Tiffany wondered if he felt this intense, magnet-like pull, or was he completely oblivious to it all?
Tiffany had considered putting her résumé out there to see if she’d get any bites. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could endure this torture at work. It was beginning to take a toll on her outside of their corporate skyscraper.
Her poor body could testify to that, since she was using over-exercising to release the feelings and frustration. Her friends even refused to run with her now. As much as Tiffany loved Carkeek Park, she wasn’t sure she should be running anywhere alone. Sit ups—those had been her latest obsession. It wouldn’t be long before Tiffany had abs of steel at the rate she was going. Mackenzie had suggested she take up yoga. Yeah, meditation isn’t going to cut it. The only time she could almost get Colin out of her mind was when she physically pushed herself to new limits, inflicting grueling tests of endurance and strength. It allowed her to focus her energy on just not dying during the workout.
Tiffany could see why her friends were concerned but not wanting to take part. At least her body was getting toned, and in a way, that satisfied her a great deal. Somehow Tiffany believed it was making Colin suffer. Maybe she should flaunt the new and improved Tiffany more—invest in some short skirts that showcased her great legs and ass, or maybe some wickedly plunging blouses. God knew that seeing Colin prancing around in his perfectly tailored suits was slowly killing her. The worst was when he would roll up his dress shirts to reveal well-toned, tanned forearms or when he fussed with one of his expensive cuff links. Murder, absolute murder. He deserved to suffer. Maybe a shopping trip was in order.
* * * *
Survival. Tiffany now wore the badge proudly for enduring an entire week with Colin without killing him. She’d accepted the silent treatment, the cold shoulder and even a brush of rudeness. Sir McCartney, however, had only kept it up for so long. At one point, he’d tried to sneak into Tiffany’s office and Colin had retrieved him. It had nearly broken Tiffany’s heart.
But that didn’t matter now. Tiffany had a lovely three-day weekend that she planned to enjoy with visions of drowning her sorrows. Granted, that was sort of what had gotten her in this whole mess to begin with, but she’d at least stay away from any crab cakes or sexy Irishmen.
This was her reward for tolerating far more bullshit than she should have. Day one of what was going to be a killer Fourth of July weekend included being on a boat with her friends, celebrating America in the best way possible—fireworks, beer and her brand-new bikini. Maybe Owen would bring one of his hot fisherman buddies. Tiffany strutted her stuff as she found Owen’s boat down at the harbor.
“Oh my God, look at you!” Mackenzie’s brown eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Wow, you are all about them stars and stripes right now.”
Her bikini was patriotic, to say the least. Wait until she removed her jean cut-offs and revealed the red-and-white bottoms.
“Mac is right. You are killin’ it, Tiff,” Molly added. “Now I feel like a beached whale, thank you.”
“Oh, stop. Besides, you know you can come work out with me any time.”
“Um…and die. No thanks. I do plan to get married to that guy over there,” Molly shot back playfully as she pointed to Owen, who was busy chatting with someone Tiffany didn’t recognize but thought was very attractive.
Mackenzie had her blonde hair up in a loose bun and was wearing large white sunglasses that shielded her eyes from the bright sunshine. She wore a navy-blue bikini with a white cover-up that showed off her tan skin nicely. Molly’s dark hair was down in loose waves. She sported a modest but bright-red one-piece swimsuit with white board shorts. But with her large boobs, Molly looked very much like she was straight out of an episode of Baywatch, giving Pam Anderson a run for her money.
Tiffany took in the scene. There were various people milling around, carrying drinks, mainly bottled beer. Conversations were floating in the air along with music that seem to be pouring mysteriously out of the boat. It looked different in the day. She’d only been on it at night and only that one particularly awful night. It was only late afternoon and night was still hours away, Tiffany planned on making new memories on this boat, sending the other ones away forever.
Well, the idea was good in theory until she saw him. Right smack next to Owen, laughing and talking with that distinctively sexy Irish brogue. Tiffany looked over to Molly and Mackenzie, then turned back and connected with Colin’s dark gaze. They had already lifted anchor and were headed out of the harbor. She was trapped. Is jumping overboard considered bad manners? Am I that good of a swimmer?
Tiffany turned away and released her breath slowly in a feeble attempt at steeling her nerves. Mackenzie and Molly followed her to the side of the boat. Tiffany gripped the railing until her knuckles were white. Why is he here?
“Okay, what the hell is going on?” Mackenzie demanded, her face etched with concern and confusion.
Tiffany turned slowly to Molly and asked, “Moll, how come you didn’t tell me?”
“Um, tell you what? I’m so lost right now.” Molly shrugged and shook her head.
“Colin. Why is he here?”
“What? Where? Who?” Molly started looking around frantically.
“Wait. What?” Mackenzie asked. She stood on the tips of her toes and tried searching over their heads.
“Colin. You know, that guy you all think I may be in love with.” Tiffany released the rail and planted her hands firmly on her hips.
“No, we know who you mean, silly. I just don’t know who you are talking about,” Molly said. Her chocolate eyes were hidden behind large shades, but it was obvious she was trying to locate the man in question.
