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“No, I don’t hate Zulo’s. I reserve my hatred strictly for Value Hardware.” She sighed and looked at her watch. “I should go. I have to be up early.”
“Me too.” He’d be talking to his brother first thing, because something still wasn’t right with this whole situation. She’d just had an incredible orgasm—thank you very much—and yet she was already strung tight again at just the mention of the hardware store. He got that she was stressed about money, but he could tell there was more. There had to be.
If he couldn’t figure out what the problem was, he couldn’t fix it. And if he couldn’t fix it, he couldn’t get another hit of Alexa. And that wasn’t an option.
“I’ll be by soon to put in the part,” he added into the silence. The air practically crackled with renewed sexual energy.
That he couldn’t take advantage of again yet. Unfortunately.
“Thank you. I appreciate you fixing my sink earlier, and getting the part.” She turned toward the door.
“You forgot to thank me for the orgasm,” he called with a grin just before the door thudded shut.
…
Alexa scrubbed the counter inside Divine, determinedly buffing out every last fingerprint from the glass. It wasn’t as if she had any customers to help. It was just past noon and she’d already been open for three hours. In that time,
she’d had two browsers and two non-buyers. There had also been a visit from her brother, who’d stayed just long enough to ascertain she was once again without help in the store. Oh, and that she basically had no customers.
The good thing was that the lack of foot traffic meant she’d have plenty of time to work on her new window display that afternoon. She’d decided to take a page out of Value Hardware’s book and do up some pretty, inexpensive displays with a fun fall theme. She glanced at the pile of paper flowers, wire, and swaths of bright red-and-yellow ribbon she’d bought at the craft store. Her inner snob wanted to sneer, but the rest of her was excited. It had been so long since she’d done arrangements that weren’t high-end, pricey affairs with the most expensive flowers and exquisite silk bows. It would be fun to really let her creativity go.
Besides, what did she have to lose? Nothing she’d done so far had worked. She’d happily content herself playing with her carnations—what the hell—and loops of bells.
Speaking of bells, the one over the door chimed and she glanced up, her heart beating faster. Nope. Not a customer. Or…anyone else she might foolishly hope to see, though she knew she shouldn’t.
“Hey, Travis,” she said to the college kid who’d been helping design Divine’s new website. “Get out of class early?”
“Yeah. Had an exam.” Travis’s sandy brows lifted toward his equally sandy thicket of unruly hair as he studied the gleaming counter. “Look at you go.”
She shrugged. So she was a bit obsessive-compulsive when it came to keeping the store clean. There were worse things she could do.
Like sleeping with your new building’s handyman after knowing him only one day?
Warmth suffused her cheeks. Yep, not going there. Though “sleeping with” seemed like a painfully inadequate term for what had occurred last night between her and Dillon.
Not that she knew how he felt about their sexcapade. She wasn’t the insecure type to need progress reports from her lovers, but for some reason she’d been tempted to ask him last night beyond her cheeky “was it good for you” bit. Then they’d fought over plastic bags and Value Hardware and she’d flounced off instead of going for round two as any sane woman would have. The arousal in his hot blue eyes had indicated he’d been more than willing to play product tester on another vertical surface, but the mention of the store had killed her libido. Beyond stupid.
Now Value Hardware was even screwing with her sex life—and her sink.
She sprayed more glass cleaner and attacked a new spot. Just as well they’d argued. At least she could now say she’d driven Dillon away and wouldn’t have to concern herself with wondering if he’d want more than a wham, bam, slam against the door.
On the roof. In the rain. With the stars just coming out in the rolling sky, while their wet, hot bodies rubbed against each other—
“Lex?”
Guiltily, she looked up at Travis’s address. “Yes?”
“I asked if you needed anything before I got to work on the site.” He gestured to the broom and dustpan tipped against the counter. “I could sweep up if you’d like.”
He was a sweet kid. Always volunteering to do chores for her. “Thanks, but I have it all under control. I’ll order out for lunch in a bit.”
“I can man the store if you’d like to get some fresh air. Or I can run down to the deli and pick you up whatever you’d like.” His eager smile coaxed out one of her own. “How about the usual? Pastrami on rye? Extra pickle on the side?”
“Such a sweetheart.” She leaned forward and patted Travis’s arm. “But thank you. I’ll just finish up and go later.”
The bell over the door dinged again and that same futile hope reared in her chest. Stupid. She and Dillon had mutually agreed to have a one-night stand—half-hour stand?—and there was no reason to second-guess that decision. If she saw him around her building, fine. She would be cordial. But there would be no more sex. Absolutely none.
She tried not to groan as Nellie and her father entered the shop, beaming. “Afternoon, sweetpea.” Her father came around to wrap her in a hug while Nellie clasped her hands and looked motherly. Not just because of the formidable baby bump, but she also had that anxious expression in her eyes that Alexa’s mother often did. The one she hid behind abundant cheer, as Nellie was right now.
