I slapped him on the back. “Thanks, man. I’ll be there.”
I avoided the thought that Velvet would also be at lunch. And how fucking happy that made me.
***
Velvet
I stood back and watched quietly as everyone greeted Nash. He’d arrived nearly an hour late for lunch and Harlow was giving him grief. I was dealing with the thought that I’d been disappointed he was late. It shouldn’t have affected me that much, but it did.
He finished hugging Harlow and caught my eye as he pulled out of the embrace. A slight smile touched his lips before he shifted his attention to Madison. He reached out and dragged her into a tight hug, whispering something in her ear that made her laugh. A pang of jealousy hit me, and I quickly turned away and headed into the kitchen to escape the unwelcome feelings I was having.
Scott was in there and his watchful gaze made me uncomfortable. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I finally asked.
He settled back against the counter before answering me. “Had a visit from your ex husband yesterday.”
My concern about James spiked as dread filled me. “What did he want?”
“He wants me to fire you, and in return he offered me a lot of money.”
“You’re fucking kidding?” I exploded. Dread gave way to anger; how dare he fuck with my life like that?
Scott shook his head. “Nope, not kidding. You sure picked an asshole there.”
“You have no idea.”
“What’s his story? He didn’t tell me why he wanted me to fire you, just made me the offer.”
I sighed. James was supposed to be out of my life for good but here he was, right back in it. “His family has a long history in politics and although he swore he’d never go into it, he seems to have changed his mind. He showed up out of the blue the other day and offered me money too. He doesn’t want me to talk to the media about him.”
“Got some nasty shit in his closet, has he?”
“You could say that.”
“You accepting his offer?”
“No.”
He nodded and pushed off from the bench. “Good. Me either.”
I’d known he wouldn’t accept the offer. I didn’t even have to ask him. Scott Cole was a good man, even if most people took him for an asshole. He looked out for those he loved, and I knew that he loved me like family. He’d shown me that too many times for me not to know by now.
Harlow breezed into the kitchen, and Scott grinned at her. “Can we eat now?” He asked as he reached out and smacked her on the ass. She shooed him away with a slap to his arm. This only encouraged him more, and he wound his arm around her waist so he could pull her into him and plant a kiss on her neck.
“I’ll leave you two to it,” I said, more to myself than them because they were too engrossed in each other to hear me. I headed out to the back deck, and closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath of the cool air. We were having a cooler autumn than usual and I was enjoying it. I despised the muggy heat of a Queensland summer, and we’d had a hot one this year, so this was a welcome change.
I pulled up a seat and relaxed into it. Exhaustion was claiming me after a busy couple of months finishing off my beauty course and working full time throughout it. I hadn’t wanted to get out of bed this morning, but I knew that Harlow would be disappointed if I didn’t make it, so I’d forced myself to come. I closed my eyes and let sleep claim me.
That was, until a husky voice startled me awake. “Lunch is ready.”
Nash.
My eyes flew open and desire pulsed through me at the sound of his voice. I jumped up and landed on unsteady feet. His strong hands caught me and his eyes searched mine; looking for what, I wasn’t sure.
“Hi,” I breathed out.
He blinked and for the first time ever, I saw Nash unsure of himself. His face was a blank mask and his breathing was uneven. “Hi,” he stuttered, and released me from his grip once it was clear I was okay.
I took a deep breath. This was so awkward, and I had the sudden urge to get out of here and run far, far away. Instead, I rallied my bravado and said, “I’m starving. What’s Harlow cooked?”