arguing from the street, so I guess she’s not that into you.” Wes cocked his head to one side. “She’s really pretty.”
“And she’s about ten years too old for you.”
“I don’t care about that. I’ve always preferred mature women.” Wes eyed him carefully. “You’re still mad.”
“When do I ever get mad?” Kaiden prevaricated. “Even when you glued your fingers together I got you to Dr. Tio’s without telling you what an idiot you were.”
“You’re definitely mad,” Wes said smugly. “That means you still like her.”
“I’ve always liked her. She’s the sister of my best friend from high school.” Kaiden scrubbed out the crooked line he’d drawn on the plan.
“No, you really like her.” Wes paused. “Maybe you should apologize or something?”
“I’m not taking relationship advice from a teenager,” Kaiden said as he misdrew the line again and gave up. “And, if anyone should be apologizing it should be her.”
“Wow, that’s harsh, dude.” Wes shook his head. “You know that relationships take two people to make them work, right?”
Kaiden glared at him. “Who are you? Dear Abby?”
“I don’t know who that is, but I do read the ‘Am I the Ass?’ boards online, and you’re sure sounding like one right now.”
“I don’t care what kind of an ass I am,” Kaiden said. “And crowdsourcing the answers to your problems on the Internet is why we’re in this mess to start with.” He glared at Wes. “Don’t you have any work to do?”
“No, I’m waiting for you to tell me what to do next,” Wes said with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Oh, right.” Kaiden let out a breath and consulted the schedule. “How about you clean up the floor?”
Wes groaned. “That’s not teaching me anything at all!”
“I’m sure your uncle Ted and Beth will appreciate it.”
“You know what I mean.” Wes rolled his eyes. “Anyone can clean up, but you’re supposed to be teaching me skills, man.”
“I am. A clean workplace is a happy workplace.” Kaiden handed Wes a broom. “Get on with it.”
He checked his cell phone but there was nothing from his family, which was a relief. Danny was due back for the weekend, so Kaiden wouldn’t have to handle two sets of chores for a couple of days. He stared at the back of Wes’s head as his apprentice half-heartedly wielded the broom. Was he really the ass? Julia was obviously under a lot of stress, she’d needed to blow off at someone, and he’d just happened to be standing right there.
But it was more than that. He’d offered her the opportunity to tell him what was going on, and she’d suggested she didn’t trust him enough to do so. Instead, she’d chosen to get annoyed because she didn’t like him. She didn’t damn well like him, and yet here he was, still dancing around trying to get her attention.
The thing was—maybe she had a reason? As a clueless teenage boy he’d tried so hard to conceal that he was attracted to his best friend’s sister, that perhaps he’d gone too far the other way and convinced her that he didn’t like her at all. The more he thought about it, the likelier it seemed. The incident with the Valentine’s poem was a prime example of him screwing things up and giving totally the wrong impression.
Kaiden cleared a space on his workbench and picked up his drawing pad. Maybe it would be better for everyone if he left Julia well alone. He’d finish off his plans for the Garcia remodel, get Juan’s approval, and turn the whole project over to someone else so that he didn’t have to go near Miss Julia Garcia ever again.
Chapter Four
“So come upstairs!” Nancy cleared away empty glasses with an efficiency Julia envied. “My shift is done and we still need to talk.”
Julia had been sitting at the bar for an hour eating the excellent food, chatting to the locals who wandered over to reintroduce themselves to her, and drinking beer. As the evening progressed, the bar had taken on a rosy glow that shouted home to her, and she hadn’t wanted to leave.
“But, my dad . . .”
Nancy waved away her objections. “Juan knows where you are, and that you’re safe with me.”
“Safe.” There was a snort behind Nancy, and Jay, the bar owner, grinned at Julia. “Like, that’s a terrifying thought.”
Nancy poked him in the ribs. “Like you’re scared of me.”
“I am.” Jay held up his hands like a hostage. “Really.”
“Says the retired Navy SEAL who could kill me with one