Page 66 of A Little More

“Are you against something serious?” Juliana asked.

Lexi pressed her lips together, scanning the room like the answer might pop up. “It’s complicated.”

Becky hopped down from her chair and thankfully saved Lexi from giving any other explanation. “Juliana, you good with going down to P.C. this year?”

“Anywhere away from my father.” Juliana watched Lexi with a touch of curiosity. “Are you coming on the trip?”

“I don’t think so.” Because that would be setting plans. A future.

“Here we go.” Nash returned with two wines and a bucket of beer. He set the bucket in the middle of the table of guys and passed off her wines. Wines. With anS. He’d brought her two.

He shrugged when she held them both up. “It’s Happy Hour. Two for one.”

“Does that mean you have to get two? Isn’t it just half price?” Although, with the attention aimed her direction and her lack of answers to give, she might need both.

“At Rhonda’s it means you buy two,” Cameron announced, opening a beer for Addie and then one for himself. “Rhonda doesn’t go through much wine in this place, and she hates to waste alcohol. Tell us about yourself, Lexi. Did you grow up in Atlanta?”

With everyone’s attention now on her, she took a small sip before answering. “Yes.”

“And you’re an architect?”

“Give it a rest, Cam.” Juliana linked her arm with Lexi and pulled her to a table in the corner, Becky following behind them.

Becky relieved Lexi of one of her wines. “Lexi has more important things to discuss.” She shot a look over her shoulder aimed at Nash. “Like all the details on how she snagged one of the most eligible bachelors in the county. Come over with us, Addie. Cameron isn’t likely to run off while you’re here.”

And while Lexi concentrated on answering the women’s questions and trying to keep up with their conversation, Nash kicked back with his friends, shooting her sexy-as-hell looks and giving her an unwanted taste of what being in a relationship would feel like.

What being part of his life might look like.

Without the distance. Without their two separate lives.

Great. It gave her one more thing to miss when she had to say goodbye.

Watching the women discussing Nash, with their good-natured jokes, made it evident that they were all best friends. They all cared about him.

“I don’t know Nash as well as the rest of you, but I know exactly why you’re attracted to him.” Addie tipped her beer toward the table of men. “Guys like them are different.” She smiled wider. “In a good way.”

“I couldn’t date any of the men sitting at that table, so more power to both you ladies. Growing up with those yahoos mean they know more about me than needed. Nope.” Becky crossed her arms. “I don’t plan on marrying anyone except Batman. Thor is a close runner up.”

“I’d rather date a man who knew my secrets over living with my father for the foreseeable future. Just keeping him healthy is enough of a challenge without adding on dating. When I got home from school, I found a full bottle of pills for his blood pressure. I had it filled three months ago.”

Becky laid her head on Juliana’s shoulder. “But you’re home now so everything should even out. He won’t worry you’ll leave and never come back.”

“Knowing my dad, he’ll have me married off to Chester by Christmas. Then, I’ll never leave Statem.”

Becky barked out a laugh while Addie grimaced and said, “poor thing.”

The women were best friends. Really, they were all best friends. Lexi glanced back at the table of men, focusing on Nash. He rose, doing that cowboy saunter toward her that caused her to salivate. She drained the wine from her glass.

Addie made a little sound of acknowledgment. “You girls are just too used to seeing a man like that. They don’t grow them like that in other parts of the world.”

“You moved down here to be with Cameron, right?” Lexi asked, not taking her eyes off Nash.

Juliana made a little humming noise, and Lexi realized how her question sounded, but she didn’t want to correct it and draw more attention to the insinuation. She couldn’t move to the small town.

Addie picked at the edge of the label on her beer. “Yes. I work on computers and can do my job anywhere. Cameron offered to move to California, but this is his home. I grew up in California, but I don’t have any real attachment to the state.” She watched Cameron a long moment, growing serious. “He wouldn’t be happy anywhere else.”

Nash set his hands on the back of Lexi’s chair. “Do you want another glass of wine?” He smiled at Becky, who currently had control of the second glass he’d brought. “Since yours was commandeered.”

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