Three
Will knew, on some level, that it was wrong to be enjoying himself so much. After slipping on his lightweight coat, he grabbed his book, tucked it under his arm, and put one hand gently on Lexi’s shoulder. The woman, tall and lanky with a gorgeous mass of wavy hair piled like the Leaning Tower of Pisa on her head, was what his youngest sister would call a hot mess. He’d never understood the term before. Or realized it didn’t tell the whole story. She might be having a bad day but that smile, the steely determination to keep going—those things were extremely captivating.
He knew only the bare minimum. Her name was Lexi, she went scary pale when she was nervous, she didn’t want to talk to the women at the other table, and waitressing wasn’t one of her special skills.
Even with that little bit of intel, he had a feeling that she was not the type of woman who wanted to be rescued. Which would be a good thing in normal circumstances because Will was not that guy. As he repeatedly told his mother, hoping she’d take the hint, he was no one’s prince. But he’d been in enough boardroom standoffs to know how to make a strategic exit.
As Brett closed the distance between them, Will squeezed Lexi’s shoulder.
He leaned down, spoke low so only Lexi could hear him. “If you trust me for five minutes, I’ll get you out of here smoothly.”
She turned her head, bringing their faces incredibly close. He noted the little freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her brows furrowed. “Better than the alternative.” She glanced back at the women, gave a big smile and small wave.
Brett looked closer to twenty than Will’s own age of thirty. He wore his department store suit well enough. Will knew the type—decent guy looking for his shot to head up the ladder. If such a thing existed at a small, one-off, albeit popular restaurant.
Will turned to face the manager, reaching out a hand as he angled himself between the guy and Lexi. Brett stopped in surprise, shook Will’s hand, giving him the opportunity to clap the guy on the shoulder, lean in, and firm up Lexi’s excuse. “Hey, Brett. I’m Will. A friend of Lexi’s. She’s got a family emergency. I’m going to take her home. Can you meet me at the front door with her bag or whatever she brought to work?”
No one else could hear them but he saw Lexi, from the corner of his eye, watching them with worry.
Brett, the no-nonsense manager Will expected him to be, nodded quickly. “Absolutely. Of course.” He looked over at Lexi. “Take care of yourself.”
Lexi’s nose scrunched up adorably. Will nodded to the women watching them closely, thanked the waitress, and took Lexi by the arm. They went out the glass patio door that ought to be locked if they didn’t want people eating and running off. They’d walked around the side of the building that led to the front entrance before she stopped.
“Oh my God. I can’t believe I just walked out on a shift because I was too much of a wimp to tell my former high school friends I’m a waitress. What am I doing?” She looked up at Will with regret and disappointment that made his heart muscles clench. The front door of the restaurant opened. Brett saw them immediately and passed Lexi a jean jacket and a huge cloth shoulder bag.
“I’ll find someone to cover the rest of your shift, Lexi. Good luck with everything.”
Will nodded, taking her things. “Thanks, man. We’ll keep you updated.”
The best offense was generalization. Fill in none of the blanks but make the opposition feel useful. Like they’d helped arrive at the necessary conclusion.
Brett hesitated a moment, then went back inside. Will turned, looking down at Lexi as he passed her the bag and jacket.
“Thank you. I don’t even know what to say.” She shrugged. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why don’t we take a short walk? Help you clear your head while you decide what to do next.”
She pulled on the worn jacket that was too thin to combat the cool weather, settled the strap of her large purse across her body, making the T-shirt scrunch between her breasts. Will immediately lifted his gaze, focused on her face. When she shoved both hands into her hair, most of the tower toppled. She pulled out some invisible pins and the loose waves bounced around her face, making her look even more lovely.
“Everything happened so fast. I was just thinking maybe I didn’t completely suck at the whole waitressing gig and things would turn around.” She made a dismissive sound, lowered her hands.
“You don’t suck,” he said. He had two sisters and a mother. He knew to keep his commentary brief. She probably just wanted to vent.
An amused smile hovered on her lips. “Thanks for lying.”
