Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“Right, I think that’s everything,” he said as he led me back to the entryway then slid his hand in his pocket to remove a set of keys. He took two steps toward me until there were only a few inches between us. I wasn’t sure what was happening until he lifted my hand and placed the keys directly in my palm. His touch sent an electrical surge through my body. Oh, this was bad. Very bad. Jonathan’s fingers softly brushed my palm, and my heart skipped a beat.
“These are yours,” he said, a hint of gravel in his voice. “If you have any issues, please call me. And if you can’t get through to me, contact Therese, and she’ll have me call you back.” His touch fell away, and it was confusing how ferociously I missed it. My attraction to him was something I was definitely going to have to get a handle on. Jonathan had invited me to live there because of my connection to his mother. That was all.
He paused then turned back to survey me. “Oh, all your stuff is still in your car. If you want to give me the key, I’ll have Larry help me bring everything up.”
“No!” I was quick to decline. I definitely didn’t want Jonathan and Larry surveying my meagre belongings, especially since one bag was full of dirty laundry that probably stank to high heaven. “That’s not necessary. I can manage it on my own.”
Jonathan didn’t look too convinced, his eyes going to my cane.
“I’ll do it tomorrow after I’ve had a night’s rest,” I went on, hoping he’d drop the matter, but he continued scrutinising me with those glacial blue eyes, which, for some reason, had me blurting, “Jonathan, I’ve been living in that car for five days. I do not want you, or Larry for that matter, going through my stuff. It’s not … sanitary.”
His expression hardened, and I thought he was going to argue further, but instead, he rumbled, “Five days?”
“You knew this already,” I muttered, shifting my weight on the cane.
“Right, but I’d hoped maybe you’d slept in your office or something.” He looked perturbed.
“Well, I couldn’t do that. There are staff working night shifts. They would’ve noticed.”
“It was incredibly dangerous,” he fumed. “Have you any idea what might have happened if the wrong person found you?”
“I’m well aware of the danger, but I didn’t have another choice.”
“Of course, you did. I offered for you to stay in Mam’s at the funeral if you recall?”
“Right, but you wanted seven hundred a month, and I couldn’t …” My words fell off, my cheeks aflame. “I couldn’t afford it,” I finished at last.
Jonathan scrutinized me once again. “But you have a good job. Surely, you could afford—”
“I have too much debt, okay? Now, can we drop this? You already know far more about me than most. Hell, you currently know more than my own sister does, and I usually tell her everything.”
“Debt? What kind of debt? Is it drugs? Gambling?” Jonathan questioned, looking at me in that hard, judgmental way he had the first time I’d visited his office. Of course, his mind went straight to illegal or irresponsible activities. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He might’ve been making an effort to help me, but it appeared he was still judging me based on the sort of family he thought I came from.
“Of course, it isn’t drugs, and I’ve never placed a bet in my life. It’s medical debt, if you must know. As you’re aware, I have some issues with my leg, and I had to travel abroad for surgery a few years ago. I’m still paying off the cost of it, which is why my finances are so dire right now.”
Jonathan stepped back a little, shaking his head at himself before his gaze found mine again. A long, awkward pause elapsed. His handsome features were etched in apology. “Forgive me. I have a tendency to jump to the worst conclusions about people sometimes. It’s a bad habit. I shouldn’t have assumed—”
“It’s fine. You have a right to be suspicious. You hardly know me.”
His eyes held mine. “You still deserve the benefit of the doubt.” He fell quiet, his attention going to my leg before he asked, “What exactly is the nature of the injury?”
I bristled, hating to talk about the accident, but refusing would just make him more curious, and there were aspects of what had happened I’d rather not get into. “I was hit by a car. It happened in a very isolated, rural area, and nobody found me for almost a full day. There were broken bones but also a lot of nerve damage, and the fact that it wasn’t tended to for that long made recovery more difficult. It caused me pain for a lot of years until I finally had this new surgery, which made things much better. Sleeping in my car obviously caused it to flare up, but hopefully, with a few good nights of rest, I’ll be back to normal.”