Kissing My Best Friend: A Friends to Lovers Romance

by Sullivan, Piper

  I pointed to the sign on the side of the building. “Door’s around back.”

  The blond strolled up to the counter with four energy drinks and six family sized bags of chips. And candy bars. “You can get me your number, beautiful. The name’s Troy.”

  Of course it was. It could only be more cliché if it was Chad or Trevor. “I’m Bo and trust me, you don’t want my number.” Even though Troy was normally just the type I’d take to bed, hot and from out of town, something about him gave me the creeps.

  “Oh, but I do. I’ll bet you country girls love to ride, don’t you?” Ah, there it was, the reason for the high creep factor.

  “You can barely handle that monstrosity out there, how do you expect to handle me?”

  Troy laughed and honestly, it transformed him from hot to gorgeous. But he knew it and he wasn’t afraid to use it. “Oh, I can handle you. I drive a Porsche during the week babe and she’s tougher than you.”

  I saw the challenge in Troy’s eyes but I wasn’t interested, not this time. Despite being the resident bitch in this town, I had more options than my plain brown hair and dark blue eyes would indicate. I wore jeans every single day, jeans or cut-offs, and t-shirts or tank tops depending on the weather. I wasn’t small or dainty, I was a solidly built woman who could handle herself. A guy like Troy couldn’t handle me on his best night.

  It was proximity. The first decent looking woman in a new town and he was trying to stake his claim in case the rest of the town was filled with monsters. “What if I told you I had a boyfriend?”

  He shrugged. “Is he around this weekend? Me and my boy are only here for a few days, maybe you have a friend?” I stopped listening and rang up his order, putting it in a bag and shoving it at him.

  “Not interested.”

  “Oh come on,” he began but the bell over the door sounded, announcing the arrival of my favorite twins, Trixie and Mimi Bell. Today they wore matching jumpsuits, one in purple and the other in neon pink.

  They strode up to the counter and took in Troy’s oxford shirt rolled up at the sleeves, his designer jeans carefully created to look well worn and his thousand dollar loafers, and found him lacking. “I hope you’re not hitting on Bo here, her boyfriend is a hometown hero,” Trixie added with a grin.

  “A real hero who saves people from burning buildings,” Mimi added and got in his face. “What do you do?”

  Shoulders squared and chest puffed out, troy grinned. “I’m an investment banker.” A job which he was clearly proud of, despite the twins’ disapproval.

  “So rich but not a hero?” It was Trixie who clarified. “You’re handsome I suppose, but he’s got nothing on Jase. Does he, Bo?”

  Sadly, as good looking as Troy was, Trixie was right. Jase was better looking or maybe it was that his face had a comforting type of beauty that put me at ease. Usually. “Wait, what?” Jase was good looking, sure, but that didn’t explain any damn thing. “Why are you talking like Jase is my boyfriend?”

  Troy shrugged, took his bag and stormed out without waiting for his friend but no one else seemed to notice, not Trixie and Mimi who were deep in conversation about me but not including me. “I always thought something was going on between them, Trixie, glad to see my sex radar isn’t broken after all.”

  That was a sentence I’d try like hell to burn from my mind. Later.

  Trixie tutted. “Bo’s skittish as hell on account of her mama leaving and her daddy up and dying on her, so I wasn’t sure if she’d ever let her guard down enough to let that sweet boy in. I’m glad she has.”

  Did I wake up in some kind of alternate universe? Because it looked like my life and mostly it felt like my life too, but this wasn’t my life. Nope, my life was tame and calm, predictable. Boring. Just the way I liked it. “What are you two talking about?”

  Mimi carried on like I hadn’t spoken a word. “Then I saw that photo of them on the Facebook and I knew the rumors were all true. Our very own Dawson & Joey,” she cooed, a wistful, longing look on her face.

  Trixie laughed and bumped her sister’s shoulder. “You would say that, Mimi but they’re more like Barney and Robin, you’ll see.” They both grabbed a few items, as a pretense for coming in to scope out the new tourists, and left with much less fanfare than they’d entered.

