He made quick work of unloading everything and bringing it around back. Lexi had already mapped out where everything was going to go and had the tools they would need laid out neatly.
After going over the plan, Noah peeled off his shirt and started to dig where Lexi had indicated. Since there wasn’t anything for her to do right now, she sat down and enjoyed the show. With her sunhat and sunglasses hiding her eyes, she watched him without his knowing. She watched his muscles ripple under his tattooed skin as he pierced the ground with the shovel then lifted and tossed the dirt to the side, over and over again. She was fascinated by the shadows on his skin created by the movement.
She dreamed of running her finger over every contour of his shoulders and chest, wondered what it would be like to be held in those arms. How his muscles would feel under her hands as he lifted her, her body pressed against his. Their lips close, hovering just before connecting in a battle of dominance, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she tried to get closer. Her legs wrapped around his waist, how would it feel to have him slide into her?
Lexi was jolted out of her daydream by the phone inside ringing. She jumped up on shaky legs and jogged in to answer.
“Do I need to ask what has you so breathless?” teased the female voice on the other end.
“Evie! How are you? What are you doing? When are you going to come see me? We have so much to catch up on. It seems like ages since I last saw you.” Lexi jumped up and sat on the kitchen counter and took her hat and sunglasses off.
Evie laughed, “One question at a time, then it’s all about you. I’m doing great. I’m just taking a break and decided I wanted to celebrate by talking to my best friend.”
“What are you celebrating? Tell me, tell me.” Lexi wiggled in excitement.
“I’ve just hired a general manager. That means no more ninety-hour weeks for me. After he’s trained, of course. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I see a girls’ weekend in our very near future.” Her excitement and pride came through the line.
Evie Taylor, granddaughter of Evelyne, had opened a bookstore and café in Boston a couple of years ago. From the start, the business had done well but Evie had been unable to relinquish control. She wanted to make sure everything was in place and running smoothly before bringing anyone else in to help.
Their summers together had always been fun. Evie was always coming up with some kind of plan and Lexi was happy to follow her. Whenever they got into trouble, Evie was able to talk their way out of it and she was also the first one to fly into the middle of things, defending what she thought was right. They were opposites in personalities but it worked.
“Hot damn,” Lexi exclaimed. “Tell me everything. I need to know. Now.”
“His name is Jesse Fields, he’s about our age, and loves to read. He’s worked retail and restaurants since he was a teenager. He went to college for business management and has a great head on his shoulders, really smart and really quick. He’s been here for a couple of weeks and I think I can start cutting back on my hours. You’ll love him. You should come down and see me.”
Lexi started to fiddle with the pen and paper she kept by the phone. “So this Jesse. Is he hot?” She knew how to get to Evie.
Evie started laughing hard. “Not my type. Actually I’m not his type. I think my brother Jack is more his style. You should’ve seen it. Jack came in the other day and Jesse just about tripped over himself to help him. Jack was so funny, trying to be nice and not fully realizing the guy was flirting with him. He was so confused. I let him sweat it out for a bit before I helped him out. So come see me. I have more time to play now.”
Lexi was drawing hearts on the paper and thinking about Noah. Maybe it would be a good thing to get away. But he was only going to be there for a few months. Then he would be gone, most likely forever. She wanted to spend time with him while she could.
“It shouldn’t take you this long to tell me yes. What the hell is going on?” Evie sounded exasperated.
“Well, it’s like this. My neighbor is here for a few months.”
“And exactly why does that make a difference if you come see me?” When Lexi didn’t answer right away, Evie became worried. “Lexi, honey, what’s going on? I’m packing a bag right now. I can be there in a couple of hours.”
“Wait. It’s not like that. Don’t pack. Everything is fine. In fact, he is fine. Hot, charming, funny, flirty, built, oh yeah, and hot. Did I mention that?” Lexi pulled the phone away from her ear quickly when Evie screamed on the other end.
“Tell me everything. And I mean everything. Don’t leave anything out. Who is it? It’s been a mystery who owned the place. What does he look like? Who would you compare him to?”