Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I rolled over in bed, unable to fall asleep after half an hour.

It bugged me that Weston hadn’t even attempted to persuade me to go back to his hotel room or worm his way into mine. I knew it was stupid to lose sleep over it, but I couldn’t stop wondering why. He could have just been tired or not in the mood, but neither one of those seemed likely for Weston. So the only logical conclusion I could come up with was that he’d grown bored.

It shouldn’t have been a shock to figure out he was one of those types of guys—the ones who enjoy the chase more than the prize itself. In fact, now that I thought about it, that actually made a whole lot of sense. We’d had a nice dinner, good conversation—dare I say the evening was friendly? I’d mistaken Weston’s attraction to the chase for an attraction to me.

But that was fine. Really, it was—even if accepting it caused a weird ache in my chest. Absolutely no good could come from the craziness between us anyway. In my head, I knew we were better off keeping our distance.

Yet I still couldn’t fall asleep.

So rather than further analyze our dangerous attraction, I thought back to the things Weston had shared tonight. He was an alcoholic. And if I read between the lines correctly, things had gone bad after his sister died. Those two had been thick as thieves. I considered myself an only child, since I didn’t count my half-brother, Spencer, so I didn’t have any experience with a relationship like those two had. I would imagine growing up in either of our big, yet lonely families caused siblings to grow even closer—us against them. Then add Caroline’s illness, and I could see how Weston would’ve taken the protective, big-brother role, even though he was younger. Losing it after she died didn’t seem like a negative thing. There was something beautiful about him caring for someone so deeply that after she was gone, he became self-destructive. In a weird way, I was kind of envious of that kind of love and dedication to another person. I’d been close to my mother, but she’d died before I was even really an adult.

Thinking about that side of Weston gave me a warm feeling. And also made me feel a little unsettled. So maybe it was for the best that he’d seemed to lose interest. Because the last thing I needed was to grow feelings for a member of the Lockwood family.

***

The next day, I’d just hung up my phone when Weston popped his head into my office.

“Meeting with the union is Friday at two o’clock.”

“Oh, okay. That’s great. Thank you. I was actually going to come by your office to see you.”

He grinned. “Miss me already, huh?”

“How could I miss you when I saw you a few hours ago standing behind the column in the lobby watching me get my coffee?”

Rather than deny anything, Weston’s grin widened to a smile. “Some guy was standing in my normal spot.”

“I find it interesting that you don’t even try to hide your stalking. Is this a hobby for you? Stalking, I mean.”

“You’re my first.” He winked. “You lucky girl, you.”

I shook my head. “Anyway, I spoke to the Boltons a little while ago, and they were able to get all the outstanding permit issues cleared up so they can get started. There are a few things they wanted to discuss over lunch today, if you’re available.”

Weston rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb. “They called you, huh?”

“Yes.”

He tilted his head. “Which one called? Sam or Travis?”

I knew what he was getting at, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. “Travis.”

“So he called you, but specifically asked you to invite me along as well?”

I rolled my eyes. “Get over yourself, Weston. Your big ego shouldn’t bruise that easily if someone prefers to call me over you. It makes sense since my family has worked with him before.”

“Sure…right…”

I sighed. “Are you going to join us or not? I’m going to call downstairs and reserve a table for one o’clock. Should I make it for two or three?”

“Definitely three. There’s nothing I enjoy more than being a third wheel.” He rapped his knuckles against my door. “See you later, Fifi.”

A few hours later, I’d lost track of the time and arrived at the restaurant at ten after one. Travis and Weston were already seated. They stood as I approached the table.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m not sure where the morning went.”

Both men went to pull out the chair between them at the same time. It was awkward, but Travis backed off.

“Thank you,” I said, taking my seat. “I hope I didn’t miss too much.”

“Not at all.” Travis smiled. “It gave Weston and me a chance to get to know each other a little.”

My eyes slanted to Weston’s. He picked up a glass of water and brought it to his lips. “It made my day.”

I scowled. Luckily Travis either didn’t notice Weston’s sarcasm or was professional enough for both of them and ignored it.

“I was just starting to tell Weston we can start as soon as tomorrow, if that’s alright with you both. All of the open issues with the building department have been cleared, and the missing paperwork filed. I had to renew the permits because they’d expired already, but I took the liberty of putting down tomorrow as the start date. So we’re ready to go, if you give us the all clear.”

Weston and I agreed the sooner the better, and we went on to discuss how many shifts we wanted working and the dates Travis thought we might want to leave the rooms directly below the construction open because of higher noise levels. We ordered, and by the time our food came, Weston’s attitude seemed to have relaxed a bit.

Travis picked up the ketchup and twisted the top. Removing the bun from his hamburger, he said, “You know, my fiancée and I looked at the Imperial Salon after we got engaged.” He smiled. “Once we got the cost estimate, we realized we’d have to cut our guest list in half to hold our wedding here. But I think if the rooftop had been open at the time we were looking, my fiancée would’ve talked me into taking out a loan to snag this place. I really think it’s going to be beautiful, once it’s done.”

Weston perked up. “Where did you wind up having your wedding?”

Travis shook his head. “We didn’t. Things…didn’t work out exactly as planned.”

Weston sent a gloating smile my way. “You like the single life, then? Some people just aren’t the marrying type.”

“Oh, no. I’m definitely the marrying type. I hate the bar scene and prefer a quiet night at home after a long day’s work. My fiancée, Alana, passed away.” He shook his head. “Breast cancer.”

I put my hand on Travis’s arm. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that.”

I didn’t miss the way Weston’s eyes zoomed in on my hand.

He grumbled between gritted teeth, “Sorry for your loss.”

A little while later, we’d gotten on the subject of college, and Travis mentioned that he’d dropped out. Again, Weston seemed to perk up and commented that not everyone could hack finishing their education. Travis then replied that he’d dropped out to help his dad, who needed back surgery.

There were a few more odd exchanges like that, and I could’ve sworn Weston enjoyed hearing a potential negative about Travis, and it pissed him off every time when it turned out to be something noble.

When our lunch plates were cleared, the waiter came over and handed us dessert menus. “We also have a wonderful array of spiked coffees—Irish coffee with Bailey’s, French cappuccino made with Grand Marnier, and Italian Classico made with amaretto.”

Full from lunch, I passed on dessert but ordered a cappuccino. Weston ordered a regular coffee, and the waiter turned to Travis.

“How about you? The spiked coffees are delicious. Can I tempt you?”

Travis held up a hand. “No, no temptation for me. Thank you. I’ll have a regular coffee.”

“I guess it’s not such a good idea to add liquor to lunch when you work around heavy machinery,” Weston said.

Travis nodded. “Actually, I don’t drink at all. Seen too many guys go down a rabbit hole from alcohol. It’s just a personal choice.”

Weston’s jaw flexed. He tossed his napkin on the table. “You know what? I just remembered I have another appointment to get to. I’ll see you tomorrow, Travis.” He nodded to me. “I’ll take care of the check on my way out. You two enjoy yourselves.”