by Liz Lovelock
“It’s not going to hurt you to hang with him. What’s one date?” I hear something clinking around in the background of her phone.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Trying to clean this apartment before my brother gets here.” She grunts and curses. “Why the hell do I have to make my place presentable? I hate cleaning.”
I laugh. She really isn’t the domestic type. “Do you want some help? I can continue to whine to you about Kane, and you can complain about how much you hate cleaning.” I wriggle up in bed, my fuzzy head slowly clearing.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll have margaritas ready to go. Oh, and by the way, you will be going on the date.” She ends the call, and I’m left feeling like a bag of mixed emotions.
This was all supposed to be easy. Trick his family for a short while and then end it. Simple. Now there’s a date involved. I’m not sure what to do. How am I meant to keep hating him?
I can’t keep still. Pacing my living area, I wait for the knock on the door from Kane. I’ve been so anxious about today that sleeping has become a thing of the past over the last week.
Kane: I hope you’re ready for a good day. I’ll be there in an hour.
I stare at the message he sent me this morning. It seemed as though I’d just gotten to sleep when it announced its arrival on my phone. My heart hasn’t settled at all. Every time I think about being alone with him, I flash back to that hot, sensual kiss he planted on me last week. It was not what I expected, but damn, I’ve missed those rough, wanting kisses. He always had a way of making me weak in the knees when his lips connected with mine.
I guess that’s why the ladies flock to him.
A sharp knock at the door startles me. My hands shake. I feel like this is my first ever date with the hot guy from school I’ve had a crush on for a long time. You hate him, Jolene, I remind myself.
I race to the door and pull it open. My breath catches in my throat—not in a good way. Nathan stands there. A crisp black suit hugs his frame. His eyes meet mine.
“Jolene,” he greets me in a stern, business-like tone.
“Nathan,” I reply. “What do you want?” I drop a hand on my hip and glare at him.
“I was hoping we could talk.” He glances over my shoulder as if trying to make a point of me allowing him to come in.
Stepping into his view, I say, “I’m busy at the moment.”
“Please, Jolene. I made a mistake. I’m sorry it took me some time to wake up to myself.”
What the hell is he doing?
I hold my hand up. “No, don’t do this. We’re over. You can leave now.”
He shakes his head and walks in, pushing past me. I stumble back a bit. A strong scent of alcohol hit me. He’s drunk. He trips over I don’t know what—perhaps an invisible foot—and falls to the ground with a loud thud.
Rushing over, I hold my hand out to help him up. He slaps it away, and it stings. “This is all your fault. I don’t do stuff like this. All I’ve been able to do is think about you and what we had. I want you back. I’ll look after you and your mother.”
I chew my lip as I stare down at the broken man before me. He may look clean-shaven and spruced up, but his words slur, and as much as those are the things I wanted him to speak the day I came home a couple of weeks ago, it’s all null and void now that I’ve offered to help Kane. Plus, I didn’t really like the other side of him I saw.
At the thought of Kane, my eyes quickly dart to the front door which I’ve left open. A large familiar body is almost at my door.
“Damn,” I curse. Turning back to the drunken man on my floor, I say. “You need to leave. I’ll order you an Uber to get you home.”
“I don’t need your help,” he yells. I jump back. What’s going on? He’s never raised his voice like this before. My chest thrums fast, and a ball of nerves sit in the pit of my stomach.
“What’s going on?” Kane announces his arrival in my doorway. I face him. His brow furrows, and his gaze shifts between Nathan and me.
“This is my ex-boyfriend, who has shown up drunk.” I swallow. Kane’s gaze softens, then he comes toward us.
“Come on, let’s get you home.” He takes Nathan’s arm and hoists him from the floor with such ease. It would have taken me ages to get him up.
“Who are you?” Nathan asks with bitterness to his tone.
“I’m a friend of Jolene’s. We went to college together.” Thank goodness he didn’t tell him anything else. I was prepared to smack him up the side of the head if he mentioned the F- word. Fiancée. I didn’t need the complication of the F-word right now.
Nathan’s crystal eyes turned on me. “You moved on quickly. Was he always your backup?”
“Not that I have to explain anything to you, but he was on one of my flights recently, and we caught up. That’s it.” I turn to Kane, who’s still got a hold of Nathan’s arm. “Can you help me get him to the Uber?” Kane nods and leads him out of the apartment.
I order Nathan a ride, grab my bag from the couch, and quickly follow them out. I can hear Nathan. “She’s a good one. Don’t do what I did. I was stupid.”
“Yep,” is all Kane says.
Downstairs, we wait. After a moment, the car pulls up, and we load Nathan in. I’d given the driver the address of his parents’ place and sent his mother a quick message letting her know he was on his way.
“Jolene.” Nathan catches my attention before Kane shuts the door. “I’m sorry.”
I give a weak smile. “Me, too, Nathan. Perhaps lay off the drink in the future.”
He nods, Kane closes the door, and I watch as he’s driven away.
A lump forms in my throat as I stare at the car taking the man I’d spent so many years with away. He was my rock. Not anymore.
A warm grip on my hand startles me until I realize it’s Kane.
