by Liz Lovelock
After a long, grueling day, we finally say goodbye to our last guest. That woman wouldn’t shut up the entire trip.
She waddles off the plane, and I sigh as does Cammie, who stands beside me. “That woman could talk underwater.”
She giggles. I can’t help but follow her lead.
“My goodness, I think I could tell you what color underwear she’s wearing with the amount of information she was giving me about herself,” I say.
We turn, our laughter filling the cabin. We set to work cleaning things up, getting ready for the next crew to take over.
After a moment, Cammie asks, “So, what did Kane want?” She reaches for some rubbish tucked away in the pocket of the seat in front of the one I’m clearing.
I was waiting for this to come up. I managed to block it all out today, keeping busy, and now we’re at the end of our shifts. “He wants to talk to me, and I don’t want to talk to him.”
“Why?”
I pause and look up. “Why what?”
“Why does he want to talk to you, and why don’t you want to talk to him?”
I release an exasperated sigh. “Now that’s a long story.”
“We have some time while we tidy up.”
I raise my head, and my gaze lands on her. She gives me a weak smile. She means well, but talking about Kane makes me frustrated. “To sum it all up, he wants to talk to me about something, and I don’t want to talk to him because he dumped me in college and pretty much left me in a bad state. I suppose you could say that I haven’t forgiven him yet.”
If I ever will.
I shove another piece of rubbish in my garbage bag. Cammie says nothing. It’s as though she’s thinking so hard, I can hear it.
“What’s the business opportunity?” Her voice rises curiously.
“I wish I knew. I haven’t spoken to him about it.” I lift one shoulder in a shrug. “And to be honest, I don’t want to be in a business relationship with him. I might end up losing my job, and he’d leave me high and dry again.” Bitterness drips from my words.
“You really don’t like him, do you?”
“Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.” I laugh.
“Perhaps you should give him a chance to see what he wants.”
My arms drop to my sides. “Whose side are you on?”
“Yours, of course. I still think you should hear him out.”
Rolling my eyes, I say, “No, I don’t.”
We don’t talk anymore unless it’s about work. We have an overnight stay tomorrow. I’m hoping she doesn’t bring up the Kane issue again. I’m closing that book tonight and blocking his number.
Two hours later, I’m finally home. I step into my apartment with bags of groceries. Darkness encases the room.
I drop my keys onto the countertop with a clink and put my groceries on the floor while I turn on the light. Nothing feels better than coming home to a place that’s now all mine. In the back of my mind, perhaps I should be more torn up over Nathan. I’m not, though.
I pack away all the food and make some stir-fry with enough extras to put away for another night when I don’t feel like cooking.
I drop my tired body onto the couch with a bowl full of colorful vegetables and noodles. The smell makes my mouth water. Nothing beats fresh produce after a day of plane food.
When I finish, I wash my single bowl and the things I used. This new living situation is going to take some getting used to. It’s been so long since I’ve been on my own.
After I shower, I’m pulling a large shirt over my head when three loud knocks make me jump.
“What the hell?” I curse, my heart lodged in my throat. Who the heck needs to bang on a door that loudly? It sounded like a clap of thunder—or three, for that matter. I turn to the clock beside my bed. It’s ten thirty. “Who would be coming here at this time of night?” I grab a pair of sweats from my cupboard and pull them on in a rush.
I take long strides to get to the door. “Who is it?” I ask before I even get to the peephole.
“It’s Kane.” The gruff voice behind the door startles me.
Oh my goodness. Now I’m really going to kill Adele.
I grip the door handle tightly and pull the door open. Kane’s smile drops.
“How did you get my address?”
He winks—actually winks. “Nice to see you, too. I have my ways.”
He’s so damn smug I want to slap him.
Chapter Fourteen
Kane
By the piercing look in her eyes, I’ve done the wrong thing. I needed to. Otherwise, she wouldn’t hear me out. Note to self—thank Crew for digging up her address. He has a way of finding people, and I’d rather not know how he does it.
“Will you leave me alone?” she growls and then steps back to shut the door.
I manage to put my shoe between the frame and door. “Please, hear me out.” I need her to listen—she’s the most important part of this entire idea Crew and I have put together. “It’s important.”
“Move your foot. I don’t want a job with your family. In fact, I don’t want anything from you.” She continues to hold the door against my foot. Her body is hidden, and her hair is damp.
Is she naked behind there?
I shut my eyes briefly, trying to wipe that thought from my memory bank, even though I know exactly how her skin feels. It was soft and memorable. Every curve of hers is pure perfection, and extra years have filled those curves even more. When I saw her in the club, I had to fight the urge to grip her hips and to pull her against me again.
“It’s not a job offer with my family. It’s something I need from you.”
Her lips form a thin line. “What could you possibly need from me? To break my heart again?”
What she says is like a swift kick to the stomach. Yes, I didn’t handle the breakup great back then. I was a jerk. I’m older now and realize the error of my action. “I’m sorry about that. I was young and dumb.”
“That’s not going to fix it.”
I’m getting nowhere. Time to move onto phase two. “I’m willing to pay you some money to help me.”
