Love Me Not

by Reese Ryan

  “Mom, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine,” Jamie heard herself saying, though her insides cringed in protest. She glanced down the bar at Miles, who was sporting a grin that nearly split his handsome face in two levered halves. She resisted the urge to laugh.

  “Hello, Mrs. Gordon.” He got off his bar stool and extended his hand to Ellie. “I’m Miles Copeland. Jamie talks about you all the time. When you stopped in today, I just had to meet you.”

  A wide smile spread across her mom’s face. She shook Miles’s hand. “Nice to meet you, young man. And please, call me Ellie.” Ellie sat on the bar stool directly in front of Jamie, no sign of her going back to her friends anytime soon. “How do you know my girl, Miles? You obviously don’t work here.” She eyed him with the subtlety of a wolf sizing up a lamb.

  “Miles has been a regular here at the bar for the past couple of months. He’s practically a member of the family.”

  “Is that right? Then I assume you don’t have anyone special making home-cooked meals for you.” There was a lilt in Ellie’s voice, one she usually reserved for meeting men she considered an eligible match for Melanie.

  Jamie groaned. Ellie’s primary concern had always been that she wasn’t doing something insanely irresponsible. Matchmaking on her behalf was a distant second, or third. She hoped this wouldn’t mark the beginning of a new trend.

  Miles blushed a little. His smile deepened. “No, ma’am.”

  “You’re not from around here, are you?”

  “I’m from New York.”

  “You’re here for, what, business?” Ellie’s expression was tentative.

  “I accepted a new position with my company, and I’m relocating here.”

  “So you will be living here, and you’re new to town. That’s wonderful.” Ellie could barely contain her excitement.

  Jamie envisioned her rubbing her hands together and licking her lips like a cartoon wolf. Fresh meat.

  “Has Jamie shown you around town?”

  “No, ma’am.” Miles looked at Jamie. “I’ve tried my hardest, but she won’t budge.”

  “Jamie! You haven’t taken this handsome young man to see all that Cleveland has to offer? That isn’t very neighborly.”

  Jamie rolled her eyes. “You know me. I’m a regular Mr. Rogers.”

  “Hmm...we’ll see.” Ellie smirked then shared a conspiratorial wink with Miles.

  He put his hands together in prayer at this chest and mouthed the words Thank you.

  Jamie sighed. “The girls are calling you.” She nodded toward Ellie’s friends sitting at the table, pointing and grinning at the three of them.

  “They’re probably wondering who this incredibly handsome and polite young man is.” She looked at Jamie. “Who could blame them?”

  Miles laughed. “You’re too kind, Mrs.—Ellie, and it was a pleasure to meet you.”

  “You, too.” She patted his hand. “Welcome to Cleveland, Miles. I hope to see you again soon.”

  “Same here.”

  Ellie leaned in and kissed Jamie on the cheek, then hurried back to the table with her friends.

  Jamie tried to ignore their giggling and staring. “So, you met my mother. Happy?”

  “Yes, actually,” he said. “You don’t look alike, but you definitely have her fire and her spirit. I’ll bet she doesn’t take crap from anyone. Just like her daughter.” He smiled broadly.

  Jamie glanced at Ellie, who was smiling at her. “You have no idea.”

  “Your mom’s a strong woman. Evidently she helped you become one, too. I wish my little sister was more like that. She’s a magnet for assholes who treat her like a doormat.”

  “Is she seeing someone now?”

  Miles rolled his eyes and took a sip from his drink. “Asshole Number Six. This one might be the biggest yet.”

  “What is it you don’t like about the guy?”

  “Aside from the fact that he’s only dating my sister for her money?”

  “And how do you know that?” Jamie asked.

  Miles stared at her for a moment before shifting his gaze to the glass in his hand. “They’ve been dating less than six months and she’s already paying his bills.”

  “Have you talked to her about it?”

  “All the time. She says I’m trying to control her life.”

  “Are you?”

