From Best Friend to Daddy

by Jules Bennett

  Kate shook her head. “I’ve seriously got so much to do.”

  “Did you tell Lucy about the planner and the campfire?”

  Kate shot a glare at Tara, who sat across on the opposite sofa. The smirk on her friend’s face was not funny. Not funny at all.

  “A fire and your planner?” Lucy gasped. “I have to hear this. I swear, tell me this and I won’t bring up the hammock again.”

  Kate realized she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. She sank back into her corner of the couch and replayed her camping story—minus the sex and lustful glances—to her best friends.

  “Wait.” Lucy held up her hands. “You went camping? That’s almost as shocking as the fact Gray burned your planner.”

  “He forced my hand on the camping thing,” she stated. “Well, he didn’t force me. Camping was on my life list and he just showed up unannounced—”

  “Hold up,” Lucy said, incredulous. “What’s this life list? Good grief. A girl gets married, has awkward sex in a hammock and misses so much that has happened. Start at the beginning.”

  “No hammock talk,” Kate reminded her.

  Lucy shrugged. “Minor slip.”

  Tara refilled her glass, then propped her bare feet on the couch. “Yes. The beginning of this camping adventure, please.”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “You already know everything.”

  “Still makes for a good bedtime story.” Tara shrugged. “Besides, I think something is brewing between you and Gray.”

  “Nothing is brewing. You know we drive each other insane on a good day.”

  Kate was quick to defend herself, but she and Gray were friends. No, really. No more sex. Just the one time...times two.

  “I made a list,” Kate started. “I guess you could call it a bucket list. With turning thirty, I started getting a little anxiety about inching closer to the age my mom was when she died. I figured I better start doing some of the things I really want to try. You just never know how much time you have left.”

  “Camping made your list?” Lucy asked. “I’m intrigued by what else you’ve put on there.”

  Kate slipped off her sandals and pulled her feet back under her. She didn’t want to get into the full details of her wishes because...well, she felt that was something she and Gray shared. As strange as that sounded, she’d originally wanted to keep it all to herself, but since he knew, Kate wanted to keep things just between them.

  The secrets between her and Gray were mounting up.

  “I tried to think of things I’d never done, so, yeah. Camping ranked high,” Kate explained. “Once we got settled in and took a hike, I could tell something was bothering Gray. He finally opened up and dropped a bomb on me that someone wants to buy his bar.”

  “What?” Lucy and Tara both asked.

  Kate met her friends’ wide eyes and dropped jaws with a nod. “He said some guy came in and offered him an insane amount of money to purchase Gallagher’s. Said something about buying properties around the town to update them and make them more city-like.”

  “Our town doesn’t need updating,” Lucy stated. “The reason people live here is because they like the small-town atmosphere. If they wanted a city feel, they’d move there. I wonder if Drake is aware of this. Surely these guys had the decency to talk to our mayor.”

  Kate shrugged. “Just telling you what I know.”

  Tara set her wineglass on the coffee table and shifted to face Kate. “Is Gray seriously considering giving up the bar?”

  “He hasn’t turned the offer down.”

  Which honestly surprised her. He’d explained the whole thing about feeling something missing in his life, but at the same time, this was his family’s legacy. A piece of history that had just been handed to him. Did he even realize how lucky he was? She’d give anything to have a piece of her parents handed down to her, some way to still hold on to them.

  Which was why tracing her family genealogy had made her list.

  “Wow.” Lucy took another sip of her wine. “When will he decide what he’s doing?”

  “The guy gave him a deadline. Next week sometime.” Kate stretched her legs out and felt around for her shoes. She really did need to get going. Not just because of the work thing. She didn’t want to get back into the camping conversation and Tara’s speculation that something was up. “He’s going to talk to his dad and feel him out, though I imagine that won’t go very well.”

  No doubt he’d let her know exactly how that talk went. Then he’d probably call her out on dodging him since they’d returned from their trip. She hadn’t been dodging him, exactly. She’d been working and she assumed he had, as well.

  Besides, she just needed a break after those two days together. The man consumed her every thought lately and when they were together he was...well, even more irresistible and in her face.

  What did all of this mean? How could she let her Gray go from being her best friend to lover, then try to put him back in the best friend zone? It shouldn’t be that difficult to keep him locked away in that particular section of her heart. Isn’t that what she did for a living? Put everything in a neat and tidy order?

  So why the hell couldn’t she do that with her personal life?

  Kate finally said her goodbyes to her best girlfriends and agreed to meet them at Ladies’ Night on Wednesday. She hadn’t been for a while and was overdue—something Gray had noticed and called her out on. And, well, she could use a night of dancing and just having a good time.

  That would prove to Gray that she wasn’t dodging him...right?

  Kate headed home, her mind working through all she needed to get done over the next couple of days. She was still in need of a good personal planner. She had looked at a few, but hadn’t made a commitment yet. Whatever she chose, Gray would feel it in his wallet. That would teach him not to mess with her things anymore.

  As she pulled into her drive, she noticed a sporty black car parked on the street directly in front of her house. Her eyes darted to the porch, where a man in a suit sat on one of her white rockers.

