This wasn’t a surprise, Kevin was heavy into the outdoors, he was going to be making more money, even if they were a charity (Judge—and Wheeler agreed—felt that salaries should be competitive in order to find the right staff), and he was already a volunteer for Kids and Trails.
The perfect fit.
“The signs aren’t the only surprise.” Judge spoke for the first time since Rix had arrived. He also started to move across the expanse of the space to a long foldout table. “The designer has narrowed it down to three schemes that fit our budget for the furniture, and we got the logo options, five of them, all of them Wheeler’s already approved. We need to make some decisions.”
He’d made it to the table and was spreading out some big sheets of paper that, even from where Rix stood, he saw had a bunch of pictures of furniture on them, and some regular sheets that had logos printed on them.
As they all made the move to approach, Rix decided he’d give it another go, edged toward Alex, and greeted, “Hey.”
Alex was not five ten.
Tops, she was five six.
To kiss her, he’d have to bend deep.
Or coax her into his lap.
Jesus.
He’d gotten laid last night, what was his deal with this shit about Alex?
He didn’t have a shot to figure that out.
Her brown and green eyes flicked up to him, and he saw she was pissed too.
Okay.
What in the fuck?
He stopped, reaching a hand down to touch her forearm, and she jerked to a stop with him.
She didn’t have her usual trouble looking at him then.
She glared right into his eyes.
Yes.
Glared.
She’d ditched him, what’d she have to be pissed about?
“I said ‘hey,’” he noted, his voice rougher than normal, because he was ticked.
“Hey,” she spit out like the taste of it sucked.
“What’s up?” he asked.
She tipped her head woodenly toward the table. “We’re deciding furniture and logos.”
“I mean with you throwing attitude at me.”
Her eyelids coasted slowly down and coasted up even slower.
This unfortunately gave Rix the opportunity to note that she had very long, thick eyelashes, she wore no mascara, maybe because she didn’t need any, probably because she didn’t wear makeup at all, and they weren’t the auburn color of her hair.
They were dark, with auburn at the tips, something he could see in their sunshiny offices, but not last night in the dark bar.
Seriously interesting.
And gorgeous.
He’d never noticed that either.
“Sorry?” she asked.
This took him out of his thoughts about her lashes, but only landed him in the sitch that he had to admit, she had a great voice. He’d always thought that, even before, when it hit him only vaguely. It was almost…cultured, like, sophisticated, which was strange for her, since she was definitely not a city girl. It was also deep. Not exactly Kathleen Turner in Body Heat, or he didn’t think it was until they were talking last night about glass showers and hot springs.
Then, it was totally Body Heat, but better, because she had no clue it was.
It was annoying to have this in his ears when he was ticked that she was ticked because she had no reason to be ticked.
If anything, he was the one who should be.
Which reminded him…
“I asked, what’s up with your attitude?” he repeated.
“My attitude?”
“You’re pissed at me.”
“I’m not pissed at you.”
He’d had just that kind of morning, he didn’t do what he normally did, ignored or avoided her shit.
They were going to have to work together.
She was going to have to get over it.
So he called her on it.
“Listen, Alex, I’m used to you not knowing how to handle the fact I got no legs, I’m not used to you being cool with me, opening up, connecting, like you were last night. Though, gotta say, I shouldn’t be surprised you were reminded you were uncomfortable being around a guy like me and got up in the middle of a conversation and ditched me. But now I wanna know how that translates to you being pissed at me when it should be the other way around, ’cept it’s not because I’m used to your whole bullshit awkward act.”
She stared up at him as he spoke, the color draining from her face, and the instant he finished speaking, she asked in a quiet voice, “Not knowing how to handle it that you don’t have legs?”
“I’m not the only double amputee on earth, Alex. Maybe the only one you know, but I’m not the only one. And we’re gonna be working a lot closer together. I suggest you get your shit together about it, because it’s not cool.”
She stood entirely unmoving, including her eyes, which didn’t blink, as she continued to stare at him.
“What’s the holdup?” Judge called.
Rix turned his head that way. “We’ll be right there.”
When he turned back, he saw Alex looking that way, and she said something else.