Page 106 of Finding Lexie
“I’m at the end,” Baker called out.
“Figures!” Midas yelled back.
Lexie didn’t know what this man could possibly want to talk to her about, but she had to admit she was curious.
Baker straddled the bench of the picnic table where she and Midas had been sitting. Taking his lead, she sat back down as well.
Baker rested an elbow on the table and stared at her for a moment before saying, “You look different than what I expected.”
It was an odd way to start a conversation, but Lexie went with it. “How did you think I’d look?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, after watching the videos, I figured you’d clean up well, but you’re not quite as…sturdy as I’d expected.”
Lexie had no idea what that meant, so she merely shrugged.
“So, you and Midas are dating,” he said.
Lexie nodded.
“And you knew each other in high school.”
“Yeah. I moved to Portland my senior year,” Lexie confirmed.
“It shouldn’t come as any big surprise that I looked into you and your situation,” Baker said.
Lexie stared at him, again not sure what to say.
“You were a shitty student, but I suppose undiagnosed dyslexia would do that to anyone.”
“Wow, how did you know that?” Lexie asked, not ashamed of her disability in the least. She’d actually been relieved when she’d finally been diagnosed.
“It was pretty damn obvious, looking at your record,” Baker explained. “You must’ve had some terrible teachers for none of them to even suggest it was a possibility. Anyway, so…now you’re with Midas…I guess you feel pretty lucky.”
Lexie nodded. She did feel that way.
“Big bad Navy SEAL rescued you from the desert, you came here to Hawaii, and he dotes on you now. You probably thought you were worthless, like your dad always claimed, huh? So someone as good-looking and tough as Midas taking a shine to you had to have been pretty heady.”
Lexie’s brow furrowed and she shook her head. “No. I mean, I’m thrilled to be with Midas, but that’s not—”
“He’s paid well, has a good job, but it’s not all sunshine and roses. There’s plenty of shit to go with his poster-boy good looks.”
Okay, Lexie was really getting irritated now. She thought this guy was supposed to be Midas’s friend. And the second he’d left, the guy turned on her.
“You feel as if all your dreams have come true, Lex? What’re you gonna do if he comes back from a mission that went south? And trust me, eventually, one will turn bad. What if he comes home with a leg missing? Or an arm? Or all his limbs? You gonna think you’re lucky then? He could get a TBI…a traumatic brain injury…and not be the same man you know today. It’s hard work being with a SEAL. He might’ve rescued you, and you might be proud to have him on your arm now, but will you feel so lucky if he’s been burned over ninety percent of his body?”
“Why are you being so cruel?” she asked.
“You think this is cruel?” Baker asked. “It’s not. It’s called real life. I’m trying to find out how tough you are. If you can hack being with him.”
“I can,” Lexie said between clenched teeth.
Baker raised a brow, clearly showing his skepticism.
That was it, Lexie was done. Elodie might like this asshole, but she definitely did not. “You’re a real jerk,” she said quietly. “Yes, I was amazed that Midas was interested in me, but that didn’t last long. I’m also stronger than you think. If Midas was hurt, I’d one hundred percent stick by him. That’s what love is. And I love him, and he loves me.
“The question isn’t whether I’m good enough for him. I am. I have no doubt about that. I’ve come a long way from the outcast teenager you obviously still think I am. I lasted three months in the desert after being kidnapped without losing my mind, I’ve lived in more dangerous places in my lifetime than you probably have, and I’m a damn good person. Maybe you should be asking Midas if he’s good enough for me,” Lexie bit out.
Surprisingly, Baker smiled. It transformed his face from almost scary to…almost friendly.
