Chapter Ninety-Six
Xavier
The Harper place is a steady rhythm of saw blades, drills, and hammers. I’ve been working nonstop since eight. Measure. Cut. Install.
Anything to keep my head down. And avoid the woman leaning against the side porch railing watching me every time I turn around.
Lindsey. I feel her eyes on me constantly now. Every damn time I look up, she’s there. At first, I ignore it. By noon, irritation has won.
I wouldn’t have been here at all but one of the crew called out, and Travis asked me to fill in. I’ve done it a hundred times so telling him no would’ve brought up more questions than I’m willing to answer.
I set the drill down harder than necessary and cross the yard. “What do you need?”
She pushes off the railing, sunglasses sliding higher on top of her head. “Oh, I wanted to check on the project.”
“You can do that from inside.”
“I like watching people.”
“Then watch someone else.” I brace my hand on my hip as the sounds of construction continue around us. “Preferably someone not on my crew.”
One corner of her mouth lifts. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
“That’s intentional.”
A couple guys glance over from the railing that’s being installed on one end of the new deck. Great. The last thing I need is an audience.
I jerk my head toward the side of the house. “Come on.”
She follows without hesitation. The noise from the crew dulls once we round the corner. I stop beside a stack of lumber and turn toward her. “Let’s clear something up.”
Her brows lift. “This sounds serious.”
“I’m here to do a job. That’s it.”
“I know.”
“And after this project, another company can handle your calls.”
Her expression tightens beneath the smile. “That seems unnecessary.”
“No,” I say flatly. “What’s unnecessary is you showing up every time I turn around trying to act like we’re something we’re not.”
Her arms fold loosely across her chest. “We went out.”
“A couple times.”
“And?”
I exhale sharply. “And you knew exactly where I stood.”
She tilts her head. “Did I?”
“Yes.” Because I’d been clear. Hadn’t I? No relationships. No expectations No pressure. That had always been the deal.
Lindsey’s eyebrows arch. “You think you made that clear?”
“I know I did.”
She laughs once under her breath. “Wow.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” she says lightly. “It’s interesting hearing you repeat the same speech.”
Something about the way she says it grates instantly. My patience thins another notch. “I never promised you anything,” I say. “I told you what this was from the beginning.”
“And what was it?”
The question should be easy to answer. It’s always the same answer. I don’t believe in relationships. They don’t last. Not where I’m concerned anyway. My last serious girlfriend, Claire, dumped me when my mom left. Said I wasn’t fun anymore. Too depressing to be around.
Apparently, no one wants the happy-go-lucky guy when life gets real. She should’ve been there for me, but she wasn’t. My life had turned on its head. My mom disappeared. Left me and my dad and never came back.
But instead of giving my standard response, my brain flashes somewhere it shouldn’t. Ruby asleep against my chest. Ruby in my kitchen. Ruby laughing beside the pig pen. Ruby’s overnight bag sitting in my room. Life has been real recently, and no one has left.
Wrong conversation. Wrong woman. I shove the thought aside. “You knew I wasn’t looking for anything serious.” The words come out flat. Dismissive. And I can’t find the energy to care.
Lindsey studies me too long. Then her mouth curves. “And Ruby knows that too?”
The question lands like a warning shot. I cross my arms. “Ruby is not your business.”
“Interesting answer. But not what I asked. Does she know that you prefer hookups with no emotional entanglements?”
“She’s a friend, and she knows where I stand.” Even saying it now feels off. Incomplete. Like the words stopped fitting somewhere along the way.
“You should probably clarify that with her. You wouldn’t want any other misunderstandings.”
“Let. It. Go.” The woman pisses me the fuck off. If it wasn’t unprofessional, I’d tell my crew to go and not finish the project. But Brookhaven is a small town, and reputation is everything in a place like this.
“Absolutely.” Lindsey’s gaze flicks briefly over my shoulder. Then back to me. Slow. Measured. “I don’t think there’s anything else to say.”
Something cold settles low in my stomach. Lindsey has been too calm during this entire conversation. The hair on the back of my neck stands.
I turn to find Ruby standing at the edge of the driveway beside the side gate. A folder hanging loosely from her fingers. Not dropped. Not trembling dramatically. Just… forgotten.
Her face is pale. Expression unreadable in a way that instantly feels worse than anger. And all at once I understand exactly what Lindsey just did.
She didn’t come out here to argue. She came out here to make sure Ruby heard every word.