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The last thing I want to do is entertain some asshole, in a short tight dress, trying to find creative ways to fight off his hands going up my dress while acting coquettish, when what I want to do is slug the creep. If it wasn’t for my brothers and my grandpa… “If if if.” All the if’s in the world are not going to keep our house out of foreclosure, put food on the table, or help Gramps with his assisted living/nursing home situation.
I grab my phone, shift my bag across my shoulder, and fling open the car door.
“You want to watch where you’re swinging that,” I hear from a familiar smooth deep voice.
“I didn’t see you.” My voice raises as I stand up and lock the door.
“You assault me and you have an attitude. I expect better from you, Lexi.” Holden wags a finger at me. “What would the boss say if she knew how poorly you treated your coworkers? And after the near-fatal shopping cart attack that was supposedly an accident.”
“Cut the crap, Holden. I slipped in a puddle of detergent you were supposed to clean up instead of getting that woman’s number.” My feet had accidentally hit his leg and his knee buckled, hitting the back of the cart his hand was gripping, and it fell back on him. It was funny after I saw he was fine, just a bruised ego. A guy this good-looking needs one of those once in a while. “I apologized.”
“Doesn’t mean much when you’re laughing your head off, sweetheart.”
“Save the sweetheart for whichever low self-estimate, questionable morals chick you’re banging this week.” I know, calling out anyone's behavior and morals with my after-hours activities is laughable. Hey, it is what it is. I shift right to go around him. He moves with me, blocking my way.
“I take offense to that on their behalf, even if you could be right.” One side of his lips curls up in that sexy way only guys like him can do.
I reach up on the tips of my toes and barely manage to ruffle his natural red hair with blue streaks with the tips of my fingers. Yes, Holden is that guy your mother would warn you about. The sexy bad boy who is unattainable. But you would throw caution to the wind, for one hell of a night of memories to last you a lifetime. Even his hair is sexy. If hair could talk it would say, “Do me.” He’s all sorts of trouble I can’t afford to consider.
“Forgive me for insulting the quality of the young ladies you choose to spend your time with. Are we good now?” I cock an eyebrow, tilting my head up at him.
“It takes way more to insult me or those chicks.” He chuckles, opening the passenger-side back door of his car.
“Figured as much.” I smile, walking away to go inside through the back. I wave to two of my coworkers taking boxes from inside a truck where Holden was probably helping them.
Before I can get through the door one of them says to me, “When you going to give me that date I keep asking for?”
“I told you I don’t swing that way, Sam, but if I ever decide to you’ll be the first person I hit up.” I put one arm around her and press a playful loud smacking kiss on her cheek before passing by her and the storage room next to the employee break room.
“You see, there you go playing with me again.” She pats her chest with her hand and grins.
Moving fast, I get into the break room, throw my stuff into a locker, put my blue smock and name tag on, and head out toward my register through the front of aisle five where I walk into my boss. “Oh sorry, Rachel. I know I’m late again, I’m sorry. There was so much rain from last night, flooding—traffic from this freaking rain, you know.” There was no traffic, and I didn’t hear of any flooding, but I’m sure there was somewhere. I should feel guilty about lying but hey, I need this job.
“It’s okay, things have been a bit slow in here today, I suspect due to the rain.”
“This rain is something isn’t it?” I shrug, walking backward.
“Is everything all right with you otherwise? Boys doing okay?” She gives me her concerned mother look, the one that does make me feel guilty about my little white lies.
“Sure, yeah, we’re good.” I paste a smile on for her.
She nods, staring at me with a faint smile, then walks down to the middle of the aisle writing something down on the pad in her hand. Probably tallying up how many times I was late this month, plus the day I was an hour into my shift and Axel’s school called to tell me he was sick, and the next day he swore he was fine and three hours into my shift, I had to leave to get him again. If I was my boss, I’d put myself on notice.
Making a sharp turn, I blow out a breath and crash into a solid body of blue, knocking the breath out of me. I’m wrapped in an arm of solid muscle. “What is with me bumping into people today.” I look up to give a quick apology and stop…
The sexiest guy I think I’ve seen in a while smiles down at me, with a dimple and warm brown eyes. “It’s okay. I don’t mind at all.” He looks down at me, holding on with a firm grip.
“You can let go now,” I say, mildly disoriented, a combination of loss of breath and…him.
“If you’re sure—unless you need me to escort you in the direction you’re headed.”
“Pretty sure I can manage.” I back out of his arms, stepping to the side and smiling, walking to my register. Forget New York’s finest…I’ve just walked into one of Pennsylvania’s, capital everything, period,FINEST.
Two
NOAH
My eyes follow the cutie in faded blue jeans and a pale green fitted v-neck cut shirt all the way behind the register. Something new and interesting here. I turn in the direction I was headed with my basket in my hand. I see my aunt fussing with merchandise on the shelf. I walk up to her and give her a one-arm hug from behind. “Mind if I buy you a drink later, beautiful?”
