“Plumbing mishap.”
Quinn’s eyes widened. “What did you do about it?”
“Took care of it and went home.”
Ethan’s lips tugged into a slight grin. “Plumbing, huh? Is that what you old-timers are calling it nowadays?”
“You’re only two years younger than I am. And no, it was an actual plumbing problem, you pervert. Can I go now?” Without waiting for an answer, I walked toward my truck and grabbed my coffee thermos. After pouring a cup of the steaming black liquid, I took a sip, which scalded all sensation from my tongue as Quinn spoke again.
“Well, it’s a good sign that she calls you in case of an emergency. Maybe there’s still something there, eh?” He elbowed me in the ribs and coffee sloshed over the cup’s rim to burn my fingers.
“I will throw this at you,” I warned, and he danced a step to the side like a nervous horse.
“I hope you’re nicer to her than you are to me, or you’ll never win her back.” He turned to leave, and I yelled to his retreating back.
“I don’t want her back.” Even as I said the words, a sense of unease swept through me. Was that true?
“I don’t think you mean that.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin, and white-hot pinpricks raced up and down my body as I spun to face Ethan. More of my coffee spilled, but this time I managed to evade the volcanic liquid.
Ethan wasn’t staring at me; he had his iPad in hand and was gazing at it, likely making adjustments to some other project he had stored away.
“Mean what?” My tongue ached, and I wondered if it would blister from the coffee burn. That would be just my damn luck lately.
His hand stilled, and his eyes flicked over the top of the tablet to mine. “That you don’t want Kandra back.”
I let out a sharp chuckle. “You guys aren’t letting this go, are you?”
“Nah. We care about you, so we want to be here for you, but you make that hard as hell, brother.” His attention returned to his tablet. “Besides, I think you’re already in over your head with her. I’m not sure you ever climbed out of the deep end with that one.”
I dumped out the rest of my coffee and screwed the cap back on. I’d lost all taste for it, not that I’d be able to taste it anyway after scalding every taste bud to death.
“I’m not in love with her if that’s what you think.” I tossed the thermos on the passenger seat of my truck.
He snorted. “Okay. Keep lying to yourself, but we all know better.” He lowered the iPad and gave me his undivided attention.
I closed my truck door and stood for a moment while considering all exit strategies. “What are you working on?” Maybe I could derail him by getting him to talk about work.
“Top secret project. Try again.” He grinned.
“Try what again?” I gave as innocent of an expression as I could while leaning back against my truck.
He frowned. “Try changing the subject again. You’re terrible at not giving yourself away. Maybe you should work on that.” With that, he walked away.
I wasn’t fooling any of them. Damn.
The memory of Kandra’s big blue eyes as she leaned in to kiss me rose in my mind once more. I let out a soft curse and walked away from my truck. I would get hurt again. I wasn’t enough for her all those years ago, so why would that have changed now? If it did, was her settling for me something I could live with?
I glanced at the sky. “I could use some advice, Dad.” A profound sense of loss filled me, and I found myself missing him more than ever. Not just because I wanted his counsel, but because I missed the man who was my hero.
Of course, there was no answer save the sound of men working behind me—not that I expected anything else. No, I had a feeling I’d been right at the start. It was best to avoid Kandra.
“You coming back to work?” Quinn waved me over, and I walked toward him. There were things to do, and I didn’t have time to wallow in self-pity and wonder about what-ifs or if-onlys.
Maybe if I put my back into a few hours of hard work, I could forget my problems, forget Kandra’s kiss, and forget how much I missed my dad.
I stood next to Quinn, aware he was staring at me intently.
“If you need to jet out of here, I’ll cover for you,” Quinn said.
I gawked at him. “Why, did something happen?” My heart thundered as worry swept over me. Was it Mom? What had I missed?
He gave his head a slow side to side shake. “Nothing happened, but that’s the same look you had on your face at Dad’s funeral. If you need time, go. We’ve got this.”
“Nah, I need the distraction. Might head out a bit early to pick up groceries though.” My fridge was looking pretty pathetic. This morning my breakfast options were a beer, an old opened bottle of water, and various condiments. I didn’t like to shop, but I wanted to eat, so sacrifices needed to be made.
“That’s fine.” Despite his assurance, I noticed him eyeing me as we threw ourselves into work. It wasn’t just him keeping tabs on me. Bayden and Ethan watched me much more closely than usual. Tuning them out, I focused on the job. Everywhere an extra set of hands was needed, I volunteered.
“Slow down, brother, or you’ll make us look bad,” Bayden said, handing me a nail gun.
I chuckled. “Get to work then, you lazy bastard.”
“He resembles that remark,” Ethan said.
And for a little while, it was like old times before Kandra came back and before Dad died. Back when everything was easy.
When it was finally time for me to duck out, I got in my truck and closed the door, and breathed a sigh of relief. My body was sore from the hard work, but it was the exhaustion in my mind that stuck out.
A couple of the guys waved, and even though my arm seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, I returned the gesture.
As I geared up to shop, I promised myself I’d keep it short and get home to relax from all the stress of the day.