  Kate barely took her eyes off him as she put the car in Park and killed the engine. Of all people to make an unexpected visit, her cheating, lying ex was the last man she ever expected to see again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Gripping her purse, Kate headed up her stone walkway. “What are you doing here, Chris?”

  Always clean-cut and polished, Chris Percell came to his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets.

  Who wore a suit at this time of night? And in this humidity? Not that his wardrobe was a concern of hers. No, the main issues here were that he stood on her porch without an invitation and she hadn’t heard a word from him in years. Granted, once he’d left, she hadn’t wanted to hear a word from the cheating bastard.

  Kate didn’t mount the steps. He had about three seconds to state his business and then she was going in her house and locking the door. She hadn’t been lying when she told her friends she was tired and still had some work to do, so this unexpected visitor was not putting her in the best of moods.

  “You look good, Kate.”

  Chris started down the steps toward her. Now she did dodge him and go on up to her porch. When she turned, he stood on the bottom step, smiling up at her.

  “It’s been a long time,” he stated.

  “Not long enough. What do you want?”

  With a shrug, he crossed his arms and shifted his stance. “I was hoping we could talk.”

  “Most people just text.” She’d deleted him from her phone long ago, but still. Showing up unannounced was flat-out rude. Not that he had many morals or even common decency.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d respond.”

  “I wouldn’t,” she told him.

  He propped one foot on the next step and smoothed a hand over his perfectly parted hair. “Afte
r all these years, you’re still angry?”

  She didn’t know whether to laugh at his stupidity or throw her purse at him and pray she hit him in the head hard enough to knock some damn sense into him.

  No purse should be treated that way, so she adjusted the strap on her shoulder and held it tight.

  “Angry?” she asked with a slight laugh. “I’d have to feel something to actually be angry with you.”

  “Kate.” Chris lowered his tone as if to appeal to her good side. She no longer had one where he was concerned. “Could I come in for a bit just to talk?”

  “No. And actually, it’s a bit creepy that you’re on my porch waiting on me to get home.”

  “I haven’t been here long,” he assured her. “Maybe I should come back tomorrow. Can I take you for coffee?”

  Kate stared down at the clean-cut man who probably still got bimonthly manicures. She couldn’t help but wonder what in the hell she’d ever seen in him to begin with. Coffee with a man wearing a suit? She’d prefer champagne served up by a sexy tattooed-up bar owner.

  Oh, no.

  No, no, no.

  Now was not the time to discover that her feelings were sliding into more than just friendship with Gray. Chris continued to stare at her, waiting for her answer, but she was having a minor mental breakdown.

  “I’m busy tomorrow,” she finally replied. “Good night, Chris.”

  Without waiting for him to respond, Kate pulled her key from her purse and quickly let herself into the house. She flicked the dead bolt back into place and smacked the porch lights off.

  What on earth had flashed through her mind when Chris mentioned taking her for coffee? She loved coffee and Stonerock had the best little coffee house on the edge of town. Not that she would even entertain the thought of having coffee with that slime bag.

  But Gray?

  Everything in her thought process lately circled back to that man. Her planner, her bucket list, her drinks, her most satisfying sexual experiences.

  Kate groaned as she made her way toward her bedroom. What she needed to do was spend more time with Tara and Lucy. So much one-on-one with Gray had obviously clouded her judgment and left her confused and mixing amazing sex with feelings that shouldn’t be developing.

  But Tara was busy with her own life and Lucy was still in that newlywed bliss phase. Ladies’ Night would definitely be her best bet to get back to where she needed to be mentally. Letting lose, being carefree, and not worrying about anything would surely cleanse her mind of all lustful thoughts of her best friend.

  Sex really did cloud the mind. And great sex...well, maybe she just needed sleep. If she weren’t so exhausted, perhaps Gray wouldn’t have filled her mind the second Chris started talking about taking her out.

  Gray hadn’t even taken her out. They weren’t in any way dating. They were going on about their way like always—just adding in a few toe-curling orgasms along the way.

  Kate pushed aside all thoughts of Chris showing up, Gray and his ability to make her want more than she should and the fact he may be selling his bar and leaving. She couldn’t get wrapped up in lives and circumstances she had no control over. As much as she thrived on micromanaging, realistically, she had to let go.

  After pulling on her favorite sleep shirt, Kate slid beneath her sheets and adjusted her pillows against the upholstered headboard. She unplugged her iPad from the nightstand and pulled up her schedule for the following day. Yes, her schedule was in both paper and e-format.

  After glancing over her schedule, she went to her personal blog. So many blogs failed, but Kate prided herself on being a marketing genius. She honed in on her niche market, taking full advantage of social media platforms that drove her clients to her site, thus turning them into paying customers.

  Not many people could do their dream job and work from home. Kate knew how blessed and lucky she was to have such a fabulous life.

  Though seeing Lucy so happy with love and Tara with sweet Marley made Kate wonder if she was missing out.

