Romancing His Rival

by Jennifer Shirk

  “You’re not going to beat me in racquetball loading up on sugar and fat, Albright.”

  Lucas turned as Scott stuck out his hand to shake his. “Hey, man,” Lucas said, smiling at his friend. “Does this body look like it’s falling out of shape?” He rolled his shoulders then struck a muscle-flexing pose.

  Scott chuckled. “Somebody is sounding defensive. That’s just the way I like my opponent.”

  Lucas snorted. “We’ll see about that once I’m back in New York. Hey, I actually meant to text you that I was here in town. Elena mentioned you were staying overnight.”

  Scott picked up a plate of assorted fruit and dug a fork into a cantaloupe slice. “Funny, she didn’t mention to me that you were staying here. Only that your company had offered her a small job. Is it true?”

  Not exactly a small job, he was tempted to point out. Fun & Games Toys was a multimillion-dollar company. “Uh, yes, as a matter of fact, we did.”

  “Is she going to take it?”

  “I believe so,” he said carefully. “She told me it’s in her best interests to do the art design for us.”

  Scott shook his head. “Wow, that’s so great. I’m just amazed. I wasn’t sure she had it in her.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “Between you and me, I thought she wanted to be stuck in this rinky-dink town for the rest of her life. Can you imagine that? I mean, I can’t even get a decent cappuccino around here.”

  Lucas stiffened. True, the small town of Cape Harmony could not and would never compare with New York City. But Elena obviously had a lot of fondness for the shore area and the memories she had with her parents here. For that reason, he was fairly certain Elena would not appreciate her beach resort hometown being referred to as rinky-dink.

  Scott scratched his head. “I guess she told you we’re thinking about seeing each other again.”

  Lucas only nodded.

  “I know you don’t think—”

  “Does it really matter what I think?” Lucas asked, studying his friend.

  “Of course it does. You know I trust your opinion. Plus, you work in Manhattan. You know how hard it is to make something of yourself there. All the right boxes have to be checked, including what you wear, where you live, and who you marry. I’m under a lot of pressure.”

  “I don’t really find that to be the case in my line of work.”

  “Believe me, it matters on Wall Street and in my company especially. What you said about marriage made sense at the time. Her ambitions should match mine. And they didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, Elena is awesome. She’s beautiful and funny, but you definitely had me thinking. As a hotel receptionist with no college education, she didn’t fit into my world.”

  Lucas winced. What the hell? Had Scott really gleaned all that from their conversations together? True, marriage should be a partnership, but even to his own ears it sounded petty, old-fashioned, and even a little mean-spirited.

  “Well, now all that has changed thanks to you,” his friend went on. “She has a shot at making a career as a New York designer. So who knows? Maybe there could be a future for us after all. I’m seeing her in a whole new light. A new version of Elena.”

  Lucas wanted to ask what was so wrong with the old Elena, but then the woman herself appeared in the doorway, looking as if making sure everything was in place for the breakfast buffet.

  As she spoke to her guests, Lucas’s gaze slowly traced along the length of her body. There was a girl-next-door quality about her he found refreshing. Her dark hair trailed in ribbons over her shoulders, her skin like a bowl of peaches-and-cream ice cream. Despite his friend standing right next to him, Lucas struggled to look away, fascinated by her simple mixture of sweetness and stubbornness. Scott was one lucky SOB.

  Elena’s gaze found his, and she sent him a tentative smile until she saw that Scott was also in the room, which was when her face positively lit up. She made her way over to where they both stood.

  “Hey, Scott,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. She turned toward Lucas with guarded eyes. “Good morning,” she said to him. “Everything…okay?”

  Scott swung an arm around Elena’s shoulders. “Why wouldn’t it be? Lucas here just told me you accepted the freelancing job.”

  Her gaze flicked to Lucas before answering. “Um, yes. I did. Actually, Lucas and I are supposed to meet this morning to go over a few things about that, but if you wanted to grab coffee or something before you leave, I thought we could—”

  “Can’t, babe.” Scott took out his phone and waved it. “Duty calls even on Saturdays. After breakfast I have to head back.”

