Romancing His Rival

by Jennifer Shirk

  She bit her lip. “And what if I wasn’t helping you with your ad?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, would you still have great things to say about me to Scott?”

  Lucas looked at her, his gaze so direct and unwavering that her feet suddenly felt pinned to the floor. “Yes,” he told her, his voice deep and sincere, “I would have only the very best things to say about you whether you were helping me or not. Now that I’ve gotten to know you better, I can’t imagine any man giving you up.”

  Her heart thudded twice. “Um…good.” She cleared her throat, forcing herself to break eye contact. “Thanks. Maybe I’ll go find Kinsley now and see what she says.”

  “I’ll start packing. Text me as soon as you know.” He stood and stretched his arms until his shirt pulled taut against his chest.

  She blinked then backed away toward the door. The room suddenly felt a little off-kilter, like she’d abruptly woken up in the middle of the night from a bad dream. Something about the way Lucas was looking at her had her whole body at attention, which was unsettling. But also a little bit exciting.

  Oh my gosh, she had completely lost her mind! First she messed up their names and now this. She wanted to get back together with Scott. She wanted to marry Scott. Yet, here she was wondering what it would be like to run her hands over Lucas’s broad chest. Naked broad chest.

  She was the worst kind of girlfriend/soon-to-be-fiancée/almost-future-wife ever.

  “Are you okay?” Lucas asked.

  No! I’m not okay at all. In fact, I might have contracted a rare hallucination-causing disease. Dear lord, she could only hope it was a disease.

  And that it had a cure.

  She sent him a weak smile. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

  “You look nervous about the prospect of going to New York City.”

  I’m nervous about the prospect of being alone in the car ride up with you. I’m nervous I’m finding you so attractive. “Nope. Not at all.”

  He smiled. “Good, because I need you to focus and have your creative head in the game on this with me.”

  She swallowed. “Yes, I will. No worries there.”

  The drawings she could handle. Her sudden attraction to Lucas? Well…

  That was definitely something for her to worry about.

  …

  Lucas played around with different fonts and their placement as Elena finished her sketches of her Santa Claus. They’d driven directly from Cape Harmony to his office and had spent the entire afternoon there. But it had been extremely productive. Elena started on her last drawing and, once she was done, they’d show them all to Craig Campitelli at Fun & Games Toys for final approval. Then they could move to the next stage of inking the line work and then coloring the characters.

  He had to hand it to Elena. She worked efficiently and professionally for not having experience in this line of work. She took his suggestions and critiques well, too. They made a good team together. A good professional team, that is. He was surprised he enjoyed working with someone else as much as he did. He was typically pretty selfish when it came to sharing work details and contracts. As a result, he worked better alone. Just like in his personal life.

  “Did you text Scott yet to let him know I’m in the city?” she asked, not looking up from her work.

  “Uh, no. Not yet.”

  She stopped drawing and looked up, directing her soft brown gaze at him. “Why not?”

  Yeah, Albright. Why not?

  Because like he already suspected, he was selfish. That’s why. He wanted Elena and her thoughts and her smiles all to himself—even if they were just working, even if it was for just a few hours. Which was stupid. She’d done everything he’d asked of her and for some unknown reason, he was hesitating living up to his end of their bargain. Some friend he was.

  He cleared his throat. “You know Scott. He’s so busy he wouldn’t check his text messages in the middle of the day anyway. I’ll do it a little later.” Much later.

  Elena chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, which had him staring at her perfectly kissable mouth. A mouth he had no business even thinking about and would never kiss in this lifetime anyway, but still, he couldn’t look away. “I guess that makes sense,” she said with a frown.

  A knock on his office door drew his attention away from Elena, thankfully, and his boss, Marshall Sundberg, walked in. “Hey, Lucas,” he said in greeting, “how are the sketches coming along?”

  Lucas stood. “We’re actually in the home stretch, sir.”

