Page 43 of Just One of the Groomsmen
“Oh, is that because he’s so fast?”
Gaze locked on to Addie’s, he said, “Sure.Oneof the reasons anyway.”
She shook her head and lost her battle to hold back her smile, just like he lost his battle to prevent his brain from replaying the flashing incident.
Curiosity over what bra she had on today hijacked his thoughts, dragging them right into the gutter, a place he was perfectly happy to live for a while.
“Fine,” Lottie said. “He’sforgiven, but you owe me.”
Tucker juggled Flash to his other side so he could pull out his wallet. “How much?”
“Not money. My daughter’s getting divorced and she needs a good lawyer.”
“Oh, uh, that’s not really my thing. Even when I was practicing law, I didn’t deal with divorces.”
Lottie crossed her arms, and the canary-eating grin she flashed made him feel like he’d fallen into some sort of intricate trap. “Well, Tucker Crawford. Unless you can get me twenty yards of white tulle by the time I close up shop tonight, you’d better make it your thing.”
…
After getting Tucker’s phone number so her daughter could call him for legal counsel and one last disdainful look at Addie’s muddy clothes, Lottie carried her grass-stained wad of fabric back to her craft store.
The whole thing made Addie feel like a kid who’d been reprimanded, but at the same time, it’d been the highlight of the past few days.
She wasn’t sure if that was sad or not, but there it was anyway.
She scratched the top of the puppy’s head. “Flash, huh?”
Tucker didn’t even bother acting ashamed. “What can I say? It just fits.”
As if she needed a reminder of that embarrassing flashing incident. Which was why she was back to her plain T-shirt and yoga pants wardrobe.
Her job meant helping people repair and retrain their muscles, and often included a lot of bending and demonstrating stretches. Her sports bra kept the girls plastered in place and her panties fully covered her butt. Maybe she didn’t feel super sexy, but she did feel less exposed, not to mention more comfortable.
Tucker let Flash down to walk but kept tight hold of the leash as they headed toward the gazebo. “So, how’d the date with the dentist go? Or should I say late-night escapade?”
Her jaw dropped. “Dude.Not cool. Are you trying to start another fight?”
“I was trying to be the supportive friend who asks about your date,” he said.
She shot him a skeptical look, and he shrugged.
“Fine. I was stirring up trouble. Seems to be a habit I can’t break when it comes to you, a sentiment Lottie obviously shares.”
The joke at the end softened it, but things had felt off the past few days, and it was more than the unknown heaviness with Lexi. Addie had gone to text Tucker more than once and then hesitated because of their last heated interaction.
While they hadn’t argued a lot growing up—save football—when they did, gunpowder met flame rather quickly. “I just don’t want to fight.”
“Me neither,” he said, shoving his free hand into his pocket.
More and more, her thoughts drifted into territory they shouldn’t where Tucker was concerned. Even now she was fighting against noticing the way the muscles in his arms stood out, and her pulse quickened as she remembered the moment when he’d wrapped one around her and curled her to his firm chest.
It’d been so comfortable there.
But then that gunpowder had gone off andpoof, the sense of security and happy vibes disappeared.
It was a good reality check. Allowing attraction and neglected hormones to filter into the mix sent tensions that much higher. Fights snowballed easier; they had more devastating effects.
After what Shep had said about the stress between him and Lexi, Addie had been thinking a lot about the complications relationships brought and how much hard work went into keeping one strong. If she crossed lines with Tucker, they’d never again just be the kids who grew up together.
