Not Her Real Fiance

by Elana Johnson

  “So that means you didn’t have to make up a reason to break up. You got one. Now you just need to get back together with her.” She looked absolutely delighted.

  “Bella, I love you. You know that. But you sound insane. Before, the break up was going to be fake too. I wouldn’t have actually done anything to make Celeste hate me.”

  “Oh, she doesn’t hate you.” Bella waved her hand as if Brad were crazy.

  “You didn’t see her on Sunday.” Brad had, and she had not been receptive to him at all. “It’s not going to work like it was supposed to before.” No matter how hard Brad wished or prayed that it would.

  He heaved himself off the couch. “Okay, I’m going out back with the kids.”

  “I’m going out for a couple of hours then,” Bella said. “I’ll get the hot dogs and stuff.”

  Brad saluted his sister, because he wanted to help her by taking the kids, and he didn’t mind sitting with them in the backyard while she had some Bella-time.

  Hours turned into days, and a weekend passed with Brad trying to pound Celeste out of his head by running on the beach. Nothing worked. Drinking too much soda couldn’t get rid of her. Working fourteen hours a day couldn’t make his mind stop revolving around her. Eating at her family’s inn only made everything worse.

  He ran, and he ran, and he ran, because then he had to focus on the next footstep, the next inhalation, the cool down, the recovery. He showered. He shaved. He went to an animal shelter on the mainland and found himself a mutt that needed a home as much as Brad needed a friend.

  Joey was a little wired, but after a couple of mornings with six-mile runs, the dog settled right down.

  Wednesday came again, and he took the dog over to Bella’s house. “Heya, sissy.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I got a dog. His name is Joey.”

  “Joey!” His nephew came barreling toward Brad, who laughed as the dog went right up the six-year-old and started sniffing and licking. The little boy laughed and practically wrestled the dog to the ground as his sister came running over.

  “Be careful with him, Tommy,” Bella said. “Lizzie, get your things, okay?”

  Lizzie did nothing of the sort, of course. The three-year-old giggled and tried to grab the dog’s tail.

  “We’re not in a hurry,” Brad said.

  “I am.” Bella looked at him with frustration in her expression, and Brad guessed it had already been a long day for her and it was barely noon.

  “Then go,” Brad said, and she turned to grab her purse. “Wait, I just have one question for you.”

  “Okay, what?” She pushed her hair out of her face, and Brad hoped she had a haircut on her schedule for that day while he took the kids. She loved getting her hair done, and she’d come back ready to be a stellar single mom again.

  “I’m thinking about going to see Carmen,” he said. “Just to talk to her. Get her to print the whole story.”

  “Oh, sweetie…I don’t know.”

  “Celeste believed her over me,” Brad said. “It’s the only thing I can think of.”

  “Maybe she just needs more time. Then you can show up in her office and ask her out. How much time were you planning on taking between the fake break-up and the new get-together?”

  “We hadn’t discussed any of that yet,” Brad said. “You go. See you tonight.”

  Bella hugged him, and said, “You’re the best big brother on the island.”

  “You’re bossy and uptight sometimes,” he said. “Do you get all offended by that?”

  “Oh, honey. If it was Greg saying that, then yes. I’d be like, maybe I wouldn’t have to be like that if you were here to help.” She laughed, but it didn’t last long. “I know he’s working, and I know he’s where he’s supposed to be. I’m just…tired.”

  “So go take care of you,” Brad said. “I’ve got Lizzie and Tommy. They can even sleepover tonight if they want.”

  “Can we, Mom?” Lizzie asked, and Bella was already so worn down, she said, “All right. But you have to do everything Uncle Brad says, okay?”

  The kids cheered, and Brad was even glad he wouldn’t have to be alone that night. As the day wore on and he took his niece and nephew to dinner, he made a decision: He was going to see Carmen in the morning.

  It was the only way he’d be able to get some closure to this situation.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Okay,” Paige said as she bustled into Celeste’s office. She had three folders in her arms, and she spread them on the desktop. Celeste knew the color-coding system Paige had, and she appreciated it.

