Kierra walked around the porch, her mouth hung open. “This is home?”
“This is home,” I said as I slid my hands into my pockets. “It’s not much, but it’s—”
“So perfect,” she breathed out. We’d reached the back of the porch, and the moment she saw the water, she couldn’t help but smile. Her hands fell to the porch railing and she took in a breath. “This is perfect, Gabriel.”
“It’s home.”
“When I was younger, I wanted a place like this. I wanted something rustic and authentic, with lots of windows for natural sunlight. A place that felt like home.” Before I could reply, Bentley started barking at the back door. She whipped around to face the door. “You have a dog?”
“Yeah, sorry. I should’ve mentioned that. Are you afraid or allergic? I can keep him inside—”
“Let him out,” she urged.
I opened the door, and Bentley came jumping all over me. I bent down and snuggled him. “He’s a big teddy bear and loves giving kisses,” I informed her as I was attacked with dog slobber. “Okay, Bent, chill, will you?” I chuckled.
Kierra stood still, and the moment Bentley looked over to her, he headed straight for her. “Bent is his name?”
“Bentley,” I corrected. “Bent for short.”
Her brown eyes locked on mine. They looked as if they were seconds away from being flooded with tears. “His name is Bentley?”
“Yes?”
“And he’s a…German shepherd?”
“Yup. He’s my best friend.”
Kierra choked out a sob and covered her mouth. “Sorry. Gosh, I’m so emotional lately.” She bent down and began to pat Bentley. He rolled over to his back for belly rubs, like the little pet whore he’d always been, wagging his tail back and forth at a wild speed. Kierra’s tears released from her eyes as she petted Bentley all over. “Hey, sweet boy,” she whispered. “Aren’t you the perfect creature.”
I stood back, watching the interaction between the two. She seemed embarrassed by her emotions, but I didn’t think that was anything to be shy about. I found it refreshing—how someone could feel so much, so deeply.
Kierra had a lot going on in her life. It wasn’t shocking that tears found their way down her cheeks often. She was in a season of hardship. Hell, she’d just found another woman’s jewelry in her bedsheets. I’d be a bit off-kilter, too. I just felt glad that she allowed her tears to fall around me. As if I were some kind of safe place for her to feel the deepest of feelings.
She stood and rubbed her arms up and down. She smiled my way and wiped her tears before crossing her arms. “He’s a sweetheart.”
“He’s my best friend.”
“I’m so happy for you, Gabriel. I’m so happy that you have this life and Bentley.”
I smiled and gestured toward the two chairs with the drawing tables set up. “Do you want to sketch with me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Wine?”
“Absolutely,” she repeated.
I walked inside and grabbed two glasses, a bottle of red wine, and a sweatshirt because I saw Kierra slightly shivering.
She slid on the sweatshirt—so big that she swam in it—and thanked me as I poured her wine. She opened her sketchbook, and I was stunned by her drawings.