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Over the next two days, he learned the meaning of true exhaustion.
He twisted, and shaped, and pinned until his fingers were numb. His  creations  he
couldn t in good conscience call them floral designs, though they did seem to improve as
his volume increased wouldn t win any awards. When he put them next to Nellie s and
especially Alexa s, to him they stood out like sparkly thumbs. But Alexa just shoved more
materials into his hands.
They kept going late into the evening on Thursday, then started again bright and early
on Friday. Nellie brought her own form of ballast in the form of Alexa s older brother,
Jake, who seemed to spend as much time watching Dillon as he did fumbling through his
own arrangements. But the help was definitely appreciated.
It took all four of them working their asses off until after nine. Alexa counted up the
arrangements, loudly declared the operation a rousing success, and immediately toasted
Nellie with the sparkling grape juice she d been holding in reserve. Then the two of them
disappeared into the back room.
Jake cornered him before he d even taken his first sip. Dillon would ve been more
prepared for his attack had he not been consumed with staring after Alexa. The black
seams of her stockings climbing up the backs of her shapely legs had tormented him all
damn day.
 I have a black belt in karate, Jake said in an undertone.
So much for pleasant reveries of licking his way up the backs of Alexa s calves.  Great,
Dillon replied.  I, ah, have always liked Bruce Lee movies.
 I wanted you to understand who you re dealing with. I know you re banging my sister.
Dillon stared straight ahead, sure he d misheard him. Maybe Jake had said seeing,
which translated into banging in Dillon s mind. It was possible.  Excuse me?
Jake let out an aggrieved breath.  Fine. Dating. Though it doesn t sound like dating
much to me. You fixed her sink, then what, you decided she could tip you with her body?
How was he supposed to answer that one?  Of course not. We ve been in church every
night, despite what your wife s obviously told you.
He half-expected for Jake s fist to collide with the sparkling juice on its way to his face.
Instead all he got was a low laugh.  Right. We spent some time in church ourselves
before we got married.
The ladies returned with more sparkling juice, Nellie talking on her cell while
exchanging hot looks with her husband. Alexa watched them with a wistful expression
while she sorted through her endless reams of paperwork.
Now that Dillon had helped her create a few more graphs and charts, she had begun
noting every supply she used on a checklist, right down to paper clips. She was an
organizational freak s idea of a dream date.
When she glanced over at Dillon and winked, he had to shift at the sudden tightening in
his jeans. Or a handyman-slash-business owner s, since he definitely dreamed about
dating Alexa and much more.
 Looks like it turned out pretty good for you guys, he said, tilting his cup toward Nellie.
 Yes, it did, Jake agreed, his gaze riveted on his wife.  But we had history. You and
Lex barely know each other. And church or no church, biblically doesn t count.
Dillon smothered a laugh in a cough.  I hear you. You re right. We have a lot to learn
about each other. He glanced back at Alexa and noticed she d switched to sifting through
her mail. Right on top lay the glossy real estate magazine that contained a spotlight on
the gala this month and featured him. Shit.  But I m willing to put in the time. I want
to, he added, already backing away from Jake.
Dammit, he had to get his hands on that magazine before he talked to her. Or else he
wouldn t need to bother.
 So she s not just some random woman to you, Jake stated, his narrowed eyes never
leaving Dillon.  You re not going to break her heart.
The first part was true. The second, he had little control over, at least anymore. What
he d set into motion could only be stopped with the truth.
So, basically, he was fucked.
He glanced at Alexa again and watched her run the eraser of her pencil over her mouth.
So damn sexy. She could fondle a stapler and he d get hard. Christ.
 She means something to me. Way too much.
Jake studied him for a moment longer, then nodded and tossed back the rest of his
drink.  Look, I know what it s like to think you re not good enough for someone. It took
Nellie a while to prove it to me. Jake s smile showed he was taking a trip down memory
lane, and from his expression, he wasn t visiting the clean neighborhoods.  Lex ll convince
you eventually. If you want to be convinced, that is.
Unsure how to respond, Dillon glanced down at his clothes as Jake ambled away. The
guy saw him as the handyman in ragged jeans and a T-shirt, so naturally he assumed
Dillon would doubt his attractiveness to an elegant woman like Alexa.
But what if he was right? What if part of the reason he hadn t yet come clean to Lex
was because he wondered himself if Value Hardware and by extension him was the
greedy, insensitive industrialist she d accused it of being?
And if so, what the hell was he going to do about it?
 Attention everybody! Nellie s voice rang out over the music and Alexa and Jake s
voices.  My best friend has an announcement.
Dillon s stomach tensed. Now what?
Alexa beamed and waved a piece of mail that looked like a check.  Along with us
kicking ass on the Yancy job thank you very much I got the money from the sale of the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]