His ex-girlfriend is not only my boss, she’s also my friend. And I know Eden would not approve of Alex and me even being mentioned in the same sentence.
We may all be employed by the same team, but it’s clear that he’s the rival. Not someone to associate with. Which is why I’ll need to be careful if and when he turns up here. I’m still not even sure if he was serious about helping out with some of the more difficult tasks on Saint’s list. But the thought of Alex and me alone out here, with nothing but wilderness for miles around, is distracting.
Channeling my frustration into the scrub brush, I manage to clean away the last of the soot. I cough, slowly extracting myself from the mess to shake the debris from my hair. What a disaster.
Truth is, I’m the disaster.
This is my MO and what I always do. I find a guy to latch onto and fantasize about for eternity. That’s exactly what I did with Dale, falling hard and fast for him, long before that drunken night together our junior year. I fall in love with the idea of someone before really getting to know them, and then I become so good at making excuses for their bad behavior that I don’t even recognize myself anymore.
But I felt like myself with Alex. I didn’t try to be anyone I wasn’t. I was probably more honest than I should have been about the sad state of my life, and I didn’t care for one second what he thought about me. I was just myself.
Sure, it would be easy to dismiss Alex as the inconsiderate asshole that Eden makes him out to be. But I’m not so sure he’s a bad guy. Maybe a little reckless and immature, but not the monster my boss and the media portray him to be. After he found me miserable and practically hiding from the party, he kept me close for the rest of the night, never giving me a hard time or judging me for my Debbie Downer mood. Then he stuck his neck out for me when he didn’t need to, and now I have somewhere to live for the summer. And then there was the kiss.
“I guess I’ll be seeing you.”
The memory of Alex’s words sends a trickle of excitement from the back of my neck all the way down my spine. It wasn’t a promise, per se, yet I can’t help but get my hopes up. Alex Braun and me, alone in a secluded cabin for days on end? The thought curls through my belly, a warm pulse pushing lower and lower . . .
I plunge my hands into the soapy water bucket and rinse the scrub brush. Honestly, my pent-up angst has been useful. The fireplace is already looking much better, and it’s taken me half the time I thought it would.
I’m considering which job to tackle next when a car horn beeps, followed by the crunch of tires on loose gravel, and I nearly jump out of my skin.
Oh hell.
I peek out the front window to see that Alex has arrived, pulling in his shiny black Tesla to park next to Ruth, my POS Nissan.
Alex steps out of the car, reaching back in to retrieve a duffel bag and a box of groceries from the back seat with easy, strong movements. I watch his blue T-shirt ride up a bit as he hikes the bag’s strap higher on his shoulder, revealing a sliver of gorgeous tanned skin, and that muscled V-shape that I hear is illegal in most states.
Good thing we’re in Canada, eh?
He waves, catching sight of me in the window, and flashes me a devilish smile.
Dear God. How long have I been standing here, drooling over the sight of him? I scramble to pick up what’s left of my dignity on the way outside.
“Hey,” I call out, momentarily distracted by the sight of his broad shoulders. But when I hold open the front door, my sooty arm re-enters my field of vision, and I cringe. Alex looks hot as hell. Meanwhile, I look like I just stepped out of it. “How was the drive?”
“Easy,” he says as he climbs the front steps.
Don’t stare at his lips, don’t stare at his lips, don’t stare at his—
His mouth curls into an easy smile. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” I squeak out. “Can I help you carry something?”
As Alex’s steely blue eyes assess me, I wonder what he sees when he looks at me. But if he notices that I’m a mess, he doesn’t comment on it.
“I’ve got it.”
I step aside to let him in, catching a whiff of his masculine deodorant as he breezes by me. The scent of him—clean laundry and something spicy—seems to fit with the cabin’s masculine atmosphere.
“When did you get here?” he calls over his shoulder, heading straight for the kitchen where he begins to empty the box of groceries.
Is that sirloin?
“Tuesday,” I say, following him into the kitchen.
“You good? I mean, being here alone. You haven’t been . . .”
“Bored?” I shake my head. “No, not at all. There’s so much to do here. This place is incredible.”
Alex smiles at me again. “That it is.”
I watch as he unloads the rest of the groceries he’s brought onto the counter. A container of protein powder, a large bunch of bananas, a package of deli meat, and a few other odds and ends. “Are you sure I can’t help?”
His thumb skims mine as he hands me a carton of blueberries. “If you like.”
My body’s response to him is immediate and potent. And probably not normal.
After stashing the blueberries in the fridge, I hesitate, drawing in a deep gulp of oxygen. But Alex doesn’t seem to notice as he helps himself to a glass of water from the kitchen sink.
“Well, I should probably go tackle a few more chores from the list.”
He lowers the glass of water and meets my eyes. His face is calm, relaxed even, but I’d give anything to know what he’s thinking right now. “Eden warned you away from me, didn’t she?”
Something inside me flinches. “I didn’t tell her you would be here. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if you would come.”
“I said I would.”
I nod. That was true, he did. But I don’t know Alex well enough to know if he’s the kind of guy who keeps his promises. I don’t have the best history with men who actually do what they say they’re going to do. Enter my ex, Dale.
Gathering my courage, I turn to face Alex again. “Why did you invite me here?”
He meets my eyes with an uncertain expression. “You won’t like my answer.”
“Try me.”
He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “You seemed lonely.”
Ouch.
Smiling, he leans one hip against the counter. “And I guess I could relate. The two of us at Eden’s engagement party . . . I think we were the only people there who looked like we’d taken a puck to the sternum. So, I wanted to help.”
I return his kind smile. “Well, you did. You definitely made the night a little less awkward. And I still can’t believe I get to spend all summer here, so thank you.”
“Trust me, you’re doing Saint a favor.”
At the mention of his teammate’s name, a brief look of uncertainty flashes over Alex’s features. But before I can begin to unpack that, it’s gone, replaced by that easygoing charm that seems to radiate from him.
“And I’ll help you with the bigger items this weekend,” he says, “before I head back to Boston.”
I nod, trying to ignore the disappointment lodged in my stomach at the thought of him only here for the weekend. “So . . . should we tackle something off the to-do list, or did you want to rest after that drive?”