From Fake to Forever

by Jennifer Shirk

  “Hot damn! You kissed Ben Capshaw?”

  Sandra groaned. This was so not the conversation she wanted to have tonight. “He kissed me first,” she was quick to point out. “But yes, we kissed. Happy? Because I’m not.” She plunged her head in her hands.

  “Wow. He kissed you?”

  She whipped her head up. “Hey, why are you so surprised? Can’t a divorced mother of a four-year-old be sexually attractive to a handsome, rich celebrity superstar?” She threw a hand up before Missy could formulate an answer. “Never mind. I just heard how ridiculous that sounded.”

  Missy frowned. “It’s not ridiculous at all. You’re beautiful—on the inside and out.”

  “Not beautiful enough to keep a husband,” she murmured.

  “Don’t say that! Honey, you know that’s not the reason you and Steve broke up.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She sighed. “I’m just feeling pitiful and a little sorry for myself right now. I called Steve last week to see if he wanted to spend time with Hannah, you know, since he’ll be in New York for a few months. Well, you’d think our existence was a total inconvenience to that stupid show he’s in. Dealing with him has just been a nightmare. I think that’s why I let that kiss with Ben happen today. I know it sounds crazy, but it was so nice to be reckless for once.”

  A silence of understanding fell between them. Missy knew that Sandra’s divorce from Steve was painful, and she hadn’t been with a man—let alone kissed one—since their separation. It had been unbearable to discover that the man she chose to love and cherish no longer felt the same about her, or even his own child. Enough of a blow to not make her want to rush right out and try her hand at dating again anytime soon—not that she was foolish enough to believe Ben Capshaw was looking for something as mundane as a date with her.

  Missy jumped up and opened the freezer. Then she started searching the cupboards. When she found what she was looking for, she turned back and plopped a box of animal crackers on the table. “This is the most unhealthy thing I could find in your house, but it’ll have to do.”

  “I’ll pass.” She wasn’t in the mood for one of her sister’s grazefests. Her stomach muscles were scrunched up so tight, she had a hard time even keeping the coffee down.

  Missy opened the box and helped herself. “So…are you like…dating him now?” she asked between mouthfuls of cookie. “Not that I’m jealous—well, maybe just a little because he’s so hot, but the more I get to know him the more I consider him like a brother. So if you were dating him, I’d be super cool with that.”

  She laughed. “Oh, yeah,” she countered, still smiling. “Didn’t you read it in Celebrity Insider yet?”

  Missy stopped chewing. “What? It could happen. Tell me why it couldn’t happen.”

  “Give me a break, Miss. He’s not interested in me. Not really, anyway. Acting is in his nature. Believe me, I know the type firsthand. Ben enjoys playing these kinds of games. Do you know he even had the gall to tell me my eye twitches when I lie?”

  “He noticed that?” Missy looked away, suddenly fussing with a napkin she didn’t need. “To tell you the truth…your eye does kind of twitch when you’re not being honest.”

  “Really?”

  Missy shoved another cookie in her mouth and confirmed her statement with a shrug.

  “Why didn’t anybody tell me that before?” And how did a stranger she’d known for less than forty-eight hours discover it so fast? In all the years she’d known Steve, he could never read her simplest pout.

  “Sorry, but secret information you can use for your own personal advantage you don’t exactly want to divulge too soon.” With a halfhearted smile, she pointed to her eye. “That’s why I suspected something happened between you and Ben. But look on the bright side—at least the cat’s out of the bag now.”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s a relief. Now if I can just unload this Canadian quarter in my wallet, my day would really be looking up.”

  Missy sniffed. “If it’s any more of a consolation, you’re a terrible liar. Even without the eye twitch, I can tell when you’re holding something back from me. It must be a sisterly thing.”

  “How come when I was born I didn’t get those kinds of superpowers?”

  Just then, Hannah came running in the kitchen. “Mommy, Mommy! When I washed my hands, my boo-boo didn’t hurt!”

  Sandra opened her arms and swept her up onto her lap. “That’s great, honey. That Band-Aid’s really doing its job.”

