Page 41 of Fight for Me
Lexie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she worked the door, directing each new arrival toward where Jake stood behind a tripod. She kept waiting for him to look at her, but he’d barely acknowledged her since she arrived. Lexie could feel her skin tingle as if his attention were a physical craving she needed to satisfy.
All because of a cheap bottle of shampoo.
It was such a stupid thing, so small that she wondered if she were making a mountain out of a molehill. She’d been using the bottle for weeks without a second thought, but now... now it was all she could think about.
The label called it “green apple orchard.”
“You deserve someone who notices when you change shampoo because your hair doesn’t smell like strawberries anymore.”
Strawberry. That had always been her go-to favorite... until the day she’d run out.
Had Jake noticed? Is that what he’d meant when he’d said—
A loud tinkling sound jerked Lexie’s mind back to the room as the director of donor relations stepped up to the podium, clinking a fork against an empty glass.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for joining us today. If you would please take your seats, dinner will be served after a few words from our chancellor,” he said, gesturing graciously toward the empty tables around the room.
As guests found their places and settled in, Lexie took up a post near the back wall where she could survey the crowd and have a clear view of Chancellor Carmike as he made his remarks. The lights came down, and a hush fell over the room, broken only by the hurried click of the hallway door as it admitted a last-minute arrival. Lexie watched the movement as a singlegentleman was escorted to an empty chair a few tables away, but she barely got a glimpse before he was hidden from view.
“You’re in my spot,” a voice whispered from over her shoulder, disrupting her train of thought. Jake’s low rumble made goose bumps appear along the back of Lexie’s neck, and her stomach turned over.
“Your spot? I was here first,” she whispered, mindful of the crowd.
“Nope, this is my spot. I scouted it earlier. You’ll have to pick somewhere else,” he said, opening the legs of his tripod.
“Well, I’m not moving, so you’ll have to make do,” Lexie answered. She tried to smother the smile that wanted to sneak across her face, but she was only partially successful.
Instead of leaving, Jake positioned his camera directly over her shoulder, making a point of trying to occupy the same physical space as Lexie. It was ridiculous, but nobody was watching. All eyes were on Chancellor Carmike as he began to speak, and Lexie fought to keep hers there as well.
It was harder than it sounded, since she could almost feel Jake breathing down her neck. He wasright there, and try as she might, Lexie couldn’t absorb a word of the chancellor’s remarks. Instead, she listened to the rhythmic click of the camera shutter as Jake worked silently in the darkness, and she tried not to think about that same sound coming from the bell tower and all the words that had followed it.
“I heard about your cover story. Congratulations,” he said suddenly, his hushed voice disappearing into the shell of her ear. “I’ll try not to say ‘I told you so.’”
Lexie was glad now for the darkness that covered the heat she felt spreading across her cheekbones.
“Thanks,” she said, turning slightly. She caught a glimpse of his profile at the edge of her peripheral vision. “Will they use any of your photos?”
“Some of them.”
“Good,” she whispered, unable to say more. It felt like her throat was too tight for words. The opening speech ended, and a trio of violinists took the stage while dinner was served, but Lexie barely noticed. Instead, she stood motionless, acutely aware of the inches that separated her from Jake.
She needed to know for sure if she was right. Lots of girls used strawberry-scented shampoo, and lots of girls bounced when they were excited. It was probably just a coincidence; he could have been talking about almost anyone.
But the other thing... that had been oddly specific.
Lexie leaned back slowly, a millimeter at a time, until the back of her shoulder touched the side of his arm.
“Jake?” she whispered, turning her face toward him but keeping her eyes on the stage. If she was wrong, if she was completely overthinking this, she didn’t think she could stand to see the truth on his face.
“Yeah?” he answered, so close she could feel heat radiating from beneath his navy dress shirt.
“Can I see your phone?”
“Mine?”
His confusion was palpable, but Lexie nodded. “Yeah.”
She felt him shift as he reached into the pocket of his slacks, and she saw a dim flash of light as he flicked the screen on and entered his password without question. Lexie instantly thought about the last time she’d asked to see Colt’s phone. He’d acted like she wanted nuclear launch codes. Now, she looked down almost reverently as Jake passed the device to her, recognizing this exchange for what it was—an act of trust. She could feel him watching silently as she flipped through his apps, but he made no move to stop her from seeing anything she wanted.
