They ate and talked, and no matter what Maria said, she couldn’t convince him to go to the birthday gig without her.
When they returned to work, Walker told her he had afternoon meetings at corporate and would pick her up from her apartment that night.
Maria walked into the office by herself and found Josh sitting in her chair, waiting. No one else had returned from lunch, so it was just the two of them.
“What are you doing?” Maria asked, trying to keep her voice neutral, when in fact, she was truly annoyed.
Josh stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. “You’re really going to date Walker Harris?”
Maria lifted her chin. “Yes.”
“Even if it costs you your job?” he pressed.
“There are other jobs,” Maria said. “I don’t agree with the new policies anyway.”
Josh blew out in frustration. “How can you just throw everything we had together away? Just like that, you’re dating our boss, and you’re flaunting it in front of everyone.”
“You’re the only one who knows about us in this office, Josh, and you’re the one filing reports about it,” Maria said and folded her arms. “I don’t get you.”
“I’m in love with you,” Josh said, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him. “It’s killing me to think of you with Walker or any other man. I made a mistake.”
Maria put her hand on his chest to stop him from leaning down.
But Josh used his other hand to pull her closer. “I haven’t sent the reports yet. Please give me another chance, and I’ll forget I ever talked about any reports.”
“No, Josh,” Maria said, pulling out of his grasp. She didn’t like the desperate sound of his voice. She picked her purse back up. “I’ll be working from home the rest of the afternoon.”
“Wait,” Josh said. “Just hear me out.”
Maria didn’t respond. She hurried out of the office and into the parking lot. She wasn’t afraid of Josh, but he was being way more persistent than she was comfortable with. Once she got in her car, she put on her Bluetooth. Instead of calling one of her friends— they’d both be slammed at their own jobs— she called Walker.
“Do you want to press charges?” Walker asked in a steely tone after she’d told him what Josh had said in the office.
“No,” she said. “He’s belatedly upset over the breakup. Maybe it’s post-traumatic stress or something, or maybe he realized that he really did like me.”
“He said he loved you,” Walker reminded her.
“I don’t think he truly does,” Maria said. “And even if he did, it’s still over.”
Walker exhaled. “I’m going to talk to him. This needs to end.”
“What about your meetings?”
His reply was firm. “You’re more important than any meeting, and it’s not like Josh is going to go away any time soon. I need to see if he’s even trustworthy at this point.”
Maria had the same fear, although it was hard to comprehend. “All right,” she finally said. “I’ll be in my apartment working remotely.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I talk to him.”
It was over an hour later when Walker called, and by then Maria was pacing her apartment, her work forgotten.
She snatched up her cell when she saw “Ex-boss” on the screen. She really had to change the contact name.
“He’s not sending the reports in,” Walker said as soon as she answered.
“What? How did you manage that?”
“I told him he’d be welcome to send them, but I’d also be sending in a complaint of my own about how he’s harassing you.”
Maria was stunned. “So what did he say?”
“He admitted that he thought you two would get back together,” Walker said. “That you’d just had a major fight. I told him to take a couple of days off— take a break from everything at the office.”
Maria exhaled. “That’s a good idea. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him again in the morning.”
“We’ll get this all figured out,” Walker said in a soft voice.
“I know.” She crossed to the balcony and stepped out into the cloudy day.
“So are you still coming with me tonight?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “And thanks for talking to Josh. I’m sure it was awkward on more than one level.”
“Not a problem,” Walker said. “And by the way, you can wear anything you want.”
Maria laughed. “As if I need to be told that.”
When she hung up with Walker, she found that she was really looking forward to meeting his friends. It would give her a better sense of the man he was, although she had a feeling she knew enough about him to decide he was pretty amazing. And that she was the one who was lucky.
“Mmm,” Walker said, leaning in to kiss Maria on the cheek. “You look great.”
