My eyes darted over to Kaelynn. Her cheeks turned slightly red. “Thank you for the offer, though.”
Blake placed his hand on her lower back as he said, “Y’all behave tonight.”
I stared at him, wishing I could jump up and punch him. I didn’t care that in that moment he was one of my best friends.
“Well, looks like maybe Blake did have enough time after all,” Terri said as I looked back at the table.
Forcing a smile, I shrugged. “If Blake is what does it for her, then I guess he’s going to be getting lucky tonight.”
Charlie huffed. “I haven’t known Kaelynn long, but she doesn’t seem like the type of woman to go off and have a one-night stand with Blake.”
It took every ounce of power I had to keep the neutral expression on my face when I reached for my beer and finished it off. “I’m going to head out. Good luck on trying to get the little bugger out of there. Call me when that happens, okay?”
Charlie smiled but there was a bit of sadness in her eyes. “Thanks, will do.”
When I stood and went to turn to leave, Charlie called out my name.
“Nash?”
“Yeah?” I asked, glancing back at her.
“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have invited her if I had known Blake was going to . . . well . . . be Blake. I thought maybe you were attracted to her.”
“I told her not to play matchmaker,” Tucker said.
Charlie shot him a dirty look before meeting my gaze again. “I’m really sorry.”
With a lighthearted laugh, I shrugged. “It’s fine, Charlie. Honestly. Y’all have a good one.”
By the time I reached the front of the club, Blake and Kaelynn were gone. The sick feeling I had in my stomach was only getting worse as I looked up the street one way, then the other. Blake had most likely driven and had valet parked his fancy-ass sports car, making for an easy getaway.
“Fuck,” I mumbled, jerking my fingers through my dark hair. It was no one’s fault but my own. I sat there and let Blake go after Kaelynn. No one to blame by myself for my own stupidity.
“Sir? Did you valet?”
“No, I need to order an Uber.”
The young kid nodded. “Right.”
As I stood there and waited for my ride to show up, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about Blake with Kaelynn. His hands on her. His mouth on hers. I swore for a moment in the club she seemed like she had wanted to kiss me. Maybe she remembered how I had said I only wanted to be friends.
Friends.
A horn honked, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Nash?” the caller called out.
“Yeah, that’s me.” Climbing into the car’s backseat, I sat there and tried not to think about Blake and Kaelynn. This was probably for the best. Yeah, it was for the best. The way she made me feel couldn’t have been a good thing anyway. I thought I was ready to move on, but it was clear I wasn’t.
My phone rang in my pocket for the fourth time in a row. Cursing under my breath, I stepped away and pulled it from my jeans.
Morgan.
My heart sped up a bit as I swiped over it and answered. “Morgan? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sorry, Nash. Daddy said you were out on site at the Miller project. It’s just, I need a huge favor. Like a really, really big favor. You’re the only one I can count on for this.”
I headed toward my truck and away from all the noise of the construction site. It was only seven in the morning, but the earlier the crew got started, the better. Even in late November, the temperature in Texas could climb and we had less daylight to work with.
“What’s up?”
“Well, Kaelynn was supposed to leave this morning for Houston. Her car will not start, even after being jumped. The tow truck just left with it. She asked me if I could give her a ride, but I have to meet with a client for Dad at eleven, and they aren’t able to reschedule. Is there any way you can drive her to Houston?”
I laughed and then stopped when it was met with silence. “Wait, you’re serious? You want me to drop everything to drive Kaelynn to Houston? Why can’t she just rent a car, Morgan?”
“She left her purse somewhere last night.”
With a scoff, I replied, “Just have her call Blake. Maybe it’s in his BMW or at his house.”
“What are you talking about?” Morgan asked. “She left it in the Uber she thinks.”
Wait, what? Blake didn’t even have the decency to drive her home? What a douche. Not surprising, though. “Blake couldn’t even give her a ride home after they hooked up?”
“Hooked up? What in the hell are you talking about, Nash?”
