His eyes.
His lips.
His voice.
The mere thought sent shivers through me, and I couldn’t wait to see him again.
I hoped I would see him again.
“Girls, I think we did something right for once,” Winter teased as she glanced in my direction. “Our Tessa appears to have a crush.”
I tossed a turquoise pillow in her direction and sank deeper into the couch.
“You didn’t even get the right guy to show up. How can you take credit?” I laughed as Arie brought me a homemade margarita.
I was definitely going to regret this much partying tomorrow morning. I’d probably need the entire long weekend to recover.
“If it wasn’t for our surprise party to celebrate your birthday and go to all the trouble to dig up those sexy men…” her voice trailed off.
“You wouldn’t be daydreaming like a schoolgirl on your couch.” Arie finished Winter’s sentence and collapsed next to me.
“It’s awful.” I pulled another pillow over my face and mumbled into it. “Life is so much simpler single.”
“You’re still single,” Arie reminded me.
“You know what I mean. Single and not looking, noticing, touching, dreaming, thinking, wishing—”
“We get the point.” Samantha scooted a floral wingback chair closer to the fire before sitting down and propping her feet on the ottoman. She tugged on a pink chenille blanket, and a pile of magazines fell that I’d hidden underneath.
My house wasn’t humongous, but it was cozy, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. In fact, I couldn’t ever imagine sharing it. I liked my version of tidy. I liked my version of home.
“Tell me this.” Winter pulled over the jumbo bean bag from the corner and sank into it with her drink that appeared pink, bubbly, and dangerous. “If I were to call the right McKenzie brother next time, would you want me to?”
I nearly shot up from the couch in a panic. I liked the one I met tonight perfectly fine.
“No upgrade needed.” I laughed. “Maddox is enough, and I might never see him again anyway.”
Arie and Winter traded glances.
“Doubtful.” Samantha laughed. “I saw the way he looked at you.”
I smiled and let out a wistful sigh. “Who could have known that your mistake turned into a wonderful kind of happy mishap?”
“Amazing what can happen when a person puts herself out there,” Arie teased.
“Point taken.” I took a sip of my margarita. “I fully thank you for putting together a surprise birthday party for me a week early and rigging it with sexy men. I’m as surprised as anyone that I actually kind of liked one.”
“Kind of?” Arie’s brow rose.
“Well, I’ve only met him once. Who knows? He could be a total scumbag or an idiot or—”
“You, as well as I, know he’s neither of those things.” Winter leaned her head back in the ivory bean bag and stretched her legs into the air. “Doesn’t this remind you of our eleventh-grade summer?”
I laughed and nodded. “Which has me worried. Extremely worried. Are we regressing?”
“I think we’re just finally finding ourselves.” Samantha chuckled. “I think we’re realizing we are already who we are meant to be.”
“Maybe.” I smiled, knowing full well I loved the life I’d created and had no intention of changing.
I wasn’t big on compromise, so that didn’t bode well for a relationship with Maddox or anyone, but it was still fun to daydream for a few days.
And if I could convince Maddox McKenzie to play a little trick on my friends, then things would be even better. We’d both have fun doing it. No harm, no foul. We could hook up and move on.
Something I’d never done before, but there was a first for everything.
“How long do you think it’s going to take him to text you?” Arie asked.
“Or call?” Winter added.
I shrugged. I didn’t want to start obsessing over a man I’d only met once and whom I might never hear from again. It was one thing to reminisce about his sexy build and gorgeous eye color and quite another to actually believe he was going to call me. Besides, he now had a purpose beyond being a boyfriend.
“Don’t shrug at me,” Winter teased. “I know you’re wondering.”
“I’m trying not to,” I said through a closed jaw.
“Okay, so it seems things are going well for Tessa, and this is only day one of our little challenge.” Winter smiled and glanced at each of us for a second. “So, what’s next for the rest of us?”
I waved my hand in the air. “Come on. I only talked to a man who is halfway decent, from what we know so far. I don’t think we can call that a success.” I chuckled.
“Yeah. Let’s not jump the gun.” Samantha’s cheeks reddened, and I squirmed on the couch, wondering if she was thinking about one of our brothers.
“Are you trying to tell me you’re itching to start dating clean-cut guys with a J-O-B?”
“Maybe,” she mumbled, avoiding all eye contact.
“Have you met one?” I asked, bolting upright on the couch.
“No,” Winter muttered so quietly, I could barely hear her.
“What?” Arie asked.
“I said, no,” Winter growled, and I chuckled.
“Then why won’t you look us in the eyes?” Arie laughed.
“I feel like I’m on some amusement park ride with no hope of gaining control of the lever any time soon.” Samantha grinned and shook her head.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced at it vibrating itself all over the cushion. It was probably a cousin wishing me an early happy…
What if it was him?
What if Maddox was behaving like an adult and not wasting time?
I picked up my phone and saw that it was an unknown Seattle number.
“Do I answer it?” I squeaked out, feeling like I was one of my students in high school near Prom.
Arie squealed, which didn’t help. “It must be him.”
