Page 24 of Blue Collar Billionaire
“It isn’t. I’ve been so crazy busy at work I haven’t had a chance to call the real estate agent. I guess I’d better get on that.”
He was surprised she hadn’t even started the process. For someone so eager to get out from under her parents’ control, he thought she would’ve set the wheels in motion by now. “Well, whenever you’re able to go look at some places, I’ll be happy to go with you if you want. I can spot poor construction from a mile away.”
“That would be great! Bianca has offered to go with me, too, but she’s more worried about how far away I’ll be living from her. She’d like me to be close.”
Although that hinted at more familial interference, he appreciated her bond with Bianca. He had a similar relationship with his sister Angie. “What do your parents think about all of that?”
“They’re happy with me being in the guesthouse, to be honest. But I think they’re just being protective. They’re convinced I’m going to fall apart at some point, and I think my dad in particular likes the idea of being the one to pick up the pieces.”
It wasn’t hard to imagine Winston wanting to fill that role. “How are things with your dad? I still feel bad about that night at the TCC. I’m really sorry I reacted that way.” Now that Jack had long since cooled off, he knew that he’d been stewing over the way Winston had treated him for years. He’d let that boil over that night, and it wasn’t fair to Lexi.
“To be honest, they’re strained. I’m mad at him for the way he treated you, Jack, and he knows that. But he’s so stubborn that he won’t admit that he was wrong. He might never admit it.”
“I bear at least some of the responsibility for what happened that night. I could’ve kept my cool.”
Lexi shook her head and looked at him with determination blazing in her eyes. “No. He started it. As far as I’m concerned, the blame all lies with him.”
That didn’t sit well with Jack—if he could take some of the heat for the situation, it would lessen the tension. Hopefully he could find a way to have a chat with Winston and smooth things out. “All I’m saying is that there are two sides to every story, and I’m not afraid to own up to my part in this one.”
“I appreciate that. Seriously.” Lexi reached over and traced her finger up and down his forearm. “You know, Jack, I have to say thank you for bringing me here. I think this was exactly what I needed. It’s been fun and relaxing, and we get along so well.”
“You’re most welcome. I couldn’t agree more about all of that. Especially the last part.”
Her face lit up with a smile. “It’s funny, isn’t it?”
“How so?”
She shrugged and looked out over the water. “We’re very different people. We come from such different backgrounds. And yet we naturally get along.”
“People don’t have to be the same to be compatible.”
“I know. I’m just glad that something for once is easy. That I don’t have to try to be something I’m not around you.”
Jack was doing his best to take her words in the spirit in which he believed they were intended. “You never have to pretend around me, Lexi. In fact, I’d rather see the unvarnished version of you.”
She turned back to him and smiled sweetly. “And that’s what’s so awesome about you, Jack. As a woman who just spent fifteen years with a man who expected perfection, it’s a refreshing change of pace.”
Jack decided he would leave it at that. He wasn’t going to get caught up in semantics or dig for more. Lexi was happy right now. She liked that the two of them together, at least on Appaloosa Island, was a simple proposition. He could be content with that. For the time being.
Lexi got up out of her chair and reached for his empty plate. “I’ll clean up the kitchen and then we can go upstairs?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Once the dishes were loaded into the dishwasher, they headed upstairs. Jack decided to hop in the shower to wash off any residual saltwater from their swim. When he was done, he dried himself off and walked into the bedroom with the towel wrapped around his waist, but he didn’t get far. There on the bed was Lexi, leaning against the headboard, wearing a sexy black lace negligee that accentuated every enticing part of her. It was cut low in the front, drawing attention to her luscious breasts, and impossibly short, showing off her beautiful legs. Her hair tumbled across her shoulders, and the clever grin on her face told Jack everything he needed to know.
His body responded immediately, every muscle drawing tight with the need for her. But as he cast aside the towel and set a knee on the bed to get closer to her, he knew this was about to be way more than sex. He was falling for Lexi. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
Eight
Jack and Lexi couldn’t bear to leave Appaloosa on Sunday, so they said their goodbyes before dawn on Monday morning, in the parking lot of the airstrip. “This weekend was amazing.” Lexi wanted to say more, to let him know exactly how much it had meant to her, but she also didn’t want to lay it on too thick. She knew her own tendencies too well...that she was apt to go overboard.Slow and steady, she reminded herself.You and Jack have plenty of time.
“It was the most fun I’ve had in a really long time,” Jack said. “I feel bad dropping you off so early. The sun just came up. That doesn’t seem quite right.”
“I don’t mind at all. You know, it’ll probably be good for me to get into the office early this morning. Before my dad arrives.”
Jack nodded. “Speaking of work, I need to get home, change, pack and then head back to the island. We have a big week ahead of us.”
Lexi was going to be so glad when the festival construction was over and she and Jack would have fewer obstacles to spending time together. “I’ll let you go.” The bittersweet tone of her voice said it all—she didn’t want to do that. Despite her trepidation about getting involved with a man, there was one fact she couldn’t deny. This weekend had not been enough.