“There.” Tiffany pointed to Colin as discreetly as possible.
“Him?” Molly said, a little too loudly for Tiffany’s liking.
“Yes, him.”
“Let me look,” Mackenzie said. “We talking about that tall guy next to Owen or the shorter one?”
Tiffany groaned. “The tall one.”
“Ooh, he’s kinda hot. Now I see what all the fuss is about.” Mackenzie gave her an approving look. “He’s gorgeous, Tiff,” Mackenzie commented as she continued to admire him.
Molly had grown a little too quiet, which meant that she knew exactly who he was.
“Just please tell me how you know him and why he’s here?” Tiffany pleaded. So much for an awesome weekend on the ocean with her friends. Damn.
“Well, that’s one of Owen’s buddies,” Molly finally answered. It was like pulling teeth getting her to respond.
“What? So, you do know him?” Tiffany looked hard at Molly. Tiffany was hoping that she was wrong and maybe Molly would have no clue as to who he was.
“Uh, I guess so.”
“How did you not know that was Colin?” Mackenzie asked Molly.
“I guess I didn’t put two and two together. I mean, I have said hello to him before and stuff, but I don’t like know him, know him. Does that make sense?” Molly asked hopefully.
Tiffany was furious. How could Molly not put it together?
“So, what do we do now?” Molly asked Tiffany.
“Um, better think of something quick because Owen and Colin are headed this way,” Mackenzie said as she held her bottle to her lips.
“Hey, pretty ladies,” Owen greeted them happily. He had a beer in his hand and a megawatt smile. He looped his arm around Molly, who was now avoiding Tiffany’s stare.
Colin stood there quietly. He likely also understood that there was not much either of them could do with this situation. Tiffany was thankful that Colin looked every bit as uncomfortable as she was and that he didn’t want to cause a scene.
“Have you met my buddy Colin, yet?” Owen asked Mackenzie and Tiffany.
Colin tried to speak, but Owen stopped him. “This guy here is one of my best buds. I have known him forever. He just moved to Seattle a few weeks ago.”
Tiffany listened as Owen continued to tell th
em how he’d met Colin. It had been during his photography days on a trip to Ireland and probably with that bitch of an ex of his. During a pub crawl many years ago, they’d wound up sitting next to each other at a bar. Both loved fishing and had hit it off over more than a couple of pints. They’d stayed in touch over the years, becoming the best of friends and even investing in several businesses together. Owen went as far as to announce that Colin had agreed to be the best man at his wedding.
Oh, this day only keeps getting better.
Finally, Owen dragged Colin away. He sent Tiffany an apologetic smile. That was the first glimmer of a smile in over a week. The butterflies that erupted inside her from just the simple flash of kindness made Tiffany angry at herself. Why can he make me feel like this? Don’t I have more control over myself? No wonder I wound up in his hotel suite. Tiffany lacked self-control, and obviously, her brain was broken. Her heart was an entirely different story. It was more confused and stupid than her brain.
“I’m so sorry, Tiff. I promise I didn’t know.” Molly hugged her.
“It’s not your fault. How could you have known?” Tiffany gave her a tight-lipped smile.
“Um, because he’s Irish and his name is Colin Murphy?” Mackenzie added fuel to the fire that was finally starting to cool inside Tiffany.
“Seriously?” Molly glared at Mackenzie
“Well, it doesn’t look too good, Molly. We all know you’re a lot brighter than that.”
“Thanks, Mac,” Molly snarled at Mackenzie and stomped away.
This boat was proving to not be a lot of fun, again. The first time she had fought with Mackenzie and thrown up. Now Molly was fighting with Mackenzie and Tiffany wanted to throw up.
“Screw this. Let’s grab a drink.” Mackenzie reached for Tiffany’s hand and led her away from the railing.
After several, Tiffany and Mackenzie could have cared less about who was on the damn boat. Molly had come over and joined them a while later. She apologized again, then Mackenzie had said she was sorry and all was forgiven.
The sun had started to dip into the horizon, Tiffany and her two very best friends in the whole wide world twirled and shimmied as music played. Tiffany tried to ignore Colin’s gaze. It had been trained on her all afternoon and well into the evening. Nope, there will not be a repeat performance of our last encounter on this boat.
The sky grew darker, more drinks flowed and the vibe was a happy one. The anchored boat bobbed gently on the calm waves. Tiffany needed to find a bathroom and decided to set out on her own. She told the girls to send out a search party if she didn’t return soon and off she went.
“Tiffany.”
She stopped. The boat was dimly lit, but Tiffany definitely knew who had said her name.
“Can we talk?”
Now he was standing in front of her. He lightly gripped her bare arms.
“Nope, not interested,” Tiffany said, her buzz quickly fading away. She gathered up all her strength to keep her wits about her.
“Please. I need to say a few words,” Colin pleaded.
Tiffany sighed as she looked at his half-naked body. It was hard to concentrate on what he was saying. His torso was tan and muscles were etched into his stomach. His swim trunks were sitting low on his hips, revealing far too much of the mystery Tiffany would love to explore. Sex-starved and a tad tipsy, Tiffany bit her lip as her eyes stayed on his body. He stood nearly a foot taller than her and she was at the perfect level to view his abs. It was doing many silly things to her. It would definitely give her inspiration later when she was all alone back at home. Her poor battery-operated boyfriend had been getting worked overtime lately.