  Tara clicked on the tab to bring up her bucket list. At the bottom she added the word “family” in bold font. Ultimately that would be her main goal once she’d achieved the others. She wasn’t going to rush it, she wanted to wait on the right man to come along. She was definitely ready to take that step toward a broader future.

  Stifling a yawn, Kate placed her device back on her nightstand and clicked the light off. As she fluffed her pillows and rolled over, she hoped she would fall asleep right away and not dream of the sexy bar owner who had occupied her thoughts every night.

  But she found herself smiling. She couldn’t help herself. There was no greater man in her life, and even though things were a little unbalanced right now, she fully intended on keeping him at an arm’s length. For real this time.

  * * *

  “Thanks, darlin’, but I’m busy tonight.”

  Ladies’ Night always brought in the flirtatious women with short skirts and plunging necklines. Being single didn’t hurt business, either, but he’d never picked up a woman in his bar. That wasn’t good business and certainly not a reputation he wanted hovering over his establishment.

  Gray extracted himself from the clutches of the blonde at the table in the corner. That’s what he got for coming out from behind his post. His staff had been busy so he’d taken the table their drinks.

  Back behind the safety of the bar, Gray tapped on the computer and started filling more drink orders. Jacob ran the finger foods from the kitchen. The menu remained small and simple but enough to keep people thirsty, because the drinks were by far the moneymaker.

  The DJ switched the song to one that seriously made Gray’s teeth itch. “It’s Raining Men” blared through the hidden surround sound speakers. Considering the crowd and the cheers and squeals, Gray was definitely in the minority here.

  One night. He could live through terrible music for one night a week. Wednesday nights brought in the most revenue. Women from all walks of life came out in droves. Some were celebrating bachelorette parties. Some were stay-at-home moms who needed a break. Sometimes a group of employees got together to decompress after work. Whatever their situation was, Gray—and his bottom line—was thrilled he’d decided to add this night when he’d taken over.

  As he placed three margaritas on the bar for one of his staff to take to table eleven, he glanced at the front door when it opened.

  Finally.

  Gray didn’t even care that his heart skipped a little at the sight of Kate. He was done ignoring the way he felt when she was near. He just...damn it, he wanted her to stop avoiding him. He needed her stability, the security she brought to their friendship.

  He hadn’t spoken with her since he’d talked to his dad. Just the thought of that conversation had him questioning what to do. Clearly his father would be heartbroken over losing Gallagher’s, but Gray just kept thinking back to how free he would be if he was able to explore his own interests.

  His eyes drifted back to Kate. She’d settled in a booth with Tara and Lucy. When her gaze landed on him, she might as well have touched him with her bare hands. Immediate heat spread through him, and the second she flashed that radiant smile, Gray nearly toppled the glass he’d been holding.

  After returning her smile, he returned his focus to the orders. No woman had ever made him falter on the job before. Then again, no woman was Kate McCoy.

  As he worked on filling orders, he randomly glanced her way. He knew exactly which drinks were going to that table. Those three were so predictable. Tara always wanted a cosmo, Lucy stuck with a light beer and Kate went with soda.

  It wasn’t long before another song blared through the speakers that had Gray cringing, but the dance floor instantly filled with women. Kate and her friends were right in the midst of the action.

  That little dress she wore had his gut tightening. The loose hem slid a
ll over her thighs as she wiggled that sweet body on the dance floor. She’d piled her hair up on top of her head, but the longer she danced, the more stray strands fell around her face, her neck.

  Get a grip.

  “Hey, baby. You ever take time for a dance?”

  Gray flashed a smile to the redhead leaning over the bar at just the right angle to give him a complete visual of her cleavage and bra of choice.

  “Who would make all these drinks if I went dancing?” he yelled over the music.

  She reached across the bar and ran her fingertip down his chest. “I think if you got on that dance floor, we’d all forget about our drinks. At least for a little while.”

  Someone slammed a glass next to him, jerking Gray’s attention from the flirtatious patron.

  He turned just in time to see Kate walking away, her empty glass on the bar.

  “Looks like you made someone’s drink wrong,” the redhead stated, lowering her lids. “You can make me anything you want.”

  Gray stepped back, causing her hand to fall from his chest. “Where are you and your friends sitting?” he asked. “I’ll send over a pitcher of margaritas.”

  Her smile widened as she gestured to their table. Apparently the idea of free booze was more appealing than him...which was perfectly fine. Right now, he was more intrigued with the way Kate had acted. She’d slammed that glass pretty close to his arm on purpose and then walked away without a word.

  Jealous?

  Gray couldn’t help but smile as he got the pitcher ready. If Kate was jealous, then maybe she was ready to see where this new level of friendship would take them. Perhaps she’d missed him in the days they’d been apart and she’d thought more about their time in the mountains.

  Maybe she’d finally realized how good they were together and that it was silly to put restrictions on their intimacy. He spotted her back out on the dance floor talking to Lucy. Lucy nodded in response to whatever she said and Kate walked away.

  Gray picked up empty glasses and wiped off the bar where a few ladies had just sat, all the while keeping his gaze on Kate. She went back to the booth and grabbed her purse.