I feel Trip’s presence behind me, and I turn, giving him a polite smile. It’s really not fair that he’s so good-looking. I was sure his jawline alone could cut me, and his muscles were barely maintained under his shirt.
“That was great work, Beth,” he says, leaning against the table and crossing his arms. I half expect the shirt to rip from the way the shirt strains, and I wonder if he buys his shirts a little smaller on purpose.
“Thank you,” I say politely, resuming my task and ignoring the creeping irritation around my neck at being called Beth. It’s not worth making a scene.
“You’ve really got a knack for this job, seeing what the customer wants and delivering it.”
I let my eyebrows draw together, giving him a quizzical look. “Really? I didn’t think you thought so.”
“Of course I do.” His voice deepens at the end of the sentence, and I know exactly what’s coming. Him asking me out.
He’s done it before, and I’ve always refused. It’s been years since I dated anyone, the last guy being Rora’s dad, but my focus has been solely on her and raising her the best I can.
Hattie’s words come to me then as Trip opens his mouth: just use him for some fun.
I think back to the other night when I felt like I basically threw myself at Derek and he was so not interested. It sucks, but it is what it is. I had thought at the wedding there was some sort of vibe there, but I guess I’m just awful at reading those cues anymore.
“We should really go out sometime, we could have some fun.” His innuendo is not lost on me, and frankly, I don’t think I could actually sustain dating him long-term.
But a night out, with dinner and drinks and maybe something else, sounds kind of nice.
“You know what?” Trip’s eyebrows perk up, and he looks so hopeful that I’m about to finally give in that I almost don’t.
But I hear myself say, “I’d love to.”
He stands up from where he was leaning against the table and smiles. His smile is perfectly straight and brilliantly white. There was no freaking way this guy isn’t a playboy. But that’s okay, because I just want to play.
Nothing serious, nothing concrete, just some fun.
“Really? Great. How’s this weekend?”
“Let me check my schedule, and I’ll text you. Sound good?” I ask, grabbing my laptop and nodding to the door. “I’ve gotta get back to work.”
“Yeah, me too. Let me know, okay?”
I nod and smile at him. Maybe he’s not the exact guy I want to go out with, but it is something, and I am proud of myself for at least making a plan to make a plan.
Progress.
Chapter Seven
“Nothing astonishes me more than Derek’s ability to friend zone himself.”- Garrett
DEREK
I stare at the door to my father’s hardware store and basically will someone to walk inside.
To say business has been slow lately is an understatement. It was a tough business to be in these days, when everyone was buying their stuff online and I was sitting here, hoping that the people who were walking down the sidewalk would suddenly need something for their home improvement.
This shop was my dad’s baby, and then after I was old enough, I started to work here too. I took a break when I joined the military and got shipped overseas for a few years, and then when Graham was injured and shippedhome, I took the next chance I could to get out and get back here.
When I finally got home, I found out that my dad had been sick.
He never said anything—didn’t let me know that he was sick at all—until I saw it for myself. Gone was the strong, confident man who I left when I was eighteen, and in his place, at least in my eyes, was an old man life had beaten down.
I had one year with him before he passed, leaving me his legacy.
And a mountain of bills.
