Page 48 of Backed By You
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“I’m working.”
He’s quiet for a moment, likely waiting for me to entertain him or stop to chat. He’ll be here a while if that’s what he’s after. “Right. Well, I just stopped by to grab a few things from last night.”
“Door’s open,” I tell him.
He kicks at a wood scrap with the toe of his boot, continuing to linger and watch my every move. “You sure you’re good? You seem a little…”
“Fine,” I bite out, glaring at him over my shoulder as I reload the nail gun with another set.
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the blonde next door, would it?”
My hand tightens on the nail gun. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Duke told me about what happened. I guess Maci told him how you saved Callie on the trail,” he says cooly. When I ignore his obvious grab for my attention, he continues, “So the fact you’re out here building like your life depends on it at noon on a Sunday has nothing to do with her or…?”
I set down the nail gun and reach for my water bottle, taking a long swig to buy myself time. “Her father showed up this morning,” I say. I don’t know why the hell I tell him that. It’s none of his or anyone else’s business, but the words come out regardless.
“And?”
“She introduced me as her landlord.” The title spits between my lips and I realize the moment had a greater effect on me than I care to acknowledge. But what can I say? She was freaking out, begging me to leave out the back, and I refused. It’s my own damn fault. I asked for it.
Rhett’s quiet for a moment. “That sting a little?”
More than a little, but like everything, I brush it off. “It’s the truth.”
My brother looks at me with pity. “Man, I get—”
The crunch of tires on gravel cuts him off. A dark sedan pulls in. Through the windshield, I can make out two figures—Callie and her father.
The car idles for a moment before the passenger door opens and Callie steps out with a to-go bag in hand. She says something to her father through the open window, then steps back and waves as he pulls away. For a moment, she just stands there watching the car disappear down the road.
Then she turns and looks directly at me.
Even from this distance, I can see the hesitation in her posture before she starts walking toward me. Her gait is still slightly uneven from the walking boot.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath.
Rhett crosses his arms like he’s settling in to watch the show.
She reaches the edge of the construction site and stops, her gaze shifting between Rhett and me. “Hi,” she says, uncertain. “Beau, can we talk?”
My shoulders lock up tight, every muscle in my back going rigid as I force myself to keep working. “Stove is in,” I grunt, deliberately turning my back to her as I set my water down to move the final pieces of frame where I’ll need them. “Works good. Might still be cooling down, so be careful.”
“Oh, um, awesome.” She smiles with tight lips, glancing at Rhett. “But that’s not what I need to talk about.”
“Nothing else to discuss,” I mutter, avoiding eye contact.
“Dammit, Beau,” she snaps, and I lift my gaze to find her glaring at me. When I do, her heated gaze softens. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
You did. The words hit like a punch to the gut. “You didn’t.”
She sighs. “Well, I’m sorry anyway. My dad can be…overbearing. And after last night, we didn’t have a chance to talk and… I’d really like to talk.”
“What happened last night?” Rhett chimes in as nonchalant and nosey as ever.
This fuckin’ family, I swear.
