could just about make out some scaffolding and a ladder. What she couldn’t miss were the sounds of hammers and drills that had started up when the sun rose.
“I am,” Abby defended. “I went to get breakfast for the crew.”
“They’re installing a second kitchen in a bakery. Why didn’t they just eat danish and muffins?”
“Because I needed space, okay.” Now Abby was whispering. She stole a glance toward the bakery right as Hard-Hammer Tanner slung a two-by-four over his shoulder and happened to look out the window—and directly at them. The soccer moms waved. Abby gasped, then ducked, then gasped again. She was so bent over in the chair she was practically hugging her knees. “Crap, crap, crap. Did he see me? Is he still looking?”
Yup, Lexi wanted to say as she waved at a smiling Tanner, who, ignoring his adoring fans, waved back. The man was enormous. She had always thought Marc was tall and built like a god, but Tanner looked a good two inches taller than Marc with at least thirty more pounds of solid muscle on him—and all in the right places. What also surprised her was how graceful he was for such a big guy.
After a few moments had passed, Lexi said, “You can come up now. He’s on the ladder. Probably wondering why his design manager is flinging herself on the floor.”
“I’m not flinging…” Her eyes darkened with suspicion. “Stop changing the subject. We are talking about you and my brother.” She sighed, and her face went soft, almost hurt. “Are you sleeping with Marco, Lex? And if so, why didn’t you tell me?”
Lexi considered fanning the air. It was so thick with guilt it made it hard to breathe. When she and Marc had made that promise to keep quiet about their deal, it seemed so simple. She never imagined it would put her in a situation where she’d have to be disloyal to her best friend. “Look, I am not sleeping with him.” Shit, that was a lie. “Well, I mean we slept together, but—”
“Oh God.” Abby covered her mouth. “I think I just threw up a little.”
The idea of sex with Marc made Lexi queasy too, but not the kind of queasy Abby was feeling. “I got drunk, my date got handsy, so Marc took me home. He crashed at my place to make sure I was okay, and he fell asleep in my bed. With me. But nothing happened.”
“Then why is everyone saying they saw you two running in the park?”
Right. That. “Marc asked me if I wanted to go on a run, so we did. And it was fun.” It was better than fun. It had been one of the best mornings she could remember in forever. They didn’t stop for coffee, but they sat on her back porch and shared a pint of caramel ice cream from Picker’s. They talked about nothing important, laughed when Wingman farted, and scooted closer when Chad happened to walk by. Then he left and, as promised, Lexi had spent the entire day trying to make a baked pork chop interesting. “He makes me laugh. End of story.”
Abby’s eyes narrowed and her lips went thin. “Then this isn’t some kind of twisted payback at Jeff for being a total douche? I know I told you to stick it to him, but if you’re using my brother because he is Jeff’s best friend, that’s just wrong.”
Her friend’s words stung. She hadn’t pursued Marc. He had followed her. And she hadn’t said yes to their pretend relationship because of his friendship with her ex; if anything, that had been her biggest concern. But if her best friend came to that humiliating conclusion, then what would everyone else think?
“Marc was my friend too, before Jeffery and I even started dating.” Not sure what else to say, Lexi went for honest. At least as honest as she could get without betraying Marc’s trust. “I thought it was weird at first too. But Marc makes me feel good about myself. We have fun. He gives me the space I need to cook and figure things out. It’s no big deal.”
Abby didn’t look convinced. “Okay, so what if I were to say Marco is one of the hottest bachelors in the valley?”
“So?” Lexi sat back in a chair and shrugged, trying to appear unaffected. So Marc was hot. So were a bazillion other guys. Granted, a bazillion other guys didn’t make her undies catch fire every time they looked