Fetching: A Frenemies to Lovers Romantic Comedy (Unleashed Romance, Book 1)

by Kylie Gilmore

  I’m saved from further angst by a text from Jenna. My friends are here. I head downstairs to let them in the front door of the restaurant. It’s closed for New Year’s Day, but we’re getting together at the bar for our last Thursday Night Wine Club just the three of us since next Thursday starts ladies’ night.

  Once we’re settled at the bar with our wine, I lift my glass of merlot and clink it against Jenna’s and Audrey’s. “To the Thursday Night Wine Club.”

  Audrey purses her lips, looking very much the prim librarian. She’s not prim, exactly, but she is a librarian. Her black floral blouse with a white Peter Pan collar combined with her bun held together by a couple of pencils adds to the effect. She spent today restoring order to the Summerdale Library’s shelves. On her day off. “It was supposed to be a book club,” she says in an aggrieved tone, holding up a book written by some guy I never heard of. “Thursday Night Book Club.”

  “Seriously, Aud, who were we kidding?” I say with a laugh. “All we did was talk and drink wine. I gave it a name that reflects what we actually do.”

  “I tried to bring the conversation back to the book,” she retorts.

  Jenna leans forward, tucking a lock of blond hair behind her ear. She’s in a cute white sweater with a lacy front and jeans. Only Jenna could wear white and never worry about spilling anything on it. “Book club would probably work better at the library.”

  Audrey brightens. “I could get one started. When’s good for you both?”

  Jenna crinkles her nose. “I like meeting here. Besides, you never let us eat at the library.”

  “It’s just to protect the books,” Audrey says. “It could still be fun. I’ll serve wine too as long as it’s not red.”

  “I only read horror,” I say. “Sorry. I know you like the latest hot literary book.”

  “I could read horror,” Audrey offers.

  I shoot her a look. “Sweetie, you had nightmares for two years after we watched Carrie.”

  “I did not.”

  Jenna chimes in. “And you made us watch only comedies at sleepovers forever after.”

  Audrey huffs. “I’m twenty-eight. I can handle Stephen King now. We were eleven when we watched Carrie. That’s a very impressionable age.”

  I go behind the bar for some pretzels and pour them in a bowl. “Why don’t you start a book club, and then see who else in town enjoys books that you like? Wouldn’t it be better to talk about the book with someone who appreciates it?”

  Audrey wags her finger. “I’m not giving up on you ladies.”

  I set the pretzels on the bar and join them again. “Anyway, with half-price drinks, I’m hoping it’ll be packed. Get the word out to everyone you know. I’m doing the flyer-in-the-mailbox thing again. It brought out people for New Year’s. Hopefully, single guys will show up to meet all the ladies. There have to be some bachelors in the area, right? I’ll post the flyers in nearby towns too.”

  Jenna sighs. “That’s the one thing I miss. Summerdale is mostly families and some empty nesters who haven’t moved to Florida yet for retirement.”

  “There’s our newest eligible bachelor, Wyatt Winters,” Audrey says in a teasing tone.

  Billionaire business guru with a devilish smile and a soul to match.

  Yet I’m actually considering swallowing my pride to talk to him about saving this place.

  Desperate times.

  “Handsome as sin,” Jenna says dreamily.

  I stiffen. Is Jenna interested in him?

  Not that it matters to me personally. I just don’t want one of my best friends to be with Satan. Wart. Whatever. He’s good at business, but that doesn’t mean he’d be a good boyfriend. He’d probably criticize constantly. Nope. Jenna should stay away.

  Jenna continues. “Poor guy in that big house by himself. I should bring him a housewarming gift from my bakery. Maybe an assortment of cookies, or do you think cupcakes would be better?”

  “Have you seen his ass in those jeans?” Audrey whispers. “I doubt he eats many sweets.”

  “Never noticed,” I lie. “But you both should stay away. All he does is criticize my place, and I bet he does the same thing to everyone in his life.” I shove a pretzel in my mouth so I can’t spew anything further about the man I’ve been desperately trying not to think so much about.

  Jenna and Audrey exchange a look.

