“Well, it was far from saving my life.”
“Still, he’s a friend, and you’re the one who talked him into moving to Boerne to practice medicine here. The least you can do is have dinner at his house.”
My head dropped back. “Dude, you know I don’t like the evil queen!”
He laughed. “None of us like her, but Pete does. He’s going to marry her.”
I shook my head as I looked at Jack. “Fine. I need to go home and change, though. Knowing the evil queen, I mean, Wendy, it will be formal.”
“It’s not. I asked Pete. He said it’s going to be casual.”
“Thank fuck. I don’t think I could sit around another dinner table and listen to her tell us what freaking fork to start with.”
“What’s funny is that you probably make three times the amount of money Pete does. Please don’t ever turn rich on me, dude, I really don’t like all that fancy food rich people eat.”
I slapped him on the back. “Last I saw when I signed your paycheck, you were making good money, as well.”
He looked around and frowned. “Don’t let that shit out.”
“Why not?” I asked with a smirk.
“Women, gold-digging women. Example number one: Wendy. Do you know how many women in this town are trying to get into your pants with the hopes you’ll get them knocked up simply so they can get at your money? I don’t want that kind of attention. I like the fact that women like me purely for my body and big dick.”
I snarled my lip. “You took it too far.”
He shrugged. “Want me to pick you up?”
“No, I’ll drive myself, in case you meet another dinner guest who simply can’t ignore that body of yours.”
He walked backwards and raked his hands up and down himself, as if showing off his body.
“And big cock…don’t forget about my big cock!”
I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him. I took in the playhouse in front of me. Without a doubt, it was huge. Saryn had wanted it scaled back, and we had scaled it back…some. I couldn’t help but smile. Liliana was going to love it, and I was almost fucking giddy at the idea of her seeing it for the first time.
“Hey, boss, the exterior is all painted. The plans for the transport should be here tomorrow. We can go over it all, and whenever you give the go-ahead, it’ll be ready for delivery.”
With a nod, I replied to Mark, one of our painters, “Thanks. You did a great job with the painting.”
He smiled. “Yellow is a bitch to paint, but I think it looks good. Some little girl is going to be very happy.”
I let out an uncertain sigh. Liliana would be happy, but would Saryn? “That’s the plan. That’s the plan.”
The moment I walked into Pete’s and saw her, my heart nearly stopped beating. Saryn was there, and she was with a guy. She laughed and looked up at him like he had said the funniest thing in the world, and boy did that feel like a kick in the gut for some reason. Was she dating again? She had made it clear she wasn’t interested in that, or maybe she wasn’t interested in me.
That idea left me feeling sick.
When she looked directly at me, I quickly turned and started to head back out the door, but stopped when Pete called out my name.
“Truitt! Where in the hell do you think you’re going?”
I closed my eyes and cursed inwardly. I knew all eyes would be on me now. Slowly, I turned and pulled my phone out of my pocket in hopes that everyone would think I’d had it in my hands the entire time.
“Just got paged, there’s a problem at the warehouse.”
Even though I was trying not to look at her, I felt Saryn’s eyes on me.
“What kind of problem?” Jack asked, pulling out his own phone. “I haven’t gotten any calls.”
When I looked at Jack, I caught a glimpse of Saryn. I had been right…her gaze was locked on me. Staring. Hard. Almost with an angry expression. I finally allowed myself to fully look at her.
God. She was beautiful. Her long dark hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and I let my eyes move down her body in one quick sweep, taking in the jeans and off-white sweater she had on. Brown cowboy boots finished it all off.
What in the hell was she doing here? Pete didn’t normally invite people he worked with. Maybe some of the other doctors, only for the formal dinners. But something casual like this was reserved for friends only.
“I just got the call from Mark. Sorry, Pete, I need to take off.”
“I’ll go,” Jack said.
“No!” I shouted, causing everyone to give me their full attention once again. “I mean, stay, you’re already here. Have a drink. I’ve got it.”
Turning, I headed for the door and quickly made my way out. I was almost to the safety of my truck and my new plan to get in, drive home, and crack open a six-pack, when I heard her call my name.
“Truitt? Truitt, wait!”
I paused before opening my truck door.
“Saryn, good to see you.”
My voice sounded cold and distant. She frowned slightly, then gave me a soft smile.
“How are you? I mean, how is your foot and ankle, and all of that.”
With a quick glance down toward my feet, I looked back at her. “I’m good. Thanks for asking.”
She nodded, then wrung her hands together. “I got your email about the playhouse nearly being finished. Liliana will love getting it for Christmas.”
“It turned out great, I think y’all will be happy with it. Listen, I’ve got to run.”
Saryn stepped closer to me. “You’re not leaving on my account, are you?”
“Why are you even here?” I asked, hating the way it sounded so harsh and realizing I hadn’t answered her question.
Her brows lifted and she opened her mouth, then closed it. It looked like she was attempting to get her emotions in check. I had acted like a dick and I needed to stop.
“I was…um…invited by Wendy. We were friends in high school and she asked if I would come.”
With a quick look back at the house, I saw the guy she had been talking to in the doorway.
