Page 7 of Cursed Fox

I didn't, but I could've.

"What about clothes? A toothbrush?"

Why can't I just stop asking questions?

Lex hooked a thumb toward the back of the Jeep. "Got it."

I glanced over my shoulder, and sure enough, there was an old worn backpack sitting next to my suitcase.

"That's convenient. Do you normally live out of your Jeep?" I had no idea why I was pushing this when there was nothing strange about him having a bag ready. All the guys at work did. They just usually kept them at the office.

"Yup."

If this was how he was going to answer all my questions, it was going to be a long nine-hour trip to Oklahoma.

CHAPTER FIVE

Lex

I followed Nancy's directions to a large high-rise smack-dab in the middle of Oklahoma City. The underground garage attendant gave me a strange look when I pulled up and said I was there to visit one of the tenants. Apparently the fancy place wasn't used to topless and doorless Jeeps.

I found that very strange considering Nancy had explained that several of Jimmy's teammates lived in the same building. I would've thought at least a few of them would've used their signing bonuses to buy something similar. My view on football players was clearly misinformed.

After parking in one of the assigned visitor spots, I jumped out of the driver seat and headed straight for Nancy's side. We only stopped once on the entire ride up, so my legs were itching to move. Nancy had the mesh unbuckled by the time I got to her and was climbing her way out. I stretched out my hand to offer her assistance, but she didn't take it. Shrugging it off like it was no big deal.

In reality, a small part of me was hurt by her callous behavior. I had to smother that part of me out of existence. The whole point was to not get close to her. I couldn't do that if I was being chivalrous and getting upset when it wasn't reciprocated.

I left our bags in the vehicle and followed Nancy into the building. It was obvious several seconds after we entered that she was familiar with the place and the people who worked there.

"Hi, Ms. Green. It's good to see you again." The young man behind the front desk greeted her as soon as she got within five feet of the desk.

"Hey, Nathan." Her tone softened. "It's good to see you too. Do you by chance know if Jimmy is home?"

"I haven't seen him leave since he came home around dinnertime. Would you like me to call up and check?"

"No, that's okay. I'll just head up and see him. Say hi to your mother for me. Maybe she and I can get together while I'm in town." Nancy smiled at the man before moving toward the elevator.

"She'd like that," the desk clerk yelled back.

Nancy waved at Nathan before the elevator doors closed.

"You visit a lot?"

"He speaks." Nancy gasped while looking at me and putting her hand to her chest.

My brows furrowed as I looked back at her, completely confused by what she meant. "Of course I speak. We spoke on the ride up." Not much, but words did come out of my mouth.

"No, I spoke and you answered questions when I asked. One- and two-word answers, by the way, but no, talking like normal people did not actually occur."

I continued to look at her like she was a puzzle I was trying to solve. "What had you wanted to talk about?" I’d listened toevery word she’d said, and even remembered all of it. Wasn't that enough?

Nancy threw her hands up in exasperation just as the elevator dinged to let us know we had reached our desired floor. "I don't know, but it's customary for people to talk when they are in close proximity for nearly ten hours."

"Maybe for some, but not me," I grumbled as I stepped out of the elevator.

Why people insisted on always talking would forever baffle me. You learned so much more about a person from silence. Case in point, I learned a lot about Nancy and how much she adored her son and daughter simply by listening to her ramble.

Nancy didn't bother to say anything more. She stepped around me and led us down a short hallway. Despite how big the building looked from the outside, there appeared to be only two units on the floor—one on each side of the hallway.

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