Page 67 of A Little More

“Don’t act like you care. You always buy my drinks.” Becky handed the glass to Juliana for her to have a sip. “I’m not giving up that perk just because you brought a date.”

Juliana hummed. “Oh, that’s good. I’ll take one of those.”

“Would you like anything, Addie?”

“Still working on my beer.”

Lexi managed not to fidget, even with Nash standing so close. He took care of all of them, and they accepted it, releasing the control, allowing him to make an effort, spend the money. For her, allowing him to pay for food, drinks, used to annoy the hell out of her. Now, it brought increased pressure behind her sternum. Panic. Because, after being with Nash and understanding what makes him tick as a man, she wanted to give him that small shred of control.

She could do it.

Small steps.

“I’ll take another wine, too.” Lexi tilted her head back, judging his reaction. She hadn’t meant it as an invitation, but Nash lowered his head, capturing her lips. The smooth taste of beer made her want to drink more. His hand palmed the back of her head. She held onto his shoulders to keep from being dumped out of the chair.

The group around them started clapping and shouting.

He smiled against her lips, and the kiss ended. Oddly, she didn’t feel embarrassed by the good-natured jokes from the women around the table.

“Sorry. Couldn’t help it.” He winked before walking away.

A dreamy look fell on Juliana’s face. “That’s what I want.” She sat up straight when both Becky and Addie’s mouths fell open. “Not Nash. God, it’d be like dating Cameron.”

Lexi patted her hand. “You’ll find him.”

The topic switched from Nash to Juliana finishing college, albeit later than most, and Lexi relaxed back in the chair. If only her boss Julien would be as accepting of their relationship as Nash’s friends had been.

17

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you?” Lexi waited as Nash installed the oven. He’d installed everything else alone, but she was beginning to feel a little useless. And jittery. The kitchen was almost done. John would be down later today, and they could go over the job site together to see if anything needed to be altered before she was officially rendered useless. John had told her to wait for him before doing the walkthrough, and Nash had kept her busy overseeing his kitchen.

They had not left the house other than to visit Ms. Peggy. Three days straight of renovations. Each morning, Nash would ride around his fields to determine if he could do something about the crops, and then come back to tell her the fields were still flooded.

Part of her wondered if he did that so she’d stay longer. Not that she minded. Waking each morning curled up next to him made it easy to ignore the firestorm waiting for her back at the office.

Julien, John, and everyone else had called or texted her the past few days. Today, however, her phone was off. Or dead. A convenient lapse in memory to charge it had made her morning exceptionally peaceful. She thought of her co-worker, Marshall, who always managed to forget to charge his phone. She could see the upside to that strategy.

Nash carefully slid the oven back against the wall. “If you want to flip the breaker, I think we’re done.” He looked around the room. “Only thing left is that perfect sink you picked out.”

“Shut up. You know you like it.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s still sitting in the living room from where they delivered it yesterday.” Lexi headed out of the room, only to have Nash pull her back to him.

His kiss didn’t indicate that he’d realized their excuse for being together had come to an end like she had. Julien’s last message had made it clear that he didn’t expect her to work any further on the shop after this trip. With the kitchen done, they’d leave the umbrella of “temporary” and move into a long-distance…relationship.

Sadness bubbled up. Again. Stupid feelings. Why couldn’t she construct something that protected her heart? She’d resolved herself that whether Julien found out eventually or not, she wouldn’t blame Nash.

He drew back, kissing the tip of her nose before patting her on the butt and sending her to the breaker box to flip the electricity back on.

Entering this arrangement, giving in to the attraction that didn’t have any future, had been of her own choosing. If Julien fired her over it, she’d find another job in Atlanta. Because a serious relationship with Nash wasn’t an option.

She never wanted anything serious. With anyone. That was the path they were headed if they stayed together. Love wasn’t something she had ever craved.

And she’d found it with a man determined to take care of her in every way possible. Her, Lexi Caden, a woman that didn’t need a man for anything, had fallen head over heels in love with a man who found his own identity in providing for others. It would drive him crazy, being in Statem while she had her life and solved her own problems.

Addie could move anywhere in the country with her job. For her, moving to Statem for Cameron seemed logical. A commercial architect didn’t have the same flexibility. And Nash had already proved with his last marriage that he suffocated in a major city.

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