by Leslie North
“The whole town is proud of how far you’ve gone,” Stan said. “All the way to New York City, working with the esteemed Denton Hotels.”
Amelia glanced over in time to see Colin’s smile tighten.
“And I’ll never forget where it all began,” Amelia said, squeezing Josh’s knee under the table as a quiet plea for help. “In the beautiful Cedar Grove.”
Stan smiled wistfully. Colin amped up his smile and leaned in closer.
“You know, Denton Hotels might be great, but have you ever considered working with the Forest Family?”
Amelia blinked, turning to him slowly. She couldn’t have heard him right. “I’m sorry?”
The air cinched tight around Josh. She could practically feel the prickles forming on his forearms.
“With all this talk about how far you’ve gone, you seem like a true rising star. I’ve been on the lookout for a new location scout. If Josh isn’t careful, I might have to steal you away.” Colin laughed in a way that clearly signaled the joke aspect. But was he really kidding?
Josh’s own hollow laughter arrived next. “I don’t blame you, wanting to steal her away. Amelia is extremely talented. I’d happily have her as my assistant forever. Why do you think we’re getting married?”
The men of the table erupted in laughter. Amelia tried to force herself to join them, but the joke remained a sinking stone in her gut as the conversation moved on to other topics. Josh must have sensed her glowering, because he kept squeezing her knee and smiling over at her.
But the damage was done.
She knew the truth now.
Josh was a success-obsessed man who would say and do anything to close a deal.
She’d seen it over the years as he harangued competitors and fought to win acquisitions. She’d known it the second he asked her to pose as his fiancée. And now, this brunch just reminded her.
She supposed it wouldn’t have mattered as much if she hadn’t started sleeping with him. If she hadn’t granted access to that side of her that had been quietly infatuated with him since day one. But she’d allowed herself to fall into him, to get just a little lost inside this fantasy of being with him.
But this potent reminder prompted more questions within her. Josh knew how to turn on the charm and seal deals. Had he been doing that with her in the bedroom too? Maybe it was all just an act; maybe it always was. A twenty-four–seven attempt to wheel and deal just to get what he wanted.
Amelia hardly even noticed when the food came, and she floated along in the conversation at the bare minimum. She couldn’t stop thinking about whether or not Josh truly cared about her career goals, or only his. Whether or not he only saw her as the perfect assistant and not a person with her own life and trajectory.
“I’ll be right back,” she said once she’d finished her plate of eggs and bacon. She offered a small smile to the table and set her napkin aside, then hurried off to the bathroom.
She needed to be alone in the cool quiet to get her head on straight. She was losing herself out there; sinking deep into the quicksand of feelings and romance, when this thing was only ever supposed to be a work trip.
Romance wasn’t supposed to be part of it; what Josh thought about her future or her as a person shouldn’t matter.
She needed to remember that too.
She breezed out of the bathroom, determined to keep her chin up. No more getting lost in the fantasy of Josh. Sure, it stung that her years-long unrequited lust for him wouldn’t turn into something grander and better, but that was just how life worked. She didn’t have time for a relationship, and she knew it. She should be thanking him for not being the man of her dreams.
When she rounded the corner into the wide hallway leading back to the restaurant, she nearly crashed into Colin.
“Amelia! There you are.” He had a used-car-salesman–style smile on his face. “I wanted to talk to you a bit more about the job opportunity.”
She gaped at him. “Are you serious?”
“Very. I wasn’t kidding when I said that I was impressed by what I know about you. I saw your profile on LinkedIn, looking for just the type of job I’m offering. I’ve done my research on you. And I’m prepared to offer you more than what you’d be making at Denton.”
She could only blink in response. She’d forgotten about the LinkedIn searching addition she’d made to her profile. It had happened one night last month on a weekend when she’d been tipsy and feeling stuck. She hadn’t even told Josh about it.
“We’re based in Chicago, but we’re looking to expand into New York and New England. I’d love someone with your expertise in the industry on our team. Promise me you’ll think about it?”
Amelia was nodding before she could even think better of it. It also seemed like the easiest way to get out of the situation. But once Colin headed back to the restaurant and she trailed behind a moment later, incredulity and shock began to swirl in equal measure.
What a bold move. Trying to scout your competition’s fiancée? It almost seemed like it could be illegal. Except it wasn’t. And maybe Colin could sense they weren’t a real couple. Or could sense that something was off between them.
Before she got back to the table, her phone pinged with a text message. It was Rob, and he was ready to meet for coffee as he and Amelia had been loosely planning.
She swept back to the table with renewed vigor. She was more than ready to get the hell away from Josh for a little bit.
To let the confusing dregs of this situation settle and form something even slightly recognizable.
12
“Thank God for coffee dates.” Amelia sighed as she hugged Rob inside the cozy coffee shop in downtown Cedar Grove.
She’d often spent hours holed up here, nursing chai lattes and barreling through detective novels as a young girl. The place had barely changed through the years, still featuring the same homey dark wood accents and the bearskin rugs. A fireplace crackled in the corner. They sank into overstuffed arm chairs near the fire.
