Page 44 of Love and Loathing

“And they believed you?”

“Well …” She pointed a long pink nail at the screen. It was a kissing scene. “Yes.”

He cringed.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, I set up in Charlie’s old room. I wasn’t planning on seducing you.”

“That’s not the point, Roxy.” He stood and placed his hands on his hips. “You can’t stay here. Get your stuff and go get a room of your own if you’re going to insist on staying.”

She folded her arms. “I am. I came because I thought you needed a friend. And I’m going to stay because even though you’re being a jerk, it’s clear I was right. You’re not okay.”

Was he being a jerk? Jessie had thought he was a jerk too. Seemed likely. It was late, and he was kicking her out. But she still couldn’t stay with him. She knew that. All it would take was one person mentioning that they’d seen them sharing this place, and the media frenzy would flare up—like a bad rash he couldn’t get rid of. Again. The tabloidslovedthem together.

She signaled with a sweep of her hand down his body. “I mean, look at you. You look exhausted. Your eyes are bloodshot. When was the last time you got a full night’s rest?”

“It’s been a while,” he said.

“Look,” she said. “Just let me stay tonight, and first thing in the morning, I’ll go get my own room.”

He was fighting a losing battle here. He was too tired to fight it. “Fine.” He turned and slumped into his room, locking the door behind him. He needed sleep now; he did not need to be constantly fighting with someone. More than anything, he needed to stop thinking about Jessie and how beautiful she’d looked today, and about how much he wanted to take her in his arms. His chest tightened. He needed to think about anything but how she wasn’t meant for him.

Chapter 17

Alex awoke to the welcome aroma of bacon coming from the kitchen. He scrubbed at his eyes and glanced at the clock by his bedside table. After eight. That was something of a miracle. He was usually up well before the crack of dawn. He yawned as the everything that’d been happening came crashing back. He’d spent the last week calling everyone and anyone who might be willing to invest in his little project, and he had been turned away by everyone. Not only were they going have to shut down, but they were also going to lose money too.

His door opened, and Roxy strutted in in three-inch heels. She plopped down on the edge of his bed. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead.” She patted his leg. “Breakfast is ready.”

“When were you going to return the key to my place again?” he asked, and he yanked the covers up as he rolled away from her. He was being rude, and he knew it. After all, true to her word, she’d gone and gotten her own room inside the main building off the lodge the day after she’d arrived here. And she’d slept in the room every night as well. She’d also kept her key and come back to his place every day to hang out while he worked. He spent most of his time in his room where his desk was or down at the construction site filling in where needed, so he hadn’t seen much of her, but he could admit having her around had been a blessing. Namely because she made sure he ate every day, which he hadn’t been doing before she’d come, and to his shock, she’d also been a helpful sounding board on a couple of occasions.

He wanted Charlie to come back, but he’d refused every request to do so. And he was still working hard from his end, so Alex couldn’t begrudge him the distance from his heartbreak. In fact, he was starting to want that too—not just from Jessie, but from his development. Having Roxy here didn’t replace Charlie’s presence, but it’d helped. And in some ways maybe even more. She had no vested interest in their company, so she was unbiased and clearheaded.

“Oooh, someone’s grumpy this morning.” She popped up and headed back to the kitchen. “Hurry up before it gets cold.”

Despite being grateful she’d been here, he was still cranky this morning. So he took his sweet time getting showered, dressed, and ready. When he came out, he took the seat next to her at the bar and stared down at the eggs, bacon, rye toast, and bowl of fruit she’d made. It was beautiful. All the years he’d known and worked with Roxy, he’d had no clue she had this in her.

“Thank you,” he said.

Roxy flipped a page in the magazine she was reading and didn’t bother looking at him. “It’s cold.”

He smirked and dug in. “Still tastes good.”

She let him eat in silence for a few minutes; then, without lowering her magazine, she asked, “How long are you going to do this?”

“Do what?”

“Stay here and torture yourself.”

He sat his fork down. “Roxy,” he warned.

“Oh, don’t use that tone on me, mister.” She dropped her magazine and faced him. “I’ve known you too long to be intimidated by it. And it’s a legitimate question. You’ve exhausted every resource, yes?”

Sighing, he nodded.

“And you’re not likely to get the bid for those two pieces of land near the river?”

“No,” he said.

“And your girl—”

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