I continued to stare after the doors closed behind him. It wasn’t until Logan spoke that I remembered he was still standing there. How I could have forgotten that the man I’d been obsessing over for five years was less than two feet away was beyond me, but I had. And it was all because of Chance.
“So, was that your boyfriend?”
“What?” I squeaked in surprise. “Oh! No. Uh, no. He’s… he’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend.”
Logan regarded me curiously for a second. “Just a friend?”
“Just a friend,” I parroted.
He smiled again, something gleaming behind his brownish-green eyes. “Well, okay then.”
I knew if I didn’t walk away then, I’d more than likely do something irreparably embarrassing. “So, I should probably…” I dragged out, throwing a thumb over my shoulder, “…get back. You know, to work. I should probably get back to work.”
“Oh. Yeah. Me too.”
I gave Logan an awkward wave and started backing away on my new heels. “Uh… bye.”
His grin turned humorous as he watched me. “See ya.”
With that, I spun around and started down the hall toward my desk, praying I didn’t fall face first on my wobbly feet.
It wasn’t until I was in my chair that I could breathe easily. I pulled my cell phone out of my purse before dropping it back in my bottom desk drawer. Scrolling to the text screen, I typed in Chance’s name and shot off my message.
Me: What the heck was that?
He replied instantly.
Chance: The next phase of the plan.
My face scrunched up in confusion as I reread his message.
Me: How are we on the next phase already when I failed the last one?!
Chance: I told you to trust me, didn’t I?
I was getting really sick of hearing that, but before I could respond, another text came through.
Chance: He noticed you today. Now we have to make him think you’re unavailable.
I really wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that. I didn’t know much about dating, and I was willing to admit I was pretty clueless when it came to members of the opposite sex, but I didn’t think I was the type of woman to play games. Still, I was the one who approached Chance for help. If I started questioning his methods now, everything we’d done so far was for nothing.
Me: You sure?
Those three little dots on the screen flickered as he typed back.
Chance: Positive. We’ll discuss it later.
Deciding to just follow his lead and go with it, like he’d said, I dropped my phone onto my desk and booted up my computer, ready to get back to work.
Two minutes later, the door to Collin’s office opened and his fiancée, Devon, walked out, looking slightly disheveled and blissfully happy. I shot up a quick thank you to whatever higher power was responsible for Chance taking me to lunch today. Collin was a good guy and a great boss, and I genuinely liked Devon, but the last thing I needed was to hear them having sex in his office during lunch, when they thought no one could hear them. Again.
“Oh!” she chirped brightly when her eyes landed on me. “Hi, Melany.”
“Hi, Devon.” I smiled back. “Good lunch?”
Her cheeks tinged pink as she emitted a tiny giggle. “Yeah. A really good lunch.” She stepped closer, her eyes taking me in from the top of my head to where the desk cut off. “Oh my God. You look so pretty! Is that new?”
I looked down and nervously ran my palms down my middle, brushing nonexistent wrinkles from my dress. “Thanks, yeah. I… um… I got some new clothes over the weekend.”
“Well, stand up and show me the rest!” She rounded the desk and grabbed my hand, jerking me from my chair before I had a chance to comply. “Melany,” she gasped. “You look stunning!” With her hold getting tighter, she spun me around in a slow circle to get the full effect. “Where did you get this? I want one just like it. And those shoes!”
I was already blushing furiously when Collin stepped through the door of his office suddenly. “Honey, look at Melany. Doesn’t she look fabulous?”
I appreciated Devon’s enthusiastic compliments, but the attention I was unexpectedly receiving was the very reason I’d never dressed to impress before. I just didn’t know how to handle it.
“Wow,” Collin spoke. I looked over to see him crossing his arms over his chest. “You look very nice, Melany.”
Devon scoffed, but finally relinquished her hold on me so I could sit back down. “Pfft. Nice? Please. She’s smokin’ hot.”
I hadn’t thought it was possible for me to blush any harder. Clearly, I’d been wrong, because hearing Devon call me “smokin’ hot” made my chest and neck burn like fire. “So, where’d you get that outfit?”
“Um…” My instinct was to lower my gaze to the lacquered top of my desk, but I managed to force myself to maintain eye contact with Devon as I answered. She’d always been nice to me; there was no reason for me to be so uncomfortable with someone who’d shown me nothing but kindness. Besides, I was the one who wanted to boost my self-confidence, and that meant developing friendships outside of Constance and her husband… and possibly Chance.
“Chance took me to a little shop called Fire & Ice.”
Devon’s head cocked to the side curiously. “Chance?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “We, uh, kind of became friends. At your engagement party.”
Collin still looked confused, but Devon’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “And he took you shopping?”
“Mm-hmm. He and his friend Pepper helped me pick out a new wardrobe.”
“Chance,” she repeated. “Chance Hoffman took you shopping?” I was in the middle of nodding when a strange, pleased smile spread across her face.
“That’s fantastic! Honey”—she turned to my boss—“isn’t that fantastic?”
I heard Collin mumble something under his breath that sounded like, “Dear Lord. Not again,” and I looked in his direction just in time to see him drop his gaze and give his head a shake.
