“Yes.”
I nodded. “Good. Make sure you show her a good time. She deserves it.”
Alex gave me a soft smile. “I’m trying, although she’s making it a little hard. I can’t quite break through to her.”
“I wouldn’t know anything about that,” Jeff muttered.
I stood there, frozen for thirty seconds, then mentally shook myself and paid attention to Alex, ignoring Jeff. “She’s been through a lot; I’m sure you understand that. It’s hard to break her shell. But if you didn’t stand a chance, she wouldn’t have agreed to dinner.”
I shot a glance at Jeff. He should know all too well how hard it can be to move on from the past. He didn’t make eye contact with me, but I hoped he considered my words carefully. I turned back to the chicken and continued prepping.
“You really think I stand a chance?”
“Yes. I’m very sure of it.”
I glanced over just in time to see his body relax a little. He sat down at the table. “Thanks,” he sighed.
I shrugged. I hadn’t done anything, not really. I just told the truth. I saw the way she looked at him.
I spooned stuffing into the chicken breast in front of me, closed it up, and put it in a pan. Jeff was working on the veggies to go with dinner. True to his word, he’d let me handle most of it, and he was even making the veggies how I wanted them made. I had to admit I was impressed with him, since I still wasn’t sure what would come of all this.
He says he wants us to be more than just a fling, but is he saying that to make it seem like he’s not playing me? I don’t know … it would be more of a hassle to pretend he’s not when I’ve pretty much told him it’s fine if he’s going to.
I bit my lip and let my mind wonder. As I worked on stuffing chicken breast, the two men talked about the ranch, but I didn’t fully listen. I was off in my own world and I was fine with that.
~~~~
After dinner Jeff walked me back to my room. “You’re leaving soon.”
“Yes.” It wasn’t a question. I guessed he’d already looked at the books.
“I want to come with you.”
“What?” I snapped.
“I want to come with you. I’d like to spend more time with you, and I have a few vacation days. I know you still think you’re a game to me, but you’re not. I want to prove it.”
I stared at him. Was he crazy? “And what happens after you leave?”
“That depends on if I have to keep proving you’re not like the other girls I’ve been with.”
I was confused, but hopeful. “Fine. You want to come with me? I can’t stop you.” I shrugged as we came to a stop in front of my room. He watched me for a couple seconds. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
A grin spread over his lips. “Good. I’ll start packing right now.”
Why the hell did he sound so excited about this?
Jeff grabbed my hips, closed the distance between us, and gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Without another word he walked away.
Jeff
I’d talked to Alex about it and he made a good point. If this girl meant a lot to me, I should go for it, even it took a little bit of work. It had been a long time since a girl meant anything to me. Well, it had been a long time since I let a girl mean anything to me, honestly.
I tossed a few pairs of jeans into my duffle bag along with some shirts, boxers, and lots of socks. I even packed a pair of shoes that weren’t my work boots. Finally, I put a couple of books in my bag and zipped it up. It didn’t take long for me to get ready.
Christy was staying a little longer from what Alex told me this morning. I wonder if she’s told Natasha yet. I didn’t call to ask. I wanted to give her time with her friend. And, on the plus side, I could drive my car and Natasha wouldn’t have to worry about getting back.
To tell the truth, I liked the idea of giving her a ride home. I can’t wait to see her place. I knew it would be a way of getting to know her. I wanted to be part of her life. It’s just going to take a little while. I thought about what she said to Alex yesterday. If Christy made time for him, it was a good sign, and Natasha was making time for me.
I walked through my living quarters. It wasn’t much, but it worked for me. I spent most of my time outside to begin with, so this was mostly for showering and sleeping, which suited me just fine. It was a simple life when it came down to it, but it worked and I couldn’t ask for anything more. It was nice to run a business with my brothers, and it was even better that I got to be outside every day. This life wasn’t for everyone, but it had been good to me and it made me happy.
I made my bed, cleaned up in the bathroom, and paced around a little more before finally heading out of the small space and heading toward Natasha’s room. I came to a stop at her door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I waited. Ten, twenty, thirty seconds before she opened the door.
“Oh. Hey.” She bit her lip as she looked at me.
“What’s up?”
“Not too much. I was starting to pack, but I’ve been meaning to ask you … do you still want to come back with me? I guess Chris is staying a little longer, so I’ve been looking into flights so she can keep the car. It’s a little pricier than I’d like, but –”
“I was going to drive back with you. Alex mentioned Christy was staying, so I thought we could take my car.”
I watched the tension leave her body. “Oh. You … that would be okay? I mean, I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“I want to.” I wanted to go back with her, and I wanted to take her home. I wanted to show her she could count on me.
A smile touched her lips as I watched what was left of her tension vanish. “Oh, that will work then.”
I grinned. “Good. Should I go get my bag and start loading up the car?”
“Are you sure it will be all right if you come with me? I mean, you won’t get in trouble or anything?”
“It’s our off season. I’m sure the guys can manage without me for a couple of days.”
