Page 79 of Hard to Love
They gave one another the stink eye, but eventually everyone nodded.
With one of his drawing pencils, he quickly scratchedout the ingredients and directions that he knew by heart. And Greer thought he didn’t know how to garner good will. Well, he’d show her.
“Look, look,” someone yelled from outside the group clustered around Alex. Everyone turned in the voice’s direction. And over Soccer Mom’s head, Alex saw a red, yellow, and blue structure slowly taking shape outside the pavilion. The thing was getting bigger and bigger by the second.
“What is that?” he asked.
Soccer Mom said, “It’s a bouncy castle. Biggest one I’ve ever set eyes on, and believe me, with three kids, I’ve seen my share.”
“That was nice of the PTO,” he said.
Greer wiggled her way to Alex’s side. “The PTO didn’t have a damn thing to do with it. Chad Holcombe is responsible for that. He’s smart when it comes to waging a campaign.”
Son of a bitch. Alex’s flan had just been one-upped by a friggin’ bounce house.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alex and Greer stayed at the event for another couple of hours, giving him time to glad-hand as many of the townspeople as he could corner after Holcombe’s bounce house surprise attack. Now, in Greer’s car headed back toward Wild Card, he slumped against the passenger side door. “That was fucking brutal.”
What was even more brutal was what he needed to tell Greer. That he was out there trying like hell to pretend he belonged in this community when he already knew he couldn’t stay. All that BS was just that—a bunch of bullshit so he could win the competition and get the cash he needed. Only now, the money wouldn’t go for new tools and quality leathers.
It would hopefully be the payoff for his brother’s future.
And to string Greer along, thinking he was on board with her vision of the village, was shitty of him.
“I’m sorry Chad kinda rained on your parade.” She reached over the console and laced her fingers with his. As much as he loved being skin to skin with her, he felt like a fucking traitor sitting here as if they were a real couple. Had some kind of real future—either business or personal—together. Alex had fucked that up way before he met this woman.
He laughed, but the sound had little humor attached toit. “It was just flan, not a miracle.”
She must’ve caught the sour note in his tone because she shot a narrow-eyed glance his way. “Sometimes the smallest things mean the most to people. People saw you were willing to participate in a community event, to act like one of them. That goes a long way around here.”
Jesus, it didn’t go nearly far enough. And it just made him feel like a failure because he knew the truth.
But walking away from his life this time would hurt ten times as much as it had years ago. Yes, he loved his mamá and younger brother, but the way he felt for Greer? It was something else completely. Which was exactly the reason that winning the competition, taking the cash, and getting the hell out of here was the best thing he could do for her. Because money wasn’t always enough to satisfy the Tejanos Pintados’ sense of loyalty.
And if Alex had to sacrifice himself to pull Nicolás back from the edge, that was exactly what he would do.
Greer parked her car at the back of the barn and started to get out.
Alex caught her hand. “Maybe you shouldn’t—”
She looked back at him, her face tight with either confusion or hurt. “Maybe I shouldn’t what? Don’t you want me to stay tonight?”
More than he wanted anything, even though they needed to clear the air. If she knew his plan, she wouldn’t want to be in his bed tonight. But as she stood there, backlit by the weak porch light illuminating the staircase up to his tiny apartment, something inside him gave way. If he could steal just a little more time with this generous, passionate woman, he couldn’t say no. Couldn’t turn away.
One more night.
One more time with Greer.
Then he would tell her the truth and let her go.
“Only if you can stand to be with a complete social dumbass.”
Her smile lit up her face, so damn beautiful it carved a permanent hole in Alex’s heart. “My very favorite kind of man.”
“You’re disturbed,” he said, leading her toward the stairs. “You know that, right?”
She paused on the bottom step. “Because I care about you?”
