Boyfriend for Hire

by Gail Chianese

  “That’s the beauty of this company. Grandma Spinelli’s been fantastic. I love my job. Love. It,” she sang. “Leaving Laurel with strangers, even someone vetted left me with nightmares. You hear so many horror stories. Not to mention, they grow up too fast. I didn’t want to miss the first time she rolled over or started walking. When I told Grandma Spinelli my concerns, she understood completely.”

  Tawny understood too. Another woman forced to give up her dreams to stay home. “Do you plan to come back when she starts school?”

  “I’d go crazy if I waited five years. No, the Spinellis are allowing me to work from home. When I need to meet with a client or attend an event, Laurel stays with my mom or my husband, Troy, who loves his daddy-daughter time.”

  For the first time in . . . ever, Tawny had met someone who’d found a way to have it all. The urge to grill her on how exactly she accomplished the feat ran deep. She wanted to know what Troy thought of his wife working. Did she have to convince him, and if so, how? What about her parents? Were they behind her decision to keep working, and if not, how did she deal with the situation? Knowledge was power, and Tawny craved both.

  “Sounds like management really cares about its employees.”

  “They do.” The woman on the other side of Kerri piped in. “Hi, I’m Felicity.” The brunette extended her hand before going on. “Two years ago, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. They gave me all the time I needed, no questions asked. Covered for me at the last minute, and not only did Mr. Spinelli and Grandma Spinelli donate their sick days and vacation time, so did the rest of the staff. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.”

  Everywhere Tawny looked people smiled; engrossed in conversations, they laughed. No one wore a bored, please-get-me-out-of-here expression. Children played games or sat with their parents eating, and those not engaged in the first two events sat under a tent listening to a story Mrs. Spinelli read. Had Murphy’s Law lost and she really had stumbled upon Paradise?

  David and Ted, no, that wasn’t it, Phil—his name was Phil—laughed. Tawny turned to see what was so funny and found the two men deep in a story about Phil’s two-year-old son. In his hand were baby pictures.

  Aha! She knew things were too good to be true. Some how her mother arranged this job. Everywhere she looked there were kids. Big kids, little kids, in-between-sized kids. Her mother’s evil plan fast at work. Get her to see all these cute, irresistible children and soon she’d crave one of her own. Good thing she was on to the woman.

  Yeah, if that’s so, how did she arrange this? She doesn’t even know you’re unemployed.

  Clearly the past three weeks had taken more of a toll on her brain than she’d realized. NE Event Solutions was a wonderful company and she should jump at the opportunity (because really, there were no others knocking on her door) before her. If not, she’d end up working for George to pay her rent. So why was she hesitant? This wasn’t part of the plan. Instead of taking a right at the fork in the road called her life, she’d taken a left and found herself . . . Where? Judging by all the smiling faces around her, in the mythical land of Utopia. Working for her big brother, not Utopia. What was the complete opposite of Utopia? Purgatory?

  “So, Tawny, can I ask you something?” Felicity looked to Kerri with a look of uncertainty on her face.

  Oh man. David was right. They were going to pry into her personal life.

  “That was you on Finding Mr. Right, wasn’t it?”

  Whew! She could handle talking about the show. “Yep, for all of three seconds.”

  “Was it cool being on TV?” Kerri asked.

  “Not really. Long, long days and nights with a camera in your face every moment, except when you were in the bathroom. No contact with the outside world, including TV or radio, and fifteen women fighting over nine bathrooms and sharing six bedrooms. It was total chaos. Although I did make a few new friends, which made it worth it.”

  “Okay everyone, grab your partners,” Al Spinelli announced. “It’s time for the three-legged race.”

  David grabbed her hand, tugging her out onto the lawn with the rest of the couples. The children ran up to the adults with strips of cloth in their hands. A cute boy of about ten knelt in front of her and David. As he tied the knot binding her to David, he giggled. An evil sound. It would take a miracle to unbind the two of them. David grinned down at her. Her heart skipped a beat and then another and another. Ah, the price to paradise, her soul.

