Page 34 of Fight for Me
She blinked, and the memory of Colt the night they’d met gave way to the man now standing in front of her, whose eyes darted over her body before he’d even said hello. Lexie felt herself brace for impact.
“You look perfect,” he said, and the genuine tone of his voice nearly knocked her over. She sighed in relief.
“Thank you,” she said. She could feel his praise in every fiber of her being, and she did another little twirl, relishing his attention.
“I mean it, babe! This color really complements the diamonds.”
Lexie’s steps faltered slightly. Had he just complimented her or the jewelry?
“All that extra time I gave you really made a difference, huh?” he said, clearly pleased with himself.
Lexie’s expression hardened until it felt like she was wearing a mask. She glanced back into the living room and saw Olivia sitting silently on the couch, pretending not to pay attention, but Lexie knew better. She caught the twist of her friend’s mouth that clearly meant she had something to say but was holding it back, and it made Lexie sad. Olivia was smart-mouthed and fearless. When had she started hiding what she thought?
Colt reached past Lexie and grabbed the door handle with a cursory wave of acknowledgement to her best friend.
Olivia did not return it.
“We’d better get going. Simon Anderson is going to be there today, and I’d like to catch him up on the latest trends we’re seeing with the new respiratory inhaler,” Colt said, taking Lexie’s hand. He obviously didn’t notice she wasn’t paying attention. He led her down the stairs to the parking lot, and she caught sight of her reflection in the fresh layer of wax on his BMW. Her eyelinermade a perfect wing, her flyaways were all tamed and she looked like she could grace the cover of a glossy magazine.
“Take what you can get, my dear.”
Ugh.
She should have gone back to sleep.
“Alexis, dear, dowe need to have Maria sew your pockets closed?” Harriet Derricks asked, her tone playful but her eyes sharp. She glanced pointedly to where Lexie’s hand had disappeared for the umpteenth time.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Derricks,” Lexie said, reluctantly pulling her fingers away from the flattened penny and leaving it behind.
“Young people are so fidgety these days,” Colt’s mother said. She laughed in a way that invited the women nearby to join her, and several of them did.
Lexie stood as still as she could on aching feet, keeping her hands folded primly in front of her and doing her best to pay attention. But as Mrs. Derricks went on and on about yet another charity art auction, her words began to sound like bees buzzing around Lexie’s ears. She snapped back to attention when she heard her name again.
“So, Alexis, are you excited about graduating in the spring?”
One of the wives, whose name Lexie couldn’t remember, looked at her expectantly.
“It’s terrifying, to be honest,” she answered. “The idea of finding a real job next summer is a bit daunting.”
Colt’s mother laughed, a false, tinkling sound that grated on Lexie’s skin.
“Oh, dear girl, don’t be coy. We all know how these things work,” Mrs. Derricks said, gesturing with her wine glass. “I mean, look around. You can’t honestly believe you’re going toneed a job, do you? Colton is more than able to support you in whatever style you’d like.” She looked at the other wives with a knowing expression. “Frankly, I’m surprised you’re even going to finish. After all, it’s the men who need the diploma; all you need is the ring.”
Lexie forced a tight smile as the women around her twittered like birds, all jostling to agree at once. The idea of becoming Colt’s wife wasn’t new, though it seemed the only people who hadn’t discussed it at length were Lexie and Colt themselves. She looked across the mansion’s immaculate courtyard to where he stood talking with a group of older men. He was far and away the most charismatic young man present, and the gentlemen around him visibly hung on his every word. A cluster of giggling girls in pastel dresses talked behind their hands, sneaking not-so-covert glances in his direction as they did.
Lexie should have been thrilled thatthis manwas hers, but instead, she just felt tired—tired of pretending, tired of never quite being enough, tired of hoping for a change that never came. She smoothed her hands over her dress again, feeling the outer ridge of the penny beneath the shimmering material.
“Take what you can get, my dear.”
What she was getting was a handsome husband and a gorgeous future.
So why did that not feel like enough?
Lexie watched WestTennessee life flash by the windows as she and Colt headed north to Cypress Valley several hours later. The crisp, blue October sky showcased wispy clouds, like cotton stretched between a child’s fingers. Small-town main streets flew banners advertising festivals and farmers’ markets, andendless acres of soybean fields were dotted with barns of every shape and size.
“Dad says if I keep up my current sales trend, I’ll be a shoo-in for the Young Salesman’s Award this coming spring. Just think, second year in a row!” Colt crowed, smoothing his hand over the lapels of his coat.
Lexie absently thought he looked a lot like a bird preening its feathers.
