Her Guy Next Door Fake Fiancé

by Rachelle J. Christensen

  “I’m a ball of nerves.” Liza held her hand over her stomach as they exited the airport. The conference center was only about twenty minutes away, and by the time they arrived at the hotel, Jaime had his own ball of nerves to deal with.

  “What are we going to do the first time we see Mark?” he asked.

  “Noodles.” Liza’s voice pitched up a notch with worry. “The farther we get into this, the more I realize I didn’t think this through very well.”

  “Look, we’re friends. I can honestly say that. I’m really glad we got to know each other, so let’s just be friends.”

  Liza’s shoulders relaxed. “You’re right. I’m just overthinking things. It’s going to be okay.”

  “But did you just say something about noodles earlier?”

  Liza laughed. “Oh that. Think of it as my pseudo-cuss word. I still live with my parents, you know.”

  Jaime laughed. “Got it.” He loved the way that Liza’s simple honesty and innocence made him feel at ease around her.

  They pulled their luggage into the hotel lobby, and Liza’s phone chimed just before they got in line to talk to the clerk. She pulled her phone out, glanced at it, and groaned. She flipped the phone toward Jaime. “Look.”

  Jaime furrowed his brow as he read the text.

  Hey, babe-alicious! I’m at the hotel and I can’t wait to see you!

  “He still sends you texts like that?” Jaime asked in disgust.

  Liza nodded. She threaded her arm through Jaime’s, and they checked into the hotel. He didn’t like how tense she was, and he hated to think that Mark had the power to unsettle her.

  They had just started walking out of the lobby when Jaime saw the man who had his blood boiling. Mark was headed their direction, but he was busy scrolling through his phone.

  There wasn’t time to think. Jaime had to act now. “Liza, turn around.”

  She turned, her eyes widening as Jaime closed the gap between them. He swept her into an embrace and kissed her soundly on the lips. It was all supposed to be an act, but he felt the instant it changed. At first, Liza was stiff and surprised, and then she put her arms around his neck as she kissed him back. Every nerve ending in his body was suddenly charged and in tune with Liza. He pulled her closer and continued to kiss her, forgetting every concern he had from a moment before.

  “Liza? Is that you?” Mark’s nasal voice interrupted their kiss.

  Liza moved to face Mark, but Jaime kept his arm around her waist so she could only turn partway. He leaned down and pecked her cheek as she answered Mark.

  “Mark. I forgot you’d be here. This is my fiancé, Jaime Maldonado.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed Jaime on the lips. She was smiling brightly, and Jaime detected laughter behind her eyes.

  Mark choked on his words. He swiped a hand over his light brown mustache, which was trimmed to perfection. He cleared his throat twice and tried again. “Your fiancé? You’re engaged? You weren’t even dating anyone.”

  Jaime stepped forward and arched his brow. “Liza and I are headed to our room. Have a good day.” He gently tugged Liza’s arm, and they walked past Mark as he sputtered to come up with a response.

  “Liza, wait,” Mark called.

  “No, don’t even look at him.” Jaime held firmly to Liza’s arm, and they walked directly into the elevator. Liza reached out and pushed the close door button three times in quick succession. The elevator doors closed just as Mark reached them, and Jaime caught a glimpse of the creep’s angry red face.

  Lisa put her face in her hands. “I thought he’d just leave me alone when he saw us together. What if this makes everything worse?”

  Jaime put his arms around Liza and held her close. “I believed you, but I didn’t understand how much he is affecting you. We’re going to see this through, and you’re going to be free of him once and for all.”

  “But you saw his face. He’s mad.” Her phone chimed, and she nervously swiped the screen.

  “No.” Jaime put his hand over her phone. “This has to stop. Block his number. There’s no reason for him to contact you.”

  Liza bit her bottom lip, and Jaime thought he saw a slight tremor there. He took a deep breath. How could he convince Liza that she was safe?

  “I’m not going to let you out of my sight,” he promised. “You’re going to be okay.” The elevator opened, and they walked down the hall toward their rooms.

