Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“Oh, worms!” Kit said.
“Excuse me?”
“Worms. We need worms for the birds.”
“Guys, I love you and everything, but I’m not fucking digging for worms for your chickens.”
That was, apparently, funny.
“No, idiot,” Kit said affectionately. “No, they sell these dried mealworms at the farm supply store. We could use more. The store doesn’t deliver.”
“Alright. Mealworms. Got it.”
“We wouldn’t turn down coffee,” Ria added.
“She’s Bean Around or Deja Brew. We’re not picky.”
“Actually, can I be picky?” Ria asked.
“Sure,” I agreed.
“Can it be Deja Brew? Shale has this limited-edition cheese danish that I literally was lying awake thinking about tonight.”
After a little back-and-forth to figure out what everyone wanted to order, we hung up, and I made my way back inside.
“Seen her?” I asked Dezi.
“Nah. After the life she’s been living, can’t imagine she’d want to come out in this crowd. You figure it out with your cousins?”
“Yeah. We’re heading there tomorrow.”
“You figure out what you’re gonna tell the boss man?” he asked, glancing over toward where Fallon looked like he was ready to go home to his woman and his bed.
“Gonna have to be the truth.”
“The whole truth?”
When I’d shown up at the club to find Dezi already prospecting, well, we’d both stayed silent about our brief history working together. And after some time, it felt impossible to break that news. Especially to Fallon, who didn’t love it when you kept any big secrets from him.
But everything had changed with Lolly’s appearance.
“Don’t worry. If anyone is going to get their ass handed to them, it’s me.”
“One perk to you legacy guys,” Dezi agreed. “Alright. Well, good luck with the girl.” He moved past me, heading over to snag a slice of pizza out of a box, despite having already put away no fewer than six donuts.
I stopped in the kitchen, grabbed an assortment of drinks, bowls for the dog, and some snacks before heading back to my room.
“It’s me, babe,” I called when she didn’t immediately answer.
The door creaked open.
Then there she was.
Wearing one of my hoodies that swam on her.
Smelling like my body wash.
I chose to ignore the gut-punch of desire.
“Hey,” she said, moving back to let me in. “What’s all that?”
“Snacks and drinks, in case you want something but don’t feel like dealing with the crowd. And bowls for Edith.”
I placed the snacks on the dresser, then filled the water bowl for Edith. But she was dead to the world, snuggled up on the foot of the bed.
“Did she jump up there?”
“No, I put her up. I’m sorry. I should have asked. I’ll put her—” she rushed to say, going over to the bed like she was about to wake up the dog.
“No, don’t. She’s fine, babe. Let her sleep. That dog is probably better groomed than I am most days.”
Lolly’s shoulders, which had crept up by her ears, lowered down.
“She’s so happy to sleep somewhere other than my lap or the passenger seat.” She sat down near the dog, reaching out to pet her. “Can I ask something?”
“Sure,” I agreed, going over to sit in the chair.
“Why do you have a room here?”
“I live here. The way this club works is that when you prospect, you live and work here, mostly doing grunt work that no one else wants to do. Then, once the club decides we are a good fit, we get a room here. We’re free to live here. And most of us do for a few years, at least.”
“Because you like to party?”
“That’s part of it. But the brotherhood is nice. Especially because I was alone a lot for years. It’s also nice to not have to think about shit like paying the electric bill or wondering what to cook every single day. We all share the responsibility here.”
“Why does anyone leave then?”
“They fall in love. Want to start a new life and family. Another perk of living here is that you save up a shit ton of money over the years. No need for a mortgage, that kind of thing. It’s a good situation, all around. Speaking of situations, I think I have a solution for you, if you’re into it.”
“Okay,” she agreed, nodding eagerly.
“I have two cousins who own a homestead—a bunch of acres in one of the few rural areas left in this county. The kicker is… they’re off the grid. No neighbors. They have solar and wells. Last I heard, they don’t even have internet hooked up there. They come into town to mooch off of someone in the family to upload shit to their socials.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It really is. They’ve done so much in just a few years. And the thing is, before they did homesteading, they did van life. So they have their old fully furnished motorhome that they lived in for years. It’s just sitting there, fully set up with solar and water. It has composting for the toilet, but they swear you get used to that over time.”