His parentshadtaught him to apologize even if he didn’t think the problem had come from him. He’d learned from a young age to say he was sorry and mean it, as he’d grown up in a big family with a lot of uncles and aunts and cousins, and feelings could get hurt easily.
He’d realized at breakfast that his father had worked very hard to maintain the relationships with his brothers and their wives, and that the reason Trap could work with Jason and Sawyer was because his parents had maintained those relationships by apologizing when necessary.
Trap had had their example his whole life, and while Lila Mae had seemed surprised that he’d hugged her before the apology, she hadn’t complained about it, or shied away from the contact.
He watched her until she finally said, “You really don’t have to bring me anything, Trap, but—I love a good hard candy to suck on while I’m working. I like a Bit o’ Honey, and those caramel Werthers.”
“Yeah,” Trap said. “Those are good.”
“I like the caramel apple ones too,” she said. “As I’m sure by now you know I’m an apple fan.”
He chuckled. “So you’re saying I should be glad that I got to meet you before Colt.”
She laughed, a playful, warm sound that Trap sure liked.
“Colt’s a little bit prickly,” she said.
“He is?” Trap asked.
“He was acting weird at the linger longer,” she said. “Elaine and I talked about it.”
Trap frowned, because that wasn’t good news. When he’d gone after his friend on Sunday, Colt had told him that ever since Tyson’s birthday party, when he’d suggested that Colt go out with Elaine, he’d been thinking about asking her out.
He’d said, “She’s just so pretty, and I get tongue-tied around her.”
He’d sworn Trap to secrecy and made him promise that he wouldn’t try to set him up with Elaine. Trap hadn’t had a spare second to think about how he might get Colt and Elaine together anyway, and he didn’t quite know what to say to Lila Mae without throwing Colt under the bus.
“He was just stressed about his son,” he finally said. “And his ex-girlfriend trying to get back with him.”
Lila Mae nodded. “He didn’t seem like he was in a good mood.”
“Colt’s great,” Trap said, feeling very defensive of his friend.
“I can’t wait to get to know him better,” Lila Mae said. “And hey, my favorite flowers are daisies. They’re just sohappy.”
Trap smiled with her. “I figured you might like wildflowers more than roses,” he said. “Because you wanted so many planted around the ranch.”
“I still do,” she said. “So don’t think you’re getting out of that.”
He chuckled. “It’s on our list, ma’am.”
He sobered with the talk of work. “Listen, I just wanted to say that I talked to my daddy about dating a client, and he said we just have to be really open about things, and it’s okay for me to say, ‘This is business talk, Lila,’ and other times, be like, ‘I don’t want to talk about work.’”
She scooped up another bite of roast. “All right.” She put the food in her mouth.
“And if it gets to the point where I can’t separate the two,” he said. “Then I’m gonna have to give the project to Jason orSawyer.” He watched her for her reaction and noted the tiny frown that appeared between her eyebrows.
“I don’twantto give your project to one of them,” he said. “I think I’ve been pretty clear about how I enjoy coming out here to work, and because you’re my first big project that I got myself, I want to see it through to the end.”
“Yes,” Lila Mae said. “You’ve been very clear about that.”
He swallowed and told himself that she had said she liked him, and while Trap had said it back, it certainly didn’t carry the same weight or require the same courage to be the first to say something.
“Just so you know, Lila Mae, if it comes down to keeping your project or keeping you, I’m going to choose you.” He swallowed, his stomach rioting against him for eating so fast. “I’ll pass the project off before I let it ruin whatever we might be able to have.”
Everything about Lila Mae softened, and Trap once again thanked the Lord for good parents and a father he could go to for advice.
She nodded and snapped the plastic lid back on her black container. Trap reached for it and put both of them in the plastic bag.
