Page 65 of The Back Forty
She nods, wiping her brow. “It is warm. Good news is we’re almost done. You can head out if you need to pack up your stuff at Lawson’s. I think he mentioned you’ve got another crazy week of traveling coming up. So much for your ‘relaxing’ vacation.” She snorts.
I laugh, but it’s shaky. “Yeah, when he hired me, I didn’t think I’d be living out of a suitcase every other week, but I really enjoy it. It's fun flying around, giving pitches and experiencing new cities. I've even convinced him to get me a room upgrade a few times.”
Regan's brows jump. “That's shocking. You know, he could let you go on those trips solo now. I just think he likes going with you.”
She says it with such innocence, just a passing comment, but it hits me square in the chest. I blink at her, then glance back toward the grill because does she even realize what she just said?Does he not trust me to handle things on my own? Is it just about control? Or is it… something else? Does he like spending time with me?
No. No don’t do this. Don’t spiral. Don’t project. Don’t make this into something it’s not, Dani. You’ve done this dance before. You know where it leads. Even if he does enjoy it, you can't let anything more happen between you two again.
I try to shake it off, scrubbing the grill harder than necessary, but all I can think about is him. Lawson, with his wild hazel eyes and his mouth—God, his mouth. The way he looked at me this morning like I was his whole damn world. The way his tongue moved over my skin, deliberate and hungry, like he’d been waiting a year for the chance to taste me. Which, honestly, maybe he had.
“Hey.”
I jump so hard I nearly knock my head on the roof of the tiny little shop. I spin around, heart slamming in my chest. “Jesus, Lawson. You scared the crap out of me.”
He doesn’t apologize. Just frowns, arms crossed. “You done for the day?”
“Uh, not yet.”
His eyes narrow slightly. “That’s not what my sister just said.”
I blow out a breath and rub my hands on a towel to give them something to do. “Okay, but I wanted to finish this first.” I gesture to the grill and brush that I’m still holding.
“Come on.” He jerks his chin toward the door.
I squint at him. “Why?”
“I want to talk.”
“I don’t want to talk.”
His frown deepens. “That’s not what we do.”
“What’s not what we do?”
“Not talk and avoid each other. We talk. We bicker. We banter. We disagree. We throw jabs and challenge each other, and then we figure our shit out. That’s our thing.”
Right. Because we’re coworkers. Because I’m his employee and he’s my boss. Because it’s our job to communicate, even when it’s messy. Especially when it’s messy. Not because there’s something deeper here. Not because last night, and this morning, meant anything.
Because it can’t.
Because I’ve been here before and I barely made it out in one piece.
Because Catalina was right.
So, I set down the grill brush, already halfway to being scrubbed into oblivion, and follow him outside to talk.
Chapter 26 – Dani
The shift in temperature is instant when we step outside. The cooler autumn air kisses my flushed cheeks as we move away from the heat of the food booth. Lawson’s hand rests gently on the small of my back, and I hate how my skin reacts to the simple touch and how much I feel it everywhere.
Has he always done that? Touched me so gently and guided me as we walked and I just forcefully ignored it? Blocked it out so that my mind wouldn't get ridiculous ideas that I know can never come to fruition.
I think the answer is yes because I told myself it didn’t mean anything.But does it mean something now?
Dammit, this is the worst. This mental purgatory that I’ve put myself in.?
We weave past food trucks and spinning rides, the smell of fried dough and popcorn clinging to the breeze. Then he takes a turnbehind a building, his grip tightening on my hip as he guides me around the corner.
