“Well, you’d at least better give me her name.”
Jaime took a deep breath. Was he really going to do this? “Liza Sorensen. She lives here in Echo Ridge. She is absolutely beautiful, smart, and she makes me happy.”
“Dude, I can hear it in your voice. You haven’t sounded this good for a long time. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Did he sound happy? It was hard to tell with the trepidation and guilt crawling down his spine.
“Hey, you might spill the beans a little and see how Kori reacts. She might go just crazy enough to give the evidence the judge needs.”
“I don’t know about that,” Jaime said. “I think she’d try to manipulate Alex more than she already does to get revenge.”
“Well, she’s obviously going to find out. Record everything and screenshot your texts. I want a mountain of evidence.”
“Will do.” Jaime ended the call and contemplated the rapid turn of events.
His head was spinning. This fake engagement was never supposed to benefit him, and now Jared had shown him a way that it actually could. He would never know if it was good or bad timing; Kori texted him a few minutes later.
Kori: I’m going to make sure you never see Alex again. You are the worst father! You were never there for him, and you’re never going to change!
Jaime stared at the phone, letting his anger simmer just below the surface. Kori had abandoned him and Alex when their little boy was only four years old. She’d come back three weeks later claiming that she was renewed, changed, and would be a better mother. Jaime never knew all the details of what happened when she’d left, but it broke something in his heart that day. He’d held on for another nine years—much longer than he should have. Kori had probably been stealing Alex’s pills from the very beginning. Jaime had hoped that the divorce would end the bitter abuse from Kori and free Alex from their constant warfare, but it seemed like Kori would never give up.
And he had fallen in love with Liza—a woman who didn’t even know he had a son. When Liza had started ranting about boarding school, the chance to tell her blindsided him and he’d been a coward. He didn’t want Liza to think his son was a problem. Even as his conscience pricked him with the knowledge that Liza would be understanding once she knew more about the situation, Jaime hadn’t given her the chance. Was he more afraid for Alex or himself?
He definitely was afraid of what Kori would do when she found out he was engaged. She would likely pull Alex into the middle and turn him against Liza before she even had a chance. For now, he’d keep things quiet and hope that the news of his engagement didn’t go beyond Echo Ridge.
20
The Christmas cupcakes were made with red velvet cake mix and cream cheese frosting. The white frosting was sprinkled with red and green balls and a light dusting of silver powder. Almost too pretty to eat, but since Liza was nearing a meltdown, she had two of them before lunch. When coworkers asked, she stuck as close to the truth as she dared in relating her and Jaime’s whirlwind romance. She texted Jaime to let him know that they had met in November, so they’d at least known each other one month before he’d proposed.
“I know you’re holding out on me,” Nita said. “But I’m a patient woman, and I will get every last detail on this guy.”
A nervous tremor moved through Liza’s stomach. She believed Nita. It was imperative that she see Jaime and talk through the details before anyone questioned him. For now, Liza turned to Nita and pulled up the picture of Jaime and her at the Cuban restaurant. “He’s a wonderful guy.”
“Yummy!” Nita exclaimed as she bit into a creamy cupcake. “And I’m not talking about dessert.” Then she paused. “Wait a minute. I recognize him. He’s Florida!”
“Actually, he’s Echo Ridge, but he went to the conference with me,” Liza said. “He ran interference for me and kept Mark off my back. We had a wonderful time.”
“What? Liza! You did not tell me your fiancé went with you to Florida.” Nita put her hand on her hip and tapped her foot.
“He owns a business that translates and edits for websites, so the conference was a great place for him to pick up leads,” Liza explained.
Nita shook her head. “I can’t believe how much I’ve missed. You are going to catch me up, but first I have to send in a report. Let’s do lunch soon.”
“Yes, I’m excited for you to meet Jaime.” Liza infused as much excitement into her voice as she could muster, but it still fell a little flat to her ears. Had Jaime considered what it would be like to meet family and friends while pretending to be her fiancé? It was never supposed to go this far, but they were in it neck-deep now. Liza sighed and tried to focus on her work.
Liza left her office amidst more congratulations at noon. By the time she reached Jaime’s house, she’d almost talked herself out of the whole charade. She hurried up the steps and the front door swung open before she could knock.
“Liza, come in.” There was no hint of stress in his eyes. How could he be so calm?
“I don’t know if we should do this.” Liza wrung her hands. “I think I should go back to work and say, ‘April Fool’s!’”
“But it’s December eighth.” Jaime helped her out of her coat and motioned for her to come into the kitchen. “I made us some lunch.”
“You didn’t have to do—mmm.” Liza smelled the aroma of chicken noodle soup. She saw a stockpot on the stove. “You made soup?”
“Yes. Comfort food.” He proceeded to dish up two bowls. “So how are we going to tell your parents?”
Liza groaned. “I don’t know. They’ll think I’m crazy.”
“A valid point.” Jaime slid a bowl in front of her and pulled out a box of club crackers.
