“Come on, Adam, she needs a date. Just go along, charm the guests, keep them off her back. You never know, you might enjoy the weekend.” James leaned against the bar. “And Bella’s no longer on the scene, so what’s the problem?” Adam winced. Bella had wanted more than he was prepared to give. He was too busy with work. And his father expected nothing short of absolute dedication.
Adam ordered the drinks when the barmaid arrived, trying to think of arguments for not doing it. There were plenty.
“We hardly know each other.”
James nudged him and laughed. “When has that stopped you before?”
“That’s different! Besides, what have you told her about me?” Adam looked at him questioningly.
“Only what everyone else knows.” James held up his hand defensively. “If she’s ever listened to me jabber on,” James winced, “then she might think of you as ladies’ man.”
“Oh, just wonderful.” Adam shook his head.
“Look, you know I would have gone with Soph, but I’m at that damn meeting in Manchester – and you’re not.” James paused. “And even if I could, Kate loves Sophie, but I’m not even sure she’d understand this one. Come on, help a mate out,” James said, rubbing his hand through his unkempt hair. “Do it for me? You’re the only guy I can trust to do this properly.”
“I don’t know.” Adam slid his hands into his pockets. Why hadn’t he stayed at the office this evening? He’d taken the opportunity to leave on time, rarely able to join the workforce down the pub on a Friday. Now he regretted it. First Bella, and now this.
“So, how good is she … at engineering?” Adam said hesitantly.
James frowned. “She’s a bloody good design engineer. Thomas will be making her chief engineer at this rate – obviously some time yet, she’s only young.”
“So we don’t want to lose her?” Adam’s forehead creased. Would helping Sophie actually benefit him, even if only in company matters?
“No, but what’s this got to do … ? Adam, I’m asking you as a friend.”
“I know, but I might need to call in a favour.” He shrugged.
“Man, it’s always about work with you. Well, you’re probably both suited. The woman works all hours,” James said. Then more sternly, “But she’s the sort who’d help a friend out if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I don’t know what I’m thinking. This is a stupid idea.”
“She’s great. You’ll love her. You two might even hit it off.” James sounded hopeful. Adam scowled.
“We’ve talked about this before. You know it’s not for me, settling down. Not everybody wants what you and Kate have.”
“How do you know if you don’t try it? Dating a woman who’s not afraid to chip a nail might do you good.”
“Date?” Adam sighed and run a hand through his hair. The barmaid put the last pint on the bar and Adam paid her.
James continued frantically, realising his misplaced word. “I’m not asking you to sleep with her. In fact you’d better not - I’ll bloody kill you! Sophie’s a nice young lady, who needs treating properly.” James looked at him knowingly but Adam’s returned expression was horrified. “But truthfully, I think something’s up.”
“Oh, great.”
“She needs someone there for moral support, for some reason. Like I said, she helps friends out, that’s why I can’t believe she’s seriously thinking of not going.” James nudged him. “Haven’t I got you out of a few scrapes? If you’re helping Soph out, you’re helping me out,” James added, looking pleadingly at him. “You’re the only one I know I can trust.”
Trust. There it was again. If James wasn’t such a good friend …
The barmaid handed Adam his change and he sighed. “All right, all right, I’ll do it.”
James slapped his back and grinned. “You won’t regret it.”
“Famous last words those.”
“Sophie is lovely.”
“You keep saying that, but she’s not really my –”
“The problem is you can’t see beyond a woman’s looks. You wait until you get to know her. Trust me.”
Adam rubbed his forehead, and they headed back to the pub garden. “Why do I get the feeling I’m going to regret this?”
***
Well done, James. The one thing she would have liked to have kept buried deep in her handbag, was now the topic of the most embarrassing conversation at the pub.
Coward.
This could be the answer to her fears; only Adam Reid … Really?
While she worried about what James was telling Adam at the bar, she said hello to colleagues, not really listening to them and what they were up to at the weekend.
What would she be doing this weekend? Thinking about packing, or plucking up the courage to call Cassie?
Why hadn’t James stuck with asking Kate? Or one of her accountant friends? Oh, no, he’d asked Adam Reid from Sales and Marketing – a department she wasn’t even familiar with, as her job rarely led her there. All she knew was everyone dressed in smart, slick suits and looked immaculate. They talked about sales figures, advertising campaigns and the big picture, while she and James knuckled down to the hard work behind the scenes.
She glanced around the pub. Some of them were here.
Sophie swallowed, conscious her throat was like sandpaper, and sipping her wine didn’t help.
James and Adam walked towards her and sat down in silence.
What had James told him?
All nice things, surely? He’s a friend. Though, how well did James know her, really? So they worked together five days a week, and went to the pub on a Friday evening, but Sophie didn’t speak much about home, and what awaited her there. They talked shop most of the time, discussing their latest design project, or she let James fill her in on his weekends with Kate and friends.
“As I was saying,” James looked at Adam, as if passing a silent message between them, “Adam will go with you to the wedding.”
“You don’t have to.”
