“Thanks, Micah,” I said. He met my gaze and I knew he understood, but I felt the need to say it anyway. “For looking out for her, I appreciate it.”
“Are you kidding? She’s one of my best friends,” he said. He turned and scanned the barren lot. “She’s got a vision, and this development is going to change this entire neighborhood.”
His tone was full of respect, and it occurred to me that Micah was a man of vision as well. With a wave, he walked across the lot toward an excavator parked on the far end. I had no doubt that he’d have the work assignments ready tomorrow, and I was going to have to scramble to get a crew ready in time.
“How do you feel about taking on an extra job?” I asked Jackson.
He pulled at his chin hair. “Depends upon what it is.”
“I want someone I trust to keep an eye on my sister,” I said. “I know Micah can keep her safe here, but it’s the to and from home I’m worried about.”
“You want me to shadow her or actually escort her?”
“Escort,” I said.
“Ooh, male escort.” He laughed. “Can’t wait to add that to the old curriculum vitae.” He glanced around the jobsite, as if scanning for potential danger. “Of course I’ll do it.”
The door to the trailer opened, and Annabelle and Lexi stepped outside. They were both smiling so I assumed the meeting of the minds had been a success.
“I’ll stop by your office tomorrow,” Lexi said. “We can finalize the details with your bosses.”
“Excellent,” Annabelle said. She glanced at me and Jackson, and I could see she was positively vibrating with excitement.
“Are you finished?” I asked. “I need to make some calls if we’re going to be up and running tomorrow.”
The relief and gratitude in Lexi’s gaze was a look I was going to cherish forever. “Thanks, Nicky.”
She was never going to curb that habit. I sighed. I spun to face Jackson and said, “Don’t even think it.”
He shrugged right before a grin appeared out from behind his face hair and he said, “Sure thing, Nicky-oli.”
“You’re an idiot,” I said.
His big bark of a laugh drowned out my words, and I noticed Annabelle and Lexi were laughing, too. Whatever.
I walked toward the steps. Might as well get the next battle over with. “Lexi, I have an additional condition on my support.”
The laughter was wiped clean from her face replaced by a wary look. “What’s that?”
“While this development is under construction, Jackson here is going to act as your bodyguard,” I said.
“Oh, hell no!” she snapped.
Jackson looked at her in surprise. “That seems an overreaction.”
“Nothing personal,” she said. “But I’m thirty and I can take care of myself.” She shot me a dark look as she stomped down the steps with Annabelle following. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked. I knew a dig when I got hit with one.
“It means that just because I’m your little sister, you do not get to manage my life,” she said. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“Little sister?” Annabelle asked. She sounded surprised. Her gaze cut between us as she compared our features.
“Yes, Lexi is my sister,” I said.
“Not really,” Lexi said. She sounded a tad bitter. “We’re siblings, but we haven’t seen each other in almost twenty years.”
I frowned at Lexi. “I’ve seen you.”
She planted her hands on her hips and glared. “When?”
“I saw you graduate from middle school, high school, and college,” I said. “And I’ve followed you on social media for years. You really need to make your settings private.”
She gasped. “You’ve been stalking me?”
“Stalking?” I raised my hands in the air in a what the hell gesture. “I’m your brother. I had to make sure you were okay, didn’t I?”
“But that’s not fair,” she cried. She sounded so much like little Lexi, I expected her to stamp her foot just like she used to do. “I didn’t know. I . . . you . . . you should have reached out.”
I looked at her. “And how would that have worked out for me?”
She glanced away. We both knew her adoptive father would not have tolerated that.
“Still, you should have . . .” Her words trailed off. It was a woulda, coulda, shoulda situation that I couldn’t have won. Anger made her mouth tight, and she snapped her head up. “Fine. Whatever. I still don’t want a bodyguard.”
“Listen, not that anyone is asking for my opinion,” Jackson said, “but I don’t like it either.”
Lexi opened her mouth to speak, but he boomed right over her as Jackson tends to do. “But it’s clear someone does not want you to build this place, and until we know who it is and how far they’re prepared to go, I’m going to be stuck to you like glue.”
Lexi’s eyes widened as she took him in, and then her gaze flitted away. Was that a spark of interest? Well, hell.
“I suppose I could put up with you very temporarily,” she said.
“Good enough,” he said. “I’ll be here at quitting time to pick you up.”
“Excellent,” I said. And then, a genius idea struck. I gestured to Annabelle and Lexi. “You can come to dinner, both of you, and we’ll nail down the required pieces of art in my house. We’ll make it a project and be done with it tonight. Be there at seven.”
The two women exchanged a look. Now they both crossed their arms over their chests and stared at me with the exact same expression of displeasure.
“What?”
“Wild guess, but I think they were looking for an invitation to dinner instead of a command appearance,” Jackson said.
Both women nodded.
“Fine,” I said. “Would you two care to join us for dinner tonight?”
Again, they exchanged a look. How had these two women bonded so tight, so fast? How did women do that? I mean, Jackson and I had been living in the same house for months, and I could no more read his mind than I could tell you what was in the back of my refrigerator.
“I think I’m available,” Lexi said. “How about you, Annabelle?”
“I’ll move some things around,” she said. Her gaze met mine, and it was full of unspoken challenge. I had a feeling I was in trouble for not telling her Lexi was my sister. I smiled before I could stop myself. There was just something about that look that called to me; it made me want to put my hands on her hips, pull her close, and kiss her stupid.