Page 2 of Entangled By You
It’s the little things that help me find a sliver of joy in the monotony of my life.
Doing my best to ignore his suffocating presence, I crouch down to tuck the picked-over stack of jeans on a lower shelf and catalog everything I now have to refold because she left the display a mess.
“Well, I’ll be seeing you, Ms. Kane,” he says as he knocks on the counter. I finally glance up, just in time to catch him tipping his hat before he walks out.
The bells tied to the door handle jingle again, and I sigh in relief when he disappears down the sidewalk. The smooth, comforting voice of my man, Johnny Cash, keeps me company, playing low over the sound system.
This is not how I wanted to start my week. But then again, what has gone my way lately? I don’t know what deity I pissed off or how, but I need my luck to change. The gray cloud that's been hanging over me for weeks refuses to lift. Ever since that night with Evan, everything’s been a mess. And now, I don’t even have my best friend to wallow with since she shacked up with my brother.
I’m happy for them… Well, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. I tolerate their insane decision to stay married. I still don’t quite understand the situation because both of them have been weirdly evasive about the details, but every time I bring it up, they both tell me not to worry about it.
Right, “don’t worry about it” has always helped people with anxiety not to worry about something.
The bells on the door chime again, and I’m ready to rip them off the handle. It’s turning into a busier morning than usual, but I’d rather be busy than left alone with my dark thoughts.
“Hi, welcome to Sable and Sa—” I cut my greeting offwhen I see the man my regrets are made of walk through the door. My heart stops. “What the fuck are you doing here, Pierce?”
“Why was he in here, Lex?”
“Nuh-uh,” I snap, finally getting my breath back. “You don’t get to barge in here and start demanding answers that are none of your damn business. Why are you here?” I ask while angrily finishing up my last fold.
Pierce ignores my little outburst—he was always too damn good at that—before striding across the shop’s floor and stopping way too close for my heart's comfort.
“Answer the question, Lexi.”
“You answer mine first!”
It takes everything in me not to stomp my foot like a petulant child. It’s annoying that he brings that side out of me within seconds. It’s like my brain and body recognize his presence, and they automatically revert to my sixteen-year-old self.
His fingers shoot out toward my face, and I flinch instinctively. I hate how easily it’s become second nature now. His hand freezes immediately, hanging in the air between us uncertainly.
“Princess,” he whispers, soft and coaxing, like I’m a terrified fawn separated from her mama in the woods, as his fingers ghost against my cheek.
“Don’t,” I choke out, emotion clogging my throat at the nickname I haven’t heard from his lips for over half a decade.
His fierce gaze holds mine prisoner, and it doesn’t matter that we haven’t been in the same room in years until recently. He still has the same tells as when we were teens. The tips of his ears—peeking through his mess of dirty blond hair—flush red as he waits for an answer. His usually golden-brown eyes darken like soil after a summer storm. Still, it’s his attentionthat doesn’t relent until he gets exactly what he’s digging for that I recognize immediately. He’s like a dog with a bone.
“What did he want?”
Huffing out an annoyed sigh, I finally gather the strength to step back and lean against the wall, needing its strength to hold me up in his presence.
“The same thing they’ve all wanted since Evan disappeared. I’m getting really fucking sick of them popping up everywhere. I know this town is stupidly small, but it’s like they’re lurking around every corner.”
“They’ve been harassing you?” he growls.
“Yeah. Kind of like you’re doing right now.” I can’t help but sass back. It’s easier than thinking he might actually care.
“Seems you haven’t changed, huh?” he asks.
He mutters something under his breath, too low for me to catch, and shakes his head. Just like that, he drops the conversation like a hot coal.
Before I can argue or defend myself against his judgmental ass, he’s halfway across the room and pushing out through the door, leaving me in his wake with the whisper of that statement hanging around my neck.
Me not changing in his eyes is a good thing. After everything I did, the way I ended and left things… I just wish he knew why.
HERE COMES TROUBLE
LEXI
