Page 22 of The Forever Formula
He whistled and shook his head. “You have it bad, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?” I kept my gaze trained on them as we spoke. They were headed our way, so I didn’t need to follow.
“You want Rachel. Otherwise, you would have mentioned her friend is a smoking-hot babe.”
I guess I hadn’t even noticed her friend. “Shush, they’re close,” I warned him. They weren’t in earshot, but I didn’t want to risk it.
As Rachel spotted me, I nodded, beckoning her over to us.
I introduced Megan to my brother. God help her. He quickly ushered her away to the counter to buy her one of our beers.
“Sorry about him,” I said to Rachel. “How are the renovations coming along?”
“The power washer worked wonders. Thanks for that tip. And the loaner.”
“Glad to hear it.”
I knew what I needed to say next, and I repeated the words in my head. If I didn’t have ulterior motives, they would sound natural. Finally, I went for it.
“So, are all these renovations happening with something bigger in mind?” I held my breath while I waited for her reaction.
Rachel shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea.” She chuckled lightly at her own indecision.
Her easy smile told me she wasn’t on to me, so I continued.
“Really?” I said in a shocked tone. “I wondered.”
“Things back in Houston ... well, there are nothings back in Houstonfor me.”
“What about your job?” I asked. I knew Rachel had worked her ass off to become a nurse. And I’d heard from my mom that she loved it.
Rachel frowned and her cheeks turned a little pink. “I was laid off.”
My heart sank at her words. “Oh shit, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“Yeah. I didn’t even tell Grandpa when it happened. I didn’t want him to worry about me.”
“What about your place back in Houston? Will it be all right while you’re here?”
Curious, I continued to pry. It felt like an overstep, but in the back of my mind, I was searching for anything that might help me figure out her intentions.
She let out a cynical snort. “Funny story. I lived with my fiancé, and we broke up a few weeks ago. I hadn’t had a chance to find a new place yet, since I was out of work.”
Holy. Crap.
Living with her ex while she was unemployed and trapped? I suddenly felt like the world’s biggest ass for asking. That, and I was a little sick at the thought of her having a fiancé.
“Wow. I am officially an ass for prying. Please shut me up.”
She laughed and gave my forearm a squeeze that sent butterflies pattering against the walls of my stomach. “Buy me a drink to make up for it.”
“Of course. What’s your poison?”
“Anything but that Kodiak Creek Ale. That stuff tastes like horse piss,” she said loudly, looking around.
I scrunched my nose at her. “All right. Good one. Are we even now?”
“I don’t know. Did I ever pay you back for that time you tripped me, and I rolled down the hill and sprained my elbow?”
