Grimacing and shaking my head, I try to process her request. “Ablind date? And what do you mean, ‘for you’?”
“Good, you’re following along.” She bobs her head resolutely and stands straighter. “Apparently, I promised Knox I’d go on a blind date with his cousin-in-law, likemonthsago. I forgot about it until he mentioned it the other day. I guess the guy is desperate to make friends around here.” She shrugs nonchalantly.
“What the fuck, Alexandra?” I demand, slamming my hands on my hips. “You’re trying to convince me to date a man who you can only describe asdesperate?”
She throws her hands up in the air, helplessly. “I’m just telling you what I’ve picked up, okay? He could be a really nice guy.”
“I’m not interested in any type of guy,” I insist. “Much less a ‘nice guy.’”
She perks up. “So, you’re finally considering women? Took you long en—”
Holding up a hand, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. The thing about Lexi is she’s four years younger than me, so I want to treat her like I would Vivi. Except Lexi’s an older sister herself and one of the most cleverpeople I’ve ever met. She can start talking circles around me if I don’t keep her on track.
“Aren’t you going to dump Rachel?” I ask, choosing to deflect back to her love life. It isn’t a disaster necessarily, but it isn’t a match made in heaven either.
She shrugs and grabs a cookie off the tray, examining it as if she’s never seen a lavender lemon cookie before—her favorite. “We’re figuring things out. So, I’m out of commission for the weekend.”
Lexi and Rachel have been dating for about four months. It’s the most interest Lexi has shown in anyone in a long time, but sometimes it comes off as forced on both sides. They’re too different—in ways that felt exciting at first, but now creates friction.
“Can’t we just, I don’t know?Cancel?” I sneer.
“I considered that,” Lexi sighs, placating me. “But he’s going to be living here. He’ll assume it was one of Knox’s friends, and try to guess who… Unfortunately, it really only leaves you as an option anyway. So, he’s going to think you hate him before you even meet him.”
Somehow, that makes sense even though I know it’s fucking stupid. The curse of being swept up into Lexi Hart’s convoluted logic.
Gossip spreads like a wildfire out here. Even though I love Knox, it only takes him or Lucas mentioning it to one person, then that person tells someone else. Within a day, I’ll be the talk of the entire town for being unwelcoming to the new guy. Much less the man who is taking over Maddon Construction, Stanley’s very respected company.
Unfortunately, it is one of the local businesses that Lexi and I are very familiar with, too. I love Brighter Daze. The property, the location, our team. Everything. However, it is a very old building that we couldn’t afford to fully renovate. So, we do small projects as needed.
I could ruin a business relationship before it has even started.
“I’ll think about it,” I say, but don’t mean it. If I’m not going on a date, I at least have to make the effort seem somewhat genuine.
“He’s taking you to Max’s,” she smugly adds.
Scowling, I bite out, “I’ll think about it, okay?”
There’s a bit more honesty the second time I say it. Max’s is the best restaurant in Amada Beach, and the menus change monthly, making it one of the top dining spots in all of San Diego. Lexi, Vivi, and I go at least once a year, and sometimes our twin brothers will take us for a special occasion.
Right now, there’s a few dishes I’d pay hundreds for if I could afford to spare it. And Lexi knows that.
Chapter Two
Liam
Nodding along to whatever one of the head contractors is saying, I try to pay attention to the update on the home renovation she’s overseeing. My mind can’t focus on the small project. Hazel could do it herself, probably in her sleep. I’ve known the woman for almost two decades, and she’s been with the company for at least ten years longer than that.
She’s one of the few employees being a good sport about the transfer of ownership. Granted, Hazel is the only employee who knows what’s going on behind the scenes. She and her wife are close friends with my family, and my biggest supporter so far.
Unlike the company’s financial manager, Eddie.
Truthfully, the man’s an asshole. He’s been the biggest obstacle since I got to Amada Beach last month. It’s clear that he’s unsure about my capabilities, but we agree on two things: we both care about Stanley and want to see Maddon Construction & Hardware succeed.
The biggest problem we’re having is that he wants to take a more conservative approach than I do. He’s worried about the town’s general apprehension toward me. Lucas and hishusband Knox are trying to reassure me that it will fade as I get more acclimated to the community.
They are underestimating the geriatrics’ ability to hold a grudge. Apparently, the only time my cousins got in trouble were during the summers I visited. Nothing that wasn’t normal for teenagers—at least degenerates, which is what Miss Polly called me last week.
Subconsciously, my fingers start tapping on the plastic armchair. I hate sitting still for so long, especially today. My only distraction is trying to find a solution to our nearly empty project calendar.
