Page 60 of Better Together

“Coming right up.”

The bartender set her beer down.

“Thanks.” She took a sip. “So, I’m here. What’s so important that we need to meet?” She might have had a little too much snark in her tone, but Ryan didn’t seem to take offense.

“First, I want to sincerely apologize for the way we ended. I regret what I did to you.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t your finest moment.” Alexis took another swig, needing liquid courage.

Ryan rubbed his jaw again. She remembered this nervous gesture of his.

“I didn’t ask you here to bring up the past or to offer excuses for my behavior, but I needed to say I’m sorry,” he said.

“I appreciate that.” She played with the label on the bottle, keeping her eyes forward, looking at him in the mirror above the bar. She waited for him to continue.

“I met with James and Susan before calling you and told them I was withdrawing from the contest. Even if I did win—although I’m pretty sure I don’t have a chance—I wouldn’t have the time to take on a large project like the Whitmore Estate.”

“Wait—” She swiveled her bar stool to face him, and Ryan did the same, their knees knocking.

Ryan shifted slightly so as not to invade her space. “Let me finish. It has nothing to do with you. The contest has brought us a lot of publicity. A real estate developer called and asked if I would be his exclusive contractor. I’m meant to build new. Your passion is remodeling, and you’ve got the talent to bring the old back to life.”

Alexis relaxed into the high-back leather stool. “Wow. Congratulations, and thanks.” She paused and surprised herself by realizing she actually meant it. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you participate in this contest, living so far away?”

“I heard you’d be the other builder, and I wanted to see if you might give us another chance.” He looked down at the bar.

She snorted but didn’t mean to . . . mostly. “Sorry, that was rude.” He really thought she’d take him back?

“No need to apologize. When you walked up to the fence line the first day, you walked with such confidence. You stole my breath away, just like you did the first time you arrived on my jobsite. But when I noticed your electrician, I knew I didn’t have a chance.”

“Zeke?”

“Yeah. He looked like he was ready to take a swing at me if I said the wrong thing, and then I noticed the way you looked at him. I knew I had blown a good thing. Besides, you never looked at me the way you look at him.”

Alexis didn’t know what to say. She took another drink and glanced at the game playing on the screen above the bar. The Eagles scored a touchdown against the Packers. “Are you expecting me to thank you for relinquishing the job?”

“Nope. I saw your house; you deserve the win. I wish I hadn’t blown it with you.” Ryan tapped her thigh, stood, and threw cash on the bar. “Take care, Alexis.”

“You won’t be at the party tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there for the announcement.”

She watched Ryan walk away. She’d gotten the Whitmore and saved her business. So why did she feel like such a failure?

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Alexis paced like a caged animal, wearing a path in her kitchen floor. Boo watched from one of the kitchen chairs until finally he tired of her movements and fell asleep. She needed to call Zeke. Would he answer? Ignore her call? Or would he tell her she wasn’t worth the trouble?

Her heart skipped a beat when a text came in. It was from Susan. Her shoulders relaxed. Not Zeke. James and I will meet you, Maggie, and Zeke at the house at two this afternoon. I can’t wait! I’m so excited to see what you’ve done.

Alexis glanced at the clock above her kitchen window. She had six hours to reach Zeke and see if he’d meet them at the house.

Here goes nothing, she thought. She dialed his number and waited.

Zeke’s deep voice said, “Hello?”