  Liza fished out the room key and waved it in front of the doorknob. “Will you come in with me and help me check out the adjoining doors?”

  “Of course.” Jaime held the door open as they both moved inside. He checked out the hotel room—a bed, a desk with a chair, and a tiny love seat took up most of the space. He unlocked the adjoining door on her side. “I’ll go over to my room and be through in just a minute.”

  Jaime left his luggage in Liza’s room and moved as quickly as he could out of her room and into his own. He didn’t want to risk running into Mark in the hallway; it would be best if Mark didn’t know where Liza’s room was.

  He unlocked the adjoining door and opened it slowly. “Hello?” He poked his head in and saw Liza sitting on the edge of her bed. Her cell phone was face down on the comforter, and she was staring out the window.

  “I didn’t read the texts, but I think he’s sent at least five.” She lifted her chin slightly. “Will you block his number for me?” She took a shuddering breath, and Jaime could see himself last year, coming out of the war zone with Kori. It had taken a lot of work in desensitization to quit reacting to Kori’s manipulative games.

  He sat next to Liza on the bed and picked up her phone. “Fingerprint?”

  Liza held out her index finger, and Jaime pressed it on the pad of the phone to gain access. Sure enough, there were six texts from Mark, and Jaime clenched his jaw as he scanned the swear words and derogatory names that Mark had called Liza.

  It only took him three seconds to delete the messages and block Mark. “There. You’re safe.”

  Liza wiped her eye but didn’t catch the tear trailing down her cheek. “I’m sorry. This is just so upsetting.”

  Jaime put his arm around her. “I’m sorry I kissed you. Mark was coming, and I didn’t know what else to do. Was it that bad of a kiss?”

  “No,” she laughed, “it wasn’t bad at all. Thank you. You really saved me back there. I don’t know why I freeze whenever he’s around.”

  Jaime had only been half kidding when he’d brought up the kiss. He couldn’t resist smiling at Liza’s response. He’d have to be careful, though. Sitting next to her left him wanting to hold her and kiss her all over again. He cleared his throat. “I used to do the same thing whenever my ex called me, but I’m okay now. She can say whatever she wants, and it doesn’t bother me.”

  Liza looked at him and sniffed. “How?”

  “Well, it wasn’t easy,” Jaime replied. “But I got to a point where I realized I could stop the madness by deciding how I would respond.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Jaime gently squeezed Liza’s shoulder. “Mark can’t hurt you anymore. I know it’s easier said than done, but don’t give him power over you or your emotions. If you get to the point where you can detach from all of the hurt and view him as the sick person he is, I think that’s when you’ll really find healing.”

  “I want to be there now.”

  “I get it. But in this moment, you need to recognize your emotions, own them, and then let them go.”

  Liza looked down at her hands and wiggled her left finger. The ring winked back up at them as it caught the light. “Okay. I can do that.”

  “Good, because we’re in Florida and we should definitely do something fun before the conference gets underway tomorrow.” Jaime pressed a kiss to her forehead and assured himself that his wildly beating heart was in anticipation of a few days off in a warmer climate. Yeah, it was just Florida, because he couldn’t let it be Liza.

  11

  Liza took a twenty-minute nap
and retouched her makeup when she awoke. She changed into the light-yellow sundress she’d packed and couldn’t help but smile. December fourth in Echo Ridge, New York, would never allow her to work in a sundress. She intended to soak up the sun, take in extra vitamin D, and lift her spirits regardless of the situation before her. She still had a nervous tremor when she thought of Mark in the same building, but then she focused on Jaime. He had been so kind and understanding. She closed her eyes and relived the moment when he’d put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. They were friends, but maybe if she could stop freaking out over Mark, there might be a chance for more.

  Jaime knocked four times on the adjoining door. His eyebrows shot up when Liza opened it, and he said, “Well, you look amazing.”

  Liza ducked her head and smiled. “Do I look like I belong in Florida?”

