Loves Billionaires and Corgis: A Feel Good Romance

by Gina Robinson

  "I don't remember," I lied. "I was recently single at the time. And ready to have fun and lots of it. I flirted with a lot of guys that weekend."

  "Don't play coy," Livvie said. "As soon as you met this one, you only had eyes for him. You were pretty hot for Mr. Sexy Voice, like, ridiculously hot for him, even though he didn't look anything like your type. I even told you that at the time. I said to you that you were looking at him through beer goggles. You shrugged it off."

  "How would you even know? You were wearing beer goggles, too. And what is my type? I don't have a type." Even though I was afraid, I was annoyed at being accused of having a type. I was definitely type-less. Just look at my four ex-fiancés. You won't see a pattern of looks. Not that I was ever going to give out that list for anyone to scrutinize.

  "Mitch is your type," she said without missing a beat.

  "You mean Dex." Dex and Mitch didn't look anything alike.

  "Oh, Dex is hot, I'll give you that." There was enough predatory flirting in there that I got an involuntary pang of jealousy.

  "Keep your mitts off my dog lover."

  When Livvie is trying to make a point, she has a one-track mind and isn't easily deterred. She missed my humor. "It's not hard to see what you see in him. But he's not your usual type."

  Good. My fake relationship with Dex was convincing someone. "Which makes my point. I don't have a type. I have the basics that I'm looking for—a good sense of humor, intelligence—"

  Well, not enough of a type except to know that the guy I'd run from wasn't my type at all.

  "A great set of abs," Livvie added.

  That was true. But who doesn't love a delectable washboard? What was Livvie saying here? Did No Name have a dad bod?

  "But Mitch is more to type for you."

  "You were saying?" I hated to get her back on topic, but ignorance of the threat was no way to protect myself. "This guy?"

  "Yes. He remembered me." She sounded way too flattered. "Said I was the hot chick with you."

  "Charming."

  "He was, actually. His name is Jesse."

  Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. Should I write that down so I don't forget it again?

  "Doesn't sound familiar," I said. "He gave you his name?"

  "Full and complete—Jesse Parker."

  "Doesn't ring a bell." Truly, it didn't. Maybe this was an alias. Optimistically, maybe this was some other guy I'd been flirting with that weekend. But what were the odds of that? Not good.

  "Well, he sure remembers you. And has gone to a lot of trouble to find you."

  "Gee, that's either adorable or totally stalkerish." I went cold again. I fought to stay in denial. That probably was him. I lost my grip on denial. It had to be him. It was hard to speak through the desert that had become my mouth. "Did he say anything else?"

  In my head I was going, Oh damn, damn, damn! What if he spilled the story about me leaving him at the altar? What if he told Livvie he wants Bella back?

  Though, to be honest, if he had, I was pretty sure Livvie would have led with that. She loves Bella.

  "He said he's been wanting to see you again since Vegas. But he lost his phone or dropped his phone in the pool. I don't know. Something. He told me, but I got lost in his voice."

  Please.

  "He lost your number. That's the point."

  He didn't lose my number. I never gave it to him. I remembered that much. But I couldn't tell Livvie that.

  "Then he saw you on that viral video of Mitch carting you away from that wedding and seized his chance to reconnect. I guess he thought you're available now that Mitch has been arrested and you weren't actually the bride that day. He said his heart fell when he saw you in that white dress. He thought he'd lost you forever."

  How sweet. What a true romantic.

  "That dress isn't white," I said. "And if you ever so much as mention it being white in front of Zander, he'll dress you down."

  Zander was co-owner of a fabulous vintage clothing store nearby. He'd procured that dress for me in such a miraculous way that it was like he was my fairy godfather. Zander would never have sent me to a wedding in a white dress.

  Livvie laughed. "I'd love to see Zander in a fit. He's such a sweetie."

  "He'd never sell you another vintage dress again. Ever."

  "I couldn't stand that." She sounded regretful.

  "I hope you set this Jesse straight." By which I meant sent him packing. "I'm not available. I have a billionaire boyfriend."