  The light in Elena’s eyes dimmed, which made Lucas want to grab Scott by the collar and shake some sense into him. A half hour or so with the woman Scott had intentions of dating and possibly even marrying was a luxury no man should ever take for granted. Lucas should know. It was one of the reasons he himself was no longer married.

  “That’s okay,” she told Scott, but Lucas could tell from her voice and tone it wasn’t. She turned her brown eyes to Lucas. “I’ll be in my office. Once you’re done eating, you can come and find me there.”

  Lucas nodded. “Sounds good. I do need to go over the deadline schedule with you.”

  Scott chuckled. “Look at you two, having your first corporate powwow. This is so great to witness.”

  Elena smiled faintly. “Yeah, I’m practically a big shot already.”

  “That’s my girl.” Then Scott kissed her quickly on the lips and after he told her he’d call her later tonight, she glanced at the buffet table one last time then walked to her office.

  Scott turned back to Lucas after Elena was out of earshot. “Hey, I really appreciate you giving her this chance for me.”

  Lucas frowned. “I didn’t do it for you. Elena has real talent.”

  “Oh, right, of course. Even better.” Scott’s cell phone pinged. He glanced at the text message and grinned. “Women,” he said, shaking his head as he began typing.

  “Elena missing you already?” Lucas couldn’t help asking. He also couldn’t help it grating on his nerves, either.

  “Huh?” Scott glanced up. “No, not Elena. Melanie. That’s who I’m meeting for drinks later this afternoon.”

  Lucas’s hand clenched around his coffee cup. “I thought you were interested in Elena?”

  “She knows we’re taking it slow before deciding anything official. Besides, I had this date on the calendar way before. Melanie is a client, so I can’t just break it off now. Better to do it in person. You know how it can get hairy mixing business with pleasure. I probably should never have gotten involved. But then again, I didn’t know there would be a chance of me and Elena getting back together. Don’t want to rush things, though,” he said, poking Lucas in the side with his elbow. “Elena can get a little carried away with her planning and scheduling, and I want to make sure we’re really right together.”

  Lucas stared at his friend as he went back to texting. He supposed what Scott had told him held an element of truth to it. And they technically weren’t back together yet. Really, it was no big deal for Scott to have another date. So why couldn’t Lucas let it go?

  Because he was obviously allowing this newfound preoccupation with Elena to skew his logic. That’s why.

  Scott finished texting then tucked his phone into his back pocket. “Hey, I’m going to take off. Call me when you get back to the city. We’ll grab dinner some night.”

  “Yeah, sure. But just so you know, I’ll probably be here until the end of next week. Elena and I have a lot of work to accomplish in a short amount of time and, since I’m here anyway…”

  Scott snorted. “So sorry to hear that, man. Trust me, by tonight, it’s going to feel like you’re stuck in Bedford Falls—in the same exact era, too. But hey, take care of my woman for me. Make sure nobody steals her away from me before I even get her back,” he said with a chuckle.

  Scott’s woman? Oh, right. Elena. She and Scott were sort of back together. Or soon
could be.

  Maybe.

  What the hell is wrong with me? Of course she was Scott’s woman. He just said so. And maybe, just maybe, if he repeated it enough, it might sink into his thick pea brain and he could stop feeling like a jealous teenager.

  Lucas clapped his friend on the shoulder and tried to smile. “I’ll do my best.”

  …

  Elena scrolled through the reservation list for that weekend. Only two rooms were checking out today. One of them being Scott’s.

  She tried not to take offense at him rushing back to the city so soon. Obviously, Scott had work to do. He always had work to do, even before their breakup. It was part of the package she knew she was getting with him. She admired how dedicated and driven he was. How equally organized he was. It was just…

  Once in a while she wanted to come first.

  A light rap on her office door had her glancing up, and Lucas let himself in.

