Counterfeit Date
Echo Ridge Romance
Cami Checketts
Birch River Publishing
Copyright © 2018 by Cami Checketts
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
For my Family
Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About the Author
The Beastly Groom - Excerpt
Also by Cami Checketts
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Chapter One
Lolly Honeymiller danced her way along the sidewalk toward Kenworth’s Department Store. It was a gorgeous summer day in Echo Ridge, New York, and the sun shone with the promise of all happy things to come. She was dressed to impress in a knee-length, sleeveless silk black romper with white flowers imprinted on it—her own creation. She loved designing clothes and could hardly wait to see how her and Kaitlyn’s new line of casual wear would look when displayed on Kenworth’s wall. She squealed and did a little dance. It was finally happening. Their swimwear, workout apparel, and casual lines were selling fabulously online, but to finally be in brick-and-mortar stores was a goal she’d always dreamed of. Maybe it was a silly and old-fashioned dream, since they were successful enough they didn’t need brick and mortar, but she and Kaitlyn were destined to sparkle and shine, and that meant getting their clothes everywhere.
A man walked toward her on the sidewalk and Lolly took in broad shoulders, blondish-red hair that was a little bit long but in a nice style, and a face that … Aw, crap. That wasn’t a face she could drool over. That was Mason Turner, ex-boyfriend to her business partner and best friend. Kaitlyn was now happily married to lacrosse superstar Axel Olsen, but it still felt like a betrayal of best friend status to be ogling her ex. Dang, what an ogle he would be. Mmm-mmm, he was yummy from head to toe.
He glanced at her and gave her half a smile. Man, she liked his lips almost as much as his blue eyes. He used to have long, flowing hair when he played lacrosse at Syracuse University, but now it was short and showed off his strong jawline even better. She’d thought he was hot before, but he was perfect now.
Recognition lit his eyes and he paused. “Oh, Lolly. Hey.”
It was awkward, but what did she expect? Kaitlyn had dumped this perfect specimen three years ago to be with the man she was destined to love. Lolly knew it had devastated Mason and his family. Her loyalty was to Kaitlyn, so she tried to rein in her attraction. Mason deserved a nice girl who wouldn’t dredge up any painful memories.
“Hey, Mace. How’s life?” She dangled her purse from between her fingertips and swung it back and forth.
“Good.” He brushed a hand through his hair. She could tell it was a nervous gesture, but dang, it did good things for him. In his short-sleeved button-down shirt, the move showed off his nicely formed biceps, and it mussed his hair just perfectly. Ooh, what she wouldn’t give to muss up that hair.
Stop it, brain. He’s Kaitlyn’s ex. “How long have you been back in Echo Ridge?” she asked.
“A little over a year,” he said. They had all graduated college over a year ago, and he was definitely all man now. She was pretty partial to the hunky men types.
“Doing … accounting?” Lolly rummaged through her memory for what to say. Even though it had been several years, time went fast and Kaitlyn was happily married. She and Kaitlyn didn’t chat about Mason anymore.
“Yeah.” He smiled. “Good memory.”
“Yep, I’m a smartie like that.”
His smile grew, and butterflies erupted in her abdomen. “Are you here visiting Kaitlyn?” he asked.
Lolly listened closely for voice inflection and tone, watched for body language and the way his lips moved. Wait, maybe the lips moving was just extremely appealing and had nothing to do with how he said Kaitlyn’s name. Kaitlyn and Axel had a home in Echo Ridge, though they were usually only here in the off-season. Did Mason still long for Kaitlyn? That was the question that must be answered.
No, it didn’t matter. He was still off-limits. She and Kaitlyn were too close to let a man come between them. Lolly loved this darling town and especially the lush mountains and hiking trails, but it was good she’d only be here a few weeks. She obviously needed to get back to her roots, the big city of New York, with men everywhere and nonstop date offers. Then she wouldn’t be salivating over her best friend’s ex.
“No,” she said. “Well, yes, I’m staying with her and she’s just inside the store, but I’m here setting up our inventory with Kenworth’s for our casual-wear line. By next summer we’ll be launching swimwear and active wear in stores throughout upstate New York, and from there—the world!” She beamed and swung her purse extra hard, hitting him in the arm with it. “Oops, sorry.” Lolly released the purse with one hand and rubbed his arm. His very, very nicely formed forearm. Oh my goodness, who knew skin, muscle, and bone could feel so good?
Mason’s eyes flew from her hand on his arm to meet hers. His eyes were the loveliest shade of summertime blue skies, but they looked a little shocked. “It’s okay,” he said quickly.
She pulled her hand back to her side of the line. Dang it, that was no fun. “I can be vicious with this thing.” She lifted up her pink polka-dotted purse.
He arched an eyebrow. “I don’t think you could be vicious with anything. Good luck with the launch.”
“Thanks. It was really, really fabulous to see you again.” She grinned, hoping he wouldn’t think she was coming on too strong. She’d been guilty of that a time or two, but she’d never had a man complain.
