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Chapter 12
Harlow
“How’s the salon coming?” Layna asks, reaching over to snag a chip from the bowl in the center of the table.
We’re out to lunch at one of Peach Tree’s only Mexican restaurants. Piper and I try to meet up for lunch every couple of weeks. Now that Layna is living in Peach Tree, she’s taken to joining us. That suits me just fine. I enjoy Layna’s company. She’s smart and snarky and fits in perfectly. When I’d first met her, I’d worried that maybe she was overbearing or uptight, but that’s not the case at all. Since she’s moved to town, I’ve seen a different side of her. Piper seems concerned about the shift in her sister’s personality, but I don’t see a problem.
“Not bad,” I say. “The new sinks arrived yesterday. Linc and I are going to try to install one of them tomorrow after he finishes work.”
“What’s that been like?” Piper asks. “Working with Linc, I mean.”
I shrug, focusing on the menu in my hands. “Fine.”
“Fine?” Piper asks. “That’s all you have to say? Fine?”
“That man is fine, though,” Layna says, making me laugh. She’s not wrong.
“You two have been working together for hours each day for the past week,” Piper says. “And all I get is ‘fine’.” That’s unacceptable. I want all the dirty details.”
I roll my eyes. “There are no dirty details. We’re just working. He’s showing me how to make repairs. I’m learning a lot. He’s a patient teacher.”
“Hmm,” Layna says. “I wish my teachers had looked like him.”
“Me, too,” Piper says.
“Need I remind you that you’re marrying his best friend?” I ask her.
Piper shrugs as she reaches for a chip and scoops up some salsa. “Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the fact that he’s hot. Don’t worry. I’m more than happy with my man. You can have Linc.”
Layna’s gaze shoots to mine and I feel my face heat. “Have Linc?” she asks. “What’s that mean?”
Piper closes her eyes for a moment before turning her apologetic gaze my way.
“Oh, come on,” Layna says. “A blind person could see you’re into him.”
My eyes go wide. “What?”
She shrugs. “Obviously not Linc, though. He seems totally oblivious.”
My heart pounds as I think over all my interactions with Linc over the last week. Have I been that obvious? Have I not hidden my attraction as well as I hoped? It’s true I’ve been checking him out every chance I get, but that’s just because the man is so fun to look at. There shouldn’t be anything sexy about jeans and a t-shirt, but somehow Linc makes it sexy. There’s something about the way his shoulders fill out those shirts and the way his forearms move when he’s tightening a bolt or even just pushing his hair out of his eyes. Shit. Now I’m wondering just how obvious I’ve been while staring at him.
“Stop looking so freaked out,” Layna says. “He doesn’t have a clue. I’m just really observant.”
I sigh, my shoulders drooping in defeat.
“So,” Layna says. “What are you going to do about it?”
“What do you mean? Nothing.”
Layna’s brows lower in confusion. “What doyoumean, nothing? You need to make a move, girl.”
“That’s what I said,” Piper says. “She wouldn’t listen to me either.”
“You guys don’t get it,” I say. “You don’t live in the same tiny town you grew up in filled with the same people who knew you when you were a frizzy-haired nobody in high school. Linc doesn’t see me that way. I don’t think he ever can.”
“I don’t think you’re giving him enough credit,” Piper says gently. “And I know for a fact you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’re amazing. You’re gorgeous. You own a successful business. And he’d be lucky to have you.”
I shake my head, waving away her words. I’ve never been very comfortable with compliments. It’s hard for me to know how to respond, so I normally try to block them out or ignore them. But this is Piper. She won’t let me get away with that.