  “Of course not!”

  “So what’d you say when your sister accused you of trying to run her life?”

  His face pinched. He took another sip of his drink, then set the glass on the bar with a thud. “I told her that maybe I needed to because she wasn’t doing a very good job of it.”

  “And did she kick your ass?” Jamie folded her arms. “Because if you were my brother and you came at me like that, I certainly would have.”

  Miles scratched his beard, his eyes on the bar. “Since she hasn’t answered any of my calls this week, I’d say she’s pretty pissed. We get into it from time to time, but she’s never stayed mad at me this long before.”

  “Looks like she’s developing a backbone after all.” Yeah, she was being a smart-ass, but he deserved it.

  “That’d be just my luck. Look, I know I shouldn’t have said that, but she’s my sister. I hate seeing this loser take advantage of her. I’m trying to protect her.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Twenty-two.”

  “Well, you can’t protect her forever. I know you want to, but you can’t. You wanted her to stand up for herself, and she’s starting to. That’s the first step. Keep talking to her. Just don’t talk at her or preach down to her. You’ll never be able to build an adult relationship as long as you insist on treating her like a kid.”

  Miles lowered his head and let out a deep sigh. “I know you’re right, but it isn’t that easy. It’s always been my job to take care of her. My dad was too busy chasing ass, and my mother was too busy pouring herself a cosmopolitan and pretending it didn’t hurt like hell. So I kind of feel like—”

  “She’s your daughter?” Jamie watched his face. Her tone was kinder than it’d been before.

  “Sorta.”

  “Well, even fathers have to let their little girls grow up sometimes. Just relax and realize that it isn’t your choice to make. Stop trying to be her father and be her friend instead. That’s what she needs.”

  Miles regarded her for a moment, head cocked to the side, his chin resting on his fist. “I never thought about it that way. Thanks.”

  “Hey, that’s what friends are for. I mean, now that you’ve met my mom and everything.” She smiled. “Let me go and check on your order. It should be ready.”

  Jamie sauntered to the other end of the bar to take care of other customers and pretended not to notice the wide smile on his face or how it made her heart leap.

  * * *

  Jamie was the last one to leave at the end of a very long night. Emmitt hated when she left the bar alone. It had been a particularly busy night, so she did some restocking. Emilio and Juan had offered to stay, but she didn’t see the point. They both looked exhausted.

  Jamie uncapped the safety on her mace and locked up the bar. She climbed into the truck and turned the key. Nothing. She turned it again. Still nothing.

  “Damn you, Byron! Not tonight. C’mon!” She tried a few more times but still got nothing. The last thing she wanted to do was wake Ellie in the middle of the night and admit that she’d let her stupid auto club membership lapse two months earlier. She’d rather call a cab now and deal with telling Ellie she’d screwed up again later.

  Jamie pulled out her phone, a basic call-and-text device. She’d insisted she didn’t need a smartphone. Sitting in a dark parking lot in the middle of the night, needing to pull up a list of cab companies, her decision suddenly seemed pretty dumb.

  She popped the lever, hopped out of the car and lifted the hood. Maybe it was something simple she could fix. She didn’t know a lot about cars, but Ex had taught her to change her own oil, and she could rep
lace a flat tire faster than most of the guys she knew. Jamie squinted, peering underneath the hood in the hazy light of the flood lamp. She could barely see anything, let alone figure out what the hell was wrong. She let the hood drop and banged her fist against it.

  “Everything okay?” A shadowy figure crossed the dark parking lot.

  Jamie reached into her pocket and pulled out her key chain, ready to discharge the mace the second she knew something wasn’t right. The figure stepped into the light.

  “Miles? What the hell are you doing out here at this time of night?” Jamie realized her heart was beating double-time. She drew in a deep breath then let it out in a huff. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “Sorry.” He held up both his hands, halting a few feet away from her. “My window faces the parking lot. I couldn’t sleep, thinking about this proposal I’ve been working on. I looked out the window and saw you get out of the truck and raise your hood. Is everything okay?”

