Page 5 of Show Me

I exhale through my nose, dragging a hand over the back of my neck.

Mark cocks a brow. “Something wrong?”

“No.”

“You’ve been staring at that wall like it’s not doing what you told it to.”

“It’s crooked.”

Nate drops the hammer into his tool belt, crosses his arms over his chest, and glares like I’d insulted his masterpiece. “It’s not crooked anymore.”

I don’t answer. It’s not the wall. It’s her standing there, arms crossed, arguing about paint. The way her hair worked free of the clip when she pointed at color samples. Like it’s not all going to look the same once it dries.

The way she’s over her head but too stubborn to admit it. But there’s this focus in her eyes that doesn’t fade, no matter how lost she gets. The corner of my mouth tugs up before I can stop it.

“Yeah….” Mark says. “There it is.”

“There what is?”

“That look.” Mark runs his over his beard, leaving a trail of sawdust along the edge.

These guys are assholes. “What look?”

“The one that says you’re not thinking about work anymore.”

“I’m thinking about work.”

Mark arches his brows. “Sure you are.”

“Right.” Mark pats the stud beside me, and says, “Then tell your girlfriend I said hi.”

“She's not–”

“Didn't ask.”

Nate glances over, mouth twitching, and drives another nail in. “Wilkins was talking about you this morning.”

I go still for half a second before I can help it. “Yeah?”

“Said you were over there yesterday,” Nate says, “Helping Ruby Bennett pick out supplies.”

Mark lets out a low whistle. “That right?”

“It’s not like that.” I regret the words the second they leave my mouth. Because now they’re both looking at me.

“Oh, it’s definitely like that.”

The urge to punch Mark in the mouth to erase the smug look on his face is fast and intense, but I suppress the urge. Dad will be pissed if I assault an employee.

“It’s not anything.” I crack my neck. “She had the wrong anchors.”

“So you just… wandered in and saved the day?” Nate’s innocent expression is every bit as annoying as the smug one on Mark’s face.

I relax my jaw, trying to ease the building tension. “I was already there.”

Mark scratches his beard like he's thinking it over. “Funny. I've been to Wilkins three times this month.” He shrugs. “Never accidentally ended up helping a pretty woman remodel her house.”

Nate snorts. I grind my teeth together. Assholes.