“Hey, are you okay?” He comes around and stands in front of me. Tears begin to well. I can’t speak. I’m afraid if I do, I’m going to break down. Kane tugs on my hand and pulls me into his firm chest. His arms secure around me and hold me while I try and hold myself together.
This is not how I had thought today would go.
Pulling back, I glance into Kane’s concerned eyes. “You good?” He cocks an eyebrow.
I nod. “That was completely unexpected.” My voice cracks as emotion takes over.
Kane’s hand comes up and cups my cheek. The tenderness of a simple move engulfs me. The old Kane would never have caressed me like that. “Jojo, you don’t have to explain things to me. Come on. Let’s go enjoy our day. I have something amazing planned.” He turns me toward his car.
Chapter Eighteen
Kane
My thoughts reel at the way that guy spoke to Jojo, my Jojo. He’s lucky I didn’t knock him out. That really wouldn’t have gone down well with her. And after that kiss last night, I’m kind of was hoping for a repeat at some stage. Her soft lips made me feel things I haven’t for a long time. Usually, when I’m with someone, it’s a one-and-done kind of deal. We spend one night together, then move on. That fooling around is what’s gotten me here now with Jolene, proving to my father I’m not that person anymore.
I shut the door and race around the other side, climbing into the driver seat of my BMW. Fixing my seat belt, I say, “Are you okay? Do you still want to go out?”
She scoffs. “Not that you’d let me get out of it.” She is right. There’s no backing out now.
“Well, I was being considerate. What I have planned will help take your mind off him.”
She remains silent as she stares out the window. A weight settles in my stomach. That guy must have done a number on her.
“You can talk to me, you know.” I start the car and pull out into traffic and head to one place I know she’ll remember.
An hour passes. She hasn’t said much at all. Now I’m beginning to think I’ve made a mistake. “Talk to me, Jojo. What’s going through that beautiful mind of yours?”
More sile
nce.
After what seems like forever, she says, “It’s my fault he ended things. I wasn’t honest with him about something. I’d have probably been engaged to marry him instead of sitting in this car with you with a fake relationship pending if I’d just told the truth.” Her low voice breaks my heart. She loved the man. It’s clear as crystal.
“It’s not your fault. He was the one who couldn’t handle whatever it was.” Reaching over, I rest my hand on her leg. She looks down at it but doesn’t move, so I keep it there.
“I always seem to make stupid mistakes.” Her voice trembles.
I squeeze my hand resting on her leg. “Jojo, you’re one of the smartest girls I know. You wouldn’t keep a secret unless you really needed to.”
“I hope you remember that.” I hear her mumble.
“Why’s that?” I turn toward her momentarily.
“No reason. Where are we going?”
“I’m surprised it’s taken you this long to ask.”
She smiles. “I’ve had my mind on other things. At least with this fake relationship, I don’t need to be worried about guys because right now, I’m not sure I could do another solid relationship. I seem to find all the duds.”
“We’re heading to a place you’ll remember from our college days. And I’m sure I can’t be classed as one of those duds.”
“Back in college, you were, and because you’re still doing stupid things, then I’m going to say otherwise.” She laughs. It’s such a great sound. I’m glad the somberness she had when she first got in the car has lifted even if just a little.
Finally, we turn down the familiar street of my family’s Hamptons house. “Your parents’ place?” She stares out the window.
“It’s not theirs anymore.”
She swings around and faces me. “You bought it?”
“Lots of good memories there.” I grin.
She rolls her eyes. “Please,” she responds dryly.
We pull up at the large white house with dark blue trimming. My parents no longer wanted to keep it when they separated, so I offered to buy it. They were both happy about that. I couldn’t see them sell this place. There are lots of family memories here.
Jojo and I climb out and stare up at the house. The sound of the waves crashing and gulls squawking bring a smile to my face. I rake a glance at Jolene. Her eyes are closed. Stepping up behind her, I wrap my arms around her waist.
Quickly she steps forward and whips around. “What are you doing?”
“You just looked so peaceful standing there. I wanted to hold you close.”
She waves her finger in front of me. “No. None of that. This house may be the first place we slept together, but it’s not happening again. I’m not sure if you’re aware or not, but I have to work tomorrow, so there will also be no sleepovers.”
I laugh at how serious she’s being. “Jolene, relax, will you? You’re stressing me out. I brought you here just for the day. Now come with me.” I take her hand pulling her to the gate beside the house and lead her around the back and down the path to the beach. Stopping at the end of the path, I look over at her.
Her mouth hangs open.
Chapter Nineteen
Jolene
Under a shady tree is a blanket with a couple of platters. “When did you have time to set this up?”
“I have good neighbors who were more than willing to help me out, especially when I mentioned it was for my girlfriend.” He waggles his eyebrows.
I shake my head. “I still can’t believe I’m doing this.”
I step past him and make my way to the picnic blanket. He hasn’t let go of my hand. If anything, his grip tightens a little, then he tugs me back into his embrace. Seeing what Kane has put together makes my heart swell. After seeing Nathan, I realize he isn’t the right guy for me. Kane has put more effort into this one day than Nathan ever did with our dates.