  “What?” I snap, wineglass halfway to my mouth.

  “Nothing,” Audrey says.

  Jenna nudges my side. “Wyatt’s not the only bachelor in town. You have single brothers who might be looking to meet someone.”

  “Ha! They might be prowling, there’s a difference. Anyway, I’m not running a ladies’ night so my brothers can find hookups. Let’s talk about something else.”

  Audrey nods enthusiastically. “Did either of you read Disappear Me?”

  “Sure, I read the title,” I say, pointing to her book. “It’s missing some letters.”

  “Because you’re supposed to be imagining them disappearing!” she huffs.

  I grin. “Joking. What’s got you so tense? Did something happen with Drew?”

  “No, nothing,” Audrey lies, reaching to twirl a lock of hair that’s not there because her hair is pulled back in a bun. I know her tells. Every hair twirl is a comfort from the guilt over her lie.

  “You can tell us,” Jenna says gently.

  “There’s nothing to tell!” Audrey exclaims.

  We both stare at her. She’s never excitable. Steady as she goes, that’s our Audrey.

  “Okay,” Jenna says quietly.

  Audrey jabs a finger at me. “You slapped your ass at Wyatt and gave him the finger. So what’s going on there?”

  “Sounds like a Sydney mating ritual,” Jenna quips.

  They laugh, and the tension is broken. I don’t mind if it makes Audrey feel better. It must suck to worship a guy from afar. I told Audrey to try online dating, but she’s too afraid of meeting up with a creep. Jenna and I used to live in Brooklyn and Hoboken respectively before we moved back home, and both places had decent dating scenes. Not that anything worked out. Jenna only wanted casual, feeling like she wanted to meet lots of different people. Me, I had a couple of relationships that lasted for a year. There’s something comforting about having someone to go out with for every occasion. Until you don’t. That’s the hard part.

  Jenna grabs a handful of pretzels. “Gotta say, Syd, it’s not wise to piss off the billionaire guy who’s known for philanthropy. Harper told us the deal with Wyatt last night.”

  “And isn’t he a business genius?” Audrey asks.

  Even though I’m considering approaching Wyatt, it would only be for a loan that I paid back with interest.

  I scowl. “I’m not a charity case. He can donate his billions to some worthy organization like Best Friends Care.” That’s a nonprofit that Harper supports in a big way. They train shelter animals as service dogs for people with disabilities that show and some that don’t. They help a lot of military veterans with PTSD. Sometimes I wonder if my brother Drew, a former Army Ranger, could benefit from something like that. He’s so stoic and on the grumpy side, though he’s always been that way. He should get a dog or two. He has a house with a yard.

  Jenna keeps pressing on the Wyatt button. “I’m sure Wyatt’s already donated to them since he’s friends with Harper, but maybe—”

  I set my glass down harder than I mean to, nearly toppling it. “Can we talk about anything else besides Wyatt’s billions?”

  Audrey’s eyes widen. “Little worked up there, lady. Maybe you could work out a loan as a friend of a friend? You know, because of the Harper connection.” At my silence, she adds, “If you could find a way to be a teensy bit more friendly to him.”

  I gesture wildly, pissed all over again about the man. “He criticizes everything about this place! He even suggested we get a new name!”

  “It is kind of a weird name,” Jenna says. “What’s a horseman anyway?”

&nbs
p; I huff. “A stagecoach guy? I don’t know! The point is it’s historic.”

  Audrey lifts a finger. “A horseman is a man who really likes horses.”

  “Half man, half horse,” Jenna declares as if that’s the final word on horseman.

  Audrey tilts her head. “Isn’t that a centaur?”

  “Anyway—” I start.

  “And the inn part doesn’t fit either,” Audrey points out. “Now it’s just a restaurant.”

  I throw my hands up. “It’s the centerpiece of town! A legacy I need to protect, okay?”

  Jenna and Audrey exchange another look.

  “Are you okay?” Audrey asks.

  “I’m fine.” I go for my wine and toss back the rest. “Sorry I snapped at you. I’m just in a tight spot right now, but I’ll figure it out.”