  “Wonderful. Craig loves what he’s seen so far.” His boss smiled down at Elena. “And you must be Elena Mason,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Marshall Sundberg. So very nice to have you as part of the team on this project.”

  Elena smiled and shook his hand. “Thank you. I’m so honored you wanted to use my drawings.”

  “Talented and humble.” He winked at Lucas. “She’s going to make you look even better to the other partners here.”

  Elena looked up at Lucas and cocked her head. “Other partners?”

  Lucas nodded. “Just a few of the shareholders here at Bold Mine Advertising. They’re evaluating my work.”

  Marshall approached the table where they’d been working and frowned. “Huh. Are you sure you want to draw a sleigh that’s so unorthodox? It takes up so much of the picture, too.”

  Elena’s face grew pale, and her eyes widened. “Oh, I just… I thought I could have more freedom with the design. If you want me to change it, I could—”

  “Elena,” Lucas said, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze, “you’re the designer. Did you draw it that way for a particular reason?”

  She glanced over at him and her posture relaxed a little. “Well, yes. First off, this is a modern, unconventional Santa, therefore he needs unconventional modes of transportation. Secondly, if you look at the dimensions of the page, you really need it that large to make sure the company’s name is clear and readable and not overcrowded.”

  Marshall studied the drawing again, then after a minute, nodded. “Makes sense. I’ll defer to whatever you think.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she said, beaming.

  His boss gestured to the door. “May I speak to you in private, Lucas?”

  “Sure.” Lucas glanced at Elena. “Be right back. I’ll grab us some coffee.”

  Elena smiled dreamily. “Ooh, that sounds great. And maybe a little snack too?”

  His boss chuckled. “There’s a bakery on the first floor of this building. I’ll have him send up a cookie tray.”

  “You don’t have to go to all that trouble,” she said. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

  “Nonsense,” Marshall said. “You’ve earned it with those miraculous drawings.” Then he walked out the door with Lucas following behind.

  Once outside his office, Lucas closed the door behind him. “What did you want to speak to me about, sir?”

  Marshall leaned in, lowering his voice. “As soon as the final sketch is done and everything is approved, we’ll proceed full steam ahead on this campaign. The rest of the firm is extremely pleased and wants to move ahead just as quickly on making you partner. As a result, I imagine you’ll have a very special Christmas this year, if you know what I mean.”

  Lucas’s chest felt like it would burst. He’d be partner before the New Year. “Thank you so much. I really appreciate the opportunity and support.”

  “You might not feel this way come next year,” he said with a chuckle. “They already want you to be the lead man on several projects they’re looking to sign.”

  “I look forward to the challenge.” And he did. This was it. What he’d been working for all along. What he’d loved doing most. What he was best at.

  “Glad to hear it,” Marshall said, grinning. His gaze then shifted to Elena through the glass window of his office. Her chin was tilted down, and she appeared to be analyzing her work. “Nice girl,” his boss commented.

  Luca
s’s focus never wavered from Elena. “Yes,” he answered automatically.

  “Talented, too.”

  Absolutely yes. “Yes.”

  “Interested in her other than professionally?”

  Hell yes.

  Lucas’s gaze whipped to his boss, afraid he’d said his thoughts aloud. “No. Not at all.”

  Marshall laughed and clapped him on the back. “Thank God for that. Don’t need a sexual harassment suit on our hands. And even if it was consensual, our line of work puts a strain on relationships. I’m sure you know that by now.”

  “Yeah. I do know.” Not that he needed the help of his career to destroy a relationship. He could achieve that one all on his own.

  “Well, Elena’s work will certainly help put you on the map here. Your career will soar. And for people like us, that’s all that really matters, right?”

  Lucas’s gaze traveled back to Elena, who chose at that exact time to look up and send him such a sweet smile that his mouth went dry. She’s not yours, he reminded himself. Lucas had no business even thinking she could be. He was the kind of man who would hurt her in the end. Marriage was a risky bet for him, and marriage was what she wanted. More importantly, she wanted Scott. Better to focus on his promotion, where he could succeed, and what he knew for sure would bring him happiness.

