Page 19 of Players Like Us (Reunion Gap #7)

N eal Alexander flipped through the samples of fabric and leather Rachel had brought for Dominic to review.

Apparently, Dominic didn’t trust his own judgment when it came to the décor of the restaurant and opted for the tastes of the man he claimed knew restaurants better than anyone he’d ever met.

Of course, he hadn’t mentioned that man’s name when he offered her the contract, so why would she assume the “expert” was still involved in any capacity?

Except apparently he was...

When she spotted him in the booth at Matilda’s, studying fabric samples, she realized he was definitely still part of this project, even though Dominic failed to mention it.

She heaved a sigh, prepared for the sarcasm and snide comments, maybe even a few glares and another warning to stay away from Simon Bainbridge.

But the cold shoulder, as in freezing, not interested, and don’t care?

That, she had not expected.

Hello, Rachel. Nice to see you again. How have you been?

No warmth in those words, no sparkle of humor in the blue eyes...nothing but ice.

I’m well, thank you.

A quick nod and then he turned to the fabric and leather samples she’d left with Dominic. Now about these…

Forty-five minutes later, Rachel began to wonder what had happened to the Neal Alexander she’d seen a few weeks ago.

If she didn’t look at his face but concentrated on his voice and the words he spoke, he could be Tate Alexander.

In charge. Knowledgeable. A businessman intent with his current project.

She slid a glance at him, caught the intense expression as he made notes on the fabric selection and leather style and color.

They sat across from one another in the booth, but she still caught a hint of his cologne: fresh, like an ocean breeze.

He’d been furious when he visited her apartment, but now?

She had to think hard to reconstruct those moments, put emotion back into the man.

And when he looked at her or spoke, his tone contained no hint of warmth, interest, or curiosity.

It was pure business, courteous, detached, impersonal.

“Dominic doesn’t trust his eye or his instinct when it comes to decorating, but he’s more than capable.

” Neal sat back in the booth, eased his notes toward her.

“See what you think about these choices and if you agree, let him know. If you don’t—” a shrug, followed by a noncommittal “—do what you think is best.”

No final approval from him? A twinge of disappointment swirled through her, settled in her gut. “You don’t want final approval or are you fairly certain I’ll agree with all of your suggestions?” Talk to me, Neal. Say something, anything. No jokes? No laugh or a smile? Even a stingy smile? Nothing?

Those blue eyes scanned the paper, did not look at her when he answered. “You know what you’re doing; either way you’ll make the right choice.”

Well. That certainly sounded like he’d lost interest in the project, and in keeping her away from Simon Bainbridge.

What did she care? The man was a constant reminder of Reunion Gap and all of the wrong choices she’d made that disappointed her family so much.

Of course, he’d claimed to have disappointed his family as well, but did she really want to get lumped into the same category as a reckless wanderer who hadn’t made a serious decision in years?

Rachel studied the dark curls sweeping over his forehead, the strong hands…

the straight nose…the determination that did not appear inconsequential or insignificant.

Neal Alexander was a man on a mission, and that mission was to follow his friend’s request that he work with Rachel on the redesign of Matilda’s.

No more warnings about Simon Bainbridge.

No comments about Reunion Gap or the fact that her brother was married to his sister.

Nothing but business. Definitely no more invitations to check out the competition’s décor and set-up.

That should make her happy. In fact, she should be delighted the man wouldn’t annoy or aggravate her any longer with his opinions about her personal life.

But she wasn’t, and that confused her. She’d never met anyone who challenged her as much as this man did. “Neal?” He glanced up, met her gaze and this time she did see a flash of emotion in those blue eyes…and heat. So much heat. “Are you still angry with me about the other day?”

One brilliant spark in those eyes and then nothing. “No, Rachel. This is just about business. Let’s keep it to that.”

The rest of the meeting moved in slow motion, though it only took another half-hour to work through the suggestions she’d made.

They kept the conversation to the renovation, with no references to anything personal.

Dominic delivered appetizers of spicy crab salad tapas, shrimp tartlets, and bacon wrapped apricot bites, all of which Neal refused.

Rachel nibbled on a shrimp tartlet, but her stomach flip-flopped so many times she worried she’d be sick.

Who would’ve thought that after swooning over Matilda’s menu, that there would come a time when she’d reject the mouth-watering food?

Hours later, when she was back in her apartment, far from Neal Alexander, she had to face the truth.

He was behind the upset stomach, the stilted words, the inability to relax and think, and draw a clean breath.

His whole personality had changed when he’d stormed out of her apartment after warning her against Simon.

She’d pushed him away, insulted his behavior, and accused him of being the untrustworthy one.

It had been almost three weeks since their argument and this afternoon, he treated her like a stranger.

And that bothered her. A lot. The only question that mattered, the one she had no answer to was why did it bother her so darn much?

