The Dating Arrangement

by Kerri Carpenter

  “Would you like a specialty cocktail?” Jack asked with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Tempting, but how about a beer?”

  “Suit yourself.”

  “And where is Miss Emerson?”

  “Right here.” Emerson came up behind Xander and wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing tightly.

  “Not that I mind, but what was that for?” Xander asked.

  “You helped us paint this place. That means that you helped this whole party happen, and I appreciate it.”

  Xander wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her to his side. He placed a kiss on the top of her head.

  Even though the kiss was short and chaste and completely friendly, Jack felt his heart rate rising. He didn’t like seeing Emerson with another guy. Even Xander.

  He came out from behind the bar.

  “Hey, all he did was paint for a couple of hours.” He jerked a thumb at Xander. “I painted, cleaned, moved furniture, changed lights.”

  “Poor baby,” Emerson said with a laugh in her voice. She broke away from Xander and went up on tiptoe so she could press a kiss to one of his cheeks and then the other. “You did an amazing job too. Thank you.”

  “That was all I asked.” He motioned to one of his bartenders. “Hey, Scott, you guys good back there?”

  “Absolutely. Take a load off. We got this.”

  “Drink?” he asked Emerson. “I think you deserve a break too.”

  “Sure. Sounds good. I might as well try this cocktail everyone is raving about.”

  “She says with pride.” Jack winked at her before dashing behind the bar. He grabbed a beer for himself and a cocktail for Emerson. With Xander, they moved to a corner away from the dancefloor, taking over one of the high cocktail tables Emerson had insisted he needed in order to create levels. Now that he saw them, he had to agree with her. It added dimension to the bar.

  The three of them enjoyed their drinks as much as they could over the volume of the music. Eventually, Emerson pushed her cocktail toward the center of the table. “Well, I should be getting back to work.”

  “Back to what?” Xander asked. “Isn’t the party in full swing?”

  She smiled. “Yes, but there are always details to check and double-check. How’s it going in the kitchen? Are the bartenders okay?” she said, ticking the items off her fingers. “Not to mention that we arranged transportation for the end of the night, and I want to give the car company one last call to confirm.”

  “You make me tired, Emerson Dewitt,” Xander said jovially. “But I have to admit that I’ve been in here a million times and it has never looked quite this good. You did a really amazing job.”

  She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Thank you. That means a lot.” Emerson stood up and both men followed suit. “However, my work is never done.”

  “Hey,” Jack said, joining in. “I’ve worked hard too. This is my bar after all.”

  Xander scoffed.

  “What?” Jack asked.

  Xander threw his arm around Jack’s shoulder. “Oh yeah, it’s his bar until he hightails it out of here again.”

  Jack laughed at first. But then he noticed Emerson, who seemed to deflate right in front of his eyes. Her shoulders sank, her face fell and her gaze suddenly found the ground incredibly interesting.

  He felt like a world-class heel.

  They’d just spent almost every day together, over the last couple of weeks. He didn’t want to assume anything, but he was fairly confident that Emerson had feelings for him. After all, he’d developed them for her.

  The realization struck him right in the gut. He didn’t know why he was even surprised. He never would have slept with her if he hadn’t felt something for her. And he never would have even asked to take her out if he hadn’t.

  Actually, it probably went back even further than that. Wasn’t that strange? He was completely besotted with Emerson, and it must have started from the very beginning. Something about her called to him in a way that no other woman ever had.

  The sadness on her face was like a sucker punch to his gut. She didn’t want him to sell the bar. The truth was he didn’t know yet what he was going to do. He could only confirm that it was still a possibility. He had to try to explain that to her.

  “It’s just that I...” he began.

  She took a breath, seemingly to center herself. “I know.”

  Did she? She couldn’t possibly understand something that he didn’t. “We’ve been so busy getting ready for this. We haven’t had time to talk about my plans.” He gestured with his arm to indicate the party.

  “I only thought that once you saw how hard I worked—I mean, how great the bar turned out and all of the potential it had...”

  “It’s amazing and you worked magic here, beyond my expectations.”

  “Still, you’ve made up your mind. You’re definitely going to sell the bar and move away?”

  She bit her lip, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she was holding her breath. Jack’s heart soared at the idea of his presence affecting someone so much. When was the last time anyone had cared if he stayed or went?

  Xander said something under his breath that sounded very much like, “Jack always leaves.” But Jack ignored it. Instead he touched a hand to Emerson’s shoulder.

  “Hey, I haven’t decided anything yet.”

  “But you’re leaning more toward going.” She lowered her voice. “Aren’t you?”

  “I...” he began. Only, he couldn’t finish the sentence. If she had asked him this same question a few weeks earlier, his answer would have been a resounding yes. Now...he simply didn’t know.

  She was waiting, and her eyes were becoming huge blue saucers. He wished he could tell her what she wanted to hear. But he wouldn’t lie to her.

  He closed his mouth. She nodded and abruptly turned and walked away.

