“Your what?” I frown.
“My friggin’ hoodie.”
Huh? I glance down at the faded UW Badgers logo and smile. “Oh, yeah. I guess it is.” I didn’t intentionally wear it, but if it helps my cause, then I’m glad I did.
“You’ve had it all of this time?”
Since the night of Sam’s bonfire six years ago? “Yep. It’s one of my favorites.”
“Wow.” And from his wide eyes and the color seeping into his cheeks, it’s definitely a good wow.
“You don’t mind, do you? I mean, if you want it back…” I reach for the hem, lifting it just enough to flash my belly button above my shorts.
He scrubs his hands over his face and laughs. “Nah, babe, we’re good.”
I close the distance between us, so when he drops his hands, I’m right there, toeing up to kiss his cheek. “Good,” I say against his skin. “I wasn’t going to give it up anyway. Just like you. You’re both mine now.”
A low growl radiates from his chest and his hand grips my hip for just a second before Jett calls from the porch, “Mama, I’m done!”
I smile and step back. “I have to go. I hope you enjoy your dinner.”
“Hayden, wait…” He reaches for me again, but I shift just out of his grasp.
“I’m going to be out of the office tomorrow, by the way,” I tell him. “And we have job interviews scheduled for Tuesday morning. Your mom and Amelia will be there and your dad will have Jett. The first meeting is at ten o’clock. All you need to do is show up.”
His chin drops and his jaw tenses, and there’s fire in those light eyes. I’d love nothing more than to go back and kiss that chaos away, but I won’t. I can’t. Not yet.
“I love you, too,” he husks and it’s a good thing I’m already back to the porch and holding on to Jett’s hand, because my insides turn to goo.
I bite my lip and toss a grin over my shoulder. “Good night, Jesse.”
Chapter 32
JESSE
It took everything I had in me not to drive back to Hayden’s on Sunday night and tell her to forget everything I said on Friday, especially when I unloaded the boxes she’d put together for me.
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and, if that’s the angle she was trying to play, she friggin’ nailed it.
But it wasn’t her need to nurture and take care of me that hit the hardest—it was her confidence. That gleam of determination in her eyes. That I’m-going-to-show-you-how-wrong-you-are attitude.
She knew exactly what she was doing and it was fucking everything.
Fortunately, Monday was so busy that I didn’t have time to think too much about throwing in the towel, though I did text her a picture of the jobsite we were working on so she could show Jett. She replied back with a picture of herself, hair wild around a dewy face, like she was in the middle of a workout. A pic I may or may not have used to rub one out later that night.
It’s possible I was thinking about that picture again on Tuesday morning when Amelia texted that I had fifteen minutes to get to the office for interviews. Shit, shit, shit.
“I am so sorry,” I say, rushing through the front door of Enders Excavating a solid ten minutes after the first interview was set to begin. “I got tied up at the Coleman site.”
Ma, Amelia, and Hayden glance up from where they’re gathered around Greta’s old desk, laughing and eating Tulah’s muffins.
Hayden swallows down her bite and clears her throat. “You’re fine. We’re just talking about the heritage festival.”
“Did the first interview no-show or is she gone already?” I toss my ball cap onto a vacant desk and run a hand back through my hair in a vain attempt not to look like I’m as disheveled as I feel.
Ma glances to Hayden and Amelia bites her lips together almost guiltily.
“Actually, if you could come back to your office, I can show you the files and we can get started,” Hayden says, standing and smoothing her hands down a sleeveless, tight-as-fuck navy dress that only adds to my anxiety. The prim and proper, pull-down-my-panties-and-fuck-me-over-the-side-of-your-desk number is exactly what I imagine she used to wear at her corporate job in the city.
I’m so fucking glad she doesn’t do that kind of work anymore, but I have no idea how I’m supposed to think straight, let alone be professional and conduct job interviews for her replacement with her looking like that.
Who the fuck thought it was a good idea to have her on the panel anyway? Oh, that’s right… You did, dumbass.
“Ah, okay. We’re doing the interviews back here then?” I ask, following her to the hall while trying not to stare at the way her ass fills out that pretty blue fabric or the way her hips swing from side to side in those sky-high heels she’s wearing, too.
“Uh huh.” She goes to my desk and shuffles some things around, finally pulling out a manila folder that she sets front and center. “Have a seat and take a look.”
She shifts away and I sidle forward, dropping into the seat she’s spent more time in over the past few weeks than I have. She takes a chair on the other side of the desk, waiting patiently.
Not only is the dress stunning, but she’s swapped her messy bun for a pinned updo today, with not a single strand of golden hair out of her place. Her makeup is subtle, but so fucking pretty. I want to kiss that raspberry gloss off of her lips and color them all on my own. And I would, except, you know, I told her we weren’t going to do that for a while.
“Who’s up first?” I ask, clearing my throat. It’s been a few weeks since I looked over the applicants, so other than Mikayla and another local lady Ma had mentioned before, I have no idea who to expect.
“The file has everything you need,” she answers pointedly, a small, almost nervous smile tipping up those pretty lips.
“I appreciate you pulling this all together.” I shift in the chair, gaze locked on hers. “In fact, I know you’ve been sneaking in and working after hours on the nights I’ve had Jett. You didn’t have to do that.”
She holds her chin high. “There was work to be done and I told you I would help.”
“Yeah, but after Friday night—”
“Jesse, open the file.”
My eyes narrow as she remains poised, if not a little anxious. Something about the way she’s looking at me piques my curiosity and I flip open the folder to find her resume on top.
“You applied?” I almost laugh. It’s not funny, just… unexpected.
“I did,” she says confidently. “You’ll find my resume, a thorough list of references, and several samples from my professional portfolio.”
“Hayden, we could have talked about this. You didn’t need to go through all of this trouble.”
“You wouldn’t have taken me seriously.”
“Because you’re overqualified for this job and you don’t even live here.”
“Actually, I do live here. As you’ll see on my resume, my address is now 931 Amber Lake Road. I’m headed to the DMV tomorrow to change my driver’s license, as well.”