Natasha’s smile widened. “Okay, then. Go get the car ready and I’ll be good to go in a few.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Natasha
I kind of wished I’d called him first thing in the morning when I found out. It would have been a lot less stressful, but I honestly hadn’t had a clue how I was going to get home.
I packed quickly, leaving the door open for Jeff to come back in after he got the car ready. It felt odd to leave my best friend, but I could see how much she wanted to stay. I knew if I stayed as well she’d feel like she should spend time with me. No. I wanted her to spend all her time with Alex.
If she was willing to stay a little longer to be with him, that meant he was really important to her. And I wanted my friend to have that in her life. She doesn’t seem as pessimistic as I am about it all. I felt guilt tug at me. I wasn’t trying to be a downer, I just …
“Hey,” Jeff said behind me.
I turned to face him. He grinned and looked excited. “Are these the only bags you have?” he asked, pointing to the ones on my bed.
“Yes.”
“I’ll get them packed up. I texted Alex to let him know we were heading out soon; he said he and Christy were going to stop by to say goodbye.”
My heart stuttered. I had no clue how I was supposed to feel about this. Christy was staying here and I was going back home without her – with a man. Excitement is what I did feel, but I knew I should be nervous as well. I wasn’t. Not yet. It will probably happen when we get on the road.
I watched as Jeff walked over to the bed, grabbed the suitcases without any effort, and carried them out to the car. I followed behind him.
“Holy shit,” I said before even thinking. I stood there staring at the bright red car. It read BMW, and I couldn’t get over it. I stared at the hood where those three letters were staring back at me. He drives a BMW. I knew guys who would kill to be able to drive one.
“You’re going to take that car down those roads?” I asked, remembering how bumpy they were.
Jeff shrugged. “She’s my beater car more than anything.”
All the breath left my body. Was he for real? He considered that his beater? “I’d love to see what you don’t consider a beater car.”
“I’ll take you for a ride in it the next time you come up here.” His eyes sparkled as he glanced over at me, tossing the suitcase into the trunk.
My pulse raced. Next time. Yes, I was pretty sure there was going to be a next time, and I was even willing to admit it. Not quite yet, though. Instead, I just nodded.
“I’ll show you all the cars and the trucks. But mostly the trucks are for work. I mean, they’re normally good trucks, but we’ve got a few here that we bought when we first started on the ranch and could only afford a truck under three grand. The one we got was a damn good one and she hasn’t let us down yet.”
I shook my head. He was unbelievable. I wasn’t even sure what to say.
“Are you guys leaving already?!” Christy called.
I spun to see her wearing the skirt I bought her. She was carrying a plastic bag. “We brought you some stuff for the trip home.”
I crossed over to my friend. “Thanks.” I took the bag from her and pulled her into a hug.
“I’ll see you when I get home,” she said.
“Yeah.” I turned to Alex. He gave me a smile and I returned it. “See you around.”
He gave me a nod, his eyes sparkling.
~~~~
“This is home,” I said, suddenly aware he was going to judge everything about the way I lived.
I took a deep breath and tried not to worry. If he doesn’t like it that’s just too damn bad, I told myself. After all, this was my place and he’d been the one who wanted to come.
The trip home hadn’t been bad, but I had to admit I was looking forward to getting out of the car. Despite the fact his car was nice – way comfier than the one I’d ridden in when we arrived at the ranch – my legs still cramped and I was looking forward to standing up whenever I wanted.
Home for me was a small place; it was about all I could afford. “Do you want me to put theses right into the bedroom?” Jeff asked.
“No, just leave them here for now.”
He’d insisted he bring in the bags. I caved, but it wasn’t something I was always planning on letting him do. I turned to Jeff as he carefully dropped the bags on the ground. I grabbed him and pulled him close, my lips crashing against his. “What do you want to do now that you’re here?”
“I want to take you out.”
I hadn’t been expecting that. “Oh ... um, where?”
Jeff shrugged. “Wherever you want. Let’s go for a walk and see where that goes. Sound good?”
I nodded, grabbed my purse and one of the full water bottles from our trip home, and followed Jeff out of my apartment, back down the stairs, and into the parking lot where his red BMW was parked. I watched people stare at it. My cheeks flushed.
He didn’t seem to notice. “Which way?”
“Well … we could go downtown. It’s a long walk to most people, but we can make our way there and then see where to go. If you want to head back, we can just turn around any time.” Although based on the hike we’d taken yesterday, I didn’t think he was going to mind the walk down to the lake and the downtown core.
Jeff nodded, took my hand, and we started walking. We’d passed the point in our relationship where we wanted to talk all the time. Being stuck in a car with someone does that. We’d gotten all the talking out. Mostly, our conversations had been light, but when it came to Christy and Alex, it wasn’t hard to tell we were both worried about them getting hurt by the other person. It was clear Jeff really did care about his brother, though. And that was important to me. I wanted to be with someone who cared about the people around him, so at the very least I’d learned that and I was happy about it.
