“No, she didn’t complain. I’m complaining! Walker’s complaining! And I’m sure if given the opportunity, Jayce and Kelsey would complain too!”
“I just…”
“What the hell were you thinking?” Harlow demanded as she walked into the kitchen.
Connor let out a huff of annoyance. “You know, I get that you’re all concerned about Lexi being comfortable, but let’s not forget that I’m one of the damn owners, okay? I refuse to be locked up in the kitchen and questioned any time I leave to walk around.”
“But you’re not just walking around. You’re walking directly to Lexi,” Harlow explained. “I thought this was all settled.”
“It was! I was just…”
“Oh, good. You’re here,” Walker said casually as he joined them.
“Where else would I be?”
“Um…I don’t know. I think Lexi’s by the playground, so maybe you’d be there,” Walker said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “And she took her son down to see the lake, so you could be there too.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Connor said wearily. “I get it. I was out of line and you’re all pissed. Message received.”
“Are you sure? Because I thought we were all clear on this a week ago,” Walker said. “If this is going to be too much…”
“It’s not!” he snapped before reeling himself in. “It’s not. I went and said hello, I talked to her about how we all eat together and how I didn’t want my presence to be a deterrent.”
“So she’s going to eat with us?” Axel asked.
“No. She said her son eats earlier, so it probably wouldn’t work.”
“I wouldn’t mind eating earlier,” Harlow shared. “And you’ve mentioned more than once that it would be easier for Annabeth if we ate earlier.”
“What are you doing?” Walker asked her. “We’re trying to make sure Lexi doesn’t have to spend time with him, and now you’re trying to find a way to make it happen.”
She sputtered for a moment. “I’m just saying that I feel bad thinking of her and Jonah just sitting by themselves while we’re all up here.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Connor said quietly. “I’m making fried chicken for dinner, and…I’ll start it early. We can eat at 5:30. If you can convince her to join us, I swear that I’ll sit as far away as I can and I won’t speak to her unless she speaks first. Okay?”
The three of them exchanged glances before nodding.
“I’ll go talk to her,” Harlow said before kissing Walker and leaving.
As soon as the back door slammed shut, Connor braced himself for the lecture he was certain was coming.
So, while going back to chopping vegetables, and not looking up, he simply said, “Okay. Say whatever you need to say.”
“We already did,” Axel said. “It just felt like you needed the reminder to give Lexi some space. None of us except maybe Kelsey knows what’s been going on in her life, but she specifically asked not to have to interact with you, and you knew that. You knew it, and you went out of your way to see her.”
He continued chopping.
“Look, I’m sure your curiosity was piqued,” Walker reasoned. “And now that you saw her and exchanged pleasantries, you can go back to the original plan.”
Slowly, he put the knife down and braced his hands on the cool stainless steel. “Here’s the thing: no one asked me about the plan before you all agreed to it. Now, I believe in being reasonable, and I will give her space. But there is a history between us that has nothing to do with any of you.”
“Okay, but…”
“No one asked if I was going to be okay with having Lexi here,” he quickly interrupted. “No one bothered or cared about how seeing her again would affect me.” Swallowing hard, he shook his head. “She was the one.” He silently cursed the fact that his voice cracked on that admission. “She was the only one, and I had to break her heart. I’ve lived with that guilt for close to fifteen years. And now I’m supposed to just be okay with her being here while she hates me and deal with everyone’s shit because I’m weak.”
At least Walker and Axel had the decency to look a little guilty.
“I’m working hard to get everything food-related ready for the resort. I’m building a menu, a staff, a place that guests are going to enjoy. I moved into a rental house that I’m not particularly fond of so I’m glad it’s only temporary, while working with architects to build someplace that will be a home. I barely sleep at night because on top of all that, I’m planning my next restaurant that will be right here in Harbortown.” He let out a long breath. “And I’m doing it all while raising my daughter by myself. So, excuse me for a moment of weakness.”
