At the sight of her, something tightened in my chest. "What's wrong?"
She crossed her arms. "You tellme."
The last time I'd seen her, she'd been smiling. We'd been standing in the parking lot outside my building after I'd walked her to her car. Before she'd driven off, she'd mentioned that she was going to shower and change before dinner.
But now, from the looks of her, she'd done neither of these things. That was fine by me. I liked her the way she was. But her expression – plus the fact she'd shown up forty minutes early – was a big red flag if I'd ever seen one.
I made a move to step aside. "You wanna come in?"
She didn't budge. "No. What Iwantis an answer."
I studied her face. "Okaaaay."
Her chin lifted. "Have you or have you not been giving me bad references?"
What the hell?This was the third time she'd asked such a thing. If I wanted to be a dick, I might've asked if she'd missed my reply the first two times around.
But Lexie – she meant something to me, so I met her gaze and kept my voice steady as I replied, "No."
"No?" she scoffed. "Is that all you've got to say?"
I felt my eyebrows draw together. "What do youwantme to say?"
"The truth."
"I just told you the truth."
Her chin gave another jerk upward. "Not the wayIhear it."
"From who?" I asked.
"What, you want a name? Like you did in your office?"
My office. Thanks to Lexie, I would never look at that place the same again. She'd been everything I'd dreamed of and more. For the first time in years, I'd felt a real connection – something that transcended the physical and made me feel things I hadn't felt in a long while, if ever.
I might've smiled at the realization if only she weren't frowning like I'd taken her against her will. Still, I worked hard to keep my cool. "Yeah, well, a name would be helpful."
"For what?" she said. "Ruiningtheirjob prospects, too, as if you haven't already?"
I felt my jaw clench. The last time I'd checked, I hadn't ruined anyone's anything. With a scoff, I said, "The way it sounds, I've been a busy guy."
"Yeah, I know," she snapped. "So why don't you just tell me?"
Lexie wasn't stupid.And I refused to act like she was. "Because I was being sarcastic as you damn well know."
"How wouldIknow anything?" Her voice rose. "I barely know you."
Her words hit like a snowball upside the head. "What?"
"I'm just saying, I've only known you for a few weeks, so you could be lying to my face for all I know."
Snowball or not, I felt a coldness settle over me as I stared down into her angry eyes. "Icouldbe lying," I told her. "But I'm not."
"Saysyou."
My stomach sank, and I gave a humorless laugh. "You're a week early."
"For what?"