As she munched on pretzels and hummus, she replayed parts of the morning he came to her apartment, when she’d blasted him with accusations.

He’d warned her about Simon, told her the man could not be trusted and that he was a user of women and relationships.

And what had she done? She’d thrown those words right back at him, told him maybe he was talking about himself.

The clenched jaw and squared shoulders hinted at anger but he didn’t show it.

No, Neal Alexander controlled his emotions with a nod and a tight smile.

Rachel Reese, interpreter of people and their intentions.

Call me whatever you want but open your eyes and see him for what he is.

You’re better than that and you’re worth more than that.

It’s time you started treating yourself with the respect you deserve.

She hadn’t liked that, had cussed him out, told him to stay out of her life and leave her alone. And then in case he didn’t understand how angry and disgusted she was with his presence, she’d told him what to do with his intentions. He’d turned and walked out the door and out of her life.

Or so she thought until today.

But the man who’d sat in the booth at Matilda’s wasn’t the Neal Alexander she’d seen in her apartment.

This one was as polished and professional and as untouchable as his brother.

This man wouldn’t want distractions or annoyances to interfere with his work, and he’d no doubt get rid of both.

She’d just finished her second helping of hummus when Dominic called.

Rachel sipped small breaths, prepared for the sendoff.

Sorry this didn’t work out, but we’ll pay you for your time and work.

Sure, they had a contract but it wasn’t like she’d hire a lawyer and force Dominic to pay what he’d agreed to if she completed the work.

But even if she had money for a lawyer, which she definitely didn’t, she wouldn’t do it.

This sendoff would be Neal’s doing—except it wasn’t a sendoff at all.

In fact, it was anything but that, and she wasn’t the one stepping away from the project.

I’ll be working with you from now on. Neal said you’re quite capable of handling this yourself, and he’d just get in the way. So, let’s schedule a time to get together.

Regret seeped through her as she once again recalled the harsh words she’d flung at Neal that morning, the accusations that were based on nothing but anger and hearsay.

She’d always thought of herself as a freethinker, a nonjudgmental person who believed everyone deserved another chance.

Wasn’t that one of the reasons she was so attracted to bad boys?

They were fun, they messed up, they enjoyed life and they just needed somebody to fix them.

What she didn’t realize until the fourth or fifth relationship gone bad was that these people didn’t want to get fixed or make amends.

They enjoyed living on the edge, living for the moment, disrespecting anyone who told them they had to follow rules.

But did she know that about Neal Alexander?

Had she witnessed him since high school in any capacity that indicated he didn’t care about others, didn’t care about rules?

Sure, he acted like he was nothing more than a rich playboy with too much time on his hands and too little to care about.

.. If that were true, why had he agreed to work with her on Matilda’s?

He could have walked away from Dominic’s request, but he didn’t.

And why had he warned her about staying away from Simon Bainbridge and men like him?

Why had she seen him chatting with the waiters as though they were his friends, and why had Dominic talked about Neal with admiration and respect?

None of it made sense unless the man wasn’t who he wanted everyone to think he was.

..and the biggest question of all was why.

Two days later, the invitation from Tate and Charlotte Alexander arrived in a silver-embossed envelope.

It’s a surprise!

We hope you’ll help us celebrate the 33rd birthday of twins, Meredith Reese, and Neal Alexander...

Rachel read on, noted the event was fourteen days away, in Reunion Gap, at Tate and Charlotte’s home.

How could she not attend her sister-in-law’s birthday celebration?

Would Neal show up or would he make excuses for not attending?

If she hadn’t spent time with him, she’d guess a no-show would indicate he couldn’t be bothered.

But now she realized that not attending wasn’t about inconvenience at all.

No, the difficulty would be returning to Reunion Gap with judgments from the town, especially from his own family.

Oh, Rachel certainly understood family judgment and criticism.

She’d like to ask Dominic if he knew anything about Neal’s surprise party, but she wouldn’t because even if the man did know, he wouldn’t tell her. Her gut told her Dominic and Neal were good friends despite Neal’s insistence that he only visited the restaurant for the food.

The invitation said Meredith and Neal’s birthdays weren’t until next month, which provided the perfect cover for the surprise. Rachel wasn’t thrilled about heading back to Reunion Gap, but she couldn’t avoid her parents or her brother until her life was perfect. Would that ever happen?

Questionable. Of course, they’d ask about a job and no way was she telling them about Claudia’s, but she could share about the restaurant gig at Matilda’s.

That was impressive. And while Simon Bainbridge had most likely been the one to get her the introduction, it was her brother’s words about being ready when opportunity arose that pushed her forward.

Rachel had spent so many years fighting everything Daniel said, that she’d often ignored him.

But this time, he’d been right.