I laugh again. “Were you this funny when we were kids?”
She stretches her other leg. “Musta been. You were too busy teasing to ever talk to me.”
The cramp in my side eases. “Did you really want to talk to me?”
“No.”
I lift a palm in a gesture of there you go.
“Welp, as always, it's been bizarre. I gotta run.” She takes off on the loop I just did, her high ponytail bouncing.
I look toward home and think of the crowd there celebrating something I'm not ready to celebrate. Then I look back toward the distraction of pink, who actually made me laugh in the middle of my crisis.
I jog after her and catch up, running alongside her. “Hey.”
She does a double take. “You again? What gives?”
“What're you doing back home?”
“Can't I visit my parents?”
“You could, but don't they usually go out to see you in California?”
A beat passes before she says, “Yeah, well, I don't live there anymore.”
“Why?”
She huffs and speeds up. I keep up with her. “Why do you care?” she asks belligerently.
“I dunno. Curious.”
She shoos me away. “Go be curious somewhere else.”
“We're having a family party, and I don't feel like partying.”
“Why? Is it your birthday and you're feeling your age?”
I give her bouncy ponytail a tug. “Enough with the wisecracks about my age. You're only two years younger than me.”
She holds up a finger. “Younger is the keyword.”
We run in silence for a few moments. I'm feeling a lot better now that I'm moving.
She gives me a sideways look. “Okay, just tell me what's got your pants on fire that you're running hell-mell through Prospect Park.”
“Hell-mell? Is that a word?”
“Spill it.”
“I just inherited my uncle's construction company, and I've got no prep. He's just gone—off to Florida. I'm good with my hands, good at giving out orders to the crew, but business shit was never in my domain. I don't know about sales or pitch meetings or the money stuff.”
She stops running and stares at me. “That's the most words I've ever heard you say at one time.”
I shove a hand through my hair. “Did you hear what I said? This entire business that's been going successfully for more than forty years suddenly dropped in my lap and I don't know shit about business!”
She rolls her eyes and starts jogging again.
I can't believe this. I spill my guts, which I never do with anyone, and she rolls her eyes?
“That's it?” I bark. “You got nothin' to say to that?”
She holds up a palm, still jogging at a brisk pace. “You don't wannna hear what I gotta say.”
I speak through my teeth, keeping up with her. “Yes, I do.”
“Okay, you're being a drama queen. You've got a whole crew of brothers to help you figure this out. They're not going anywhere, are they?”
“No.”
“Then take this for the opportunity it is, bring them in on everything, and make it more successful than it's ever been.”
“That's your advice?”
She nods once. “That's my advice.”
I think about this as we run. “That's actually good advice.”
“See? I'm not just about stunning beauty.” She winks, and I find myself smiling.
I like her. Really like her. And she's home for the first time in years. By herself as far as I can tell. “Your husband get you something nice for Christmas?”
She purses her pink lips. “Is that your way of asking if I'm single?”
“Yeah.”
“I'm divorced, happy?”
“You okay?”
“It was mutual. Shoo now.” She brushes a hand through the air. “Don't get any ideas about asking me to ride on the back of your Harley or get a drink or whatever you do with your women because you could be the very last man standing in the apocalypse—I'm talkin' just down to you and me to keep the human race going—and I'd sooner eat you for dinner than hook up with you again.”
I blink. What a bloodthirsty woman. To think I used to call her Airy-Fairy for being such a girly girl.
I like her even more now. “You still mad at me for that one time?”
Preorder Rogue Prince now!
Other Books by Kylie Gilmore
Happy Endings Book Club Series <
Hidden Hollywood (Book 1)
Inviting Trouble (Book 2)
So Revealing (Book 3)
Formal Arrangement (Book 4)
Bad Boy Done Wrong (Book 5)
Mess With Me (Book 6)
Resisting Fate (Book 7)
Chance of Romance (Book 8)
Wicked Flirt (Book 9)
An Inconvenient Plan (Book 10)
A Happy Endings Wedding (Book 11)
The Clover Park Series <
The Opposite of Wild (Book 1)
Daisy Does It All (Book 2)
Bad Taste in Men (Book 3)
Kissing Santa (Book 4)
Restless Harmony (Book 5)
Not My Romeo (Book 6)
Rev Me Up (Book 7)
An Ambitious Engagement (Book 8)
Clutch Player (Book 9)
A Tempting Friendship (Book 10)
Clover Park Bride (A Clover Park Short)
A Valentine’s Day Gift (Book 11)
Maggie Meets Her Match (Book 12)
The Clover Park STUDS Series <
Almost Over It (Book 1)
Almost Married (Book 2)
Almost Fate (Book 3)
Almost in Love (Book 4)
Almost Romance (Book 5)
Almost Hitched (Book 6)
The Rourkes Series <
Royal Catch (Book 1)
Royal Hottie (Book 2)
Royal Darling (Book 3)
Royal Charmer (Book 4)
Royal Player (Book 5)
Royal Shark (Book 6)
Rogue Prince (Book 7)
All Kylie Gilmore Books
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks are not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Royal Shark: © 2019 by Kylie Gilmore
Excerpt from Rogue Prince © 2019 by Kylie Gilmore
Digital Edition 1.0
Cover design by: Michele Catalano Creative
Published by: Extra Fancy Books
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
ISBN-10: 1-942238-93-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-942238-93-5
About the Author
Kylie Gilmore is the USA Today bestselling author of The Rourkes series, the Happy Endings Book Club series, the Clover Park series, and the Clover Park STUDS series. She writes humorous romance that makes you laugh, cry, and reach for a cold glass of water.
Kylie lives in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she’s not writing, wrangling kids, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret chocolate stash.
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Royal Shark (The Rourkes, Book 6) Page 17