She was so distracted.If her parents invited Axel to dinner, that was going to put a whole heap of stress on him and would make him run away.
“What do I do?”Joey asked.
“About what?”
“About our parents ruining this.”She gritted her teeth as she grabbed a cloth and wiped down the counter.Everything else was ready.All she had to do was get through this morning.
If Ashley and her parents knew, that could only mean half the town knew as well.
“Let’s be clear on something.Do you like Axel?”Ashley asked.
“Yes, I like him.”
“Do you see yourself with him long-term?”
“I can’t answer that.”
“Yeah, you can.You and I both know you don’t do the casual sex thing, so on some level, you like Axel.”
“He never settles down.You know this, and you were the one that warned me.”
“Yeah, and Axel doesn’t kiss, nor does he spend the night, and guess what, he has done all of those things.So, I would say when it comes to Axel, he is breaking all his own rules for you.”
Chapter Seven
Gossip and news traveledfast.
Super-fast.
Axel didn’t even need to be part of any conversation to know they were having one about him.
He got to work, though, and organized the men to do their jobs.He wanted to get a move on with his project, especially as he was now behind, which he didn’t like.He prided himself on always being on time.He worked his ass off to complete projects within the specified time period, without losing integrity and quality of his work.
With the kitchen back to square one, he had no choice but to hire a few more hands to help him get the kitchen back up to spec.This time, he kept a close eye on the men and women working.
By lunchtime, he was already exhausted, but he was also anxious to see Joey.This was going to be the first time she was the subject of town gossip.He was used to it.People often talked about him behind his back, and he didn’t give a shit.There had been a few comments here or there about him and Joey—the banter that came with work—but it wasn’t anything disrespectful.
