“I just can’t believe someone finally got to you,” Adam said. “I was starting to think you were going to carry on like that forever.”
“Hey, boss, I’m in my thirties, not my fifties. And I’m not talking about getting married here. I just want to get to know the woman.”
“Uh, huh,” he said, smiling.
“Listen, just because you’re all cozy with Tess doesn’t mean we all want a long-term commitment. I’ve got a thing for this girl. I just want to see where it goes. If I can ever figure out a way to get near her.”
“You gotta make her think it’s her idea,” he said. “Tess’s friend Jax told me that when I was trying to figure out how to convince her to date me. Worked for us.”
I thought about that as I rolled over in bed and stared at the ceiling. I had zero plans for the day, figuring I’d laze about, whip up some dinner, then head to the square to see the fireworks. Bree and I had made a plan to meet there. She was still relatively new to the area and hadn’t hooked up with anyone yet. She told me she’d split with her last boyfriend shortly before moving. In fact, it had been the impetus for her move.
My buzzer rang and I glanced at the phone on my night table to check the time. Almost one. Who the hell was popping by at one o’clock on a day off? I rolled out of bed and walked to the front door, pulling on a pair of sweats on the way. I hit the buzzer to let them in, then opened the door and looked out into the hall.
I saw Toni coming up the staircase with two large shopping bags, one in each hand. They looked heavy as fuck so I dashed out into the hall to take them from her, peeking inside in the process.
“May I ask—”
“You may, as soon as we get inside,” Toni said, cutting me off.
I followed her into the apartment and shut the door. She kicked off her shoes and walked into the kitchen, searching the fridge for a drink. She was right at home, having roomed with me for a few weeks while she looked for a place of her own. She had no desire to drive the thirty minutes to work every morning if she’d stayed where she was, so as soon as she took the job with us, she’d moved to Mountain Valley.
The first thing she said when she walked into my place that first time was, “I’m never going to sleep with you.” She’d been true to her word. She’s the first female friend I’d ever had. I never looked at her in a sexual way, though she was smoking hot. I was grateful for her every fucking day, though. Especially today.
“Okay, tell me,” I said.
She pulled herself up onto a stool and popped open seltzer. She took a long drink and set the can down.
“So, you got yourself a romance writer who doesn’t believe in the glory of sex. And you’re a sex machine who doesn’t believe in romance. But you were able to change her mind about sex. Maybe we just need to change your mind about romance.”
“What the fuck are you getting at?” I asked.
She walked over to the shopping bags and dumped them out on the living room floor.
“Romance novels,” she declared. “My entire collection. Okay, fine, half my collection.”
I looked at her, incredulous.
“FINE. A quarter of my collection. But enough to suit your purposes. I pulled out the tropes I thought would be appropriate—friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, fake relationships—”
“Wait. That’s a thing? The fake relationship? That’s a plot device?”
“Oh yes,” Toni said dreamily. “One of the best, too.”
“Jesus Christ, I’m living in a romance novel.”
“At least yours has great sex.”
“Had.”
“Which brings me back to my point. You’ve got the day off? Start reading. See what you can pick up. She’s not interested because she thinks you’re a certain type of guy. Show her you’re not that guy. Show her you’re exactly the guy she’s looking for.”
I turned one of the books over in my hand, glancing at the blurb on the back but mildly distracted by the side boob on the cover.
“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt,” I said.
“Fantastic,” she said, flopping down on the couch beside me. “Order some pizza before you get started. I brought the weed.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Maggie
“You have plans for the fireworks tonight?” Tammy asked.
“Well, I was planning to go,” I answered.
“With who?”
“I was just going to walk over after dark. I don’t know. I didn’t really make a plan,” I admitted.
Tammy just rolled her eyes.
“I’m going with Eric. Come with us. I can ask him to invite Shane if you want…”
“That’s okay. But I will meet you there.”
“No Shane?”
“No Shane.”
She eyed me.
“You still hung up on the chef?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Tell me.”
I thought about it for a moment, but only a moment. Tammy was a friend, and if I couldn’t talk to her, who could I talk to?
“We fooled around,” I said.
“I KNEW IT!” she screamed.
I looked around at all the faces that turned to stare at us.
“Quieter, please,” I begged.
“I knew it,” she hissed. “You slept with him.”
“I didn’t, actually. We never got that far.”
And with that, I told her the whole story. She listened, amazed.
“Wow. And no strings attached?”
“None,” I said.
“Any regrets?” she asked.
“None. It was amazing. Now I just need to find a decent guy who’s able to do those same things—”
“Hmm. I see the issue. Why not Shane?”
I sighed.
“Because when he kissed me, I felt nothing.”
“Ah.”
*
After a decadent take-out meal from the local Italian place, I took a quick shower, tied up my hair, and put on a bit of makeup. I rifled through my closet and pulled out a black, short-sleeve wrap dress. A pair of comfortable flats and I was ready to go.