“Morgan, she left with Blake last night. Why doesn’t she ask him for a ride?”
“What is wrong with you? Why are you being such a dick? This isn’t like you at all. Listen, I’ll find someone else to take her.”
Morgan hung up the phone and I pulled it back, staring at it in disbelief. “Holy shit. She hung up on me.”
“Who hung up on you?”
My gaze lifted to see Blake standing there. “What are you doing here?”
“Your dad hired me to give him a second opinion on the architectural design of the building.”
The feeling of being gut punched had me leaning over. I had already approved the design, and he knew that. “He did what?”
Blake went to take a drink of his coffee, then stopped. “Dude, he told me you knew. Said it was your suggestion.”
I shook my head. “Son of a bitch. Why can’t he trust me? For once, why the hell can’t he trust me?”
This fucking day was getting worse by the minute and it was only 7 a.m.
“Listen, Nash, you know I would never do anything behind your back. I honestly thought you knew. I’ll let you and your dad handle this.”
Holding up my hand to stop him, I interjected, “No. No, you’re here, so let’s just have you take a look around. The plans are in the trailer on my desk.”
He smiled, then nodded before he started toward the trailer.
“Blake, did Kaelynn leave her purse in your car last night? Morgan said she can’t find it.”
He spun around and walked backward. A huge smile covering his face. Fucker.
“Dude, she took an Uber home from the club last night. I struck out with her.”
I stared at him as he turned back to his original path.
A surge of relief mixed with guilt consumed me as I remembered how I had acted on the phone with Morgan earlier. “Great. How am I going to explain this to Morgan?”
PACING OUTSIDE THE hotel, I glanced at my watch again. “Morgan, where are you?”
The sound of a vehicle coming down the road caused me to stop and look. I tried to shield the sun from my eyes but could hardly make out the vehicle. It appeared to be a truck.
Not Morgan.
I went back to pacing as I pulled out my cell phone to send a text to Morgan.
Me: Where are you?
My phone dinged.
Morgan: Nash should be there any moment.
Stopping in my tracks, I stared at her reply.
“Nash?” I said out loud.
“Hey! Sorry I’m late.”
The sound of his voice sent shivers through my entire body. I slowly turned to see a black Ford truck with the passenger-side window down. He smiled, and it felt like the street might have jumped a little under my feet. For a moment I paused and wondered if earthquakes were native to Austin.
“What . . . why . . . I . . .”
Nice, Kaelynn. Really nice. Talk much?
“Come on, if we leave now you can still make it on time as long as we don’t hit any bad traffic.”
“Nash? What are you doing here?”
“Morgan called in a favor; hope you don’t mind.”
I stood there for a few moments, simply staring at him. Why did he have to be so good looking? How did he get that perfect, unshaven look on his face and why in the world was he wearing a baseball cap? A dirty one that read Barrett Constr
uction on it. It was sexy as hell.
“Kaelynn?”
His voice pulled me from the dirty places my mind was getting ready to travel to. “Right. Sorry! Sorry! I guess I was just surprised to see you,” I said, opening the truck door and climbing in.
A quick glance around showed it to be clean on the inside. My white linen pants were safe.
“It’s so clean in here.”
I regretted the words the moment they came out. What in the world is wrong with you, Kaelynn Shae?
“Um, thank you? Were you expecting it to be dirty?”
With a quick shrug of one shoulder, I dug myself in deeper. “I figured with your job and all, your truck would just be dirty.”
The look he gave me made my stomach twist in disgust at myself.
“Right, because of my job.”
“Wait, Nash, that’s not what I meant. I just thought since it’s construction and you’re getting in and out and it’s a truck. You know . . . all women think guys’ trucks are dirty.”
He nodded, then put his signal on and pulled out.
Crap. Crap. Crap. Way to sound like a snob, you idiot.
“I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I wasn’t meaning it in a bad way.”
“No worries, Kaelynn.”
