“Your family would be okay with that?”
He shook his head. Not her problem. “I’m starting to realize that I can’t live my life making sure my family is happy at the expense of my own feelings.”
He’d sat down with his family, minus Kyra, who’d been at school, yesterday to go over their options in terms of moving forward with Home Needs. Will had stayed in touch with Holden Wright and even talked to Kyra about seeing some of her long-term ideas about beingearth-friendly coming to fruition through this possible partnership. But his father hadn’t been in any mood to hear about what Will had to say. He was as caught up in opening more stores as his grandfather had been.
“That sounds like it’s bigger than just what’s happening between you and me.”
He liked having someone to talk to.No. You like talking to her.
“It is. I don’t want to go through with the merger with Home Needs. My grandfather and father think opening more stores is a must and I’m not sure I agree. My mom is so worried about our image and being on the list for every social engagement, I don’t think she cares which direction we go as long as she gets invites. I tried to bring up Comfort Plus but my father wasn’t in a headspace to hear it.”
“For what it’s worth,” Lexi said, reaching out for his hand, “I got a really good feeling from the Wrights. They’re a wonderful couple and their business model, as well as their values, seems to be more in keeping with your family’s.”
He parked in the back of the Side Tap lot, cut the ignition, and released his seat belt. Putting a hand to her cheek, he pulled her closer. “Your opinion is worth a lot to me. And I agree. Look, I know what we have has been brief and unconventional, but I care about you and I’ll do whatever you want. Tell the paper myself, say no comment to anyone who asks. I just want to see where this goes.” He pressed a light kiss to her lips, pulled back. “What do you want, Lexi?”
She took a deep breath, and he felt the soft, sweet warmth of it when she exhaled. “Right this second? You. I want today with you.”
Eighteen
One day. That’s all she wanted. Like a spa day but different. Lexi wanted to enjoy this man and pretend that everything would be okay. Technically it would be even if it wasn’t, because she’d dealt with getting knocked on her ass before and she was still here. She might be setting herself up for some heart hurt but there was also a high probability of what she suspected would be excellent sex. The prospect of that was enough to make her push every other little worry aside. Shelikedthis man. And she deserved a day to turn off the worry switch. From the sounds of it, he did too.
Lexi was on a date with a gorgeous, sexy man who looked at her like he wanted to comfort her in one breath and rip her clothes off in the next. She was down with both ideas.
She spent every day getting through, one step to the next, telling herself eventually life would settle and she’d get the brass ring. She wasn’t sure she believed in fate or karma or any of that stuff but life had thrown a brass ring in the form of William Grand directly into her path and she was too damn smart not to grab hold.
Giving herself a few seconds to catch her breath, she waited for him to open her door, which he rounded the hood to do. Because on top of everything else, he was a gentleman.Yes, please.
Will held his hand out and as she slipped her palm into his, she felt little pulses of electricity tickling her skin. She wondered what he had in store besides apple picking.
When she turned to walk with him toward the entrance, she stopped and stared. The property and building had been transformed into some sort of harvesttime wonderland. It was nearly magical. As if October had rolled in not just on the calendar, but physically into Side Tap. It wasn’t noon yet but the place was bustling with people—couples, singles, families. Despite the chill in the air, the autumn sun shone bright in the sky so the twinkle lights didn’t dance the way they did at night but they still looked pretty. Dreamy. Like anything could happen.
When she’d come the first time, Lexi hadn’t noticed all of the picnic tables on the expansive lawn. Many of them were set up as stations for pumpkin carving, face painting, beer tastings, and leaf-wreath making. Lexi wasn’t entirely sure about the last one but was 100 percent certain Bitsy would like it. So would her mom if she’d ever agree to come to an event like this. Families and friends were snapping photos by some decorative hay bales that had been set up.
“This is amazing. And busy,” she said, tucking her other hand around Will’s arm.
He smiled down at her and she felt a shot of contentment hit her hard in the center of her chest. Dangerous territory for a woman who’d just committed to living in the moment.
“Ethan loves this time of year. He’s always looking for ways to pull in more people. Things like this are great for families.”
“Smart. Really smart. And really fun.” Ideas spun in her head. This space was fantastic. She wondered if he did weddings, hosted other events.
They took the path to the right of the building, which was lined with solar lights. Laughter and music mingled together as they came out at the back. There were rows of hops, apple trees, and even a small pumpkin patch.
“I really need to bring Maisie here. She would love it.”
Will released Lexi’s hand to pick up a basket from the stack of them on the wooden-planked patio. All of the bistro tables were full, people sharing appetizers and flights of autumn-colored beer. A few servers, dressed warmly, walked with trays of small sample cups. A photographer wove through the area taking candid shots. A couple of people on the far left side of the lawn played ladder toss. The vibe and energy were uplifting and fun.
“You’re helping her out tomorrow?” He swung the basket as they walked toward the apple trees.
He listened. Lexi liked that. “I was supposed to. Basically, it’s like caddying but with her camera equipment instead of clubs. But her regular assistant moved some things to make it work so I’m not needed. I’ve done it before though. It’s fun. She’s very talented.”
“Maybe sheshouldtake our engagement photos,” he said, his tone teasing as he took her hand again.
Lexi gave him a wry smile. “Don’t encourage her.”
Will shook his head. “I’m glad you have her. She seems like a great friend. I’m also grateful you’re being so chill with all of this. There was another article in theTimesthis morning. No one’s bothering you, right?”
She shrugged. “Other than Jackie and Becca, no one’s talked to me about it. It’s fine. Trust me when I say there are worse things that could happen to a girl like me than being linked to one of Seattle’s most eligible bachelors.”
