The Boyfriend Project

by Rachel Hawthorne

  “Pretty much, I think. And, you know, show off the guns.”

  “Shirtless?”

  “Not necessarily. I think it’s whatever you’re comfortable with.” Although I could certainly see Chase removing his shirt if he got competitive.

  “I guess it seems harmless,” he said.

  “And it’s for a good cause,” I reminded him. Reaching over, I stroked his arm. “I bet you’d bring in a lot of money.”

  “Only if you’re saving your dollars and vote for me.”

  “Of course I’m going to vote for you.”

  “Okay, then, as long as I’m assured of making a couple of bucks so I don’t look like an idiot, I’m in.”

  Smiling brightly, I squeezed his hand. “Yay! And you’ll make more than a couple. I promise.”

  “Guess I’d better start saving my dollars for Fletcher’s jar,” Avery said with a challenge in her eye.

  “Might need to make it fives,” I countered, “if you want any chance of Fletcher beating Jeremy.”

  “Oh, yeah? Maybe I’ll make it twenties.”

  “Still won’t be enough.”

  “Whoa!” Jeremy exclaimed. “You girls might need to take this down a notch.”

  “It’s just a little friendly competition,” Avery assured him.

  “That’s right,” I confirmed. “But it’s game on.”

  Fletcher laughed. “Do you know how competitive Avery is?”

  “Of course, I know,” I assured him. “We’ve been best friends forever.”

  “May the hunkiest boyfriend win,” she said. She tapped knuckles with Fletcher. While I’d never been able to beat her at grades, this was different. This was a chance for Jeremy, who no one seemed to notice, to shine and stand out.

  “By the way,” Avery said, “I know it’s kinda short notice but Thursday is when I’ll start house-sitting. Dot will be back Sunday. Are you guys still in?”

  “I am,” I said, and looked at Jeremy.

  “Should be able to get a day off from work,” he said.

  “Would you mind driving?” she asked. “Don’t think we really need two cars.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “We’re going to have so much fun.”

  When Jeremy and I got to my house, we slipped into the backyard and stretched out on a lounge chair on the patio. I was pretty sure Mom knew we were home—she had to have heard the car drive up—but she never seemed to have a problem with us staying outside smooching.

  Course we weren’t going to take it any further than kissing here, but then we never did. I pushed back a little bit, just so I could look into Jeremy’s face. Not that I could see it all that well in the shadows. “Thank you for being one of the gunslingers,” I said.

  “Oh, my God.” He laughed. “Is that what they’re going to call us?”

  “Maybe. I just thought of it. I think it’s cute.”

  “I don’t know, Kendall. Being on display, it’s really not my thing.”

  “But it’s for such a good cause.” I kissed his chin. “And it’ll be fun.”

  “You and Avery seemed really serious about the competition.”

  “I have complete confidence in your ability to whip Fletcher’s butt.”

  “I love your faith in me, although it might be misguided here. Have you really looked at the guy? He’s ripped.”

  I wasn’t blind, but neither did I want to undermine his confidence. “If you’re worried about beating him, you could hit the gym.”

  He scooped my hair behind my ear. “Probably not a bad idea. I really don’t want to make a fool of myself out there.”

  “You could never do that.” I settled my mouth over his, and he pressed his hands to my back, flattening me against him.

  I liked the way it felt when we were together like this. I unbuttoned two of his buttons, felt his hand slip under my shirt to skim my bare skin along the small of my back. One of my sandals plopped softly to the ground, and I ran my foot along his calf.

  I had to admit that I’d had reservations about the gun show when Terri first mentioned it, but I was excited now that Jeremy was going to participate. I would have to start saving up my pet-sitting money, because I really wanted him to win. All the girls who volunteered at the shelter wouldn’t forget him then.

  Chapter 10

  JEREMY

  As I stood at the copier, duplicating some documents my dad needed for a meeting, I could see a faint reflection of myself in the window. Combing my fingers through my hair, I admitted that I liked it being a little bit longer. The office had a small gym that I’d used that morning before I reported for work. I’d never been the popular guy in school, not like Fletcher. I hadn’t realized it bothered me until this competition came up. Kendall’s faith in me made me want to win—for her. And maybe a little for myself.

  The copier shut off. I straightened my tie, made sure my shirt was tucked tightly into my Dockers, and gathered up the documents. Then I headed to my dad’s office.

  He was sitting behind his desk, his glasses perched on the end of his nose. As I walked in, he looked up, waved a hand to the side like a king greeting his minion. We’d agreed that at the office I wasn’t to be treated like his son, that work was separate from home. “Just set them on the credenza,” he said.

  After doing that, I came to stand in front of his desk. He’d gone back to studying whatever needed to be scrutinized. “Sir?”

  This time when he looked up, his brow was furrowed. “Check with my secretary. She’ll tell you what else needs to be done.”

  “Actually, I already know my next task, but I needed to ask for some time off.”

  “Time off?” he asked as though it was a foreign concept. Considering he put in about seventy hours a week, it probably was. I admired his work ethic, but we had very little time together for father-son things.

  “Yes, sir. I need Friday off.”

  “Why?”