He kept his eyes on the road in front of him.
Terrific. He’s probably comparing you to his snobby ex right this moment.
“My brother has a truck. I swear, I think mice live in it, and I’m pretty sure I found a pizza box in the front seat that had to be six months old.”
Nash glanced at me, a smile on his face.
“I’m a bit of a neat freak, so no worries about a mouse climbing up your pant leg. I can’t even stand to leave a cup of coffee in my truck.”
“Good!” I replied with a chuckle. Then, chewing on my lip, I added, “I really didn’t mean anything by that comment. I hope you know that.”
He nodded. “I do. I’m sorry for my reaction. It’s just . . . well . . . I’m sorry.”
“So what did Morgan have to do to talk you into helping me?”
“Nothing. We had a bit of a misunderstanding at first, but once I got my head out of my ass, I told her I was more than happy to help out.”
“Why did you have your head in your ass?” I asked, staring at him. Lord, this man was handsome. My fingers itched to reach over and run my fingers through his hair.
“Well, it’s sort of embarrassing to admit, but I thought you went home with Blake last night.”
My eyes widened in horror. “What? As in went home and hooked up with him?”
He sighed and his cheeks turned a hint of red. I looked straight out the window.
“I know we don’t really know one another, Nash, but I’m not that type of person.”
“That was what Morgan said after she bitched me out for even suggesting it. Truth be told, Kaelynn, I wasn’t the only one who thought that. Y’all had disappeared in the club, then came back and both left at the same time. Blake also said he was giving you a ride, so everyone’s mind went there, ya know.”
Embarrassment raced through my veins. The rest of them thought that as well? I flipped back through the conversation and paused in horror. It would have seemed that way, especially with the way Blake had hinted at taking me home.
“I’m so embarrassed. I didn’t . . . oh gosh. Your friends must think I’m a . . .” I let the words trail off.
Nash reached over and squeezed my hand. “It’s okay; you’re a grown woman and can go home with whomever you want, Kaelynn.”
I turned my head and looked at him. “Wait. So you didn’t want to drive me when you thought I had slept with Blake, but found out I hadn’t and you were okay with it?”
He paused for a moment. “Well, I mean, if you had spent the evening with him, I didn’t want him to be pissed at me. Like I was moving in on . . . anything.”
His reason made sense. For the briefest moment I had wanted him to be jealous at the thought of me being with another man. Wishful thinking on my part.
Slowly pulling in a long breath, I stared out the window and let it come out equally as slow.
“You okay?” Nash asked, concern laced in his voice.
“Yeah. Sorry, it’s just that I’m a little worried about my purse. I can’t believe I left it in the Uber.”
“Did you call the driver?”
“Yeah, he hasn’t returned my call yet.”
As if on cue, my phone rang.
“Hello? Yes, this is Kaelynn. You did? You do? Oh, that is amazing! If you could drop it off at the front desk of the hotel you dropped me off at, I would appreciate it. I’m headed to Houston right now. There’s an envelope there for you as well; be sure to get it. No, thank you so much!”
I hit end and fist-pumped. Nash laughed and looked at me. His eyes seemed to sparkle when he was happy.
“I take it that was the Uber driver?”
“Yes! He worked a late shift and the passenger who got in last found my purse on the floorboard and handed it to the driver. He had just woken up and gotten my message.”
“I’m so glad he found it. Hopefully everything is in there.”
“Yeah, I already put a hold on my credit cards that were in there, so fingers crossed they’re okay.”
“You might want to get new cards anyway. Nothing says someone didn’t write down your information to use later on.”
My thumb came up to my mouth, and I started to chew on my nail. “Oh, I didn’t even think of that.”
An instant wave of heat hit me when I felt him touch me. Pulling my thumb from my mouth, Nash squeezed my hand before releasing it.
“That’s a terrible habit.”
I giggled as I turned to look at him. “Yes, Dad, it is.”
