She smiled. “You’re lucky.”
“How so?” I asked, taking a bite of food.
“I don’t know. You’re just so down to earth and so nice. I’ve never met a guy like you before.”
“What are the guys like in Utah?” I asked with a chuckle.
“Not like you. It’s about the people you surround yourself with, what’s in your heart that makes for true happiness, and it seems like you have that. I can see how much you and your friends care about each other. I’ve never really had friends like that. Not until Morgan anyway.”
Staring at her, I finally let a small smile play on my lips. “I guess I am lucky in that sense then.”
Kaelynn chewed on her lip. “Morgan told me you swore off women after what happened with Lily.”
That statement had caught me off guard. “Yeah, I suppose I did.”
“Why?”
“Why?” I asked.
“Well, I mean, just because one woman does something bad doesn’t mean all women will be the same.”
“I know that.”
“Okay, so why swear off all women?”
“Maybe it’s just the multimillion-dollar trust-fund type of women I am swearing off.”
Kaelynn stared at me. She opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it shut. Something I had said seemed to bother her.
“I’m kidding, Kaelynn. I mean, I’m not really looking at getting into another relationship with someone who is in Lily’s financial situation. Not when I can’t compete with it.”
“Why do you feel like you have to compete with it? Do you not think a woman should be able to make more than you?”
I stared at her, shocked that her tone had turned a bit angry.
“No, I don’t think that at all. I guess I used the wrong wording. It was clear to me that Lily left because I would never be able to provide for her the things that she was used to, regardless if she could provide them herself. I tried that path and it burned me. I’m not looking to repeat history.”
“Nash. I’m sorry she did what she did to you, but to insinuate or think all women are like Lily . . .”
“No, they’re not.”
The rest of the meal was small talk. Forced small talk. Once Kaelynn got back into the truck, she got on her computer and worked the rest of the way back to Austin. It was clear whatever I had said earlier didn’t sit well with her.
When I pulled up to her hotel, I reached for her arm before she slipped out.
“Kaelynn, I think I came across as a dick earlier. I’m not against women being independent and wealthy. Hell, one of my best friends is one of the wealthiest women in Texas.”
“Charlie . . .” she said matter-of-factly.
“Yes, Charlie. It’s just, the whole situation with Lily threw me and it’s taken me a bit to get myself back to the point where I want to start thinking about a relationship. Opening myself up like that again has been an obstacle I haven’t been able to overcome just yet . . . but I know I’ll get there.”
“I understand.”
“No, I don’t think you do, because you clearly got pissed off. I get it, you’re a successful woman, and judging from the hotel you’re staying at, you manage your money well. I think that’s great. I want to see my own sister succeed at her career, and I hope she’s financially independent. I shouldn’t have said what I said, especially to you. I’m trying to let the past go because I really want to move on. I want to let that guard down and trust again.”
Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled. “I’m sorry if I was judging you earlier. I think we both misunderstood each other.”
I returned her smile. “Are you free tomorrow? Maybe we can grab some dinner?”
Kaelynn’s eyes filled with something that looked like panic. “I can’t, I’m sorry. Thank you again, Nash. I really appreciate you taking your whole day and driving me to Houston. Thank you for dinner as well. Have a good evening.”
My eyes widened in shock as she got out of my truck and headed to the entrance of the hotel. That was it? She was just going to walk away? Had I been reading this all wrong? Maybe Kaelynn didn’t feel an attraction toward me. I did tell her I was only interested in friendship, but I had sworn that I felt a few times throughout the day that we had connected. The way she was looking at me, the flirting that we exchanged. What in the fuck happened the past hour?
I watched her walk into the hotel and disappear. She hadn’t even glanced back over her shoulder once.
With a deep sigh, I shook my head and pulled out of the parking lot. I was done trying to figure out women. It was time to move on, and it was clear I wouldn’t be doing that with Kaelynn Dotson.
Two weeks later
MORGAN SET A box down in the middle of the room and spun around. “I can’t believe this is my office. My office.”
She smiled at me, and it was infectious.
“Yep, and if we don’t get things unpacked, you’re going to be seeing your first patient in an office that is filled with boxes.”
“Right. Thank you to so much, Kaelynn, for the suggestion of going to the VA hospital up in Killeen.”
“That’s what I’m here for. It was your idea to reach out to the support groups around town. That was a smart call. I’m happy you have four people booked to see you.”
“I know. The first thing I want to do is set up the art room. My office can wait until last since we have the therapy room to get settled.”
I motioned for her to lead the way. “You’re the boss.”
By the time we had everything unpacked and set up how Morgan wanted it, I was starving. My stomach growled and Morgan and I let out a laugh at how loud it was.
“We should probably take a break and get something to eat,” Morgan said, wrapping an arm around mine.
“I will agree with you on that. I’m so hungry.”
Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Morgan glanced at the screen and frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s from Karen, the new office manager at Barrett Construction. I texted her earlier to ask if she had any questions or concerns and she said no. Just getting this poor girl hired was a task. My father wanted one person; Nash wanted Karen. It was a fight for Nash.”
With a chuckle, I replied, “That’s a good thing . . . right? Getting someone hired?”