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” she quipped as he drew back. And it was true. He wore a dark button-down shirt, open at the collar, and khaki pants. He hadn’t shaved that evening, so dark scruff on his face poked through.
Maria wore a deep coral dress, fitted, yet casual. She’d paired it with her favorite silver sandals and the largest silver hoop earrings she owned. She’d elected to leave her hair down and straightened.
Walker hadn’t moved too far from her, and his fingers skimmed her arm. “Ready?” he asked, a lazy smile on his face.
“Yep,” she said. “Do you still want me to meet your friends?”
“They’ll think I’m a lucky guy,” Walker said with a wink, then extended his hand.
She placed hers in his, and they walked out of her apartment. Once in his car, she relaxed on the seat, trying to keep herself calm, even though she was feeling pretty keyed up. The good thing was that Walker seemed to like her outfit choice. He had let his gaze linger more than once.
“The light’s green,” Maria said while they were waiting for a traffic light.
“Oh, thanks,” Walker said, a smile on his face. He reached over and grabbed her hand. “I’m not going to be able to keep my eyes off you tonight in that dress.”
Maria laughed. “That’s kind of the idea.”
The party was in full swing when they arrived at the outdoor café. It appeared that Walker’s friends had booked the entire place.
Maria was swept up in introductions, and she loved the way Walker kept an arm possessively about her as if she belonged to him. She liked that feeling. She also liked the way several of the women watched her, as if she’d taken some prize from them. Walker had chosen her, for whatever reason, and she was proud of it.
When the dancing started up, Walker drew her onto the dance floor, then pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms about his neck and nestled against him. Their bodies seemed to complement each other perfectly. Although the beat was fast, he danced at a slow rhythm with her.
“What do you think?” he asked.
She smiled. “I think your friends are really nice. But some of the women are giving me glares.”
Walker just ran a hand up her back, sending shivers along her skin.
“So, what’s the story? Is there an ex-girlfriend or two here?”
Walker kissed her neck.
“I’m talking to you, Mr. Harris.”
He lifted his head at that. “Belle’s the woman with the blonde hair and red dress. We dated for about a year, but I knew going into it that it would never get serious.”
It wasn’t hard for Maria to remember Belle. Her name could have been Barbie. “So it was just for fun?”
“In her mind, it was just a way to get back at her ex-fiancé,” he said.
Maria brushed her fingers along Walker’s neck. “Only one ex here tonight?”
Walker’s smile thinned. “Rachel has the short brown hair and is wearing a blue top.”
“Hmm,” she said. “What’s that story?”
“She, apparently, had a crush on me for a long time,” Walker said. “Right after the break u
p with Belle, I took Rachel out a few times. We never clicked.”
“Her opinion or yours?” Maria asked.
Walker pulled her closer. “Mine. And that’s all that matters. None of those women are you.”
“I like the sound of that,” Maria whispered against his skin.
Walker slowed his movements as they danced, and bit by bit, Maria knew she was falling in love with this man. Come what may, she believed him when he said things would work out.
“So,” he said, his voice deep and vibrating against her. “What are your plans for the next year?”
She laughed. “Am I on the year plan like Belle?”
“No,” Walker said, drawing back so he could run his thumb along her lower lip before pressing a gentle kiss on her mouth. Obviously, he had no problem with PDA. “It’s as far as my calendar will schedule out.”
“Then we need to get you a new calendar,” she said. “I don’t think a year is enough.”
Walker grinned, then kissed her again. “Let’s get out of here and get started on that calendar.”
Maria couldn’t agree more.
“There you are, sweetie,” Olivia crooned as Sydney Morley stepped into the Bridal Shoppe.
Sydney tipped up her cheek as the saleswoman air-kissed her.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Sydney said, putting on a smile and hoping it would mask the knot that had formed in her stomach. She was never late, and she’d never felt so disorganized. But ever since she had returned from her all-girls vacation in Maui with her two best friends, June and Maria, something had felt off with Rian.
