by Amanda Ashby
“Sure,” Italy agreed as they walked through the door, where they were greeted with cheering.
“Riley. About time.” Mavis grinned as, next to her, Ronin from the reference section gave her a thumbs-up while someone else hummed, “Here Comes the Bride.” Riley turned to Italy and narrowed her eyes.
“I told you less than five minutes ago. And you were driving. How could they possibly know?”
“I sent them a text message while I was stopped at one of the sets of traffic lights,” Italy said, sounding remarkably unrepentant. “What? You don’t expect me to keep news like this to myself, do you? Besides, look how happy they all are.”
“That’s hardly the point,” Riley protested as her colleagues clambered around her, all firing questions about Will. Riley winced and was just about to assure them that there was nothing going on when Gloria appeared, her arms folded and her lips pressed together in a scowl.
The crowd immediately thinned out as they all began to busy themselves with their morning work, leaving Riley standing, still clutching at her purse.
“Are you sure I’m not keeping you from being somewhere else?” Gloria said in a tart voice that sent a shiver up Riley’s arms. While Gloria wasn’t exactly a clichéd librarian, she did own several cats and was convinced that the path to heaven was paved with Dewey numbers. She also frowned on anyone who wasn’t one hundred percent committed to doing exactly what she said.
“Definitely not.” Riley pushed her glasses farther up her nose, to make her appear more dedicated, while wishing that she’d never even mentioned this pretend dating to Italy. It was one thing to be teased by her colleagues, but it was another thing entirely to have her potential promotion come into jeopardy just because Gloria didn’t think she was focused enough. “I was just, er—”
“Thinking about where Mrs. Eden’s going to strike today,” Italy quickly chimed in. Mrs. Eden, like Riley, was a big Jane fan, and after she’d traveled to England to do an Austen tour, she’d taken to waylaying unsuspecting borrowers and showing them all five hundred and twenty-three of her photographs, complete with commentary. And while Riley personally loved talking to the older lady about her trip, Gloria had decided that not only was it distracting but that Mrs. Eden’s voice was too loud and that it wasn’t acceptable library behavior.
“Yes.” Riley immediately nodded her head. “Yesterday she was around the seven hundreds, so I’ll go look for her there.”
“Good.” Gloria gave a curt nod of her head before softening. “Before you begin, there’s something I need to discuss with you in my office.”
“Oh.” She reluctantly followed Gloria to her office. The last time this had happened, she’d ended up with a guinea pig. “I-is everything okay? Is it about Bingley? Because I can assure you that he seems very happy.”
“Excellent, I knew I could count on you, Riley. It’s what makes you such a reliable worker. In fact, a few others around here could use your attitude,” Gloria said as she glanced over to where Italy was having an animated conversation about something that didn’t look very library-related. Riley’s heart pounded.
Was this about the promotion?
Was it hers?
“Thank you. I’m just trying to be a team player.” Riley tried to stay calm. Gloria had said she wasn’t going to announce the successful candidate for another couple of weeks, but maybe she’d been so impressed by Riley’s willingness to mind Bingley that she’d been prompted to move forward her schedule.
“Exactly. That’s what working here is all about. Helping others out when you can,” Gloria agreed as she moved a stack of books from her chair and sat down before offering Riley a seat.
“I’m all about the helping.” Riley cautiously sat down. “Which is why I instigated the book club program for the kids from the community center,” she added, because Will had once told her it was always good to remind people about what you were doing.
“And don’t think it hasn’t been noticed,” Gloria assured her before taking her glasses off, her expression softening. “So, I guess you’re wondering what I wanted to discuss with you.”
“Er, sure.” Riley tried to sound diplomatic as she crossed her fingers and sucked in her breath. Please let it be good news.
“Calvin will be back in town soon.”
Oh.
Riley’s shoulders slumped. So much for thinking she might be getting her promotion today. Calvin was Gloria’s fact-loving nephew who lived in California but seemed to visit Seattle on a regular basis, and long before Riley had been stuck with a guinea pig, she’d been roped into going out on a date with him. It had been a humorless evening and while Calvin was nothing but a gentleman, it wasn’t something Riley was keen to repeat.
Unfortunately, judging by Gloria’s piercing gaze, she got the feeling that this was exactly what her boss was about to suggest. She clamped down on her lips as she considered her options. She could just tell Gloria that she had a boyfriend. After all, if Will got to use her as a cover, why couldn’t she use him?
Because it might involve kissing him again and that would be a bad idea. Very bad.
Not just because Will would be going back to Indonesia soon, but because she’d grown up with two lovable but dysfunctional parents, one of whom was now living in a friend’s cottage out in the backyard while the other was somewhere in California dating a twenty-eight-year-old clairvoyant called Angel. Neither of them with a penny to their name.
Love and relationships led to poverty and chaos.
Which was why Riley needed to concentrate on her career. On getting her promotion and paying off her mother’s debt. She also realized that Gloria’s suggestion would help her on two fronts. Not only would it stop her from fixating on the kiss with Will, it would help her stay in her boss’s good books and hopefully lead to her promotion.
