Page 66 of Driven to Love

“Me?” Well, shit. Maybe he needed to have a talk with her. He didn’t know how to make it any clearer that he wasn’t interested in anything more than a casual friendship with her.

“And Friday, she made a weird comment about Addison.”

“What comment?” Nash stared at his son, waiting.

Davey dropped his gaze to his plate. “Something about Addison being a pageant princess. It was petty, Dad. Anyway. I tuned her out.” Davey shrugged.

“Someone’s jealous,” Nash’s mom muttered.

“I’ll handle it. From now on, maybe invite Josh to your mom’s house to hang out.” Fucking Jillian. She’d obviously been digging through the internet for dirt on Addison. Maybe he needed to bring Beth into this. Jillian was her friend, after all.

“Will do.”

“Paul, will you and Davey go get the pie and plates I left in the kitchen, please?”

“Sure. Come on, sport.”

As soon as Nash’s dad and son were out of earshot, his mom pushed her plate away and leaned in. “What’s going on?”

“Jillian is jealous. I thought I had made it clear I wasn’t interested in her that way.”

“Not that. With you?”

Nash glanced over his mom’s shoulder toward the kitchen at the sound of cabinets opening. “It’s nothing.”

Georgia cocked her head to the side and gave him the same look she did when he tried to bullshit her in high school. “I understand you’re a grown man, and you don’t need to talk to your mother like you used to.” She patted his hand with hers. “But just know you deserve happiness, and I’m always in your corner.”

Nash looked into her blue eyes, the same caring eyes that had stared back at him his whole life. There were a few more lines around them, but there was wisdom as well. Just then, his dad and son walked into the room, carrying dessert, fresh plates, and forks.

“Dad, Grandma made my favorite.”

It was Nash’s favorite too. His mom smiled at him. “We all deserve a little happiness here.”

Nash thought about his mom’s comment on the drive home last night. Happiness. Did he deserve it? If Davey hadn’t been a factor, Nash wouldn’t have flinched at the thought of dealing with trouble from Addison’s past. But Davey was part of the picture, and he always would be.

This morning, as he walked into work, Nash avoided the front office. Over the last week, he’d gotten into the habit of popping in to say hello to Addison. Not today. He still needed time to think. He changed for work. Walking out of the locker room, he pulled up short.

“Hi.” She leaned against the wall, her hands behind her back.

“Hey. Sorry I didn’t call last night. It got late. Davey ended up coming home with me.”

“No worries.” Her words didn’t match the look in her eyes.

Shit. He stepped to her, ran a hand down her arm, gripping her shoulders and pulling her into his arms. “We need to talk, but now’s not the time or the place.”

She bit her lip. “Talk. That sounds ominous.”

He cupped her cheek and stroked her soft skin with his thumb. “How about after work? Dinner? Davey is gonna go over to Leon’s to hang out with the twins.”

“Tonight I promised my mom I would drive to Rochester and pick up her order for the salon. But after, I can meet you for a late dinner.”

“It’s a date.” He gave her a quick kiss before strolling into the shop. He didn’t know where this relationship was headed, but he wasn’t ready to let it go just yet.

A few minutes later, Addison walked into the shop. The tiger was back.

“You have a customer. A walk-in. She insists you knew she was coming.” Addison’s smile was sweet, but her tone was clipped as she handed him the work order and keys.

Nash frowned. Obviously, she wasn’t happy about whoever was in the lobby. “Okay, don’t be cryptic. Who is it?”