Mr. February: A One Night Stand Romance (Calendar Boys Book 2)

by Nicole S. Goodin

  He’s not wrong, she does deserve to have the perfect day, but that day is not going to include a full brass band and one hundred doves being released.

  No way in hell. Not on my watch.

  “I’m going to have Reece cut up your credit card,” I threaten.

  She shakes her head and smiles at me like I’m a naïve child. “Oh, sweetie, I’ve got about ten of the things.”

  Tillie had no idea how much money Reece had until the day he proposed to her, so no one can technically accuse her of being a gold digger… but she certainly hasn’t shied away from the lavish lifestyle he’s offered her, in fact, if anything, she’s dived in head first.

  “Can we just get back to the flowers?” I beg. “This might shock you, but you’re not my only client.”

  “Fine. Halve the order.” She pouts.

  I sigh. Halving the order still means there will be flowers absolutely fucking everywhere, but at least we’ll actually have space for the guests now, and the florist won’t have to work the entire week before to arrange them all, so I try to think of it as a win.

  “So, what’s the deal with you and Jackson? You’ve been hanging out an awful lot…”

  I scrawl down a few notes about decorations before dropping my pen and reaching for the bowl of French fries on the table.

  “Yeah… We’re friends.”

  “I wish I had friends that looked like that.”

  I laugh and nearly choke on my mouthful of food.

  “We’re just friends, Tillie, it doesn’t matter how he looks.”

  “Friends with benefits, at least, I hope? God knows you could do with a few benefits,” she says dramatically.

  “Just friends. No benefits.”

  She raises her brows at me.

  “Well one benefit. Once. But you know that was before we became friends.”

  “I’m just sayin’ is all.” She picks up another friggin’ carrot and points it at me. “You know what you’re missing out on.”

  I do know exactly what I’m missing out on, but I also know that giving in to temptation would be a bad idea. Jackson is hot, there’s no denying it. But he’s also still very much messed up over his ex, and that’s a drama I don’t need.

  I shove the bowl of fries at her. “Eat something with calories, all this health food is messing up your brain.”

  She frowns at them like they’re toxic and takes another nibble of her carrot.

  “So, you’re telling me you don’t like him?”

  “Of course I like him. You know I do.”

  “So, you don’t find him attractive then?”

  I roll my eyes at her. “Don’t be ridiculous. The man could start a fire just by looking at it, he’s that hot.”

  She shoots me a knowing look.

  “Some of us are in control of our sexual urges.”

  “Some of us are full of shit,” she retorts.

  Friends with benefits is exactly what Jackson keeps hinting at — actually forget hinting — he flat out suggests it, at least once every time I see him.

  It’s a private joke of ours at this point, so I don’t take him too seriously, but I also know full well that he wouldn’t say no if my answer suddenly changed from no to yes either.

  I could tell Tillie that, but I won’t. The last thing she needs is any encouragement on this particular topic.

  “I’m going to go call Reece and tell him to run while he still can.” I make a show of picking up my cell phone. “If he goes now, he just might get away unscathed.”

  She giggles and finally takes one of the fries from the bowl.

  “Where is your new BFF tonight anyway?” she asks.

  “Went out drinking with his mate from what I can gather.”

  “Let’s hope he winds up wasted and needs someone to take care of him then, huh?” She crosses her fingers in front of her face, all the while grinning like the smartass she is.

  “He’s still in love with his ex, Tills, nothing good would come from the two of us sleeping together again.”

  “I can think of something good that might happen. It starts with ‘or’ and ends in ‘gasm’.”

  I can’t help but laugh at her. My best friend sure is one of a kind.

  “And besides, that was months ago, wasn’t it? Surely he’s moved on by now?”

  “They were together for five years, and engaged. Those feelings don’t go away just like that.” I snap my fingers for emphasis.

  “Oh, sure they do.” She waves her hand dismissively. “He just needs to find himself a hot Chica like you.”