The honesty surprised a laugh out of him. They stepped around a couple arguing on the sidewalk, heading in the direction of the market. They could stroll along the water, then he’d walk her to her car and likely never see her again. The thought made his gut cramp.
“I’m not lying. Entirely. That was the best pastrami sandwich I’ve had.” He didn’t even know he liked pastrami.
Lexi stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “You ordered a BLT.”
Will fought the laugh but felt his lips quirk. “I did.”
Lexi groaned, tipping her head back. When she straightened and looked at him again, she frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me I gave you the wrong order?”
He shrugged as they started walking again. “I figured it was the universe’s way of telling me to break out of my routine.”
Lexi’s laughter floated like musical notes on the late-September breeze. “Or its way of telling you to pick another restaurant.”
“No way. Becca’s followers are right. The food is good, you’re charming, and the other waitresses are great,” he said.
She laughed again, as he’d hoped. “Nice. I can’t even argue. I’m probably going to lose my job now. What did you say to Brett?”
“That you had a family emergency. I’m sure they’ll give you another chance.”
She made another dismissive noise. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He had a meeting this afternoon and was probably cutting it close. They turned right on Pine Street, which headed toward Pike Place Market. The steep road had them slowing their pace.
“Thank you. I think Brett’s given me as many chances as he’s willing to, though. It’s for the best. I took the job for the tips but it’s a lot harder than I expected.”
He couldn’t comment on the serving aspect of it as he’d never done it but it didn’t look all that easy. “I gave you a great tip,” he assured her.
“You’re a nice guy, Will. Thank you for helping me escape my self-made drama.”
They walked in silence for a few minutes, long enough for him to realize the quiet didn’t feel awkward with her. He needed to go but he wanted to make sure she was okay. He assured himself he was just being a good guy. He wasn’t already far too invested in this intriguing woman. He wasn’t caught up in the way she seemed vulnerable with a steel spine, funny but self-deprecating, smart but slightly unsure. Who was he kidding? Those dualities pulled him in even as all that hair, that long, lithe body, and her expressive face squeezed his lungs.
“So, track star?”
Hands in her pockets, staring straight ahead, she nodded. She had a strong profile, an elegant, almost stubborn jaw he couldn’t seem to stop looking at. The women he dated were somewhat superficial, focused more on shopping, decorating, and the next sponsored event than they were worried about earning tips or looking bad in front of some old friends. Of course, most of the women he went out with, until he’d told his mother to knock it off, were from her social circle. Daughters of friends. He’d prefer to be a workaholic than have his mother try any more matchmaking. Lexi… fascinated him. Not just her looks or the contrasts but how she stared at the water like it held the answers in its gentle waves.
“Once upon a time,” she finally answered. “Sometimes it seems like that was someone else’s life and I just have really amazing memories of it.”
“Memories always make things seem better than they were. We tend to idealize them.”
She stopped walking as the street flattened out. “You must have somewhere better to be. Thank you for today. I’d say you’re off the hook for Good Samaritan duties for the rest of the month, at least.”
He smiled, not sure what the unsettled feeling in his chest meant. “Will you go tonight?”
Lexi tilted her head. The smell of fish and ocean wafted over them. “Go where?”
“To Jackie’s party. She was quite adamant about you going.”
Another snort-laugh. It was ridiculous and adorable at the same time. The last several women his mother had set him up with were like fa?ades. He could sense more to them but they refused to show it. They were all polite laughter at his jokes, exaggerated air kisses, and telling stories of who they knew. Alexandria, as far as he could tell, was just absolutely herself, no matter the situation. God, that was refreshing as fuck.
Appearances mattered a lot to the Grand family. It was why Home Needs wanted to partner with them so badly. The Grand name and reputation were crystal clear, family-oriented, and stable. Will didn’t mind any of those things but he hated phoniness. Maybe that’s what was missing from his life: something real. Lexi was disheveled from the last few minutes and still, she was the kind of beautiful that etched into a man’s brain and distracted him.