She swallowed hard and looked up.
“I’d love to see him again.”
“You would?” Gloria gave Riley what passed as a smile. “He’ll be so delighted. Especially after I told him you were looking after Bingley for his sister. He has a great fondness for guinea pigs. Apparently they can have up to thirteen pups at one time and those pups mature in two months, which means . . .”
Riley took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Listening to Gloria recite Calvin’s list of guinea pig statistics was the perfect way to remind herself just where her real future lay. Will’s kiss might’ve caused her toes to curl but everything she wanted in life was tied up with her job at the library, and she’d do well to remember that.
Chapter Four
“And the real reason that you should invest in this startup is not to make you money—though it will. Not to ease your conscience—though it will. But because it will change someone else’s life. This is Aditya,” Will said as he hit his laptop and a face flickered up on the screen. “You don’t know him and he doesn’t know you. All he knows is that he can’t feed his family of five, despite the fact he works fifteen hours a day. He doesn’t want his children to go hungry each night. And it’s my hope that you don’t either.”
Will flipped the laptop screen down and looked at the board members in front of him. The room was silent as six faces stared back at him. He swallowed hard, trying and failing to read their expression.
It was a risky presentation, but he was determined to take the chance. He didn’t need to show investors he could make them money. He needed to show them they could be better people.
Finally Henry Cooper stood up and coughed.
“I’m sorry, Will. I love this project, I really do. And your figures all add up, but right now we’re only looking at stateside startups,” Henry said, his gray eyes sincere. “I hope you understand.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Will ran a hand along his freshly shaved chin and gave Henry a smile. He’d been working in the not-for-profit sector for long enough to know th
at hearing no was all part of the process. “There’s a lot of great projects being done out there and I’m just pleased to see that you’re giving some of them your support. Of course I would’ve liked it to be this one, but then, I’m biased.”
“We wouldn’t have let you in the door if you weren’t biased,” Henry assured him as the rest of the board chorused their agreement. “And while we can’t help you, I do know someone who can. Talk to Geoff Tait. He’s over at GT Holdings and I think your business would be a perfect fit for him. He’s very interested in technology and E-waste, and he has an unusual way of looking at the world.”
“Okay, I’ll definitely do that. Thank you.” Will shook Henry’s hand and made his way out of the building to the ornate square, where workers were making their way home. As he listened to the surrounding conversations, which all involved buying new cars and how much equity they had in their houses, his stomach tightened. He longed to be back in Indonesia, covered in grime and sweat from a day’s work. Because while he knew he needed to be here to get their investment, at least there he was part of a world that made sense. Whereas in Seattle all he ever felt was like he’d stepped into the wrong life. Or that he would become the kind of person he didn’t want to become. The kind of person like his father.
He loosened his tie and tried to ignore that his one good suit felt constricting and ridiculous. Just part of the dance he had to do to get what he wanted. Still, that’s why he’d come back. To ensure that he got the money they needed. And he would succeed. Tucker had said he was tenacious, and while Will might not agree with the label, or how much it sounded like his father, he did know he had the ability to stick with something through to the end. Especially when he believed in it.
He searched on his cell phone until he found Geoff Tait’s details and then made the call to his office. However, much to his disappointment, Tait’s secretary told him there were no free slots in the schedule for four months. Will frowned and marked his calendar to follow up again tomorrow. In the meantime, he still had several more meetings lined up for the next week. And, if need be, he would extend his trip until he had a yes.
The thought didn’t improve his mood, but as he reached the library where Riley worked, the tension in his jaw lessened. Mainly because it was impossible for him to get caught up in his own mind when he was around her.
Riley liked to say it was because she was wise and full of Zen-like knowledge, but Will suspected it was more because she never wanted him to be anything other than what he was. Plus, apart from needing help with the occasional guinea pig and fostering potted plants on him, she never wanted anything from him. She was just easy to be around.
And apparently she kissed like a dream.
Damn. He hadn’t meant to think that. In fact he’d been purposely avoiding thinking about their kiss all day. Not while he was getting his haircut. Not while he was grabbing a coffee before his meeting with Henry Cooper and definitely not when he was meant to be concentrating on his next move for the startup.
But despite his best efforts, it was impossible to ignore.
Kissing Riley had blown his mind, not to mention done sinful things to the rest of his body. It was only because Tucker had been standing there that Will had been able to resist the urge to drag her closer to him and deepen the kiss.
The strangest part of it was that never in their two-year friendship had it occurred to him that so much pleasure was waiting downstairs from his apartment.
Not that he didn’t think she was gorgeous—because hell, he’d be blind not to. Her red hair, her quirky glasses and the thing she did with her mouth when she was reading a book were all guaranteed to make anyone with half a brain fall for her. It was just that up until this morning, Will liked to think that he had a full brain, not just half of one. And he’d always known that their friendship was more important than some physical pleasure.