  “I bet your fiancé would be so pleased to hear you say that,” I drawl.

  “If my fiancé keeps it in his pants and doesn’t go screwing around with my friends, then we won’t have a problem, will we?” she replies, full of sass.

  “Touché.” I giggle.

  I hear my phone ring and look down to see who’s calling me at this time of the night. I hold up the phone to show Tillie the screen; it’s flashing ‘Jackson Matthews’.

  “Well, speak of the devil.”

  “Hello?” I answer.

  “Dimples, I did something stupid…”

  He wasn’t kidding when he said he was going drinking. He sounds toast, and it’s not even midnight yet.

  “I tried to stop him, Katie,” I hear a guy yell in the background.

  “Sshhhh, I’m talking to Katie,” Jackson scolds the person in the background as he puts major emphasis on my name.

  I giggle. “Who is that?”

  “Bryn. He bought tequila shots.” He gags a little bit at the mention of the word. “He cooks with a hat on,” he informs me helpfully.

  “You boys sure like to go full noise, don’t you?”

  I mouth the words ‘they’re wasted’ to Tillie.

  She gives me a thumbs up like it’s the greatest news she’s heard all day.

  “Are you going to tell me what stupid thing you did?”

  “Mmm hmm… We were at a bar… Then Bryn wanted to go get burgers.”

  “You wanted to get burgers, I wanted a kebab,” I hear Bryn yelling at him.

  “Whatever, man, you’re holding a cheeseburger. Don’t yell at me about kebabs.”

  I cover my mouth with my hand in an attempt to muffle the sound as I laugh at the two of them.

  I can hear them walking in a way that can only be described as a drunk dude walk. Their footsteps are heavy, sloppy and slow and Jackson’s breathing is laboured.

  “Jackson! Just tell me what you did.”

  “He went to—”

  “Shhhhh! I’m gonna tell her myself,” Jackson hisses at Bryn.

  “Whatever, bro, I’ll just eat my burger,” I hear Bryn tell him.

  Tillie has scooted around the table now and has her ear pressed up against the phone so she can hear the nonsense for herself. She’s almost got tears running down her cheeks, she’s laughing so hard.

  “Katie?” Jackson asks suddenly.

  “Yeah, dreamboat?”

  “I thought you were gone.” He sighs in relief.

  “I’m still here, but where did you go?”

  “I went to go see Lizzie.”

  I give Tillie an ‘I told you so’ look and she rolls her eyes.

  “I told him it was a stupid idea,” Bryn yells to me.

  I hear a thump and an ‘ow’.

  “I hit him,” Jackson announces proudly.

  “He should be the one hitting you for going to see your ex. Put him on the phone so I can ask him to knock some sense into you,” I demand.

  “I’m drunk, dimples,” he says, totally ignoring me, and I can hear the warm, happy, drunk glow in his voice.

  “No shit,” I mutter under my breath. “So, was Lizzie home?” I ask, and I’m not sure which answer is the one I want to hear.

  “Nope,” he replies, popping the ‘p’. “And I knocked for aaaagggges. Woke up her neighbours and everything.”

  I hear a suspicious-sounding burp from the background.
<
br />   “Dude! Are you spewing?” Jackson yells into the night.

  “No, I’m not spewing. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit,” Bryn replies.

  I rest my hand against my forehead and try not to laugh. Tillie isn’t helping in the slightest — she’s in hysterics.

  “Where are you two knuckleheads?”

  “Oi, Bryn?”

  I hear no reply.

  “I think he is having a spew,” Jackson tells me with a laugh.

  Even now, drunk as a skunk, his laugh still makes me smile.

  “Oi, B… B! Where are we?”

  I hear some murmuring that I can’t make out and then Jackson produces a surprisingly specific-sounding location.

  “I’ll tell you what, if you two sit the hell down, I’ll come and pick you up, alright?”

  “You’re the best, dimples.”

  “I’ll see you soon. Try not to get in any trouble while you wait.”