  “No. This fucking piece of shit picks tonight to not start. Not cool, Byron.” She directed her angry words at the temperamental truck.

  “Do you mind?” He gestured toward it.

  “You’re not going to find anything. I didn’t. I’m not a helpless little girl, you know.” She was surprised by how angry she sounded. After all, she was glad not to be alone in a dark parking lot.

  “I know you aren’t. But you never know. Let me try?” He wriggled his fingers, and she reluctantly placed the keys in his palm. He climbed inside the truck and tried to start it without success. Finally he hopped down. “Okay, so we’ve definitely got to get it to a mechanic. But there’s no reason it has to be this very moment. Why don’t you let me take you home? My car’s in the garage across the street.”

  Jamie bit her lip, not making eye contact. She didn’t want Miles taking her home, but what were the alternatives? “I was gonna call a cab, but I don’t have the number,” she said finally. “If you could look the number up in that fancy phone of yours, that’s really all I need. It’s late, and I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

  “It’s not an inconvenience—”

  “You just said you were doing work stuff. Which, by the way, you shouldn’t be at this time of night.” She pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. “I don’t want you driving halfway across town for me.”

  “Jamie...” He placed a hand on her shoulder. Even through the fabric of her shirt, her skin felt tingly underneath his touch. “Let me do this for you. You’d do the same for me, wouldn’t you?”

  She surveyed his face for a moment. Spending the next half an hour together alone—without the security of the bar between them—was a tempting, yet potentially disastrous prospect. Still, it was the only one she had. “Okay, thanks. I’d appreciate a ride home.”

  * * *

  Miles waited as Jamie locked her truck and followed him across the street. He swiped his hotel key card and they entered the garage.

  “This isn’t some lame attempt to get me to your room, is it?” She followed him up a flight of stairs.

  He laughed. “Is it working?”

  “No!” Her answer was emphatic.

  “Then no.” He shrugged, smirking at her over one shoulder. When she narrowed those lovely green eyes at him and crossed her arms, his eyes drifted to her breasts. He quickly focused on her face and those pouty, bloodred lips again. “Just kidding. You know that, right?”

  Jamie nodded then followed him again. Finally they arrived at Miles’s black BMW. A self-satisfied smirk lifted the corners of her mouth as she raised her eyes to his.

  “Enough with the gloating,” he said. “You were right about the car. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  Jamie slipped inside the passenger seat and looked around. The car still had that new-leather smell and it was as clean as it had been the day he rode it off the lot. “Didn’t say a word. I’m thankful for the ride.”

  “So, where’re we going?”

  “Coventry, near Cleveland Heights. I can direct you there.”

  He smiled at her. “Why don’t you drive us there?”

  “Drive this? You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she said.

  “I trust you.” He stretched his hand out toward her, the key in his palm.

  “I don’t think that’s such a great idea. My driving is more suitable for a racetrack than the city streets.”

  “So you’re an aggressive driver. Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  Jamie narrowed her eyes at him, but let his smart-ass comment ride. “I’d love to take this machine for a ride and show her what a real driver can do, but I don’t think it’d be a good idea.”

  “Let’s see what you’ve got.” He pressed the key into her palm and got out of the car. He went around to the passenger side and opened her door. “You’re not going chickenshit on me now, are you, Charles?” He grinned.

  Her eyes sparked, like an ignited torch. He’d struck a nerve. It shouldn’t have surprised him. He doubted this girl had ever backed down from a challenge.

  Jamie eased the BMW 535i out of its parking space and down the parking garage ramp, carefully taking the curves and getting a feel for the handle of the car. The engine purred like a mighty panther, ready to pounce. He could swear there was something in her eyes that lit up like a kid waking up on Christmas. This was going to be fun, if they survived.

  “So, what were you really doing up at three in the morning?”

