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Paxton chuckled. “Except those won’t help much when water is spraying all over the place.”
Shuddering, she groaned. “And don’t I know that for a fact.”
“Maybe we’ll have to have a few Home Ownership 101 classes for you.”
Her cheeks pinkened, and she smiled sweetly at him. “I’d like that.”
Unsure of what to do or say next, he figured there was safety in retreat. “Listen, the day is done a little early, and Jamison serves the best buffalo wings during happy hour. I mean, it’s not the dinner I owe you, but can I tempt you anyway?”
Bobbing her head, she pulled out her phone and typed in a text. Before she could look up, her phone dinged with a response. A few more taps on the phone and her smile grew brighter as she tucked the phone back into her pocket. “Now I’m free.”
O’Faredeigh’s was halfway between the construction site and her mother’s. It only took a couple of minutes to arrive. He pulled into the space by the front door. The tunes from the jukebox wafted over from across the family pub. If he was lucky, maybe he could talk Sandra into a dance. A legitimate reason to hold her close.
“Hey Paxton.” Wearing a white apron tied around his waist, Jamison came out from behind the bar. “Didn’t expect to see you in here so early. Thought y’all would still be working at the house.”
“Called it a day early.” His gaze darted away from his cousin in search of where Sandra had continued walking.
“How’s the project coming along?”
“Great. With all the help we’ve had, we’re way ahead of schedule.” He spotted Sandra stopped at a nearby table, chatting and smiling with a woman, he figured it must be someone she knew. Of course, in a town this size, everyone pretty much knew everyone.
Jamison turned his head, his gaze following the same direction as Paxton’s. “You’d better go rescue Sandra. Katie is nice enough, but her brother is a bit of a prick. Thinks he’s God’s gift to women and after a few beers, he gets a little handsy.”
Handsy? Paxton didn’t like the sound of that at all. Not one little bit.
While Sandra had lived away from home, life in Tuckers Bluff had seemed so far away and so long ago. Now, as people she knew called to her, she felt as if she’d never left home, and once again she thanked heaven that she’d come home. Surprised by the crowd at such an early hour, Sandra spotted several empty tables and attempted to cross the room to one in the far corner of the room. What could she say, she wanted some semblance of privacy for her time with Paxton.
“Sandra, hey,” Katie, one of her former classmates, grabbed her arm. “I heard you were back in town.”
Even though Katie had never been one of her favorite people, Sandra gave the woman a smile. “Hi.”
“You need a seat? You by yourself?” Katie shoved the guy beside her over and patted the seat beside her.
Sandra glanced over at Paxton talking by the door with his cousin. “I’m with someone, but thanks for asking.”
It took another moment for her to recognize Katie’s brother at her side. Another person she’d never cared for in high school. Former football player, and as dumb and annoying as the stereotypical jock. The guy looked around and turning his attention back to Sandra, what was supposed to be a smile looked more like a sneer. “One drink. It’ll be fun.”
She shook her head. “I really want to snag a table before they’re all gone.” She faced Katie again. “We’ll have to catch up another time.”
“Of course.” Katie’s smile seemed sincere. Maybe she’d turned out to be a nice person, but tonight wasn’t the time to find out.
Before she could fully back away from the table, Paxton appeared at her side and slid his hand onto her lower back. “I see a table over there.”
She nodded at him, waved her fingers at Katie, ignored her brother, and as they walked, turned to face him. “Thank you.”
“For what?” His hand was still at her back as they approached the same table she’d spied a few minutes ago.
“Saving me from having to talk any longer to Katie and her brother.” Had she been here with Ed, the man would have completely ignored her as long as he had a full drink to make love to. She tried not to think about how much time she wasted. Being here with Paxton made standing tall, and feeling safe, easy.
“Any time.” Stopping at the small table and pulling out her chair, he smiled at her. “I mean that.”
Somehow, she was sure he really did. “Knowing everyone in the place is part of the price of living in a small town. And I freely admit, a price I’ll gladly pay for David to have a safe place to grow up. Though in your case, you’re probably related to more than half of the people here.”
Quickly, he glanced around, and nodded. “That’s a fair estimate.”
A soft melody played on the juke box and Sandra found herself swaying in her seat as she read the menu on the table.
“You still like to dance?”