  Things inside her went mushy, things like her heart and willpower and her brain, while her nether regions went hot and tight. Getting involved with this man would bring nothing but heartache and complications to her life. Their best friends were getting married in a few months. David would be in her life for as long as Cherry was, and that would be until she took her last breath.

  “Let’s show these guys what their new event planner’s made of. Keep your arm around my waist and start with your left foot. I’ll match my stride to yours. The secret is to work together.”

  Sweat broke out and trickled down her back. She was going to fall on her face in front of her potential boss. “David, I can’t. I’ve never done this before, and when I make a fool of myself, they’ll never want to hire me.” Panic laced through her words. She should have lied and told the Spinellis David had to work today.

  He bent his head, kissed her forehead, and hugged her. “Do you trust me?” he whispered in her ear.

  Good question. Did she? Yes, if nothing else, since she’d met him David had proven to be a loyal friend to both Jason and Cherry. She also trusted him to remain faithful to himself.

  “Yes.” She dragged the word out.

  “Follow my lead and we’ll rock this race.”

  The whistle blew, David yelled left and they were off, somehow in sync as they ate up the ground making their way to the finish line. Woo-hoo, they were in the lead, and even better, she hadn’t stumbled and fallen on her face. The whole thing felt awkward and silly and somehow she heard herself giggle like a child.

  She glanced up at David to see his grin matched her mood. He looked down at her, his smile big and bright.

  He bent his head, placing his lips next to her ear. “Ready for the final push?”

  Warm air trickled down her neck. His hand shifted, sliding from her waist up her rib cage until his fingertips skimmed the curve of her breast. Lost in the sensation and subsequent fantasy his words and touch set off in her mind, Tawny didn’t see the couple next to her. The mom and teenage daughter lost their balance, stumbling in front of Tawny.

  David grabbed the girl, keeping her and her mom from falling, and set them back on track. In the dance to keep them from a group face plant, Tawny twisted her ankle and went down, taking David with her. At the last second he executed an intricate flip that put him on the bottom, and Tawny landed mostly on his broad, hard chest.

  Air rushed out of her lungs as she gazed into his electric blue eyes. “Pretty slick moves, Farber.”

  “Yeah?” He shifted to settle deeper between her legs. “Good thing for you I passed Advanced Damsels in Distress Rescue last week.”

  “I’ll be sure to send my thanks to your teacher.” Tawny looked to the finish line as the crowd cheered. “I’m afraid we lost.”

  His hand caressed her back in slow, steady motions. “You enjoyed yourself.”

  “Still didn’t win. That is the goal in a race, isn’t it?”

  “Darling, it’s not about who crosses the line first, it’s how you get there. What do you say we get up and finish this bad boy? Show these fine folks what you’re made of.”

  She’d say that lying there with David snuggled up very close and personal felt way too good. That with each passing second her body got warmer and more tingles raced from all over her body, all heading toward her center. She’d say that the longer they stayed like this, with his kissable lips within reach, the more likely she was to forget where she was and why she shouldn’t be taste-testing him. So she rolled off David. Together they stoo
d, working in unison to hobble over the finish line to the cheers of the crowd. It didn’t matter they had placed last to those around them. The applause, backslapping, and jovial comments were the same as for all who came before. A few good-natured comments were thrown David’s way for his saving not one, but three woman at once.

  The crowd dispersed, moving on to other play stations the venue had set up. Some went back for seconds at the buffet, and David dragged Tawny to the horseshoe pit.

  She pulled her hand free, too aware of the warmth and comfort she found in his touch. Or the burn of desire in his eyes when he looked at her. “I should go talk to the Spinellis. Fun and games are fine, but I still need to land this job.”

  David reached out, wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her against him. Trapped with her back against his body, she had no choice but to stay.

  “Relax, Tawny, let yourself enjoy the picnic,” he whispered. “Look around you. What do you see?”