Adam smiled, in an ‘I don’t mind’ kind of way. “So where’s the wedding?” She became very aware of his blue eyes piercing through her at knee melting capacity. Good job she was sitting down.
“Cornwall, where I grew up. I’m supposed to drive down Thursday morning,” she said nervously. “It would mean taking a couple of days off.”
“See, mate, it’ll be fun –”
“Shh, James,” Sophie hissed.
“Okay, fine,” Adam said, ignoring James. He frowned, combing a hand through his hair. Sophie could see he was still thinking about it. Had James bullied him into this?
“So, you will come with me?” She kept staring at the table, looking at James, anything but meeting Adam’s eyes. Admittedly, this could be a good solution, although he still sounded hesitant.
“Yeah, I could do with a weekend away.”
“You’ll both have a scream!” James said, eagerly. “All you got to do is pretend to be her boyfriend.”
They both stared at James and spoke in unison, “Boyfriend?”
Chapter Two
Adam walked up the stairs towards Sophie’s flat with some anxiety. He’d never been nervous picking up a woman for a date in his life. It’s not a date. God, James’ pep talk all week had him jittery. He took a deep breath, adjusting his jacket collar, about to ring the doorbell, when the door opened unexpectedly and he jumped, staring at Sophie.
She looked different to the bland engineer he’d seen on Friday. For some reason, he’d expected to see her in the same style of plain – and unflattering – trouser suit. Instead, Sophie was wearing a fitted summer dress, cut just above the knee, revealing an appealing figure. Her chestnut hair hung loose, shaping her face and there was colour in her cheeks. Hell, he’d been wondering what he had got himself into, but maybe this weekend wouldn’t be too bad after all.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, clearing his throat, and straightening his tie. “I thought I’d come
help you with your bags.”
“Oh, uh, thanks,” Sophie said, putting down the case outside the door, and grabbing a small holdall and her handbag.
“We agreed – eight a.m.?”
“Yes. For some reason I thought … ” She shrugged.
What? He wouldn’t show?
“Doesn’t matter. You’re on time.”
She wouldn’t look him in the eyes and seemed nervous as hell – especially the way she fumbled to get the key into the lock.
“Here, let me.” He gently took the keys out of her hand and locked her front door.
“Thank you,” she said as he gave her bundle of keys back.
“Not a problem.” Adam picked up the case, then frowned, feeling the weight of it. “We’re going for the weekend, right? Not the week?”
“I know, I know.” Sophie winced as she spoke. “I couldn’t think what to take, and decided to pack for every eventuality.”
“You are normal then,” he said, smiling, as he walked down the stairs to his car with Sophie following.
“What?”
“I wasn’t sure the woman I met Friday was the sort to pack everything but the kitchen sink.” She had appeared to be a minimalist, not the type to lug a tonne of make-up about with her.
Her expression sobered.
Great, Adam. Before you start teasing her, maybe you should wait until you get to know her better. It had been his intention during this week, but got too caught up with work – he’d had two days out of the office sprung on him, after all. Now he was glad he’d insisted on driving when making the arrangements; it would give him something to concentrate on and he’d keep his mouth shut.
“I didn’t mean … well, you look great.”
“Oh … thanks,” she said, combing a hand through her hair, then smoothing her dress.
Adam looked at her speculatively. James was certain something was troubling Sophie. The last few days, whilst mulling it over, he’d been assured by James, over and over, this weekend would be good fun and that he would appreciate the break from work. But Adam was still not comfortable with this whole plan. How far would the pretending have to go?
Hopefully it would be a case of standing to the side, making idle chit-chat. As James had said, if he couldn’t sweet-talk a few old dears …
Adam hid a grin as he placed Sophie’s luggage in the boot. He’d noticed her stunned expression as she looked at the huge car – a brand spanking new BMW. He’d thought this would be more comfortable for the journey, and they could arrive in style. If Sophie wanted to impress someone, this would do it.
His expression sobered. What if it’s too flashy? This wasn’t the car he used for work. Sophie didn’t know who Adam really was. To her he was just some account manager. Only James knew his secret – had kept it for ten years, too.
Hell, he hoped he hadn’t over-done it – first impressions and all that. He needed to put her at ease, not make her think he was some poser.
“Hang on.” He shut the boot. “Let me get that.” He strode around and opened the passenger door for Sophie, smiling. She stared at him, opening her mouth, then closing it.
“Thank you,” Sophie said, settling into the black leather seat. “I can see why you insisted on driving - beats my poky little car.”
Adam chuckled, shutting her door. He took off his suit jacket and hung it up in the back. Once seated, he smiled at Sophie, receiving a fragile smile back before she looked down into her lap, then out the window. He really needed to reassure her he didn’t bite.
“Right, Cornwall it is then,” he said, starting the car.
“I said I’d pay for the fuel, and I mean it,” Sophie said in a worried tone.
Adam thought best not to disagree. Not that he would let a lady pay where he could help it. But maybe she was fretting because, although James had talked him into this, she didn’t want to look like she was sponging off him. For the sake of her pride, he wasn’t going to argue with her – yet. Besides, it had been his choice to bring the gas-guzzler of a car compared to using hers. Was she worried about the expense?