  As soon as they were gone, I dealt with a few more customers and when I was finally alone, I picked up my phone and sent a text.

  You have A LOT of explaining to do. Darling.

  I even added a bunch of heart and kissy face emojis, just in case he didn’t get the hint.

  Jase

  Pulling up to Bo’s cabin early Monday afternoon, I took a moment, as I always did, to take in the grandeur of the place. As much as she was a simple woman with simple tastes, the cabin she had built after learning she’d inherited her grandfather’s estate along with her father’s, was far from simple. Three stores that seemed to grow up from the ground as part of the trees surrounding it, the cabin was luxury at its finest. Cedar wood logs made up the walls and roof, were an intimidating picture as you climbed the oversized stairs. The whole place was built for a giant, right down to the oversized furniture in the living room, the sitting room and even her office.

  Not many photos decorated the walls though, a few of us over the years and some with her reclusive grandfather, but that was it. The only real art in the place was the chandelier in the open plan kitchen and dining room, made up of wood and metal and glass, it was stunning. Every time I came to Bo’s place, it reminded me that she wasn’t just some cashier. She was a wealthy woman.

  A wealthy woman that I found lounging on the deck behind the cabin in nothing but a pair of short shorts and a sports bra, long bare legs stretched out before her, flat stomach on display while the fishing pole beside her twitched lightly. Sunglasses covered her eyes but I knew she wasn’t sleeping just as I knew she knew I was here.

  “How pissed off are you, exactly?”

  Bo didn’t even move, which was a good thing since my gaze was mesmerized by the grid of muscles that were on display with every breath she took. When had Bo gotten so ripped and so…sexy? And why in the hell was I suddenly noticing? Why now? “What are my options?”

  He words broke through my disturbing thoughts and I grinned. “A teeny tiny bit or just mildly pissed off?” It had a snowball’s chance in hell of working, but it was worth a shot. My mama always said my smile could get me off a murder charge, might as well put that notion to test right now.

  Her lips twitched and I took that as a win. “What in the actual hell, Jase?”

  There was no excuse, well no good one, anyway and I shrugged. “Antonio’s mom ambushed me. With a woman.”

  She froze and then sat up, pushing the sunglasses off her face and into her thick, brown waves. Bo looked up at me, clear blue eyes, and then burst out laughing. She laughed her ass off, completely doubled over and clutching her belly. “Ambushed you with. A. Woman. So. Good.” Her laughter would have been annoying but it meant she wasn’t as mad as I was anticipating.

  That and the miles of skin on display distracted me from my reason for the visit. Bo cleared her throat and my gaze went from her tits to her face. Right. “You’re tan.”

  She shrugged. “It’s been a warm summer.” And Bo loved to be outside. If she wasn’t working the General Store she was hiking, fishing, camping and sometimes, rock climbing.

  But talk of summer was just the topic I was here to discuss. “Summer just started. Or so says Janey.” It was her visit that prompted this one, which I hadn’t fully prepared myself for.

  Her blue eyes perked up at Hometown Heroes news. I should have been annoyed at how amusing she found it all, but I wasn’t. “Yeah, what are you scheduled to do Mr. Summer, a car wash perhaps?”

  Was that heat in her eyes thinking of me all wet and soapy? Probably not, because despite the rampant gossip in town, Bo and I were friends. Only friends. “Worse. The Summer Food Festival.”

  Her eyes went even wider
as she fell back against the lounger. Laughing. Again. “Please tell me that you’re going to be,” her words were cut off again by her laughter and I finished for her.

  “They Mayor of the festival? Yep. Got it in one.” It wasn’t so bad being the face of the festival, I enjoyed it every year since I was about thirteen years old. “All I have to do is greet people, kick off the nighttime events and take a few promo photos.”

  “Well, congratulations Mr. Mayor.” Her eyes were still lit with amusement, which made the whole damn thing at least a little bit funny.

  Sort of. “Thanks. She’s forcing Nate and I to do the kissing booth.”

