Love Me Nots (Jasper Falls 3)

She crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips. “And how many do you own?”

“Thirteen hundred.”

The number literally knocked her back a step. She blinked, unable to mentally calculate such a vast collection of stores. “So,” she said with a touch of sarcasm, “this is really a life-and-death endeavor for you.”

He smirked. “You don’t approve.”

“You have thirteen hundred stores. Luke’s my friend. McCullough Lumber is family owned, and it employs half the residents of Jasper Falls. My brother-in-law and his cousin own it, minus their parents’ shares. My customers rely on it. Can you offer jobs to everyone you’d be putting out of work?”

“We outsource our lumber.”

“Locally?”

“Not always. But there are exceptions to every rule.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t buy it. I think you big-box stores care more about your bottom-line than you do the people you put out of work or the habitats you hurt. I’m willing to bet you get tons of wood from rain forests.”

“A ton is a rather small measurement in construction.”

“You know what I mean.”

“You seem very passionate about wood.”

She wasn’t. She just didn’t want to see half the town unemployed, because some fancy suit showed up and changed everything. Plus, she had a lot of pent up aggression and no outlet, since she gave up sex more than a year ago.

Gage sighed and sat back, his broad shoulders and body language sending all sorts of haywire messages to her baby maker. “Less than four percent of our lumber comes from the Amazon. The majority of our supply comes from companies in North America. I can’t give your friend any guarantees, but I’m always open to negotiation with any interested suppliers—big or small.”

Well, that was something. “Okay then.”

“Okay?”

“Okay.” She uncrossed her arms.

He smiled, his dark eyes creasing at the corners. “Do you work tomorrow?”

“I work every day. It’s the perk of being an owner.” She wasn’t complaining. Owning the bar was a blast, and she loved her independence.

“I thought you had a partner.”

“I do. My sister, Maggie. But she handles the other stuff. I’m the onstage talent.” She flashed him a cheeky grin and tossed out some jazz hands.

The creases at his eyes deepened. “When do you have off?”

A siren screamed in her head. She hadn’t meant to flirt. It was sort of a natural response to being so close to a modern-day piece of Sparta perfection. But now that she realized what she’d been doing, her guard went up. “Why?”

“I’d like to take you to dinner.”

Mayday, mayday, mayday! She took a step back, her butt hitting the counter behind her. “Sorry, I don’t date.”

His gaze dropped to her hand. “Married?”

“No.”

His head cocked. “Gay?”

She wished. “No.”

He frowned. “Am I missing something?”

“No. I just don’t date.”

“Ever?”

She shrugged. “It’s been a while.”

He studied her for a long minute, then finished his drink and stood. “We’ll work on that.” He pushed the change from his fifty across the bar to the gutter. “See you around, Perrin.”

Nervous and confused, she said, “See ya.”

How long was he planning on staying in Jasper Falls? And what were they going to work on?

After closing, she cleaned the bar and had a drink with Sue, retelling the whole Gage conversation. She was blown away by the possibility of a King’s Construction Outlet opening in the town, but that wasn’t what was most concerning at the moment to her.

“What do you think he meant by saying we’ll work on that?”

Sue stood and gathered her empty bottle. “Oh, that just means he plans on banging you.”

Perrin spit a sip of beer across the table. “What?”

“Come on, Perrin. Don’t play dense. You two had chemistry. He’s hot. Go for it.”

She wiped off the table and followed Sue into the back, where the staff kept their coats and purses. “He can plan all he wants. I’m celibate.”

Sue stuffed her arms into her coat. “And whose fault is that?”

It was hers, but it was totally a choice. Ever since she caught her fiancé cheating, sex had lost its appeal. Too many doubts and trust issues.

Still, she couldn’t help imagining sex with Gage, just for a moment, in the safety of her own head. He probably had a killer body under that suit. And his hands looked big and strong. Masculine hands. He didn’t have the hands of a man who worked at a desk, despite his professional attire.

She bet he was big in other areas too. He probably—

Realizing where her thoughts were leading, she shook her head. “I can’t bang the guy threatening to put the town out of work.”

Sue laughed and slung her purse over her shoulder. “But you thought about it for a second.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Liar.” She opened the back door and glanced over her shoulder. “It’s just dinner, Perrin. Baby steps. Every man isn’t Bran. Let someone take you out and see how it goes. Do it for yourself, not for him.”