“But aren’t you the guy in charge?”
“Usually, but Cliff’s there. He’s the one who taught me the job. Stepped back some after his wife died, but he’s back in the saddle now.”
“You know, until Sunday, I thought Cliff was the boss. How long have you been with LHS?” The highway requires focus, but a heartbeat of quiet makes my quick peek last longer.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you about tha—whoa!”
I hit the brakes, and Knox’s arm shoots out in front of me.
We come to a quicker-than-ideal stop, the early evening glowing with bright red taillights. This stretch always bottlenecks, but not so severely.
There are worse things by far than being trapped in a car with a handsome, amazing-smelling man. “Sorry.” I smile an apology.
He lays his hand near my sparkly bracelet. “I get this kind of reaction a lot, Ev—but you’re gonna have to keep your eyes on the road, darlin’.”
Real words fly out the window, leaving me giggling like a silly schoolgirl.Darlin’?Knox’s flirt factor has rocketed off the charts tonight, rattling my equilibrium. I bump his elbow. “For somebody who plays in the mud all day, you sure do talk a big game, buddy. Oh, look. Missed a spot!” I tap his perfectly clean hand.
“Yeah. Look at that.” He draws back into his half of the car.
“So. You were saying?” I check my mirrors to get over, then steal a peek.
“Oh, nothing. Just more work talk.”
Knox
It’s an unfair twist of fate that my ex’s snobbery continues to intrude, tainting my relationship with Everly, a relationship I hope is on the launch pad.
Becca messed with my head. It’s her fault alone Everly’s jest found its way under my skin, and man, I am an idiot for letting it stay there. But doggone, every time I think I’ve washed Becca and her nonsense out of my psyche,pop. There she is again.
I get that women—especially gorgeous attorneys—don’t dream about men like me. Movies aren’t made, books aren’t written.
Yes, there’s another line item on my resumé, but I shouldn’t have to wave it around like a doggie treat. Nobody wants to be tolerated or grudgingly accepted.
You’re making too much out of things, Ox.
Seems so, but it’s early days yet. Becca put on a darned good show of loving me—until she didn’t. That woman knew both sides of me, and I still wasn’t enough. In the end, it turned out she was trying to tolerate the part of me she didn’t like to grab hold of the part she did. I’d like to avoid that in my next relationship.
“Knox?”
Everly’s skin glows Christmassy red from the slowed traffic we’re lost in a sea of.Beautiful. She’s also open and warm—earning me the title of complete idiot.
Man up, Herd. Nobody loves a navel gazer. Insecurity is unattractive, and self-consciousness is its own form of pride.
“You got quiet all of a sudden.” Her lower lip is wedged between her teeth.
Shame on me for allowing my insecurities to stoke hers. I take her hand, soft and smooth, and this time, weave our fingers together. “I’m good. A little tired, I guess.”
“Physical labor is exhausting.” Her lips soften into a commiserating smile. “I don’t know how you do it all day every day. By closing, my feet are screaming at me no matter what shoes I wear. The only good thing is that at least my brain isn’t worn out like after a day at the office.” She shoots me a glance. “That part must be nice.”
I watch her profile so long, she finally turns. Instantly, she blanches.
Her eyelashes, painted long and dark for evening wear, flare up. “That came out wrong. I know you have to use your brain, too. I didn’t mean…”
I can guess the expression on my face, though it caught me off guard and snuck out. “I do use my brain. Laying sewer and water lines for multimillion dollar commercial structures and developments is complex. Sure, engineers do the planning, but the execution of those plans takes some skill.”
Her throat bobs a guilty swallow. “I know that.”
“As for the work being backbreaking…I’m sure you also know we have machinery for the big jobs. But yes, other times, we grab a shovel, jump in the hole, and do things the old fashioned way.” My hands curl on my thighs. “And the truth is, I get bored behind a desk.”