Her eyebrows shoot up, then furrow. “I don’t want your family money.”
I sigh. “Is there any way I can get you to listen to my proposition?”
“Probably not.” She purses her lips.
We stand in silence for what seems like ages. The pressure on my foot subsides as she opens the door wider. She’s wearing an old baggy shirt and some sweats. She’s still beautiful, though, sweats and all. She crosses her arms over her chest, which accentuates certain areas.
Keep your eyes on hers, Kane. She has to be testing you.
“You have five minutes.” Jolene steps aside and lets me into her home. Walking past her, I catch her scent of lavender. I can’t help but wonder if it’s her shampoo or body wash. She smells amazing.
When I enter the living room, it’s clear she was about to head to bed. All the lights are off except her bedroom and the one in the hall above the door. “Sorry to come this late,” I say as guilt washes over me.
“Whatever. Start talking.” She brushes past me, and I freeze. Her body sways in front of me as she walks over and switches another light on. Then, she moves to the couch and drops on it. Her damp hair hangs freely down her back. It wets her gray shirt. “Well, come on. You’re running out of time.” She taps her bare arm as though she has me on a stopwatch.
I take three large strides and sit on the coffee table. I sense her heated gaze on me. She wriggles a little in her seat.
I place my hand on my thighs and rub them. “Okay. Now this is going to sound crazy, but I’m desperate, and I know you’d be perfect.” I stare into her confused brown eyes. I continue, “I need you to be my fake fiancée.”
Her eyes widen, and her mouth opens.
I hold up my hand to stop her speaking, and she closes her mouth. “My father needs to see me in a steady relationship so that he trusts me enough to take care of his bus
iness, and he can retire,” I finish, and she says nothing.
What is she thinking?
She breaks—I’ve broken her. Laughter bubbles out of her. It’s an uncontrollable laugh.
“What’s so funny?” I furrow my brow, confused by her reaction. I suppose if someone came to me with this proposition, I might have a similar reaction.
“Are you serious?” she blurts out between chuckles. Her hand rests over her chest as she leans back against the seat after throwing herself forward in laughter. Wet droplets even land on me from the motion. It is her shampoo that smells like lavender.
“Very.” I keep my face straight.
When she finally looks at me and takes in what I’ve said, her silliness subsides. She clears her throat.
“Now, you don’t have to give me an answer right away. Think about it. I want to pay you for being my fiancée. Only until my father sees I’m responsible.”
“How long is that going to be?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe a couple of months.”
She cocks an eyebrow. I’m losing her. “I’m desperate, Jolene. I may be stupid when it comes to girls—”
“Stupid isn’t the word I’d use,” she cuts me off.
“I get that. When it comes to my father’s business, I’m serious. It’s the most important thing to me.”
It looks like her thoughts are going a million miles an hour. “Are you sure about that? From what I’ve heard, you keep running women off after sleeping with them.” She shrugs, then pretends to glance down at her nails and pick at their invisible dirtiness.
I stand and start pacing in front of the television. “Yeah, yeah. I know I’m terrible. But I don’t want my father’s hard work to go to someone who isn’t family. I became a pilot to take over eventually. Jojo, I need your help. I’m desperate. If you need me to get on my knees and beg, I will.” I stop and take her in. I should never have walked away from her. She’s special. I already knew that years ago, and I think that frightened me. My father flipped when I told him I’d ended things with her. He really liked her and saw she was a bright, smart girl with her head screwed on right.
“Kane, I can’t give you an answer right now. I have to process this. I’m not someone who jumps in headfirst. You remember how many times it took for me to finally say yes to going out with you in college?”
I nod. I remember it like it was yesterday. Perhaps she was testing me to see if I’d be persistent or lose interest when it wasn’t given in return. “How could I forget?”
“And look at how that ended. I was left picking up the pieces of my own heart as you walked away. Now you’re back needing something from me. My concern is that I’m the one who’s going to end up with nothing at the end of whatever it is you’re trying to put together. I’m very hesitant to help you. You’re not someone I trust. And to be your girlfriend, of sorts, that means feelings, and I’m not doing that again with you.” Jolene’s eyes bore directly into my soul, and each word she speaks is calm and put together. Her legs are tucked under her perfect ass.
“I completely understand. I’m very untrustworthy when it comes to us and your perception of me. I made mistakes, and I don’t deserve your help, which is why I’m going to pay you. That way, there’s no strings attached, and at the end, we can walk away in peace, not in pieces.”
She stands from the couch and walks toward the door, pulling it open.
I stalk toward her. I stop inches from her, and the heat between us pulses.
“I’ll think about it and get back to you. This is something huge you’re asking me to do. Basically, I’d be tricking your father, and I happened to like your dad. Even for a grumpy man, he was always nice to me, which is something I never got to experience growing up.”
Raising my hand, I go to touch her cheek. She turns away from me. That simple movement hurts. I deserve it, though.
I nod and walk out. The door clicks into place behind me.
Well, it was worth a try. Perhaps I will go celibate for a while to prove to my father I can actually keep it in my pants.