  “Okay,” she said simply, like I was telling her news she didn’t need to know. As far as she was concerned, I was, because I hadn’t told her the most important part yet. Just then the fishing pole started to shake with more energy and Bo was right there, lifting it in capable hands, struggling for a minute until she declared herself the victor. “Tough little sucker.” She turned to me but I was too busy staring at the curve of her ass in those wine colored shorts that hugged her like a lost lover to notice. “Hungry? I got two big catfish.”

  “Sure. I could eat.” Maybe a meal would make the news go down a little easier.

  “Perfect. Get the grill going while I take care of these guys.” She held up the catfish with a proud smile. “You stopped by just in time.” Her smile said she was happy to see me, and that made me feel a little better. No matter how the conversation went, this was Bo, my friend.

  “Lucky me.” Fresh fish while I tried to convince my best friend to pretend to be my girlfriend, it had to give me a better shot at success, didn’t it? I doubted I’d be feeling all that lucky in a few minutes so I took my time making my way from the deck down by the manmade lake her great-grandfather had built on what used to be a big ranch house, to the grill area Bo had built a few years back. The brick structure contained the grill, making it easy and safe to get a fire going. When that was done, I grabbed a beer from the mini fridge she had built for convenience. I don’t want to ruin a perfectly good moment in the Texas sun because of something as borin’ as thirst. That was Bo, practical but still romantic. Though I loved my life too much to risk saying so to her face.

  “A little help?”

  I didn’t know how long I stood there with the fire going and lost in my thoughts, but Bo was back and she’d changed into a pair of cutoff shorts and a tank that made her eyes even bluer. She’d also had time to filet and season the fish, not to mention chop up and season some veggies too. “What’s all this?”

  She scowled. “It’s called a meal, you may have heard of it before. Usually you only eat these with other firefighters.”

  “Smart ass,” I grumbled between sips of beer.

  Bo stretched past me to grab a beer and dropped down in a chair around the umbrella covered table, leaving me to load up the grill. “Thanks. You were about to tell me how we ended up going from friends to lovers?”

  “I already told you why. But now that word is out, I need a favor.” It was a big favor so maybe I shouldn’t have sounded so annoyed, but I was for some reason. Her blue eyes grew wide and I could see the no forming on her lips, so I kept talking to avoid the inevitable. “I don’t want to be ambushed by the matchmakers and feel obligated to go on dates I don’t want.”

  “You might like one of the women.”

  “Maybe,” I conceded. “But chances are good that most will be terrible first date stories and I don’t have enough free time for bad dates, Bo. I want to hang out with my friends. We’re friends, aren’t we?” I added my best puppy dog eyes and a small pout just in case it helped.

  Her gaze narrowed at how thick I laid it on and I smiled because I was desperate as hell after another ambush at the fire station. “Low blow, Callahan.” Bo took another pull from her beer. “We’re friends so I should go along with this crazy plan of yours?”

  “Yes. But I am willing to do an exchange of services. I need you with me for at least three big events. Summer Festival, the solstice dance and the firefighter awards.”

  She nodded but I wasn’t foolish enough to take that as her agreement. Bo was processing, taking in all the information and looking at every detail from all angles until she had a hook on every possible outcome. “That’s three public events that take place over the rest of the summer.”

  I blinked, confused. “I guess it is.” I hadn’t really consulted a calendar when I came up with those events.

  “Don’t burn the fish,” she admonished, pointing at the grill.

  Shit. I turned to flip the filets, brushing them with oil and lemon while I waited for a response.

  “This means we’ll be fake dating all summer long. How will your libido survive?”

  I shrugged like it was no big deal but that question sounded like it was almost a yes. “It’ll find a way. How about yours?”

  She scowled. “Don’t you worry about my libido, Callahan.”

  I was actually more than a little curious about her libido since we didn’t talk about things like that. “Why not? You’re worried about mine.”

  “Not worried, just curious. If I agree to this, you won’t embarrass me by sleeping with other women, will you?”

  “I wouldn’t do that to anyone woman, especially not you.” She looked uncomfortable with my words so I rushed on. “You gonna get some plates or are we eatin’ straight from the grill?”

