Page 32 of A Little More

“Ha! No way. Considering all my guy friends back home, Nash doesn’t need my help with women. Cameron, my cousin, I don’t know how in the world he snagged his girlfriend. Dewey doesn’t seem to date much, if at all. The only thing about Nash is, with his history, I’m a little surprised that he’d start something with you, being so far away that is.”

“What about his history?”

Juliana took a sip and looked away. “I’d rather let him tell you.”

Dang. That only upped her intrigue about him.

“But, I will tell you that he hasn’t dated since his divorce. Always claims he’s too busy with the farm, but I think it’s because he’s never found anyone in Statem worth dating.”

“I saw several pretty women there.”

“Oh,” Juliana said. “There are several. But he’s known most of them all his life.”

“What about Gina?”

Her eyebrows shot down. “Gina? I don’t know Gina.”

“She’s fairly young.” She almost added with bleach blond hair and big boobs, but that seemed a shallow way to classify her.

Juliana shrugged. “I may not know her, but I know Nash isn’t dating anyone. Especially anyone in town. Gossip travels all the way to Atlanta.” She sipped her wine a moment, watching Lexi with a serious expression. “I do hope the two of you give dating a shot.”

“I’m not dating Nash.”

“But you want to?” Juliana nodded her head. “I’ll say it for you. Yes, you want to date Nash. By the way, how did you meet Charlie?”

“On the elevator in my building. The problem with meeting Nash the way I did is that he’s off-limits. My boss will fire me.” Julien’s cryptic message still worried her. “And I’m not into the whole marriage thing. A long-distance relationship would be too much of a commitment to consider. It’s sort of a catch-22 at this point. Can’t date him while he’s a client. It wouldn’t work afterward.”

“I see. The distance you can’t sneak around. Statem isn’t getting any closer to Atlanta.” She finished the bottle between the two glasses, tapping hers to Lexi’s. “But you can sneak around while he’s a client. No one in Statem is going to spill the beans. They wouldn’t even know your company’s rule. And seriously, how would your boss find out?”

“What if he comes down again and someone mentions it? What if Nash isn’t discreet about a date?”

Juliana slouched. “Good grief, it’s exhausting living inside your head. You run a mile-a-minute like Becky does. Nash is a super sweet guy.”

Nash was the whole package. Sweet. Hot. Smart. Funny. Nash was the man that made her feel desirable. No other man had hooked her so quickly with one look.

Juliana threw her hands in the air. “Come on! Just tell Nash that you can’t date in public. He’s creative. I’m sure he’ll come up with something.” She winked. “There’s plenty of dark country roads to get lost on down in Statem.”

8

Charlie’s gray four-door sedan sat parallel parked in front of the French bistro. It was a hybrid car, with the latest technology. On their last date, he’d pulled up his car’s app, going over the diagnostics with her. Becausethatwas what she wanted from a man on a date. To hear all about how his car, named Cindy she’d found out, did on her oil performance last month. He would start riding a bicycle to work before he drove a gas-guzzling truck like Nash’s.

Lexi crossed the intersection, a rare, cool, May breeze blew right through her knit shirt. Atlanta seemed a world away from Nash, including the suppressive heat.

Other than when she blissfully found herself engulfed in work, her mind wandered into dangerous territory, thinking of him as an actual possibility after her late-night, two bottles of wine, date with Juliana. Sneaking around to stay a weekend here and there with Ms. Peggy… or him. That’s why she’d accepted Charlie’s invitation to lunch. She had a life waiting for her on the other side of her time with Nash. Something she had to remember.

If she ever got the nerve to call him again.

Because it had been almost ten days since she last saw him. Five since they spoke longer than a two or three-minute conversation.

Damn it, but she missed him. She’d gone over exactly why she liked him, beyond the good looks.

Easy. Paraphrasing Jessica Rabbit: He makes me laugh.

Lexi pushed her hair away from her face. Her obsession had become borderline in need of professional help. Although, today, she’d changed her mind.

Again.

She could resist the temptation to basically drop-kick her career into the trash and take Nash up on his offer of a few dates.

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