  He turned back to Marshall. “Yes, sir,” he croaked. “That is all that matters.”

  Or at least, it had been.

  Chapter Ten

  “Wow, I can’t believe it’s six o’clock already,” Elena said, stretching her arms over her head. “I had so much fun.”

  Lucas’s lips twitched. “You think work is fun?”

  “Well, not that I don’t have fun at The Harbor Light, but this… It’s a different kind of fun. Challenging and satisfying at the same time.”

  Lucas knew exactly what she meant. He felt the same whenever he was in the zone for work. Like a runner’s high. Sometimes he wished he could bottle the feeling so it would never end. But he had a suspicion that what he’d experienced today had very little to do with actual work and everything to do with Elena.

  The more time he’d spent with her, the more time he wanted with her. Funny, but if he hadn’t known better, he’d think he was falling for his friend’s girlfriend. Which was ridiculous because she was in love with Scott and not him. So, wouldn’t that just be the damnedest situation to be in? Especially with all the help she’d given him on the ad and in helping him get his promotion. Plus, he’d made a promise to help her patch things up with Scott.

  And as if his mood couldn’t turn any sourer, Mr. Perfect Would-Be Husband himself breezed off the elevator just then and walked onto the floor of the firm.

  Elena’s face lit up. Turned out his mood could become sourer.

  “Ooh, Scott’s here,” she gushed. She clamped her hand on Lucas’s arm and grinned. “You little sneak. You did text him I was here, didn’t you?”

  Actually, he hadn’t.

  In fact, Lucas had conveniently forgotten all about texting Scott until now. Lucas wondered what he was doing here.

  Lucas stood and walked out of his office to greet him, and Elena followed closely behind.

  Scott’s mouth split into a wide grin at the sight of them. “Hey, I didn’t know you’d be back in New York so soon. I was dropping off these advertising contracts you guys are doing for us. This is great that I’ve run into you both.”

  Lucas forced a smile. Jealousy was a powerful emotion. In fact, he chalked it up to a miracle that he hadn’t beaten his chest and spewed dragon fire already.

  “It is great,” Elena said, beaming. “I thought Lucas had mentioned it to you but, since you’re here, maybe we can grab dinner tonight.”

  Scott stepped forward, taking her hand in his. “Perfect. I know a great spot. They serve that French rosé you love so much.”

  “Aw, you remembered.”

  Scott raised her hand in his and kissed the back of it. Lucas grimaced, resisting the urge to swat Elena’s hand out of Scott’s.

  “There’s nothing about you that I could forget,” Scott told her.

  Elena smiled. “You’re sweet, and the restaurant sounds wonderful.”

  There’s nothing about you that I could forget. Gah. Scott was acting like a tool, using those clichéd lines on Elena. Annoyed and feeling like a third wheel, Lucas couldn’t help stepping forward. “Hey, that does sound great. We can make it the three of us, just like old times.”

  Elena and Scott both turned toward Lucas. “The three of us?” Elena asked with a frown.

  “Yeah, I’m starving,” he added, rubbing his stomach for effect.

  Elena tried to catch his eye, but Lucas refused to look at her. He knew she wanted to go to dinner with Scott alone, but honestly, if he was really going to patch up their relationship, it only made sense that Lucas would need to see them together one more time in order to make sure they truly did fit. Could never be too sure in matters of relationships, and right now, he was far from convinced. Very far.

  Elena grabbed his arm and yanked. “Can I have a word, Lucas?”

  He smiled at Scott. “Work stuff,” he said with a shrug. “We’ll just be a minute.”

  Elena wasted no time, pulling him into his office. As soon as Lucas closed the door, she whirled around. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

  “Going to dinner with two friends?”

  “Wrongo. You are not going to dinner with us,” she said between clenched teeth. “You know, as the old saying goes…”

  “Garlic keeps the vampires away?”