“Hard pass. The last thing I need is to go to some swanky party where I’ll stick out like cheap tequila at a fine-wine soiree. It’s hard enough knowing everyone else made it out alive and I’m just treading water.”
The sadness that tinged her tone tore at him. It shouldn’t. It was none of his business. He had his own issues. His own life. It was jam-packed with meetings, mergers, social engagements, and making sure they moved through each quarter successfully and in good financial standing. On top of that, his parents were going all out for the company’s fiftieth anniversary celebration, and the Grand siblings were making sure it went off without a hitch while explaining to their mother that who they brought to the party shouldn’t matter.
He imagined bringing Lexi to that party. It made him smile despite the fact that he hated attending those types of events. She stood here thinking she wasn’t worthy of going to a party just because some women seemed to have it all. Will ought to bring her to one of their company functions or charity events just to show her that any shine could be dulled if you polished it enough. If you dug a little deeper. Just because someone looked like they had their act together didn’t mean they were perfect or their life was. As far as he was concerned, and from what little he knew, this woman had once been proud of herself. For good reason. She’d been great at several things and life had obvi ously thrown her a few cheap shots—but that didn’t mean she was any less than anyone else. She hadn’t given up. She was busting her ass at more than one job trying to turn things around.
That kind of gumption with the right backing and a little luck led to great things. If it didn’t, his grandfather wouldn’t have been able to create their company, Grand Babies. His grandfather hadn’t had anything when he started. He’d worked hard, night and day, scraped by and saved until he was able to open a tiny store that sold high-quality baby products. Success wasn’t a straight path.
For the third time that day, the sandwich and the impromptu patio exit being the first two, Will did something without thinking it all the way through.
“You need to go to that party. You seem more like a fighter than a quitter to me. No matter what you wish you were doing, you should be proud of who you are right this minute.”
She regarded him skeptically for a moment, her brown eyes full of an emotion he couldn’t name. “You don’t even know me.”
Will checked his watch, saw the load of messages he’d missed along with the time. When he looked up, she’d crossed her arms over her chest. Closing up, protecting herself from more of life’s punches.
“I have a Zoom meeting scheduled. I need your number so I can pick you up for the party tonight.”
“Excuse me?” She squared her shoulders.
“I was invited too, remember? It’s rude to pull a no-show. Besides, where’s the harm? Do you have a boyfriend? Husband? Girlfriend? Wife?” Please say no.
She tilted her head again, a small smile playing on her lips. “Way to cover your bases. No. I don’t, but let me answer your question. Where’s the harm in going to a party I don’t want to go to, surrounding myself with people from high school who did incredible things with their lives, and going on a date with a guy I barely know? Where to begin.” She tapped her index finger to her chin.
He chuckled and held out a hand, waited for her to slip her phone into it. “I’ll put my number in your phone. Life’s all about risks. You seem like you could use a night out. Going will show you that beneath the shiny clothes and phony smiles, everyone is fighting the same fight, just trying to figure it out. And I didn’t say date .” Though he wanted to. But he’d take seeing her again in whatever form she was comfortable with. “Just two new friends hanging out at a party they were both invited to.”
Her left brow rose, her lips twitching. “And pretending to be a couple.”
Will leaned in just a touch. She smelled like french fries and vanilla. A strange yet enticing combination. “Jackie did say she’d come looking for you if you didn’t show. Plus, you’ll be saving me from another family dinner where my mother assures me my biological clock is going to explode if I don’t lock someone down soon.”
Her burst of laughter echoed in the wind. He didn’t want to be drawn to her but he couldn’t deny he was.
“You should probably tell your mom that’s not how it works. But you did rescue me.”
He nodded and passed back her phone, hoping she wouldn’t look at it until later. “And I ate pastrami for you.”
She fought a smile. “That’s true. Fine. I’ll text you. But we aren’t staying long.”
“You’re the boss. Say the word and we’ll go.”
Lexi grinned. She gave him her number. “Safe word will be pastrami. ”