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I giggle. “Even if it pours, there’s a ceiling overhead here.”
“Afternoon, lovely ladies.”
Lauren looks up, but I remember that too-smooth tone to bother glancing up.
“Hi, Hayes,” Marian replies.
“Looking good there,” the contractor replies as he strolls close to the porch. He’s been in and out of the area, stopping by the property to check on the work next door. And every time, he makes no bones about flirting with me.
I’m not so easily swayed by a charmer. Half the dads of the misbehaving kids I taught offered to sleep with me in exchange for dismissing their offspring’s incidents.
That’s a big no thanks.
Hayes rubs me the wrong way, too. Too eager. Too schmoozy. Too flirty and aggressive. I have yet to give him a hint that I’m interested in anything more than to maintain a polite acquaintance.
“The painting?” Lauren asks brightly. “See, I knew this light-blue would be a great color.”
“No. I meant that.” He sets his foot on a step, near Marian, and rests his elbow on his knee. Then he swirls his finger, exaggerating a point at me. “You. Looking good, Aubrey.” He winks, and I barely resist gagging.
Too much. Besides, I haven’t even showered yet. A zit is forming on my chin. And I’m messy and paint-splattered in a decidedly non-sexy and non-artistic way. He’s either blind or trying way too hard.
I don’t miss the way Lauren and Marian exchange a look.
I sigh and force a smile. “Hi, Hayes.” I have to say something. But I’m not engaging him on his comment. “What’s up?”
“Well, I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me. What do you say to dinner?”
I stand and brush off my shorts. “Nope. No thanks.” I won’t regret my curt and straight reply.
“Really?” Lauren shoots me a look, raising her brows.
“Yeah, really? Just like that? No?” Hayes asks. His charming smile makes his follow-up questions not sound as impatient as I take them to be.
I shrug and shake my head. Do I have to explain myself? What happened to no meaning, well, no?
“Why not?” he asks.
Dude, give up already. “I’m just so busy with all this work.” Holding up the paintbrush, I show him proof of my reason.
“Aubrey, this is supposed to be a vacation, too,” Lauren says. “You can relax and have fun.”
“Yeah, have some fun with me,” Hayes teases.
I almost curl my lip right there and snarl.
“I want you to enjoy yourself,” Lauren says.
I sigh. She’s right. But that still doesn’t mean I have to open up to Hayes. “Sorry,” I tell him. Not sorry. “But no.”
Once he pouts and saunters off, maybe hoping I’ll change my mind, I tidy up my brush and cup of paint. As soon as he’s out of earshot, Lauren groans lightly. “Aubrey, come on. Why are you so stubborn to brush him off like that?”
“I’m not interested.”
“We can see that,” Marian quips.
“But why?” Lauren holds up her hands, cutting me off. “You always said you never had time to date, but that was before. Here, you don’t have to juggle a part-time job with a career. You can have time to date and see about letting someone new into your life.”
“I get the impression you’re closed-off,” Marian adds, gentler than Lauren’s way of speaking up. “You’ve rejected Hayes at every turn. You’re hardly cordial to Dalton, too.”