  “Hey,” he said, sitting in a chair in front of her desk. “You okay?”

  She bristled. “Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”

  “I know you wanted Scott to stay and spend a little more time with you. I’m sure he wasn’t thinking.”

  She glanced down at her lap, a little embarrassed that Lucas had read her so easily. Especially when Scott hadn’t seemed to notice how much him rushing off had bothered her. The fact that Lucas was being so kind about it made her feel ten times worse. Lucas Albright wasn’t supposed to be nice. He was supposed to be arrogant and insulting. Demeaning.

  It would be so much easier to hate him if he were.

  “It’s not a big deal,” she lied.

  They were both quiet for a moment. “Do you have the drawing of your Santa in an actual sleigh with you?” he asked.

  Elena let out a little breath, relieved that he was willing to let it go and get down to business. That was the Lucas she disliked so well.

  “Yes, I brought it with me this morning.” She opened her top drawer and pulled out her sketchbook. “You know, your boss sent me the contract already.”

  Lucas’s brow rose. “Did he? That was quick. Have you looked at it yet?”

  She nodded. “Seemed fairly standard, I guess.”

  “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Please, Lucas, I’m sure I can manage my own contract.” Pretty sure, anyway.

  “Really? Humor me. I know you can read a contract. I just want to make sure you’re not making more money than I am.”

  She chuckled. “Fine.” Then handed him her printed copy.

  After a few minutes, Lucas shook his head. “This is no good.”

  “What? No good? Why?”

  “This a flat fee contract. A very generous flat fee, but still, I would ask to be paid in royalties plus an advance. Otherwise, you might be missing out on some serious money if this campaign is very successful or goes international.” He handed her back the contract. “Maybe they accidentally did it this way or maybe because you’re new, but regardless, don’t sign it. Tell Marshall you want it corrected first.”

  “I—” She blinked then narrowed her eyes. “Wait. Whose side are you on anyway?”

  “Mine. If you don’t have a good contract this time around, you’re not likely to work with me again, and I’d hate to miss out on your talent on my projects.”

  He shrugged and gave her a smile—a slow, sexy kind of smile that had her more than concerned that she kept noticing how sexy Lucas was.

  She cleared her throat and stared at Lucas a moment, not knowing what to make of him or his advice. He had a valid point, and she appreciated his honesty and help. “I will tell him. Thank you. But what is a good royalty rate anyway?”

  “For Fun & Games Toys I’d say somewhere between 3 and 6 percent.”

  “I’ll ask for six then.”

  He planted his palm over his face. “Good grief, I’ve created the next Warren Buffett.”

  She laughed. “I’m a quick study.”

  “So I’m learning,” he said, smiling back. “Why don’t you show me your drawing now.”

  Elena slid her sketchbook toward him. “Like I said yesterday, the sleigh is a little unconventional. Something I just kind of created for the fun of it. I didn’t think anyone would be seeing it.”

  Lucas bent his head over her paper and studied the drawing. “You’re right. It’s kind of a quirky-looking sleigh, but at least it has normal reindeer.”

  She grinned. “I almost made them robot reindeer.”

  “Figures,” he said with a chuckle. “We always have to rein people like you in.”

  “People like me?”

  He looked up, his gaze connecting with hers. “Artists.”

  She suddenly felt flustered. “Oh, no, but I—”

  Lucas reached out and placed a hand on top of her own. “Elena, you might as well face the fact and get used to hearing it now. You are an artist.”

  Artist. She let out a little smile. “I guess you’re right. It just sounds funny to me. I mean, I didn’t go to school or anything like that.”

  “What you can do can’t be learned anyway. People have it or they don’t. You happen to have a very special gift.”

  She held in a sigh. There Lucas went again, being all complimentary and nice. She wished he’d say something condescending instead. Get them back to a playing field she was used to with him.

  “Thanks,” she said then glanced down and saw he was still holding her hand. She tried not to read too much into it or the strange effect it was having on her insides. After all, it was just an act of comfort and maybe even friendship, but suddenly the gesture seemed oddly intimate.

