The Rivals - Dylan Allen Page 0,94

heard, but I also feel completely giddy. For the last two weeks, my coffee order has been ready and waiting for me when I walk into Sweet and Lo’s. I’ve had flowers on my desk every morning, my lunch delivered every afternoon. My car washed while it was parked in the garage of my office. Hayes has been relentless in his attempts to woo me.

But this ... done not to woo me back, but because he’s a good man trying to do right is the first thing he’s done that makes me feel like maybe he sees me. That he’s not just trying to convince me, but that he’s doing it for himself, too. That thought makes me unbearably happy. I brush my tears away and turn around just in time to greet my very first customers.

KNEEL

CONFIDENCE

“I’ll have the meatloaf sandwich,” I say to my waitress.

“Oh yeah, great choice.” She smiles widely. “It’s delicious.”

“Everything here is delicious,” Tyson says. His dark brown eyes twinkle with mischief, and he says, “including some of the diners.” He grins and then winces. He glares at his older brother. “Remi, yo,” he says in a comically, high-pitched voice while rubbing the side of his head that his brother just slapped.

“Stop talking to her like she’s one of those THOTs in that little fan club of yours,” Remi says without looking up from the menu.

“Yo, can I help it if they love me? I mean, maybe if you stopped and smelled the roses instead of trying to be some sort of superhuman legend, you’d get some of that love, too,” he says.

I look back between the brothers and shake my head. “Can you guys please stop bickering? The car ride over was enough of that to last me a lifetime. I’d like to have some quiet with my air conditioning and beer, please,” I say.

“See, Remi, she likes me.” He winks at me. “Can you stop getting in between us?” He drags his chair close to mine. “Excuse me, miss, but you’ve got some dust on your arm,” he says and brushes the remnants of our afternoon off my arm.

“You’re such a flirt, Ty,” I say with mock disapproval.

“Only with the prettiest girls,” he says and winks. His gaze drifts over my shoulder. I don’t think anything of it until I see a gleam of mischief. He slings an arm over my shoulder, and I jump in surprise and then relax.

This is how he talks to everyone. All day, his contribution was keeping the people waiting in the incredibly long lines in a good mood. And he's good at it. Charming, funny, and very nice to look at. It made me feel better. Now that we’ve rejected the settlement offer, things with Kingdom are moving at a snail’s pace. But, this week there was a break in the clouds for our clients whose homes were beyond simple repairs. Remi took me to the land on the outer barrier of Rivers Wilde where Habitat for Humanity is going to be building homes for the residents.

A shiver passes over me and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I feel Hayes before I see him. Before I can turn around, I hear him.

“Remi,” Hayes says in greeting and his voice ricochets through me like a canon’s boom.

My heart leaps into my throat. His proximity is frying my circuits and I can’t even remember what I was talking about or doing two minutes earlier.

“Ty.” His voice is less friendly when he addresses Tyson.

Remi slides over and says, “Join us, Rivers.”

He does and sits down right next to me.

“Confidence,” he says quietly, and I shoot him a sidelong glance. I wish I hadn’t.

The annoyed expression in his eyes is tinged with longing and it hits me in the center of my chest. His light gray T-shirt blends with the color of his eyes, and with the dim lighting of the restaurant, they look almost green today.

His gaze moves to Tyson who has moved closer to me since Hayes sat down. He lifts his eyebrows in his classic what the fuck do you think you’re doing? look.

I give him a why do you think you have the right to ask? glare.

“Rivers, I have to tell you, I think I’m in love with her, so I might need you to back off,” Ty says good-naturedly. “You gotta watch out for him. He’s the most committed bachelor in town,” he whispers to me.

“Tyson, please remove your arm from