“Yeah.”
“Amber know?”
“Not yet. I’m sure they’ll tell her soon.”
“You okay?”
I shrug, wanting to play it off. “I’m fine. It has nothing to do with me.”
“Bullshit,” he says, and just like I gave him tough love when it came to Rebecca, I can tell he’s giving it right back. “That has to feel weird. Your ex having a baby? It’s like she’s really moving on.”
I laugh, kind of startled because when he says it, it sounds ridiculous. “Yeah. Which is crazy. She already moved on. She’s married again, for Christ’s sake.”
“Still weird. I mean good for them, but I’d definitely feel some type of way about that.”
I grin at that and take a drink of my beer. “Yeah. I don’t really know how I feel. I think I should be happy for her, but I’m not there yet.”
“You’ll get there.” He sighs, picking his sandwich up. “Before you know it, you’ll be building the new baby a crib.”
I chuckle at that, but yeah . . .
He’s probably right.
5
DAKOTA
The big burly man is back—but he’s surprisingly alone. I can’t hide my shock when I walk out onto my front porch and a large cement truck pulls up with Oakley’s Crew printed on the side and only one man hops out.
The man who was here yesterday.
The man who, for some reason, my stupid brain won’t stop thinking about. He’s not that good-looking...
Okay, he is. But I don’t go for the gorgeous jock type. I don’t. I want an intellectual, smart, kind lover.
Not that this man is going to be my lover.Jesus. My mind is really running away from me today.
I blame him.
Gabe.
I fold my arms, my back totally straight as he smiles at me and waves. He’s not wearing a coat today. Just a bright-orange T-shirt with Oakley’s Crew printed across the chest and a pair of holey, worn jeans.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Gordan,” he says, walking up the front steps of my porch like he’s been here a hundred times before.
“Dakota is fine,” I say gruffly, but it only makes him grin a little more. What is it with this guy? Why is he trying to seem so friendly? It’s not like landscapers get tips, though he’s probably getting paid a pretty penny for this.
There was a hefty extra fee for my request of him working alone, but it’s worth it. Like I told his boss the three different times he tried to make sure I understood that if I was willing to let two workers here, I could save a significant amount of money.
Not happening. But this man standing so close to me is making me itchy.
“Do you need my help with anything or can you get started?” I ask shortly, and for just a moment, his smile slips. He looks like he wants to ask me something, but wisely, he just fixes his smile back in place and shakes his head.
“Nope. I don’t need your help just yet. I need to lay down the foundation first, and that will likely take me most of the day. I’ll likely need your help tomorrow though.” His smile is irritating me, making me squirm.
Again, why is he being so nice? It has to be some sort of trick or a trap. Get me comfortable and I’ll let my guard down. That’s not happening. I’m always on high alert when others are around.
“Well, then get to it,” I say, taking a step back from him.
