Her Irresistible Troublemaker (A Town Named Eden Book 3)

by Parin, Sonia

“I thought we weren’t going to talk about that anymore. But since you insist on bringing it up, what were you doing looking at a building you hate?”

  She dabbed the edge of her lip with a paper napkin and sat up straighter. “For your information, I’d been in the middle of casting aspersions on your character for going ahead with your project. The fact I saw the light on was pure coincidence.”

  “You were talking about me? What were you saying?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Every negative you can imagine and then some.”

  “And now you’ve shown your redeeming side by letting me share your table and recommending the best beer and fries I’ve had in ages. What’s not to like about you? Which begs the question, what are you doing out and about by yourself on a Saturday night? You should be on that hot date—”

  “I didn’t have—”

  Her lower lip pushed out a bit making her already kissable mouth look even more enticing. “You didn’t have what?” His tone feigned innocence.

  “I didn’t have a date,” she said lowering her voice.

  “So why did you tell me you did?”

  She gave a small shake of her head. “It just sort of came out.”

  “You really did lie to me. Don’t tell me you had a case of date envy because Lulu had a date.”

  “Can we not talk about Lulu, please?”

  He couldn’t help smiling. “Did you two have a falling out?”

  She held his gaze until Jack started to think he could sit with her all night long without saying a word. But from the taste he’d had so far, he preferred to engage her in conversation, even the sort that usually drove him batty.

  “She can be a pain sometimes,” she finally said.

  “You have my sympathy. I’ve got a few of those people in my life.”

  She leaned forward. “How do you deal with them?”

  “The usual way.” He shrugged. “Forgive and forget.” He seemed to be getting quite good at it. Then again, his father gave him a lot of practice. “So what did Lulu do?” he asked before he lost momentum and settled into silence.

  She seemed to consider the question as if he’d thrown her the ultimate challenge. “It’s not what she did. It’s her impossibly breezy attitude to everything… and her suggestions.”

  “Does she expect you to be more like her?” Just like his brother with his incessant badgering to stop letting the past dictate to him and start living a little in the moment.

  She sat back and gave a shrug of indifference. “That suggestion’s been bandied around.”

  His curiosity kicked in. She didn’t look at all uptight. “Sometimes it’s easier to hop on the road of least resistance. What’s the worst that can happen if you take her suggestions on board?”

  “First I’d have to admit she’s right.”

  “And your ego is getting in your way,” he said thinking he should wrap this up now, thank her for letting him share her table and get going.

  She leaned forward again as if to grab his attention. “Her answer to any problem is to flirt.”

  Jack forgot about wanting to leave and thought about trying to coax her into flirting with him. It defied all logic. It verged on lunacy. “Does it work for her?”

  “Every time, but we can’t all be like her, in fact, Lulu McGee is... well, she’s rather unique.”

  “I’ve yet to meet a woman who can’t flirt.”

  She shook her head. “It doesn’t work for everyone.”

  “Try it.”

  She drew in a breath and gave her lips the slightest tug upward. When she slanted her eyes, giving him what he thought was a come to bed look, Jack swallowed and cleared his throat to say something, anything to interrupt the steady southward bound flow of his blood.

  “That came through loud and clear.” He gave her a brisk smile and focused on steadying his breathing.

  “I didn’t say anything.” She twisted a strand of hair around her finger.

  “Now you’re teasing me. I’m definitely thinking you’re available and interested.” And, for the life of him, he couldn’t shut up. “Any minute now I’d ask if you’d like another drink—”

  “You would or you will?”

  His throat clogged up and something heavy settled in his stomach. He found her attractive but—

  Until a few weeks ago, he’d been using Lexie Gardner as a mental dartboard. Besides, Juliette had taught him a thing or two about steering clear of demanding, complicated females. Jack grumbled under his breath. He should have thought of all that before asking if he could sit down with her.

  * * *

  “Just so you know, I’m a one beer person.” The words spilled out before he could—

  What?

  Let her down gently?

  She hadn’t deliberately flirted with him. The conversation had led her there, and—

  She didn’t like this one bit.

  “If I hadn’t spent the day painting and inhaling paint fumes I might try to persuade you into nursing another beer.” He checked his watch. “In fact, I should get going. Thanks again for letting me share your table.”

  She liked this even less. Her mind tried to unscramble what had just happened, what he’d said, what she’d said...

  Had she put him off? And why did she care if she had? Goodbye and good riddance. Lexie tried to put some punch into the thought but couldn’t even manage to hold it in her mind. Apart from the fact she’d enjoyed the eye candy, she’d mostly enjoyed the conversation. She only ever had those types of spontaneous and unrestrained chats with friends she’d known a while. Usually people had trouble following her train of thought.

  “If you’re ready to leave, I’ll drive you back.”

  “That’s okay. It’s only a couple of blocks and I like to walk after my meals.” And think. She had a lot to mull over.

  “That sounds like a good idea. I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs.”

  Yet a moment before she was sure he’d wanted to sprint out of the café.

  “All right. Fine.” Going into automatic pilot, Lexie grabbed her handbag and dug around for her purse.