  “I told you, I was working on a proposal I’m presenting to a potential client on Monday.” He shifted in his seat as she pulled up to the garage door, and it slowly lifted.

  Jamie edged out onto the street cautiously. “Sure you’re not stalking me?”

  Miles swallowed hard but then relaxed when he saw a teasing glint in her eyes. He let out a little breath. After all, him showing up in the darkened parking lot in the middle of the night...well, even he had to admit it was kind of creepy. But sometimes—like tonight—he had trouble sleeping. He was excited about his promotion and subsequent relocation, but he’d also taken on the most responsibility he’d ever had by accepting this job. He’d been steadily climbing the ladder at his agency for the past six years—not because of his father’s name, but because he was good at what he did, and because he hadn’t been afraid of taking risks. Still, sometimes he worried that people would find out he was a fraud. That half the time he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. He was simply going on his gut and past experiences. Those nights he found himself unable to sleep, his mind racing.

  “Hate to disappoint you, but I really was preparing for a presentation. That’s not to say you’re not stalker-worthy,” he added with an impish grin, “because you most certainly are.”

  Jamie laughed hard. It was a good sign. She was finally warming up to him. And it’d only taken two months. “So, what’re you working on that has you so stressed that you’re working on it when everyone else is sleeping or getting laid?”

  Miles’s cheeks grew warm. He wasn’t a prude, but there was something about Jamie. She always knew how to push his buttons. Though he had to admit he enjoyed it. “The kind of proposal that would assure my boss he made the right decision by selecting me for this position.”

  “So, you want to make an impression on your boss? I didn’t take you for the worrying type.” She turned onto the freeway.

  “Normally, I’m not. But this is important to me.”

  “Why? I mean, I know you want to do a good job, but it seems like there’s more to it than that.”

  He cleared his throat, his eyes on one of the cars they whizzed by. “I guess I need to show my dad that I can get where I want in life without him.”

  “When was the last time you guys talked?”

  “A little more than six years ago, when he said I’d never amount to anything without him.”

  They were both silent for a moment. Finally she said, “I’m sorry for that remark about you having a golden childhood and a pony. I didn’t know.”

 
“Don’t let the smile fool you.” He flashed a quick, tight smile. “It took ten years of therapy to get past all that anger. In the end, I did it for me. Not for him.

  * * *

  Jamie parked in the closest available space to her third-floor rental. “I’m up the street there. Thanks for the ride, and for letting me drive. Will you be able to find your way back?”

  “Sure, I’ve got my GPS. I’ll be fine. But that’s a long way up the street. I’ll walk you to your door.”

  “Not necessary. This neighborhood is a snoozefest. Trust me, I’ll be fine.” She stepped out of the car.

  Miles exited the passenger door, and she handed him the key. “My mother taught me to always walk a lady to her door. So please, just indulge me here. You’re killing my knight-in-shining-armor moment.”

  She slung her bag over her shoulder and surveyed his face. “Okay, fine, but to the door, no further.”

  He raised his hands in surrender. “To the door is fine.”

  Miles locked the car and walked beside her down the street in silence. It was dark, but with the streetlights on he could see that the neighborhood was full of solid, older homes. Most of the houses were duplexes and two-family homes. There were a few single family homes, too. All of them seemed to be well cared for, even though they were probably built at least half a century ago.

  “Nice neighborhood,” he said. “How long’ve you lived here?”

  “In this place? About two years. Ma is about five minutes from here. I’ve lived a few places, never more than fifteen minutes away from her.”

  “I’m sure she’s happy about that.”

  “It makes her feel like I’m within reach, I guess.” She shrugged, digging her keys out of her bag. She turned up the drive of a beige two-family home. There were two cars parked in front of the two-car garage. “Thanks again for the ride. I’m exhausted. The last thing I wanted to deal with was a tow truck driver. Ma or Mimi will drive me over in the morning to get it towed. I’ll have to deal with the speech about letting my auto club membership lapse, but hey, I deserve it, right?”