Love on Lexington Avenue - Lauren Layne Page 0,50

the three of us, Scott handled it a little like me, a lot like you, and Audrey’s style not-at-all. That crap with his fiancée went down like a decade ago, and according to Oliver, Scott hasn’t been in anything close to a serious relationship since. And yet, he hasn’t been a monk, if you get what I’m saying.”

“Hard to miss,” Claire grumbled.

“He’s not a playboy in the sense that Clarke is,” Naomi continued. “With Clarke, women think it’s all about the chase, believing they’ll be the one to tame him. With Scott, nobody even tries to tame him. Nobody bothers.”

Claire felt as though someone were pressing on her chest. “That makes me kind of sad.”

Naomi gave a small sigh. “See, I was a little worried you’d say that, but I’m almost glad because now I know how to advise you.” She hesitated. “That is why you’re here, right? Or did you just want to talk it out?”

“Advice,” Claire said immediately. “Please.”

“I think that kiss with Scott needs to remain a one-time thing. A blip.”

“But—”

“You’re starting to care for him, babe. I can tell from the way you responded to everything I just told you. It wasn’t an ‘Oh great, booty-call perfection!’ It was you hurting for him—wanting him to change, and he won’t. Not even for you.”

“I’m not looking for a relationship, either,” Claire reminded her, even though that somehow felt less true, and she was less sure than she had been a few weeks ago.

“I know you’re not looking for one. But I also know that your heart’s enormous, and a little fragile. Do you really want to risk giving it to someone who won’t want it?”

Claire sat back and thought about everything Naomi had just said, and realized her friend was right. Something about Scott had wiggled beneath her defenses, slipped beneath the jaded cynicism that had been so firmly in place since Brayden died. She desperately wanted to believe that she’d be able to separate sex and emotion, but she was no longer certain she could. Not with him.

She scrunched down farther in her chair, feeling decidedly dejected. “I don’t suppose you have any junk food in here?”

“Nothing good,” Naomi said, standing and grabbing her purse. “But there’s a place a couple of blocks away that has onion rings served with like five types of cheese sauce.”

“I can’t decide if that sounds amazing or disgusting.”

“Let’s just say it’s the second-best thing to sex. You in or out?”

“Oh, you mean since you just told me I can’t have sex?” Claire said, standing. “I’m in. I’m so in.”

Chapter Sixteen

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29

Claire was avoiding him. Scott wasn’t surprised. He’d been trying to give her the space she obviously wanted, even though he’d wanted to linger at her house last night, waiting until she returned home that evening. From wherever she’d run off to following their . . . interaction.

Today, too, he’d been patient about the fact that she pointedly walked out of any room that he entered. However, as he started packing up for the day and realized that she’d been upstairs for hours, he’d decided enough was enough. Scott had given her the better part of two days to think through whatever was going on between them, waiting for her to decide what would happen next. The ball was in her court, but damned if he wasn’t going to try to influence which way it went.

As always, he took the time to put everything in his workspace in its proper spot before finally washing his hands and calling it a night. He was pleased with the way the kitchen was coming along. It was down to the final touches now, and he planned to put those off awhile as he started on her living room. He had a few ideas but wanted to give himself the time and space to get it exactly right.

Scott headed to the base of the stairs, pausing and listening for any sign of her. “Claire?”

She didn’t respond, but he headed up the stairs anyway. His traitor of a dog gave him an excuse to seek her out. As promised, he’d been bringing Bob to the work site each day, and he was a little amused to see that woman and dog had taken to each other so thoroughly despite their rocky start. So much for canine loyalty. He didn’t mind. Scott had had years to figure out how to be alone. Claire was newer at it, and he was glad the dog gave her