“That makes me feel bad for Marianne and her sister.” Liza filled up a glass of water and drank it in three gulps.
“I know, but at least Marianne has had three years to prepare. No one thought Sharla would live this long.” She scrubbed a few potatoes in the sink as she spoke. “Will you be okay? Will he be there?”
“Yes, and yes,” Liza answered. “It’s a huge conference. I probably won’t even run into him.” She made sure that her voice sounded upbeat and optimistic. No sense in creating more stress for her mom. Liza would have to make sure that she stayed out of Mark’s sight—a feat that would be nearly impossible because Mark had already texted her about the conference.
Liza helped her mom finish up dinner preparation. Her dad worked for the post office, and there were always plenty of opportunities for overtime during the holiday season. They planned dinner for seven o’clock, so while the chicken was roasting, Liza rode her exercise bike and tried to sort out everything that happened that day. She hadn’t mentioned the creep’s text to her mother, because it would only upset her more. She also hadn’t mentioned her fender bender, because she was worried that her mom might call the cops right then. Better to wait until her dad came home. Reuben Sorenson was as levelheaded as they came.
Liza cleaned up and headed out to the kitchen just before seven to make sure she was around when her dad arrived. Her mom hadn’t noticed the pickup out front because she went into her office to grade papers after Liza finished helping her with dinner.
“Who’s here?” Her dad asked as he came into the kitchen.
“Just us, dear,” Mom answered.
“But there’s a fancy ride out front, and it ain’t mine.” Dad jerked his thumb behind him towards the driveway.
That was Liza’s cue. “I drove that home, and there’s a pretty good story behind it.”
“Oh?” Dad raised his eyebrows in a move similar to Mom’s earlier.
Liza chuckled. “Let’s sit down and start eating, and I’ll explain everything.” It took her a few minutes to describe the accident, and a few more minutes to describe why she had left the scene of an accident and gone to work.
“Liza, you need to call the insurance company,” Mom said. “Who did you say ran into you?”
“Well, technically I ran into him.” Liza held up her hand. “It was the guy next door. Jaime Maldonado. But he’s fixing my car.”
“He is?” Dad asked. “I thought he did work online. Is he a mechanic?”
Liza laughed. “No, Dad. He took my car to the shop, and they’re fixing it.”
Dad took another bite of chicken and chewed slowly. “Well, he seems like a trustworthy guy. It should be okay as long as there are no problems with your car. I’ll want to check it out when it comes back,” Dad said in his no-nonsense voice.
“I’d planned on it.”
“I thought I heard he had a little drinking problem,” Mom said. “I’m not sure if he’s as trustworthy as he acts.”
“Well, that’s neither here nor there, because we just don’t know,” Dad replied. “He seemed like a stand-up guy when I met him.”
“I didn’t smell any alcohol on him,” Liza said.
“Well, just be careful,” Mom told her. “You never know.”
Liza ate the last bite of chicken from her plate. “Thanks for dinner, Mom.”
“Thank you for helping me prepare it as usual. Liza, it’s been so nice having you here with us. I know this isn’t exactly how you wanted things to turn out, but I hope you’re happy.”
Liza sucked in a breath and smiled. “I am happy. I love Echo Ridge. I keep making plans for my life, but there’s always some plot twist I didn’t expect, so I’m trying to roll with it.”
Dad chuckled. “Now there’s the writer we know and love.”
“Are you finding any time to work on your writing?” Mom asked.
“Not as much as I would like, but maybe there will be time in Orlando.”
“Orlando?” Dad asked
Liza spent the next few minutes explaining the conference to her dad and reassuring him that she would not run into Mark. After they cleaned up the kitchen, she went to her room and sat on her bed with her laptop. For as long as she could remember, she had wanted to be a writer. By definition, her job was writing, but she wanted to write novels. She’d been working on a new novel—a romance—when she was engaged to Mark. After he broke her heart, she couldn’t find her voice, and the characters just seemed to want to cry as much as she did. In frustration and heartbreak, she had shelved that book and immersed herself in work at Stellar Ads. It had been almost a year since then, and she was just starting to feel the stirrings of a story again.
