Page 20 of Temporarily in Love

Nolan gave me an annoyed look. “You’ve been hanging around Gemma too much.”

I ran a hand across my jaw in annoyance. I deserved that after giving him so much shit when he wouldn’t tell Avery how he felt about her.

Norah started to fuss, and she let out a loud wail. Nolan sighed. “We need to get this one home. Take the rest of the day off. I told Gemma she’s in charge.”

I glared at him. “Really?”

He nodded. “Gemma’s excitable, but she knows what needs to be done. Go enjoy the fest. You used to love it.”

Yeah, I used to love it because Lila loved it.

Avery gave me a small smile. “Dec, go take a day off already. You deserve it!”

I grumbled as I watched them walk away.

Avery wasn’t wrong, but I felt like there was still so much I needed to get done. When Nolan worried about money last year after he found out Avery was pregnant, I did a lot to reassure him we were fine. We were, but I had those same worries.

I walked around the grounds, lost in thought, mostly because I didn’t want to run into Lila again. I was being immature. I knew that. I should be an adult and deal with her. It wasn’t like she ever stuck around.

I grabbed a hot dog from one of the food stands and peered up at the rickety carnival rides. Man, I couldn’t believe we went on all of those over the years. Being older and wiser now, these suitcase rides were scary.

“Hey, Declan!” a high-pitched feminine voice called out to me.

Oh, good god, no.

Annie.

Annie bounced over to me. She was wearing a shirt way too tight for me not to notice her boobs, especially with that plunging neckline. I was a guy, so sue me if I looked. She wasn’t supposed to be working the booth today, and I was hoping not to run into her.

She gave me a seductive smile and ran a finger down my chest before I could stop her. “What brings you here?”

I shifted away from her touch. I had done nothing but spurn her advances, and it wasn’t clicking with her. It wasn’t like she was unattractive, and she was a great girl, but I didn’t date employees. Not anymore.

“Hey, Annie. How are you?” I asked stiffly, stepping a couple feet away.

“Good, now that you’re here.” She reached out and gave my bicep a squeeze. “Have you been working out? Your arms are looking so big!”

What the fuck?

Did she think that would stroke my ego or some shit?

I wasn’t the type of guy women noticed as being in peak physical shape. I barely had any fat on my body, but that was more because of weird genetics than anything else. Whereas Nolan got Dad’s big husky build, I was lanky and tall like Mom had been. No woman ever asked me if I was working out. Most women told me cuddling with me sucked because I was too bony.

“Um, no.” I scratched my jaw, annoyed with the itchiness of my facial hair already coming in. “Look, Annie—”

“Hey, babe!” a familiar voice called out to me and cut off the rejection I was about to lay at Annie’s feet.

I turned and saw Lila walking over to us with a big thing of cotton candy in her hand. A smile curled up on my lips at the memory of all the times she’d eaten too much of that when we were in high school. My girl loved her carnival food.

I shook my head at myself. Christ, she wasn’t my girl anymore. I couldn’t think like that.

My eyes trailed her up and down as she walked over. She wore a dark purple sweater that made her tits look fantastic with a black and white plaid skirt and knee-high black boots. I definitely wasn’t thinking about her long legs wrapped around my waist while I fucked her in those boots. Definitely not.

Annie gave me a quizzical look, but Lila smiled at me as she came over to me and linked her arm with mine. “There you are,” she said, and her hazel eyes told me to play along. “Sorry, the line was so long.” She pulled off a piece of cotton candy and held it up to my mouth. I opened my lips and let her feed it to me.

Lila looked at Annie, whose face had settled into a hard line. Lila held out her hand to Annie. “Hi, I’m Declan’s girlfriend, Lila. I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Annie,” the other woman said through gritted teeth and didn’t take Lila’s hand.