Five Dates Only

by R. L. Kenderson

  “I bet you didn’t know Silly String could ruin a paint job.”

  I’d read that in my research, but in every prank I’d seen on the internet, nothing had happened to the cars. I’d thought the Silly String had to sit on the paint a long time. A couple of hours wasn’t going to do it. That was why we’d used brake fluid.

  I continued looking out the door, neither confirming nor denying anything.

  Caleb narrowed his eyes. “I take that back. I bet you did know that Silly String could ruin a car.” He looked outside again. “But … I got here around five thirty. It hasn’t been there long enough to do any real damage, which means …”

  Oh jeez. The guy was good-looking and smart.

  “You two did something on purpose to ruin the paint.”

  “You can stop thinking now,” I told him.

  Caleb burst out laughing.

  “What do you want?”

  “I already told you. I need you to play my girlfriend for a little while.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “I’m no lawyer or police officer, but I’m pretty sure that’s vandalism right there.”

  “So?” I looked up at Caleb. “I’d rather get arrested than pretend to date you.”

  He put a hand on his chest. “Ouch,” he said mockingly.

  I looked back outside. Neil was furious, just the way we’d wanted him to be.

  “So, that’s it?” Caleb said. “You’d rather go to jail than go on a few dates with me.”

  “Yep. And I’m sure I’d only have to pay a fine. I highly doubt I’d go to jail.”

  I saw Caleb shrug.

  “Okay. Have it your way. But, remember, you’re taking your friend down with you.”

  My eyes darted to Mel. She was chewing on her lip, and I knew her well enough to know she felt guilty. And the thought of the police showing up and questioning her, possibly putting her in handcuffs, made my stomach twist. I couldn’t do that to her.

  “How many dates?” I asked. “And when?”

  “Ten. And the first date is tomorrow at my boss’s house.”

  I looked at him. “Ten? You’re out of your mind. I’ll give you two.”

  Caleb shook his head. “No way. Ted will want to see you with me more than twice, or he’ll know something’s up. Eight.”

  “Three.”

  “Seven.”

  “Four.”

  “Five. Or I open this door right now and tell Neil it was you.”

  I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Fine. Five dates, and then we never have to see each other again.”

  He held out his hand. “Five dates only.”

  I shook it. “Five dates only.”

  The rest of the evening didn’t go any better.

  Neil called the cops, who came and took statements and pictures. I could tell they didn’t care that much, but I was sure, if Caleb pointed fingers at Melanie and me, the officers would take us in for questioning.

  I finally had to pull Mel away because the look of guilt on her face was bound to make others notice.

  One good thing was that Caleb had kept his mouth shut, but I had to admit, I had been nervous the whole time.

  When I finally heard the police drive away, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  “I think it’s time we get out of here,” I told Melanie.

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  We stood from the kitchen table as everyone else came in the house.

  “We’re going to take off,” I told them. “Mel’s ready to go home.”

  Melanie walked over to Neil. “I’m sorry about your car.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re going home with Sloan. I’m not good company right now.”

  Melanie stood on her tiptoes and kissed Neil’s cheek.

  He made no effort to meet her halfway, and he put his hands on her arms as if he didn’t want her close to him. “You’d better go.”

  “I’ll walk you two out,” Caleb said.

  “No need,” I said.

  “But we need to exchange phone numbers before you go.”

  I tried not to panic as my eyes widened. He was going to give us away.

  “Oh, you must have told Sloan you wanted to buy a house,” Melanie said with a small smile and started for the door.

  Caleb put a hand behind my back and nudged me forward. “I did. She said she’d be happy to help me look.”

  “That’s not part of the deal,” I hissed.

  Caleb put his mouth near my ear. “Oh, do you want to tell her why we need to exchange phone numbers?”

  His breath tickled my neck, and I had to command my body not to shiver. It had been a long time since I had a man this close to me, but I refused to react.

  “You’re the one who brought up phone numbers in the first place,” I quietly argued.

  He was the one who had created the problem that I was not paying for.

  “I’m an opportunist,” he said. “Plus, I had to get your number somehow.”

  “What are you two whispering about?” Melanie asked.

  “Sloan was just telling me she had a couple of ideas for me. We’re going to meet tomorrow to go over some things.”

  Mel smiled. “I’m so glad. You’ve said sales have been down lately.”

  I ran my finger across my neck, but she had already pushed the door open to go outside. Meanwhile, Caleb was laughing behind me.

  I turned. “I’m not meeting you tomorrow.”

  “How else are we supposed to get our facts straight before dinner?”

  “Fine. What time? And where? I do have to show a few houses tomorrow.”

  He made a come here motion. “Give me your phone. I’ll text you the details.”

  I unlocked my phone and reluctantly handed it over. A minute later, he handed it back.

  “Can I go now?” I asked.

  He walked over to the door and opened it. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said, stomping out of the house.

  A second later, my phone buzzed in my hand. I had a message from …

  Lover: How about a Starbucks or Caribou around ten a.m.? Will that work for you?

  I turned around, scowled, and held up my phone as I shook it back and forth. “I’m changing it to Loser as soon as I get home.”

  I could hear Caleb laugh through the glass.

  I hated that I couldn’t faze him.

  Five

  Caleb

  The next morning, I looked at my watch for the umpteenth time. It was ten minutes after ten with no sign of Sloan.

  I hoped she hadn’t called my bluff.

  Because, even if she didn’t show up today, I wasn’t going to tell my brother or turn her and Melanie over to the police. My brother was an asshole and had probably done something shitty. He’d never had a reputation as a good boyfriend.

  I had even enjoyed watching him get pissed off myself.

