“Well, you’re my first friend in town, and I’m Team Emilia. I also happen to be a big reader, so I don’t get offended by a local newspaper.”
“Wait. Are you areader-reader? Like a lover of books?” she asked, her voice going to a whisper. “What do you read?”
I fell forward with a laugh because she said it with such curiosity.
“I’m a big romance reader. Historical. Contemporary. Dark. Small-town. I even dabble in a little mafia here and there. How about you?”
A wide grin spread across her face. “I’m all about the romance genre. I’ve never met a romance I didn’t like.”
“Stop!” I shoved at her shoulder and chuckled. “We’re going to be best friends, aren’t we?”
“I think we are. And we can buddy read so we can talk about it while we read.” She smiled so big it made me laugh.
“I would love that. I’m finishing up a small-town romance this week.”
“Oh, I just finished this awesome football romance, so I’m ready to dive into something new.”
“Okay, let’s pick something to read together next.”
“Yes! Count me in,” she said. “I’ll look at my TBR and run a few options by you.”
“It’s a deal,” I said. “I love buddy reading. It’s so much fun when you can discuss it with someone.”
“Yes. It’s the best. And how about we go to Booze & Brews this weekend, grab dinner and a drink, and talk about our favorite book boyfriends?” She waggled her brows.
“I would love that.” I jumped down from the counter. “There’s nothing better than finding new book besties.”
“I totally agree,” she chuckled. “Let me show you the rest of the place, and I’ll help you bring your stuff in from your car.”
“You’re just winning me over more and more,” I said, as I followed her to see the bedroom and bathroom. This house was perfect. And Emilia shared that the river was just a block away.
I was getting more on board with this move now that I’d made a friend and seen the place in person. The pictures were cute, but they didn’t do it justice.
My only aggravation would be my reason for being here: Clark Chadwick.
And tomorrow we’d be starting PT and training.
Emilia and I spent the next hour and a half getting my car unloaded, and she’d even insisted I come over to her house for dinner.
It had been a full day.
When I finally got back to the guest cottage, I went to the bathroom to start a bath, and my phone vibrated on the counter.
Egomaniac Chadwick
Hey. I’ll see you tomorrow. Is 6:00 a.m. too early?
I pulled out my notebook and wrote down the time beside his address. I’ve always been someone who liked to write everything down.
Notebooks were my thing.
So maybe I was slightly type A. It’s what got me through college.
Hell, it’s what got me through life thus far.
And why did I feel like he was testing me with the 6:00 a.m. question?
That was damn early. I figured we’d start at 8:00 a.m. But I wasn’t going to be the weak link here.
