Chapter 7 #2
“I’m surprised you haven’t talked with him about it. He’s really been struggling to find someone he feels comfortable with. He and Walker have been meeting daily about it.”
“Seriously?”
“Mm-hmm. I guess they didn’t want to bother you with it because you’ve got enough on your plate.” Then she giggled. “No pun intended.”
That made him laugh.
“Did Annabeth talk to you about taking dance lessons?”
“Um…what?”
“Oh, dammit. Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“No, no, no…come on. When did she tell you this?”
“She’s been talking about it for the last few days whenever we’re together.
Apparently, some girls in her class at school take lessons, and she wants to try it.
She asked if I had ever taken dance classes, and I told her I had, and we’ve been talking about it more and more.
I just figured she’d talk to you about it.
She doesn’t strike me as being shy about asking for what she wants. ”
He sighed wearily. “She’s not, unless she knows I’m stressed about work. Which, let’s face it, I have been for weeks. Months.” Muttering a curse, he tossed his lunch down. “When are the classes? What do I need to do?”
“Talk to Ruth when she brings the kids home later. I think her nieces also take classes so she’d know the details. But it could be something to really make Annabeth feel connected to her new friends.”
“It would.” Another sigh. “I’m failing, Lexi. I’m failing as a parent. What the hell right do I have to be hands-on with the resort or open another restaurant when I’m clearly missing out on the things my daughter is interested in?”
Reaching over, she rested her hand on his.
“To be fair, it’s not going to be like this forever.
Once the resort opens and you’re comfortable with your kitchen staff, you’ll be able to step back a bit.
And maybe you shouldn’t be in such a rush with the restaurant.
You still have to find a house, and then you’re building one too.
You have enough to deal with. Almost too much. ”
She wasn’t wrong, but this was who he was.
“I hate sitting still,” he murmured.
“But it’s necessary sometimes. No one’s saying you can’t do anything, but when Annabeth’s on her summer break, maybe take that time for the two of you instead of working. You know you can afford it.”
“I know, but…”
“Okay, you don’t have to decide this minute, but…think about it. There’s still eleven more weeks of school, so relax a bit.”
“What about you?” he asked.
“What about me?”
“What are you going to do during the summer break with Jonah? Maybe we can all travel somewhere together.”
Her eyes went a little wide as she pulled her hand back.
“He’s going to do some of the children’s programs here at the resort.
I already talked to Walker about it, and he’s cool with it.
I’d love to be able to take him somewhere fun, but I’m playing catch-up with my income and can’t do anything like that this year.
Plus, I’m still working toward us finding a place to live that isn’t Jayce and Kelsey’s cabin.
It was just supposed to be temporary. So… maybe next summer.”
She didn’t sound resentful about it. She was simply stating a fact.
“You’re still entitled to vacation time, Lex. It’s no different from our lunch hours, you know?”
“I get it. But I just started working here a month ago. It’s too soon for vacation time, and I’m fine with it. I never had it before, so I’m totally okay with the way things are. My primary goal is saving enough money so I can get out of this cabin and into an apartment of my own.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to bring up getting a place together, but he caught himself.
Again.
“Have you talked to Harlow about what you’re looking for?”
“Before I even moved here. And we’ve talked about it a few times since, but the few places that seemed to be in my budget were just…” She shuddered. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome here in Jayce and Kelsey’s cabin, but I don’t want to jump at the first available place and then regret it.”
“I get that. Look what happened to me and the house I rented.”
“You didn’t like the place? You know, before the whole plumbing thing?”
He shook his head. “Not really. Harlow found it and it basically checked all my boxes, but I didn’t love the place.”
“Then why’d you take it?”
Awkward…
Pausing, Connor studied her for a moment and knew he couldn’t lie to her. “Okay, don’t take this the wrong way, but…”
“But…?”
“But everyone thought it would be best if I wasn’t living here when you arrived. Apparently, you were pretty vocal about not wanting to have anything to do with me, and moving me off the property was part of the plan.”
She looked mildly embarrassed. “Oh, Connor…”
“I get it. You were completely within your rights, and I knew it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief.”
