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Ella rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to lie to me. I get it. You’re a popular guy. Just… don’t let them come out here, okay?”
“But she’s not—”
She smiled at him, but it wasn’t the one he’d grown fond of. “Thanks. I’m going to go over the stuff we have to finalize before we start work on the loft next week. You’re on track to be done with the exterior by this afternoon, right?”
He nodded.
“Wonderful.” She flicked her fingers toward the door.
As much as he wanted to correct her, he couldn’t. Ella wasn’t going to listen to him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized there was a common denominator in all of this. Ella didn’t approve of his dating lifestyle. That had to be it. Well, the joke was on her. He hadn’t been on an official date in a little over a week. What would she think if she found out about that?
Ironically, he hadn’t been on a date with anyone else because, lately, he couldn’t get her out of his head. The point of their ride, his concern for her right now, all of it had more to do with these newfound feelings he had.
Telling her any of that wouldn’t matter anyway. Ella didn’t like him at all. She’d said as much on their ride. He’d thought he’d cracked through her defenses, but perhaps he’d been wrong.
He pivoted from her and headed outside. The only thing he could do now was bury himself in work. If he did that, he might be able to forget just how painful it was getting to be around her and feel this animosity from her.
Lucas spent the next five hours doing just that. He worked until his fingertips were numb and his whole body ached. The guys packed up at five on the dot, leaving him to complete the last remaining loose ends on his own.
Ella hadn’t left yet, as evidenced by her car still being parked outside. He’d heard the saw working for most of the afternoon. If there was anything he could count on, it was that Ella would make good time on the things on her to-do list. She’d be ready for the guys to come back on Monday.
Clouds were moving in and the light breeze from earlier today was getting stronger. Lucas looked up into the darkening sky and then at the roof they’d just completed. Good thing, too. With that storm moving in, the building needed as much protection as it could get.
Lucas picked up the few scraps of materials they didn’t need any more and tossed them in the big dumpster they had on site. The wind tugged at his clothes now. Inside the barn, the saw was still running. He glanced toward the glowing door, considering telling Ella he was heading out, then thought better of it. He’d rather see her again when she was in a better mood.
He headed to his truck, yanked open the door and climbed inside, tossing his phone onto the passenger seat. It skidded off and he muttered a growl only to find the sack-lunches he’d made. They’d worked through lunch without a break. Normally he wouldn’t have missed it, but he’d been so consumed with his thoughts that he’d forgotten. The lunch he’d made for Ella had her name scrawled on the outside of the paper bag. Once again, he glanced toward the barn door.
Ella hadn’t eaten lunch. He would have seen her take her break. It was now past five and she still hadn’t had anything to eat. He wasn’t sure when she was planning on leaving. Maybe she’d appreciate the sandwich he’d made her.
With a huff, Lucas grabbed both bags and climbed out of his truck. He slammed the door shut and headed through the wind toward the barn. As he drew closer, he heard her frantic voice and yelps.
Lucas picked up the pace, darting through the door to find Ella chasing down blueprints that had been picked up by the wind that came through the barn entrance and a small open window.
Instinct took over and he dropped the lunch sacks to the ground to push the door shut most of the way. The muscles in his arms and back ached as he dug his feet into the ground and pushed with everything he had, leaving only five inches of an open doorway.
Ella grabbed the final blueprint before glancing over at him. “What are you still doing here?”
“Just finishing up,” he said. “What about you?”
She gestured to her table saw that was surrounded in wood sawdust. “I’m getting most of it out of the way before Monday so we can dive right in. Is everything done out there?”
He nodded.
Ella moved toward the table and spread the blueprint out to smooth the wrinkles. She didn’t meet his gaze.
His eyes shifted to the lunches he’d packed. Lucas swiped them from the ground and moved toward her. He cleared his throat, lifting them up.
When Ella gave him her attention, her whole body paused. “What’s that?”
Lucas lifted the bags again. “What? These? It’s our lunch.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious. I made us lunch. But I completely forgot about eating today. You liked the sandwich I made the other day so much that…” He felt like an idiot now that he was standing in front of her with something so ridiculous. Dropping his hand tohis side, he forced a laugh. “You don’t have to eat it. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“No.”
“No?”