I texted Tammy as soon as I got to the square. There were so many people out—residents, tourists, and seasonal renters alike—that it would be near impossible to find her in the crowd. There were different bands set up in different areas of the square, far enough away from each other that they’d each attracted their own crowd.
I saw a bunch of people I knew, including the crew from Franni’s bakery—Tess, Katie, Jax, and Chance. I’d become a regular at that place and they were all super friendly. Katie’s boyfriend, the actor Mason Scott, was with them but by this point, he was becoming a regular fixture in the town and not stirring up much fuss. Except amongst the tourists.
I made my way towards our meeting spot and saw Tammy standing with Eric, the two of them laughing over some private joke. I felt a momentary stab and wondered if maybe I should’ve given Shane another shot. I hadn’t been lonely before, but now that I’d had a taste of both the company and the sexual possibility, I wanted more.
“Hey, you two,” I said as I approached.
“Mags!” Tammy threw her arms around me.
“Hey, Maggie,” Eric said.
I smiled at him as I pulled away from Tammy.
“I didn’t realize I’d be the third wheel here. I’m sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re happy to have you along. And there are plenty of people here, nudge, nudge.” Tammy winked at me to reinforce her point.
We found ourselves a good spot on the grass and I spread out the blanket I’d brought. Tammy and I sat down and Eric went off to find us refreshments.
*
The Mayor was wrapping up her speech just as we were finishing our second round of drinks. Tammy was off doing a tour of the food trucks and Eric was anxious she wouldn’t get back in time for the fireworks. There was a slight chill in the air so I pulled my cardigan out of my bag and threw it over m
y shoulders.
“That’s it,” Eric said. “I’m going to look for her.”
“Are you serious? If you leave, she’ll just show up. Did you try texting her?” I asked.
“Of course. She probably can’t hear her phone in the crowd.”
Eric got to his feet and disappeared into a swarm of people. I stretched out on the blanket, laid down on my back, and stared up at the stars. It was a clear night and the effect was magical. It was like everyone else melted away and it was just me and the universe. Me and the skies. I watched a shooting star, so much more common up here than I’d ever realized, but no less miraculous because of it.
I was in my own world when the first firework went off overheard. I couldn’t help but smile. I loved fireworks. The lights, the music, the show, even the smell. The next set went off and I laid there, transfixed.
Until my vision was blocked by a grinning face. A very familiar grinning face. I sat up.
“Liam.”
“Hey, Maggie. Mind if I join you?”
I looked around, aware for the first time that neither Eric nor Tammy had made their way back to the blanket. I had no acceptable reason for saying no, so I indicated the space beside me and he sat down.
“How you been?” he asked.
“Okay. You?”
“Great. Working hard.”
“Well, if the occupancy rate at the hotel is any indication of the business you’re doing, I imagine so,” I said.
“Yeah.” He was silent for a moment, watching the sky. “Listen, I don’t know what happened—”
“Nothing happened. Forget about it,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
We sat there, together, watching the rest of the fireworks in silence, save for the obligatory oohs and aahs. I wondered who he’d come with, or if he’d come alone. If he’d abandoned his party to come sit with me, and if so, why? I couldn’t piece together his reasoning and he was offering no clues, just sitting there quietly beside me.
He shifted position, and his arm brushed against mine. I felt tingles along my skin where we’d made contact. I swallowed, hoping he wouldn’t notice, and casually moved my arm away. There was definitely chemistry. I chewed the inside of my lip as I contemplated my options. Would one more night with Liam, a chance to finish what we’d started, be a terrible idea or a brilliant one?
By this point, my vagina was doing the thinking. I was well aware of that, but the longer he sat by me, the more tension built between us. I could feel his hands on me, his breath on my neck, his tongue in my—
“Liam? There you are!”
We both turned to see a woman, mid-fifties, standing about five feet in front of us. Liam closed his eyes, the classic Oh, shit look crossing his face. Had he been on a date?
“Trish. Hey. Do you know Maggie Grant? Maggie, this is Trish.”
Trish and I looked each other over and smiled politely.
“You just disappeared on us, Liam. I was wondering what happened,” Trish said.
“I’m all good, thanks. Tell Adam I’ll be in tomorrow, okay?”
Trish stood there, looking stung. She looked over at me again with a new appreciation and a not-so-polite smile. Then she turned and walked away.
“Your date?” I asked.
“No, no, that’s just…” He trailed off, never really finishing the sentence. I didn’t need him to. Her presence had been a reminder of who I was dealing with. If anything, I should thank her for showing up. She’d probably saved me from a huge mistake.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Liam
“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” I brought down the knife with controlled fury, splitting the rabbit carcass in two with one clean slice.
“I’m guessing it didn’t go well,” Bree whispered to Toni a few feet behind me.
“I can hear you. I’m right fucking here.”
“I said,” Bree said, raising her voice. “I’m guessing it didn’t go well last night.”
“No, it didn’t.” I put the knife down on the chopping block and turned to face the two of them. “It was going fine, then Trish came along, and that threw everything into a tailspin. Fucking Trish.”