  Paige would start with the red one, and the move to green, and then blue. “The Lively family reunion is in twenty-five days. We need to finalize décor, papers, and food. Teagan called up this morning, and I said we’d have all of our September events to him by this afternoon.”

  “All right,” Celeste said. “I think the menu’s already finalized for the Lively’s. They wanted the Gold Tier Buffet, right?”

  “Correct.” Paige flipped open the red folder. “But there are three choices circled on the main dish, and seven on the sides.”

  “Let me get Martha on the phone.” Celeste picked up her desk phone and waited for Paige to slide the contact page in front of her so she could dial. Martha Lively never went far from her device, and she answered on the second ring.

  “Martha, hello, dear,” Celeste said, feeling pretentious and stuffy and…uptight. “It’s Celeste Heartwood at the inn. We’re finalizing your menu for the family reunion, and we have your original selections, but there are too many.”

  “Oh, right, right,” Martha said. “Two main dishes, right?”

  “Yes, and it looks like you’ve circled country fried chicken with pepper gravy, bone-in tilapia with bruschetta topping, and sliced flank steak with Hunter’s sauce.”

  “We want the fish, since that is so delicious at the inn,” she said. “And the chicken.”

  “Fish and chicken,” Celeste said, nodding to Paige. She made quick checkmarks next to the selections.

  “You get four sides,” Celeste said. “You’ve marked seven.”

  “Read them to me?” Martha asked.

  “Garlic mashed potatoes, honey glazed carrots, roasted tri-colored potatoes, potato au gratin, macaroni and cheese, wild rice pilaf, and seasonal vegetable medley.”

  “Well, the grandkids love macaroni and cheese, so we need that. Garlic mashed potatoes. Wild rice pilaf. And…potato au gratin.”

  “All right.” Celeste repeated the choices to Paige, and she set the paper off to the side.

  “We’ve still got you down for the sweet tea and the pink lemonade,” Celeste said, glad she had the Gold Tier Buffet memorized. “All meals come with the classic salad, rolls and butter, and you’ve chosen the chocolate mousse cake and paid extra for the bourbon pecan pie.”

  “That’s right,” Martha said.

  “Great,” Celeste said. “We’re finalizing with our kitchen staff today, and your event is going to be spectacular.” She smiled as she said it, though she felt very little enthusiasm for the upcoming events she needed to coordinate.

  And she hated that. Hated that Brad had somehow stolen the joy from her work. Wasn’t it enough that she couldn’t enjoy a sunset anymore? That even her own dog reminded her of Brad’s smile? She hadn’t been able to eat eggs for breakfast in the week since they’d broken up, and she may or may not have driven by the diner that morning at a slow crawl, hoping for a glimpse of Brad through the window.

  Foolishness hit her, and she blinked, trying to focus on Paige and the green folder she now had out. Families who were renting part of The Heartwood Inn’s facilities for some reason were assigned a green or blue folder, depending on if they needed green space or water.

  “…the altar from storage, and they’re just doing the standard wedding reception finger foods.”

  “It would be nice if we had that outdoor wedding hall,” Celeste said, and she wasn’t even sure why it was suddenly in her
mind.

  “The south vineyard is usually booked when we tell people that’s what we have,” Paige said, barely glancing up. “We seem to do okay.”

  “Yeah.” Celeste thought of the drawings she’d done for the outdoor wedding hall. Maybe she just needed to schedule another meeting with her sister, get past her inferiority complex when it came to Olympia, and propose the wedding hall again. The inn was doing plenty of business, and most of their rooms were booked the moment they became available.

  Olympia didn’t open rooms farther out than six months, and that allowed Celeste to get events on the calendar that could attract families, business, professional groups, and couples looking to come to Carter’s Cove for their special memories.

  “Okay, so they’re ready,” Paige said, reserving the food sheet for the Wilder wedding as well. “And lastly, we have the Cooper brothers.” She sighed, and Celeste understood why.

  She matched her sigh to her friend’s and said, “Again? When are we going to tell them we’re booked?”

