“Lex works here now.” I blink over at my sister. “We’re not together. She won’t even talk tome.”
Teagan locks those lavender eyes over mine, and we enter into a silent standoff for a moment. “Good. Keep it thatway.”
“Okay!” Low offers a nervous giggle as she looks to the bar and motions Lex over. “That wasn’t weird at all. So this is the deal. I’d love to stay and babysit Lex all night, but I’ve only got about fifteen minutes before Levi picks me up. Our realtor is on fire, and we’ve got a dozen different places to see this evening. And besides, Lex sort of needs thepractice.”
Lex makes her way over, shoulders back, head tipped to the sky, those gorgeous full pouty lips painted a caustic shade of pink that I’d love to lick right off. Lex is the only woman on the planet who has ever brought out the caveman in me. There has never been a moment we’ve been together that I haven’t wanted to toss her onto the nearest table and have my way withher.
“Oh my God.” Teagan looks visibly ill, and a horrible feeling comes over me. Teagan has never been one to hide her feelings. I’m not sure why I thought this might be a good idea. “It is you,” she flatlines, and Lex blinks back as if she were about to blowover.
“Low.” I rise out of my seat before sitting back down. “Teagan is about to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, right here in the banquet room with all her friends. Would you mind taking her back there and showing her the party package we’ve got?” Brody threw together a few meager hats and streamers. To be truthful, there is no party package, but I’m hoping Low will take the hint and spare Lex and me the embarrassment of having Teagan explode all over theceiling.
“Sure thing,” she growls it out through clenched teeth as a reluctant Teagan follows her to theback.
Lex turns to leave as well, and I touch my hand over her elbow. “Lex,wait.”
She turns just enough to glare at my fingers still lingering over her bare skin, and I quickly retract. “I’m sorry. Would you mind taking a seat?Please?”
“Yes.” She starts to take offagain.
“You didn’t take my order.” It comes out a little louder, a little more caustic than I intended it to. Her back is still to me, and I steal the opportunity to take in those long brown legs. Those divots behind her knees call to me, and I’m tempted to bury a kiss in eachone.
“Excuse me?” She spins on her heels. The underbelly of her sole is a bright pink, and it reminds me of that secret place in her body that I was once privy to, so perfectly pink and all for me. Lex leans in with all of her formidable hatred exuding from those fiery lawn green eyes. “Did you have the nerve to speak tome?”
My mouth opens, and a thousand words beg to flood on out—I’m sorrybeing at the top of the list. But I know Lex. Show her your weakness and you are done. She will flush you down the toilet and never lookback.
“I gave you this job.” My lips pulsate in and out of a smile. “I believe taking a customer’s order is your chief responsibility,Lexy.”
Lex takes a breath and holds it. Her face turns a curious shade of purple, and suddenly I wish I had never left the office this afternoon. I should have sunk myself in that Flynn file. I should have never expected some happily ever after to come from this cosmic reconnection that Lex and I seem to behaving.
Low and Teagan pop back to the table, and the air seems to warm with their presence. The moment had passed. Lex is back to breathing again, and, ironically, it’s me who feels as if I’ve been suckerpunched.
Low takes our orders while Lex looks on with a morbid boredom. No sooner do they take off for the kitchen than Teagan kicks me hard from under thetable.
“Whatever the hell you have planned, you can forget it. Low told me all about how Lex hates your guts. This isn’t going anywhere. And the last thing I want to see is you moping around with a broken heart for another six years. Do everyone a big fat favor—forget her. If she was that brutal to you the first time, you should want nothing to do withher.”
Low shouts goodbye as she heads toward the door to meet up with Levi, and I offer a briefwave.
Brody speeds over from the back and lands next to Teagan, looking as if someone just threatened to stick a Roman candle up hisboxers.
“Dude”—he rubs his eyes so hard I’m half-afraid he’s about to gouge them out—“I just got off the phone with Les—the accountant? He says I need to reconcile every single receipt we’ve produced for the last year. He says we’re inches from a big messy IRS audit. I’m going to have to comb through acres of spreadsheets just to make sure nothing stands out. There’s no way I’m going to have time to do all that and run thebar.”
“What about Levi?” I should probably feel worse for playing puppet master—for even suggesting Levi since I’ve ensured he won’t have a free moment before his wedding, but I don’t. Lex is here, and I’m about to move heaven and earth to make sure I can spend as much time with her aspossible.
“Are you kidding?” Brody glances to Teagan with an apologetic nod before continuing. “He’s checked out until after the honeymoon. It’s you and me, and we both know that means it’s just me. Dude, I don’t think I can do this without hiring a manager until this bull blowsover.”
“Don’t do that.” I put on my sincerest concerned face. Teagan can read me like a book, and I’m pretty sure I have a ten second window to say my peace before she blows my cover. “I’ll step in. I want to. This place is just as much mine as it is yours. You get creative with the numbers or whatever it is you need to do, and I’ll mop the floors, get the schedule done, and put in the orders—heck, I might even spit shine a toilet ortwo.”
“You’d do that?” Brody looks equal parts concerned and floored by mygenerosity.
“Hell yes. Consider it done.” A familiar looking face walks in and heads straight over to Lex—my brother, Shep. “In fact, I’ll start right now. Shep just walked in. I’ll have him drive Teagan back when we’re throughhere.”
“Sweet.” Brody offers up a knuckle bump before heading back to hisoffice.
“My, my”—Teagan sings while nonchalantly inspecting Shep and Lex at the bar—“looks as if all the cards are falling into place for you. Levi’s so busy with his wedding, and poor Brody seems completely overwhelmed with a looming audit of apocalyptic proportions. Funny how you didn’t offer to sic the Collins’ accountants on this mess and clean it up in one fell swoop.” She picks at her chipped nail polish, pretending to be bored—a dangerous, dangerous thing when it comes to my sister. “So tell me, big bro—was Shep a part of the plan, too, or did his flirtatious moves just throw a wrench in your sexualscheme?”
Lex and Shep burst out into laughter as if they heard—as if they didn’t care at all what Teagan and I were discussing. Lex is glowing, and my brother shines in her light. No, I don’t like this atall.
I hop up and head over, tapping my brother over the shoulder hard like a threat. “Teagan needs to speak with you.” I nod my head that way, and he rolls his eyes before takingoff.
“Shep and I were just having a lively conversation,” Lex spits the words out, and I can’t stop staring at those fuchsia pink lips. Her eyes needle into mine with venom, issuing a warning all their own. “You don’t get to dictate who and when I can speak tosomeone.”
I take a step in, closing the gap between us, the heat from her body warming mine, that burnt vanilla musk she wears so prolifically teases my senses, and I’m right back there—as if the past six years never happened, and I crave to have her in the very worstway.
“I can dictate exactly who you speak to within this establishment. I can dictate the hours you show up and the hours you leave. I can dictate a lot of things, Lexy.” She flinches as if I struck her. “Brody and Levi are taking a little break from The Sloppy Pelican.” A careful smile tugs at my lips. “Meet your new boss. It’sme.”