Toni walked up to me and put her finger right in my face.
“Don’t you dare blame Trish for this. You lived your life how you wanted to for thirty-odd years? Own it. Trish wouldn’t treat you the way she does if you didn’t let her. You’re a fucking boy toy. You want to change? Change.”
She turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen. I turned to look at Bree, who just shrugged and followed Toni out to the bar. I turned back to my rabbit.
The thing was, she was right. This had nothing to do with Trish. This was all on me.
Maybe owning that was the first step in a new direction.
When I got home that night, I sat on my couch, pulled out my cell phone, and deleted the contact information for every single one of my hook-ups. Some hurt a little to let go but mostly what I felt was relief. Then I tossed my phone onto the couch, leaned over, and grabbed a new book off the pile on the floor.
*
I spent the week devouring those novels. I’d work long hours, come straight home, and read until I crashed. My phone rang a few times, and I made the mistake of answering twice. I hadn’t realized how many women I’d been involved with and it would take a while to separate myself from the ill-conceived reputation I’d built.
Toni had done a remarkably good job of whittling the selection. There was something useful in every one of the books I read. It wasn’t lost on me, though, that the more I read, the more I found it like porn. It was all right there on the page—the impossible scenarios, the unattainable expectations. What man could possibly live up to these guys? Certainly no man I’d ever met. But, despite that, I kept reading, because idiot that I was, even I was smart enough to realize that there was a kernel of truth in every one of those ridiculous tales.
“Do you remember the one where the couple had to pretend to be married in order to qualify for school housing?” I asked Toni as we worked side-by-side plating dishes.
“Liam, I’m legit starting to worry about you. You realize these are fantasy, right? Not real life.”
“Yeah, whatever, I’m still getting good stuff.”
Toni passed her plate off to the server and wiped her hands on her apron. We were at the tail end of the dinner rush and I suspect I was pissing her off.
“Like what?” she asked.
“Well, that women want to be treated with respect, that I should ask more questions and listen more than I talk, that it’s important to give them their space—”
“Shit,” she interrupted. “You really are learning something. Okay, tell me about the fake marriage for the student housing. Refresh my memory.”
Stella, the server, was standing there listening attentively. I glared at her and she took her plates and returned to the dining room. Somehow, over the past week, my personal life had become everyone’s pet project.
“So anyway, in that one, the guy decorates the entire apartment with everything she loves, so she’ll know he really wants her to stay,” I said.
“Right. That was a good one.”
“I was thinking, what if I did something like that for Maggie? I mean, not decorate her fucking house, but maybe just somehow show her I’m taking an interest in the things she likes, or whatever.”
“Like what?” Toni asked.
“Well, fuck, I don’t know. I hadn’t gotten that far,” I admitted.
I pulled off my apron after the last plate went out and scrounged for food. Poking around in the pots, I found a little crab risotto leftover and dished some out before turning the rest over to the staff.
“Books. She loves reading,” I said. “Maybe I could take her to the bookstore.”
“And get her to recommend some books for you?” Toni suggested.
“Shit, that’s a great idea.”
Toni laughed and rolled her eyes.
&nb
sp; “Let me know how it goes.”
*
On Saturday, during the afternoon lull, I took a walk over to Maggie’s hotel. I made a quick stop along the way at the bookstore, popping in to buy a hundred-dollar gift card. The skinny dude behind the cash took my money and I left the shop, pleased with my plan.
When I hit the hotel, I found a bench across the street in the square, right in the line of sight of the door. It was three o’clock, her day was just ending, and there was no way she’d miss me when she walked out. I pulled out my phone and pretended to look busy while I waited. It took about ten minutes, but sure enough, she came out. Dressed in jean shorts and a red T-shirt, she looked incredible. Hair tied back, freckles having multiplied in the sun—I hadn’t seen her in daylight in a while and it took my breath away.
She glanced over and our eyes locked. She gave me a hesitant smile then made her way across the street towards me. I patted the empty seat on the bench and she sat down.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi, yourself.”
“This a coincidence?” she asked.
“Not quite,” I admitted. “I had a situation and I thought maybe you could help me out.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“And here I thought we were done helping each other out.”
Ouch.
“Fair. How about this, then? An exchange.”
“I’m listening.”
“A client at the restaurant gave me a gift card as a thank you the other day. I’d like your help spending it.”
“Okay. I’m intrigued.”
“It’s for the bookstore. I’m not much of a reader, but I thought maybe you could help me pick out a few things. As a thank you, you can grab a book, too.”
She practically leaped off the bench.
“Deal! Let’s go.”
“Right now?” I asked.
“Right now,” she confirmed.
I checked my phone. I had another hour before I had to be back at the restaurant. What the hell? I stood up and together we crossed the street and made our way over. It was only as we were about to enter that I caught the flaw in this plan. The skinny dude behind the counter. Shit.
A Dash of Romance Page 9