Ouch.I could’ve lied at that point, told him that it didn’t bother me, that he could have flings with every girl in this bar for all I cared, but truth was, I did care and absolutely didn’t want to drive him into the arms of another girl. “I finished sanding the floors. I’ll bring all the equipment backtomorrow.”
August watched me, then watched the boys who were still discussing the new development behind us, then moved his gaze back to the television displaying a live baseball game. He didn’t ask me what all the excitement was about. Had he figured it out on his own, or was he simplyuninterested?
“I was thinking of oiling the wood like Dad used to,” I continued. “Which brand would yourecommend?”
“The one we have at the warehouse. I’ll put some aside for you tomorrow. You can grab it from the office when you drop off thesanders.”
“I can also go to the store and buyit.”
He angled himself fully toward me now, his broad chest eclipsing everyone behind him. “You could, but then you wouldn’t get the quality stuff westock.”
I sighed. “Will you at least let me pay forit?”
Instead of answering me—or maybe his pointed look was the answer—he raised his hand to get the bartender’s attention. “Hey, Tommy, can I get a Coors and anotherMichelob?”
The bartender nodded. Seconds later, two bottles appeared in front of us on the stickybar.
August pushed the Coors my way. “That’s what you were drinking,right?”
I wasn’t sure why he was asking me, since he was well aware of the answer—August was the most attentive person in the Northernhemisphere.
I wasn’t sure whether I should be drinking another beer. Then again, I was walking home, not driving, and I had a werewolf metabolism, so one more couldn’t hurt. “I’ll only drink it if I can pay for thisround.”
He smiled, as though amused. “Same way you’re going to pay me for the hardwoodfinishing?”
“You do know I wasn’t fake-offering,right?”
“Iknow.”
“Then why won’t you let me? I’d be using your money to payanyway.”
His smile vanished. “Stop thinking of it as my money. It isn’t. It’s money that was owed to yourfamily—”
“Stop saying it was owed. Nothing was owed. You just gave me a handout because you pityme.”
His eyebrows shot up. “That wasn’tpity.”
“I’m not mad; I’m just stating afact.”
“Don’t state incorrect facts because that makesmemad.” He lifted his bottle to his lips and drank a long, hard gulp that made his Adam’s applejudder.
“I didn’t come over here to fight withyou.”
His freckles darkened. “We’re not fighting; we’retalking.”
“Well, let’s talk about something else,then.”
The spicy scent of his skin seemed to have gotten stronger. Perhaps because he was flushed from the heat of ourtalk.“What are you doing for your birthday nextweek?”
“Haven’t planned anything. Probably just dinner with Evelyn after her shift at The Silver Bowl.” Even though he hadn’t asked, I explained why we’d been there the other day. “Actually, how about we all go to dinnerthere?”
He cocked up an eyebrow. “All?”
“Your parents, Jeb, Frank, you? We could go late so Evelyn can get out of the kitchen.” I scrunched up my nose. Had I really just suggested his family join me? Just because they’d been to most of my birthdays, didn’t mean they cared to sit through yet another one. Especially after everything that had transpired between me and their son. “Unless—unless you have otherplans.”
“I have no otherplans.”
“You really don’t have to comeif—”
