A Deal Made in Texas

by Michelle Major

  Chip unfastened her harness and she wrapped her shaking arms around Gavin’s neck. “I did it,” she whispered. “And I didn’t pee myself.”

  Both men laughed and Chip patted her helmet. “Way to hold it together.”

  “You were amazing,” Gavin said, kissing her cheek. “Are you ready to go again?”

  She drew in a deep breath, most of her nervous butterflies replaced by exhilaration. “I am. Thank you for this day. It’s the best ever.”

  He grinned and kissed her.

  Marc joined them on the platform. “Okay, lovebirds. Let’s hold off on the spit swapping until we’re back to solid ground.” He pointed at Christine. “Nice work. Next, we’re going to show you how to curl into a ball to go faster.”

  The nerves returned, but Christine quickly tamped them down. She was going to try whatever Marc threw at her. The idea that she wasn’t a total wimp made her feel braver than she ever could have imagined.

  “I’m ready,” she said, tightening the strap on her helmet. “For anything.”

  * * *

  Gavin stood below the final platform, smiling as Christine rappelled down toward him, marveling at the change in her. As beautiful as she’d been at the start of their zip line adventure, there was something even more appealing about her now, a sense of abandonment that made her breathtaking. She was windblown with flushed cheeks and a smudge of dirt down the front of her shirt.

  She hopped down the last few feet, grinning widely and doing a funny little dance with her upper body as Chip unstrapped the rock-climbing gear from her waist.

  “She’s a helluva sport,” Marc said, handing Gavin a bottle of cold water. “I can’t imagine bringing a woman who’s deathly afraid of heights out here and having her handle it like a champ.”

  “She did great,” Gavin agreed.

  “You like her.”

  “She’s extremely likable.”

  “Nah.” Marc nudged his arm. “I mean, you really like her.”

  Gavin paused in the act of opening his water bottle. He hadn’t mentioned the engagement to Marc. It was one thing with his family, but he figured it would be better to keep his story simple where he could. The pretend engagement definitely complicated things.

  But he did really like Christine. Way more than he ever would have guessed at the beginning of their arrangement. Was that only a week ago?

  How had his feelings changed so quickly?

  “Where did the two of you meet?” Marc asked.

  “She worked for my dad for years and now runs the Austin branch of the agency.”

  “So you thinking of moving back?”

  Gavin felt himself frown. “My life’s in Denver,” he said quietly, suddenly understanding the point his siblings had been trying to make when they said a job was not the same thing as a life.

  Marc slapped him gently on the back. “Not that I’m trying to skim your milk, but if the long-distance thing doesn’t work out, I may have to swoop in to comfort her.”

  Gavin thought about the expiration date on their arrangement and his gut tightened. “No one’s swooping in with Christine,” he told his old friend.

  Marc only laughed. “You’ve got it bad,” he said, then walked forward to help Chip put away the equipment.

  Christine grinned as she approached, pumping her fists in the air. “Did you see me?”

  He smiled, pushing aside his discontent over the boundaries and timeline that defined their relationship.

  “You were amazing.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground. She smelled like a tantalizing mix of shampoo and the outdoors, fresh and clean. “Skydiving next?”

  She laughed and kissed him. “Let’s not get crazy.”

  When he lowered her to the ground, she cupped his cheeks in her palms. “Thank you, Gavin. I would never have done something like this on my own.”

  “I had no doubt you could.”

  Marc and Chip joined them and they rode back to the office. Christine laced her fingers with his like it was the most natural thing in the world, and damn, he wanted it to be.

  “How about the ropes course?” Marc asked Christine with a wink. “It should be a piece of cake now that you’re a master of heights.”

  Gavin expected her to decline, but she nodded and grinned at him. “Sounds great to me. What do you think?”

  “Let’s go,” he told her and for the next hour they traversed the suspended ropes course, crossing bridges and climbing through obstacles. He could tell she was scared but never let that fear slow her down.

  The sky was beginning to turn shades of pink and orange by the time they headed back toward Austin. Christine pulled out a pen and a small notebook from her purse and ticked off a list of other activities she wanted to try now that she knew she could overcome her fear of heights. Gavin’s chest constricted as he listened to her plans.

  He could see himself with her on every adventure, from bungee jumping to riding the roller coasters at the state fair. At the same time, he’d never imagined himself in a long-term relationship. Part of what allowed him to be so open with Christine was, ironically, knowing their time together had a built-in expiration date.

  He could give himself fully because it was safe. But wanting more felt dangerous, both to him and to her. He didn’t want to hurt her but his past had shown him that he wasn’t the type of man who had more to give a woman like her.

  “When did your fear of heights start?” he asked, needing to get out of his own head and the doubts swirling there. “You managed today like a pro.”

  Her grip tightened on the notebook. “My family went on a vacation when I was younger to a waterpark near Galveston. We were all supposed to go on this super-high slide, but I didn’t want to.”

  “Because of your fear?”

  She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. “Not exactly,” she admitted after a moment. “I was overweight as a girl. It was a pretty big issue for my dad. He’d been a marine, and physical fitness was important to him. My younger sister was always into sports, and I never felt like I fit in. We’re a year apart and as we got older, my dad started taking us on extreme vacations. I could never keep up so I think maybe I developed all my fears—heights, water and speed—as a way to have an excuse not to participate.”

