Chapter Eighty-Eight
Xavier
The football hits my chest harder than expected, bouncing against me and falling to the ground.
“Catch the damn ball, man!” Jake shouts.
“I caught it,” I fire back, tossing it to him.
“You fumbled it.”
“Technicalities.” I rub my hands together to keep the cold from seeping too deep into my bones.
Sam laughs from the sideline, beer in hand, coat zipped to the top. “You’re getting slow.”
“Or Jake is getting worse at throwing.”
“Blasphemy.” Jake shakes his head in mock disgust.
The yard’s turned into the usual Sunday chaos, half of us playing, the rest pretending to ref while drinking and talking shit. The only difference is that it’s Thursday and Thanksgiving, not Sunday.
Dominic jogs past, smacking my shoulder as a cloud of breath puffs out in front of him. “You distracted or something?”
“No.”
“You sure?” He quirks an eyebrow.
Jake tosses the ball and spins toward me. “Probably thinking about Ruby.”
I roll my eyes as the scent of burning leaves filters toward us from down the street. “Don’t start.”
Sam grins. “So what is going on there?”
“Nothing,” I say.
Ruby tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and laughs at something Emily says.
It’s none of their business what’s going on because this is what it’d turn into. Pressure to put a label on it. Probing questions about what the future holds. I don’t want any of those things. Everything’s fine the way it is.
They groan in unison.
“Yeah, okay.” Dominic crosses his arms over his chest as the breeze flips several leaves out of the closest tree. They float in the air before landing on the hard ground.
I rake my hand through my hair. “We work together.”
“And you’re at her place all the time,” Jake says.
“That’s not–” I stop because correcting it sounds worse.
Sam lifts a hand. “Relax. We’re messing with you.”
I snatch the ball out of Jake’s grasp and tuck it under my arm. “You guys know that Ruby’s being stalked by someone. None of us want anything to happen to her, and I’m not seeing anyone, so who better to keep an eye on things?”
Jake arches a brow. “Sure.”
I throw the ball back at him harder than necessary. “Shut up.”
Movement near the back fence catches my attention. The gate swings open. A blonde woman in leggings and a fitted sweatshirt steps through, ponytail swaying as she heads toward us. Lindsey.
Sam catches sight of her first. His lifts a hand and waves. “Hey!”
She changes direction without hesitation, smiling as she closes the distance. “Hey yourself.”
Dominic looks from her to Sam, one brow arching. “You inviting people now?”
Sam shoves a hand into his pocket, looking entirely too comfortable. “We’ve hung out a couple of times.”
Jake’s head tilts. “Hanging out?”
Sam shrugs. “Nothing serious.”
Lindsey bumps his shoulder lightly with hers. “Wow. Way to make a girl feel special.”
A grin spreads across Sam’s face. “Just setting expectations.”
She rolls her eyes but stays close enough that her arm brushes his again.
I take a step forward. “Sam, can I talk to you a second?”
Sam’s attention turns to me. “What?”
I glance at Lindsey. Then back at him. “Alone.”
“Fine.”
We step to the side as Lindsey hovers out of hearing range.
“What’s up with you?”
“Lindsey is….” Clingy? Whiny? Annoying? Persistent? She’s all those things, and I’d hate to see one of my roommates get dragged into a mess with her. “Not someone you want to spend time with.”
Sam's eyebrows climb. “You know that how?”
“The gym.” I shrug, glancing toward the house and then back at him. “Around town.”
I should’ve never talked to her in the first place because once I did, she kept coming around and never taking the hint. Hell, I flat out told her I wasn’t interested. That I didn’t want to be with her, and she still followed me around.
“You know I wouldn’t get in your business if I weren’t concerned.”
Sam tips his head. “Okay. I’ll get rid of her.”
“I think that’s a good idea.
Lindsey smiles and strolls up to us, slinging her arm through Sam’s. “What’re you guys talking about? Me?”
“Nothing that concerns you.” I rake my hand through my hair. I’m no longer in the mood for football or pumpkin pie.
She tilts her head sideways, studying me. “You coming back to the gym?”
“Probably not.”
Her eyes narrow as her smile slips. “I thought you liked to work out?”
“I do.” I did. I haven’t been back since Ruby quit, and I haven’t thought about going once.
Shit. Was I only going because Ruby worked there? Even back then? What am I supposed to do with that? Relationships and I don’t go together.
I’m the guy girls love because I’m fun. Entertaining. Charming. And when life gets serious, when everything isn’t perfect, they bail on me. It’s the way it is. Because who would leave a guy when his mom ghosted him if he was worth fighting for?
Lindsey’s smile returns. “I'll see you this week anyway.”
I inhale as a pain lodges behind my eye. The next thing I know, it’ll be twitching. “How’s that?”
Sam shuffles his feet, stepping back from Lindsey as if he’s questioning the same thing I am. Did Lindsey only hang out with Sam to see me? The thought doesn’t settle well for either of us.
“My deck.”
Right. Her renovation job. “Travis should be starting in a couple of days.”
She opens her mouth like she's about to say something else. Before she can, Ruby’s voice comes from behind me. “Xavier?”
She's already walking toward me, Bella and Emily hanging back on the porch. She stops a few feet away.
“I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Give me a minute.” The last thing I want to do is continue a conversation with Lindsey, but she is a client, and Dad would frown if I blew off one of our customers.
“Okay.” She doesn’t linger. Doesn’t push. Just turns and walks back toward her friends. My attention never leaves her.
Lindsey notices. “So....” She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “You two spend a lot of time together.”
I shrug. “We work together.”
“That's all?”
“Yes, that’s all.” The answer comes automatically. Simple. Clean. Exactly what I’ve been saying for weeks. All I’ve considered being capable of since Claire.
Lindsey nods. “Good.”
Ben hollers something from across the yard. Jake laughs. The conversation around us picks back up.
Ruby is near the porch; shoulder hunched against the cold. I look back at Lindsey and Sam. “I should get going.”
Sam grabs my shoulder. “I’m following your recommendation.”
“Good.” I feel a pang of sympathy for her, but Sam is making the right decision. He’s not interested in a long-term relationship, and Lindsey would get the wrong idea if they continue spending time together.
Lindsey smiles brightly. “I hope you can find time to join Travis on my job. I’d love to catch up sometime. at the job.”
“Right.” I walk toward the porch. No hesitation. No looking, turning back.
Clearly, Lindsey cannot read a room, or she’d know I have no intention of working on her renovation project, and Sam is about to tell her he’s not interested in seeing her again.
Not my concern. Not my problem.