Page 148 of Traces Of You

He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt jealousy before when it came to a woman, but he had when one of Clay’s employees flirted with Reenie.

He opened the door to Clay’s office. Lexi jumped up. “Ford. Oh my God. I’m so sorry about what happened to you. I wanted to go visit you, but Brooke said you were resting. You look good but tired.”

Lexi just glanced at Reenie and dismissed her.

No trace of animosity between the two women, but the concern and sympathy toward him was clearly in a different form than friendship.

He could see a touch of love that he’d never noticed before.

He’d dismissed her in his life as nothing more than a childhood friend.

But he still couldn’t see her doing this.

“Thanks,” he said. He looked at Clay.

“Have a seat, Lexi,” Clay said.

Lexi laughed. “What’s the frown for? What’s going on? Ford, sit. You’re still recovering.”

“Why did you destroy the cabin?”

Lexi stopped moving the chair she was bringing over to him. “What are you talking about?” Lexi asked. It wasn’t just shock on her face for being accused of something, it was more about being caught.

“The cabin is trashed,” he said. “As if someone had a rampage and took out their frustration on objects.”

“And you think it’s me?” Lexi asked. She drew her eyebrows together, her eyes darting between both men before turning to Reenie. “Did you tell them it was me, Maureen?”

The name reminded him that only those close to Reenie called her the shortened version. To everyone else, she was Maureen, just a person passing through.

Someone that could be scared off to leave again with everything that had just happened in her life.

Was that what Lexi was trying to do?

The funny part was, Reenie would never think it was Lexi and anyone on the outside wouldn’t either, but Lexi had no problem pointing a finger at his girlfriend.

“I didn’t,” she said. “I didn’t even suspect you, but I should have. You were always talking about Ford to me. But you’d cover it well and add his brothers in there too. I thought you had a crush on Clay.”

Lexi shrank back, her head shaking. Her eyes wide and filled with panic. “No. I don’t have a crush on anyone. I’m not sure why you are accusing me of anything. I’ve been around here mywhole life. I belong, not you. You’ve been here a few weeks and think you can turn who is ultimately my family against me.”

He’d never seen the look in Lexi’s eyes that was aimed at Reenie, then turned to him.

A hidden anger.

“Lexi,” Clay said. “Cut. The. Shit.”

Lexi’s eyes switched from disdain to fear with Clay’s more forceful tone. The man who employed her and let her stay on the land where she said she belonged. But the minute she turned to Reenie, the venom was back.

He’d missed that too.

“I’m not doing anything,” Lexi shouted. “It’s her! She’s making this up to cause problems between us.”

“You wanted Ford all to yourself, but he didn’t see you the way you wanted,” she said. Reenie wasn’t shouting.

She was talking calmly. She was making eye contact. She wasn’t backing down.

Her hidden strength was shining brightly.

“He never sees anything,” Lexi all but spit out.