She rolls her eyes. “I don’t know if it’s better, but at least it’s more honest.”
“Actually, that’s not more honest,” I contend, spiraling some spaghetti onto my fork. “I’m attracted to women I think are beautiful. But there’s no hard and fast rule as to what that means.”
“Of course there is.”
“No, there’s not.” I pause to figure out how to explain this to her. “Let’s take my brother Holt’s girlfriend, Blaire. She’s beautiful. She has long, dark hair and an air of sophistication about her that makes her seem exotic or untouchable. It’s hot.”
Jaxi nods. “That’s an interesting way to talk about your brother’s girlfriend, but okay. Got you.”
“He’d expect as much.” I wink. “Now, as a comparison, let’s take you.”
Her eyes go wide. “Oh, no. Let’s not.”
“Let’s do.” I lean forward. “You may not be tall or have dark hair or have that icy vibe that Blaire has going on that works so well for her, but …”
My voice trails off as she covers her face.
“Do we have to do this?” she grumbles.
“You don’t take compliments well, huh?”
She shakes her head. The little bun thing on top sways back and forth.
I chuckle. “You have something different that’s equally as attractive.”
“Great.”
“You have the brightest eyes and a laugh that makes it impossible to be in a bad mood around you.”
She parts her fingers and looks through them at me.
“You are funny and approachable.” I suck in a breath and go for it. “And have a curve at your hip that’s hot as hell.”
She closes her fingers again. “That’s enough. We can be done now.”
I laugh at her reaction.
Just as I’m about to put a forkful of spaghetti into my mouth, my phone rings in my pocket. It provides a nice diversion.
“Why don’t you get that?” she says.
“It can wait.”
“Just … get it,” she says, fanning her face. “It’ll be a good distraction.”
“Fine.” I pull the phone from my pocket and see Wade’s number. “Shit. I actually should answer this. Wade never calls me.”
“By all means …”
I hit the green button, a rumble of nerves balling up in my gut. “What’s up, Wade?”
“Can you come by my office?”
Jaxi pretends to be interested in her dinner, but I can tell she’s listening.
I shift in my seat. “I guess. When?”
“Now would be good.”
I cringe. Why in the world does Wade want me in his office and, even worse, want me there now? He never wants my help. With anything.
“Now? So, not tomorrow sometime?” I ask, hoping he takes my lead.
“Now means not tomorrow.”
I sigh. “What’s going on? Is everything all right? Are you throwing me a surprise party?”
“If I was throwing you a surprise party, I wouldn’t tell you that because then, it wouldn’t be a surprise, dumbass.”
“Good point.”
“Do you remember the property we bought from the Landrys?” he asks, getting me back on track.
“Yes.”
“I have a mock-up ready to go, but I want your opinion before I send it out to the engineer.”
Jaxi takes a bite of her spaghetti and proceeds to make a face like she bit into a lemon. It’s adorable. She grabs her glass, avoiding eye contact.
“What do you want my opinion about?” I ask, watching Jaxi’s antics across from me. “I agree with whatever Holt said.”
“I would too but it’s not that easy this time,” he says, his voice slightly agitated. “Holt thinks the second tier needs to be open to the first. Oliver vehemently disagrees. I’m caught in the middle because I see the usefulness of two solid floors, but the ambience would admittedly be better with Holt’s suggestion.”
“Definitely go with Holt,” I say, wanting to get back to Jaxi. “Glad I could help.”
He sighs. Frustration is thick in his tone. “I want you to look at it. It’s more complicated than it sounds, and this is a big deal. It has to be right. It could cost us a lot of fucking money if I choose the wrong layout.”
Jaxi gets to her feet and moves into the kitchen. My gaze follows her.
“Bring it to Mom’s on Sunday,” I volunteer. “I’ll look at whatever you want me to there.”
“Boone, I need you to look at this now. If we change to Oliver’s vision, it’ll take me all fucking weekend, and I might have to delay the meeting next week. That’s fine if it’s necessary, but I’m not sure it is.”
He stops and waits as if he expects me to give in. When I don’t, he growls.
“Look, if you’re not busy with something that won’t wait a couple of hours, swing by here. Please.” He pauses. “See? I said please.”
I look at the ceiling and scowl.
Wade never asks shit of me. If he’s still working at seven in the evening and is desperate enough to call me for help, I have to go. I know that. And he knows I know that.
Dammit.
“Fine.”
“Don’t take forever.” He hangs up the phone.
The sound of running water comes from my left, but I don’t look at it to see what Jaxi is doing. I have to figure out how to play this first.
I don’t want to leave, but I can’t let Wade down—not when he practically begged for my help. On the other hand, I don’t want Jaxi to think I’m not appreciative of this meal—one I haven’t even tried yet.
Fuck.
“Do you need to go?” she asks as the water shuts off.
“Yeah. But I don’t want to.”
“It sounds important.”
I scoot my chair back and stand. “I feel like a total asshole leaving without eating after you spent all of this time—”
“It’s fine.” She smiles widely. “Honest. No worries. It’s fine.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent.” She looks at the table and then back at me. “I’ll … I’ll bag this up and then bring it over later. Or not, if you don’t want it.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip.
“I definitely want it,” I tell her. “Would you mind bringing it over later? Or I could come back and get it when I get back? My brother needs my help, which is very freaking weird, so I feel compelled to make sure he hasn’t lost his damn mind.”
She grins. “We’ll figure it out. Go. Make sure he’s okay.”
I get the feeling she wants me to leave. I’m not sure why. She doesn’t seem irritated or upset. Just ready for me to go.
“I’ll find you when I get back?” I offer.
“Sure.”
I head to the door. “Thanks for dinner. I owe you one.”
“No,” she says, opening the door for me. “This was because I owed you already.”
I grin. “Looks like it’s going to be a vicious cycle then.”