  “Never,” Paige said with a smile. “Number one, you used to have a crush on Doug, and number two, they pay twice the rate—in cash.”

  Celeste gasped as if Paige had said something scandalous. “I did not have a crush on Doug Cooper.”

  “Oh, honey.” Paige laughed and shook her head. “So they’ll be here Thursday night, and they’ve rented a half a dozen rooms.”

  “Are there more of them this year?”

  “Apparently so,” she said. “We have the breakfast buffet Friday morning, as well as the plated lunch poolside.”

  Celeste ran her hands through her hair. “And we put them over at Heartwood Harbor, didn’t we?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” That pool was the farthest from the beachfront and the inn, and offered the most privacy for the party. The brothers were good-natured, but they were loud, and Celeste didn’t want to be here at ten p.m. to police them as she had in years past.

  “Dinner is on their own. And the following two days, we’re serving dinner in the Starfish banquet room.”

  “Are their selections made?”

  “Yes.”

  “So what do we need to finalize?” Celeste asked.

  “We need to start gathering our chi.”

  Celeste met Paige’s eyes, and they both dissolved into giggles. “It’s five weeks away,” Celeste said through the laughter.

  “Yeah, and I started meditating this morning,” Paige said. They sobered, and Paige cleared her throat. “No word from Brad?”

  Celeste looked away, suddenly feeling hollow again. The feeling had crept into her heart and soul over the days, intensifying at some times worse than others. “No, he’s not going to contact me.”

  “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “I told him not to, and Brad has class.” Celeste exhaled and stood up. “I have to get going. My dad’s waiting for me.”

  “All right,” Paige said. “Have fun at lunch.” She stayed in her seat, scrawling notes onto a page for the Cooper’s pool party, and Celeste left her in her office. Whenever Celeste broke up with a man, she called her father and they went to lunch.

  She needed to be reminded that there were good men in the world, and her father didn’t ask her any questions about her now-failed relationship. That, and her father would do almost anything for fish and chips, and that was Celeste’s go-to break-up food.

  She’d put off the lunch for a week, though she wasn’t sure why. She’d been craving the vinegary and salty taste of the fish for days, and she hurried outside to the drive-through, where her father waited in his car. The blessed blast of air conditioning hit her as she slid in with, “Hey, Daddy.”

  “Hey, baby,” he drawled. “You ready?”

  “Yep.” She buckled her seatbelt and slid her sunglasses into place. “How was the fishing?”

  “Relaxing,” he said.

  “I need some of that,” she said.

  “You don’t have to work seven days a week,” her dad said. “I keep telling Olympia that. She’s doin’ better now that she’s got Chet.”

  Celeste pulled in a breath, because she’d done better when she had a reason to leave work too. “I know, Daddy,” she said. “I like my job.”

  “But you need a way to relax.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I’m going to take tomorrow off and go to the beach.” She hadn’t truly decided until that moment, but it sounded like a good idea. A very good idea, with frozen drinks delivered to her reclining pool chaise. Gwen would even bring her whatever she wanted from the kitchen.

  She tapped out a text to Paige about taking the day tomorrow as her dad drove past Main Street and up the coastal highway. The beach on the west side of the island wasn’t as pristine as the one The Heartwood Inn bordered, but there was a strip of shacks on the sand that served some amazing food—including the fish and chips she and her father loved.

  “I’m thinking I want some of that sorbet today too,” she said, adjusting the vent to blow on her better.

  “Jerry said they have the watermelon that you like,” he said., referencing his best friend.

  “Definitely getting some then.” Celeste smiled at her father, and he smiled back.

  “You’re a good woman, Celeste.”

  Her chest pinched, and she didn’t know how to answer. She looked away and tried to swallow the raging emotions rising through her throat. “Thanks, Dad,” she finally said, and he started talking about buying a sailboat.

  Celeste’s mother would never allow him to do that, but Celeste could play along with his fantasy, and she managed to enjoy her afternoon with her father, despite her mind trying to insert Brad into everything, from how much he’d like the fish and chips to how he’d probably come to the sorbet shack every day until he tried all the flavors.