  “I got this.” He dropped some money on the table.

  Not sure how she felt about him paying for her meal, she smiled. “Thank you, but anyone would think we’ve been on a date.”

  “Just because we shared a table and a bit of conversation?”

  “And flirting. Don’t forget the flirting,” she couldn’t help adding, only to regret it as soon as the words had spilled out. Lexie sighed. With every whimsical thought traipsing through her mind going straight to her tongue, she’d never be able to pull off the mystery woman act.

  “I never actually asked why you needed to flirt.” He led her out of the café walking beside her with the ease of someone she’d known all her life.

  Wanting to rebel against the easy camaraderie, she tried crossing her arms, but even the thought of doing so felt awkward.

  “I’m not sure myself,” she said trying to steer clear of mentioning Lulu’s name again. “I guess I’ve been at the receiving end of the grown-up version of peer group pressure.”

  “So what else do your friends expect you to do?”

  “Go out on dates more often. Stop working so hard.”

  “You have something against dating?”

  “I’m a little over the whole process. In my experience, the results don’t justify the effort I put into it.” She sensed him looking at her as if she’d suddenly grown a cone head.

  “I’ve never heard a woman sound so bored with the idea.”

  Bored? She’d aimed for couldn’t care less blasé because she had so much happening in her life, and so much more that needed to happen. She’d done well to establish her weekly comic strip, but now she’d fallen into a financial rut and needed to find a way to increase her meager income. “I think I’m going through a phase. I’m just not interested in a relationship at the moment.” And why was she revealing this to a complete stranger? Worse. Why had she jumped f
rom dating to relationships? The two were worlds apart.

  “You can still date.”

  She nodded. “Conditionally, yes. I wouldn’t mind going out without feeling the pressure of expectations and experiencing the pitfalls of disappointment.” Come again? Lexie did a mental double take. Frowning, she wondered how she’d managed to string so many words together. He smelled good, and there was something about walking beside a man with broad shoulders that turned her legs to half set jelly…

  He stopped and looked at her. “You’ve got it all worked out.”

  “Not really. None of it is written in stone, but I’m happy to work with my current guidelines,” she said and decided she was in too deep now to back out. She might as well pretend she knew what she was talking about. “Or at least it’s the excuse I give so friends will get off my back.”

  When he swept his fingers across his chin, Lexie wondered what it would feel like to have that light bristle brush against her skin.

  “Sounds to me like you need to go out with someone you’re not attracted to.”

  Lexie gestured with her hand and then dropped it. Did he have someone in mind? A friend? Himself? “That sort of reasoning might as well be spiked with caffeine. I’m going to spend the entire night tossing it around in my head.”

  Date someone she wasn’t attracted to?

  Chapter Five

  “We’re riding a tandem bicycle?”

  Ava laughed. “It’ll be fun. I’ve always wanted to try it. Besides, you said you wanted some exercise.”

  “I suppose it’s one way of easing into it.” Lexie drew in a breath and huffed it out discreetly as they pushed off. “I only get to do half the work. Hopefully, there’ll only be half as much post ride pain to look forward to tonight.” Although, she’d welcome anything that could distract her from thinking about Jack, even as a part of her sparked with curiosity about him.

  She’d notched up two encounters with him and in both instances her reaction hadn’t differed. The sight of him had been enough to give her heart a good cardio workout, from skipping beats to thumping and bouncing ones.

  Did she have one of those instant crushes that made one lose all sense of reality and perspective? The sort of attraction that could bleach her memory. What had happened to despising the man who’d ruined her view?

  It had been a long while since she’d found a man remotely appealing, but of all the men who might have ticked the physical attraction boxes, why did it have to be Jack “Killjoy” Riley? Lexie dipped her head and focused on the path ahead.

  “I don’t suppose a man has anything to do with your sudden foray into physical activity. Maybe someone you’ve met recently?”

  Trust Ava to hit a bullseye. “Are you pedaling back there or just sitting back and looking pretty? Come on, put your back into it, we’re going uphill and this is supposed to be a team effort.”

  “Interesting. You’re avoiding answering the question. So, who is he?”

  “No one.”

  “There has to be some gain to all this pain. I’m guessing it’s your neighbor.”

  “Ava, he’s not my neighbor. Jack is... The man who keeps walking away from me.”

  “Ah ha. I knew it. You’ve got a thing for him. And yes, before you ask, you said that out loud.”

  Lexie’s attention drifted to a cyclist ahead. She tried to appreciate his lean back and gorgeously firm butt. She forced herself to take in the sinewy muscles on his calves. She urged her heart to pump a little harder with excitement. And when the cyclist steered off the path running along the river and onto the road, Lexie tried to stamp the image of his athletic body in her mind for future reference, but the moment she lost sight of him the mental image faded to nothing and was immediately replaced by a set of calm, dark gray eyes, firm chin, kissable lips...

  “Would you spend time with someone who’s interested in you because you’re not interested in dating?” A full minute of silence had Lexie turning to check if Ava had heard her. “Any thoughts?”

  “I need more information.”

