I sip my coffee and let my eyes move back and forth from watching Landon enjoy the food his mother made to Shayna making her coffee. She drinks hers a little stronger than mine, not as much sugar.
She finally turns and leans against the counter with me. She heaves a deep breath making me look over at her. I can tell she got just as much sleep as I did. I wonder if it was from what I told her or missing Camden.
I give a little chuckle. “You can’t sleep well without Cam, can you?” I ask taking another sip. Her head quickly turns in my direction, and I lift a brow questioningly.
We both laugh together. “That obvious?” She asks me and I nod.
“When will he come home?”
“Today. Thank god. He’s been gone since Monday,” she says and moves to the island counter.
She sits her cup down and begins clearing the dishes to the sink. I watch her as I sip my coffee, which is almost gone but I play it off so I can watch her.
She’s wearing cutoff jean shorts that barely cover her luscious ass. Her legs are toned and tan, and so fucking smooth. She’s wearing a little camisole tank top that barely holds her breasts. I bet she’s wearing this for Camden so when he gets home, he gets an eye full.
I do wish it was for me that she wore stuff like this, but I know that’s never going to happen. But watching her is enough for me. I would never cross boundaries like that. I’m too afraid of losing my best friend.
“You done, Bugg?” She asks Landon. I love his cute little nickname and it suits him so well. He stuffs the last bite of toast in his mouth.
“Mmhmm,” he mumbles as he nods. She ruffles his hair and takes his plate to put into the sink.
“Okay. Go play in your room,” she says and he jumps down from the counter. But instead of heading to his room he runs and hugs me around my waist. I lift my cup so he doesn’t knock it out of my hand and hug him with my other arm.
“Thank you for giving me your bacon, Aunt Lexi,” he says as he squeezes me. I lean down and kiss the top of his head, his slightly messy hair tickling my nose.
“You’re welcome, bud,” I whisper against his head. He releases me and runs off.
I look up at Shayna and she’s smiling from our interaction. I just smile back and take the final sip of my coffee.
CHAPTER 3
Lexi
Friday
Shayna throws her head back, laughing at the stupid little joke I just made, and I take the opportunity to admire the blush rising on her perfect skin. She’s probably flushed from the alcohol.
We’re sitting in the living room, having a glass of wine. My legs stretch out in front of me, crossing at the ankles, while hers are tucked beneath her. We’re waiting for Camden to arrive soon from his work trip.
Shayna finally focuses on me sitting next to her as I take a drink of my wine. “I’m so glad you finally got your ass up here. It’s been too long,” she admits, setting the bottom of her glass on her bare thigh. Her jean shorts have ridden up to show off her tanned legs.
“I would have been up here sooner but I needed to finalize the remote position. Matthew, my manager, pushed it through as quickly as he could,” I say breathing a sigh of relief. It’s such a load off my mind knowing I can move around but also that I am in a place Jason doesn’t know where I am.
I was scared during our relationship, but the threats after the breakup made me even more terrified. He became almost unhinged after I left him. I don’t understand why he didn’t take the opportunity presented to him to commit to Sara.
“You told me it would take a bit to become fully remote. How did Matthew get it pushed through so quickly?”
I glance down at my lap, where I’m holding my glass of wine. I contemplate not telling her everything but I feel she needs to know. I don’t think Jason will find me here but she needs to understand exactly what’s going on.
“Jason came up to the office and threatened Matthew to try and get to me. When I left him, I called him and told him I never wanted to see him again, and he didn’t take it well,” I say and look up at her. She nods in understanding. “So Matthew pushed my request through quickly because I had to explain everything to him.”
She gives me a small smile. “Well, I’m glad you’re here now. I hate that he did all of that to you, but I’m glad it’s over and done with now.”
“Me too,” I reply quietly and finish the last bit of my wine.
I stand and reach over grabbing her empty glass. “I need a refill, and so do you. We are definitely not tipsy enough for this heavy conversation,” I say with a chuckle.
“Absolutely agree,” she replies as she stands and follows me into the kitchen. I dig in the refrigerator for the bottle and proceed to fill both our glasses.