  “The New Year’s fundraiser wasn’t a success?” Audrey asks.

  “It was, but…” I sigh. “I only made enough for this month’s debt payment, and I can’t have a fundraiser every month. I just don’t know how much longer I can keep going like this.”

  Audrey squeezes my arm. “Oh, Syd, I’m so sorry.”

  Jenna presses her lips together. “How bad is it?”

  “I really don’t want to talk about it.” I’m embarrassed at how far into debt my father put this place. He operated at a loss for years and just kept racking up credit cards, second mortgages, and high-interest loans to keep things going. He didn’t want to be a failure in our family business and didn’t want to burden his children. My brothers and I had moved on to other vocations. I was working for a boutique advertising agency, my youngest brother Caleb is a model, Drew runs his own dojo in town, Eli’s a cop, and Adam is a master carpenter. Then our dad gave The Horseman Inn to the oldest, Drew, in his will.

  Drew ran it for six months—basically working two full-time jobs—declared it a money pit and asked us if we’d be okay with him selling it. That’s when I jumped in, moving back home to protect our family legacy. I was so confident with the right marketing I could get this place going again. Turns out you need more than marketing savvy in this situation. You need money.

  “Come on,” Jenna says. “It’s us. How bad is it?”

  “Bad,” I say.

  Jenna gives me a small shove. “Would you stop being the stoic tough one for one minute and tell us?”

  “I’m not stoic and tough,” I say. “That’s Drew.”

  Audrey chugs her wine.

  “You’re the female version,” Jenna says. “You always want to shoulder the burden on your own.”

  Like my dad. “An admirable quality.”

  “But sometimes you have to let your friends help,” Jenna says.

  “You’ll feel better if you share,” Audrey says.

  I exhale sharply, taking in the two women I’ve known since we were young girls. These are my ride-or-die friends. I’d do anything for them. But I won’t bring them down with me. “If I miss another payment, they’ll start the foreclosure process. I’ve already missed three in a row. Every month is so stressful, not knowing if I can scrape together the payment.”

  “Oh, Sydney,” Audrey says softly.

  “So sorry,” Jenna says.

  I put some enthusiasm into my voice. “It’s not over yet. There’s still a chance that ladies’ night and Friday trivia night can get us back on track. It’ll make this place more of a community hangout. I think the key is to give people a reason to be here and keep returning. And a lot of people have off for the holidays, probably getting antsy at home. I have a good feeling there’ll be a crowd tomorrow for trivia night.”

  I don’t say a word about possibly turning to Wyatt. I need to research his business dealings and take a big dose of suck it up before approaching him.

  Jenna and Audrey exchange a worried look.

  “What’s the full amount you need?” Jenna asks.

  An impossible number. An embarrassing number.

  I shake my head. “It’ll turn around, I know it. It’s a new year, ladies.”

  My friends shoot me worried looks. Yeah, I’m having trouble believing it too.

  5

  Sydney

  It’s the day after New Year’s, which means it’s our first Friday trivia night. I’m running half-price appetizers before seven, hoping to attract more people. Trivia starts at six at the bar. Drinks are our big moneymaker. Fingers crossed that people will linger afterwards for dinner. It’s not just about putting money into the coffers—though obviously I need that—it’s about making The Horseman Inn more of a community hangout.

  By the time we get started at six, I’m pleased to see we’ve got thirteen people here to play. All locals—teachers, mostly, as well as the ladies who showed up to meet Harper on New Year’s. I think they have a knitting club because they’re all knitting something while pausing to sip their margaritas and answer questions.

  I’m the emcee, working to keep the energy up and people interested. I even skipped the usual staff T-shirt in favor of a white T-shirt with a rhinestone question mark I bedazzled myself. Black skinny jeans and my black high-heeled boots complete the emcee ensemble. I’d hoped to score some question-mark earrings, but no one I knew had a pair I could borrow. I’m doing this on the cheap, which means I came up with all the questions, made a little slideshow on my laptop to display the questions on the TVs over the bar, and they’re writing the answers on old-fashioned pen and paper. Five rounds of trivia. The prize is a gaudy huge gold medal necklace (fake), and everyone gets five-dollar coupons to use on their next visit. I also declared today Fajita Friday, so they’ll think of ordering fajitas, nachos, and margaritas.