“I liked seeing you too.” He dipped his chin to her.
Every time she’d met him before, he’d been dating Kaitlyn, back before Kaitlyn fell in love with Axel and had to say goodbye to the hunk she’d dated through high school and college. Lolly knew it had been painful for both of them, as they’d been close friends for years, but that was life, and Kaitlyn and Axel were definitely made to be together. When Lolly had been around Mason, he’d always been cordial, laughed at her quips, and made her feel welcome to be the third wheel with him and Kaitlyn, but she didn’t know that he’d ever noticed her the way he was right now.
“It is good to be seen,” she teased, winking at him.
His smile widened. “Maybe I’ll see you around some more.”
“If you’re lucky.” She wanted to stay and find out so much more about him. Was he dating anyone? How did he like being an accountant? Was he dating anyone? Did he miss lacrosse? Was he dating anyone? How was his family? And seriously, was he dating anyone?
It would be a much smarter play to walk away and not make him be the one to break up this stimulating conversation. But maybe she could just ask if he was dating anyone? No. Walk away, girl.
With a grin, she sauntered around him, swinging her purse onto her shoulder and swaying her hips as she walked. She wasn’t tall and willowy like her friend Kaitlyn or her famous model sister. She used to hate being short and curvy, but she’d grown to embrace her shape and she knew she had great legs. Her wedge sandals only helped that situation. Strutting away, she almost made it half a block
before risking a glance over her shoulder. He was watching her go. When she caught him looking, he gave her the most adorable embarrassed smile she’d ever seen. Yeah, baby. She smiled back, flipped her dark curls over her shoulder, and sauntered into the store. He’d been watching. That made her almost as happy as heading into Kenworth’s to see the clothes she and Kaitlyn had designed.
She strutted through the store toward the women’s department, passing the candy counter and soaking up the sweet sugar and chocolate scents. Kaitlyn was waiting for her next to Jessica. Jessica used to manage the women’s department, but now she stayed at home with her two young children and helped her husband, Gentry, run AngelBoutique, an online store that offered discounted items each day from independent clothing companies throughout the nation. AngelBoutique had helped Lolly’s and Kaitlyn’s apparel company more than anything else, and Lolly appreciated Jessica helping them even more by getting them the contact with Kenworth’s.
Seeing the two beautiful blondes put a damper on her fun conversation outside. True, Mason was as nice and impressive as he was hot, but Lolly couldn’t go chasing after him. It would be a betrayal to her best friend.
She reached them and gave them both hugs as she let loose the squeals that she’d been holding in. Their casual-wear line was in a strategic spot to the right of the checkout counter. “I am so happy right now!”
Kaitlyn grabbed her hands and they bounced for a few seconds.
Jessica laughed. “You two are so cute!”
Lolly turned to her. “You’re the cute one.” She put her hand on Jessica’s baby bump. “You ready for three babies?”
“No, but when you don’t get married until you’re thirty and you’ve always longed for a big family, you have to pop them out quick.” She winked.
Lolly laughed. “I can relate to that. Now if I could just find a man to pop them out with.”
Jessica pushed at her arm. “You silly girl. What are you, twenty?”
“Twenty-three, thank you very much.”
“Ooh, so old. You’d better settle on a man quick.”
Lolly laughed along with the other two, but all she could picture was Mason and their interaction out front. Would she dare ask Kaitlyn what she would think if Lolly dated him? No. That was ridiculous. It was one conversation with a guy she hadn’t seen in years, a guy who used to date her friend and was probably dating someone else. Women had to be knocking down his front door. Why hadn’t she asked him if he was dating someone? She was dumb for real.
“Lolly has no trouble finding men, believe me,” Kaitlyn interjected. “I went to college with this woman.”
Lolly planted her hands on her hips. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, first of all, you’re gorgeous, so men chase after you; you’re hilarious, so they don’t want to ever leave you; and you know how to flirt better than anyone I’ve ever met. You should teach college courses on drawing men in.”
“Like a honey bee,” Lolly said. That had been her nickname in college because of her last name. She appreciated that her friend thought she was a guy magnet. College had been a lot of fun, but between designing clothes, marketing nonstop, and traveling back and forth to China to oversee production of said clothes, she didn’t have a lot of time to utilize her flirting skills. If she could flirt with Mason all day every day, she’d be happy. She sighed. “I’d just like to find my true love like you two have. Dating a different guy every week gets old.”
Jessica and Kaitlyn exchanged a look. “We are very blessed,” Kaitlyn said.
“Don’t worry, you’ll find the perfect guy soon,” Jessica said.
“He’d better be perfect.” Kaitlyn arched her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen any man keep my best friend’s attention longer than a week.”
“Ouch.” Lolly good-naturedly swung her purse at Kaitlyn, but she dodged. “I resemble that remark. Okay, let’s get to the clothes. They look great. What store are we approaching next?”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand you two. You’re ultra-successful online, and that’s the future of shopping. Why do you care about being in physical stores?”