  Concentrating with David pressed behind her was a little hard. Pun intended. She wiggled to put space between them. “People. Chaos. Networking opportunity.”

  His head shook. “No. You need to look deeper.”

  What did he want of her? “I don’t know. Families playing. Laughter.”

  “Exactly. Everyone is relaxing, having a good time. They’re not discussing work. You need to show you can do the same. Play a game of horseshoes with me.”

  The pit loomed in front of her. Mocking her because it knew she had no freaking clue how to play the game. Wait. Was it a game? Did you get points? Shit. She’d have to admit she’d never played before to David. He and everyone here must think she was the biggest bore around. “Show me how,” she sighed.

  With the rules explained, Tawny stared down the length of lawn in front of her to a stake sticking out of the ground. Sure, no problem, she could toss the metal shoe forty feet. Could she hit the frigging pole? Let’s just say it’s a good thing her career didn’t depend on her making a ringer, the horseshoe equivalent of a bull’s-eye.

  David told her ladies first. She hefted the hunk of metal, tested its weight. Hmm, maybe she had overestimated her strength. Here goes, she thought as the shoe flew through the air and landed, sort of north-west and halfway to her goal, if her target had been the kids’ fishing pool.

  To David’s credit, he didn’t laugh. Much. Arms crossed in front of him, he nodded to the other shoe. “Try again. The first time is always uncomfortable.”

  Her gaze flew to meet his. He nodded again toward her hand. Oh. Her mind clicked into gear and climbed out the gutter. Uncomfortable to handle/throw. Got it.

  A deep breath cleared her mind and calmed her nerves, which had been on fire since she’d landed with her hand on David’s man parts during the race. Full focus on the stake sticking out of the ground, kind of like a pha—Dios. What is wrong with me? I’m at a family picnic, not the red-light district. Clean it up, Torres, there are children present.

  So caught up was Tawny in her internal dissing, she didn’t notice David had stepped up behind her. “Relax, darling, not everyone gets it the first time. The trick is to ease into it, breathe slow, and enjoy.” He pulled her back against his chest, wrapped one muscular arm around her waist to hold her in place. He ran his hand down her arm, slowly working out the tension until his hand covered hers.

  “Picture your goal. What do you want? Slowly bring it up.” He lifted her arm. “Now back off.” He brought her arm down and back. “And let it go with everything you’ve got as you bring your arm back up.” Together they released their grip.

  The horseshoe flew through the air, metal clanked against metal and spun around the stick.

  A ringer! She spun around, jumped up and down as she wrapped her arms around David’s neck.

  “They’re so cute together. Isn’t young love wonderful, Lois?”

  The comment from a woman she hadn’t met brought Tawny back to her senses before her lips could find their mark. So shaken she didn’t notice the yelling and running by everyone around them until David grabbed her hand.

  “Someone’s hurt.”

  Wading through a giant circle, they found Al Spinelli sprawled on the ground, his face the color of ash and his mother sitting next to him cradling his head. Stacy stood guard as she talked to someone on the phone. Tears rushed down Mrs. Spinelli’s face. Everyone in the crowd appeared stricken with fear, murmuring amongst themselves. Everyone except David, who jumped into action.

  In a calm voice he got Mrs. Spinelli to rest her son’s head on the ground. As David checked for a pulse, he asked what exactly happened.

  “He said something about the potato salad giving him heartburn, it does that sometimes. Then he started massaging his arm and said he ached all over, his back, his chest, even his throat. The next minute he collapsed.” She held his hand to her heart, a lifeline to her son.

  “Okay, I need you to let go. Is she on with 911?” David nodded toward Stacy.

  “Yes, paramedics are on the way.”

  “Good.” David checked Spinelli’s airway, pinched off his nose, and blew air into his mouth. Next came the chest compressions. Over and over he repeated these steps, his focus never leaving his patient.

