Chapter 16
sixteen
The contractors arrive early Monday morning, and I’m grateful for the distraction. Between avoiding Jax all weekend and trying not to think about our window sexcapade, I need something else to focus on. And that something is work.
“Morning, Ms. Garrett,” Rick says as I unlock the door to what will soon be the newest Summit Studio. “Ready to get started?”
“More than ready,” I reply, stepping aside to let him and his crew inside. “I’m hoping we can get the water damage repaired, and the flooring laid by the end of the week.”
“We’ll do our best,” he assures me, setting his toolbox down and surveying the space. “The good news is the leak wasn’t as bad as I initially thought. Should be able to get it fixed today and start laying the new flooring.”
“Awesome, thanks.”
His team gets to work right away. In no time at all the building is filled with the sounds of power tools and construction chatter.
While Rick and his crew get to work, I head to the office to make some calls. The first is to my lawyer, Marissa, to discuss Ryan’s latest attempt to strong-arm me into selling.
“Good morning, Ms. Garrett,” she answers. “I received your email. I’ve already drafted a response to Mr. Collins’ legal team.”
“Thank you. What exactly are we telling them?”
“In essence, his claim has no merit,” she says, confidence clear in her voice. “The expansion proposal was properly submitted and approved by your investors. His signature may not be on it, but he had ample opportunity to review it. His negligence doesn’t constitute a breach on your part.”
Relief washes over me. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
“I should warn you, though,” she continues. “He might not back down so easily. Men like him rarely do.”
“I know,” I sigh, leaning back in my chair. “But I’m not backing down either. Summit Studio is mine.”
After hanging up, I spend the next few hours making calls, verifying new hire interviews, and updating my staff. By lunchtime, I’m mentally exhausted and in desperate need of caffeine.
When lunchtime arrives, I lock up the office and head over to Rise & Dine. The restaurant is bustling with the lunch crowd, but I manage to snag a table by the window.
I’m halfway through my turkey club when I look up and nearly choke on my sandwich when Jax walks in with a tall, muscular guy I don’t recognize. His hair is styled in that sexy mohawk again, and he’s wearing a black Skin & Ink T-shirt that stretches across his chest in all the best ways.
My first instinct is to duck under the table, but it’s too late. His eyes sweep the room and latch onto me. A slow, knowing smirk spreads across his face as he murmurs something to his companion before making a beeline for my table.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he says, leaning in to rest his hands on the back of the empty chair next to mine. “Mind if I join you?”
Before I can protest, he pulls the chair out and sits down, stretching his long legs out under the table. When his boot brushes against my shoe, I quickly pull my foot away.
“Actually, I was just leaving,” I lie.
His eyes drop to my plate to my half-eaten sandwich, then lift back to mine with an infuriating grin. “Doesn’t look that way to me.”
The guy he came in with saunters over to the table.
Up close, he looks even more intimidating. Standing at a minimum of 6’4”, with broad shoulders and a full sleeve of tattoos covering his right arm, his dark hair is cropped short.
As he slides into the chair across from me, I realize that there’s something familiar about his gorgeous green eyes.
“Sasha, this is Logan Cade. Lizzy’s brother,” Jax explains with a jerk of his chin. “He’s here visiting. Thinking about maybe moving back.”
My eyes widen in recognition. “Oh! You’re her twin! The firefighter, right? Lizzy talks about you a lot.” Now the eyes make sense.
Logan extends his hand across the small table with a warm smile. “Nice to meet you. Lizzy’s told me a lot about you too. Said you’re opening a Summit Studio?”
His grip is warm and respectfully firm. “Yes. Right next door, actually.”
“Nice. If I end up moving back, I might have to check it out. Been looking for something to help with recovery after shifts.”
“You should,” I say, giving him my brightest smile. “We have discounts for first responders.”
“Cool.” He flashes a smile that under normal circumstances would make me swoon, but for some reason it’s just nice. No pang of sexual attraction. Especially with Jax sitting next to me. The energy coming off of him is off the charts.
I notice Jax watching me intently, a hint of possessiveness in his gaze. My cheeks flush as our eyes meet, and suddenly I’m back in my bedroom with him watching me through my window.
Just as heat crawls up my neck at the memory, I feel a warm hand squeeze my thigh.
Startled, I push away the fresh wave of lust, and jump up. “Anyways. I uh... I should get back to work.” I grab my purse. “The contractors are working on the studio, and I need to make sure everything stays on track.”
“It was nice meeting you,” Logan says with a genuine smile.
“You too.” I nod at him before turning to Jax. “See you around.”
His lips curve, and I glance down only to see the hand that was just squeezing my thigh flex into a fist in his lap. “Count on it, sweet cheeks.”
My stomach flutters, betraying me. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk out the door. The weight of his gaze is almost physical, and it takes everything in me not to look back.
Back at the studio, I throw myself into work, checking in with the contractors and making calls to equipment vendors. By mid-afternoon, I’ve managed to push thoughts of Jax to the back of my mind—mostly.
I’m looking over paint samples for the walls when there’s a knock on my office door. I glance up and smile. Lizzy is standing in the doorway, holding a drink carrier in one hand and a pastry bag in the other.
“Hey!” she grins. “Figured you could use a little pick-me-up.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” I sigh gratefully, accepting the coffee she sets down on the desk. “How did you know I was about ready to crash?”