  Damn. A different, harsher oath tore out from his lips.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Xander asked, oblivious.

  He eyed his friend long and hard.

  “What?” Xander asked.

  “Did you have to say that? In front of her?”

  “Say what?” Xander took a long swig of beer. His gaze followed Emerson as she crossed the room and met with Trina. The two exchanged some words. It looked like Trina tried to entice Emerson to the dance floor, but Emerson shook her head. “About you leaving?”

  “Yes, that.”

  “So what?” Xander asked. “What’s the big deal?” He stepped back and cocked his head. “Wait a minute.” He pointed his finger at Jack and then in the general direction of Emerson and then back to Jack. “This thing between you is fake. Right? It’s a pretend relationship.”

  Jack swallowed. Hard. “Of course. We’re pretending for her parents, and she helped me spruce up the bar.”

  Again, Xander looked from him to Emerson and back again. His hands fell to his side as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Damn. I’m sorry, man. I didn’t realize.”

  “Realize what?”

  “That while you and Emerson were so busy pretending to like each other, you actually started to like each other.”

  Jack shuffled backward a few steps. “No, we didn’t do that.”

  All Xander had to respond with was a raised eyebrow.

  Jack slumped back into his chair. Xander followed, sitting in the chair next to him, which Emerson had abandoned.

  “Yeah, okay, I like her. A lot.”

  “Dude, this became complicated.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever done complicated.” He shrugged. “Never wanted to.” Until now. Until Emerson.

  What did that mean? Because, despite admitting his feelings, he still didn’t know what to do about the bar. Was liking a woman enough to make him stay in one place? To stop flitting from location to lo
cation, trying to figure out where he wanted to be?

  He didn’t know the answers.

  “I upset her just now.”

  Xander grimaced. “Actually, I think I did. I’m an idiot,” he uttered softly.

  “Well, we already knew that,” Jack said with a grin. But his smile quickly faded. “I don’t know what to say to her at this point.”

  “Do you want to stay here in Virginia?”

  Jack ran a hand over his face. “I’m not sure.”

  “So you want to sell the bar and leave?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Not sure about that either.”

  Xander leaned back in his chair. “One thing is for sure. You need to erase that frown from her face.” He jutted his chin toward Emerson, who was on her cell phone, at the other end of the bar.

  His friend was right. Without saying so, Jack rose. He watched Emerson end the call and put her cell back into her pocket. Then he quickly crossed the room in eager strides.

  “Em, listen, I want to say something.”

  She looked up, crossing her arms over her chest. Her body language spoke volumes. She was closing herself off to him.

  “About before, what Xander said.” He shook his head. “No, about what I said. The thing is, I’m a bit in limbo right now.”

  “You don’t owe me any explanations, Jack.”

  “Yes, I do.” How to explain to her when he couldn’t make sense of it himself? “My dad’s passing was extremely unexpected. I never imagined that one phone call would have me rushing back here and taking over a business that I’m not exactly qualified to run.”

  Something knowing sparkled in her eyes and she actually smiled.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I wish you could see yourself the way I’ve seen you the last couple of weeks.”

  Her words mirrored what he so often thought about her. He desperately wanted her to view herself the way he did, but never did he expect her to turn that sentiment back on him.

  “You’re a natural at this.” She gestured around the bar.

  He snorted. “Oh yeah. I didn’t even know how much vodka to order.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. You handled it. You handled every detail and decision in reopening this place. When you didn’t know the answer, you asked the appropriate person. You made this night happen.”

  He shook his head vigorously. “No, you made this night happen.”

  She emitted a humorless laugh. “I planned a party. You ran a bar.”

  Well, huh. She held such conviction in her eyes that it actually stopped him in his tracks. Was she right? Was this true? He had to admit that he’d been enjoying himself where the bar was concerned. One of the best parts of his jobs out in Vegas and Reno was interacting with people. Just like the bar.

  She was looking at him with such big, beautiful eyes. And those pouty, tempting lips. He couldn’t resist. No man could.

  Jack leaned toward her and pressed his lips to hers. The action elicited a small moan from her and Jack took the opportunity to draw her farther into his arms.

  The kiss turned steamy fast, and he was sure that was his doing. Kissing Emerson had become as essential to him, in the last couple of weeks, as air.

  All of the sounds of the bar—the music, the laughter, the clinking of glasses—simply faded away. Nothing mattered. Only Emerson and her succulent mouth.

  “Come home with me,” he mumbled against her mouth. A mouth that turned up into a lazy smile.

  Her eyes opened. She ran her hands through the hair at the base of his neck. “You may have noticed that you have a bar full of people at the moment.”

  Oh. Right. “They won’t notice.”

  “Jack,” she said, exasperated. “This is a big night for you.”

  “And I would like to celebrate it with someone who is incredibly special to me.”

  She swallowed hard. “Me?”

  He nipped her bottom lip. “You.”

  “Okay.”

  “Hey—will you come home with me?”

  “At the end of the night. Yes. Now I have to get back to the party.”