“Rick told me that he wants to talk about my meeting with Mark when I get back from lunch. I don’t know what’s going on, but I refuse to work with him.” Liza took a bite of soup. “This is delicious. Thank you for feeding me.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Jaime took a few bites and then said, “Don’t you think being engaged is still a good defense against Mark?”
“See, that’s the thing. This guy I know taught me something important over the weekend. I realized I need to stand up for myself and draw clear lines. I don’t need to hide behind an engagement to do that anymore.”
Jaime’s spoon clanked against his bowl. “Are you saying you want to call off the engagement?”
Liza sniffed. “I’m saying I don’t think it’s worth the cost.”
“But Liza, we’re already in it this far, and it’s working. Why not play it out a few more weeks? We don’t have to set any dates or have anything concrete.”
Strange that Jaime seemed more keen on the engagement idea than she was. “We could, but then I want to tell my parents the truth. It’s not fair to them to think that this was all real when it’s a lie.”
Jaime thought about that as he swallowed another bite of soup. “I like that idea. We don’t have to worry about my parents, because they aren’t on social media. Luckily, Costa Rica is far enough away that even the busiest busybody of Echo Ridge won’t reach them.”
Liza laughed. “One problem solved.”
“Hey, I know. What if we tell your parents that we really hit it off and we were just talking about getting engaged when someone overheard?”
“And then my work heard about it and threw me a party and we went with it?” Liza picked up a cracker and dipped it in her soup. “That would make so much more sense.”
Jaime patted her on the back. “See, we’ll get through this somehow.”
“I still don’t know, but I’m willing to try it.” Liza finished up her soup. “Although if you hadn’t fed me this soup, I think things might be very different right now.”
“Ah, food is a weapon in my arsenal,” Jaime mused.
Liza patted his cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure out your weakness soon enough.”
“I thought it was you.” Jaime winked at her, and Liza’s heart danced the Charles
ton. If Jaime didn’t stop flirting with her, she might have to kiss him for good measure. Jaime cleared the dishes and Liza watched him work for a minute, oddly comforted by his routine motions.
She stood and moved in front of the large picture window in his living room, staring at the beautiful winter scene. The evergreen trees stood so peaceful, yet powerful with their branches drooping under the heavy snow. The forest seemed to extend forever beyond Jaime’s yard. Part of Liza wanted to run into that forest and hide from the mess she was in. The other part wanted to curl up in Jaime’s arms and fall in love for real.
21
Jaime’s idea turned out to be a huge success, because he had Liza’s parents laughing over the fumbled proposal. He assured them that his intentions were pure and that he would take good care of their daughter. “We got engaged unconventionally, so I told Liza if she ever has second thoughts to toss me out on my ear. We’re taking things slow, even though it appears that we’ve jumped the gun.”
“The way he uses clichés, though, makes me worried for what he’s going to say in our marriage vows,” Liza retorted.
They left her home in very good spirits, and Liza received a text from her mom gushing over Jaime.
He is very handsome, funny, and kind. I’m nervous but excited for you at the same time!
“So my mom approves of you, but she’s a little nervous,” Liza said.
“Understandably,” Jaime replied. “So how long are we going to keep this up?”
“The engagement? At least until Christmas is over, right?” Even as she said the words, she hated to think of not seeing Jaime every day.
“Or maybe even New Year’s?”
“I think you’re starting to like me a little bit.” Liza nudged Jaime’s elbow.
“Oh, I like you a lot.” Jaime lifted his eyebrows and winked. “And there’s always kissing to ring in the New Year.”
Liza laughed and turned her face toward the window so he wouldn’t see the heat she felt in her cheeks.
Jaime chuckled. “But seriously, we won’t have to go to any parties by ourselves, right?”
“That is a definite perk to being engaged,” Liza replied, feeling her face cool just a bit. “Although Rick is so cheap, his Christmas party is held a few days before Christmas during lunch, and it’s for employees only.”
“I would make a comment about him being cheap, but then how would I look since I’m not throwing a Christmas party for my company?”
“That’s different and you know it.”
“Yeah, kind of hard to do when the company is online, but I should probably at least send them an e-card with their Christmas bonus.” Jaime pulled into his driveway and cut the engine.
“It’s cool that you even do bonuses.”
“And even cooler that your parents totally bought our story.”
“Don’t you feel just a little bit guilty about it, though?” Liza rubbed her arms and shivered at the escaping heat.
“I do, but I’m trying not to stress over it, because I know that we’ll make it all right in the end.”
Liza nodded. “I certainly hope so.” She still had to go back to work where she would accept congratulations from excited coworkers. It would be difficult to get any real work done, but maybe if she adopted Jaime’s mindset—that everything would be all right in the end—she could make it through the day.
On Tuesday, Liza finally made it through her report with Rick. She carefully sidestepped any mention of Mark, and when Rick brought him up, she deftly changed the subject. She wouldn’t be able to hold Mark off forever if he was determined to work with Stellar Ads, but she was ready to put her foot down if it came to that.
“You keep up the good work and that promotion is as good as yours,” Rick said.
