Page 39 of Hard to Love
Alex scanned the room, and although he tried admirably to school his expression, Greer saw the pain when he spotted a cow painted with squiggly worm-like strokes, making it look like a strange sheepdog. And another washed with every color provided on the palette, which gave it a mad cow disease vibe.
“You wanted to know why I brought you here?”
“I don’t think it was because you’re shopping for something new to hang in your living room.”
“People are hungry to bring art into their lives. And not just something they buy off a gallery wall. They want art that’s not only accessible but that they understand. And even better, pieces they’ve had some hand in creating.” She took his hand, and her heart blipped at the feel of his warm skin on hers. “I can do that, Alex, with Wild Card. But I need someone to help me with the barn, help me get it off the ground.”
“Why not your brother? Didn’t you tell me he could build pretty much anything?”
This was the tricky part. She should’ve never let that little nugget of info out, but how could she have known how important it would become for her to talk Alex into believing in this idea too?
“Cal isn’t available right now, so I thought, since you’re living out at the barn, you could help me get it ready for the competition.”
“And what’s in it for me?”
“I can pay you.”
“For once, barter sounds like a better idea to me.” He ran his thumb along her knuckles, such a simple touch, but it made Greer’s breath hitch. “But why do I have a feeling this was your plan all along?”
Because Alex Villanueva was nobody’s fool.
Chapter Eleven
Turned out, Alex was a harder worker than Greer had even imagined. When she showed up each morning, he already had his hands in some project. Today, she was running late, and when she made it to Wild Card, Alex was standing on a ladder, one arm stretched high above his head while he swatted away cobwebs. His untucked shirt rode up to his waistband but still withheld a glimpse of that golden skin she so wanted to lay eyes on again.
Eyes? Heck, she wanted to lay her whole body on it.
“Hey, there.”
Alex jerked down his arm, and the ladder rocked wildly from side to side, but he held on. “Jesus, what is it with you and sneaking up on a guy?”
“I don’t sneak. I simply walk. Maybe you feel that way because you have something to hide.”
He turned his face away from her and climbed off the ladder, shutting her out. How would she ever convince this man he could trust her?
“Thanks for taking care of those spider webs. Today, I thought we’d patch that hole in the floor and—”
“Already done.”
Her gaze went to the corner where yesterday the wood flooring had been rotting through. “Okay, then I’d like to check all the lighting—”
“Got that too.”
“—and test the fans.”
“They work perfectly, although if you crank those babies up to high, everyone’ll look like they’re starring on that new Telenovela show.”
She scanned the space. Surely, there was something else they needed to finish. After all, cleaning up the building had become about more than just the competition. It had become a way for her to spend time with Alex, a way to get to know him better without being tempted to grope him. “I’d say we could go ahead and set up the artisan spaces, but I rented all the tables, curtains, and other stuff. The rental company isn’t delivering it for two days.” And what in the world would she do with herself until then?
“You look disappointed we’ve made so much progress.”
“No, it’s not that exactly. I’m just a little…”
“Restless? How long has it been since you’ve done work in your own studio?”
His question caught her sideways. “Not all that long. Maybe since…since…”
“You don’t remember, do you?” Alex’s hands framed his hips in a masculinely aggressive pose. “You’ve been running around trying to make all this happen, yet you’ve ignored your own art. What do you think that means?”