“You better believe it. I plan to make the most of my time with you, Jojo.”
I open my mouth to respond, but his lips come to mine like they did last night. As much as I want to slap him away, it feels too damn good to be wanted like this. The surprise kisses are actually my favorite. My arms seem to have a mind of their own, and they wrap around his waist.
When Kane pulls away, he rests his forehead on mine. “I have missed these lips. They’re like a drug I want more and more of.”
I swallow and soak up his words. “They’re only on loan and costing a pretty penny,” I tease and walk away from him.
Spinning around, he stands in the same spot, watching me. This entire situation is going to be hard. How am I not going to fall for that bad boy again?
The day at the Hamptons goes by so fast, and before I know it, Kane has dropped me home and has to rush off as he has some meetings with his father and a new pilot. Over the next few days, work is the only thing that keeps my mind from drifting to thoughts of Kane, and even then, he seems to lurk in the back on my mind.
Finally, I get some peace after working the past four days. Sitting at home with my wine in hand and takeout Chinese on the table in front of me, I plan to do nothing but binge- watch Netflix. I’m good at that.
My phone vibrates beside me. I pause Gilmore Girls and pick up the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful.” Kane’s endearment shoots tingles down my spine.
“What’s up?” I go for casual.
“Nothing, was just thinking about you, and since we haven’t spoken since the beach trip, I felt that a good boyfriend would check in on his girl.”
“You do know that you don’t need to do that. I’m a big girl and don’t need you making sure I’m okay. I’m not keeping tabs on you.” Even though I have been stalking his Facebook and Instagram. Not that I’m going to admit it to him. I shove a forkful of food in my mouth and wait for his response.
“I’m allowed to. It’s my right. I also wanted to fill you in on what I’ve got going on just so you’re aware.”
I swallow. “Okay, shoot.”
“Well, as you know, I’ve got the party my family is throwing me. Our coming out as you would call it. It’s a formal dress night.”
“Wait. What? Formal? I have to spend money on a dress?”
He chuckles. “You don’t have to do anything. I can get you something if you want.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m sure Adele will have something.” Thankfully, I have a friend who is great at doing the glam. She will certainly have a dress I can borrow.
“Okay. And the other thing is that I’ve got to go away for the next two weeks for work. Dad has me flying some high-class guests around.”
“Really? For the next two weeks?” I actually sound like the desperate girlfriend right now.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head. It’s only work. Don’t miss me too much, will you?”
I smile. “Who says I’m going to miss you? It’ll be a weight off my shoulders.” Do I even believe what I’m saying?
“Oh, Jojo. How long are you going to play this game?”
“There’s no game, Kane. Anyway, I’m going to keep watching my show and stuffing my face. I’ll see you in two weeks. Don’t miss me too much.”
“Of course, I’ll miss you. You’re my girl. Can’t wait to kiss you again.” The playful tone in his words causes butterflies to take flight in my chest.
We end our call. He’s going to consume my thoughts from now until I see him again.
It’s just pretend.
I hit play, and the show resumes, but my mind isn’t in Stars Hollow. It’s on those lips and how soft they felt, and how I couldn’t help but long for a little sincerity in those three words—you’re my girl.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen.
Chapter Twenty
Jolene
I stare at myself in the mirror. Is the woman staring back really me?
“You look stunning.” Adele smiles behind me in her reflection. I’m wearing a long midnight blue, cap-sleeve dr
ess. It’s simple, yet elegant.
When Kane contacted me and told me his party is going to be formal, I knew I needed all the help I could get. I don’t do formal.
“Thanks, I couldn’t have done this without you.” I run my freshly shellacked neutral-colored nails down the front of my satin dress. Adele had this little number sitting in her closet, and, of course, I took it because forking out money for this night wasn’t going to happen. Adele did everything—my nails, hair, and makeup—and it is all perfect.
“Oh, girl, I’ve got you. Here ya go.” She holds out some strappy silver shoes. They’re high—not what I’m used to. “How are you feeling?”
I take the shoes from her and sit on the edge of my bed. Her question causes me to think for a moment, then say, “I’m wishing I could back the hell out of this.” I laugh nervously. I drop the shoes, and my face falls into my open hands, though I’m mindful not to smudge my eyeshadow.
“Get your face out of your hands,” she practically yells.
I flick my head upright. My hair is down with some light curls through it. I never get to wear my hair down, especially in my line of work. Tonight, I’m ready to party. I think the wine is going to be my best friend tonight. “I’m making a mistake.” I groan like I’m a kid being punished.
Adele has the audacity to roll her eyes at my vulnerability. “What has Kane said?”
“He’s already told his family about me. His dad is happy to finally know one of his girlfriends and the fact he now has a serious woman in his life. I’m going to be sick.” I wrap my hands around my stomach, and I lean over again, pulling in some deep breaths. Kane also told me he can’t wait to kiss me again, to be able to flaunt me to his friends and family tonight. His mom scared the hell out of me back in college. Perhaps she’s tamed with age. Then, there’s his over-the-top sister, Callie.
Oh my goodness, this is a mistake.