  She groaned as she stood and called over her shoulder. “I f I agree to this nonsense I expect you to be a lot nicer to me than that!”

  I laughed at that because we both knew soft, gentle emotions made Bo uncomfortable as hell. “I will too,” I told her when she returned with plates, napkins and flatware.

  Her shoulders sank in resignation. “Dammit. Another reason to say no.”

  “But,” I added with my most charming smile. “You’ll get to be First Lady of the festival.”

  That got her just as I knew it would. “Does that mean I get to skip the line for hot link corndogs and deep fried snickers?”

  I didn’t know but I nodded because if that’s what she needed to say yes, I’d make it happen. “Absolutely. Don’t forget funnel cake sundaes and nacho burgers.”

  She groaned. “Nacho burgers. I better get another hike or three in before the festival rolls around.”

  I blinked, feeling hope. Cautious hope. “Does that mean you’ll do it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll do it. But I get more of the fish. And the vegetables.” Her appetite was one of my favorite things about Bo and I nodded.

  “Whatever you say, dear.”

  Bo sat back in her chair and cradled the beer in one hand. “Just what I always wanted, a Stepford boyfriend.”

  I laughed. With Bo as my fake girlfriend, this was shaping up to be an interesting, if sex free, summer.

  Bo

  Thursdays were stock days at the store which meant I had to get up at the ass crack of dawn to meet up with the first delivery driver, who insisted on showing up at the ungodly hour of four in the morning. But I didn’t complain too much because he always came with really good pastries that people couldn’t get enough of, they never lasted long enough to get stale and I couldn’t buy enough of them. Which meant at eleven fifteen, my day already felt long.

  With more shops and boutiques and restaurants opening up in town, people needed everything from gourmet cheese to backup ammo, and I was happy to provide it when they could order it online. Gotta love small town living.

  “So you and Jase, huh?”

  Max’s voice startled a gasp out of me. “Dammit woman, you scared the holy bejeezus outta me.” Being scared was better than the groan I’d had to suppress all morning as every single Tulip resident came in to buy coffee, which I appreciated, and to ask about me and Jase, which I did not appreciate. “Don’t you have something more important to do, like raise your kid or wash your hair? Scrub your tile? Anything in the world but asking me this.”

  Her face spre
ad into a mischief-filled grin. “Nope. Spill the beans because I seem to recall at least a dozen different versions of ‘we’re just friends’ coming from your mouth.” Arms folded over her chest, she gave met he same look I’d seen her gave Callie at least a thousand times. “Spill.”

  She was right. No matter how many times or how many different ways she asked, the answer was still the same. And since she was one of the few people I might break down and call in an emergency, I tell her the truth but not before scanning the mirrors to make sure the place was free of prying ears. “It’s for show. To keep the matchmakers off his back. Don’t tell anyone.”

  She thought about it for minute, still looking skeptical. “You sure there’s nothing there? No stolen glances or almost moments?”

  “Positive. You know I don’t do that.”

  “Yeah, I do. But I don’t know why.”

  I sighed, knowing this conversation was inevitable. Again. “Because people leave, Max and I don’t have the energy to let myself get attached to someone only for them to leave.” Again. I know it sounds lame but we all have our issues and this is mine. “I’ve accepted it and you should too.”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it. Jase is Tulip born and bred, through and through. Where do you think he’s going?”

  “Who knows? That’s the point. Do you think Daddy knew that one day Mama would just decide she was sick of being and wife and mother? Let me tell you Max, he didn’t. Do you think I thought he’d love the bottle more than me?” I laughed and boy was it bitter. “It never even crossed my mind until I was about twelve.”

  “I’m sorry that happened to you, Bo. But that’s crap. Jase isn’t going anywhere.”

  Maybe not this time, but he did. Once. “He did leave. He kissed me the summer after graduation and I thought maybe…anyway it was meaningless. He left the next day, a week early, for school.” He did us both a favor because now we have an amazing friendship that’s better than what could have been.