Page 61 of Single-Minded
I laughed as Magnolia appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. “Thanks to Magnolia, I did have lunch at an appropriate lunch time.”
“Hey, Magnolia,” West said.
“Hi, West. I need to get to the inn for my evening shift. I still need that job while I build up my empire.”
She’d told me she only had four shifts left at the Lily Pad, as she’d finally found the courage to give Dotty her notice. She’d explained how Dotty had taken her in when she had nothing, given her a job and a place to live, and how bad she felt, but Dotty, being the sweet woman she was, was totally supportive of Magnolia’s ambitions.
Magnolia packed up her things, and I shut down my laptop as West sauntered into the kitchen with his impossible-to-ignore presence.
“I’ll run home and change and come back and help you,” I told him.
“Have a good evening, both of you,” Magnolia said. Then she gave me a one-armed hug. “Thank you for all your help.”
“Thank you for lunch,” I told her. “I’ll see you soon.”
“We’ll talk later this week about your event. Bye, West.”
“Later,” he said as he gathered the tools he’d left out last night when we took off in a hurry.
Once she was gone, he said, “Sorry to leave my tools all over. That’s not my usual MO.”
Unable to keep in my smile, I said, “No need to apologize. I guess we had better things to do than put tools away.”
He peered down at me with a knowing smirk. “I guess we did.” He dropped the smirk and said, “You don’t need to help me tonight. I’ll be halfway done with the mud before you can get back here.”
“Is there anything else we can work on after that?” I was anxious to get my shop finished so I could open, but I was also craving time with West and maybe a repeat of last night.
“Sorry, but I’ve got plans with three little princesses.”
Of course he did. It was Monday. He was doing a quick coat of mud before relieving his babysitter.
“What do those lucky girls have planned for the evening?” I asked, trying to tamp down on my disappointment.
He chuckled. “We’re taking a picnic dinner to the marina, then renting some kayaks.”
“Ugly orange ones?” I asked, acting scandalized.
“Ugly orange ones that float just fine. I better get started.” He turned to his tools and got busy.
What had I even been thinking?
I’d been thinking I wanted round two with West. Like, wanted it a lot.
But we weren’t a thing. We weren’t going to be a thing. We were fun and no strings and a one-nighter.
I’d obsessed about him during the night after he’d left, then woken up to thoughts of him this morning. Throughout the day, I’d caught myself thinking about him, remembering last night, wondering what he was doing at my house at that moment.
Rein it in, girlfriend, I thought. You might have all kinds of ideas and dirty thoughts, but the fact is, he’s a dad of three. His girls come first. As they should.
Somehow in less than twenty-four hours, I’d lost my damn mind and turned us into an ongoing fling when we weren’t one. I’d do well to remember that.
“Have a wonderful evening with your princesses.” I forced nonchalance into my voice. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“Night, Presley. See you tomorrow.”
Chapter Seventeen
West