  The questions are all over the place, some easy, some near impossible, except for the biggest factoid-storing eggheads out there. For example: on an internet browser, what does www stand for (World Wide Web. Easy.) In Greek mythology, who was the first woman on earth? (Pandora. Difficult.)

  Everyone’s gathered at the bar. My friends are here, too, which gives us three teams of five. We’re just getting to the second round when I see our hostess seat Wyatt and a beautiful brunette at a corner table in the back room across from us. I still, a sudden coldness hitting me. I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.

  I can’t seem to look away. He pulls the chair out for his date before taking the seat across from her, smiling and saying something that doesn’t look remotely smirky. I guess he has good manners for some people.

  He must be into her because he doesn’t even glance this way. I thought he lived to harass me. Who is she?

  “Syd?” Betsy, my bartender, asks. She’s in her twenties with pink hair, multiple piercings, and a unique style that’s part retro fifties’ and part embellished modern wear. Today’s outfit is a cute fuzzy peach sweater with cropped black pants sporting sequined daisies. “You want me to do the remote for the next question?”

  I stare at the remote in my hand. I forgot I was holding it. Focus! “I got it.” I turn and press the button for the next question, which I read out loud with enthusiasm. “What country consumes the most chocolate per capita?”

  The crowd erupts in discussion. Since there’s only two guys here, high school teachers, it’s mostly the women enthusiastically discussing chocolate and what kind they like best.

  “Write it down, everyone!” I yell above the chatter. “It’s still anyone’s game!”

  They quiet down, and I press a sound effect on my phone for a playful countdown.

  Jenna gestures me closer across the bar.

  I lean in.

  Her green eyes twinkle as she whispers, “I spot Satan with an angel.”

  I keep my eyes on her, resisting the impulse to look again. “Oh, yeah? I hadn’t noticed.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Right.” She leans in. “So now that you don’t have to worry he’ll get the wrong idea, maybe you could make nice with him.”

  “I was never concerned about that.” The attraction has been humiliatingly one-sided and completely involuntary. I smile
serenely, doing my best impression of a saint. “Besides, I’m nice to everyone. I’m Miss Hospitality.”

  She cocks her head. “Then go over there and say hello with your big bright smile of welcome. It’s a new year, good for a fresh start. A much-needed one.”

  I narrow my eyes. I’m not hitting him up for money in front of his date. Besides, I did some research on him today, and I have serious concerns about the way he operates. He invests and turns around failing businesses, yes, but he also keeps control as a partner. I can’t give up a piece of my restaurant. This place has been fully owned by a Robinson for generations. No outsiders.

  “I’m hosting, Jenna. Get back to game play, please.”

  She turns and waves at him. “Hi, Wyatt!”

  My cheeks flush. I have no idea why. It’s not like he’s watching me. He’s with someone. I busy myself tucking glasses away under the bar.

  “Hey,” he calls over. I’m not sure he knows her name. He certainly can’t remember mine, always calling me Cindy. Irritating man.

  “That wasn’t so hard,” Jenna says to me smugly.

  Audrey waves at him too.

  I steadfastly avoid looking for a good ten seconds. Finally, I risk a glance over. He’s deep in conversation with his mystery woman. She’s not local. Is she visiting from the city? Not that I need to know. Just idle curiosity.

  By the time the trivia game wraps up—the elementary school teacher team is enthusiastically snapping photos with their gold medal—I decide a friendly hello to the patrons in the back room is in order. There’s a family there now, along with Wyatt and his girlfriend. This is what good restaurant owners do.

  I stop at the family’s table first. I haven’t seen them here before. “Hi, I’m Sydney, the manager, how’s everything going tonight?”

  The mom smiles. “Good, thanks. We just moved to town. First time trying it.”

  The dad nods as he chews, and their three kids are too busy eating their burgers to look up.

  I smile. “Well, welcome to Summerdale. I hope to see you back.”