  Obviously Mom hadn’t told him about my going to the beach for a few nights. Not surprising since that would have involved actually talking to him.

  “I’m going to the beach for a few days with some friends.”

  “That girl you’re seeing?”

  The anger shot through me, but I just ground my back teeth together to keep my tone even. “Kendall. Yes. And Avery and Fletcher. We’re house-sitting for—”

  “No.” He went back to studying the documents on his desk.

  Blinking, I shook my head. “What?”

  He leaned back. “You can’t have time off. Work needs to be done around here.”

  “Other interns get time off.”

  “Other interns aren’t my son.”

  “Thought we agreed we wouldn’t play the father-son card at the office,” I reminded him.

  “Fine. When we get home, ask me if you can go to the beach and I’ll tell you no. So you won’t need the time off.”

  “Mom’s okay with it. Besides, you can’t stop me from going. I’m eighteen.”

  Taking off his glasses, he tossed them onto the pile of papers. “Which is exactly why I’m saying no. Staying at the beach with a girl is a disaster waiting to happen.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “I was young once. I know about temptation, and I know how your life can be thrown off track by one mistake. No more parties, no more thinking just about yourself. You have to grow up and take responsibility. I’m doing this for you, so you don’t have regrets.”

  All the words that followed mistake seemed to come at me from the end of a long tunnel. I was the mistake, the reason he had regrets.

  “As far as this office is concerned,” he continued, “you may not have time off to go play house with this girl. As for the rest of it, we’ll discuss it at home.” He picked up his glasses, settled them on the bridge of his nose. “And get a haircut during your lunch hour.”

  I stared in disbelief as he returned his attention to some case.

  “I quit.” The words were out before I’d cons
idered all the ramifications, but I knew they were the only ones I could say.

  Dad looked up, gave me a condescending grin. “This is precisely what I’m talking about. You’re acting without thought, which is exactly what you’re going to do with this girl at the beach—”

  “Kendall,” I interrupted. “Her name is Kendall. I love her. And while it is none of your freaking business, we haven’t had sex. But when we do, again it’s none of your freaking business. But I’m not quitting because of her.” Not entirely true. I hated that he failed to recognize how important she was to me. “I’m quitting because you’re not treating me like every other intern here. Anyone else could have a day off. And I don’t hear you telling anyone else to get a haircut. I’ll notify HR about my resignation on my way out of here.”

  I spun on my heel.

  “Jeremy.” My dad punctuated my name like it was a command. I turned back to find him standing behind his desk. “If you want to throw away this opportunity, this stepping-stone to a respectable career, I won’t try to stop you. It could prove to be a good life lesson, so I won’t kick you out of the house or take away your college fund, but that’s the extent of my generosity. If you want spending money, you’ll need to get another job elsewhere.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.” Another lie, because I had no idea where I could get another job this late in the summer.

  Chapter 11

  KENDALL

  “You do realize we’re only going to be gone for three nights,” Jeremy said as he studied my collection of luggage in the front entryway.

  I had a small suitcase for my clothes and personal items; a ginormous tote bag stuffed with beach accessories; a cooler with our favorite drinks; a large, handled sack of snacks; and a box of miscellaneous items that didn’t easily fit into one of the other categories. “I know, but I just wanted to make sure we had everything we needed.”

  “Because they don’t have stores at the beach?”

  “Because they’re able to hold people hostage with their prices. It’s better to take everything rather than have to buy it there.”

  Jeremy picked up the cooler. “Good thing we’re not traveling on a motorcycle or you wouldn’t be able to bring all this stuff.”

  I swatted playfully at his arm before reaching for my suitcase and rolling it to his car. “I would have changed my organizing strategy.”

  He opened the trunk. Inside was one large backpack.

  “That’s all you brought?” I asked.

  “Yep. Pretty much all I need at the beach is shorts and swim trunks.” Placing his hand on my neck, leaning in, he gave me a lingering kiss. “I knew you’d take care of everything else.”

  I knew everything else didn’t include condoms. He and I had talked about birth control early on in our relationship, and he always carried some just in case. It was just another indication of how considerate he was, although I was really hoping we’d put them to use this weekend.

  “Wait until you see everything I have planned for our little vacation,” I said. “You are going to be amazed.”

  “You always amaze me.”

  I gave him another quick kiss, as whatever restlessness I’d been feeling drifted away. He always managed to make me feel special and appreciated.

  “I was afraid your dad wouldn’t let you have any time off,” I told him as we walked back to the house for the last of the items.

  “It’s only one day.”

  When we finished loading up everything, he slammed the trunk lid closed.

  We drove down to Avery’s house. She and Fletcher were waiting in the driveway, with a couple of tote bags and a cooler. Jeremy and I got out of the car and greeted them.

  “I picked up some munchies,” Avery began as Jeremy popped the trunk. When she saw everything inside it, she laughed and looked at me. “I should have known you would, too.”

  “Just a few things,” I said.

  “Can never have too much food or too many drinks,” Fletcher said.

  “That’s true,” Avery said. “Dot said we were welcome to eat whatever was in her pantry and fridge, but I didn’t want to take advantage. Although she has some steaks that are in danger of spoiling, so we need to eat those.”

