“No, Roxanne.”
The sound of her name sent an uneasy, titillating thrill coursing through his body. Not the most appropriate reaction in front of her brother. Luckily, Jonah steeled his features, controlling his response. Had she walked through the door, it might have been harder to hide. This woman was taking up too much real estate in his head. Ever since he found out about her bid, she’d plagued his thoughts.
“That was nice of her.”
Ethan smiled. “I think she may have had an ulterior motive.”
Jonah drew in a deep breath. Ulterior motive? His mind went to the one place it shouldn’t have. Jonah had done his best to stick to his strict rules regarding Roxanne Barrett. Look but don’t touch. He went the extra step and rarely associated with her. His attraction to her hovered on the edge of obsession.
He was aware of her shy glances when they were in each other’s presence. However, he didn’t take it as interest. For a woman like Roxanne, Jonah was by no means a prize catch. His overwhelming baggage turned most women off.
Jonah didn’t ask, but he continued to stare at Ethan, waiting for an explanation. Thankfully, Ethan took the hint.
“She was very appreciative for your donation. I think she was hoping to thank you in person.”
Jonah jerked his chin. “No big deal.”
“To her, it was.” Ethan reached in his pocket when his phone rang. “Your piece brought in a high bid.”
“I heard.” When Ethan’s brows hiked, he quickly finished. “Kenzie mentioned it.”
He was waiting for Ethan to break confidence and tell him it was his sister who’d won it. But if Ethan knew, he wasn’t sharing. The phone continued to ring, and Ethan ignored it. But Jonah didn’t. This was the perfect getaway for his escape.
The elevator doors opened and Jonah walked inside.
“You should take that.” Jonah pointed to Ethan’s phone. “And reach out if you have questions or need me to look at anything.”
Ethan lowered his chin as the doors closed. When the elevator started to move, he turned to face the window. He needed to focus on making it to his next job site, ridding his mind of everything related to Roxanne Barrett.
Fucking impossible.
Chapter Three
“Little shithead.” Roxanne seethed, gripping the phone so tight it nearly slipped from her grasp. Her hand practically shook as she stared at the wall, trying to rein in her anger.
By the second ring, she knew it would go straight to voicemail. Again. It’d been an ongoing occurrence for the past three days.This is what I get for being a good person.
“It’s Cord, leave a message.”
She released a sinister growl, and her entire body tensed. “Cord, it’s Roxanne Barrett.Again.This is the fourth message I’ve left, and I’m losing my patience. Call. Me. Back.” She pounded on the screen and dropped the phone onto the desk.
“I’m gonna kill that little prick,” she muttered through clenched teeth.
If he thought for one second he could ghost her and she’d let it go, he’d get a rude awakening. It would be a harsh and memorable lesson for Cord. She’d track him down, one way or another. This time she’d show no mercy. She clenched her fists and bobbed her leg against the bottom of her desk. Did he really think she’d just give up and go away if he didn’t return her calls?Apparently.Nothing infuriated her more than a liar.
She took deep, even breaths trying to level her anger. And stress. Along with this disastrous clusterfuck, she’d been fielding requests from the bride-from-hell. Roxanne rested her elbows on her desk, head in hand, glancing around the office. To appeal to her range of clientele, she’d decorated it with a neutral, yet elegant flair. Her newest piece of décor hung behind the door. It was a purposeful move. Her auction win might be better suitedfor her apartment, but she wasn’t there enough to enjoy it. She spent the majority of her time in the office. Her brother, Bogs, even joked about making one of the spare offices a bedroom. It wasn’t such a far-fetched idea. Though she knew she’d receive pushback from her family. As it stood, they all agreed she worked too much.
Her tension eased slightly when she locked eyes on the wood plaque. She’d spent hours inspecting the intricate detail. It was beautiful. It should’ve been on display for everyone to enjoy. But Roxanne was being selfish. It felt like she had a small piece of Jonah all to herself.
She had other reasons too. Red flags would fly if her brothers saw the piece and found out about her very generous bid. The last thing she needed was them catching wind of her infatuation with Jonah.Bogs would never let me live it down.
She sat back, clasping her hands over her stomach, eyeing the art. It was in the shape of their home state of Texas. All the edges and curves fitting perfectly, every last detail, which must have taken quite some time. The etched border must’ve taken hours. The shiny gloss of the wood gleamed against the overhead light. Toward the bottom was a knotted, darkened circle, where Houston would be on a map.
It was perfect.
This was giving off stalker vibes. How pathetic she was, dropping a few grand for a piece of art by a man she barely knew.
Roxanne swiveled in her chair, keeping her eyes locked on the piece, remembering the last time she’d actually been in his presence. It was at her father’s house for their annual family barbecue. Their family consisted of her father, brothers, her and all their friends. To the Garrisons, blood didn’t define family. They had one every year, but it was the first time Jonah had shown up. Aside from her initial greeting, she hadn’t really spoken to him. It didn’t stop her from staring at him throughoutthe night. A few times when she’d looked his way, she'd found his eyes on her. It gave her false hope.