“Answer it.” Winter almost dove toward me, but I clicked on the phone before she got to me or it.
“Hello?” My voice turned way too breathless, and the next thing I knew to correct it was to overcompensate by clearing my throat. I sounded like a trucker had just answered my phone.
“Is this Tessa?”
Oh, dear Lord. His voice sounded even more sensuous and sexy over the phone.
“This is she,” I answered, sounding much clearer and like I wasn’t choking.
“Hey, this is Maddox. The mistake from your birthday party.”
This man could never be a mistake
“Oh, hi.” I nodded at my friends to a symphony of gasps.
Apparently, they weren’t actually expecting him to call either.
Great!
“I know this is kind of last-minute, and judging by your active social life, you might already have plans, but are you free tomorrow night?”
My mind started racing. I wanted to see Maddox more than he knew, but I didn’t want to come across as desperate.
Oh, decisions!
I chewed briefly on my bottom lip as Arie’s eyes widened in anticipation.
“I’m free,” I said, feeling my pulse race with each passing second.
“That’s great. What time do you get off work? I can pick you up, or we can meet somewhere like Mud Flats again.”
“You’d come back to Fireweed?” I asked, pleasantly surprised.
Nine times out of ten—okay, so I haven’t had ten dates to establish the exact numbers—but, nine times out of ten, I always had to go to Seattle to meet the date. This was refreshing.
But it didn’t matter because in my mind, Maddox wasn’t a real possibility, just a way to stop my friends from meddling.
“Of course. It wouldn’t be very cool to invite you to dinner and expect you to swim your way to Seattle.” He laughed.
“Well, there is the ferry.” I laughed and blushed, feeling his smile
across the phone.
“True, but it’s more fun picturing you swimming. So, do you trust me to come up with something for our date?”
“As long as I make it out alive, I’m game for anything.”
“Boy, that really doesn’t set the bar very high.” He laughed again. “What kind of dating experiences have you had?”
I giggled but didn’t answer that question. “I look forward to being surprised.”
“Great. Want to meet near the main park on the waterfront?”
“Perfect.”
“What time works for you?”
“I actually have tomorrow off for teacher planning, so any time would work for me.”
“Oh, you’re a teacher?” He sounded shocked.
“Yup. I teach high school and wonder if I’m sane every day.”
“Wow. Kudos to you, and so far, I think you’re very sane.”
I glanced at the three sets of eager eyes staring at me and had to keep in a chuckle.
These women needed to be taught a little lesson—a fun lesson, but a lesson, nevertheless.
“How about six?” he asked, and I nodded without speaking, realizing I was utterly transfixed with this man’s voice.
“Yeah. Six would be great. See you then.”
“Look forward to it.” The way his husky voice came over the phone made me want to come up with something more to say, but I couldn’t, so I just said goodbye and hung up to a room full of questions.
Instead of answering any of them, I let out a deep, shaky breath and wondered how everything was happening so fast and without my doing it. Was this just so he could hear my plans, or did he actually want a date?
“Doesn’t this seem kind of weird?” I finally asked. “I mean, you guys screwed up by inviting the wrong McKenzie brother and then the next thing I know, I’m going out on a date with one of the most attractive men I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
“Well, I dare say he is the right McKenzie brother,” Arie teased. “But we’ll just call him Mr. Mistake.”
“Exactly.” Winter nodded. “That way, he’s not right, wrong, or indifferent. He’s just Maddox McKenzie, Mr. Mistake.”
“Well, I was just talking to Gabby about this whole thing and—” Winter started.
“Wait. What ‘whole thing’?” I chuckled. “When would you have time?”
“On the way over here.” She beamed.
“That was like a ten-minute drive at the most.”
She ignored me and continued. “And she wanted me to remind you that her husband crashed into her on her way to an event.”
“That’s right, and then they both happened to be going to some swanky event at a winery or something.”
“And look at how beautiful their relationship is.” Winter let out a happy sigh. “I mean, I would have married her purely for her baking skills alone, but…”
I chuckled.
Gabby Sullivan-Baines opened her very first bakery on one of the islands here in the Northwest, and her bakery became an instant hit. Locations were popping up all over the place, and I always loved it when she came to town so we could visit. She spent a lot of time in Seattle now with Jason, which was how Winter and Samantha got to know her so well too. Anyone who met Gabby fell in love instantly.
“Well, I think we’d scare Maddox to the hills if he knew we were mentioning marriage as a possibility. I don’t even know what the man does for a living or where he lives,” I informed them, realizing just how desperately my friends needed to learn this lesson.
Love wasn’t about orchestrating an entire life aimed at dating and becoming someone’s significant other. Love wasn’t about dating Mr. Wrong. A person couldn’t just stumble into their soul mate. That was what romantic films were for. Life—real life—wasn’t like that. Love was complicated and intricate, and…
“We could look him up.” Winter wiggled her brows. “Check out his social media profile.”
“Ooh, that would be fun,” Samantha seconded, holding up her drink glass.
“No, way. I’m not going to do that. Do you realize what would happen to me? I’m sure I’d learn something that only people who stalked him would know, and then I’d blurt it out over dinner. Nope. Not happening.”