  Tawny sent Phil or Ted or whatever his name was to the front of the building to meet the medics when they arrived. Next she instructed Kerri to round up all the kids and take them to the story tent, far away from the drama. Not finding Spinelli’s wife Cindy and their daughter Breena, Tawny sent another person to find them.

  Stacy had moved to stand next to her aunt with a protective hand on the lady’s shoulder. Good. Mrs. Spinelli leaned into her niece, never leaving her son’s side. Stacy continued to talk on the phone, reporting David’s movements and Al’s lack of response.

  In the distance sirens cut through the chatter, silencing the crowd. A woman’s scream sliced through Tawny’s heart. Cindy Spinelli dropped the stack of gaily wrapped boxes, running for her husband. Right on her tail was her daughter.

  Cindy grabbed her daughter before she could push David out of the way. “Leave him, he looks like he knows what he’s doing, baby.”

  David never broke his stride. Breathe. Compress, again and again. Breathe. Compress.

  Tawny had no idea how long he’d been at it. It could have been seconds, minutes, or days. Time had stopped. A man clung to life as another fought for him to live.

  The family gathered, glued to each other’s sides, pain, fear, uncertainty etched across their faces. Tawny had been through a similar situation a few months ago when her best friend’s grandma collapsed. Tawny’s heart ached with empathy. The paramedics couldn’t arrive soon enough.

  As if in answer to her prayers, two uniformed men pushed through the crowd. While they broke out their equipment, the older of the two asked questions and the younger took over CPR for David. They wasted no time firing up the defibrillator. David wrapped Mrs. Spinelli in his arms, lifting her off the ground and moving her and the other women back out of the medics’ way. He kept his arm around the older woman as he spoke low in her ear. Tawny couldn’t hear what he’d said, but it seemed to help calm the women.

  On the second try, Al Spinelli’s heart began to beat again.

  “Is he . . . going to be okay?” Cindy Spinelli asked hesitantly.

  The older paramedic glanced at her. “You’ll have to ask the doctor, but if it wasn’t for that man’s quick actions, he wouldn’t have a chance.”

  Together the medics lifted Al onto the gurney and carted him away with his family close behind. The crowd stood huddled together. Lost and shaken. Tawny’s body, devoid of feeling or thought, automatically gravitated to David. Seeking comfort? Safety? She didn’t know why, only that she needed to be next to him.

  After a few minutes, the employees came back to life, talking about what had happened, what would happen, and if it weren’t for David, how Al Spinelli would have been dead.

  One by one they gathered around him, grabbing his shoulders, giving him slaps
on the back, congratulating him. Women lined up to hug him. Little girls brought him flowers.

  Of course they did. David Farber had a way with women of all ages.

  By the time the group dispersed and Tawny and David headed for the car, she’d lost count of how many drinks David had coming his way. Not to mention a couple rounds of golf, deep-sea fishing, and a weekend use of someone’s sailboat.

  Looked like David Farber had a way with men as well.

  If he’d been the other candidate for the job, he would have landed it. Slam-dunk. Hook, line, sinker.

  And Tawny would have graciously conceded the loss, because David did something amazing. He’d saved a life. A hero. How could she ever pay him back?

  During the ride back to her place her phone buzzed. She read the text message, groaning.

  “What’s up?”

  “I’ve been summoned to my parents’ for a family dinner tonight.” She gave him her most enticing smile. “Don’t suppose you’d be up to coming to my rescue for a second time today, would you?”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t take this wrong, but hell no. Your parents scare the crap out of me. Especially your mom.”

  “Join the club.” They pulled up to her place, where workers had set up a complicated ladder and catwalk thingy in front of the aging Victorian. “At least I won’t have to listen to hammers and saws today.” Turning in her seat, she faced him. “David, I can’t say thank you enough for today. If you hadn’t gone with me . . . I mean, I had fun, you know, up until my potential boss almost died. And what you did . . . Amazing doesn’t even come close.”

  “I did what anyone with CPR training would do. It’s no big deal.”