Lolly looked at Kaitlyn, and in unison they said, “Validation.”
“Now that’s your pride talking,” Jessica said. “The large paycheck every month should be validation enough.”
Lolly knew it was kind of prideful, but for Kaitlyn to have her clothes displayed front and center in her hometown was awesome. She couldn’t wait until they had clothes all over New York State, and maybe someday right downtown Manhattan, where she’d grown up. Being successful was awesome, but success was subjective, and once she and Kaitlyn had achieved the milestone of their product selling well in the online markets, they’d agreed on aiming for another goal. Lolly was grateful for her partner and for the experience.
Now if only she could stop hoping she’d run into Mason Turner again.
* * *
Mason sat in his office, staring out at the sunny day instead of focusing on his computer like he should be doing. Lolly Honeymiller. He was surprised he remembered her last name. Names weren’t something that usually stuck with him—numbers were. He could tell you all of his friends’ cell phone numbers and addresses, but he’d struggle remembering any of their siblings’ names.
But he couldn’t forget Lolly. When he’d first met her, she’d simply been his girlfriend’s best friend who made him laugh. He hadn’t seen her more than a dozen times throughout their college years. Especially after their sophomore year, when Kaitlyn dumped him and married Axel Olsen. So it’d been several years since he’d seen Lolly at all. Yet he hadn’t forgotten her—the dark, curly hair framing her delicate features; the petite, curvy body; but most of all, the huge, welcoming smile on her face, sparkling blue eyes, and her funny personality. She was great. Too bad he couldn’t dream of dating her. From what he remembered, she went through men faster than Diet Coke, and he had no desire to get his heart broken again.
It had been hard to decide whether or not he wanted to take a job in Echo Ridge and run into Kaitlyn and Axel all the time. His dedication to his own family had won out, and last summer he and Axel had become friends. They hosted lacrosse clinics together and worked out several times a week. Axel was a great guy and the perfect fit for Kaitlyn. They’d been lucky to find each other.
Mason knew Axel and Kaitlyn were meant to be and all that crap, but it still stung sometimes. Kaitlyn had been a friend through the misery of his stepdad’s abuse and being close to starvation as a teenager. She’d stuck by his side even though he sported holes in all of his clothing and could barely afford to buy her an ice cream cone. Sometimes it seemed like he’d always loved her, but three years had passed since the breakup and he had no hard feelings against Axel or Kaitlyn.
His thoughts rolled around to Lolly again. “If you’re lucky,” he muttered, a smile growing on his face. That was what Lolly had said when he told her maybe he’d see her around. He hoped he’d be lucky. Not that he thought any man would be lucky enough to make Lolly permanently fall for them, but it would be enjoyable to at least see her cute smile again.
Chapter Two
Lolly marched up the trail past the Ruby Mountain Ski Resort early Monday morning. Her legs might be short, but she could move at a decent pace. She arrived at a small mountain lake and skirted it, loving the picture it made with a few cabins dotting the lakeside and the trees dominating the landscape. If she lived here, she would buy one of those cabins and bask in being able to walk out her front door and not be surrounded by people. Lolly adored people, but she loved nature even more.
She breathed in the pine-scented air and smiled. Kaitlyn and Axel had invited her to stay for a few weeks, and she hated to admit that it wasn’t just the pull to be with her favorite college friend and her famous husband that intrigued her to linger and enjoy their company. Despite herself, Lolly had daydreamed nonstop about running into Mason again.
She approached a smaller two-story cabin
with a large front porch and a dock with a couple of kayaks tied up to it. The lake was public property, she thought, so she strode down to the dock and took long breaths of mountain air.
“Someday I’m going to live right here,” she told the fish. “This is perfect!”
“What is?” a deep voice asked from right behind her.
Lolly screamed and jumped, whirling around to face the man. Her jaw dropped open and she put a hand on her racing heart. “Mason?” As she calmed herself, she drank in the sight of him. He was wearing a gray fitted T-shirt and shorts, and he looked even better than he had in business casual.
“Hey.” He raised a hand and looked her over. “What’s perfect?”
“This spot.”
“Thanks.” He did the stinking brushing his hand through his hair. In his T-shirt, the effect was much more breathtaking than it had been while he was dressed for work. Man, those biceps were beautiful.
A thought occurred to her. “Wait, is this your place?”
“Yeah, I bought it a few months ago.”
She looked around with even more appreciation. “Am I trespassing? How cold is the lake? Can you live here year-round?”
He smiled at her rapid-fire questions. “Yes, you’re trespassing, but the owner’s pretty chill. The lake is freezing. I have a four-wheel drive to get up here in the winter.”
“Bully for you,” she said.
“Bully?” His eyebrows lifted, and it was adorable.
“Good for you,” she amended. She’d spent a few summers in England and loved their lingo.
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