Chapter Fifteen
Jolene
Did that really happen? My jelly legs finally give out on me. My body falls against the door and slides down it, collapsing on the floor. We had an actual conversation. I stay planted on the floor for a short time, too awake to go to sleep now. I’m going to pay for it tomorrow, though. It’s going to be a long one.
He wants me to be his fake fiancée. He’d be my audacious fiancé. Well, pretend, anyway. And he’s going to pay me to do it. Numbers don’t matter. Any kind of money would be good, and it would all go to my mother. She needs to stay put in that home. If it’s one thing I can do for her, I’ll do it. Though I don’t think it’s a good idea. These kinds of things tend to bring up old memories—not that the dust hasn’t already been stirred up in that department.
I need to talk to Adele. I get on my knees and claw my way off the ground. When I finally feel steady on my feet, I head straight for my phone on my bedside table. I don’t care what time it is. I hit Adele’s name in my recent calls list.
It takes her a while before she answers.
“What. Do. Ya. Want? Someone better be dying,” she growls.
“Kane was just here. Did you give him my address as well?” I sit on the edge of my bed and wait for her response. I hear shuffling and blankets moving. My body vibrates.
“Wait. What? I need my brain to wake up before you tell me something major. Start again. I’m sitting now.”
“I had Kane here, and he has offered to pay me to become his fake fiancée.” Silence greets me. “Did you fall back asleep?”
“What? No. I’m processing. Let me get this right . . . he wants you to be his fiancée?”
“Fake fiancée,” I clarify.
“Wow. What are you going to do?”
“That’s the million-dollar question, and before you ask, no, he’s not paying me one million dollars. That’s just silly.” I rub my tired eyes. I’m still trying to process the entire conversation.
“Damn, that would be some good money, though. Why does he want you to do this?”
I fill her in on his father’s business and his need to prove himself.
She finally says, “I think you should do it. There’s no harm in getting a little extra cash. How long do you have to play the part for?”
“A couple of months, I think.” I shrug.
“You can do that easily. Just be there when he needs you, and then at the end, you go your separate ways. You say you hate him so much, so this should be easy. Unless you fall for him all over again, which is likely because he’s crazy hot, and then it would be win-win.”
“I have no problem hating him, so falling for him will be the last thing on my mind.” Am I trying to convince myself, or her?
“You say that now.” Her voice is slightly high-pitched.
“Don’t. It’s not going to happen.” After hopping off the bed, I walk back to the living area, and his aftershave lingers. It takes me right back to college—he’s still using the same one. What are the chances of that? It’s a rich pine smell which causes my stomach to clench in a good way.
“When you’re spending time together to show his family you’re an actual couple, I have no doubt all those old feelings you say you don’t have are going to come rushing back to the surface. And let me just say, it’s been years since you’ve kissed him. Wouldn’t you want to know what his lips feel like now? I would. Oh, it makes me jittery inside just thinking about it.”
I flick off the hall light and walk back to my room that’s lit by the lamp on my bedside table.
I climb between my blankets and settle in with my phone to my ear. “Well, I hope you’re not right about this. I don’t think my stone-cold heart is going to defrost any time soon. I have no doubt he’s going to sleep with someone else while we’re putting on this charade.” No doubt about it. That’s Kane Taylor. Ladies’ man and heartbreaker. I’m sure he’s left a trail of broken hea
rts behind him.
“I, for one, hope not. You two would make a cute couple.”
I shut my eyes, not wanting to think about that. “I’m happy to put on a show for his family, especially his father. That’s probably why he’s chosen me for this because they know we have history.”
“Would you feel guilty lying to them?” Her question settles into the pit of my stomach, and it doesn’t leave a warm feeling.
“That’s why I’m not rushing to say yes. I’d be lying, and you know me . . . it’s not the kind of person I am.”
My eyes are still shut when she answers, “Look, don’t think about it like that. You’re helping him keep the business in his family. Once the time comes, you can easily walk away with nothing holding you there. This time, it’ll be you doing the walk.”
Adele’s words are powerful. I will walk away this time. It won’t be me with the crumbling heart. It’d all be a show, nothing more.
“You’re right. I’ll think about it a little longer. He’s given me some time to consider it. I’ve got an overnight tomorrow, so I’ll give him my answer after that. This entire thing doesn’t seem real. I’m awake, aren’t I?”
Adele laughs. “You’re as awake as I am. If I were there, I’d pinch you.”
Her punching me in the arm would be more accurate. “I’m sure you would. What would you do if you were me?”
“I’d do it. That money could help.”
I didn’t want to take anything from Nathan because he’d have used it against me now —which is why I never told him about my mom. Kane, on the other hand? He would buy the damn living facility and let her stay there for free. Yes, he’s a jerk, but he’s a jerk with a heart.
I yawn. “Okay, I’ll take a couple of days to decide. I’ll be talking to you soon. I need some sleep, or I’ll have black rings under my eyes at work . . . not an attractive look.” I chuckle. My eyelids are heavy and won’t open again. We say our goodbyes.