  Wow. That sounded so entitled and braggy that I wanted to shove the words back in as soon as they floated out. I shouldn't be throwing around Dex's billionaire status, especially to my friends. It made me sound so shallow. Dex's money wasn't his main attraction, not at all. "Sorry. That didn't come out right. But you told this guy I'm not available, right?"

  I was really worried. Somehow, Jesse, if that was his real name, had found at least two of my friends…

  And then I remembered—Livvie had given me a testimonial, too. And I may have mentioned her first name to him, and he'd connected it to her first name on my website. That meant I should expect calls from the rest of the bridal party, too—Courtney, Brittany, Alexis, and Morgan. I frantically tried to remember if I'd mentioned them to him.

  "Liv, how did this Jesse get your number? Did you ask him? Didn't you think it was kind of freaky?"

  "No. Not at all!" she said. "I gave it to him in Vegas. You weren't the only one on the prowl that weekend."

  I went cold to my core. "Wait a minute—you just said he lost his phone. Or it fell in the pool. Or something. So how did he still have your number?"

  "I wrote it on a cocktail napkin and stuffed it in his pocket. Just my first name and my number. He said he connected it to you when he saw that video. Then he remembered who I am."

  Loose threads. I hadn't realized I'd left so many behind. Livvie, bless her heart, was a good friend, and the weakest link of any of us. She's even more naïve and trusting than I am.

  Somehow, he'd stumbled upon her. He must have tried Lauren first, and when she wouldn't talk, he got hold of Livvie. I was convinced he was feeding her a line about suddenly finding her number again. The man was a liar. I believed it was more sinister than that. That he'd somehow tracked her number down like he had Lauren's. Otherwise, why hadn't he contacted her years ago?

  "I can't believe you went old school with your number. That doesn't sound like you," I said. "Back to this Jess. What did you tell him?"

  Chapter Four

  Shelby (Woman in desperate need of a disguise and a majorly fortified castle. With a moat.)

  "Liv? You didn't tell this guy where I lived, did you?" I held my breath.

  "Of course not!" She didn't sound as indignant as I would have liked. "But I may have promised him I'd try to convince you to meet him—"

  "What!"

  "Just for coffee. I'll come along for protection if you like."

  "No way. Nope. Not on your life." Or mine. Or anybody's. I shook my head even though Livvie couldn't see me. "Why would I want to see this guy when I have a boyfriend?" Never mind that my boyfriend was still officially "fake."

  "At least take his number." Livvie was disappointed. I could tell.

  My mind was working frantically. I was already wondering how Bella would look dressed up like another breed. She could pass for a Chihuahua, right? Given the right costume.

  Or option two—maybe I could somehow convince this terrible Jesse that I no longer had her. But who could I trust to take her while I sorted this out?

  Oh, that's right. My fake boyfriend owned a company full of dog-sitters. Hmmm…

  "Shel? Are you still there?"

  "Huh? What? Sorry. I was lost in thought." And fear.

  "Ha-ha! I caught you. You were remembering him, weren't you? You know, when you didn't come back to our hotel room that last night, I thought you'd done something stupid, like run off with Jesse."

  Heart failure. If this kept up, I was going to need a pacemaker.

>   "You were so down and out about being alone. Down on love. Heartbroken. A rebound guy wouldn't have been out of character. I mean, you'd just broken off your latest engagement. Who could blame you?

  "We were all surprised, and relieved, you'd gotten little puppy Bella and gone home early to get her settled in. But if you had gotten married in Vegas, and he'd been a good guy, it would have been romantic. Meet and marry a guy within twenty-four hours and spend the rest of your life with him."

  "Assuming he wasn't a scary serial killer or one of those guys who marries multiple women at the same time for their money while leading multiple lives," I said.

  Livvie laughed. "Yeah. Assuming all that. But give yourself some credit, Shel, you've always had good instincts and great taste in men."

  Was she really talking about me? She knew that I'd broken three engagements, to her knowledge, at least.

  "Yeah, and one of those good guys tried to kidnap me from a wedding. Just recently, in fact. Which is why we're having this conversation." Did I sound sarcastic enough?

