3. Reid

3

REID

I f it was up to me, I'd be doing this work solo. I even told Mackenna—twice—that I could handle it myself. But she refuses to let me be, hovering the whole damn time.

"Thanks again for offering to do this for me," she says as she holds up the mesh fencing I'm stapling to the posts. "I really appreciate it, Reid."

But I'm not doing this for her. I'm doing it because I don't want that little mischief-maker of hers messing around on my property again.

"Keep it flush," I instruct her, gesturing to the mesh.

"If there's anything you need help with while you're renovating, I'm more than happy to lend a hand," she goes on. "Feel free to call me anytime. I mean it."

I know she's just trying to be friendly, but goddamn it, I wish she wouldn't be. I'm not capable of being friends with a woman as stunning as she is. It'll be torture. The best thing for both of us is to be polite but distant neighbors, keeping our interactions to a minimum.

As we continue working, I notice Daisy watching us intently from the nearby temporary cage that Mackenna put her in. The monkey's sharp eyes follow every movement I make as she studies the changes we're making to her home. When I walk by her temporary cage to grab some more fencing, Daisy chitters with excitement, following me as I stride by.

Mackenna laughs. "I think Daisy's taken a liking to you, Reid."

I grunt in response, not wanting to encourage more conversation. The less we talk, the better.

"You're really not a fan of animals, are you?" asks Mackenna.

I shrug as I unroll the fencing. "It's not that I dislike them. I just don't feel a connection to them. Why do you like them so much?"

Her eyes soften. "You know, I don't think anyone has ever asked me that before. I love how every animal has its own unique personality. They don't hide their feelings or pretend to be something they're not. And, once you gain their trust, their love is unconditional."

Their love is unconditional? Does Mackenna really think the animals in her sanctuary love her, and aren't just friendly because they want food? I mean, I guess it's sweet that she cares so much for the creatures she's looking after, but…I don't know. Frankly, she baffles me.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulls my attention away from her. I look over and see a guy walking toward us. He's wearing cargo pants and a t-shirt of the same color. His expression is serious as he walks up to us.

"You must be Reid," he says, his eyes fixed on me.

I'm not liking his tone, but I wipe my hand off on my jeans and hold it out. "Yep. And you are?"

His mouth turns down. "Justin," he says, as if I should have known that already. "Look, it's nice of you to help out, but we can get someone else out here to do this."

"Don't worry about it, man," I say. "Anyway, we're almost done."

Apparently Justin doesn't like my response, because he narrows his eyes at me. "Don't you have a house to build?"

"Jesus, Justin," scoffs Mackenna. "Reid is generously doing us a favor."

"We have contractors that we work with," Justin says, turning his gaze to her. "I spent all that time vetting them, remember?"

Mackenna stares at him for a second, then says authoritatively, "Justin, can you please go clean out the trays in the reptile house? They need to be spotless for their afternoon feeding."

"Okay," Justin mumbles, and skulks away.

It's impressive, how adept Mackenna is at taking charge. I'm not going to lie, it turns me on. But that's the last thing I need right now, another reason to find her attractive. I turn my focus back to working on the fence.

"I'm so sorry about that," Mackenna says, sighing as she steps forward to hold the fencing in place. "He had no right to speak to you like that."

I drive a staple into the post. "Are you two together?"

"No," she says emphatically. "Not at all. Justin is my employee."

I hate how relieved I am to hear that. "Gotcha."

"He's great with the animals. I couldn't run this place without him. He's just…well. You saw how he can be."

"Is he like that all the time?"

"No. But there hasn't been anyone around to make him jealous, either."

Her words hang in the air between us. I want to look at her so fucking bad, but I don't allow myself to indulge. I remain focused on the fence, punching in the last few staples.

"Of course you offered to help her," says Shaw, grinning like an idiot as he picks up the pint of beer sitting in front of him and brings it to his lips. The two of us are sitting in our usual spots at The Paddock, the only decent bar in Cedar Springs.

"I did it to stop that damn monkey from escaping again," I say.

"Sure, Reid. Keep telling yourself that." Shaw raises an eyebrow at me. "Well? Did anything happen when you were over there?"

"No. Nothing like that." I take a drink of beer. "I met this guy who works for her, though. Justin. He's a jealous turd."

Shaw bursts out laughing. "Sorry. It's just, jealous turd ."

"It pisses me off, knowing that she has to put up with someone like him. He has no right to act possessive of her. She deserves better than that. Here she is, putting her heart and soul into running that place, and on top of everything else, she has to deal with that bullshit."

"Whoa," says Shaw, his eyes going wide. "Okay. You've definitely got it bad for her."

"I don't—" I start to say, then groan a sigh. "Yes, I think she's attractive. And I'm impressed by her. But that doesn't mean I've got it bad for her."

"You're being protective of her. I haven't seen you act like this…ever, actually." Shaw's expression turns thoughtful. "Why are you resisting your feelings? Seriously, Reid. Why don't you just go for it? Make a move?"

"We already went over this. She's too pretty, and too young for me. And she's my neighbor. She and I are also, just…too different. It doesn't make any sense, me going after a woman like her."

"Haven't you ever heard of opposites attract?" Shaw says, shaking his head. "I'm not buying the rest of your excuses, either. She's too young for you? Nah. You're both adults. And who cares if she's your neighbor? It's not like you live in some tiny apartment complex. You've got all that land between you. As for her being out of your league…okay. Maybe you've got a bit of a point there. But it's not like you're an ogre, Reid."

"Thanks," I say, breathing out a laugh.

Shaw narrows his eyes at me. "Is it because you haven't been with a woman for eons? Is that why you're afraid of pursuing her?"

"I'm not afraid. I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Well, I hope you come to your senses soon."

"Can we please drop the subject?" I snap.

Shaw holds up his hands. "Fine. Subject dropped." His gaze travels over to the television mounted above the bar. "Oof. Looks like a storm's headed our way."

I look up at the television and see the weather headline emblazoned in all caps splayed across the bottom of the screen.

"Great," I grumble. "Just what I need."