“So you two really hit it off, huh?” she asked, bringing her attention back to me.
My forehead wrinkled at her sudden strange behavior. “Um, I guess?”
“Chance is a great guy. Like, the best. He’s sweet and kind and funny and so handsome—”
“And I’m standing right here,” Collin interrupted, causing Devon to roll her eyes.
“Please, he’s just as much your friend as he is mine,” she grumbled in return.
His arms came uncrossed and he held them up. “Whatever. I’ve got work to do.” Making his way toward his fiancée, he placed a chaste kiss on her lips and headed back for his office. “I’ll see you at home later.”
“Okay, babe,” Devon returned. As soon as Collin’s door closed behind him, her attention came back to me. “You know, if you’re interested in a makeover, I’d be more than happy to give you some makeup tips. You’ve got an amazing complexion, and you don’t really need much, but I could give you a few pointers on how to highlight your natural beauty. If you’re interested, that is. I’m not saying I think you need makeup, because you totally don’t!” she added quickly.
I stopped and gave her offer some thought. “Actually, that would be great. I’ve always wanted to learn, but the last time I tried to use eyeliner I nearly blinded myself.”
Devon clapped her hands and gave an excited squeal. “I’ll totally help you! We can actually make it a girls’ night in kind of thing with wine and stuff.”
That actually sounded like a lot of fun, so much fun that I found myself smiling with an enthusiasm that matched hers. “I’m in.”
“Awesome!” she cheered. “I’ll set it up and get back to you, sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.” And it really did. I’d managed to overcome my anxiety and build on the foundation of friendship that Devon had already laid out for me. All of that with the added benefit of a makeup tutorial. I was pretty damn proud of myself.
And, oddly enough, I couldn’t wait to tell Chance about it, because I had no doubt he’d be proud, too.
Chapter 8
Chance
Collin: Heads up, brother. You’re fucked.
I’d barely finished reading the confusing text from Collin when my office door was thrown open and Devon sauntered in with a shit-eating grin on her face.
“Well hello to you, too,” I said flatly, as she took a seat and made herself comfortable. “Want to tell me why I’m getting cryptic texts from your fiancé?”
If that smile of hers got any bigger, I was afraid it would swallow her face. “Because he was there when I got some information that tickled at my need to matchmake.”
I dropped my head against my chair and rolled my eyes skyward. “Not this again,” I groaned. Ever since what Devon and I had morphed into a friendship that extended to her inner circle, the woman had tried to set me up with every available female in the city of Manhattan. No one, especially me, had the heart to tell her she sucked at it. I liked my balls where they were, attached to my body, and Devon was known to have a nasty mean streak at times. The last thing I wanted to do was insult her.
No… wait. The last thing I wanted to do was go on another ill-partnered blind date.
“Hey, now” she said, pulling me back to the present. “I know I’ve made a few questionable setups in the past—”
“A few?” My eyebrows shot to my hairline. “Dev, you set me up with a crazy cat lady. A legit crazy cat lady. The woman had ten cats! She had pictures of them on her phone and spoke about them like they were her children! Never mind the fact that I’m allergic!”
“In my defense, I didn’t know that at the time,” she shot back.
“Of course you didn’t,” I deadpanned. “Because you’d just met her at Starbucks the day before you forced me into the date. You didn’t know her at all.”
She shrugged like it was nothing. “I thought she was pretty.”
I narrowed my eyes into slits. “She was certifiable. When I told her I was more of a dog person, she acted like I’d just announced I wanted to skin her alive and wear her flesh as a suit.”
She returned my glare and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, I really think you’ll like this one.”
“I seriously doubt that,” I murmured.
“Oh yeah?” Her glare melted into a sly, knowing smirk. “Well, if you don’t like her, then why’d you take her shopping for a new wardrobe, huh? I don’t know any man willing to do that for a woman that he isn’t either related to or interested in.”
If you listened closely enough, you’d probably be able to hear tires screeching to a halt in my brain. “Wait. What?”
“That’s right,” Devon answered triumphantly. “I know all about your little shopping trip with Melany. And I know that means you like her,” she finished in a singsong voice.
Fuck my life. Seriously. “It’s not what you think,” I stated. Although, she wasn’t totally off base. I did like Melany, just not how Devon was thinking. She was sweet, funny, and completely sexy. But she was 100 percent off limits. Once again, I was in the friend-zone with a woman. Only this time, I was actually trying to help her land another guy.
“But—” she began to object, but I held up my hand to stop her.
“Seriously, Dev. We’re just friends. That’s it.” I left out the part where I thought, Even though I’d love nothing more than to hike one of those new skirts up around her hips while I find out exactly what her lower lips taste like. There’d be no point in saying any of that out loud.
Devon pouted like a child who’d just discovered Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy weren’t real all at once. “But you’d be so cute together.”
“I’m pretty sure she has a thing for someone at her office.” Shit. The words fell from my mouth without any thought whatsoever.
Devon’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. “What? Who?”
