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“What do you think?” Brax asked me, and all eyes turned toward me.
“I like the idea of dark cabinets and light colored countertops, like you suggested.”
“Brax has excellent taste,” Kimber quipped.
“Yes, he does,” I replied with a sugary sweet smile.
Mom gave me a wink.
Kimber’s brow elevated an inch, and it seemed like for the first time since our arrival, she was noticing me…
“We can take a few sample choices back to your place,” Brax said. “That will give you a better idea of what it will look like in the actual room.”
“Three maximum,” Kimber responded, wagging a finger at him and giving a laugh for good measure.
Brax flashed her a smile. “I know the rules.”
“And I know where you live.” The last was said under her breath, but we all heard it.
“Jesus,” my mom said, loud enough for the entire store to hear.
I picked out samples of all items and stood back as Brax filled out the contractor information.
I didn’t know Brax well enough to assume he didn’t revel in the attention, but it was like he didn’t see it. He was nice to everyone—cordial, but not overly flirtatious in any way…despite the fact that our salesperson had done everything to get his attention, going so far as to do a toe touch as she reached for a lower cabinet.
Brax had seemed unaffected by her efforts, and I was relieved.
Why was I so relieved?
He’d been incredibly nice to me, and I know he had to be aware of what had happened between me and Ross. I know he said we were like family and that’s why his bid had been ridiculously low.
No doubt everyone in the small town knew my story by now and knew that I’d arrived home. My inbox was slammed with social networking requests, one from my best friend from high school, Kara, who had gotten pregnant the summer before she was supposed to leave for college. I’d seen her the first few times I’d returned home, but after she’d become pregnant with her second child, it seemed like our conversation had consisted of toddlers and newborns, two topics I knew nothing about. The days of me talking about our favorite indie bands and boyfriends had gone away, and we’d found ourselves living very different lives.
With time our friendship had evaporated, mostly due to my busy life. Maybe I needed to respond to the request. Lord knows I could use a friend now, so I might just reach out to her.
“You want to stop and get a bite to eat before you get to work?” Mom asked, and of course, I agreed.
I was relieved when our waitress was a middle-aged lady. However, even she wasn’t immune to Brax’s charm. “Nice ink,” she said, giving him a few lingering stares.
“We’re so thankful to you, Brax, for doing this work for Amanda,” Mom said, squeezing his hand across the table.
“It’s my pleasure,” Brax said, flashing his dimples, looking pleased by Mom’s acknowledgement.
“I bet you could talk miss skintight dress at Cabinet World down a bit if you flash those dimples at her,” Mom muttered under her breath. “I swear, some women have no shame.”
“Mom!” I exclaimed, not sure whether to elbow her or laugh.
“I already got the contractor discount,” Brax said.
Leaning in close, my mom motioned for Brax to do the same. “I bet you can get more than that.”
I sat up straighter and reached for my iced tea.
“I’m not interested,” Brax said, shaking his head, though he had a smile on his face.
Mom added four packs of sugar to her coffee. “So, speaking of girls, Toby was telling me about you dating this girl Heather. How long did you date?”
I was suddenly all ears.
Brax’s complexion suddenly changed. “Not long. Maybe a month or two.”
She whistled under her breath. “That’s a long-term relationship for you.”
Removing the straw from his soda, he took a drink. Our gazes met and held. If he thought I was going to deter her from asking more questions, he was going to be sorely disappointed.
He shifted in his seat. “I suppose it is.”
“What went wrong?” I asked.
Brax looked surprised I had chimed in. “It just didn’t work out.”