“Thanks.” Liza had been hearing that line for at least three months, and she was starting to doubt Rick’s sincerity. She turned in her application to make everything official, hoping that it might move things along. After the meeting, she felt drained and more than a little discouraged. Her work wasn’t fulfilling. Sure, she’d honed her writing skills, but she wasn’t getting anywhere.
Every night, she worked on her novel and researched publishing. One route was the traditional course with an agent and a publisher. Another route was to be an indie author and act as her own representative. She would be responsible for every stage of her book’s production. It seemed overwhelming, but she liked the idea of having more freedom, especially after working for a man like Rick. Maybe Jaime would have some good insight on her writing career.
Jaime. Every time she thought of him, she felt a little thrill followed quickly by a hint of doubt. He always seemed authentic when they were together, but she kept reminding herself that even their friendship had been built from false motives. Liza sighed and rested her head on her desk.
“I know the feeling,” Nita muttered.
Liza jumped and swiveled in her office chair. “I told you to quit sneaking up on me.”
“You’re invited to my ugly Christmas sweater party.” Nita handed Liza a glossy postcard invitation featuring a family in ugly sweaters.
Liza laughed and snorted at the same time. “Nita, you kill me.”
“It’s this Saturday. Prize for the ugliest sweater.” Nita tapped the postcard. “Bring your hot fiancé too.”
“Oh, believe me. I will.” Liza only felt a little guilty at how excited she was to have yet another reason to spend time with Jaime.
22
Racing thoughts about the relationship he needed to mend with his son kept Jaime awake most of Thursday night. Sometimes in his weak moments, he wanted to give up and just let Kori win, but then he would think of the times he’d spent with Alex. His son was a great kid who had been handed a raw deal by his parents. Jaime decided to call his son and test the waters regarding his relationship with Liza.
It was Friday afternoon before Jaime worked up the nerve to call Alex. He waited until he was sure that school was out, said a prayer, and pushed call.
“Hey, Dad,” Alex answered in a chipper voice.
“Hi Alex. You sound happy that it’s Friday.”
“I am because it’s almost time for Christmas break.”
“Great. I’d love to have you come visit me. There is a great ski resort only fifteen minutes from my house.”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to check with Mom.”
Jaime didn’t point out that the divorce decree outlined the days Alex was supposed to stay with him. He didn’t want to force the issue. If Alex wanted to come and visit, he’d be ready. If not, he’d try his best to stay involved in his son’s life. “I wanted to talk to you about something you said last time we were on the phone.”
“Oh, what?”
“You mentioned something about me replacing your mom and I wanted to let you know that your mom will always be your mom, but she and I are both dating other people.”
“You’re dating someone?” Alex’s voice pitched higher. “Why?”
“Because that is what single adults do. They date so that they can make new friends and maybe even get married again.” The conversation would have been better in person, but Jaime had no way of knowing when he’d see his son next.
There was a beat of silence before Alex asked, “Dad, are you going to get married again?”
Jaime swallowed. “If I find the right person, then yes, I want to get married. And when that time comes I hope you can be friends with her.”
“Friends with a stepmom? Everyone knows that stepmoms are evil.”
Jaime chuckled. “I’ll do my best to find one that isn’t.”
“So you and Mom really aren’t going to get back together?” Alex sounded younger than his fourteen years when he asked the question.
“No, Son. I’m sorry for how the divorce has affected your life. I hope one day to spend time with you so that you can understand why I had to make the choices I did. I’m happy now.”
“Mom doesn’t want you to get remarri
ed. She said that then you’ll ignore me.”
Jaime gritted his teeth. It wasn’t a surprise that Kori had said such inappropriate things to their son, but he wished there was a mute button for her rants. “I’m here for you. It’s hard when you never come to visit, but I do want to be part of your life. Do you understand that?”
“Yeah, but I hope you don’t have a girlfriend yet. It would just be too weird.”
“Well, the woman I’m dating is special to me. I’d like you to meet her sometime.”
“I don’t want to do that, Dad. I gotta go, okay?”
Jaime’s heart pinched at the change in his son’s tone. “Okay, have a great weekend. I love you.”
Alex hung up without saying goodbye and Jaime held his phone tightly as he tried to figure out how to navigate the situation before him. He didn’t like the feeling that he needed to choose between Alex and Liza. After so many years of unhappiness, why couldn’t he love his son and pursue a relationship with Liza?
Jaime rolled his shoulders back and switched gears to finish up his work for the day. It was much easier to problem-solve work issues than to think about his messy relationships. He took a moment then to jot down a few ideas before his next meeting with a contact he’d made at the All-Star Design Conference. Meeting Liza had brought new life into his business, but it also had him looking at his personal life in a different way. Jaime worked hard until five and then hurried to get ready for a date with Liza. He chose a dark green button-up shirt paired with jeans and a black wool zip-up sweater. Liza had mentioned that they needed to go shopping for their ugly sweater party, and Jaime wanted to be sure to dress opposite that role for this evening.
Since everyone knew about their engagement, Jaime could walk up to the front door to greet Liza and her parents. When he saw Liza, his breath caught in his throat. She was a vision in a stunning turquoise sweater that angled above her knees. She wore the sweater over black leggings that accentuated her nice calves.
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