As in Rian Stevenson, her fiancé, the man she was marrying in two weeks. It was Thursday now, and Sydney had taken today and tomorrow off work to get all the loose ends tied up for the wedding.
“You are just fine,” Olivia continued in her sing-song voice as if she was speaking to a three-year-old instead of twenty-six-year-old Sydney. “We had a cancellation, so this ended up being perfect!”
Perfect. Sydney hated the word. She’d heard it throughout her life as people told her she was perfect. Perfect hair. Perfect teeth. Perfect body. What was so wrong with taking care of herself? And then there was Rian, who was model-gorgeous and didn’t seem to mind the constant compliments about his appearance.
Rian. Perfect couple. The knot in her stomach tightened, making her feel like she’d skipped a couple of meals, when in fact, she’d had her usual homemade protein shake and whole wheat bagel this morning.
Olivia pulled back the curtain separating the front of the bridal store from the dressing rooms. There, on a mannequin in the center of the room, was Sydney’s wedding gown. It had cost a pretty penny, but Sydney knew as soon as she saw it that this was the dress for her.
“The alterations you requested make it even more beautiful,” Olivia said as she swept toward the mannequin. She pointed to the capped butterfly sleeves and the beading at the hem that Sydney had requested.
“I love it,” Sydney said, and it was the truth. It was a dream dress for a dream wedding with a dream man. So how did she justify sitting outside of Rian’s condo that morning for thirty minutes, watching the car that was in his numbered space?
She knew he was home, at least he had been when she’d left the night before around 11:00 p.m. He’d seemed anxious to send her home, told her he had some real estate bids to put together. The ironic thing was that he’d been incredibly busy since Sydney’s return from her vacation, pretty much reversing their roles. If anyone was begging for more time together, it was usually Rian.
Sydney had recently been promoted to vice president of operations at a small software firm, which had inundated her with work over the past six months. She was thrilled with the extra pay, but she’d put almost everything she loved except for Rian on the backburner. She’d stopped riding horses at the local arena, and she’d forgone weekend Netflix binges in favor of catching up on more work so she’d have evenings free with Rian. A sad stack of bestsellers sat gathering dust on her night stand, and she’d even cut down her hour-long workouts to thirty minutes. She hoped things would slow down soon, but if they didn’t she might have to consider a job change.
When Sydney had left Rian’s condo the night before, his car had been parked in his slot. Now there was a red truck. Not Rian’s.
“Well, let’s see how it looks,” Olivia’s voice cut through Sydney’s thoughts.
“Yes, of course,” Sydney said.
Olivia closed the curtain to the massive dressing room and began to take the dress off of the mannequin.
Sydney tucked her phone into her purse after glancing at it again and checking to see that the sound was turned up. She’d texted Rian twice this morning and no reply yet.
She slipped out of her thigh-length babydoll dress, and Olivia helped her into the wedding dress, one limb at a time.
“Wait,” Olivia said, producing a rhinestone hair clip. “Don’t look in the mirrors yet.” Deftly, Olivia swept Sydney’s long blonde hair into twist, clipped it, and then said, “All right. Turn around.”
Sydney slowly turned and gazed at her full-length reflection in the mirror. The creamy ivory of the silk fabric seemed to glow beneath the lights, and the shape of the dress molded to her body. The sleeves and the extra beading had been the right choice.
“You’re absolutely gorgeous, sweetie,” Olivia said in a breathless voice.
“Thank you,” Sydney murmured. But, even now, staring at her future self—a bride—she couldn’t tamp down the knot in her stomach that was turning into all-out panic. Why wasn’t Rian texting her back? Whose car was in his parking space?
Both she and Rian had discussed their “past relationships” after their first few dates. Although to some it might seem that their relationship had progressed quickly, engaged within three months of their first date, Sydney had been ready to settle down. She was twenty-six and Rian a year older.
Olivia was snapping photos with her cell phone, which snapped Sydney from her thoughts.