  “No!” she huffed. “Two’s company, three’s a crowd.”

  “I like my saying better.”

  She swore under her breath. “What is your problem, anyway? Create an excuse. Otherwise, you’ll ruin everything.”

  He raised a finger. “That’s not true. I actually feel that by me going along with you guys, it will greatly enhance your getting back together.” Perhaps.

  She snorted. “Really? How?” she asked, folding her arms.

  He swallowed. Yeah, how? “Um…because with me being there, I can talk you up without it being so obvious. Explain how great you’re doing at work and how pleased the firm is with your artwork.”

  “The firm is really pleased?”

  Lucas nodded. “Mr. Sundberg told me so today.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “And…you’ll tell Scott all that?”

  “Totally. And much more. It’ll be so easy to plant the seeds of what a great couple you make when you’re actually out together as a couple, showing me just that.”

  Elena stared at him for several seconds, looking as if her mind was weighing everything he’d just told her. “Well, okay then. I guess you can come to dinner.”

  Relieved, he gave her a smile. “I knew you’d see it my way.”

  Elena walked past him to the door then swung back around. “No funny business,” she said, stabbing her finger in his chest. “Or you can wave that last Santa sketch I’ve been working on goodbye, Lucas. I don’t care about the money or the contract. All I care about is my future.”

  “Right,” he said bitterly. “You care about your future with Scott. How could I forget when you remind me every chance you get? Well, my future in this company is riding on your drawings, so don’t worry. I don’t want to jeopardize this night any more than you do.”

  Her shoulders relaxed, and she dropped her arm. “Okay, good,” she said quietly. “As long as we understand each other.”

  Yeah. He got it all right. And if that wasn’t the slap in the face back to reality he needed, he didn’t know what was. He was being ridiculous, allowing his emotions to clog his logic. His future. Kicking himself over his own stupidity for almost sabotaging his career, he threw open the door. “We understand each other perfectly.”

  …

  Elena stared at her salad, pushing around a cherry tomato with her fork. The restaurant Scott had brought them to was fabulous. Exactly what
she loved—creative food choices and a cozy atmosphere with shabby chic decorations. Plus, it was nice that it was crowded without having to raise your voice to hold a conversation. But she wasn’t having a very good time knowing Lucas was upset with her.

  She hadn’t meant to threaten not giving him her last drawing. She trusted him. She really did. He just surprised her by offering to come out to dinner with her and Scott. And truth be told, she kind of wanted some distance from Lucas tonight. Working with him as much as she had been was beginning to cloud her brain—mostly with thoughts of how much she enjoyed his company, how supportive he was, and how great they worked together. She couldn’t remember Scott ever being as considerate. The only time he was supportive was when it seemed to benefit him. But maybe she wasn’t being fair to Scott. She’d been spending a lot of time with Lucas, and they shared a rare working camaraderie that had her full attention nowadays.

  And why wouldn’t she and Lucas work well together? They were friends, after all. They had both agreed they were friends last Saturday night. And if that was the case, she had every right to be concerned that he might still be mad at her. Lucas had barely even looked at her all night.

  Scott nudged her with his elbow. “You’re awfully quiet, Elena. This guy working you too hard?”

  She sent him a wan smile and picked up her glass of wine.

  “Elena is one of the best artists I’ve worked with,” Lucas interjected. “She’s definitely a hard worker and talented, but she also isn’t afraid of criticism if it makes her drawings better.”

  Elena’s spirits lifted at Lucas’s words. She looked up over her wineglass and he winked at her. And just like that, she deflated like a leaky balloon. Lucas was just saying all those things for Scott’s benefit. Which was exactly what she’d wanted! She didn’t know why it was bothering her. She should have been pleased that he was helping her look good in front of Scott, but all she felt was a stab of disappointment that it wasn’t what Lucas really thought about her or her work.

  “That’s awesome,” Scott said, swinging his arm around Elena’s shoulders. “You’re finally a real professional.”