There was no way in hell I was going to be the one to let Melany’s secret out. She’d harbored that secret for five years without anyone finding out. Something told me she’d never forgive me if I let her crush on Logan slip. “I don’t know,” I answered, staring at my computer screen in an effort to avoid Devon’s eyes. “She didn’t say that. It’s just the impression I got.”
Her brow furrowed skeptically. “How’d you get that impression?”
Damn women and their twenty questions! “I don’t know. I just did. I’m intuitive like that. Don’t you have some work to do?”
She gave a dramatic huff and an eye roll. “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to push me out to avoid talking about Melany?”
I dropped my hands to my desk and finally met her gaze with a grin. “Look at that. You’re intuitive, too!”
“Oh, ha ha. Fine. I know when I’m not wanted.” She stood from the chair and started for the door, but stopped before crossing the threshold. “You’re a great guy, Chance. I just want you to find someone who makes you happy.”
My expression softened. “I’m doing just fine, Devon, promise.” And I was. I never lacked for dates. Unfortunately, the women who’d warmed my bed in recent months didn’t have any staying power. I usually grew tired of them as soon as I got off. But Devon didn’t need to know that. Since she’d gotten together with Collin, she saw the world through rose-colored glasses. I wasn’t going to be the one to take them off.
Shooting me one last warm smile, she turned and exited, pulling my door closed behind her. However, her mention of Melany lingered long after she was gone, and I couldn’t help but think that the guy she’d set her sights on wasn’t worth her time. For Christ’s sake, the bastard hadn’t even known her actual name, let alone paid any attention to her over the past five years.
It wasn’t until she’d changed the way she looked physically that he finally noticed her. He hadn’t bothered to see the incredible woman underneath the baggy, monochromatic colors. If he’d taken the time to get to know her, he’d have discovered how funny and charming Melany was.
He didn’t deserve her. But that wasn’t my call. Melany was determined to get his attention, and it wasn’t my place to try and make her see things differently. Even if I thought she could do so much better.
Melany
I SAT IN Constance and Frank’s living room, keeping their kids occupied while she started on dinner. I hadn’t wanted to go home and deal with my mother after a long day at work, so I’d done what I tended to do when her insults and verbal abuse began to weigh on me…
I escaped to my best friend’s house.
It was sad, really, the fact that a thirty-one-year-old woman didn’t want to go home because she didn’t want to deal with her own mother. I knew I should’ve just moved out, but the guilt at leaving her all alone to wallow in her own filth and misery always stopped me. She might not be a nice person, and I might not have liked her, but she was still my mother.
“All right,” Constance said on a relieved sigh, as she made her way into the living room. “Chicken’s baking so I have a few minutes to chat.” Sitting on the couch next to me, she handed me one of the glasses of red wine she was holding. “Drink up,” she said before taking her own hearty swig. “You need it before going home.”
I snorted before bringing the glass to my lips and taking a sip. I let the faint taste of grapes rest on my tongue before swallowing it down. It had to be said that my BFF had great taste in wine.
Constance knew the moment I’d walked through her door why I was hesitant to go home. The navy dress that had garnered so many compliments that day would have given the old witch all the ammunition she needed to accuse me of being a slut as soon as she laid eyes on it. If I waited her out long enough, she’d drink herself delirious and would be oblivious to my return home.
“I just don’t feel like putting up with her S-H-I-T tonight.” I took care to spell out my curse words when I was around the boys. After I made the mistake of dropping the F-bomb one time, we were all walking on eggshells. Those th
ree soaked up curse words like little sponges.
“And you shouldn’t have to,” Constance said in a low, angry tone. “You look stunning in that dress. A decent mother would compliment her daughter. Not tear her down every chance she gets.”
“Yeah well, that’s never going to happen,” I sighed.
“Because she’s jealous. You’re beautiful and smart, and she knows you’re so much better than she ever was, or ever will be.”
I couldn’t help but snort again because even though she spoke adamantly, I didn’t believe what she was saying. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think I was ugly, necessarily. But I certainly didn’t consider myself beautiful. I was plain, just… me. Nothing special.
“Don’t you snort at me!” she declared. “You are beautiful! And you’d realize that if you’d just get out from under your mom’s thumb.”
“Connie, please—”
“No!” she interrupted. “No arguing. Boys!” she shouted, getting all three of her sons’ attention at once. “Isn’t Auntie Melly beautiful?”
“She’s the mostest beautiful auntie in the whole wide world!” Landon shouted.
“She’s so pretty I’m gonna marry her when I grow up!” Deacon answered enthusiastically.
“Pretty! Pretty! Pretty!” two-year-old Patrick clapped.
My face scorched red, but I appreciated Constance’s efforts. And I loved those boys something fierce.
“One of these days, you’re going to start believing people when they tell you how amazing you are,” Constance stated. “And I can’t wait for that day to come.”
I set my wineglass on the coffee table and leaned in to give her a hug. “You know I love you, right?”
“And I love you, too,” she replied, returning my hug. We stayed in that position until we heard a distinct crashing sound. We whipped apart and looked to find Patrick with an excited grin on his face as he clapped and pointed to the wine he’d just spilled all over the carpet.
Chance Encounters Page 7