Chapter Three
Layne
Iglanced at the time on my phone for the hundredth time.
Way too early to be sitting outside the insurance office. It didn’t open until eight, but once I’d woken up that morning, I hadn’t been able to sit still. I needed to get this done. To have it go smoothly. And, more importantly, I needed to focus on getting my life in order and not on Elias.
Maybe it was just how different he was from Teddy that had him in my head.
Teddy had a main character syndrome that I hadn’t recognized at first. He had to be the center of attention, the life of the party.
Dressing and acting in a way to make sure everyone around him knew he had money in the bank and influence when it was needed.
I knew he had plans to climb the ladder at Dad’s company, and I’d always suspected part of the reason he dated me was to help with that goal.
Elias, on the other hand, was a calm, steady, hardworking guy.
I had debated asking him to come with me today, but had dismissed the idea. Having the ex meet the pretend new boyfriend was a terrible idea. There was no need for drama or even conversation. We just needed to explain the situation to the clerk, sign on the dotted line, and go our separate ways.
What if Teddy took Elias’s absence as proof I was lying, though?
I worried my lower lip.
I had already shut the engine off, causing the cold to seep into the car, creeping up from the floorboards, and toward my feet.
Dammit, maybe I should call Elias.
I stared at my phone in my lap, my thumb hovering over his name. I didn’t want to bother him. He worked hard. Everyone at Wild Timber did.
He’d shown up the day I moved into my cabin. He hadn’t commented on my red-rimmed eyes, or knotted hair. He’d just moved boxes and left me his cell number in case I needed anything.
At 7:46, there was a knock on my window. I looked up, expecting to see Teddy, but instead Elias stood outside my car as if I had summoned him. He had a drink tray in his hands and a sheepish look on his face.
I pushed the door open and got out. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I was grabbing a coffee and figured you might need one.” He held out the drink tray.
“Thanks, I could definitely use one.” I took the cup closest to me. It instantly warmed my hands. I took a sip, and it was the perfect level of sweet. The fact that he knew my coffee order didn’t surprise me.
He paid attention.
“So this was all a coincidence then?” I teased.
He rubbed the back of his neck. The movement, combined with his glasses, made him look like anything but the capable mountain man I knew him to be.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to be here for this or not.
Seemed like that Teddy guy’s never been told no.
I can go before he gets here, but I just thought I’d offer.
” His breath was visible in the air between us.
A smile crept over my mouth. “You could have just texted, E.”
A blush crept up his neck and into his cheeks. “I know. I just don’t have much patience for cell phones.”
His excuse was thin at best, but I was happy to see him all the same. The tight knot in my chest eased a little, replaced by something warmer, and far more dangerous.
I wondered if Jace had sent him, and my happiness faltered. It was a scenario that made sense.
My brother trusted me, but he was protective. He and Teddy had been like oil and water, but I’d written off their exchanges as good-natured fun.
It bothered me now how easily I’d dismissed Teddy’s teasing. How many times I’d laughed when I shouldn’t have.
At least something good had come out of it. Sloane and Jace had fallen in love somewhere between picking out a tux and setting up for the reception.
Jace was happier than I’d ever seen him.
“I appreciate it, but I’m good.”
“I told Jace about what I said to Teddy on the phone, just figured it was better he knew in case Teddy came by work or something.”
I nodded. So my suspicion about Jace’s hand in this was probably right. “Good thinking.”
“You sure you’re okay?” He slouched just enough to look into my eyes through his glasses.
“Yeah, thanks, I’m good.”
He nodded, took a half step back, then nodded again. “I’ll see you at the office, then.”
There was something unspoken in his eyes, a question he didn’t ask. That he respected my choice after months of Teddy’s dismissive bullshit made me like him that much more.
That his helpfulness could in part be my brother’s doing made me remember to keep my heart guarded.
I gave him a small wave and watched him go, his long legs eating up the sidewalk. After a minute, I turned to get back into my car and out of the cold, but I almost ran right into Teddy.
“Shit, you scared me.”
He rolled his eyes. “You demanded I show up, so here I am.” He hunched his shoulders against the cold. “Is that the upgrade?” He made air quotes around the word upgrade. “Another lumberjack? Jesus, Layne. When you rebel, you commit.”
Teddy had always looked down on Jace for his job, seeing trades as mindless and beneath him.
I grit my teeth, refusing to take the bait. “Let’s just get this over with.” I would have loved to verbally bitch-slap him, but I needed his signature more than I needed the satisfaction.
He made a grand gesture for me to go first, and I stormed up the stairs.
We emerged twenty minutes later with everything done.
I was shocked at how smoothly it had gone.
Was Teddy trying to butter me up, or had he finally accepted this was over?
“We should come up with a day and time to meet at the bank, get the accounts dealt with.”
“Whatever you say, dear,” Teddy said, sliding his hands into expensive-looking leather gloves.
I ignored the passive-aggressive dig and got into my car. “I’ll text you,” I said before slamming the door with a satisfying thud.
I couldn’t get away from Teddy fast enough.