Of course that was before he’d experienced a teasing glimpse of what that pleasure entailed.
Still, at least he’d done a good job of hiding just what a devastating effect the kiss had had on him. And even if he wanted to change his mind on dating, after everything that Riley had been through with her parents, getting involved with anyone was way down her priority list. It was one of the things he admired most about her. That she was so determined to be independent. Also, she’d left him in no doubt of how she felt when she’d hit him with her list of rules.
No more spontaneous kissing or touching.
Which was obviously a good thing. Not just because their friendship was the most important thing in his life right now, but because judging by the look of horror on her face, the kiss had been distasteful to her. Not exactly a compliment to his vanity.
Once he reached the library he headed to the children’s section, where he caught sight of Riley sitting down on one of the miniature chairs and tables that were normally reserved for six year olds, hunched over a stack of books and newspaper. As he made his way over, he couldn’t help but notice half of the library staff staring at him. He frowned as he joined Riley on one of the low chairs.
“Hey, is there something wrong with my new haircut?” he said as he tentatively gave his sheared locks a pat while he tried to fold his knees together in the cramped chair. He’d hardly bothered to look in the mirror while the barber had attacked his overgrown hair, too busy concentrating on his pitch instead. Suddenly he wondered if that was why Henry had turned him down.
“What?” Riley looked up at him, her brown eyes widening from behind her glasses. “Don’t you like it?”
“I don’t have an opinion on it.” He shrugged, trying not to look at the vast expanse of her legs that were exposed thanks to the tiny chair she was sitting on. “It’s just everyone you work with was staring at me.”
“Oh.” A hint of color stained her cheeks as she began to fidget with her hands. “Actually, that’s got nothing to do with your haircut, which, for the record, is very nice. It’s because Italy told them about the wedding and now they’re all trying to vicariously live through me. I think they need to get out more.”
Will grinned. “So I’m not the only one who thinks it’s a good idea, then.”
“I wouldn’t get too cocky,” Riley warned as she began to straighten up a pile of books that had been wrapped in newspaper, still not quite looking at him. “They also think that if they borrow all of the diet books they’ll automatically lose weight.”
“That’s me put in my place.” Will picked up one of the newspaper-covered books and frowned. “And what’s this? An early Christmas display?”
“No.” Riley lost the tentative look as she finally peered up at him, her dark eyes shining. “It’s for the kids from the Sparrow Street Community Center. They’ve started coming into the library one afternoon a week for book club. It’s called Blind Date with a Book and it’s to show them that they shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
Will widened his eyes as he turned the package over and could see Riley’s loopy writing, where she’d written a couple of clues about what the book was about. A swell of pride went through him and he went to hug her before catching himself. Hugging would involve touching and touching might make him think about kissing her again. It would be so easy to do. He just needed to lean forward and search out her mouth, which was calling out to him like a lodestone. His breathing increased at the thought of her lips pressed against his.
However, not only would that be against the kissing rules that Riley had given him, but he suspected that all of her colleagues were still watching them like a Super Bowl commercial.
“This is an amazing idea,” he said instead, before realizing that she’d taken off her glasses and was staring at him. “What? It is the haircut, isn’t it?”
“No, you idiot.” She shook her head, sending her red hair flying out in all directions. “It’s you. You’re doing that thing when you talk about me instead of about you. How did
the investment meeting go?”
“Oh.” His good mood lessened and he sat back in the chair before remembering it was meant for someone a quarter of his size. “Not so good. It was a no, but I still have several others lined up. Plus, they recommended I talk to a guy called Geoff Tait, who sounds promising.”
“Will.” Riley’s face immediately softened. The kiss and the strange tension that had been building up around them were forgotten as she leaned forward. Riley was once again his friend who he could share anything with. “I’m so sorry. But there’s no way you won’t convince them. What you and Josh have been working on is amazing. They won’t dare say no.”
“Thanks.” He’d forgotten just how much he missed being with someone who always seemed to just see him for who he was. “And it’s the same for you. No offense to your excellent guinea pig–caring abilities, but you don’t need to do that to get your promotion. All this stuff that you’re doing here, that’s what counts,” he said. But instead of looking happy, her face fell. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She studied the book in her hand, not quite making eye contact. A sure sign she was holding something back.
“Hey, it’s me. Your fake boyfriend. You can tell me anything,” he said. Reaching forward and touching her hand was supposed to just be comfort, but a series of fireworks exploded in his chest at the contact. The only thing that slowed his heart rate down was when Riley looked up with a startled expression in her eyes, as if she’d just been burned. He immediately withdrew his hand. “Sorry, I forgot about the rules.”
“It’s not that.” She pressed her lips together, which only set his heart racing again, but before she could say anything else her boss appeared. There was a deep scowl on Gloria’s face, as if Riley had just committed some kind of cardinal sin, despite the fact she was due to finish work ten minutes ago. Will knew that Riley always treaded on eggshells around her, not to mention volunteered to look after guinea pigs, but all he could see was someone with a bad temper who was used to getting their own way.