  “So if you didn’t participate, what happened?”

  Her smile was sad. “The first couple of trips were difficult because he’d try to force me to do things. Eventually, I just stayed behind with my grandma.”

  “While your family went on vacation without you?”

  “It wasn’t a big deal,” she insisted. “In fact, I had a much better time with my grammy than I would have if I’d tried to keep up with the rest of them.”

  “Christine—”

  “Anyway, that’s how it started.” She gave him a smile that was as bright and brittle as a piece of cut glass. “But today changed everything. Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I’m glad I could be there with you. Now, what are you thinking for dinner?”

  She sucked in a breath and glanced at the clock on the Audi’s dashboard. “Oh, no. Is it really after five?”

  He nodded. “Time flies and all that.”

  “I’m supposed to be at my parents’ for dinner by six. It felt like we zip-lined for thirty minutes.”

  “More like three hours plus time for the ropes course. Where do your parents live?”

  “On the west side of Austin, near West Lake Hills.”

  “I could—”

  “They want you to come, too,” she blurted then covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry. I should have said something earlier. I tried to get out of the dinner, but I told you my mom thinks that Sunday dinners with the four of us will somehow bring us closer.”

  “I don’t—”

 
“I’m sure it sounds horrible,” she continued, shifting her hands to glance at him from the corner of her eye. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to go. But it’s out of the way to go all the way back to my place. If you just drop me off at my parents’ now, after dinner I can call an Ub—”

  “I don’t mind going,” he interrupted, reaching out to tug her hands away from her face. “I’d like to meet your family.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Why?”

  “Because I want to know you better,” he said with a laugh. “You know my family, and they all love you.”

  “My family is different from yours, and not in a good way.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “There’s nothing to learn about me from meeting them.”

  “If your mom wants me there, I don’t want to rebuff the invitation.”

  “Are you sure?” She sounded even more nervous than she’d been before the zip line tour. “I can make an excuse. This definitely wasn’t part of our arrangement.”

  “I’d like to join you for dinner with your parents and sister,” he said gently. “But only if you’re okay with it. If not, I’ll drop you off around the corner then come back and pick you up when you’re ready to leave.”

  “Seriously?” she couldn’t help but ask. “You’d do that for me?”

  Gavin was quickly coming to realize he’d do just about anything for this woman, but he wasn’t about to admit it out loud.

  “That’s what friends are for,” he answered instead.

  Chapter Ten

  Christine tried not to look like she was about to throw up as she opened the door to her parents’ house and led Gavin inside.

  At this point she would have taken skydiving, maybe even without a parachute, over introducing him to her family. The prospect of it had seemed manageable during the drive, thanks to Gavin’s quiet confidence, but the reality of it was a different story.

  “Chris?” her mom called from the kitchen, and she grimaced. She hated the nickname her family still insisted on using. It brought back memories of being a chubby kid with an unfortunate bowl haircut that made her look like a boy. She’d tried her hardest to fit in but ended up feeling lousy about herself most of the time.

  She wanted to believe she’d shed her self-doubts the way she had her extra weight, but it was easier when she was away from this house and her family.

  “Hi, Mom,” she said with a forced smile as she entered the kitchen.

  Her mother looked up from where she was cutting tomatoes for a salad, her eyes widening at the sight of Gavin. Christine might not be the fat, awkward girl she once was, but she knew her mom wouldn’t expect her to be dating someone who looked like Gavin.

  Christine’s dad walked into the kitchen from the family room. “Hey, kid,” he said, taking in Christine’s tousled hair and dusty clothes. “Looks like you need a shower.”

  “We went zip lining and didn’t have time to change before coming here,” she reported. “Mom and Dad, this is Gavin Fortunado. My...um...boyfriend.” Cursing her fair complexion, she willed away the color she could feel flooding her cheeks. She hoped Gavin was okay that she didn’t mention their pretend engagement to her family. She understood why it helped with the Fortunados, but the shock of her having an actual boyfriend would be plenty for her parents and sister.

  “Fortunado? Like the family who owns the agency where Christine works?”

  Gavin nodded. “Kenneth is my dad. Christine and I met at the office in Houston.”

  “I’m Stephanie and this is Dave,” her mother told him, her tone almost dazed. “Are you a real estate agent?”

  “Nice to meet you,” Gavin said smoothly, walking forward and shaking first her father’s hand and then her mother’s. “I’m actually an attorney, and I’m sorry Christine and I are a bit of a mess. She just had to do the ropes course after we finished the zip line tour, and time got away from us.”

  Dave Briscoe gave a disbelieving laugh. “Chris on a ropes course? You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “I’m not.” Gavin pulled out his phone. “She did fantastic. Would you like to see the photos?”

  Her mother put down the knife. “I would.”

  “Did they have a harness big enough for her?”