  She began walking away, but he quickly reached for her hand and grabbed hold. She peeked over her shoulder.

  “We’re good, right?”

  She hesitated, for a brief moment. “We’re fine.”

  Only, there was something in her eyes. A certain shadow that led him to believe that fine was the opposite of what they were.

  Because he was falling hard for Emerson Dewitt and he suspected his feelings were reciprocated. Which meant, Xander had been right. This had gotten complicated.

  And if he wasn’t careful, they were both in very real danger of getting hurt.

  Chapter Eleven

  Emerson was bone-tired.

  Jack pulled his truck into the driveway, and they slowly made their way up the path and into the house through the front door. He turned on a small lamp on the console table next to the door.

  Cosmo came barreling out of the living room, with his tail wagging at a hundred miles an hour.

  “Cosmo,” Emerson squealed and leaned down to pet and rub and fawn. “Hello, handsome boy.”

  Jack laughed.

  “I wish you were more animated with my dog,” he said sarcastically.

  Emerson straightened. She stared at Jack until he questioned her.

  “What?”

  “You just referred to Cosmo as your dog. Not your dad’s dog.”

  As if conveying his own excitement at this development, Cosmo jumped up on Jack, placing his two front paws on his thighs and attempting to lick his crotch. Jack laughed and pushed the dog down. Then he crouched and rubbed Cosmo’s belly.

  Jack coughed. “Well, the little guy has been growing on me.”

  Emerson grinned from ear to ear. Watching Jack with the dog was melting her heart. She sighed.

  All of the adrenaline of the day was crashing around her, and she knew she could curl up right here on the floor of the foyer and sleep for twelve straight hours. Thank God tomorrow was Sunday and she didn’t have any pressing events coming up. In fact, she could sleep all day, if she wanted. Probably, she would.

  It was always like this after a big event. For some unknown reason, she actually thrived on the feeling.

  Spending days, weeks or months planning every scenario, every angle of an event. When the execution day arrived, she lived on nerves and coffee, running from one to-do item to the next. She darted between crises, put out fires and made sure that no one was the wiser.

  But a point always came when all of that energy faded. For the Mitchell-Cross party, that point had arrived. It was three o’clock in the morning and she’d been awake for almost twenty-four hours straight.

  She stopped in the middle of the floor and let out a long, tired yawn.

  “You must be beyond beat,” Jack said. He came up behind her and removed her coat. Then he took her purse and the large tote bag she’d used and put them away.

  “Come on.” He urged her to a bench at the base of the stairs. Forcing her to sit, he knelt in front of her and removed her boots. One at a time.

  The heels on her boots were miniscule, since she had known that it would be a long day on her feet. Still, she wouldn’t be surprised if her feet didn’t let out a full-blown cheer as they were freed from the shoes.

  “Give me one sec. I want to let Cosmo out back and make sure he has food and water. Don’t go anywhere.”

  As if she could go somewhere, even if she wanted. That would involve moving, and she definitely didn’t have the energy for that. Emerson leaned back and closed her eyes.

  She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she sensed Jack’s presence again. “Where’s Cosmo?”

  “He went out back and did his business. Now he
’s having a nice late-night snack.” He peered down at her. “Have I thanked you for everything you did yet?”

  “You don’t have to thank me. It’s my job.”

  “I didn’t pay you.”

  “I love doing it and, besides, you’re paying me back. And the currency you’re using is much more precious than dollar bills. After all, you still have to spend more time with Beatrice and Walter Dewitt. My parents’ anniversary party is next Friday.”

  “It will be fine, Em.”

  She shook her head, too tired to elaborate on it. “I can’t even think about that now.”

  Her eyes fluttered closed as the remaining energy left her body. But they flew open again when she was hoisted into the air. Jack had hooked one arm under her legs and the other behind her back. He carried her as if she weighed nothing.

  “Jack,” she said.

  He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Shh. I got you.”

  He walked them up the stairs, down the hallway and into the bedroom he was using. Gently, he placed her on the bed.

  The room was dark, and besides the sound of a light rain that had started falling while they drove home, the house was silent. It was so different out where Jack lived than it was where she lived, in Old Town. Even though Jack’s house was a quick drive away, in the Del Ray neighborhood, sometimes it felt like they were far away in the country.

  It was nice. Calming. Relaxing, even, to be away from the hustle of the heart of the city.

  Jack didn’t turn any lights on. She heard him removing his shoes, but she couldn’t even lift her tired head from the pillow. The mattress shifted when he joined her.

  She reached for him. Wanted to feel that he really was right next to her.

  Tonight had brought a lot of unexpected emotions. She’d worked hard on this party. Put her whole self into making it perfect. She’d wanted it to be perfect for him. Wanted him to see the possibilities.

  But there was that very real moment that had threatened to crush her heart. Jack’s future was unknown. This was something that didn’t come as a surprise, yet she’d been so busy falling for him that she’d allowed herself to forget about it and push it from her mind.