She shrugged. “I guess. I mean, I knew by looking at her resume she was the perfect fit, and Nash had to fight tooth and nail with my father to hire her. I’ve spent the last two weeks training her, so I know she can do the job. Of course, all the guys voted for her.”
“Why?”
Morgan rolled her eyes and replied, “She’s adorable with a body to die for.”
I smiled. “Well, I guess as long as she gets the job done, that’s all that matters.”
Wiping her brow, Morgan nodded. “Yeah. She said she was going to dinner with Nash. That’s strange. He never mixes business and pleasure. I need to give him a call really quick.”
With a forced smile, I started for the door that led outside. Morgan trailed me. Pulling up my own phone, I read the text messages I had gotten from Nash a week and a half ago where he has asked me out again.
Nash: Hey, Kaelynn, are you free to grab coffee or maybe dinner?
I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the ache in my chest before I looked at my reply.
Me: I’m sorry, I’m super busy with work.
After Nash’s comments in his truck about Lily and not wanting to go down that road again, I knew I had to distance myself from him. I’d felt the heat between us that day, saw the look in his eyes that said he wanted me as much as I wanted him. I couldn’t do it. For one, there was no way I could lie to Nash. I’d been withholding the truth, and that was bad enough. If he kept asking questions about my family, I was either going to tell him the truth, which would push him away, or lie. The second was not an option. Ever.
Nash had neither replied to my text, nor had he texted me again.
&nbs
p; “Oh my gawd! What? Now! How exciting!”
Turning, I saw Morgan smiling as she did a little jump. Then she said, “Charlie is in labor. Everyone is at the hospital now.”
“Finally!” I said with a chuckle.
“It’s Kaelynn. She’s been helping me move the last of my stuff in and get things in order. No, it’s okay, Nash. I know how busy things have been, so please don’t stress about it. You and Tucker helped me move in all the big stuff the other day; all the little stuff I’ve got with Kaelynn’s help.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if my name did anything to Nash. Did he care I was with Morgan? Had he thought about me at all since his last text? I wouldn’t blame him if he hadn’t. The way I had just blown him off, leaving no room for discussion about dinner or coffee. Still, I longed to see him, hear his voice, and know if he was thinking about me as much as I had been thinking about him.
Turning away from Morgan, I silently scolded myself. For crying out loud, Kaelynn. You’re not a love-struck teenager. You’re a grown woman who made a decision . . . now stick to it.
“Let me know when she has the baby. Oh, I’m sure Kaelynn would love to. She has a bit of a girl crush on Charlie.”
My mouth fell open, and I glared at Morgan, who laughed.
“Hey, Nash, why were you going out to dinner with Karen?”
I’d have given anything to hear his answer.
“Okay, well, you’re keeping it business, right? Oh . . . you do, do you?”
Peeking over to Morgan, I watched her face grow into a full-on grin. “A serious date? With who? Nice. Are you finally moving on?”
I swallowed hard and waited by the passenger-side door of Morgan’s car for her to unlock it. She was so caught up in whatever it was Nash was saying to her, she stood there, her keys in her hand.
“Morgan?”
Her eyes jerked up to look at me, and she mouthed she was sorry. Unlocking the doors, we both got in.
“Well, I’m glad you’re moving on, Nash. I love you, and tell Charlie I can’t wait to see the baby!”
Morgan hit end on her phone, set it down, then started her car. We drove for a few moments in silence before I couldn’t take it another second.
“Nash is going on a date? With Karen?”
She laughed. “No, not Karen. He said he and my father were both meeting Karen to go over her first two weeks on the job and the expectations from here on out, but then Charlie went into labor, so it would just be my dad meeting Karen. My father can handle it all.”
“I bet Charlie and Tucker are excited to find out if the baby is a boy or girl,” I stated.
“There is no way I could do it! I’d have to find out the moment I knew I could. I’m hoping it’s a girl. Sorry about the girl crush comment. I know how much you look up to Charlie.”
With a small shrug, I replied, “It’s okay. So, who is Nash going on a date with and when?”
Morgan turned and gave me an incredulous look. “It’s someone he met on the coed softball team he plays on. He said she’s been flirting for a while and he wasn’t feeling it, but he thinks he’ll give it a try. Kaelynn, do you like my brother?”
I nearly choked on my own spit as I started coughing. “What? Why? I mean, what makes you ask that?”
“I’m not stupid, and I saw the way the two of you looked at each other at my birthday party. I’m pretty sure you were the first woman he had shown any interest in since Lily.”
“He told me he was only interested in being friends.”
Morgan laughed. “Okay, and you believed that? I honestly thought the two of you would go out after spending a whole day in a car together. I was surprised that nothing came from that. Nash said he invited you to dinner, but you blew him off.”
I twisted my hands together and stared out the window. “I didn’t blow him off, I couldn’t make it that night. It’s probably for the best, anyway.”
“Why do you say that?”
How did I tell Morgan the real reason I needed to stay away from Nash? The problem was, I didn’t want to stay away from him. I wanted to get to know him better. Spend more days together like we had two weeks ago. It was so easy talking to him.
Ugh. Why is this happening?