“Don’t worry about it for now, we’ll sort it out later. There’s a full tank. Let’s enjoy the weekend, yeah?” He winked and she smiled again, lighting up her face.
“Okay. But you’re doing me a favour, so I don’t want you out of pocket.”
“For services rendered?” He grinned at her, then turned his attention to the road.
Luckily, Sophie giggled, realising he was teasing her. “Yes, something like that.”
She stayed quiet while Adam drove. He wondered what to discuss. Cornwall wasn’t a trip around the corner; they had a good four to five hour journey ahead of them – providing traffic was good. Would they have enough in common to talk about or would they be stretching out conversations on the weather for the next few hundred miles?
“It’s a very nice car, by the way,” Sophie said after ten minutes, breaking the silence. Internally, Adam cringed. At least they weren’t discussing what a nice day it was.
“We could have used the convertible, but it gets a little uncomfortable after about an hour.” From experience, he knew most women didn’t enjoy the roof down; it messed up their hair, especially if going some place they’d dressed up for. And Sophie was dressed up. Besides, he wouldn’t have got his golf clubs plus all the luggage in the boot.
“Oh.”
Now you do look flash. Shut up.
“Depending on the traffic, we’ll stop after half way,” Adam said, glancing down at the clock in the dashboard. “But tell me if you need a stop before then, otherwise I’ll carry on.” He didn’t want her sitting there, too scared to ask him to stop, desperate to stretch her legs – and what fine legs they were, too.
You promised James you’d behave.
“Okay.”
“You’re very quiet, Sophie.”
“Oh, I thought you’d want to concentrate on the road,” she said.
“I don’t mind. If you want to talk, talk.”
“I’m happy listening to the radio.”
“I can put on a CD,” he said
“No, radio is fine.”
He adjusted the volume of the radio. Not too loud they couldn’t hear one another, but wanting to make sure they could listen to it. Did he usually worry this much? She seemed on edge. It’s not every day that a stranger picks you up and takes you away for a weekend.
They listened and commented on the morning broadcast. Occasionally, he’d catch the subtle scent of her floral perfume and glimpse to see Sophie staring out of the window. What was so bad about this wedding? Or was it him? He didn’t usually have a problem charming women. Was she intimidated? Shit, what had James told her about him?
Well, if he was going to do this, he was doing it properly. Adam certainly hated looking like an idiot. He didn’t want them turning up to this wedding and it being obvious that they didn’t know one another. He wanted them to step out of this car and look like a couple. This journey would be a good time to work out the finer details, and get to know the shy engineer better.
“Should we get our story straight?” Adam asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
“Story?” Sophie replied, frowning at him.
“Yeah, how we met and all that. Am I going to get the third degree?”
“Hopefully not, but maybe we should have matching stories. Sorry, I didn’t think,” Sophie said, laughing nervously.
According to James, she was supposed to be a brilliant designer and could put Thomas Robotics ahead of all its competitors. Maybe talking about work would bring her out of her shell.
“It shouldn’t be too difficult. We both work for the same company,” he said, concentrating back on the matter at hand. “What about Ted Phillips’ retirement party a few weeks ago?”
“Did you go?”
“Yeah, didn’t you?” He frowned. Thinking about it, he didn’t recall seeing her there, because if she’d been dressed like this, he’d have noticed �
� wouldn’t he?
“Um … no.”
“Why not?”
“I was out with friends, I think.”
She’s lying. Friday nights at The White Lion was about her limits as far as Adam knew. He didn’t think she had other friends outside of work.
“How was it?” she asked, looking at him. “Did many people go?”
“Yeah, a good night.” Adam chuckled. “James got up and sang his rendition of You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling to a couple of ladies who work in Accounts.”
“He never told me.”
“I don’t think he remembers.”
Sophie laughed. “Well, we can still say we met there.”
“Okay, Ted’s retirement party.” He nodded, liking her laughter. There was honesty about it. He would like to hear it more often. It meant that she was relaxing, too.
Adam concentrated on the road, looking in his wing mirror and moving the car into the outside lane, although he wanted to get a better look at the woman sitting beside him.
Plenty of time. He had all weekend. And his job was to stay in close proximity – oh, what a shame! Not.
“I’ve got my clubs in the boot,” Adam said, first thing entering his head, his mind wandering to the hotel. Golf was something he did to relax and entertain important clients.
“What?” Sophie frowned.
“I checked out the hotel facilities. They’ve got a golf course.”
She looked at him, almost mortified. She didn’t think he’d be trying to escape her every given minute, did she? That’s not why he’d brought them. He thought it might be a place they could escape to.
“I know nothing about golf.”
“Then I’ll have to teach you.” He grinned. Now there’s a heart-warming thought and a subtle way to get close to this woman.
“To be honest, I’m pretty useless at any sport. You’d need longer than a weekend.”
“My contract is only for this weekend.” He raised his eyebrows, giving her a mischievous smile. “If you need me for longer, we’ll have to renegotiate.”
“Oh, um, I didn’t mean –”
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