  Thinking it was too late to retract the conversation starter, Lexie nodded. “Let’s say he, this hypothetical man, wouldn’t mind hanging out with you but doesn’t want it leading anywhere.” She didn’t know for sure, but that was the impression Jack had given her, or at least the one she’d decided made more sense. Why else would he suggest she date someone she wasn’t attracted to?

  “Is he gay?”

  “No.”

  “You’re talking about a platonic relationship.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’m not sure. What if I changed my mind and decided I was attracted to him? I’d be in trouble then because I’d have to convince him to start seeing me in a new light. On the other hand, it’d be worse if he changed his mind and I didn’t. I’d have to deal with unwanted attention and be forced to be gentle and diplomatic. Something you know I’m not very good at.”

  “You’re one of the few people I know who can get away with being blunt,” Lexie agreed while her mind churned out thoughts of unrequited lust.

  “So, when are you going out with this hypothetical man?”

  * * *

  “You came to talk to me about dad?” Jack scowled at Mason. “Today’s Sunday. You’d think I could at least have one carefree day.”

  Mason laughed. “You’re wielding your paintbrush. It can’t be much of a carefree day. Hang on a sec,” his brother said and turned his attention to a call.

  Jack had considered taking the day off, but then he’d thought about Lexie and before he’d known what he was doing, he was driving over to the building site. In a few weeks, the project would be completed. He’d be moving on to something else and she would be...

  Out of sight, out of mind.

  Meanwhile…

  He raked his fingers through his hair. What did he want to do? How did he want to handle this burgeoning interest? By finding a way to stay focused and on track, that’s how. Ever since meeting Lexie Gardner, she’d been weaving her way around his thoughts.

  Jack gave a firm nod. He’d worked hard to simplify his life. He’d worked even harder to maintain a safe distance from all distractions. This really wasn’t the time to let his mind wander.

  He needed to continue growing his business and think about where he wanted to be in ten years’ time. These were still early days for him. He’d made a success of his career in banking, but somewhere along the line he’d lost the passion for it. Then he’d found it again in an investment property he’d purchased.

  He’d started spending his weekends and a few evenings here and there renovating it, but when he’d seen the finished product, he’d swelled with so much satisfaction and pride he’d taken the leap of faith, throwing himself into the business fulltime.

  While he preferred the personal touch of small-scale renovations, he’d needed a bigger influx of money and so had taken on this new building project.

  Once it was completed, he’d figure out how best to use his skills and time. So far, he hadn’t had a chance to look back. He didn’t even regret losing Juliette along the way. While he’d been quick to adjust to his new career, Juliette… well, the same couldn’t be said for Juliette. She’d given it her best shot, lasting a few months before calling the engagement off. In the end, she hadn’t wanted someone who dressed in scruffy jeans and forgot to get his hair cut.

  Lately he’d been wondering if the experience had made a lasting impact on him. Had he become a diehard cynic?

  Jack pulled himself away from that train wreck of a thought before it could gather momentum and take off. As for thinking too much about Lexie Gardner...

  “My date’s running late,” his brother said as he slipped his cell inside his pocket.

  “What’s with the suit?”

  Mason adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. “I’m on my way to a wedding.”

  “Who’s?”

  “I’ve no idea. I’m doing a favor for one of the girls at the office. R
achel wants to go to the wedding but not alone.”

  “An office romance? Those can be tricky.”

  Mason shook his head. “I like Rachel, but not in a romantic way. She’s fun to be with. Like hanging out with a friend.”

  “You’re deluded if you think that’s possible between men and women.” Lexie wasn’t after a relationship, and he wasn’t after a relationship. It made him wonder...

  He’d enjoyed the time he’d spent with her the night before and had been surprised to hear her admission about not wanting to date. There had to be a story behind that. She didn’t strike him as a man-hater, so maybe she was taking a break from it all and regrouping. That was something he could relate to.

  Jack brushed a hand across his face. Since his encounter with Lexie, he’d started thinking too much about not being in a relationship. Maybe it was time to do something about it. He almost wished he could tap into Mason’s laidback attitude to dating.

  Out of the two, Mason had collected far more notches than he ever let on, and he never seemed to acquire excess baggage from the experiences. The fact he was hanging out with a woman he had no interest in made him a font of knowledge.

  “Got time for a coffee?”

  “Make it brunch and I’m in. I still have a couple of hours to kill before I pick up Rachel, and like it or not, we need to plan a welcome home and belated wedding reception for dad, his new wife, and—”

  “Have you met her?”

  Mason shook his head. “Dad was uncharacteristically cagey about her. I guess he’s had enough of your disapproval.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? I’ve never told him how I feel about his wives.”

  “With you, silence isn’t golden, it’s a dead giveaway to how you feel. Anyway, we also have the other addition to look forward to.”

  “Don’t tell me. New stepsisters.”

  “Just the one, so you need to rustle up a date. Like it or not, we’re throwing him a party.”

  Another stepsister to welcome into the family fold and keep in line. “Do you think I could borrow your Rachel for the night?” Over the years, they’d dealt with the shifting family dynamics by keeping things nice and simple. That wasn’t to say their new stepmoms didn’t try to set them up.