  “I told you Katie would save me,” I hear Jackson telling Bryn before I get a chance to hang up the phone. “She’s hot and she’s nice.”

  I burst into laughter.

  “Oh Jesus, now that was entertainment,” Tillie says as she wipes the tears from the corner of her eyes.

  “Grown-ass men.” I giggle with a shake of my head. “C’mon…We better get out of here before B1 and B2 get themselves lost.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Jackson

  “Katie!” I say as I peer into the open window of the car that’s stopped at the curb. “You came.”

  She laughs and shakes her head at me.

  I’m drunk. I know I am.

  Not as drunk as I was when I decided to go knock on my ex’s door, but still drunk nonetheless.

  “Get in, lover boy,” a voice that’s not Katie’s tells me.

  “Tillie the bridezilla, you came too.” I grin at the woman who I hadn’t even noticed until she spoke.

  Katie covers her mouth and laughs.

  “I really like your laugh, dimples,” I tell her as I lose my balance a little bit and wobble into the side of the car.

  “I’m glad you like it, now do you maybe want to get in before you fall down?”

  I nod at her, because it sounds like a good idea. She always has good ideas.

  “Where’s your mate?”

  I turn and try to remember the last place I saw him.

  “He’s here somewhere,” I tell the girls.

  “Bryn!” I yell into the quiet street.

  He doesn’t answer. I turn back to the girls. “He’s a liabi…li…liabil…lia-bil-ity.” I finally get the word out.

  “Is he now?” Katie giggles. “I can’t imagine what that’s like to deal with.”

  “What are you yelling about?” I hear Bryn call from behind me. “I was just taking a piss on some flowers round back.”

  “Oh lord,” Tillie says.

  “What’d I tell you…” I say, matter of factly. “Liability.” I smile proudly. I’m impressed I got it right this time.

  “Alright boys, in the car, before you get yourselves arrested.”

  I shove Bryn as he approaches, and he shoves me back, but somehow, we both make it into the car unscathed for the most part.

  “Seatbelts, gentlemen, and if either of you puke in here, you’ll be paying for a valet, got it?”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” I tell her with a salute.

  We drive for a bit and I can feel my eyelids getting really heavy.

  “Katie?” I hear Bryn say.

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t cook in just a hat. I wear pants and a shirt too. I just wanted you to know that.”

  Tillie is laughing at him. Katie might be too.

  “Thanks for clearing that up for me,” Katie tells him, and yip, she’s definitely laughing.

  “No problemo,” he replies. “Oh, and Katie?”

  “Yes, Bryn?”

  “Jackson is drunk off his ass, but he’s right, you are hot and nice.”

  “Fucking told you,” I murmur before I feel myself drift off to sleep.

  ***

  I wake up feeling like I’ve been hit by a bus, then it’s backed up and run me over again just for good measure.

  Drunk me obviously didn’t shut the curtains, because the light is streaming in and hitting me like a slap in the face that I really don’t need.

  “I have got to stop drinking like this,” I tell myself with a moan.

  “You and me both,” a voice says and makes me near jump out of my skin.

  “Jesus Christ,” I say as I roll over and find a pair of feet near my head. “What the fuck are your dirty feet doing on my pillows?”

  Bryn’s head pops up from down the end of the bed. “Didn’t you get the memo? We’re top and tailing.”

  I rub my temples to try and settle my pounding head. “What the actual fuck? Did we get drunk and turn into teenage boys on a school camp?”

  “I’m never drinking tequila ever again.” Bryn groans as his head falls back to the pillow.

  A flash of Bryn and I stumbling down along a familiar street flashes in my head. “Oh shit,” I mutter. “I went to Lizzie’s.”

  “We went to Lizzie’s,” Bryn corrects me. “Your stupid ass made me an accomplice.”

  “Why the fuck didn’t you stop me?”

  “I tried, man, but you’re a big dumb idiot when you’ve got a few shots under your belt, and to be completely honest with you, I kinda wanted to see you finally yell at the bitch,” he says with a yawn.