“Oh wait,” she said, then amended, “never mind. You can take some pictures. Send them to me.”
“We won’t post anything on our website until after the wedding,” Olivia assured her. “We don’t want the groom to get a sneak peek.” She laughed.
Sydney gave a fake smile. Her thoughts turned back to Rian as she remembered how he’d stayed in his shirt and tie last night, even though they’d had a casual late dinner at his condo. Rian was a slim man, obsessed with mountain biking, and he usually preferred to stay in his comfortable clothing over slacks and a dress shirt. He was almost as much a health nut as she was, which suited both of them well during their shared meals.
But Rian’s blue eyes hadn’t been as doting as usual. His smile hadn’t felt as genuine. And several times Sydney had had to repeat herself.
As Sydney stepped out of her wedding dress, she knew she could no longer wait to hear from Rian. She was going to go back over to his condo, right then, and knock on his door. She’d use her key if she had to.
Sydney had barely thanked Olivia before she was out the door and calling her best friends. First, she sent them an SOS text, and seconds later, they were on a conference call. Bluetooth in place, Sydney started to drive while pouring out her entire sob story to June and Maria. June was the more quiet and serious of the three, so Sydney was surprised when June broke in first. “I’m coming down,” she said.
“Portland isn’t exactly next door to Santa Rosa,” Sydney protested.
“I’m coming too,” Maria added, her usual positive tone quiet as well. “It’s probably all nothing, but I want to be there for you—whatever happens.”
“You guys are awesome,” Sydney said, “but really, I think I have cold feet or something.”
June snorted. “You never get cold feet about anything, Sydney. You’re the most decisive woman I know.”
“Yeah,” Sydney said as Rian’s condo complex came into view. “I’m going in now.” She took a deep breath. “Wish me luc
k.”
Moments later, her resolve reinforced by her friends, she knocked on Rian’s door. The red truck was still in the parking spot, and there was no sign of Rian’s car. Heart hammering, Sydney waited at the door, but no one answered. So finally she used her key to unlock it. As she went to turn the knob, the door swung open. A man stood there, a towel wrapped around his waist and his dark hair wet and dripping. He’d obviously just been showering, and by the look in his stormy gray eyes, he was not happy.
“Who are you?” Sydney asked the man who towered over her and had a sculpted chest and arms. What was he, a weight lifter? And why was he in Rian’s apartment? Sydney knew all of his friends.
“Who are you?” the man asked, acting equally frustrated. And then, like a light switch had been touched, the storm in his eyes cleared and went calm. “Sydney?”
She took a step back. “Do I know you? Are you one of Rian’s friends?” She certainly hoped so, while at the same time reasoning with herself that a burglar probably wouldn’t help himself to a shower.
“Uh,” he mumbled, cinching the towel a bit tighter at his waist.
Sydney kept her gaze firmly focused on his face. He was a good-looking man, not in the model-way Rian was, but more of rugged way—flaws mixed with charm. Not that he’d been charming or anything.
“I’m Rian’s brother,” the man said. He stuck out his hand toward her. “Jacob. Or Jake’s fine.”
“Jake.” Sydney narrowed her eyes. “Rian doesn’t have a brother.” Rian had a younger sister, and that was it. His parents had died years before, and his sister wouldn’t be able to come to the wedding because she was about eight months pregnant and lived on the East Coast.
“Jake” lowered his hand when Sydney made no move to shake it.
“Interesting,” he said, leaning against the doorframe, which only brought him a touch closer to Sydney.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she was sure her friends were dying for an update. Or maybe Rian had finally text her back.
But before she could check, “Jake” said, “So, which story is Rian going with this time? The whole-family-died-in-a-car-crash-leaving-him-an-orphan, or estranged-from-my-millionaire-father-and-his-new-wife, or adopted-by-an-older-couple-who-left-everything-to-me-in-their-will?”
The Falling Series Box Set Page 18