  “No, you look like you belong right here beside me. I’m going to enjoy this fake engagement. Let’s go.”

  Liza giggled. She took Jaime’s hand as they walked out into the hallway. They took a stroll around the hotel grounds, admiring the palm trees and flowering bushes. Liza especially liked the bougainvillea with dark pink blossoms trailing along the deep green foliage. It was eighty degrees out, and the sun warmed her skin as she walked beside Jaime.

  “Feeling better?” Jaime asked.

  Liza nodded. “I was thinking we’re in this mess because I slid on icy roads, but I can’t complain about the sunshine. How about you?”

  “I agree. I’m actually really looking forward to the conference. It was nice of you to give me ideas of who to approach.”

  “You’re very talented,” Liza said. “I’ve been doing my homework, and I’m really impressed with your company.”

  Jaime’s cheeks darkened with what looked like a bit of a blush. She loved that he was so down-to-earth. She’d done a little more checking on Jaime and he had an extremely successful business, but he wasn’t arrogant about it. His company had grown enough that he had multiple employees and a waiting list for some of the services they offered.

  “You should know that there are a lot of people that try to do what you do, and they fail miserably. You should be proud of yourself.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I have a lot of limitations, but I do enjoy my work.”

  Liza rolled her eyes. “All anyone has to do is a little bit of shopping online to recognize how important language skills and translation are in advertising. Give yourself some credit. You’re not only helping the consumer to have a better experience; you’re truly impacting the businesses you work with.”

  Jaime’s left dimple creased again. It gave Liza a little thrill, because it only showed up when he smiled big. “Thanks, Liza. That means a lot coming from you.”

  “It’s only to butter you up so you’ll walk the extra six blocks to get Cuban food with me.”

  The dimple stayed put. “Well, I can’t say I disagree with your methods. I’m hungry.”

  “Me too.”

  “Is Cuban food your favorite?”

  “I’ve never tried it. I’m a chicken alfredo with broccoli kind of girl.”

  “That sounds good too. We could do that if the Cuban food doesn’t pan out.” Jaime quickened his step to catch the next streetlight before the walk signal turned off.

  The walk ended up being almost eight blocks, but the weather was perfect and the Cuban restaurant was authentic and delicious.

  “How’d you find this place?” Jaime asked around a mouthful of mojo chicken and rice. “I think I can taste the orange juice they used on this chicken. Delicious.”

  “I didn’t. My friend did, and she insisted that I take pictures and send them to her. You ready for a restaurant selfie?”

  “Sure.” Jaime slid closer to her in the booth and held up a forkful of maduros, which they had discovered were deliciously sweet fried plantains.

  Liza snapped the picture and then took a few individual photos of the plates of food. A close-up of her beef-stuffed empanadas would surely send Nita into a food frenzy. Liza sent them off to Nita, who replied in about one nanosecond.

  Who is the model, and where can I have some of him and what he’s eating?!

  Liza barely restrained a laugh. She was thankful she hadn’t shown Nita a picture of Jaime when she’d asked before. Now she could be vague and not have to be interrogated about it.

  Liza: Just having dinner with some of the people from the conference.

  Nita: Well, box him up and bring him home!

  Liza sent a smiley face and sipped her Sprite. When Nita found out that Jaime was Liza’s neighbor, Liza would never hear the end of it.

  By the time they finished their meal, Liza realized she hadn’t thought about Mark since she’d left the hotel. She wanted to keep it that way. “Jaime, thanks so much for doing this. But I still feel like you know more about me than I know about you.”

  “Oh no. Don’t start the interrogation process again, please?”

  “You know, you’re almost good-looking enough to get away with that.” Liza winked. “Almost. Now spill: what brought you to Echo Ridge?”

  Jaime held her hand as they walked back toward the hotel. “Well, I needed a change of scenery, and I wanted to get far enough away from Kori—that’s my ex-wife—so that she couldn’t just drop by my place.”

  “Did she do that often?”