  That Band-Aid. That sweet, beautiful Sesame Street Band-Aid. The same one that prevented her from making an even bigger spectacle of herself in front of Ben Capshaw today—thank goodness. She squeezed her daughter in a tight, grateful hug.

  Hannah squirmed. “Mommy, you hug me too much!”

  Sandra grinned at Missy. “Did you hear that?” she asked, tickling Hannah. “She’s practically ready to move off on her own and rent an apartment in SoHo.”

  “Mommy, stop!” Her daughter laughed. As her laugh grew louder, it rang sweet and infectious.

  Missy reached out and tweaked Hannah’s nose. “I love that laugh of yours.”

  “Me, too.” Too bad her ex-husband couldn’t appreciate little things like that. Steve never took an interest in any of Hannah’s little personality quirks or talents, always claiming he didn’t have time to notice them because of his work. Deep down, she knew it was really because he didn’t care.

  She let Hannah wiggle free with a quick kiss on the top of her head. “Okay, it’s bath time, sweetie.”

  Hannah held up two tiny fingers. “Um, how about two more minutes?”

  “You said that same thing ten minutes ago. Now scoot.” She pointed, and Hannah giggled again as she ran off toward the bathroom.

  Sandra stood and handed Missy the TV remote control. “You’re going to have to entertain yourself now. I’ll be back in a few with one fully scrubbed child.”

  Missy turned on the TV and started flipping channels. “Okay. But what are you going to do about Ben?”

  “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. Nothing.”

  Missy’s attention quickly broke away from the Seinfeld rerun she’d put on. “Nothing? A handsome movie star takes an interest in you and you’re going to do nothing?”

  “That’s right.” Sandra folded her arms, pleased she was back in control and feeling like her old self again. “Nothing. Goldilocks has two more days, and then he’ll be on a plane back to Hollywood and off to wreck some other preschool in the woods. So I’m going to ignore what happened. Then, after he’s gone, we’ll see if it’s in our budget to fix up the school and maybe spruce it up with some paint.”

  Missy shook her head, a small smile of wonder on her lips. “Only you, Sandra, would think about giving the school a makeover rather than your own romance. I don’t believe you.”

  “Believe it.” She wasn’t about to allow herself to fall into the same old trap, the same old heartbreak. Of that she was certain. But just in case her eye was feeling extra twitchy, she covered it with her hand for good measure as she left to bathe her daughter.

  …

  Ben stared at Sandra’s office door as he shifted the package he held in his hands. He wondered which Sandra he was going to meet with this morning—the cold, snappish one or the hot, compliant one.

  He had a sneaking suspicion, which was why he’d brought the gift. He wasn’t about to take any chances with her mood. She didn’t seem the type to slug a man bearing a gift. But then again, he deserved it.

  He was a rat—he darn well knew it—cornering her like that against the filing cabinet yesterday like some bizarro-world Don Juan. But his ego couldn’t take anymore of her chin-thrusting denials of their attraction. So when the opportunity presented itself, he’d grabbed at the chance to prove it to her once and for all.

  Of course, he hadn’t planned on taking it so far. But once he gazed at that beautiful wide mouth of hers, something inside him just snapped. Looking back on it now, he supposed he’d wanted to k
iss her all along.

  Wanted to?

  That was an understatement. Hell, he’d needed to. He’d needed to kiss her ever since the first day she turned that very refined nose up in the air at him. And now that he had kissed those silky-soft lips, he wanted to do it again—and much more. Hopefully, with a little softening after this gift and a little sweet talk on his part, Sandra would be right back where he left her before her daughter interrupted them. Under his lips. And willingly back in his arms.

  Ben raised a fist, but before he could knock, her office door swung open. She stood there before him, hair swept up like a prim librarian. She wore no makeup except some pink gloss on her lips, and she wore a plain brown shirt that was buttoned unfashionably to her neck. He almost smiled.