Nash grinned and even from his side profile the man was insanely good looking. Then he gave me a glance and winked, which sent my libido into overdrive before he dutifully focused on the road ahead of him again.
I couldn’t help but wonder what in the hell was wrong with Lily, his ex-girlfriend. From what I’d seen so far and heard from Morgan, Nash was a stand-up guy. He was sweet, kind, cared about his sister and his friends. Morgan had told me last night how he helped plan the last-minute wedding between Charlie and Tucker. Plus, there was a fierceness in his eyes, one that I couldn’t really explain, but I got the clear impression that if this man was a friend of yours, there wouldn’t be anything he wouldn’t do for you.
His cell rang and he hit the button on the steering wheel. “Nash Barrett.”
“Nash, it’s Terri.”
“Hey, you’re on speakerphone. What’s up?”
“Who’s with you?”
Nash peeked over to me and replied, “Kaelynn, I’m driving her to Houston; her car broke down . . . it’s a long story.”
“Oh! Hey, Kaelynn!”
Smiling, I replied, “Hi, Terri.”
“Listen, Nash, I have a huge favor to ask of you.”
“What’s up?”
“I want to surprise Jim with something during the wedding.”
“Okay, what do you need from me?”
“Do you think you or Tucker can help me get Jim’s passport information? He thinks he can’t get off at work, but I’ve already arranged it with his boss for Jim to take two weeks off. I want to go to Ireland.”
Nash’s face exploded in a full-on grin. “Terri, he’s been wanting to go to Ireland for as long as I can remember.”
“I know! Charlie said she has a friend who has a lovely little cottage that sits on this bluff that overlooks the ocean. I really think Jim is going to be over the moon. I don’t know how to keep it a secret, though, if I have to ask him for his passport information to buy the plane tickets. The airline needs it ahead of time.”
Nash’s face went serious as he thought about it. “I think I know how to get it.”
“Oh my gosh, really, Nash? I will owe you so big if you can get that information to me as soon as possible. I think
I can buy the tickets now; I just need to get the information put in before the trip. With the wedding not that far way, I don’t want to risk anything.”
“It’s no problem at all, Terri. When do you need it by?”
“As soon as you can?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
You could hear little yelps of joy coming from through the phone. It was clear Terri had tried to cover the phone as she cried out in joy. “Nash, you are the best. Thank you! I’ll call later to find out the plan. I have to run. Love you! Bye, Kaelynn.”
“Bye, Terri!” The line went dead and I let out a chuckle. “She was excited.”
He nodded and smiled. “Yeah, those two have been dating forever. I’m glad to see them finally making it official.”
“What does Jim do for a living?”
“He’s a veterinarian. Works mostly with horses. Especially racehorses. He’s been known to fly to Kentucky, Europe, all those fun places where people with more money than sense seek his or his dad’s advice or help.”
“Wow . . . your friends are all pretty successful in their careers.”
Nash nodded and replied, “Yeah. They’re a great group.”
“It’s great to see Charlie finally getting to pursue her dreams,” he continued. “She gave up a lot, including Tucker, just to make her father happy.”
“What do you mean she gave up Tucker?”
“Back in college they had the hots for each other. We all saw it except for the two of them. One weekend, they finally gave in to their attraction. Charlie ended up walking away, though, leaving Tucker pretty heartbroken. Her father put a lot of pressure on her to take over CMI someday, and Charlie put the company before everything else in her life for the longest time.”
I stared out the window. “Wow. But they made their way back to each other?” I asked, glancing back over to Nash.
Nash laughed. “Yeah, they did. In a crazy way, like only the two of them would. It’s a crazy story. They’re happy though, and that makes all of us happy. It was pretty tough the first few years with them hating on each other. Made the rest of the group feel weird, but we adapted. I think deep down we all knew the two of them would end up together. They were meant to be.”
Tilting my head, I regarded him for a few moments. He must have felt my stare because he gave me a quick look and asked, “What?”
Entice Me ~ Kelly Elliott Page 6