Jeff’s fingers tangled into mine, adjusting how we were holding hands. He squeezed my hand softly. I glanced over at him. He smiled and I squeezed his hand back. “Is there anything you want to do while you’re here?”
Jeff mulled it over carefully. “Well, I’m going to assume it’s too early to meet your parents, right?”
Hell, fuck yes. I nodded. Meeting my parents would be a big deal for me, and it was going to have to wait a long, long time. If he wasn’t up for it, then that was his issue, not mine.
“Then … can I meet some of your friends?”
My cheeks flushed. “You’ve met the only one I have.”
“Oh.” I could hear how disappointed he sounded.
I felt bad, but there was nothing I could do about it. I just didn’t have friends. I could let him meet my family. I chewed on my lip. I didn’t want to do it. If I brought a guy home to my family, there would probably be at least two heart attacks. My mom and grandma had stopped fussing about when I was going to get married. I didn’t want to bring that back up again.
“Do you have much family?” I asked, turning to Jeff. I had no clue what I was going to do about my family, but I could at least get to know the man a little better.
“My two brothers and an aunt.”
My gut twisted with pity. That was it? “But you’re close to them, right?”
“My brothers and I are very close. It’s one of the reasons I’m so happy to see Alex with Christy. I think she’s really going to make him happy.”
A smile touched my lips. I liked hearing him talk about his family. I liked that he was close with his brothers. “What about your other brother? Did I get a chance to meet him?”
“Not really. He was only at dinner one of the nights. Kenny.”
“Oh.” I vaguely remembered who he was talking about. Kenny had seemed nice, though quiet. There was nothing wrong with that; it just meant I hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know him. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. Next time I’m out there I’ll have to make sure I do.”
“Next time?”
I could tell he was having a hard time believing I’d said it. I moved closer to him, lightly hip checking him. A soft laugh passed through his lips. “Yes, next time.”
“When will that be? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“That’s going to depend on when I can afford to come out.” I was still working crappy jobs and it had been a lucky break I’d managed to get out there this time around. “But … that summer position might be nice. If it’s still open.”
We walked in silence for a couple of seconds. Still, it felt like forever. Like way more than just seconds. I felt nervousness creep up in my stomach. Suddenly, I felt like I might be sick.
“It will be open as long as you want it to be.”
His words took a weight off my shoulders I didn’t realize was there. “Well, I might be considering it for a long time. It would be really nice to be able to make it out there. I’m just not sure my current jobs would let me off for the summer.” It was worth a shot, though.
“Jobs?”
“Yes. Two.”
“Oh … am I getting in the way of you working?”
“No. I have to work tomorrow, but I was going to let you have some time to yourself while I go in. It’s not a long shift.”
“You know, if you like working in the kitchen at the ranch, we could hire you full time.”
My heart did a backflip. That would be one job. Something I hadn’t had the pleasure of since I was eighteen years old.
I pulled my lower lip between my teeth, mulling it over. But that would mean I have to trust Jeff. And I hardly knew the man. My eyes narrowed a little. I knew what would be in it for him if he got me a job. He’d have full access to me, and on the surface that seemed perfect, but what about once things got rough? What about our first fight?
“I’ll consider it.” There were still several months until I had to give an answer. For now I could keep thinking about it.
I pulled Jeff left and felt the breeze
hit my face. The downtown core was right by the waterfront. It was gorgeous, though becoming overpriced. “See that over there,” I pointed towards the park. Jeff nodded. “That’s where we’re headed.”
“It’s not too far away.”
Most people probably wouldn’t have thought it wasn’t far away. A smile touched my lips. I’m glad you’re not like most people. I didn’t want to say it out loud because that would be creepy. If I could get my own car, it wouldn’t be an issue to stay out there full time. I could come and go as I pleased, and I wouldn’t have to worry about him trying to control me.
For a second, my fears took over. I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t help worrying he would control me and keep me away from the people I loved and from meeting new people. There was a reason I only had one friend after all.
I shook my head. No. Jeff wasn’t like that.
His arm wrapped around me and pulled me closer to him. His lips touched my cheek softly.
As we started to make our way closer to downtown, the shops started to pop up more and more. Coffee shops, restaurants, and cafés became common.
“Is there anywhere you want to go?” I asked, trying to figure out what we’d do downtown.
“I want to go into the stores you like. I mean, they are all clothing stores, aren’t they?”
“Mostly, yes.”
“Designed for women.”
“Yes.”
I got what he was getting at. There wasn’t much here for him to do, and I totally understood. So he wanted to hang out with me as I looked at all the clothes I couldn’t afford as I wished I had better jobs. Or at least a roommate to help cut the cost of living. I’d thought about it for a long time, but Christy already had a good set up and I didn’t know how I felt about having random people move in with me. But if I took that job … No. I didn’t want that to be a saving grace. I didn’t want to bank on the job for all the benefits it might have. I would just settle with seeing where things went. I was making ends meet right now, and that was all that mattered. So, I would keep doing it. And if that meant I couldn’t afford new jeans for a couple months, then that was fine.
The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance Page 32