  "Mitch just cracked because he loved you so much. He's a good guy at heart. You broke that heart, is all."

  Is all? That was a pretty big all. "Are you really defending Mitch to me?"

  "Trigger. Sorry. Of course I'm not. I'm defending you and your taste in men."

  "I was horribly drunk in Vegas. We all were. No one has good sense when they're drunk. Anyway, I don't owe this guy anything. I'm very happy with Dex."

  "I'm glad you're happy. I hope it continues. I'm not saying you do owe Jesse anything. Dex sounds great. I haven't met him yet. I haven't had a chance to judge for myself—"

  "Courtney can vouch for him. Dex is her big boss." Since when did Livvie become so protective? Judge for herself. Right.

  "Yeah. She can't say enough good things about him and Puppy Love. But just because a man can manage a company doesn't mean he'll make a good boyfriend. There's ample evidence of that. Truthfully, Shel, you've always struck me as someone who wants a quiet life—a home, a family. Billionaires aren't good bets for that kind of dream. And your relationship has moved so quickly."

  "You were just saying how romantic it would have been if I'd run off and married a guy I'd known for less than twenty-four hours. A guy whose name I can't even remember." I blew out a heavy breath.

  "Yeah, but Jesse is just a regular guy. Not a billionaire who's in the spotlight. And, to be honest…"

  "What?" I asked. "What were you going to say?"

  "Only that you are a little commitment-phobic." She hesitated. She wasn't a confrontational person. "I mean, what is it? Three engagements you've broken so far? Even the right man would have to either drug you or drag you down the aisle caveman style."

  "Remind me to cut my hair short so no one even thinks about trying. No one is dragging me anywhere."

  "And maybe the only way you're going to get your happily-ever-after is to marry in haste. Or when you're too drunk to realize what you're doing until it's too late."

  I wish I could have debated her on that point, but there was too much truth to it. To her credit, Livvie, in her own warped and naïve way, was being protective of me. And wanting the best for me, like a good friend.

  "Look. Let me just give you Jesse's number. That way, it's up to you what you do."

  "But if you were me, you'd call him." I couldn't tell her that I already had his number and had blocked it as thoroughly as I could without breaking my phone. Or that seeing him could put Bella at real risk.

  My phone buzzed. I had another call coming in. "Courtney's on the other line. I have to go."

  "Just think about it. There's no harm in making sure Dex is the right choice." Livvie hung up.

  I picked up Courtney's call.

  "Shelby! Dex got back a few minutes ago, and already the buzz is all around the office—Bella is pregnant! Yay! Congrats on that. We have an office pool going already, betting on how many puppies will be in the litter and how many of those will be Charlie's."

  I relaxed. She wasn't calling about this Jesse guy. Thank goodness. "How many puppies shouldn't be too hard. Corgis usually have six to eight."

  "True. But you have to guess that in combination with how many will be Charlie's. Charlie is a hot stud muffin of a dog. There's no doubt about that. The general consensus is that most, if not all, of the puppies will be his."

  I laughed. "Charlie is a stud. But technically, so is Bruno the Corgi. I'm going to have to have a talk with Dex about blabbing our personal business all around the office."

  "Don't blame him. He had to spill it. He already has marketing, communications, and PR working on campaigns around possible outcomes of the litter. He can't afford for bad PR around Charlie's sleeping around while loose on the leash to tank our stock prices.

  "I think we have a leak in marketing. That's where the need to know is and where the rumors and betting pool originated. I hear they're planning a responsible pet parentage campaign that's awesome. It will literally blow you away."

  Courtney was one of those people who literally misused the word "literally." I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to say, "I hope not." Instead, I just said, "Great."

  "Hey, Shel." Courtney lowered her voice. "I just got a call from Morgan. She was upset and wanted advice and was calling to warn me. She said she got a call from some guy named Jesse. He's looking for you, apparently, and wanted to warn me that he might try to get to you through me. She wanted to warn me before she called you. I told her I was going to call you anyway and I'd just pass this along.

  "She said this guy claims he met you in Vegas when we were all there for Lauren's bachelorette party. Personally, I don't remember any guy by that name. But, anyway, he wants to see you again."