“I’ve been wanting to just catch up, the two of us,” Rob said, raking a hand through his short, dark hair. “It’s been so long since we’ve been able to do this.”
“And it’ll be even harder once the next little nugget gets here.” She winked at him from over her chai. Part of the homage to her younger self.
“You ever thinking about giving them some cousins?”
She laughed, almost spilling her tea. “No. Sorry. I just—I don’t think so. I don’t know.”
“Josh seems like a family man.”
She started to snort, but then she remembered the ruse. The blatant lie she was expected to uphold with her closest family members and loved ones. The one she’d agreed to. “Yeah. He is. We’re just…I don’t know. We haven’t decided yet.”
Rob looked down at the mug of coffee in his hands. “I really like Josh. I think you found a good one.”
She smiled wanly. “Yeah?”
“He’s at your level.”
“My level?”
Rob shrugged. “You know what I mean.” Her brother had never been excellent at conveying himself. “Your type of success level. We always knew you were gonna bust out of here and go so high. He’s at the top, too. Like you.”
“Aww.” She reached over to swat his knee. “Brother. Thank you.” His words did warm her, even though the marriage would never be happening. It was nice that he saw her as reaching heights like Josh. She planned to go that high, if not higher.
“And I can just tell what a family-oriented person he is. Even if you don’t want kids and all that. He’s already looking out for our family, ya know?”
She sipped slowly at the chai. “How so?”
“Well, he offered me a job already.”
Heat flooded her limbs. This was news to her. “What?”
“Well, he said that if the resort deal goes through, he’d want me on the team to do the renovation work. If he wins the bid, y’know?”
Amelia smiled, but doubts
rang through her. That could be a lot of hot air. And maybe it was just Josh’s ploy to win over her family, too. Besides, what was he thinking, offering serious employment to her brother when, after the resort construction began, they wouldn’t even be an item anymore?
It reeked of poor planning at best and transparent manipulation at worst.
“He’s a great guy,” Amelia said, trying to sound chipper. “And I’m sure it’ll be great working with him.” She steered the conversation to other things then—the new baby, how her nephew was doing, what Rebecca was planning in terms of going back to work once the second one arrived—and an hour melted away lost in conversation.
She would have stayed there all afternoon if her brother hadn’t needed to get back to the house. As Amelia headed for the hotel, she couldn’t get the sick knot to unfurl in her gut.
Something about Josh just didn’t sit right anymore.
She should be glad that she only had days left with him. Soon, she’d be promoted and headed for a new chapter in life.
So why didn’t she feel more excited about it?
Back at the hotel room, Josh was bent over his laptop when she pushed inside. He immediately popped to his feet to greet her.
“There you are.” He headed her way, pulling her into a hug. “Is it weird that I missed you?”
She couldn’t relax in his arms. When he pulled away, concern creased his face. “Is everything okay?”
Amelia could only stare at him, unsure how to form the words that begged to be spoken. She had no right to feel the way she did. She was making a mountain out of a molehill. She and Josh were nothing. So why did it still sting?
“Why did you offer my brother a job doing the renovation work?”
Josh’s mouth parted, like that had been the last thing he’d expected to hear. “Uh…because your brother works in construction and it makes sense?”
She sighed, walking past him. “Yeah, well, you did that without even talking to me first. And don’t you think shit is gonna get weird once our fake little engagement ends?”
Josh followed her into the bedroom where she set down her purse and pulled off her earrings. “Rob seems like a great guy. I was trying to be nice, helpful. He has another baby on the way. How is a work opportunity a bad idea?”
“It’s not,” she said, her voice clipped.
“Besides, it’s the type of thing a brother-in-law would do.”
“Yeah, except they’re my family—not yours.” She turned to him, hands on her hips. “You shouldn’t have done that without asking me first.”
Josh’s brows knit together. “Fine. I overstepped.” He paused, stepping closer. “Is there something else bothering you? You seem…”
“Watch what you say to me,” Amelia warned.
“Different. I don’t know. What’s up?”
She huffed, turning back toward the bed. Colin’s offer still weighed heavily on her, and she hadn’t decided whether it was a good idea to tell Josh. But the truth bubbled just below the surface. Like it was planning an eruption, no matter what she decided.
“Colin made me an offer today,” she said quietly, unable to look him in the eye. “He wants to hire me to be a location scout for their East Coast expansion.”
Josh stepped closer, touching the side of her arm. “And you said no, right?”
She backed up, finally daring to meet his eyes. “I told him I’d think about it.”
Josh’s blue gaze hardened into ice. “You what?”
“I was so shocked. When he asked me to think about it, I just said yes. I couldn’t even believe he had the balls to ask me that.”
Josh scoffed, raking a hand through his hair. “Wow. That’s rich. What do you want, Amelia? More money? I’m already paying you a fucking arm and a leg on this trip and giving you a promotion. Jesus. Do you want me to sign over my stocks too? What is it?”