She shrugs, setting the bag on my desk. “Just a hunch. I also wanted to see how things were coming along.” She glances around at the half-finished walls and bare concrete floors. “Things are really starting to take shape.”
“Slowly but surely.” I take a sip of my coffee. It’s perfect, light and sweet, just how I like it. “Rick says we should be able to get the flooring done by the end of the week. Which means we should be able to do a soft opening yoga class in the next week or two.”
Perching her butt on the edge of the desk, Lizzy pulls a chocolate croissant out of the bag. “That’s great. I can’t wait to try hot yoga.”
“You’re welcome anytime,” I tell her, breaking off a piece of my pastry. “First session’s on the house. And I can sign you up for the friends and family discount.”
Lizzy and I have hung out a lot over the past few months. What started as an occasional coffee has turned into regular girls’ nights and impromptu visits like this one. I’m grateful to have another female friend—she’s straightforward and honest, qualities I’ve always valued in a friendship.
“Listen,” I say, picking at my croissant. “I wanted to apologize for what happened on girls’ night. You know, making you watch that Rowan Cole movie and grilling you about him. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it. I overreacted anyway.”
“Still,” I persist. “It was insensitive of me.”
A flash of sadness hits her eyes, there one second, gone the next.
“Honestly, it’s fine.” She takes a sip of her coffee and shrugs.
“My history with Ro is complicated. And I should apologize too. I shouldn’t have given you such a hard time about Jax.
He’s clearly into you, and I can tell you like him, even though you’re trying your damnedest to deny it.
I just figured you needed a little push. ”
“Is it that obvious?” I groan, covering my face with my hands.
She laughs. “The way you two look at each other when you don’t think anyone is watching? It’s like waiting for a bomb to go off.”
I sigh. Dropping my hands, I slump back in my chair. “Jax offered me friends-with-benefits.”
Lizzy chokes on her coffee. Probably best not to tell her about our window sexperience. Jax is like a brother to her, so it would just be weird.
“Wow,” she says when she finally catches her breath. “He actually put that out there, huh?”
“Yeah.” I tap a finger on the desk in frustration. “I’m confused. One minute he’s all over me. Then I don’t see him for days. The next thing I know, he’s getting all possessive and shit.” I tell her what went down at the bar. “And now this?”
“First of all, Jax is right. Brex is way more of a man-whore than he is. Which is seriously saying something. Maybe he was waiting to see if you’d make the next move and got impatient,” she wonders, wiping coffee from her chin.
“Maybe.” I lean back in my chair, contemplating her words. “But I don’t know if I can do the whole friends-with-benefits thing. What if it gets messy?”
“Oh, it will,” she says matter-of-factly.
I let out a surprised laugh.
“Look. I’ve known Jax for years,” she says, brushing crumbs from her lap. “I’ve seen him with plenty of women, but I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”
My heart does a little flip.
She shrugs. “You look at him the same way, you know.”
“I do not.” But my protest comes out weak.
She raises an eyebrow.
“Okay, fine.” I throw my hands up in defeat. “I’m attracted to him. Who the fuck wouldn’t be? The man is sex on a freakin’ stick. But it’s not that simple...” I trail off, not sure how to explain the pull I feel toward him.
“It never is,” Lizzy says softly.
“What am I supposed to do?” I ask, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. “I’m not looking for a relationship. I’ve got all this…” I wave my hand in the air.
“Maybe it’s not about figuring it all out right now,” she shrugs. “Maybe you should just... see where it goes? At the very least, have some fucking fun.”
Maybe she’s right. I’m probably overthinking it.
I take a thoughtful bite of my croissant.
Taking a sip of her coffee, Lizzy sighs.
“But... If there’s one thing I do know? When it comes to FWB, no matter how hard you try, feelings happen, right?
You can be friends all day long, but once the benefits kick in.
.. all bets are off. One day your blissed out from an orgasm, the next all your thinking about is how you can’t wait to sit on his face again.
And there aren’t any gray areas either. You’re either going to end up parting ways and being indifferent to each other, or you’re going to fall in love.
One or the other is inevitable. Sometimes both. ”
Shit. Those are some of the most profound words I have ever heard come out of Lizzy’s mouth. All I can do is stare at her wide eyed in surprise.
“Anyway.” She shifts, scooting her butt so she’s sitting on my desk. “Have you decided if you’re going to volunteer at the festival?”
“Yeah, I think I will,” I nod, smiling inside at her abrupt change of topic. “It’s for a good cause, and it would be nice to get more involved in the community.”
“Great! I’ll let Ryder know. We could always use more help at the Dunk-A-Hunk.”
“Dunk-A-Hunk?” I laugh. “Who’s getting dunked?”
“Usually Jax and Ryder take turns,” she says with a mischievous grin. “People pay good money to see those two get soaked.”
The image of Jax in a wet T-shirt sends a jolt of heat racing up my neck. “I’ll bet,” I grin. “Oh, and I met your brother today.”
Her eyes soften. “When?”
“Next door during lunch. He came in with Jax, and he introduced us.”
A sly smile breaks across her face. But instead of giving me shit, she stands. “I should head back. I’ve got a client in thirty minutes.”
“Thanks for the coffee,” I say, walking her to the door. “And the pep talk.”
She gives me a quick hug. “Anytime. And Sash? For what it’s worth, I think you should go for it with Jax. Life’s too short to deny yourself what you really want. If anything, you should work on the friends’ part. Trust me, he’s a good one to have.”