Chapter Thirteen
Elias
Sunday morning I was restless, so after doing a load of laundry and grocery shopping, I went into work. There wasn’t a ton to do until more materials arrived, but there was always something. I could do some maintenance on the chainsaws, maybe.
I pulled into the yard, not surprised to find Jace’s truck already in the lot. He was one of the hardest-working people I knew, and this Beast project was taking it out of all of us. I stepped into the office to find Jace frowning down at his phone.
“What’s wrong?”
He glanced up, not seeming surprised to see me. “When did you last see Layne?”
Heat crept up my cheeks. Although that was silly, there was no way he knew what Layne and I had done when I was at her house last. “Yesterday, when we were all in the office,” I said. “I gave her a lift home.”
Jace nodded. “She just texted to let me know that she and Teddy are meeting with the realtor tomorrow to get her name off his lease.”
“That’s good news, right?”
“If all goes well, it is. She mentioned that he showed up at her place after the barbecue on Friday and again yesterday. Do you think you could…”
“What?”
“I know you guys are pretending to be dating. Any chance you could go over there tonight, stay there with her, to make sure Teddy doesn’t try to do something stupid?”
I hesitated.
He went on. “She’d never accept me hanging around, but she trusts you.”
I ran my hand over the back of my neck. I was in too deep. I had to tell him. “I’ve got to talk to you about that, actually.”
Jace’s brow dropped. “What’s wrong?”
“Look, she’s your sister, and you’re my boss and my friend. I think of her as my friend too, but…I’m starting to see her as more.” Jace continued to stare, so I clarified. “I think I have feelings for her.”
“And how does she feel about you?” he asked, gently.
After my concerns of him being pissed off, this was a good start.
I shrugged. “I don’t know, honestly. This whole fake-dating thing has made the water kind of muddy. Besides, she’s not completely done with her ex yet, so now would be a really bad time to start asking her hard questions.”
He nodded. “First of all, she is one hundred percent done with her ex. The fact that they still have their names on a lease doesn’t mean she feels a damn thing for that guy.”
“I know that,” I said. “I just mean she’s got enough drama coming from one guy. She doesn’t need anything from me besides support.”
He nodded. “You know I’m protective of my sister, but you also know I pretended not to have feelings for Sloane from the time we were teenagers until just a few months ago.”
I hadn’t really thought about the similarities between Jace’s experience with love and what was going on in my head about Layne.
“I wasted a lot of time because I made assumptions. I thought Layne wouldn’t approve of me dating her friend.
I thought Sloane wouldn’t be interested in a guy like me.
Turns out I was wrong on both fronts, and I’m happy to have been wrong.
” He leaned back in his seat, staring off.
“Sloane makes me happy in a way I never thought I could be, in a way I never thought I wanted. I wouldn’t say this to just anyone, but I know you, and I trust you.
If you think there can be something between the two of you, you need to let her know.
Layne’s a big girl. If she’s not interested, she’ll say so, and you guys will move on.
But if she is, you might just find more than you think you deserve, or more than you thought you were looking for too. ”
I left the office with a new sense of determination in my chest. I pulled out my phone and texted Layne.
Elias: I heard you have a meeting with Teddy tomorrow.
She messaged me back right away.
Layne: Assuming he shows, I do.
I took a deep breath, not knowing exactly what to say. Shit, maybe I should have just called her.
Elias: Can I come over tonight? Just in case he shows up again.
Three dots appeared on the screen, and I held my breath until the message appeared. It was one word.
Layne: Sure.
I wasn’t one for grand gestures, for expensive gifts and roses and chocolates, but I was sure Layne knew that about me.
All I could do was be me and see if that was enough.
I’d go there tonight to make sure Teddy didn’t show up, but I wouldn’t show up just to be there.
I’d show her how I felt, how things could be between us if she wanted to take the risk with me.
I went home and showered, roughly forming a plan in my head as I cleaned my skin. I hadn’t even done any work when I’d gone to the office, but even just wearing my work jacket meant I probably smelled a little like gas or oil.
Dressing in what I would consider my nicer clothes: jeans without rips or stains and a shirt that actually had buttons. I touched up my closely buzzed hair and beard. Once I was ready, I stepped out into the cold and drove to the supermarket to grab a few things.
Once I had everything I needed, I drove the now familiar route to Layne’s cabin.
I could make her dinner, and then we could talk.
By the end of the night, one way or another, I would know where we stood.