I let out a long sigh, I didn’t feel like arguing about it anymore. “Fine, I’ll feel him out and see what happens.”
“Feel him out, or up. Both could be fun.” I laughed and tried to ignore the building tension in my chest.
I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that things were about to change. And I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like it.
“Dude, how did you convince him to redo the whole diner?”
Jack had an impressed lift in his voice as he reviewed the signed estimate in his hand. I was glad I was proving my worth so fast. He’d never asked me for help before. I’d been the one asking him to help my sorry ass out ever since we were fifteen, and I was determined not to let him down.
“Wasn’t as hard as you think. We’re going to need some extra guys to help out. He wants us to do it all in one weekend so he doesn’t have to stay closed for very long. It’ll be tough, but I think we can do it. Plus, that’s a pretty popular diner. Could help us get the name out there.”
“Hmm, that’s true. I’ve been afraid to take jobs like this because I never knew how I’d feel from one day to the next.” His expression turned serious as his voice trailed off. He slapped my back as he got up from his desk. “You’re more than just a pretty face. Nice work!”
That was Jack. Always making a joke when things got too serious. Jack was more than just a friend; he was my brother. When my mother died during our sophomore year of high school, he never left my side. His parents practically took me in when my father became a grief-stricken zombie. I always vowed I’d pay him back, but hated the reason he asked me to return the favor.
I strolled over to my desk and sat down on the small chair. Little too small for me, but we were cramped into a tiny space as it was. Jack’s office really didn’t have room for two desks, but he insisted. I’d never run a business before and there was a lot of back end stuff that I was still learning. Jack thought it would be easier if we worked side by side. I leaned back in my chair and tapped on the desk with a pen.
I liked being on job sites, not stuck inside, but I’d never complain. I would do whatever I could to make things easier for Jack.
“So, is it noon yet? I think Paige said she’d be here by now.”
Jack snickered at me. “That interested in the new sign?”
“Of course I am. You want me involved in everything, remember?” Jack’s shoulders shook with laughter. He was a smug jerk when he wanted to be.
“Okay, I’ll play. I’ll pretend you haven’t had a crush on my cousin since we were in high school. Ellie won’t shut up about the “spark,” she saw at the house on Saturday between you two.” Jack held up his fingers in air quotes.
Jack walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know why you always felt like you couldn’t tell me. I think you’d be good for Paige. It would be nice to see her with someone who wasn’t a total asshole.”
Paige was the girl I always wanted, but never had a chance with. I met her when we were teenagers, and was friend-zoned from day one. It was probably for the best, since no good would ever come from dating Paige if things went sour.
Jack and Paige were more like brother and sister than cousins. I wasn’t the only one of Jack’s friends to notice Paige—it was fucking impossible not to. With sexy emerald eyes, long golden hair, and killer curves that went on for days, I could never stop staring at her—or control the shit that came out of my mouth. I let things slip when she complained to me about whatever idiot she happened to be with at the time. I’d tell her how beautiful I thought she was, how the guy she was with didn’t deserve her. She smiled sweetly and said ‘thank you,’ but never saw me as anything but her cousin’s friend—no matter how I wished she saw me as something more.
Paige was beautiful, smart, and always so fucking nice—too nice.
Jack was one hundred percent right about her douchebag parade of boyfriends. I knew a few of them in school, and my blood boiled at some of the things I overheard them say.
With Paige Taylor, it seemed nice guys really did finish last, so I never admitted out loud to anyone—even Jack—how I felt about her.
Although, judging by my friend’s shit-eating grin, it was common knowledge whether I admitted anything.
“It . . . never seemed like the right time. Any time I’d work up the nerve to tell her, she was already with someone else. I hated the way she let guys treat her; she deserves so much better. I would . . . anyway its fine. I’ll behave myself and won’t make her feel uncomfortable.” I shrugged and looked away. It was really anything but fine. I’d still kill for just one chance with Paige.
Jack nodded. “I’m with you on that one. It’s been exhausting to watch her go out with the wrong guy over and over—exhausting for pretty much the whole family. She doesn’t know how many asses I secretly kicked over the years on her behalf. I won’t tell you what to do, but I really believe if you talked to her now, you may get a different answer than you expect.”
I held my hands up and shook my head. “Jack, she’s like your fucking sister. We’re not just friends, we’re partners now and I know better than to complicate—”
“Evan,” Jack’s face turned grim and his tone was stern. “Knowing Paige was with you would be the biggest relief and fucking weight off my shoulders. There’s going to come a time when I won’t be able to watch out for her, like I’ve done our entire fucking lives.”
Jack put his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes. I felt awful for him. He tried his hardest to hide it, but it killed him to know what—and who—he may have to leave behind.
“My cousin is a headstrong woman, but so damn vulnerable it drives me up the wall. She’s always worried the shit out of me. Not to sound like my sappy wife, but I think you guys would be good together. I’m all for it, so don’t use me as an excuse to stay a chicken.” He smirked at me, but even though he tried to lighten the mood, I knew what he was saying. I was probably the only one who knew the whole truth about Jack’s prognosis. It was something no one liked to bring up, not even Jack himself. Since I became his partner, I’d been hearing the “make sure you remember to . . .” requests that weren’t meant solely for the short term.
Jack had just asked me to take care of Paige, too. This was all becoming way too much, too fucking fast.
The doorbell rang exactly at noon, and instead of looking forward to seeing if it was Paige, I was nervous as hell. The pressure of maybe approaching her today doubled. I tapped the pen on my desk faster as I worked up the nerve to rise from my seat.
“Stay there, Woody Woodpecker. I’ll answer it.” Jack chuckled as he sauntered over to the door. Was it bad to call someone with a possible terminal illness an asshole?
Jack walked back into the office with Paige trailing him. She was so fucking gorgeous—all the damn time—and her presence made me as lovesick stupid as when I was a kid. The tight blue dress she wore highlighted every mouth-watering curve. I hoped she didn’t notice me adjusting my jeans behind the desk as I blinked away the thought of those tan knee high boots wrapped around my waist. How much advertising would it take to have her in here looking like that on a daily basis?
“Hi Evan, good to see you.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and seemed more polite than friendly. What could have happened between the diner and now to make her so cold?
“You too, Daisy.” I winked at her to see if I could melt away some of the ice coming from her direction. She smirked for a moment, but was all business as she pulled her laptop out of her bag and set it on Jack’s desk.
“I brought some mock ups for you to look at today. I’ll show you guys on screen for right now. If you like the options, I can come by with some printouts to narrow down the colors.” I stepped behind Jack and Paige to take a look. I didn’t have too much input as this was only my second week with a stake in the company. I didn’t know much about design, but at a quick glance it was obvious that Paige did pretty nice work