Betrayal shone through his words, and for a moment, Amelia could just watch him, shell-shocked. But she remembered then that she wasn’t the one in the wrong. She had simply been approached. She hadn’t accepted. Not like Josh would really care. He only saw her as the perfect assistant, anyway.
“Yeah. Keep it coming. I noticed you’re really good at giving people whatever the fuck they want,” she spat. She turned, storming to the bathroom. Before she shut the door, she leaned out and added, “You’ll buy off anyone as long as it gets you to the top.”
She locked the bathroom door behind her and turned the water on before he could come pounding or get in another word.
She needed to cool off. She needed to think.
She needed to get her head straight so she could survive the rest of this trip.
13
The next day dragged on, frostier than ever. Josh and Amelia had spoken a little after their argument the day before, but Amelia kept herself at arm’s length from him, which annoyed Josh. He could fix this, if only she’d let him.
And he wanted to fix it. Because she mattered to him. Her opinion of him mattered. And he felt like she had it all wrong.
That evening, they had a caroling and bonfire scheduled. It was one of the hotel’s biggest holiday events, after the tree lighting, and the grounds were packed with carolers and spectators. Josh and Amelia wove through the crowd, winding down the brick path toward the grove of aspen trees where the singing would commence. Everything and everyone around him was festive and spirited.
Everyone except the woman on his arm.
Colin sauntered up to the them, looking as smarmy as ever. Tension tightened Josh’s muscles, and he tightened his grip on Amelia’s hand.
“Josh. Amelia. Great to see you again.” He grinned wide at the both of them, but his gaze zeroed in on Amelia. “Have you given any more thought to my proposal?”
Josh recoiled slightly. The nerve of this guy. In front of him, no less.
“You’re very nice to check in, but I’m still thinking about it,” Amelia said, laying on the sweetness. After Colin wandered off, Josh led her off to the side.
“Are you serious right now?”
“What?” she snapped, yanking her hand out of his. “Colin actually values me, unlike you. Why shouldn’t I think about his offer?”
Josh narrowed his eyes. “Oh, cut the crap. I value you more than he does.”
“Do you though? He’s known me two days and wants to pay me more than you do.”
“I told you. Money is no issue.”
“You’re right,” she hissed. “It’s not. It’s just everything else that’s the issue.”
Josh’s nostrils flared. “Don’t convince yourself that Colin is some noble businessman who wants to offer you a job because he’s some sort of super fan. He’s not. He’s making a power play. I’ve seen this sort of thing before.”
“Whatever. Even if I’m a pawn in the game, he’s still willing to recognize my worth.”
Josh scoffed, real anger scorching through him. “Like I don’t? Amelia, you’ve been indispensable to me for two years now. I’ve never done anything but laud you.”
“But you would only agree to a promotion as a last-ditch effort to make a deal.”
Her words thudded between them, landing harder than a punch. He clenched his jaw. He couldn’t fight that. Because she was right, even though it wasn’t the whole story. At his silence, she continued.
“You only care about winning. I hesitate to imagine what might have happened if this resort hadn’t gone up for sale. I’d probably have had to take Colin up on his offer for real.”
“Amelia, don’t be like this,” Josh said quietly, trying to reel the conversation back into manageable territory. There was more on the line here than just her work at Denton Hotels. This was about them, too, in some obscure way. About this amorphous future that every cell of his body craved with her without knowing how to get there. “You act like you would have languished for your entire life in my office. I haven’t been holding you back. And don’t delude yourself into thinking that I am.”
Amelia clamped her mouth shut and looked away, crossing her arms over her chest. Her foot tapped for a few moments before suddenly she said, “You know what? I’m not feeling very well. I think I’m going to head back to the suite.”
She brushed past him before he could say anything else. He watched her storm off, half of him determined to follow her and finish this conversation, once and for all.
But he needed to maintain his presence here. To run into Stan, to defend himself against any more of Colin’s advances.
And besides, maybe Amelia was right.
He did care about winning. It had always been the priority. But had he taken it too far?
Thoughts and doubts swirled inside him as he drifted through the caroling presentation. He clapped when everyone else did, tried to smile when others caught his eye. But without Amelia at his side—without her heat sinking into him or the soft rasp of her jokes in his ear—this festive event felt like just one more chore.
There was one thing for certain. He wanted Amelia in his life. Not just in a professional context, within arm’s reach at the office.
He wanted her at his side. His partner. His girlfriend.
He needed to figure out a way to right the scales. Josh dipped out of the sweet harmonies of the carolers early so that he could wander the inside of the resort. Lost in thought and combing through options. Every path led him back to Amelia. He’d been attracted to her since the day he met her. And as they worked together, his admiration and respect bloomed even more.
This sexual dimension between them was just the final layer in the cake that looked suspiciously like a long-term relationship. Which he believed they could create. And he wanted to. He wanted to give it a shot with Amelia, because everything was just better with her at his side. In business and in love.
And the longer he wandered, the more he realized that there was only one path forward.
If he wanted to convince her that he was being real with her, then he needed to be real with everyone.
It was time to fess up. To Stan himself.