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“Talking about who, dear?”
“Nothing.”
“What do you think, Maddix?” Gladys asked. “Should I make a phone call to Louisa and arrange a date? You could show Connor around.”
I snorted. “What’s there to see in Rosewood?”
“There’s plenty to see and do. Plus, it’s apple-picking season, so you know what that means. Lots of activities to take him for a date, Maddix. What do you say?”
“I don’t see why not.”
I gritted my teeth. He didn’t see why not? How could he have talked to me last night like he wanted to pick up where we’d left off, but then casually agreed to be a pawn in my grandaunt’s matchmaking games?
He only asked to be friends.
I stalked out of the kitchen, hands clenched at my sides.
“Eh, Troy, where are you going?” Gladys called after me. “Maddix is cleaning the pool. Give him a hand, will you?”
Like hell I would. He could get Connor to do it in my place.
7
MADDIX
Maddix
Gripping the pool brush tightly, I clenched my jaw, a mixture of frustration and hidden longing coursing through me.
Unbelievable.
For the past forty-five minutes, I’d been cleaning the pool while Troy sat on the lounge with his AirPods in. I wasn’t entirely sure if I was mad at him for letting me do all the work or frustrated because he was being a distraction in a pair of shorts, no shirt, soaking in the sun. His body was amazing with those lean muscles that definitely hadn’t been there back in high school. He had washboard abs now—not as cut as mine—nevertheless, they were there.
Numerous times I’d had to swallow the saliva gathering in my mouth from staring at him. I wanted to kiss the bronze perfection of his skin.
I returned my attention to my task, scrubbing the pool’s surface. Every so often, my eyes flickered in his direction, but I never caught him looking at me. Not once. Was he really so indifferent to me? When I’d picked him up at the airport and touched his hand while taking his suitcase, I’d have sworn I felt a spark, but it might have been one-sided.
What would it take for him to look at me the way he had back in high school? That boy had been infatuated with me, and I’d taken advantage of it. Dammit, maybe I shouldn’t have lowered the bar to ask for friendship last night, but it’d seemed more attainable than suggesting we pick up where we’d left off.
A familiar ping echoed through the air, and I jerked my head up. A Grindr notification? Really? He was trying to find a hookup while he was here?
My stomach knotted. Rosewood might not be a big gay scene, but I’d found hookups in the surrounding towns. An hour’s drive wasn’t unreasonable for sex.
Unless I did something about it.
“Troy, aren’t you going to help me at all?” I called, hoping to distract him from whoever had put that smile on his face.
“But you’re doing so well at it.”
“Come on, man. Four hands will make the work lighter.”
“And risk Gladys complaining I don’t have the muscles to pull it off properly?” He gave me a thumbs-up. “I believe in you, Maddie. You’ve got this.”
Maddie?
I sucked in a deep breath. No one else had called me that in… ever. Only him. People close to me shortened my name to Madds, but no one would ever see me as a Maddie. Only him. I would always pretend to hate it while secretly enjoying his nickname for me.
I tried to ignore the flutter in my chest and returned to my task, but it was impossible to pretend he wasn’t sitting there talking to a guy he might meet up with later for sex. Evan and Ryker thought of me as a great wingman, but this was the first time I was being a cockblocker.