  I throw up a silent thank you to the universe that she wasn’t home. I don’t know what on earth would have possessed me to go around there last night, but thankfully, I managed to dodge a bullet.

  Another memory floats into my mind of Katie calling me dreamboat and telling me I was an idiot.

  “Oh Jesus, I called Katie.”

  “Yeah ya did.” He chuckles. “Who do you think tucked us into bed?”

  “Oh shit, not again. I seriously owe that woman.”

  “Hey look, she left me water and pain killers,” Bryn muses as he wiggles around in the bed, moving his feet far closer to my face than I’d like them to be.

  “She’s good like that,” I say as I swat at his ankles.

  “She’s cool, man. I like her.”

  I like her too. I’m surprised about just how much. I like her more than I probably should, but I know myself, and I’m not ready for anything new, no matter how hard it’s becoming to stay convinced of that.

  I hear Bryn chugging back his water. “She’s like an uber driver with perks.”

  I find myself smiling even though embarrassingly enough, this is the second time that Katie has had to deal with my drunken ass. We haven’t known one another long, but I can hardly remember what it was like before we were friends.

  I roll over to see if she’s left me anything to fix my raging headache.

  I’ve got water and pain killers too, and also a note that I can’t open fast enough.

  Dreamboat,

  You’re an utter moron. Don’t even argue, because you know it’s true.

  Seriously, check out an AA meeting — I was joking the first time, maybe not so much now.

  You know what, maybe you should keep drinking after all, you’re kinda funny when you’re drunk.

  Nope, cancel that, you’re a moron.

  Visiting your ex, what were you thinking?!

  Did I mention you were a moron?

  You just told me I was your best friend and that I have pretty hair. Drunk you is actually pretty sweet.

  You owe me lunch, and make it a good one, you can pick me up at 1.

  Love Katie (the hot and nice girl) xx (and yes, those are kisses, but only because you’re drunk)

  “The woman is a saint,” I mutter.

  Bryn sits up on the bed and holds his hand out for the note.

  I hand it to him.

  “Remind me again why you’re just friends with this chick? She’s fucking awesome,” he says as he sc
ans the letter.

  She is awesome, and if it weren’t for my stupid ex-fiancée turning my heart bitter and black, I’d be going after Katie. But I’m all fucked up, so it’s better that we’re just friends, no matter how badly I’m starting to want her.

  “Have you forgotten how my last relationship ended?”

  He tosses the note onto the bed. “Are you still milking that thing?”

  I scoot up so I’m sitting against the headboard. “If by ‘that thing’ you mean my future wife sleeping with our mate and then leaving me, then yeah, I’m still ‘milking it’.”

  “So, nothing is going on with you and Katie?”

  “Nope.”

  “And you don’t want to be anything but friends?”

  I avoid his eye and lie through my teeth. “Nope.”

  I’ve been hanging out with Katie a lot lately, and the attraction between us is only growing stronger every time I see her. It’s harder to resist her with every passing day.

  She’s a beautiful woman, but I can’t give her more than sex, and I don’t want that for her — for us. She deserves more than just a fuck buddy.

  “So, you won’t mind if I ask her out then?”

  Every muscle in my body is tense, because the idea of my best mate and Katie going on a date is so fucking terrible, but instead of manning up and telling Bryn the truth, I shrug my shoulders and reply, “Sure, do whatever you want.”

  ***

  “Well hello there, sunshine, don’t you just look like a box of fluffies,” Katie tells me with a smirk. “How’s the head?”

  She does up her seatbelt and smiles at me wide and smug.

  “It’s been better,” I admit sheepishly as I pull out into traffic.

  “Oh, that’s an understatement and you know it. I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t come out with the two of you after all, you boys seem to know how to party.”

  I can tell she’s on the verge of laughter already.

  Bryn and I have done a fine job of making a mockery of ourselves, it would seem.