  Fletcher slammed the trunk. “Think we’re ready.”

  We all climbed into the car, and Jeremy took off.

  I couldn’t help but think how nice it was going to be to sleep in the same bed with him, to have him hold me all night. To snuggle beneath the blankets. I could hardly wait.

  The house was set on stilts and was, literally, right on the beach. Nothing blocked our view of the ocean. We walked up the stairs, and Avery unlocked the door. The dogs immediately greeted us. The cat, lounging on an ottoman near a window, couldn’t be bothered.

  Laughing, I knelt and rubbed the fur of a golden retriever, and a chow that was mixed with something small and sweet. I knew it was a chow only because of its blue tongue. “Hey, ladies,” I said, letting them sniff and lick me.

  “You are so much better with dogs than I am,” Avery said as she stood off to the side and watched. “The golden is Pooh Bear, the chow, Duchess.”

  “They’re sweethearts,” I said.

  “Let’s check out the place, decide on our rooms, and the guys can haul our stuff in. We’re not allowed to use the master bedroom, but Dot said there were two guest rooms.”

  The house was fairly simple. The front door opened into a large living room, a long counter separating it from the kitchen. We walked down a short hallway with a master bedroom and a guest bathroom on one side. Across from them were the two guest rooms. One with a queen-sized bed. One with two singles.

  “Which room do you want?” Avery asked, as disheartened as I was by the sleeping choices. She was letting me determine the arrangements because she was the hostess, and I needed to decide if I was going to be gracious and take the one with—

  “We’ll take the two beds,” Jeremy said as he edged past us with my suitcase and tote in tow.

  It was typical of nice, considerate Jeremy to make the unselfish offer. Still I was disappointed and just a little hurt that he hadn’t jumped at the chance to share a bed with me. I walked into the room and wondered if it would be inappropriate to do a little rearranging: maybe move the nightstand that stood between the beds so we could shove them together. Maybe it wasn’t worth the effort, though. It was only three nights.

  But at least we’d be sleeping in the same room. That could be romantic. Listening to him breathing through the night. I didn’t even know if he snored.

  While the guys brought everything inside, I helped Avery put some things away and set aside what we would have for dinner. While she started arranging all the makings for sandwiches, I fed the dogs, attached their leashes, and took them out to do their business. The yard around the house wasn’t fenced in. It was mostly sand with a few sprigs of grass, but the dogs were used to the shifting turf. Jeremy followed me out.

  “Are you okay that I said we’d take the two beds?” Jeremy asked.

  I forced myself to smile. “Sure.”

  He put his arm around me and I leaned against him. “Besides,” I continued, “they’re both taller than us, so they’ll be more comfortable in the bigger bed.”

  “You looked disappointed, like you thought we were missing an opportunity.”

  Turning, I gazed up into his eyes. “I thought something more might happen, but I also thought the house would be bigger.” I twisted my face in a way that made him grin. “Not gonna be a lot of privacy here.”

  He cupped my face between his hands. “No, there won’t be.” He stroked my cheeks. “I want it to be really special when things between us go further.”

  “I’ll be with you. How can it not be special?”

  “How did I get so lucky?” he asked before he lowered his mouth to mine.

  I moved until I was pressed against him. The chow jumped up on me, flopped down, jumped up again. The golden was nudging my other hip.


  “Okay, okay,” I said with a laugh as Jeremy and I broke apart. “I get it. You want more attention.”

  I handed the golden off to Jeremy and he began lavishly petting the dog. Watching him while I stroked the chow, I felt this tightness in my chest. He was such a good guy. I didn’t know why I was feeling so dissatisfied. Maybe I just wanted him to sweep me up into his arms, give in to our passion.

  We took the dogs inside, washed our hands, then grabbed a plate and made a sandwich from everything Avery had set out for dinner.

  “It’s not fancy,” she said as she was preparing her own plate, “but it just seems like if we’re going to be beach bums, we should be lazy.”

  “Works for me,” Fletcher said.

  We sat in Adirondack chairs on the front balcony. We had a clear view of the rolling surf. The beach before us was public, but since it was late in the day, not many people were still out. A few were playing volleyball. The ocean roared, salty brine scented the breeze. The setting sun was painting the sky in a wash of oranges, purples, blues.

  “I could get used to this,” I said.

  “I know. Isn’t it great?” Avery asked. “I really don’t have any plans for us to do much while we’re here. I figure tomorrow we’ll spend some time down there sunning.”

  “That’s definitely on the schedule,” I told her.

  “The schedule?” she asked. “What schedule?”

  “I prepared an itinerary for the weekend. Tonight’s Monopoly. Tomorrow night is cards. I brought everything. We’ll sun in the morning before it gets too hot. In the afternoon we’ll read. I’ll post the schedule on the refrigerator.”

  “Kendall, I think we should just chill,” she said.

  “But we’re on vacation.”

  “Exactly. I want days without scheduling.”

  “Taking care of dogs, you’re going to need a schedule. You should probably take them for a walk later this evening,” I said, trying not to take offense that she wasn’t thankful for all the planning I’d put into the next three days.