  Poor misguided Sandra. She obviously thought that would keep him at a distance. Unfortunately for her, her efforts to downplay her appearance were in vain. Hot was hot, no matter what she tried to do. And she looked hot. In fact, he’d never seen her look better, aside from the day at the park when he’d first spotted her wearing sweats and that old Red Sox T-shirt.

  “Shouldn’t you be in class?” she asked, her blue eyes boring into him.

  He held in a sigh. His suspicions were right on the money. There was an ice storm brewing right before his eyes. It kind of turned him on—not because he liked cold women, but because those snowballs she hurled were directed toward him and him alone. “Yeah, but first I have something for you.”

  She took a cautious step back. “What is it?”

  “Peace offering.” He held up the package.

  With some hesitation, she took it from his hands and tore off the wrapping paper. She saw it was an ant farm but looked far from amused at his little bug joke. Damn. It had seemed like a good idea yesterday. He’d pictured them sharing a chuckle over it. Now he kicked himself for not bringing flowers, too. Why was he such an idiot when it came to real life?

  “Thank you,” she finally said. “But is this a peace offering for the spider incident or for the kiss?”

  “The spider incident, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  He chuckled. “Well, as much as you like to overlook it, the fact is I am a man. And I very much enjoyed kissing you. Why should I apologize for that?”

  “How about because it was unprofessional and uncalled for?”

  “Uncalled for? Now don’t get all Pride and Prejudice on me. You wanted that kiss as much I did. You just didn’t know it.” He couldn’t help but grin. “That discovery was what made it so fun.”

  She frowned. “I knew it.”

  He frowned back. “Knew what?”

  The phone rang, interrupting their scowling match. Sandra put the ant farm down and stepped away to answer it. “Hello, Storybook Land,” she said politely. “What? Yes, I am. As a matter of fact… Oh, yes, of course.” She jerked the receiver at him, all politeness stripped away. “It’s for you.”

  “Me?” He warily took the phone. “Capshaw,” he said after he put it up to his ear.

  “Turn on your damn cell phone!” his agent demanded in a booming voice. “I’ve been trying to reach you for days. I’ve been worried sick. Everything going okay?”

  His eyes shot to Sandra. She stood with her hands on her hips and her usual pissed-off expression on her face.

  “Peachy,” he drawled.

  “Good,” Denise said. “This is a courtesy call, by the way. I haven’t heard anything yet from the producers, so I wanted to remind you to continue to play nice with the children and to continue to keep your pants zipped.”

  He turned away from Sandra and lowered his voice. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Denise laughed. “Relax, Ben. I know you’re not some child molester. The children are perfectly safe. It’s the teachers I’m worried about. I know you better than your own mo—uh, older sister. The women running that place are young, and you don’t need any problems right now. You need positive publicity. No Russell Crowe–type stuff. If you break the heart of some small-town preschool teacher and she squawks about it, you’re going to undo all the good this movie role will do for your career. I had to tell you, because this just happened to one of my clients. I’m doing damage control now.” She paused. “Hear me?”

  Ben looked at Sandra again, standing close enough for him to catch that fruity scent of hers. Oh, hell. Now he knew what Adam must’ve gone through with the whole forbidden fruit thing.

  He let out a long sigh. What a waste of an opportunity. “Yeah, I hear you,” he murmured.

  “Oh, and another thing,” she added. “I need you to come up to New York on Monday by six p.m. You’ve got an interview scheduled with Esquire magazine. They’re going to focus on you changing up your persona and brand. It’ll set the stage nicely for when you get the Heaven Sent role.”

  He cradled the phone on his shoulder and watched as Sandra stacked papers into tidy bundles on a side table. Then she picked up a stapler and started stapling the corners of each pile. The woman never rested. She wasn’t a spoiled woman who wanted to be waited on hand and foot, like some of the models he had dated. Before he knew it, he was mesmerized by how efficiently her hands moved. That alone said a lot about her character—that she was organized and hardworking. And darn if he didn’t like that about her as well.

  “Did you hear what I said?” Denise barked in his ear.

  “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

  “Good. And let the ladies know I’ll send them the check for their services at the end of the month.”