  The following day, Celeste wiggled her way into her two-piece swimming suit, glad she’d gone for the bedazzled bikini. She could sparkle in the sun, and her dark shades would allow her to watch men without them knowing. Or families. Or couples. Anyone.

  She packed snacks in her bag and put in a couple of bottles of water, slid in a can of sunscreen as well as her e-reader. She didn’t feel like losing herself in a romance novel, but she was planning to spend the day on the sand, and who knew what afternoon would bring.

  She arrived on the beach about the same time she usually showed up for work, and Paige already had their spot staked out. “You got an umbrella,” Celeste said as she set her bag on the ground beside the chaise.

  “I know how weekends are on this beach,” Paige said. “And I’ve had two guys stop by already.”

  “It’s barely ten.”

  “They apparently play beach volleyball here on Sunday mornings.” She waggled her fingers at the group of men a dozen yards away.

  “Paige,” Celeste whispered. “Those are boys, not men.”

  “Oh, they’re legal,” Paige said. “They’re in college.”

  “Too young for my blood,” Celeste said, suddenly feeling all thirty-seven of her years.

  “I’m barely thirty,” Paige said. “And that one is really cute.” She giggled. “His name is Jack, and he’s already put in our drink order.”

  “Virgin for me, right?” Celeste asked, though she knew Paige would’ve gotten it right. Her assistant was very good at her job, and Celeste turned toward her friend. “Never mind. Of course you got my drink order right.” She reached over and took Paige’s hand. “Thank you for being an amazing friend and an awesome assistant.”

  She didn’t vocalize her appreciation enough, she knew that. Still, Paige’s surprised look made a pin push into her heart. She needed to do a better job of letting the people around her know how much she appreciated them.

  “Oh, my gosh,” Paige said. “Did you get my text?”

  Celeste frowned and pulled her phone out of her beach bag. “No.”

  Paige looked at her phone too. “It didn’t send. I must not have noticed, because….”

  �
��You were flirting with Mr. Muscles over there.” Celeste could appreciate the volleyball skills of the boys in front of her. They all seemed to have the perfect tan, and the one Paige kept ogling definitely spent time in the gym.

  Her phone beeped, and a link came up to The Island News. Celeste’s blood ran cold. “I’m not reading that rag.”

  “This is a good story,” Paige said. She laughed as the volleyball came rolling toward her.

  A moment later, Mr. Muscles arrived, and he asked, “You want to come play?”

  “Totally,” Paige said, and she allowed the bronzed boy to pull her to her feet. She wore a much skimpier bikini than Celeste, which a woman seven years younger than her could. “Read that,” she said over her shoulder.

  Alone, Celeste couldn’t really distract herself from the link. She tapped it open to find the headline of The Whole Story Behind Bradley Keith, As Told By the Man Himself.

  She wasn’t sure what she was going to get in the article, but she couldn’t help reading it, especially when the first sentence was Let me start by saying I’ve lost the best thing in my life since the article published a couple of weeks ago—and that’s Celeste Heartwood.

  Her pulse rippled like the water did under the breeze, but she couldn’t stop reading.

  Chapter Seventeen

  She’s one of the smartest, sexiest women I’ve ever met, and first impressions of people aren’t always right.

  Brad glanced up from the paper when Joey scratched against his back door. He got up and let the dog in, scooping the little fluffball up into his arms. “She printed the article, bud. Maybe you’ll get to meet Celeste today.”

  He sat back down at the dining room table and continued reading, which took all of his concentration.

  When we first met, yes, Celeste Heartwood was uptight and a bit bossy. But I had just asked her to do me a huge favor—be my fake fiancée—and a lesser woman would’ve laughed at me and left me to deal with my problem on my own.

  But not Celeste.

  She has a heart of gold, and as we spent more time together, I realized—and told my friend, which the original author of the original article did not report—that what I thought were negative qualities at first were actually a benefit to Celeste.