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Something shifted in his gaze. That was all she needed to confirm that what she’d said was true. Unfortunately, there was no time for gloating.
“My father needs this property restored by the end of summer. I have the next couple of months off before I have toreturn home. If we can get everything done in a timely fashion, then it will benefit us both.”
“I fail to see how.”
Boy, Lucas’s stubborn attitude was really starting to grate on her nerves. This isn’t what she’d had in mind for the morning. Ella glanced at her phone and her frown deepened. They’d already wasted a half hour of their morning. “You know what? I’m done having this conversation with you. I don’t want you here. You don’t want to be here. Neither one of us is going to get what we really want, and we just have to accept it. Just come inside, let’s get this done, and then we will never have to see each other again.”
“Fine by me,” he muttered. Lucas pushed past her and headed into the barn. She gaped after him. Lucas Keagan was supposed to argue. He was supposed to demand that she explain herself. More than that, the Lucas she had heard about in high school would have demanded an apology. She might have even had to get on her knees and beg him to come back without making a scene.
But there was none of that.
He’d marched right over to the clipboards she’d dropped and retrieved them both. Without saying another word, he brought hers over and handed it out to her. He didn’t shove it or push it into her hands with any malice. In fact, the anger seemed to have dissipated from his face altogether.
What had just happened? This wasn’t the Lucas she knew.
It’s a game, a voice in her head seemed to suggest. Lucas was trying to throw her off balance so he could get even with her over humiliating him—not that she was trying to do any such thing. Or he was trying to get under her skin. No matter what he was doing, she wasn’t about to let him win.
Ella let out a huff and pushed past him, her clipboard in hand. She wandered along the walls, looking for any flaws thatwould need to be addressed. Lucas followed close behind, his pencil scribbling anything she murmured. There were even a few things she mumbled to herself, and he wrote those down, too.
By the time lunch rolled around, they’d gotten a little ahead of schedule, something that pleased her more than she wanted to admit.
They stood at a workbench that had been built into the side of the barn. Lucas was going over the notes he’d written, and she was doing the same with her own paperwork. There was a lot that would have to be done, but thankfully, most of the wood siding was good enough to stay. Yes, she’d have to tear out specific planks, but overall, the building had stood up to a lot of weathered abuse.
“How about some lunch?”
She continued reading some of the notes she’d written down, not quite registering that Lucas had spoken.
“Ella.”
“Hmm?”
“Lunch.”
“What about it?”
“You need something to eat. I can hear your stomach growling.”
She stiffened, then swung her eyes to meet his. “What did you say?”
“We’ve been here for a good five hours. It’s lunchtime. We should go get something to eat.”
Ella lifted a single brow. It wasn’t possible. Lucas wasn’t asking her on a date, was he? Of course not. They’d already established that neither one of them liked the other. Besides, he probably had a girlfriend, and a date would only complicate things and make her hate him even more. But if he wanted to ask her on a business lunch, that might be a possibility.
She shifted in her seat, then stared at him straight in the eyes. “Whatkindof lunch?”
“I don’t know,” he muttered. “A place that serves decent food. We have a lot to do this afternoon. I’d rather not do it on an empty stomach, would you?”
She couldn’t deny the fact that there was a little part of her that felt excited. Still, the thought of going out to lunch with someone who hung out with one of the boys who had poked fun at her as a child didn’t sit well with her. “You go ahead and get something to eat. I’ll eat when I go home for dinner.” She shifted her focus to her paperwork again, but when he didn’t move, she glanced up once more. “What?”
“You’re going to get some lunch. We can’t spend all day out here without something to keep our brains in good operating condition.” Lucas plucked the pencil out of her hand and put it next to the clipboard. “And I’m going to take it a step forward. You’re not allowed to bring that clipboard or any other paper for that matter. We need to take thirty minutes of some peace and quiet, and then we’ll be refreshed and ready for what’s going to come next.” Lucas took a few steps away and then grinned. “What do you say? What are you in the mood for?”
5
Lucas
Lunch was purely a peace offering. Lucas had sat in his truck contemplating the consequences of going home and having to explain to everyone that he’d quit the project. There in his truck, he could see it all play out. Wade would have that utter look of disappointment. Elijah’s eyes would practically say ‘I knew you couldn’t be counted on,’ and Annabel would roll her eyes before making some comment about how he never followed through. The rest of his siblings might not actually care, but then he didn’t have the best relationship with them.
Except Daniel.
