Page 80 of Not Fooling Anyone

“Aisle two,” I tell him, sensing he wants to be in and out as quickly as possible.

He sighs, glancing around. “Can you just get it for me? I don’t even know what a level looks like.”

Wow. And he calls himself a Hudson?

“I’ll grab it,” Scott says. “Ethan’s working.”

He leaves to head to the other side of the store as Jacob kicks at a stray nail on the floor.

I go back to unloading my pallet, the rubber mallets next. “I’m surprised you offered to come here for Dad.”

He shrugs. “It was either that or listen to Jordan go on and on about some girl he met. I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Why is Jordan even over at the house this early on a Saturday morning?

“He mentioned you, too.”

“Me?” I haven’t talked to him since that family dinner last week. Oh, shit. I said I’d call Mom more, didn’t I? I make a mental note to do that on my break today.

“Said he saw you on campus with some girl. He was asking us if you’d mentioned anything about getting a girlfriend.”

And he couldn’t have texted me a heads up he was going to tell the whole family about it? Or, you know, asked me himself?

“He must mean Lexie,” I say, turning away to readjust the hand saws. “She’s a friend. Maybe more than a friend. I don’t know.” Maybe tonight will clarify things better. She at least agreed to come over. That’s promising.

“Okay.” He doesn’t press the issue, unconcerned with the dilemmas of my love life, but he’s not the guy I’d go to if I wanted girl advice. Actually… Scott is.

He returns with the cheapest level we have, ushering Jacob up to the front where he rings him up with an employee discount before Keith notices.

Scott joins me again, but before he can start in on lecturing me to quit here and find a better job, I ask him, “So you have experience with women, right?”

“What?” He blinks, thrown off by my extreme change of subject.

“I mean, you were married. You must have a pretty good idea how women think.”

His brows knit, nose scrunching. “I’m pretty sure I don’t. If I did, I’d still be married.”

Fair point. “Well, let’s say you were with a girl who was kind of a commitment-phobe. How would you get her to be more interested in you?”

“I wouldn’t,” he says bluntly. “I’m not chasing after anyone.”

Would he be the type to end up with a Savannah? Because she’s right there, offering herself? But isn’t that how he ended up here at this job so long? Because it was easy? Because it doesn’t offer any challenge? And then he complains about it.

Now, I’m not knocking the easy road. Sometimes you take it when you need to focus your attention on other areas of your life.

But with your partner? That’s different. While the confidence Savannah first displayed might have been attractive, the way she keeps flirting with me when she knows I have a girlfriend isn’t.

But am I only interested in Lexie because of the chase? Because I’ve had to work so hard at chipping away at her walls?

It’s something to consider, but I don’t think that’s the case. When she finally let me in last night, sharing details about her mother, physically getting closer, yielding to me in bed… It had only made me want her more. Want to discover all her secrets. And that could take a lifetime.

Am I up for the challenge?

“Thanks, man,” I tell Scott. “That was helpful.”

He stares at me, confused. “I didn’t answer your question.”

“I know. I realized I need to do the opposite of you. No offense.”

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