  “Let’s just say that I have learned something about emotionally unstable people.” He took a deep breath. “They don’t know how to manage their own emotions, so the only way they can exist is by eliciting emotional reactions from others. When you try to starve an emotional bottom-feeder like that, you get people like Mark and my ex-wife. It’s not normal. It can’t be explained. And to most people their actions seem harmless.”

  Liza felt a weight lift off her chest. Jaime understood her at a level that almost no one else did. “I’ve had so many people tell me what a nice guy Mark is and that they can’t believe he dumped me the way he did. No one has seen what went on before and after the breakup.”

  “Exactly.” Jaime released her hand and pushed his fingers through his hair. “It about made me crazy at first. The kind of behavior that Kori exhibited isn’t healthy, and people don’t want to hear about that kind of stuff. They only want to hear about the sordid details, like how they cheated on you.”

  “What happened in your marriage? What made everything come tumbling down?” Liza appreciated how Jaime guided her across the street, his hand at the small of her back.

  Jaime pressed his lips together and hesitated before answering. “I had to get off her emotional roller coaster. It was dangerous, and it was ruining my business. I’m not sure of all the things she was involved in and frankly, I don’t want to know. I just feel lucky that I got out alive.”

  Liza thought about Jaime’s words and how they coincided with the thoughts that she’d had recently concerning Mark. “It’s kind of weird to think of something as major as a broken engagement and your divorce as a good thing, but I learned it can be.”

  “Yep. My parents have been asking the same questions you have, though. They can’t understand why I’d want to move to the mouth of a snowy canyon in Echo Ridge when I could go stay with them in Costa Rica.”

  “Well, I can’t fault their logic there.” Liza brushed the hair away from her face. “But until you live in Echo Ridge, you don’t really understand how wonderful it can be. Our community is magical, tight-knit, with so many good people. I love our little library. I love the bed-and-breakfast—it’s called the Emerald Inn. I love the events out at the Big Barn Boutique and how everyone goes to the lacrosse games at the high school. And even though the winter is a little colder than I’d like most of the time, I love each of the four seasons.”

  “I like it too. The winter is colder than my parents will ever dream of in Costa Rica, but that’s okay, because when I was married it was winter year-round.”

  Liza hesitated and then laughed when she caught his meaning. “Hey, I was thinking ab
out what you told me about your ex. Do you have her number blocked?”

  Jaime grimaced. “As much as I’d like to I can’t just block her and write her out of my life. There are some issues, but I can set boundaries and keep my shields up so she can’t get the response she’s looking for.”

  “I’m glad that you’ve shared this side with me. It gives me hope that I can do better.”

  Jaime put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “You’re going to be awesome. You’ve just taken some important steps. Getting married is a bonus too.” He winked and tapped the beautiful sapphire ring on her finger.

  Liza batted his hand away. “You are a tease, you know.”

  “Who’s teasing?”

  Liza sucked in a breath. For a second, Jaime really did look serious. Was he saying that he truly had feelings for her? Then he grinned and tugged on one of her curls. Liza giggled, grateful she hadn’t explored that thought too long. “Just so long as Mark doesn’t hear any different.”

  By the time they returned to their rooms, Liza was exhausted, and she still had to review a few things before the conference started. She and Jaime said good night, and Liza closed their adjoining door before preparing for bed. It was comforting knowing that Jaime was just on the other side of the wall. He’d given her great advice and wonderful support that day. She hadn’t realized just how much Mark was affecting her until Jaime suggested blocking him from her phone. Why hadn’t she severed that tie six months ago when he’d first started bothering her about getting back together again? She could admit now that she had been worried about the fallout. But those worries were over. She’d set things in motion today to give herself real emotional freedom.

  She was also seriously enjoying every moment she spent with Jaime. The weekend hadn’t even started, and already she was worried about it ending. Would they see each other back in Echo Ridge, or would it be business as usual? It was better not to worry about that right now, but Liza couldn’t help it—she liked Jaime. A lot. She washed her face and then sat on the edge of the bed. What had she been thinking?