  The comment came from behind her and Christine turned, her chest tightening as her sister, Aimee, sauntered into the room. She wore a black tank top and tight jeans that hugged her trim hips. Aimee placed an empty beer bottle on the counter and gave a bubbly laugh, like this was all a big joke. “Oh, wait. She’s not fat anymore. I always forget.”

  “I lost the weight years ago,” Christine said through clenched teeth.

  Gavin gave her sister the barest hint of a smile then took out his phone and pulled up the photos for her mother.

  “Good for you, Christine,” her mom said, taking the phone from Gavin and scrolling through the photos. “You don’t look scared at all. Dave, look at these pictures.”

  “It was fun,” Christine said quietly, darting a glance at her sister. Historically, Aimee did not respond well to Christine getting attention from their mother.

  “Do you live in Austin, Gavin?” She moved around the counter, tugging on the hem of her tank top, revealing more of her world-class cleavage.

  Christine glanced at Gavin, but he didn’t seem to notice. How was that even possible?

  “Denver,” he answered. “I’m in Austin for a few weeks because of work.”

  “Do you ski?”

  “Whenever I get the chance.”

  “I’m road-tripping up to Vail with some friends next month. I just ordered a new set of twin tips.”

  “Sounds great,” he said, but shifted closer to Christine.

  She tried to take comfort in his presence but couldn’t seem to settle her nerves. “Aimee, Mom said you lost your job.”

  “I got another one,” Aimee snapped. “A better one.” She turned to Gavin. “We’re looking to do the back bowls. Expert terrain only. You should meet us up there. It’s an awesome group.”

  “Thanks for the invite,” he said.

  “Chris doesn’t ski,” Aimee announced as if Christine had tried to make Gavin believe that she did. “There’s no way she’d be able to handle even the bunny hill.” She laughed again. “Don’t even get me started on a chairlift. With her fear of heights—”

  “You should take a look at the photos,” Gavin told Aimee as Christine’s father handed back his phone. “She’s got that fear of heights under control.”

  Christine glanced toward her father, who was studying her like he’d never seen her before. It had been so easy to believe she’d conquered the worst of her fears when they’d been in the middle of their date. Now she felt as awkward and bumbling as she always had with her family.

  “It’s nice to see you smiling,” Dave said finally, inclining his head toward Gavin’s phone.

  Not exactly a ringing show of support but it felt like a huge endorsement from her normally recalcitrant father. Aimee must have noticed it, too, because her eyes turned hard.

  “Let me show you my workshop while the women finish up dinner,” Dave told Gavin. “Got a beer cooler out there stocked with cold ones.”

  Gavin nodded but looked at Christine’s mom. “Do you need help with anything?”

  Christine watched her mother’s face soften. Her parents loved each other, but theirs was a traditional marriage with the bulk of the household duties falling to Stephanie. She could tell it meant a lot to her mom that Gavin offered to help. Once again Christine reminded herself that today was merely a detour on the trajectory of their relationship, which couldn’t end in anything but heartache for her. How much of her heart she gave him was the only question.

  “Thank you for the offer,” her mom said, blushing slightly. “But I’ve got things under control. Dave is so proud of hi
s workshop. You go with him.”

  “I’d love a beer, then,” Gavin said to her dad and followed Dave toward the garage that housed his workshop.

  “He’s so handsome,” her mom said when the door closed behind the two men. She fanned a hand in front of her face. “Makes me feel like I’m having a hot flash.”

  Christine knew exactly how her mother felt.

  “It’s difficult to believe you landed someone like him,” Aimee said, opening the refrigerator to pull out another beer. The workshop was their father’s man cave and a space where Christine’s mother rarely ventured. Instead, she kept a few beers stocked in the kitchen fridge for when friends or her daughters stopped by. Of course, Aimee didn’t bother to offer one to Christine now.

  “He’s great,” Christine murmured, hoping to avoid an in-depth conversation about Gavin. The Briscoe women might not be close, but she feared that her mom and sister would be able to read the lie of their relationship on her face nonetheless.

  “What’s he doing with you?” Aimee asked as she popped the top on the beer bottle.

  “Be nice,” their mother chided.

  “We have a lot in common,” Christine said, automatically going to the cabinet to begin setting the table. It was the second Sunday of the month, so that meant meat loaf. She could smell it baking, and the scent brought back both good and bad memories from childhood. Her mother had always been a great cook, although it still embarrassed Christine to remember herself as a girl, trying to take an extra portion at mealtimes or sneaking into the kitchen late at night to munch on leftovers.

  Aimee took the napkins out of the drawer and followed Christine to the table. “Like what?”

  How was she supposed to explain her connection to Gavin? On the surface, they were a mismatched pair, but he seemed to like her just the way she was. She saw beyond his polished playboy facade to the kindhearted man he didn’t reveal to many people. That sort of connection would be lost on her abrasive sister, most likely chalked up to wishful thinking on Christine’s part.

  “Well, we both like zip lining.” She grinned when Aimee snorted. “I’m also going to learn to water-ski this summer.” Gavin gave her the confidence to conquer her fears. She’d never been a strong swimmer, mostly because as a kid she hadn’t wanted to be seen in a bathing suit. But she could start doing laps in the pool at the gym where she belonged. By summer, certainly she’d be ready for waterskiing.