  He must have thought the same, because he quickly let go and sat back. “I’ll snap a few pictures of your sketch and send them to my boss. He can let us know if you need to redo the sleigh or not. By the way, the revised contract for the drawings should be in your email Monday morning. Once you sign, we can officially start.”

  Her insides tightened. She worried if she could really do the job Lucas’s company expected of her, but she also worried if he could get Scott to propose to her again. The most important thing was getting her old life back, the one she had when she was engaged to Scott and happily planning her wedding. Her future had seemed so sure and secure. She was content and loved. Now, she just felt stuck in a numb limbo.

  “You don’t look happy,” Lucas commented. “Something wrong?”

  “Just thinking. Have you said anything to Scott yet? About me?”

  He hesitated. “No, I haven’t.”

  “Well, when do you plan to?”

  “I haven’t thought about it. Remember, we have a deal here first, then I’ll talk with Scott.”

  “Why wait? I told you I’d sign the contract. I think you need to talk to Scott now and encourage him. Too much time has already gone by.”

  He shook his head. “Sorry. This is a business deal, Elena. First, sign the contract, produce the drawing, and then I’ll be happy to talk to Scott for you.” He cocked his head, wariness in his eyes. “But, uh, what exactly do you want me to say to him, anyway?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, how about the opposite of what you told him eight months ago for starters. That marriage can be wonderful. And now that I’m a graphic designer, you can tell him that I’ll make a fantastic corporate wife, too. “

  Ugh. Corporate wife. It sounded like a military rank instead of a potential life partner.

  He cocked one eyebrow. “A fantastic corporate wife? Seems kind of limiting. Is that all you see yourself as?”

  She huffed out a frustrated breath. “Well, you’re the know-it-all. Can’t you see anything else at all positive about me?”

  The corners of his mouth flicked as his gaze raked her body, hot and fast. “I’m sure I can come up with one or two things.”

  A brief shiver of awareness coursed up her spine. “Don’t get cute,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “This is really important to me.” Scott is really imp
ortant to me.

  “Yes, so you’ve mentioned. December engagement. True love. Meant to be together. Blah-blah-blah.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “It’s so nice to see you taking this so seriously.”

  “It’ll be fine. Scott values my opinion—he told me so today. I’ll be sure to talk to him. At his company’s Christmas party.”

  She bit her lip. “I don’t know. The Christmas party is December twentieth. That’s cutting it a little too close, don’t you think?”

  “Trust me. That’s the perfect time. You’ll have gotten into a comfortable dating routine by then. The mood will be just right. Festive and romantic. It’s being held at the Amargio Hotel in Manhattan. Plus, a good chunk of the work we need to do will be done by then, too. Hopefully, I’ll be able to talk up your designs and work ethic.”

  “Not hopefully. You will.”

  Hopefully…

  His lips curved in a way that made her think the man definitely had a naughty side, and a rush of heat claimed her cheeks. “I like your confidence,” he told her.

  Yeah. Confidence. Too bad she was really all talk. But she’d make sure she wouldn’t let Lucas down. For some reason, it was becoming important that she didn’t let him down for more than just wanting him to talk to Scott and show him that they could share the same ambitions. Lucas really seemed to believe in her.

  Even if she didn’t quite believe in herself.

  Lucas stood. “I’ll let you get back to your day job. After you sign the contract, we’ll set a time to sit down together and hammer out the logo to go with your drawings.”

  She stood, too, and when he turned to go, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was going to do until then in town all by himself. Not because she cared about him or whatever he did. She just knew what it was like to feel…alone. Seeing that he was away from friends and family—and it was the holiday season—the least she could do was make sure his time was occupied properly.

  “What are your plans this weekend?” she asked.

  He gave her a sexy half smile that made her heart kick against her chest. “You know, asking me out on a date doesn’t really scream hopelessly-devoted-to-Scott.”