“Will you look at me?”
“I don’t need to look at you for you to tell me what you need.”
“You’re pissed.” The surprise in his tone sets my teeth on edge. “Why are you pissed at me?”
That’s a good question. I shouldn’t be so angry with him, but the truth is, I feel disappointed and frustrated with him . . . and myself. I thought that after our conversation, things between us would change. I thought that him opening up to me and me opening up to him meant things between us had taken a turn for the better, but he showed me that I was wrong and proved I’m not a good judge of character.
“I know it might be hard to believe, but the world doesn’t revolve around you, Blake.”
“I don’t know, Everly, but I’d bet my last dollar that if Mav was the one sitting across from you, you’d be all smiles, giggles, and sweetness.”
With a different kind of anger now dancing hot through my veins, I turn and lock my gaze on his. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Your crush on him is obvious,” he says without breaking eye contact.
“Really?”
“Really.” He leans in, and I don’t know if I should laugh or scream in his face.
“What’s going on here?” We both look at Maverick as he steps into the room, and I wave a hand out in Blake’s direction.
“Your idiot friend here thinks I have a crush on you.”
“Does he?” He raises a brow while crossing his arms over his chest.
“I’ve seen the two of you together,” Blake rumbles, sounding irritated.
“Have you?” Maverick asks, sounding more curious than annoyed. “Together how? Because I can tell you that she’s never sat on my lap at any point since knowing her.”
My stomach bottoms out, and my cheeks burn with embarrassment. The only reason he’d say that is if he saw Blake and me together.
He turns, locking his eyes with mine. “I just came to see if Blake talked to you about learning to drive the four-wheelers, since we might need your help running supplies with the next group coming in.”
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to her about it yet,” Blake tells him, and Maverick looks between the two of us, then scrubs his hands down his face.
“With Tanner out, the three of us are going to have to work together. I know we all thought we’d have more time to prepare, but we don’t, so we need to put everything else on the back burner and focus on work.”
“I’ve always been focused on work,” I chime in, ignoring the strange energy pinging between the two men in the room. “And I’ve never driven a four-wheeler before, so a lesson probably wouldn’t hurt.”
“Blake will help you out with that,” Maverick replies, looking at his friend. “Right?”
“I’ll pick up one of the four-wheelers from Tanner’s this evening, and tomorrow morning, we can drive up to one of the campsites we use.”
“That’s fine,” I lie, because the idea of spending time alone with him is not even a little appealing.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at your house at nine, if that works for you?”
“See you then.” I glare at the door when he disappears, then mutter, “I know he’s your friend, but if he ends up missing after tomorrow, I hope you will at least pretend you don’t know what happened to him.” I look up at Maverick. “I mean, not forever. I just need enough time to pack up my son and make it to Mexico.” I shake my head when he laughs. “I’m serious.”
“I know. That’s why I’m laughing.”
“I’m happy you find my annoyance comical.”
“There is a lot I’m finding comical right now.” He doesn’t say more, and my eyes narrow on his.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing.” He glances at the clock on the wall. “I’m going to be away from the lodge for a couple of hours. I gotta run over to help Tanner set up the crib for Claire, since she should be getting released from the hospital in the next couple of days.”
“That’s so exciting.” I can’t help the smile that replaces my frown. “How’s baby and mama doing?”
“Good but ready to be home.” He tucks his hands into the front of his jeans. “You should give Cybil a call. I’m sure she’d be happy to hear from you.”
“I will. I just didn’t want to overwhelm her. I remember how stressful those first few days can be. When she gets home with Claire, I’ll ask when I can stop by for a visit.”
“She’d like that,” he says, then checks the clock once more before lifting his chin and heading for the door. “I’ll have my cell on. Just call if you need anything.”
“I should be good,” I assure him, and with a quiet goodbye, he takes off.
Just as I’m getting back into work, my cell vibrates, so I check to make sure it’s not my mom. Instead, I find a message from Lex, asking if I’ve thought more about when I can take Sampson to meet his mother. With a knot in the pit of my stomach, I message him back that I’m still thinking about it. When I talked to my parents about his mother’s request, neither of them seemed exactly thrilled about the idea. But they did say that if the shoe was on the other foot, they would hope to at least get the chance to meet their grandchild, and I can understand that.