“I know, and…”
“And you should have told me about the phone call from Kelsey. I deserved to be part of the decision-making.”
“Would you have agreed to hire Lexi?” Axel asked carefully. “I mean, considering the history between the two of you…”
Raking a hand through his hair, he had to wonder what he would have said if it had been presented to him differently.
“Look, we’re sorry we didn’t come to you sooner,” Walker said quietly. “But considering your behavior lately, none of us could predict how you would handle this.” He paused. “But the thing is, I couldn’t say no. I realize you and I are friends and we’ve been close since we were five, but…in my gut, I knew this was something I had to do.”
Well, shit.
Glancing at Axel, Connor saw him nod.
Shoulders sagging, he let out a long breath. “I just don’t know how we’re going to work together. I guess there’s a possibility that she has no hard feelings toward me and I’m just getting myself worked up over nothing.”
Axel gently cleared his throat, and that’s when he knew there had to be more to the story.
When the two of them exchanged looks again, Connor decided he’d had enough.
“Out with it!”
“One of her…requests,” Walker explained, “is that she does not want to work with you in any capacity. That’s why we’re placing her on Slater’s team. There should be no reason for the two of you to have any interaction besides occasionally walking by each other.”
Damn. So she was definitely still holding a grudge. Awesome.
“When is she getting here?” he asked wearily.
“In three days. Jayce and Kelsey are helping her and her son pack up and get here.”
“She has a son?”
They both nodded.
“Jonah,” Axel said. “He’s four.”
It was crazy how much that felt like a punch in the gut, even though he had no right to feel that way. They went their separate ways years ago, and it was his fault. He knew she wasn’t pining away for him, but just knowing someone else was lucky enough to love her and have a kid with her…
“And the husband?” he forced himself to ask.
“Out of the picture,” Walker murmured. “Which is why she needs some help. The guy’s a total deadbeat and has been for a while. She was working at a daycare center that got closed down, and it’s difficult to find a job and childcare.”
Now he felt even worse because it was his fault she was in this situation. If he had stood up to his parents all those years ago, he would have married her and never let her suffer a day in her life. No, if they had been allowed to have the relationship they wanted, Connor would have treated Lexi like a damn princess and given her everything she could ever want. Her and their kids. But no, his parents had not only screwed up his life, but hers too.
“Con?” Axel asked. “You okay? Your expression turned a little fierce.”
“What? Oh, uh…yeah. Sorry. My mind just…this is a lot to take in.”
They continued walking up the path to the lodge.
“Lexi knows you’re going to be around, but it would be cool if you didn’t…you know…go out of your way to seek her out,” Walker told him.
Muttering a curse, he shook his head. “I really wish it weren’t happening like this.”
“Like I said, you’ve been a bit on edge lately and it made all of us a bit leery to spring this on you. The good news is that you are swamped this week with interviews, so there is almost no chance of you doing more than maybe catching a glimpse of Lexi,” Walker went on. “She may eat with us, but…maybe not.”
Yeah, he couldn’t imagine her wanting to come up to the lodge for one of their family-style dinners when he was the one cooking for everyone.
“This so isn’t a situation I ever thought I’d be in,” he said quietly as they made their way up the back stairs of the lodge. “Like…I’ve thought about running into Lexi like a million times over the years, but it was never in a work situation and certainly not one where she specifically requested not to see me.”
