We both know Lex doesn’t believe infriends.
* * *
PresentDay…
Axel
Lex.She’s back in my life. I can breathe again. I can see the light, and it just so happens to be streaming from her beautiful eyes. I’m just about to step into The Sloppy Pelican when my phone rings. It’s Teagan, so of course I pick up. After Emilia passed, I never let a call slide from either Teagan or Shep. You learn to value family—especially when pieces of it are stripped fromyou.
“What’s up, kiddo?” I head over to the old oak barrels set out near the valet parking that most people utilize for selfies. That and the pelican himself seated on the roof are the two fan faves when it comes to socialmedia.
“Dad just came out of a meeting with someone named AbbyWilcock.”
“Wilcox.” I cringe at my sister’s innocent mistake. Pretty much anything of a sexual nature has me cringing when it comes to my baby sister. “She’s a—friend.” It’s probably best my dad see her as an acquaintance of mine rather than an employee. If I want to off this girl to Collins Enterprises, I need to market the crap out of her. I know for a fact Abby gets under Lex’s skin. And knowing that Abby has sent out a proposition my way more than once makes me that much more eager to give her the boot. I would have fired her if I didn’t think she were an opportunist who didn’t find a sexual harassment lawsuit against her employer something beneathher.
“Dad wants to know if she’s a nutcase or if he should give her the keys to the kingdom.” I can practically see her sneering as she says it, and it strangely warms me. Teagan is still the cute little girl in pigtails in my mind’s eye, so listening to her strain my father’s eloquent speech through a childlike sieve makes me want tochuckle.
“Give her the keys.” My father has spent the last year snapping up prospective entrepreneurial pursuits, and I’m guessing Abby has concocted one herself. “I’m sure whatever Abby presented him with is solid.” Aside from being a tad too flirtatious she’s got a good head on her shoulders and a degree to back itup.
“You sure?” Teagan balks at the idea. “The girl looks like a seriousditz.”
“She’s not. She’s a great person. Dad will be lucky to have her.” A brief visual of Abby linked arm in arm with my father flits through my mind. Crap. That’s the last developmental deal I want him to close with her. “I’m sure they’ll work greattogether.”
“Whatevs. Tell Lex I said hi. I’m emailing her a few last minute changes. Oh, and if you’re wondering what to get me for my official Freedom Fest, give yourself a night off next Friday. There’s no way I want you around my friends and me. No offense, but having an overprotective big brother breathing down my neck will sort of cramp my style with theboys.”
A laugh rumbles from me. “That won’t be a problem. Lex specializes in all-girl events. In fact, she’s working on a bigno boys allowedsign as wespeak.”
“Very funny. I’m hanging up now. Love you!” And she does just that, hangsup.
The Sloppy Pelican is the last place I want to be with Lex tonight, but as fate and my lousy scheduling would have it, The Sloppy Pelican demands our presence. There simply isn’t anyone to cover Lex’s shift. Abby called in and that stretched my already skeleton crew to beyond the grave. So here we are. Lex in that short skirt, that blouse that highlights her curves, those high heels that make her legs look as if they go onforever.
A hand swats me over the chest, and I look over to find Brody crossing hisarms.
“You’redrooling.”
“You would be too if you spent half a minute staring at her. But don’t or I’ll have to beat you intotomorrow.”
“Funny,” he grunts, giving a sullen glance around. “Man, I miss thisplace.”
“It doesn’t miss you.” I bounce a dry smile on my lips. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in a corner somewhere countingbeans?”
He groans as he folds his arms over his chest. “I’m all numbered out. It’s time to outsource this shit. Hire a real accountant. Hell, hire an entire fleet of them. I’m tapped. I can’t make heads or tails out of anything. Just when I think I’m getting somewhere the asshole telling me what to do shoves it back in my face. It’s an exercise in futility. I’m done. I’m back. You can walk right out. I’ve got this, dude. I may not be able to solve the puzzle of the missing numbers, but I sure as hell can staff this place better than youcan.”
I glance over at Lex. She’s mine again, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to give The Pelican the kiss-off and head back to the judicial world. Nope. Lex and I are still green. We need to be nurtured, and this place has played a huge part in getting us back on the righttrack.
“How about you give it until after the wedding? Hell, make it the honeymoon sweetheart.” I wink while egging him on. “I’m not kidding. Levi is already pretty stressed out. He’ll freak if we announce we’re hiring a team of financial exterminators. You know they’ll hook a hose up to our checking account and we’ll go down fast. Not even Low can pull us out of that one. Once he gets back from his honeymoon, we’ll knock our heads together and see what we can come upwith.”
He scratches the back of his neck, looking unconvinced by the idea. “You know—I realize he’s getting married, but dude, all he has to do is rent a tux and walk down the aisle. He hasn’t been here inmonths.”
My stomach grinds because I’m starting to feel a bit guilty. Maybe it was a bit much to sic my friends in the financial world on Brody. And drowning Levi in real estate prospects probably wasn’t the brightest idea I had either. Low stopped by the other afternoon, and I heard her telling Lex every time they get excited about a property it’s yanked from under their noses. She’s starting to feel cursed. She says she’s afraid her wedding will fall apart just like their dream home has time and time again. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was cast a pall on their wedding. Perhaps this has all gone a bit toofar.
Mojo calls for Brody to cover him at the bar, and lucky for me, Lex is walking this way with a smile that sayshold onto your boxers, big boy, things are about to getheated.
A laugh bubbles from her as she passes me on the way to the kitchen. “Someone looks like he’s already cravingdessert.”
“It’s always been my favorite meal of the day,” I call out as I get to work with a spring in mystep.
The next few hours breeze by with Lex stealing glances my way as she works her station—with me stealing wet, heated kisses as I pull her into the darkest corners the establishment has tooffer.