  I swore beneath my breath. Jesse was thorough when he was on the offensive. "Livvie just called me about the same thing. Thanks for the warning. I'll take care of it."

  But how?

  As soon as I was off the phone with Courtney, I texted Brittany and Alexis, warning them they might be contacted by Jesse and asking them to put him off.

  Then I paced the floor with Bella in my arms. I scratched her beneath her chin. "You remember Jesse? Your original owner? The guy Dex and I rescued you from?"

  She barked, but I didn't think she understood the magnitude of what I was saying. Or the danger she was in. She wouldn't have been so calm if she'd known he wanted to take snatch her away and haul her off to who knows where.

  What to do? What. To. Do. Who to ask for help?

  You could always come clean with Dex. He's the right guy to help—smart, rich, brave, and cunning. Always up for a good prank. I bet he could prank this Jesse right out of your life. My better self was an eternal optimist. And even more naïve than I was.

  Come clean now? After all this time? After lying to him since we met again? What self-respecting guy is going to take all that lying well? The evil side of myself was a skeptic. She didn't see the good in most people or things.

  I didn't lie. I just failed to remind Dex that we'd met before. And since that brief time when we met is a blank in his memory, thanks to a concussion, he couldn't have remembered even if I'd reminded him.

  Lies of omission are still lies. It would have been so easy for you to have said something innocuous, like You look familiar. Have we met before? Then even if he didn't remember, you'd be guilt-free.

  But then I would have had to confess to him that I was, indeed, a runaway bride. And I wasn't sure I could trust him back when it made sense to bring it up. It's too late now. Too embarrassing. The relationship is too new, and technically still fake. Do I really think he'll take it well that I've been hiding something from him this entire time?

  You could pretend you just now remembered, Shel. Play the "I was so drunk" game. Fake a temporary blackout and then say that the memories came flooding back. Think of a precipitating event—this Jesse tracking you down is perfect—to claim has caused them to come flooding back.

  And just how much detail woul
d I tell Dex? Forgetting that he played hero isn't going to put me in the most flattering light, now, is it?

  Arguing with myself wasn't helpful. I was only succeeding in making myself tenser. So what were my options?

  One: Tell Dex the truth—that he'd rescued Bella and me two years ago in Vegas when I was running away from my wedding to Jesse (at least the guy I ran away from had a name now). That Jesse was back now and wanted Bella. Help!

  Pros—everything is out in the open. Dex would be the perfect ally. If he chose to be.

  Cons—Dex got a concussion right after we met. It resulted in him losing several hours of memory, the hours that involved Bella and me. He is still very touchy about those hours. He'd love to remember them. If he realizes that I've known what happened for a large part of them all along, and it involved Bella and me, and I withheld it from him, well, I wasn't sure what he'd do. He could help me. Or dump me. It was really a toss-up in my mind.

  Two: Meet with Jesse and strike some kind of agreement with him. Offer to buy Bella. Or give him a puppy? Did Jesse even have any proof of ownership of Bella? Would it be possible to feel him out and see whether there was any way he could prove Bella was his? That was risky. Just how much of risk was I willing to take?

  Three: Deny that Bella is the puppy I ran away from the wedding in Vegas with. Claim she is another Corgi I got later. Claim I don't know what happened to that original puppy. That I gave her to a stranger on the street, maybe? Corgis are so adorable, especially as puppies. They're so much in demand. It's hard to imagine anyone turning one down. And as distraught as I'd been, it was a plausible explanation, right? He had no way of knowing that I'd run partly for Bella's sake.

  Unfortunately, over all of the Jesse options, there was the dicey little thing I called my livelihood. Being outed as an actual runaway bride could finally, irreparably, damage my career for good. I wasn't at all convinced that three times a charm was applicable in my case. There was already that video of me running away from my final dress fitting in my wedding dress for my wedding to Mitch, plus the video of him carrying me away from the Hudson/Kangley wedding. Both had been mislabeled as me being a runaway bride of one sort or another and done a bit of temporary damage before the truth won out and things were righted. Now business was booming.