“Saryn? Is everything okay?” the dickhead called out.
The way her whole body tensed was hard to ignore. I looked from her to the guy. I’d never seen him before, so I had no clue who he was.
“Your date is waiting for you.”
Without waiting for her to reply, I climbed into the truck. Before I shut it, I looked back at her, hoping like hell she’d tell me that wasn’t her date. Instead, she stood there and watched me go. This was starting to become all too familiar.
“I’ll be in touch in the next few days to let you know when we expect to deliver the playhouse,” I said.
“Okay, sounds good.”
After I shut the truck door, I let out a rush of air, started my truck, and drove off. I only looked in the mirror once. Long enough to see Saryn walking back over to her date who wore a wide smile on his face.
Focusing back on the road, I decided home wasn’t my destination after all.
Saryn
WHY IN THE world had my heart dropped when I watched Truitt walk out of Pete’s house? Maybe it was because when he saw me, he looked so taken aback. Or the fact that I hadn’t seen him in a number of weeks and realized how much I had missed him when I looked over and saw him standing there.
My mind raced as I tried to think back to anything I might have said or done to have angered him. It was in the ER when Pete had removed the nail my brother had shot into Truitt’s foot. He hadn’t wanted me there, that had been clear. Then, I hadn’t heard anything from him other than a couple of emails updating us on the progress of the playhouse. Even then he had copied my mother on them. It took everything out of me not to text and ask if we needed another shopping day, or ask him if he needed help decorating the playhouse. It had become clear to me over the last few weeks…I longed for something more with Truitt.
“You okay?” Abram asked.
With a forced smile, I made
my way back into the house. When Truitt had assumed Abram was my date, I was conflicted if I should have corrected him or not. In the end, I stood there not saying a word, which seemed to be the wrong thing to do.
Truitt had looked upset. Not angry, but almost defeated. Maybe he had been tired. Jack said Truitt had been working non-stop to get the playhouse finished in time for Christmas. Jack had also mentioned Truitt never made promises to clients on delivery dates. He’d mentioned that this project had seemed to be more special to Truitt than his past projects. That little bit of information Jack had dropped only thirty minutes ago had been processing in my brain when I forced myself to laugh at one of Abram’s stupid jokes.
That was when Truitt walked in. Right at the exact moment it appeared I was being entertained by another man. I let out a sigh.
The moment he walked in, the air in the room changed. I felt a sensation go down my spine that left me in a state of wanting. Just what I wanted wasn’t very clear. But it most certainly involved Truitt Carter. I might have made a promise to myself to not get involved with anyone, but there was no denying I had feelings for Truitt, still. And a part of me thought he might have some for me, as well.
“I’m fine. You really didn’t need to follow me out here, Abram.” My voice sounded a bit like I was reprehending him, and a part of me felt guilty for that. When Wendy had invited me to this dinner, she hadn’t told me she was attempting to set me and Abram up. The guy was nice, but he wasn’t anyone I would normally be interested in. Some hotshot investor type who lived in Austin full time but had a place here in Boerne to visit on the weekends. Wendy had met him at a conference a number of years back and had dated him, only to find him boring as hell. Of course, she hadn’t told me any of that before the dinner. Only when I got here and figured out she was trying to set this up like a blind date but out in the open, did I come to my own conclusions.
“Oh, I wasn’t worried, just wanted to make sure all was well,” he said.
“It’s fine!” I said, attempting to make my voice sound chipper and less like I wanted to stab him for interrupting me with Truitt.
Truitt.
Good Lord, why was the man invading my thoughts so much? Not to mention my dreams. I had actually woken up recently so horny after a pretty intense dream staring Mr. Carter himself that I found myself slipping my hand into my panties and giving myself some much-needed relief. Something I rarely ever did.
“Abram, I’m really sorry, but I’m actually coming down with a massive headache. I’m going to find Wendy and Pete and let them know I’m leaving.”
His face went into an almost pout. “You’re leaving before we really had a chance to get to know one another.”
“I’m sure you’ll find plenty of other people to chat with. Wendy and Pete seem to know how to throw a dinner party,” I replied.
With that, he finally got the hint that I wasn’t interested.
“Do you need someone to drive you home?”
“No,” I said, brushing that off with a wave of my hand. “It’s been a long week, I’m simply tired is all.”
He nodded and said, “Well, it was nice to finally meet you. Wendy has talked about you a lot the last few weeks.”
I forced a smile. Wendy had very much neglected to tell me about him. “It was nice meeting you, as well. Enjoy the rest of the evening.”
Before he had a chance to say anything else, I made my way over to Wendy who was starting to direct people onto the back patio.
“Wendy!” I called out, getting her attention before she made her way outside.
“Saryn! We haven’t had a chance to chat since you got here!” Wendy said, a huge grin spread across her face.
There was an evil look in her eye. One that said she had been up to no good.
“You’ve been busy with your other guests, and besides, Abram kept me company.”
Her brows lifted, and then in a low, seductive voice, she said, “He did? Good!”
“Yeah, not that kind of company. As much as I appreciate you trying to set me up without telling me, I’m not interested in dating him, Wendy.”