“Yeah, you were a little aggressive—in a sweet, eager puppy dog way. I never should have put those stipulations out there, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Don’t be. You had a good reason. I hurt you, and the last thing you needed when you were going through a tough time was…well…me.”
“I’m glad we worked through it,” she said softly, caressing his hand again.
“Me too.”
“What do you think of quickly finishing this lunch and maybe a second quickie?” she asked seductively.
“Sweetheart, you’re on!”
Time was flying, and as she stood in the lodge's lobby waiting for Jayce and Kelsey to walk in, Lexi felt oddly emotional.
Something she’d been feeling a lot lately.
Maybe it was all the changes—the move, the new job, reconnecting with her friends, and obviously the biggest one, Connor.
He was now part of her day, like a vital part of her day.
They shared carpool duty to get their kids to school, they saw each other throughout the day around the resort, and spent every lunch break getting naked and sweaty.
She didn’t think it was possible to have that many daily orgasms, and yet… here she was.
Utterly and completely sexually satisfied.
She almost didn’t recognize herself.
But the more time they spent together, the more she wanted, and it was starting to scare her. It was too soon to be this needy or to be thinking about anything beyond what they were doing. She knew that in her head. But her heart? Yeah, that was a completely different story.
Yesterday, Harlow had come to her office to tell her about an apartment that was going to be available soon, but it didn’t appeal to her at all.
“Okay, why don’t you give me your wish list?” Harlow asked.
Connor. I just want Connor.
Obviously she didn’t say that, but it hit her hard that he was this important to her and that maybe she was finding fault with all the rentals because she didn’t want to move away from him.
And that scared the hell out of her.
She was supposed to be independent and strong and totally fine on her own. She wanted to show her son that she could take care of them both and make him proud of her. And yet, one look from Connor Winslowe—one touch—and she was lost.
It made her feel weak, and she swore she didn’t want to feel like that ever again.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t seem to stop herself. There had to be a happy medium, right? A place where she could feel both confident and independent while admitting she was falling a little in love with him all over again.
A little in love? Pfft…now that was a big fat lie. She was falling hard and fast.
“We’re here!”
Snapping out of her reverie, she realized Jayce and Kelsey had come through the doors. “Yay! You’re here! Happy wedding week!” she cried out as she ran and hugged her friends.
Walker, Harlow, Axel, Maisie, Slater, and Connor all came out to join them. Connor’s arm immediately went around her waist after he welcomed the soon to be newlyweds.
“Okay, how are we doing this?” Kelsey asked. “You didn’t put us in the honeymoon suite for our entire stay, did you?”
“No,” Walker replied with a smile. “You have a regular room for the next few nights and then we’ll move you to the honeymoon suite. The night before your wedding, we reserved a separate room if you want to go that route and not see each other before the ceremony.”
“I know it seems silly considering we live together, but we thought we should keep at least one tradition,” Kelsey admitted. “Jayce’s grandmother has been harping on that one for a while now.”
“She’s in her eighties,” Jayce explained with amusement. “We can handle one night.”
Kelsey rested her head on his shoulder. “I guess.”
“Why don’t I show you to your room so you can get settled?” Walker suggested. “I know Connor and his team are going to keep you busy this afternoon, but then we’re all going to have dinner together afterwards if that’s okay.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jayce said.
Before they walked away, Kelsey came over and hugged Lexi again. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Me too!”
Once they were gone, Connor turned her in his arms and kissed her until they were both breathless. “I hate to say it, but…”
“I know. No sexy lunchtime today,” she grumbled, making them both laugh.
“The next few days are going to be chaotic with all the wedding preparations and new guests arriving. I don’t like it either, but there’s no way out of it.”
Nodding, she knew he was right, but she didn’t have to like it. “We’ve gotten spoiled. Once one of us moves off the property, we’re not going to have all this time together either.”
He pulled back, frowning. “Why not?”
“What?”
“Why won’t we have the time together?”
“Connor, come on. Be realistic. If one of us moves, we won’t be carpooling, and our days are just going to be different.
Plus, I might not be working only Monday to Friday.
I may have to work some weekends. We’re not going to know for sure what the schedule will look like until the resort is fully operational. ”
“Are you thinking about this because Harlow found you a place?” he asked cautiously.