Page 59 of Show Me

I push off the counter. “You’re doing good.”

She glances up. “It’s phones and folders.”

“It’s more than that.”

Her gaze holds mine, searching, wary. Then the phone rings again. She turns back to it. “Cole Construction.”

When I step outside, the cold air hits my face, stealing the warmth from the inside heat. The trucks sit in the lot, engines ticking as they cool.

Inside, Ruby’s voice carries through the open door. She’s safe. Access to her is limited. No one is dropping off anonymous gifts. And the work is getting done. That’s what I want to keep true. She’s doing all this because she wants the office to be orderly and running right.

I want it to be those things. Not about the way the office felt the second I walked in and saw her. Not about the way I keep finding reasons to stand near her desk. I need to keep my focus on the job, and on her safety.

I shove my hands into my jacket pockets and walk toward my pickup. There’s work to do. There’s always work to do.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ruby

When the bell above the office door jingles, I glance up from the computer, expecting a supplier or one of the guys from a job site. Instead, a woman about my age steps inside. Blonde, athletic, with spandex pants clinging to every inch of her long legs.

I recognize her. Lindsey. The girl from the gym who asked Xavier to show her how to use a machine. The one I thought he was hooking up with but was only helping.

Not that he seemed all that interested in helping her, which is unusual for Xavier. He’s typically fascinated with every female. Except me.

She pauses in the doorway instead of heading straight to the desk. Her gaze drags over me, head to toe, or at least, head to desk, taking inventory. Then she smiles. “I thought you only worked at the gym.”

The words are light, casual, but they don’t feel that way. I keep my voice even. “I started here this week.”

Her brows lift. “That’s convenient.”

What’s that supposed to mean? My fingers are still on the keyboard for half a second. Does she think I came here to follow Xavier around? I growl under my breath at the thought of someone thinking I’m trailing him like a pathetic puppy. “Can I help you?”

She approaches the desk now. “I heard Cole Construction does residential work.”

“We do.” I grab my notepad and a pen. “What kind of project?”

Her eyes flick past me again. Toward the hallway. Searching for him.

“Deck repair.” She smooths a strand of hair and tucks it behind her ear. “Storm damage.”

The last several days have brought more rain than usual in Brookhaven, with winds knocking down limbs and water piling up in basements that don't drain. It’s made Cole Construction a more popular business than it probably typically is, and thankfully, my house has held together. So far.

“Name?”

“Lindsey Parker.” I knew her first name, but not the last. I’m not sure when she moved to Brookhaven, but she didn’t go to school here. Otherwise, I’d know everything about her. That’s the way it is in small towns.

“Address?” She gives it. Local, a few minutes outside town. “We can have someone come look at it this week.”

“Who does the estimates?” Her eyes roam around the room again as if Xavier will pop out from behind a file cabinet and flash that ridiculous cocky grin of his at her.

“Usually Xavier.”

“Oh?” she asks lightly. “I didn’t realize Xavier did the estimates.”

Bullshit. I lick my lips and feign stupidity. “Yes, he usually does, if he’s not busy on another project.”

Her smile curves. “Good.” She pauses, then her smile arches higher. “I mentioned the damage to him the other night. He said to stop by.”