Chapter Twelve
Kandra
I glanced into the cart, trying to figure out what other adult purchases I could add to keep it from looking like I was a twelve-year-old with dangerous amounts of money and a serious junk food habit.
Among chocolate-covered granola bars, chocolate peanut butter cups, red velvet ice cream, grasshopper cookies, and pickles, I’d throw in some lettuce, salad fixings, fresh broccoli for iron, and a bag of easy-peel oranges.
My cart still looked like it was filled by a child pretending to be an adult, and it was becoming questionable. With a sigh, I added apples and wondered if I should get rid of some of the sugary treats so I didn’t give away the fact that I was eating for two. It was important no one knew about my pregnancy because I needed time to come to terms with it myself before I had to field questions from the inquiring minds of Cross Creek.
Thoughts of a certain tall, dark-haired, handsome man filled my head. I tried to shove them away, but the sensation of his lips on mine was so intense, I lifted my fingers to my mouth as if I could still feel him.
“You look deep in thought.” As if he’d stepped from my thoughts into the aisle, Noah studied me with a slight curve at the corners of his lips.
I gawked at him in shock. What were the odds? I’d been thinking about him kissing me, and he appeared—poof—like a genie had granted me a wish. The chances were pretty good, actually, with how much I’d been thinking about him lately and the fact that we lived in a small town, bumping into one another was almost inevitable. Besides, I didn’t believe in genies.
“Yeah, trying to remember what else I need.” I smiled, hoping I covered up my surprise well enough.
He let out a deep chuckle, and the rich sound sent a tremble down my spine. “You never were one for lists.”
“Still don’t use them. Maybe I should start, but then I’d have to remember to bring it with me and …” No way would I tell him that lately, my shopping was driven by cravings and not necessity.
He leaned in close as if to impart some wisdom, an
d out of the corner of his mouth, he said, “I don’t use a list either.”
I opened my mouth in mock disbelief. “No.”
At my serious tone, he chuckled, and I let out a giggle. It should have been strange, awkward, or uncomfortable, but this was easy. We had kissed, so why weren’t things more complicated?
He steered his cart next to mine and picked up mushrooms. With that and the eggs in his cart, I could hazard a guess. “Omelets?”
He nodded.
That sounded delicious. “I might have to come to your place for breakfast.”
He went still and studied me.
A moment later, I realized what he thought I was saying.
“I should go.” Mortified at my slip-up, I grabbed my cart and headed for the next aisle. Why did I keep saying stupid things to him?
I moved forward, trying to get my rapid heartbeat under control. A cart moved next to mine, and I glanced into Noah’s eyes. “I knew what you meant.”
My cheeks heated, even with his reassurance. “It just sounded bad. I keep tripping over my tongue around you.”
“I think it’s kind of cute.” As he said the words, something flashed behind his eyes. Something almost like anger. Was he mad at his words or his feelings?
“Thank you. That makes me feel better.” I wanted to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible. It was nice hearing he thought my slips were cute, and it made me less self-conscious.
He nodded and moved on.
I watched him retreat with heaviness in my heart. I’d missed him a lot more than I ever realized. Being here, seeing him, listening to him talk, and noticing that light in his eyes when he looked at me, it all came rushing back.
As glad as I was at how my life had gone, and how much I treasured the experiences I lived, I wished I hadn’t hurt him all those years ago with my careless and untrue words. I wanted him back, but I wasn’t sure that was possible.
I moved through the store, grabbing things at random, and thinking about making lists. I needed to get my life together. I could make a plan of action and live it out, including a strategy to win Noah back. Or at least try to let him know that I still loved him and wanted to be with him. I messed up and knew it.
With fresh confidence, I walked to the register and unloaded my groceries. The cashier smiled, “I get cravings too,” she lowered her voice and glanced around as my heart raced, “when it’s that time.” She whispered the last part, and I let out the breath I held.
I lifted the box of cookies. “I’m glad somebody gets it.” I smiled a conspiratorial smile. If she only knew.
After I paid, I stepped into the sunshine and headed for my car, only to find Noah loading up his truck, which was nose to nose with my car.
“Howdy, stranger,” I said with a twang.
He glanced up and walked his empty cart to the stall before returning to help load my car. “Long time, no see.”
Past him was Max, whose smile took up half his face.
Noah glanced over and waved and then returned to loading my car.
“Why is there a boxed bookshelf in the back seat?” he looked at me, and I weakly lifted my shoulders.
The bookshelf was for the baby’s room, but the dang thing weighed too much for me to lift; a fact I hadn’t known because someone else loaded it into the car for me when I bought it. I didn’t notice how heavy it was until I got home.
With a bag dangling from his hand, he studied me intently.
Staring at the floor so he couldn’t catch the lie in my eyes, I answered.
“Haven’t gotten around to unloading it yet.” That seemed like as good of an excuse as any. His serious expression said I wasn’t fooling him for a second.
I might suck at lists, but nothing could hold me back when I had a project in mind. It had been driving me nuts that I hadn’t started or finished.