She flexed her fingers and grinned. It had been too long. Definitely time to turn over a new page in her life. Liza started typing out notes, and for some reason the main character looked a lot like Jaime: incredibly handsome with a skin tone that hinted at Latin descent, but where did his striking green eyes come from? There had been something in Jaime’s speech that hinted at an accent from a language other than Spanish or English. Something melodic. She would have to investigate that further.
Liza shook her head. She was already planning on talking to Jaime more, but maybe she wouldn’t even see him tomorrow. Maybe he’d just drop off her car and take his pickup home. Oh well, at least he had inspired her. It was always hardest for her to picture her main characters in detail. She loved getting inspiration from real-life people and mixing and matching characteristics to create the hero or heroine. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she’d seen a dimple in Jaime’s left cheek today. That was another fun detail to add to the character she was creating.
Liza wrote down some notes and a few phrases in the file before closing up her laptop. It was hard to concentrate with the All-Star Design conference coming up. Her mother would’ve been the perfect buffer against Mark, but now what could she do?
Mark had called off her wedding because he’d cheated on her and “fallen in love” with the flavor of the month. About six months ago, he had called her up to apologize. He told her that he was a changed man and begged for another chance. Liza still remembered the moment with clarity. She’d felt her heart softening toward the man that she had once loved—and then, with a snap, reality had whacked her upside the head and she’d hung up on him, vowing never to speak to him again. But Mark wasn’t easily dissuaded. He’d sent her flowers, letters, emails, and texts and even dropped by her home and work. When Liza threatened to call the police, he backed off. She hadn’t heard from him in about two months. Her hope was that he had moved on, but this morning’s text proved that wasn’t the case.
Liza groaned and put a pillow over her head as she sank deeper into the comforter. If only there was someone who would pretend to be her boyfriend. Liza moved the pillow and pushed the hair from her eyes. Nope, that wouldn’t work either. Mark had proven that a boyfriend wasn’t any threat to him; if anything, it made him more tenacious. When he had decided to pursue Liza again, she accepted several dates with a nerdy guy—who mumbled a lot and spilled his food down the front of his shirt on every date—in the hopes that it would deter Mark. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, even though she’d sent pictures of them together in reply to his texts. No, she’d have to think of something stronger than a boyfriend. Maybe a restraining order? She smiled. Now that would be a story.
With a yawn, Liza decided to head to bed early. She would have to leave even earlier in the morning for work, because another storm was brewing and it would definitely let loose in Echo Ridge Canyon.
5
“Liza, glad you made it on time.” Rick clapped his hands as Liza entered his office the next morning. “I’m so glad you decided to get smart about this conference. I just got off the phone with Mark Pratt, and he will be there and wants you to take a look at his client roster.”
Liza gaped at her boss. “That isn’t funny, Rick.” She sat down in the office chair and set her laptop on the table. Rick knew all
about her broken engagement to Mark, but why would he tease her?
“I’m not trying to be funny,” Rick replied. “I’m serious. Look, I know he’s your ex, but his business is booming—”
“No. His business is booming because he’s a criminal. He rips off anybody who comes into contact with him.” Liza straightened, closed her eyes, let out a breath, and opened her eyes again. “Do you want to keep your business?” She leveled a glare at Rick.
“Whoa, where is this all coming from?”
Liza swallowed. She was definitely pushing the boundary with Rick in a way that she never had before, but how could he be so callous and brainless? “This is coming from my ex being a manipulative, degrading, destructive thief. I don’t want to ever talk to him again.”
“Well, that’s too bad. Your name is on the ticket. You’re attending the conference, and I set up a meeting with him.” Rick folded his arms.
Liza leaned forward and put her head in her hand. “You realize that Mark only set up a meeting so that he could talk to me? You’re not going to get any new business from this.”
