They were outside before Lexi pulled her hand out of his. “Whoa. Slow down. What’s going on?”
Will turned, looked at her. “That was a nightmare. I’m so sorry. I had no idea my mother had Carolyn here. I never would have set you up for an ambush.”
Lexi stepped closer to him. “I’ve met mean girls before, Will. I can handle Carolyn. I’m sorry if I didn’t make a good impression on your mom, though. I can see why you want her off your back and out ofyour love life. She’s not going to be happy when she realizes how much I exaggerated with my job.”
“Your job shouldn’t matter.”
She stepped closer and Will inhaled, catching the subtle scent of vanilla and something else sweet. Something very Lexi. She put her hands on his chest like they belonged there, and he wished they were alone. At his place.
“Maybe it shouldn’t but it does to your mom. And probably the rest of your family. Are you sure this is worth the hassle?”
“What?” He slipped his hands inside her jacket, which she hadn’t done up, resting them on her waist, pulling her a bit closer.
“Dating me. You really could just tell your mother it was a mix-up. Might save the family drama.”
Will dropped his forehead to hers, closing his eyes so he could just… absorb the way she made him feel. Excited, settled, eager, peaceful. Such a blend of emotions that he didn’t know what to do with them all.
When he opened his eyes, she was staring at him. “I want to get to know you, spend time with you. None of this has been conventional or even ideal but I don’t want to walk away from you. You promised to be my plus-one to this party, and you dealt with my mom, so it’s only fair I meet yours. I owe you that favor.” He ran the tip of his nose along the bridge of hers. “Plus, you’re an excellent kisser and I can’t get you out of my head.”
She grinned, slid her arms around his neck. “I do want to get a good mark on my project.”
His laugh was cut off by her mouth moving against his, her fingers sliding through the hair at the nape of his neck. His body molded against hers like there was nothing outside of them. She breathed a soft sigh into his mouth that lit a fire inside him. He wanted all of her sighs. He wanted her in a way he wasn’t familiar with. It should have scared him but instead, being with her made him feel alive. He hadn’t realized he was missing anything in his life until she sat down with him. Maybe the best things in life weren’t planned down to the minute.
Sixteen
It was silly to be nervous. It was a date. With a man she enjoyed. One she was pretend-marrying, one whose mother hated her, one who was wanted by other women. One who looked at her like she mattered even after a short period of time.
Lexi logged on to her bank, transferring the money a lovely woman, Danielle, had e-transferred her this morning after picking up her father’s tools. She said they’d make a great gift for her husband and it was such a great deal.
It was good for both of them since Lexi’s tuition was now paid. Brett texted as she was staring at her school account balance in another open tab, enjoying the statement:BALANCE OWING: 0.00. That meant any extra shifts she picked up at the restaurant could maybe go toward purchasing something for the party Will also called a gala that she was mildly freaking out about.
Brett
Can you work? We need someone ASAP.
She stared at her phone. Shit. She’d never be in a financial position where sheshouldn’tsay yes. But Will was due in half an hour. He’d put time and energy into planning a date. She’d ended up emailing him her interview questions and they’d spent their texting time going back and forth with him teasing her about what they were doing.
She started to text back, paused. If she said she was sick, she’d definitely run into someone who could tell him because that was how life worked.Your tuition is paid. Say no.
Lexi
I can’t. I’m sorry. I have plans.
Brett typed back immediately.
Brett
Fine.
Lexi pushed away the niggling sense of irresponsibility. She was reliable almost 100 percent of the time. She could take this one day. Even if she was losing her Monday shift at Bitsy’s. Heading out of her room, she found her mom hunched over her worktable, sketching out a drawing.
Lexi took a breath before braving the topic she rarely brought up anymore. “You know, if we sold the house, we could find you an apartment. I could even get one close by.” She couldn’t leave her mom alone in this huge house. The mortgage was too much. The bills on her dad’s business were finally paid but the house needed work and was basically a money suck.
Her mother didn’t even lift her head. “Lexi, you know I don’t want to leave. Please don’t start on me.”
Stepping into the room, she pushed just a little more. “It’s gettingharder to keep up with the house, Mom. Dad’s insurance barely made a dent, we barely broke even on selling the business, and I’m barely finished scraping together and paying off what he owed around town for supplies and stuff.” Construction made good money and there was plenty of work. But not if you kept spending in the time between jobs. Which her father had.
Despite being the office assistant, her mom had known nothing about the bookkeeping and only continued to shy away from the truth every time Lexi brought it up. When Lexi was young, her mom was full of life, like a glitter bomb adding a sparkle to everything. Nothing would be the same now, of course, but was it asking too much to get a little more of her back?