Of course, I could open the box and take it in a piece at a time, but with how tired I’d been, and how many hours I worked, it didn’t seem likely.
“And it’s heavy. If I get hurt, I might miss work and get fired.” That seemed plausible and bordered on the truth.
He placed the bag on the car’s floorboard behind the driver’s seat and picked up another and walked it around the car to set it on the other side. Thankful he wasn’t asking more questions but aware he was watching me closely, I refused to look him in the eyes.
Would he spot the truth if I stared directly at him? Would he see right through me as Max had done? Noah always had a knack for knowing what I was thinking, and I’d thought it was sweet when we were younger. Now, as a woman with secrets, it scared the crap out of me.
“I really like my job. And Roy. Like I said, I want to make the best out of my life, and having a job is important.” Maybe if I could defend my reason, he’d believe it.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” He put the last bag in my car and closed the door. As he put away my cart, I stood by my driver’s side door and watched him.
He’d grown into a powerful man, the stuff of dreams, someone who could rival any Hollywood hunk.
He walked back with an effortless swagger. “Why didn’t you say something the other day? I would have helped you set up the bookshelf.”
Was that what he’d been puzzling over? Maybe he hadn’t figured me out after all.
“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that. Besides, I’d already bothered you enough that day, and then we…” Cutting off the word before I could say kissed, I cleared my throat and glanced around, remembering the small-town gossip thing. “I didn’t want to be an inconvenience or make things more awkward than I already had.” I looked at him and offered a slight smile.
The bright blue sky behind him highlighted his eyes and gave his hair an inky blue tint. A devilish grin showed his pearly whites, and he lifted both shoulders. “It’s not weird for me. Is it for you?”
Weird didn’t even begin to define what this was for me. Strange and wonderful and scary all at the same time.
“I don’t want to be a bother.” I already called him to help fix the showerhead. Besides, would he guess I was setting up a nursery? There wasn’t much of anything in there, but could he figure it out based on what I had?
I just wasn’t ready to tell him. Maybe I wasn’t ready to face my truth. I was a dumped, has-been model, a soon to be single mom who worked slogging drinks at a bar. I left to become more and ended up back where I started. Only now, I had regrets.
Why couldn’t I tell him? Ignoring that whispering internal question, I saw the light in his eyes, refusing to take no for an answer.
“It can’t sit in the back of your car forever, and I don’t want to see you get hurt. I’ll run home, drop my stuff off, and swing by your place to set it up.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. “I have the rest of the day off, anyway, and nothing to do. Helping you will keep me busy.”
How could I argue with that?
“Thank you,” I said.
“You’re welcome.” With that, he turned and headed to his truck, then looked at me past the door. “Be there in about fifteen.”
I had fifteen minutes to get home and make sure there was nothing incriminating around. As his truck fired to life, I got behind the wheel but waited for him to drive off before backing carefully out of my spot. I didn’t want him to know I was in a hurry.
As I drove, I thought about his words. He said he couldn’t have me getting hurt, and that warmed my heart. His protective expression sent butterflies through my belly.
Yep, I was still in love with Noah.
Chapter Thirteen
Noah
I parked next to her little car, turned off the engine, and steeled myself. For the second time in a few days, I would be alone with her in her home.
Last time she kissed me. This time I’d be more careful to keep my distance. Not because I didn’t want to kiss her—I did—but because I needed to stop being blind where she was concerned. She’d broken my he
art once, and I wasn’t letting that happen again.
Her door opened, and she stepped out, with that fresh smile on her face. The light breeze caught her floral blouse, and it fluttered around her frame as her black pants clung to her legs. In her bare feet and makeup-free face, it was like ten years never passed, and I couldn’t stop staring.
She hurried over and opened her car as I tore my gaze away from her and focused on the task at hand. I lifted the box, flipped it up on my shoulder, and carried it toward the front door. Her soft intake of breath didn’t escape me, nor did the sensation of her eyes heating my flesh.
“Are you objectifying me?” I teased and looked over my shoulder.
She giggled, her cheeks turning a darker shade of pink. “Has anyone told you that you should be in one of those buff dudes snuggling kittens calendars?”
Nope. Nobody had ever told me that. I didn’t work out to look good; I worked out because my job demanded physical strength.
Without another word, she raced ahead and led me through her home to the second bedroom. I set the bookshelf down in the middle of the room and turned to her. “This is the room you want it in?”
Her teeth worried her lower lip as she nodded. My attention locked on her lips, and the thought of how soft they were when they touched mine. Her kiss had been sweet and innocent—almost afraid.
I hadn’t held back. That day I pressed my tongue to the seam of Kandra’s lips and demanded entry, and she obliged. When her tongue swept across her lower lip, I snapped out of my thoughts. I wasn’t kissing her again.
“Did you want anything to drink? A snack?” Her soft voice seemed to offer more than food, but I ignored the tug in me and smiled at her.
“Water would be fine.” Anything to get her out of the room and give me a moment to gather my composure.
The second she left, I pulled out my pocketknife and cut open the box. Upending the contents onto the floor, I sorted the pieces.
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