“I don’t believe that’s the case. Liza, how much do you value your job?”
And there it was. Rick the Prick was threatening to fire her if she didn’t have a meeting with her emotionally abusive ex-fiancé. For half a second, Liza thought about quitting. Actually, she thought about spitting in Rick’s face. But she couldn’t do either. She wasn’t paying very much rent to her parents, but it was enough to keep them afloat. They were trying desperately to pay off some medical bills from last year and recover from the expenses of the wedding that didn’t happen.
That was the only reason that Liza gritted her teeth, turned toward Rick, and said, “I value my job and I enjoy working here. I do not want to talk to Mark Pratt, because he hinders my ability to do a good job. I have scanned the list of attendees at the conference and already set up appointments of my own. There are so many people there who I’m better qualified to speak with.”
“Well, we’ll just have to rearrange your schedule so you can fit in another meeting with Mark.” Rick leaned forward and his gut pushed out onto the table. “I’m not negotiating here. You’re going to the conference and you’ll do what needs to be done.”
Liza heard “or else” without him speaking it. She seethed inside, imagining herself as a giant volcano with lava boiling and frothing at the edges. At least she wouldn’t have to think very hard about the characteristics of the villain in her new novel. “Fine. I understand that you’re threatening my job if I don’t speak to someone who I am uncomfortable with.”
“Well, no. I’m just asking you to do your job. This happens to be the job description.”
Liza kept her mouth in a thin line, enjoying that Rick was backtracking a little. He would get his comeuppance, but it wouldn’t be soon enough. “You have threatened me. But I need this job, so I’ll go.”
She picked up her laptop and headed out the door. As soon as she could spare a moment, she would start looking for a new job. For now, she was still locked into this one, and somehow her worst nightmare had come true. Not only did she have to be in the same room as Mark, but she would have to endure a meeting with him as well.
Liza went to the ladies’ restroom to compose herself before anyone saw her angry tears. Ten deep breaths in a row helped her to calm down, and she decided that she would think about Rick, Mark, and the ensuing meeting later. It was making her sick with worry to consider it now.
She ended up being swamped for the rest of the day. Between last-minute edits on several of the new website designs and time spent prepping for the conference, the day sped by.
Jaime texted her just after two o’clock to let her know that her car was ready and she could pick it up at his place. She had to bite back a grin, because it meant that she would get to see him again. Even as she smiled, she warned herself to stop it. She didn’t know anything about him, aside from the rumors that he might have a drinking problem. Her mental warnings did nothing to calm the butterflies in her stomach, though, and she smiled as she thought about how she might write about Jaime that night in her novel.
“I know that smile,” Nita said as she passed her cubicle.
“What smile?” Liza replied innocently.
“Men are trouble, Liza. Trouble with a capital T.”
“Who said anything about men? I’m not dating anyone.”
Nita leaned against the cubicle wall. “But you’re thinking pretty hard about someone, and that spells trouble.”
Liza laughed. “Just daydreaming about the hero for my new book.”
Nita stepped inside and sat on the edge of Liza’s desk. “Wait, you’re writing again?”
“I think so.” Liza shrugged.
“You have real talent. Don’t let life keep you from pursuing your dreams.” Nita tapped her fingers on the desk. “So who is the guy?”
“Oh, just a guy I got in a fender bender with yesterday. He’s fixing my car, and he let me drive his pickup to work.”
“Wait. What?” Nita gasped. “You got in a wreck yesterday and didn’t tell me?”
“No time, but I’ll tell you the abbreviated version now.” Liza shared the high and low points of her morning with Nita, ending with Jaime texting her to say that her car was now finished.
Nita shook her head. “You. Did. Not. Tell me you didn’t agree not to call the cops or your insurance company?”
Liza pressed her teeth into her bottom lip and looked upward. “Maybe. Look, before you say anything, he’s the guy next door. My parents know him. I couldn’t miss my presentation.”
“Well, he’d better do a pretty sweet job on fixing your car, because that’s breaking all kinds of laws.”
