AllFreeNovel
Share Us
For a moment, Drake simply stared at me. Then he took a step toward Hollis. “Sorry, man. I had some bad information.”
“I can respect you looking out for Alexa. But next time, ask before you punch.” They shook hands. Hollis handed Drake back the ice pack and then turned to me. “I’m going to head to the hotel. What time are you going to the clinic tomorrow?”
“Probably eight or nine. It needs more work than I expected. I’ll call you when I leave here.”
Hollis grinned. “Sounds good. This is already starting off as an adventure.”
I let out a breath and rolled my eyes. Only Hollis would think getting punched was part of the Alaskan adventure he was looking for.
At the door, Hollis said, “I’ll meet you in the morning. We’ll be carpenters together.”
In some ways, Hollis was sheltered. He’d traveled the world but had never camped. He’d dined at the top of the Eiffel Tower but had never tried a s’more. Our worlds were miles apart, yet we’d connected due to our losses.
I waved. “I’ll bring the hammers.”
“Can’t wait.”
It was going to be a disaster. I doubted Hollis had ever held a hammer in his life.
The door closed, leaving Drake and me alone. Before I had a chance to speak, Drake said, “You’re not together?”
“No.”
He took another step toward me. “You’ve never been together?”
“No.”
My body hummed with excitement as he came closer. Light danced in his eyes.
“Are you seeing someone?”
“No.”
“You’re single?”
“Yes.”
I knew he had a lot of questions, judging from the way his caramel eyes searched mine. I had them, too. The connection between us was undeniable. There would never be anyone like Drake Foster in my life. Never. I knew this. But what do I tell him? He deserved more than I ever gave him. I wanted him to understand there had been no one. I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I haven’t seen anyone since I left two years ago. Not even a date.”
“Then why, Lex? Why?” The anguish in his voice twisted a knife in my heart. I had done this to him… to us.
“I… it’s just… Dad…”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Drake swore when the door opened. Crete poked his head around the corner, his dark hair a mess. “Drake, inspector is here. Wants to speak with you about some new codes to make sure you’re aware.”
“Okay, give me a few.”
“Will do.”
The door closed, and Drake turned back to me. “I have a lot of questions. Lex, I need some answers.”
“I know. I did it all wrong. I was messed up when Dad died. Really messed up. I’ll explain everything. Answer any question you have.”
His eyes softened. “I know it was tough. Where are you going to be later? I want to see you so we can talk.”
With all that had happened, I needed to stop by Mom’s house before her feelings were hurt. Not that it mattered much. When I’d tried to tell Mom when I would be in town, she’d blown off my comments and only wanted to talk about Hollis. And honestly, I was nervous about going home. I hadn’t been back since Dad died. I knew it would feel emptier now with him gone. And that scared me. When I’d been home the last time, his shirt had still hung on the back of the chair, and things had been as he’d left them. If I closed my eyes, I could still sense him. But I doubted Mom had left anything of his out.