  “Check?”

  “Mmm-hmm, it was in the contract. Two weeks is a long time to have you interrupting their routine—as lovable and charming as you are.”

  Two weeks?

  “And remember, Ben, no touchy-feely-type stuff. Focus on your career. We’re too close now. So don’t mess it up.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He hung up the phone.

  “Let me guess, another female admirer?” Sandra smirked.

  Ben rubbed his chin, his agent’s parting words echoing in his head. “Huh? Yeah, sort of,” he said. “Listen, you were right about what happened yesterday—about my kissing you and all. It was totally unprofessional.”

  Sandra paused, stapler held in midair. “It was?”

  “Yes, and I promise it won’t happen again.”

  “It won’t?”

  He shook his head. “You were right. I haven’t been taking this agreement seriously enough. You and your sister have been very kind and accommodating to allow me to observe your school, and all I’ve been doing is playing games and joking around, especially yesterday in your office. I’m very sorry.”

  She finally put down the stapler. “Am I being punked?”

  “Not a chance. And that show is off the air, anyway.”

  “But I thought you said—”

  “Sometimes I can’t help how I act. Bad Hollywood habits. I really do want us to be friends.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. So what do you say? I know it’s hard for you to believe what I’m saying after how I’ve treated you.”

  Sandra was no dummy. Now that the shock was gone from her face, she eyed him with open skepticism. He couldn’t blame her. Let’s face it, his turnaround in attitude wasn’t exactly his idea. He was not hoping for just a friendship with her. In fact, he was one agent-interrupted phone call away from suggesting she get a babysitter and go back to his place this afternoon. But if friendship was going to get him better publicity and make his agent happy, then friendship was what he was going to have to settle for.

  “And considering I’ll be here a little longer than you planned,” he added, hoping he could slip this by her without igniting any more suspicions, “I thought it’d be best to clear the air between us.”

  “How much is a little longer than I planned?”

  “About two weeks. Less than two weeks, really.”

  “Two weeks?”

  He held up a hand. “Yeah, I know, but according to the contract you s
igned, you’ll be getting a hefty check for hosting me.”

  That stopped her protest cold, and she looked happier than he’d ever seen her. “A hefty check?”

  “The heftiest.” Uh-oh. Come to think of it, Denise hadn’t said anything about the dollar amount. He’d have to make sure it was substantial.

  Sandra watched him carefully and appeared to think it over. “In that case, I guess so.”

  “Great. Again, thanks for being such a good sport about everything.”

  She nodded. He nodded, too, even though he didn’t know why. Then to break the awkward moment, he shrugged and yanked his thumb toward the hall. “I guess I’ll get back to class now.” He shuffled himself out and closed the door behind him.

  Whew. That was one major tap dance he’d just performed back there for the sake of his career, but if they were going to be around each other for another week or so, it had to be done. Like his agent said, he couldn’t be playing around with that woman—at least not in this lifetime. So he had to lie about why he’d kissed her, telling her it was all a big joke. Unfortunately, the kiss they’d shared was no joke at all.

  It looked as if Sandra bought it, though, even if his heart wasn’t entirely into it. He’d sounded so convincing, he almost fooled himself into believing it, too.

  Damn, he really was a good actor.

  Chapter Six

  Sandra made a list of school expenses, and then carefully inspected what she’d written. There was no way she could squeeze another task on if she tried, but she was excited about all the things they could finally afford to do. She even thought about making up a secondary wish list, just in case the check was bigger than what was promised.

  As soon as Ben had left her office, she’d dug out the agreement and perused it from beginning to end. How did I miss this part? It bowled her over to learn they were going to be compensated so well for allowing Ben access to their school. No wonder Missy had jumped at the chance to have him come here. She’d have to give her sister more credit next time.

  The positive publicity Ben could provide was still a bit iffy in her mind, but a check was tangible. Something they sure could use now. Once the school became more profitable, she’d add on a small wing to their building, then she could offer fun summer camp programs—maybe even have a day care for children too young for preschool. A small dream, yes, but it was still her dream.