“It’s not breaking laws, Nita. It didn’t do very much damage to my car, and he got it fixed. Honestly, I didn’t want to call the insurance either, because I can’t risk mine going up.”
“Well, it wouldn’t, because it wasn’t your fault. But whatever. Just be careful.” Nita drummed her fingers on the desk again. “What’s his motivation for not calling the cops?”
“He was just helping me. He could see I was totally stressed out about missing my presentation.”
Nita tilted her head to the right and narrowed her eyes. “You really think so?”
“Yeah, why else?”
“That’s the question you should be asking.” Nita patted her on the shoulder and clicked her tongue. “Trouble. Men are trouble.”
Liza told herself that she agreed, but by the time the workday ended, she was looking forward to seeing Jaime again. Just to double-check if he really did have a dimple in his left cheek. That was all. Oh, and to stop by his house and drop off his pickup.
As she neared the base of Echo Ridge Canyon and the wide arc in the road that brought her to Jaime’s property, Liza found herself gripping the steering wheel a bit too hard. She pulled into his driveway slowly, cut the engine, and hopped out. The snow from that morning had dropped about three new inches on Echo Ridge, and his property reminded her of a Christmas movie. The white paneling with green shutters just needed a few red bows and it could be featured on a Christmas card. The snow was scraped clean from all the walks and piled along the edges. Her car sat in the driveway, and she traced her fingers along the Ford Fusion emblem. The headlight had been replaced, as had the front bumper. Her car looked like it hadn’t suffered a wreck at all.
Liza climbed the front steps, relieved to be getting her car back. She knocked on the beautiful hardwood door, wondering at the sudden flutter in her stomach. She heard steps approaching and commanded her nerves to be still as the door swung open.
“Liza, it’s good to see you. Why don’t you come in for a moment? I have receipts and paperwork detailing the repairs on your car.” Jaime stepped aside and motioned for her to follow him.
“Oh, okay. I’m glad everything is done. My car looks like it did a couple days ago before our run-in.”
“Maybe even a tiny bit bett
er. The guys at the shop spruced it up nicely,” Jaime said as he walked through the house.
She followed him into the great room and kitchen area, surveying the dark cherrywood cabinets and dark gray countertops. The custom home wasn’t what most people would expect for a bachelor. Jaime’s business must be quite successful. “Your home is beautiful.”
“Thank you. I can’t really take credit—this is one of Billy Redford’s homes.”
“He does excellent work. I thought you weren’t from Echo Ridge. Do you know him?”
“We know each other from our college days. He made sure I knew how to find my way in this little town.” Jaime looked past Liza toward the backyard covered in snow. “It’s really grown on me these past six months.”
“That’s good to hear. Some city people can’t handle the slower pace of life.” Liza watched him to see his reaction. Was he more of a city boy or a country boy?
“Not me. I was raised outside Buffalo, and I prefer the quieter scene.”
“I guess that’s why we both work behind computers, eh?”
“Yep.” He grinned, and a dimple appeared in his left cheek.
Liza’s tummy tingled as she smiled back.
Jaime handed her a stack of papers and receipts. “I clipped all the information together here. If you have any problems, let me know.”
“As long as it runs well, there shouldn’t be a problem. I couldn’t see a scratch out there.” Liza took the papers and tried not to notice the way her fingers buzzed as his strong hands brushed against hers.
“Hey, I really owe you one,” Jaime said. “I appreciate you trusting me and saving me from a huge headache with the police and my insurance. I like my insurance rates; I wasn’t looking for them to be raised.”
“Yeah, that’s what my friend was telling me today. You do owe me one. But one what?”
Jaime smiled. “Dinner?”
“That might be nice, but really, I’m just grateful for my car.” Liza smiled at him. He was so handsome. Why wasn’t she jumping for the chance to go out to dinner with him? She could just hear Nita scolding her now about missing out on the perfect opportunity to date.
Her Guy Next Door Fake Fiancé Page 3