“It’s hard to explain, Morgan.”
She let out a breath and said, “Okay.”
“That’s it? Just okay? You’re not going to push me on this? Ask a million questions?”
Shaking her head and laughing, she answered, “No. I mean, if you’ve changed your mind about Nash, I get it. I thought the two of you would make a cute couple, and I have to admit, when you said how hot he was at my birthday party, I got a little excited y’all might start dating. But if things didn’t work out, then they didn’t work out.”
We sat in silence for a few moments before I broke it. “When is he going out on his date?”
Morgan smirked at me before she answered. “Tomorrow night.”
With a gigantic sigh, I looked out the window and said, “Oh, that’s nice.”
This time she laughed, but being the good friend she was, she didn’t say anything. I knew she could see right through me. She knew I liked Nash, but she would never know why I couldn’t pursue things with him. In my heart, I just knew that they would both hate me if they ever found out the truth about me.
I STARED OUT the window as we all waited in the waiting room of the hospital for Tucker to come out.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Terri whispered as she bumped my arm and stood next to me.
“I hope you have a lot of pennies.”
She chuckled. “Jim said you’re going out on a date tomorrow night. A girl on your softball team.”
I nodded. “Yeah, figured it was time to move on.”
The heat of her stare made me glance her way. She had indeed been staring at me. “What? Just come out and say it, Terri. You never were good at holding things back.”
With a small shrug, she replied, “I don’t know. I kind of thought you might have gone out with Kaelynn. You two seemed to have an attraction there.”
“Yeah, I thought so too, but I guess not. I also told her I wasn’t interested in anything but friendship, but then thought I had corrected that statement to let her know I was maybe interested in pursuing a relationship, but somehow pissed her off.”
“Ugh. Men. Why do y’all do that shit?”
I chuckled. “It comes natural? Hell, I don’t know. I did ask her out to dinner, though, but she turned me down. I think she doesn’t have the highest opinion of me after a few comments I made about Lily.”
Terri rolled her eyes. “Well, if she knew anything about Lily, she would understand.”
“It was more of a comment about her money. She took it as me saying women shouldn’t make more money than men. Or some shit like that.”
“Did you explain yourself to her? Because if she knew you, she’d know that was not how you think.”
“I tried, but she was pissed off and pretty much just walked away. It is what it is. There’s something about Kaelynn, though. She’s hiding something from me, and honestly, I can’t deal with that right now. So it’s probably for the best she blew me off.”
Terri nodded. “I get that.”
“Guys?”
Tucker’s voice had us spinning around, and Jim and Blake quickly stood. Tucker stood there with the happiest grin I’d ever seen on my best friend’s face.
“Well?” Terri cried out. “Tell us, Tucker!”
“It’s a girl. Hannah Faith.”
Terri rushed to Tucker and hugged him. Before I had a chance to make my way over, I saw her out of the corner of my eye.
Lily.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I couldn’t get away from work and then had to find a sitter! Oh my gosh! Tucker . . . did she have the baby yet?”
Terri took a step back and glared at Lily. “You would put work before your own niece.”
Lily didn’t even bother looking at Terri. “She had a girl?”
; Tucker smiled and nodded. “Yeah, Hannah Faith.”
Lily threw herself at her brother, who wrapped her in a hug.
“I’m so sorry I was late. Honestly, I tried to get away.”
Tucker pulled back and smiled. “It’s okay.” Glancing around to each of us, Blake, Jim, and I all walked up and shook Tucker’s hand, congratulating him and Charlie.
“When can we meet her?” Terri asked.
“Maybe give us a bit of time and then y’all can come meet her?”
“I’ll have to come back later, if that’s okay?” Blake said, shaking Tucker’s hand once more.
“Of course it is, come back anytime. Charlie and Hannah will be here until probably tomorrow afternoon. If you want to wait till we’re home, you can as well.”
“Hell no. I want to meet the first little prodigy of our group before then.”
Lily turned and looked at Blake, who acted like he didn’t even notice the stare she gave him. I had to admit my chest ached seeing the pain in her eyes.
“Second, Pete is the first.”
Lily turned to Terri, a shocked expression on her face at what she’d said. “Thank you, Terri.”
Then she looked at me, and I focused back on Tucker. “I’m down for waiting.”
“Same here!” Terri said as Jim wrapped his arms around her.
Tucker pointed to them. “Y’all are next.”
Jim’s face turned white as a ghost. “Dude, let me get through the wedding first.”
Terri knocked lightly on the door to Charlie’s room before peeking inside.
“Y’all come on in. She’s in her happy place now that she ate and has a dry diaper on,” Tucker softly said.
As we walked in, I couldn’t help but smile as I saw Charlie holding the most beautiful baby I’d ever seen. Hannah was wrapped up in a pink blanket with a pink hat on top of her head, sleeping peacefully.
“Oh. My. Gosh,” Terri said, her voice cracking as she fought to hold back the tears.
“Want to hold her?” Charlie asked.
“Yes! Let me wash my hands,” Terri said, rushing into the bathroom.
I walked up and stared down at her. “My God, she’s perfect. Look at her.”
Entice Me ~ Kelly Elliott Page 8
