Page 107 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
And it’s for safety, of her and her company.
“Geez, Brad. Settle down.”
Boone snickers, and I glare at him.
“Have you heard from the insurance company yet?” he asks, smartly changing the subject.
“I don’t give a shit about the insurance. They’re saying something about the previous owners being held responsible and it could take over a year for the claim to come through. I’m not waiting around for that.”
“It’s your dime, moneybags.” Since Boone’s family came and went, he’s been a real asshole.
“Why do you still have a stick up your ass?”
“Boone and his brother Cal had a falling out years ago, and now he’s upset because Sharky is telling him to get over it and be there for his brother.” Kara really needs to stop spending so much time at the library. “I’m hungry. Can we get some lunch while we’re out?”
“You haven’t had lunch yet?” Boone flashes a disapproving glare my way. “It’s three in the afternoon.”
“She didn’t get up until noon. Google said it’s normal for teenagers to sleep in.”
He shakes his head. “Yeah, kid. We can get some lunch.”
It’s hard to pull away from my computer. I have so much damn work to do, and I’m days away from proving that Rupert Sinclair is a piece of shit.
Tell Charlotte what you’ve done.My narrator has been relentless lately. It’s not that I don’t want to tell her about LotiTech, I simply haven’t found the right time.
“Thane. Are you coming?” Kara shifts her weight again, and my heart volleys between her and the shit I promised to solve for Charlotte.
“Are you upset about something?” I’m learning that twitchy legs usually mean she has something uncomfortable to say.
She doesn’t make eye contact but shakes her head.
“You excited about this book nook thing?” Boone asks. He’s so gentle with her and a barking crab to me.
“It’s amazing. I—” She lowers her voice, as though she doesn’t want me to hear. “It would be epic if I got to see it finished before I had to, you know, move again.”
Boone glares at me with a sharp edge to all his features, but I ignore him while my mental lists shift like pieces of a puzzle.
Make Kara feel safe.
Prove Lottie didn’t build her company on her father’s systems.
Build Kara a book nook, whatever the hell that is.
Get Lottie to marry me.
Tell Lottie about LotiTech.
Somewhere in there I must run my company, figure out how to sleep with a wall separating me from Lottie, ensure my father can never regain custody of Kara, and make sure no one takes advantage of Lottie while she builds an empire.
Easy.
“Let’s go. We have a book nook to build,” I say, slamming my computer closed.
“Slow your roll, Handy Manny. You need a house before you can build a book nook.”
Who the hell is Manny? And why does this town insist on adding to my friend list?
* * *
