Page 80 of Keep My Heart
‘Maybe. If she wants to.’
‘I’d say that’s a yes.’
‘Why?’ I look up at him on the ladder.
He chuckles. ‘She fucking wants you, dude. Didn’t you see how she was looking at you? I only got that look from Tessa when we were dating, and when I did .?.?.’ He shakes his head. ‘Those were some damn good nights. Not that the sex isn’t good now, but you know how it is when the relationship’s new and hot and you haven’t had to clean up kid puke together in the middle of the night.’
‘I’m glad to say I’ve never had to do that.’
‘You will, and let me tell you, it sucks, but it’s part of having kids. Anyway, going back to Lyndsay, she totally wants you. Too bad you’re leaving tomorrow. But hey, you still have tonight.’
‘We’re just friends. How many times do I need to say it?’
‘You can say it all you want, but you two are not just friends. You both want each other. You just refuse to act on it.’
‘Because I’m leaving, and so is she. Now can we stop talking about this and get to work? We don’t have much time left.’
We work until three, getting as much done as we could. Iwould’ve liked to do more, but I wanted to have time to clean up and get ready for Lyndsay’s party. I have some errands to run before it starts, like getting the cake I promised her.
I’m not ready to say goodbye to her, especially knowing it might be the last time I see her. Reconnecting with Lyndsay this weekend has really messed with my head. This trip was supposed to just be a quick trip home for my mom’s birthday but ended up making me reevaluate my life. Seeing Matt with his family and my parents so in love .?.?. it really got to me, which is odd because it usually doesn’t affect me. I’ve been here plenty of times and never felt this way. But this time was different. Seeing Lyndsay again and having these feelings for her has made me think about how much I need that in my life .?.?. someone to love the way Matt loves his wife, or the kind of enduring love my parents have. I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever find that, or if I already have, with Lyndsay.
Chapter 18
Lyndsay
‘The dinner was wonderful,’ I say to Martha.
‘I’m glad you enjoyed it.’ She looks around the table, smiling. ‘It’s nice having everyone here. It’s rare I get all my boys in one place. They’re all so busy now, and of course with Nick in New York it’s even harder.’
‘But it sounds like he’s very successful,’ my mom says.
‘About to make partner,’ Mr. Kanfield proudly says.
‘Not yet,’ Nick says, ‘but I’m working on it.’
I’ve been trying not to stare at Nick all night, but I keep doing it. He wore a shirt and tie to the party and paired it with jeans, the perfect look for dinner in the barn. We had the party out here since the tables were already set up and we still had all the decorations from the night before.
I’m doing it again. I’m staring at Nick. He’s just so damn handsome. And today in the fields .?.?. I’m getting hot just thinking about it. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and I couldn’t take my eyes off his muscular chest and arms and his washboard abs. Even Chris never looked that good back when he was playing football andworked out all the time. If you saw him now, you’d never guess he used to be an athlete. He’s put on at least 40 pounds and none of it is muscle. Most of it went to his stomach. I used to ask him to work out with me, but he wouldn’t do it. He’s not even close to looking like the guy I dated in high school. I think that’s why he won’t go to the reunion. He doesn’t want anyone seeing him like that.
‘I’ll be right back,’ Nick says, getting up.
‘Where’s he going?’ Brody asks, looking to see where Nick went.
‘Shut up,’ Sawyer whispers to him. ‘It’s a surprise.’
Nick returns holding a huge chocolate cake. He sets it on the table and I see ‘Congratulations, Lyndsay!’ written on top in pink frosting. Around it are math symbols and a math book.
‘Nick, I love it!’ I jump up and run to the end of the table to give him a hug. ‘Thank you!’
‘He had to get Agnes to open the bakery for that,’ my mom says. ‘She’s usually closed on Sundays.’
‘How’d you get her to come in?’ I ask Nick.
‘I promised her Broadway tickets for a show she wants to see. She’s going to New York in August to see her granddaughter.’
‘Nick, you have to let me pay you for those.’
‘Yeah, that’s not happening. Go try your cake.’
