"No, I'll eat later. I'm not hungry yet."
As he left, her gaze immediately searched for Jax. He was chatting with Paige while also hitting a beach ball to Olivia and Henry. She thought about joining them, but she also wanted him to get to know people on his own. Maybe she would get something to eat. Before she could move, Lexie dropped into the chair Ben had just vacated.
"Hey," she said. "How's it going? I heard you got our mystery man to leave his apartment."
"Everyone needs to stop calling him that."
Lexie raised a brow. "I think you're the one who gave him that name in the first place."
"Well, his name is Jax, so we should call him that."
At her words, Lexie's gaze narrowed. "Okay, we can call him that. But you should know that Serena said you looked flustered when you walked out of his apartment with him."
"I just went there to invite him to join us. I wasn't flustered. Serena doesn't know what she's talking about."
Lexie laughed. "Is that the way you're going to play it? Because you look a little rattled now, and your cheeks are turning red."
"It's hot," she said defensively.
"He's hot," Lexie corrected.
Her gaze drifted to Jax, and she gave a helpless shrug. "Well, I can't argue with that."
"Have you learned anything more about him?"
"Yes, but we're still getting to know each other."
"What does he do for a living? What's his story?"
"Still figuring that out."
Lexie gave her a thoughtful look. "That's a cagey response for you, Kaia. You know more than you want to say."
"Maybe, but I also know that Jax needs his privacy right now, so if anyone comes around here looking for him, we should act like we don't know him."
"Who would anyone be?" Lexie asked sharply.
She didn't want to tell her about the photographer, so she just said, "I don't know, but if you see someone lurking about or asking questions, don't tell them he lives here."
"Well, I wouldn't talk about any of our tenants unless someone from law enforcement was asking questions. Do I need to be concerned about that?"
"Absolutely not. And I'm sure you can confirm that with Josie, if you need to."
"Since I trust both of you, I won't ask for more information, not yet anyway. But you're one of my best friends, Kaia, and if you're getting involved with him, I want to make sure he's a good guy."
"We're not getting involved…we're just getting to know each other," she said, not sure she was making a good distinction. "And I know what I'm doing. Let's talk about you. Are you ready for your gallery showing tomorrow?"
"Just about. I need to hang a few more pieces, some last-minute additions to the exhibit, but it's looking better than I imagined. Sienna is pleased," Lexie added, referring to the owner of the art gallery where her photographs were about to be the featured exhibit running for one of the busiest weeks of the summer with the fourth of July on Monday bringing lots of tourists to town and, hopefully, crowds to the gallery every day.
"I can't wait to see it. The reception runs from one to four tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, and I would love to see you there."
"I wouldn't miss it. I have to work tomorrow from three to eleven, but I'll come by before then. Now, let's go get some food."
As she got to her feet, she saw Jax talking to Serena and Ava. She really hoped Serena wasn't grilling him about their relationship. It took some willpower not to rush over and join them so she could protect him from whatever well-meaning questions might come his way. But she couldn't do that. He needed to form his own relationships with his neighbors, and if she stayed away from him, hopefully, the gossip about the two of them would die down.
"He's fine," Lexie said, startling her.