Although I was curious, I also knew my bad traits. I had a big mouth sometimes and couldn’t keep my flapper shut if I had information relating directly to a situation that I was put in.
“Oh, come on,” Arie pleaded. “This could be fun.”
“No, I don’t want to jinx anything. I think I kind of like this guy.” I laughed. “Probably because I know nothing about him.”
“And because he’s mighty fine to look at.” Winter winked at me. “Makes me wonder what his brother looks like.”
“You want me to set the two of you up?” I teased. “We could go on a double date.”
“Except that’s the exact type of man Winter should not be dating,” Arie chimed in.
“Precisely.” I nodded, noticing that Winter’s gaze fell to the floor. She was definitely hiding something.
“Well, somehow, you three managed to get me on my first date in a very long time before my thirtieth birthday, and I have no idea how you did it.” I turned my attention to Winter. “Now, it’s your turn.”
“Pshh.” She emptied the rest of her glass with one swallow. “I’m okay.”
“Oh, no, you don’t. We’re all in this together.” I pointed at Arie. “That includes you too.”
“Well, if you guys can find me a Maddox, I’m all in.” Arie sighed. “But therein lies the problem.”
“And we don’t know if this Maddox guy is all he’s cracked up to be. Appearances are very deceiving.” I stretched and yawned, feeling the exhaustion from the work week, the surprise party, and the surprise date all falling over me at once. “Are you guys catching the early ferry for work, or can you stay, and we all go to breakfast?”
“We didn’t plan that far ahead.” Winter grimaced. “I didn’t expect to need to crash here.”
“Same,” Arie and Samantha said.
“It will be bright and early, but you sleep in, and we’ll lock up on our way out.”
“You know where everything is and how to make the couch into a bed,” I said, pointing at the ottoman that opened to reveal blankets and pillows. “The craft room is in a little disarray, but one of you should be able to make it to the futon.”
I yawned again as I stood at the same time my phone buzzed. My fingers tingled with delight at the thought of it possibly being Maddox, but I didn’t want to let on.
Or it could just be one of my brothers.
I gave my friends a kiss and made my way to my bedroom where I collapsed onto my bed, thankful I didn’t finish my margarita.
My crazy friends had managed to lure a McKenzie brother to my party.
Granted, he was the wrong one, but they still pulled it off. And what’s more, he actually showed up. Was his curiosity getting the better of him, or did he have a crush?
I let out a breath and reached for my cell, nearly letting out a happy yelp.
It was so lovely talking to you again, and I look forward to dinner tomorrow. It’s been impossible to get you out of my head, and my curiosity is killing me about your plan.
Happiness filled every part of me as I let this little victory spread through me. It might only be a date, and we might never see each other again afterward, but I forgot what this feels like.
Truthfully, I’d never actually felt something like this before. The tingles, the excitement, the imagining… It was all too much to even consider sleep, but I had to force myself, or I’d be a walking zombie when it was time to meet him, and I couldn’t distract myself from the real goal here.
I started to type back…
I’m looking forward to—
Erase.
I can’t wait to see—
Delete.
You were a really happy mistake, and I look forward to dinner.
I read it over once more, silenc
ed my phone, and fell asleep.
Chapter Five
There was no doubt about it. I had the best friends in the entire world. Even though they all had to go to work this morning, they’d somehow managed to run over to Gabby’s Goodies and bring back a pastry and a mocha for me when I woke up.
The breakfast got me through a day of correcting papers, picking out what to wear, and avoiding the fact that I was a nervous wreck about seeing Maddox again.
Which made me feel marginally guilty about what I’d decided to do if Maddox agreed.
Last night, I’d briefly let myself imagine going out with him with the possibility of a future, but reality quickly set in.
I lived on Fireweed and Maddox lived in Seattle. We both had very different lives, already deeply rooted.
It also didn’t help that my friends—at nearly thirty—left a note along with the pastries.
For the future Mrs. Maddox McKenzie.
That was the last straw. A lesson had to be taught.
Besides, what if last night was merely a fluke because I’d had plenty of margaritas? What if he was in the same condition? I looked in the rearview mirror of my car, dotted on some lip gloss, and drew a deep breath. This was our first date, nothing more.
“Here goes everything,” I whispered before stepping out from my car and sliding on my sunglasses.
I straightened my pale yellow top over my jeans and headed toward the pier where he’d be waiting. He wanted to meet at one of the town’s parks along the waterfront, and I always loved a reason to visit it. Between the views of the water, the boutiques, and the cafes, it felt like a mini-vacation in my very own town.
The beautiful hanging hot pink fuchsia baskets with crisp white bacopa trailing over the edges lined the piers in every direction as I made way to the waterfront.
Fireweed had a habit of making every street, sidewalk, pier, and driveway beautiful. There were no city or island ordinances to keep flowers blooming all spring and summer, but that was precisely what happened, and it was just one more thing I loved about my piece of heaven.
Mr. Mistake: A Fake Marriage Romance (Mr. Mistake Series Book 1) Page 5