She folded her arms over her chest and narrowed one eye at me. “Really? And why not?”
I shrugged, not feeling like I needed to go into why with her.
A perfect eyebrow arched. “Only interested in dating Truitt Carter?”
“What!” I said in a disbelieving laugh.
“Please, girl, I saw the way you went after him when he walked in and then turned right around and walked back out. I don’t blame you. Most of the single women in Boerne are interested in Truitt. The man is rumored to have a lot of money. Not to mention, he’s very easy on the eyes.”
I wasn’t even sure how to respond to that.
“Abram has money, too, and I feel he’s handsome,” she added. “Maybe not the kind of handsome that makes a girl want to drop her panties for him, but he would be a good match.”
“For whom?”
“You, silly!” Wendy laughed.
“Wendy, you told me not even an hour ago you broke up with him because he was boring and you realized that he made a better friend than a boyfriend.”
“Yes, I did, but the guy has a magical dick. No joke. After we broke up, I still hit him up for the occasional night of passionate sex. He does things with his hips and that dick that make your toes curl.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
“Oh, honey, he’s huge!” She fanned herself. “I’m getting hot thinking about it.”
“You’re engaged to another man!” I whisper-shouted.
“So? I’m not saying I’m going to jump in bed with Abram, I’m saying you should. He’ll get Tim right out of your head.”
I sighed. “Tim is out of my head. I’m not interested in a sex-only relationship.”
She gave me a look that screamed she thought I was lying.
“Wendy, I’m serious. Please don’t try and fix me up with anyone.”
When her expression didn’t change, I begged a little harder. “Please.”
With a dramatic roll of her eyes, she sighed. “Fine. I won’t. But please tell me you’re not interested in Truitt Carter.”
There was something about the way she had said that last statement that made me take pause.
“And why not? Only seconds ago, you said he was good looking.”
She swallowed hard, then avoided looking me in the eyes as she stated, “He’s just not your type, and I hear he sleeps around. A lot.”
“Thank you for the gossip, but I think I’ve formed my own opinions on Truitt. I’m going to head on out, talk soon.”
I kissed her on the cheek, then lifted my hand and gave Pete a wave. He was standing in the dining room, chatting while people lined up at the buffet table. The fresh flowers Wendy had put out everywhere masked the smell of the food. The odor was actually making me feel a bit nauseous, and I was positive I wasn’t the only person feeling that way. To say she had gone over the top with this dinner would be an understatement.
“Lunch this week!” Wendy called out.
I gave her a quick nod on my way out. Lunch would not be on my list of things to do this week with Wendy.
As I drove home, I turned left on Walter Street instead of right. Right would have led me home. Left led me directly to Imaginations Unlimited. If Truitt really had gotten a call, I knew he’d be there. Otherwise, the aching feeling that he was avoiding me would become all too real.
It didn’t take me long to pull up and find Truitt’s truck in the parking lot. I felt a little bit better knowing he hadn’t left the party because of me. There was only one other vehicle in the small parking lot. I made my way to the door, hoping it would be open. It was early evening, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to find people still working. Especially if they were attempting to have Liliana’s playground finished in time for Christmas.
With a quick twist of my wrist, I found the front door unlocked. I dragged in a deep breath and walked in.
I’d come here only once since my first visit. My mother and I had dropped in when Truitt wanted us to see how a few different shades of yellow would look on the wood. The playhouse was in pieces then, so I had no real idea what it would look like.
I followed the path that led to the workshop space. The door was open, and I heard the faint sounds of music filtering through the hallway. It was a Waterloo Revival song. A two-member country group with original roots in Austin, and a band Truitt must have liked. He’d had them on in his truck when we went out on our little shopping trip.
Once I stepped inside the room, I froze. The playhouse in front of me was mostly in pieces still but laid out in a way that you could see what the finished result would be. The sight of it made my breath hitch in my throat. I tried to take every inch of it in. It was going to be massive, and I wanted to be angry, but it was so beautiful I couldn’t feel anything negative if I tried.
Movement caught my eye and I saw Truitt. He hadn’t seen or heard me yet, and with the music playing I wasn’t surprised. I moved to the side of the large crate and simply watched him. He was walking around each piece of the playhouse, inspecting it, writing down notes on a notepad and singing his heart out to “Like I Miss You.”
Something inside of me cracked open and I was flooded with a warmth I hadn’t felt in years. Lord knows I never felt it with my husband, and for a moment that made me sad. But this feeling, the rush of tingles that raced through my body when I saw Truitt, was too good to stay sad for long. I loved to see him so carefree and singing. The man even had a good singing voice.
“Oh, my,” I whispered as I watched him push his fingers through his brown hair. My fingers instantly itched to do the same thing.
With a shake of my head, I pulled myself together and pushed aside the warm feeling that had rushed through my body only seconds ago. I walked toward him, his back facing me. He leaned over, giving me a shot of his perfect ass in those Wrangler jeans.
Of course, in that moment I would trip over something and let out a yelp. Truitt spun around and saw me stumbling. He was by my side and grabbing me before I could even register I was actually about to fall.
Lucky in Love Page 14
