Chapter 54
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me just days ago
He’d gone on a blind date with and practically proposed right away. How did her manage to get a girlfriend that fast?
I remembered how desperate he was to get married. He obviously needed someone badly, so he moved on the second I turned him down.
That was fine by me. Now I could deal with him normally without any weird tension.
I quickly tossed my container and waited by the door.
Maya came over less than two minutes later. She clearly hadn’t finished her chicken, probably because her crush was taken.
She let out this big sigh. “Just my luck. Can’t even have a little fun anymore.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her disappointment. “Thank God you weren’t born a guy, Maya. You’d be such a player.”
As I finished saying that, Ashton started walking our way. He was wearing a black tee, cargo pants, and heavy–duty boots. His posture was perfect. Total Greek god material.
“He’s so hot!” Maya whispered. ‘Those muscles! He just gets better looking. Man, I’d die happy if those arms picked me up.”
I flicked her forehead. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“What kind of woman could land a guy like that? I’m dying to know,” Maya said, clearly still hung up on
his looks.
I
“No clue. Why don’t you ask him yourself?” I said as I walked toward him.
Even though he was running the lighting show, I had to stick around as the event coordinator while he worked on the lighting system.
If he messed up, I’d be the one in trouble.
Maya quickly followed me. Before we got close enough for Ashton to hear, she whispered, “Elaine, even if I can’t flirt with him, at least I can enjoy the view.”
I went quiet.
Two years working together, and I never knew she was such a flirt. She seemed ready to do anything for a crush.
Ashton, Mr. Gray, and I checked out the first set of lights. Since Mr. Gray had already emailed him all the issues, Ashton got straight to work.
He nailed it. The first set was fixed in no time.
“That’s amazing! He really knows his stuff,” Maya gushed, full–on fangirl mode.
Ashton came over to me. “Where’s the main control panel for the park?”
“What?” I was confused.
“These lights are using a lot of power. I need to check the electrical system and wiring. We should
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probably get the electrical engineers who installed this too,” Ashton explained.
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I didn’t ask anything else. Just called the electrical engineer to meet us in the control room.
Mr. Gray took Maya to check the next problem area. I led Ashton to the control room. We walked in total silence.
The vibe was super awkward.
Finally, I gave in and asked, “Aren’t you a cab driver?”
“Yeah. That’s my side gig,” he said casually.
Chloe had called him talented, and now I could see why.
He wasn’t just a technician but a full–on lighting engineer. Must make good money, but he still worked a second job.
Besides his skills, there had to be another reason. He probably needed the extra cash.
Why else would he be renting at Chloe’s?
I found myself checking out his outfit. Simple stuff, but he made it work.
They say clothes make the man, but Ashton could make basic work clothes look good.
“Something wrong?” His voice snapped me back.
“No,” I said. Thinking about Maya’s crush, I added, “Let’s not mention that we know each other.”
“Why not? Embarrassed we’ve met?” he asked, stopping me in my tracks.
I I met his dark eyes and suddenly felt guilty for no reason.
I looked away and kept walking. “No. I just don’t want people getting ideas,” I said.
“Fine.” His short answer confused me.
But I stayed quiet. We were adults after all.
Boundaries matter.
Plus, he didn’t seem like much of a talker.
The silence got even more awkward. Once again, I broke it by asking, “How long will the lights take to
fix?”
“Hard to tell,” he replied.
I went quiet.
Thinking about my deal with Logan, I said, “Twenty days. That’s all I can give you.”
He looked at me. I thought he’d say something, but all he said was, “Okay.”
So he was agreeing?
I had nothing else to say. Sure, I could’ve asked about the landlady, but I didn’t.
If it weren’t for that landlady, things wouldn’t be so weird between us, so bringing her up would only make it worse.
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We walked in silence. The trip to the control room should’ve taken minutes, but it felt like forever. I was even starting to sweat.
I had to admit I was being ridiculous. I could handle my ex–fiancé just fine, but here I was getting all awkward with some guy from a failed blind date?
Finally, we reached the control room. The electrical tech was already there, so I did quick intros. Then the tech showed Ashton the park’s power grid map.
After they both studied it, I asked Ashton, “Any problems?”
“No.”
That simple answer was disappointing. We’d spent all this time looking at the map without finding anything, but Ashton must’ve seen some connection between the power source and the lights.
I was confused, but Ashton told the tech, “Let’s check inside the control room.”
The tech led the way. Ashton and I followed. He stayed quiet, carefully checking the wiring and panels. I looked too, but it meant nothing to me.
I almost doubted whether Ashton knew what he was doing, but quickly dismissed that thought–he was a lighting engineer after all.
“This isn’t 220V. What’s this connected to?” he asked.
The tech checked the label. “Powers the big rides in the park.”
“I need a list of every attraction on these circuits, their locations, and a lighting map,” Ashton said, looking at me.
I nodded. “I’ll have Maya send it right now.”
I made the call. While I was hanging up, I heard Ashton pointing out another electrical issue to the
tech.
He had these sharp dark eyebrows and intense eyes. Though he wasn’t exactly baby–faced, he had this powerful presence and these perfectly chiseled features. The work clothes just made him look even cooler.
I must’ve been staring because he suddenly looked up at me. “Come here.”
I didn’t know why he called me over, but I hurried anyway. In my rush, I totally missed some equipment sticking out from the wall and ran right into it.
Besides the pain, I completely lost my balance and started falling.
The tech was closest and tried to catch me. But Ashton moved faster. He stopped the tech with one arm while catching me around the waist with the other.
His arms were strong, his hands rough and huge. My waist felt tiny in his grip.
Then I heard footsteps at the door. “Elaine! I got what you asked f–for…”
Maya’s voice trailed off. I knew she must’ve been shocked by what she walked in on.