Colin waited patiently, and when she didn’t answer, he continued, “I know things have been awkward, to say the least. I just wanted to say that I’m terribly sorry for my behavior.”
The sincerity of his words hit her. She believed him. There was no doubt he was sorry, but where did that put them now?
“So, what does that mean, Colin?” She looked up at him. His brown hair was messy from the ocean wind.
“For starters, I need to be more pleasant to you. You don’t deserve that kind of treatment. I plan to be a better boss from here on out.”
Boss? So, not boyfriend? Her fuzzy brain tried sorting out his words, but her confused heart was telling her to kiss him. Tiffany’ had twisted it that somehow that would right everything.
“Tiffany.” Colin’s voice was quiet and she felt that magnetic pull again. It was even stronger in the darkness, bringing her closer to him. God, I just want to feel his arms around me.
“Tiffany,” Molly called out.
Mackenzie and Molly had rounded the corner and stood only a few feet away. Damn, cock blocked by my besties.
Well, Tiffany had told them to send out a search party if she didn’t return soon. This was the one time Tiffany wasn’t so sure she was glad that her friends had her back. If they’d waited just a few more minutes, she would have had her lips on Colin’s. Then again, maybe it was best that they had come to her rescue. Tiffany couldn’t seem trust herself around him.
Chapter Ten
What is wrong with this picture? Everything. A gourmet coffee sat on her desk, a snoring bulldog rested next to her and Colin was seated across from her. He’d brought the coffee in that morning as a peace offering and had even nailed the exact preparation Tiffany loved. She’d recognized the extra shot of espresso the moment it had touched her lips. Tiffany had been impressed, to say the least, but that was nothing compared to them laughing together for the last hour. True to his word, Colin had acted more pleasant, and as welcomed as this was, it was also killing Tiffany. Though she had to admit that she liked this Colin a whole lot more. Colin was naturally charming, but he was also damn funny. Intelligent was an understatement.
Over the next couple of days, there was coffee on her desk then Colin and Sir McCartney would enter. Then they would spend the next hour talking about everything. Tiffany found herself enjoying these little morning chats, probably far more than she should, considering that Colin had wanted their relationship to remain solely professional. Could they maintain this level of friendship or whatever it was? Tiffany wasn’t so sure, at least from where she was standing. Things were becoming more cozy and a whole lot friendlier than a boss and employee relationship. Plus, she was now calling Sir McCartney Pauly. So even they had leveled up in their relationship. Well, at least things at work were easier. Life was just better when a fat bulldog was around.
* * * *
“I fly out next week,” Mackenzie told them on Friday as they were all sitting around Molly’s large table in her studio. The night lights of Seattle glittered just outside her windows and stained the floor with their beautiful colors.
They had decided to do Friendship Friday there tonight since Molly was working late on some important edits for a bestselling author. White cartons of remaining bits of Chinese food surrounded them. Tons of fortune cookies were scattered among the soy sauce packets. Usually Molly would gobble down those cookies with reckless abandon, but not tonight. She just seemed a little off and it concerned Tiffany.
“Do you think you’ll be okay going there all by yourself? Shouldn’t one of us go with you?” Tiffany asked. She loved Vegas, but had had her fill when they’d visited last time. Tiffany could never look at a hot dog the same way again.
“Nah, I’ll be fine. I’m super excited, you guys.” Mackenzie’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
Molly was quiet. She was pushing her noodles around and hadn’t eaten very much at all.
“Moll, what’s going on?” Mackenzie finally asked as she expertly scooped up fried rice with her chopsticks.
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying.” Mackenzie stared her down.
“You do seem rather quiet tonight. You sure everything’s okay?” Tiffany asked.
Molly looked at the ceiling, as though she were searching for the right words. Her eyes were wet and Mackenzie and Tiffany exc
hanged looks. Something is definitely wrong.
“Oh shit, you guys broke up, didn’t you?” Tiffany got up and hugged Molly. She pushed her away and shook her head.
“No, we’re fine,” Molly managed between sniffles.
“God, what’s the matter then? Someone die?” Mackenzie pressed.
Molly got up from her seat and walked across the room to where her purse was hanging. She retrieved a white box and brought it back to the table.
Mackenzie’s eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. Tiffany snatched the box. It was a pregnancy test.
“Well, um, let’s see here,” Tiffany tried to speak. She hadn’t been expecting this to be the issue. That was for sure.
“How late are you, Moll?” Mackenzie asked.
“Late,” Molly said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Very late.”
“It’s okay. Why are you crying? This is a wonderful thing,” Mackenzie assured her.
“Yeah, if it were either of you two. I wasn’t so sure I wanted kids and we aren’t even married yet. I’m barely getting used to that idea,” Molly babbled as tears streamed down her face.
Tiffany handed her a rogue napkin that was left over from dinner. “Have you told Owen?” Mackenzie asked as she took Molly’s shaking hands into hers.
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