Page 7 of 40 and (No Longer) Fighting It
Lily took her hand and dragged her toward the opposite end of the yard from where JD and Lincoln stood. Claire braced herself for whatever was coming, but when Lily turned back around, there was only empathy staring down at her.
She squared her shoulders.
“Claire, you know you’re going to be working with him, don’t you?”
“I know he is in charge of the restaurant and brewery.”
“And he’ll probably have a hand in designing the bakery as well.”
Claire gulped. “So…better be nice, huh?”
A smile curved Lily’s mouth at Claire’s attempt to joke. She glanced over Claire’s shoulder across the backyard. “I never would have guessed he was the Iron Chef. He’s been at JD’s house since yesterday, and he hasn’t seemed…pissy.”
“Well, he was then.” She peeked over her shoulder too, turning back quickly when her gaze met Lincoln’s. “He obviously remembers me, which was more than I thought he’d do.” And that couldn’t be a good thing.
“Look,” Lily said, “I know you two didn’t do so well in the classroom, but maybe it was just a classroom thing? You know, being an authority figure?”
Except he hadn’t treated the other students with disdain. His condescension had made the fact that she was attracted to him all the more confusing.
When Claire remained silent, Lily squeezed her hand. “I don’t think you’ll be having any problems with him, Claire. And I don’t see JD putting up with any antics either.”
“Maybe.”
Lily gave her a hug, then returned to JD. Trying her best to ignore the guest of honor, Claire fussed with the food, consulting with Clay about the barbecue and watching carefully as the guests began to eat. Only when smiles showed all around and she was certain everyone was happy did she move to fix her own plate.
She was scooping a spoonful of strawberry-pretzel salad from the pan when a shadow showed up alongside hers.
“That’s pretty good,” a deep, masculine voice said. Lincoln’s voice. “I’ve never had it before.”
“I don’t think they serve this at Michelin-rated restaurants. It’s a Southern thing.”
Did that sound pissy? It had sounded pissy, hadn’t it? Lily had claimed Lincoln didn’t sound pissy, so now Claire was in the wrong.
Her grip tightened on the spoon.
“The best food isn’t always served in the top restaurants,” Lincoln conceded.
She tried to keep her eyes from bugging out, but this was Lincoln Young, saying a simple side dishthat she had madewas, what, some of the best?
Not seeming put off, Lincoln held out his plate. “Could I have some more?”
Narrowing her gaze on him, she plopped the scoop she’d intended for her own plate onto Lincoln’s. He’d filled up with more barbecue too. Clayton always had been a genius when it came to meat.
Lincoln didn’t immediately move away. Instead he spooned up a bite from his plate while he watched Claire take her own scoop. His scrutiny nearly had her missing her plate.
“Careful.”
She couldn’t help it; she shot him a glare. “I am perfectly capable of serving my own food, thank you very much.”
Lincoln’s gaze, just as intense as it had always been when he’d stared at her, lightened the slightest bit. One side of his firm mouth tipped up. “You always were feisty.”
Feisty? She fought the urge to stomp her foot. That reaction was for twelve-year-olds, not responsible forty-year-old businesswomen. Instead she tightened her lips and moved on to the cupcakes, snagging one for after she finished her food.
When she turned to find a seat, Lily was waving her over to their table. Silent, Lincoln walked beside her across the lawn.
It was that silence that finally did her in, scratching along her nerves until she couldn’t bear it any longer. If she waited to reach the table, chances were she’d embarrass herself again, so she stopped halfway, turning to face him. “What is it you want, Lincoln?”
His blue-gray eyes, so light, should have been an open book, but that wasn’t Lincoln. His stare seared, burned its way into her innermost thoughts in a way she’d hated nine years ago. Now, with the consequences of his actions lying between them, she hated it even more. And worse, he seemed to see everything while giving away absolutely nothing. “I don’t want anything more than to get to know you again, Claire. We’re going to be working together, after all.”