  But I needed Sloan to think that I would turn her in, so she would go through with our deal.

  I needed Ted to take me seriously. I wanted nothing more than to buy his shop from him and take care of it till the day I died. But I needed him to see that, too.

  I sighed and pulled out my phone to send Sloan a text when she breezed through the door.

  She held up a finger. “I’ll be right back,” she said and went to the counter to put in her order as I watched her from afar.

  She was medium height and thin. Usually, I preferred a little meat and booty on the women I dated, but Sloan was pretty with her red hair and dark blue eyes. I didn’t think anyone would question me liking her.

  Several minutes later, she walked up to the table, a large coffee or latte in her hand.

  I kicked her chair out from under the table for her. “Have a seat,” I said with a smile.

  “You’re such a gentleman,” she said as she sat.

  I shrugged a shoulder. “We’ve been dating a couple of months. I’m done playing the gentleman.”

  “You’re a
prick,” she said, and I laughed.

  Truth be told, I liked teasing her. If she really were my girlfriend, I would show her that I could indeed be a gentleman. But, somewhere along the line, Sloan had decided I wasn’t worth her time, and it seemed only fitting that I lived up to her expectations.

  Besides, if I was going to have a fake girlfriend, I might as well make it fun.

  I leaned forward on the table. “I figured we could work out some technical stuff. I’m sure Ted and his wife will have plenty of questions for us.” I quickly explained my work dilemma and why I needed a girlfriend.

  “Okay, where should we start?”

  “I was thinking we start with how we met.”

  “Okay. The best thing is to stick with the truth. My friend is dating your brother. We met about a year and a half ago, I suppose.”

  “‘I suppose.’ That’s good. Keep it general. It sounds more realistic.” I nodded.

  “When did we start dating?” she asked.

  “Good question. I told Ted that I was serious about you, yet I’d obviously never brought you up before.”

  “Why don’t we say about two and a half months? Long enough to develop feelings, but not so long that everyone should have met me by now.”

  I smiled. “Perfect. Two and a half months it is.”

  “Where did you take me on our first date?” She held up a finger. “Our first real date. Not the couple of times we hung out with Melanie and Neil, which is how we realized we liked each other, by the way.”

  “Wow. Nice background. I like it.”

  This girl was good.

  “So, where did you take me on our first date?”

  “To dinner. It’s a classic; plus, we both love food.” I lifted a brow. “At least, I think we do.”

  “I do love food. Good guess. But where did you take me?”

  “What’s your favorite restaurant? Oh, and we’re having lasagna tonight. I hope you like it.”

  “That’s cheating. The guy should come up with the restaurant for the first date. No fishing for ideas. And, yes, lasagna sounds delicious.”

  “Not if we were friends, hanging out with Melanie and Neil. I probably would have learned your favorite restaurant from just talking to you,” I said.

  “Good point. I love Crave.”

  “Crave it is.”

  “What did we do after?”

  “Made out in my car?” I joked.

  Sloan rolled her eyes. “What are we, in high school?”

  I laughed. “How about we just walked around downtown Minneapolis, going into stores and just hanging out?”

  “I suppose that could work,” she agreed.

  “What’s your favorite food?”

  “Pizza.”

  “Perfect. Mine, too. What’s your favorite color?”

  “Black.”

  “Like your heart. Easy to remember. Mine is blue.” I took a drink of my coffee.

  Sloan gave me the finger.

  “Is that coffee in there?” I pointed to her cup.

  “Yes. Coffee is life.”

  “Another thing we have in common,” I said. “Siblings? You obviously know mine.”

  “I have a younger brother, Jeremy. He works for UPS. He loads the trucks.”

  “Okay. Easy enough to remember. When’s your birthday?”

  “February 18. I’m twenty-eight.”

  “Got it.” It was July. We hadn’t been dating when she had her birthday, so that was one less important event to remember. “Mine is October 13. I’m thirty-one.”

  “What about college? That’s something people know about each other. I have a two-year degree in business from Hennepin Technical College. Then, I studied and took the test to be a realtor, and I’ve been doing that since I was twenty-one. My mom is a realtor, so for the first few years, I helped her and learned the ropes before I branched out on my own. You?”

  “I went to Minnesota State for two years. I majored in marketing. But I quit after my second year and decided to go to Europe for a year. When I came back, I started working full-time at the sporting goods store, made my way up to manager, and decided it wasn’t worth it to return to school.”

  Sloan tilted her head. “Why did you quit in the first place? Why did you decide to travel halfway around the world?”

  I looked away from her and out a window. “My grandfather died. I’d always been close to him. He was the one who had convinced me to go to college, and when he died, I just didn’t see the point anymore.” Every time I had thought of going back after that summer, I’d felt sick. It’d remind me of my grandpa. I had needed to get away to someplace that wouldn’t remind me of him. Europe seemed almost far enough away. I cleared my throat. “I don’t really like talking about it.”

  “I understand. I was close to both my grandparents before they passed away, too.”

  I looked at her and smiled weakly. “Can you think of anything else? Any other basics we need to cover?”

  She leaned forward. “Yes. You need to tell me what kind of house you want to buy.”

  I curled my lip. “Do we really have to do that? A lot of that was talk.”

  She smiled. “Either you buy a house through me or I’ll let your secret out to your boss tonight, cops be damned.”

  I raised my brow. “Okay then.” I started giving her a list of what I wanted if I was to buy a house, and she got out a piece of paper and wrote it all down. “It’s actually a good thing my new girlfriend sells real estate. It’ll make it more believable as one reason that I’m buying a house now.”

  “I think we’ll do fine tonight. Is there anything else you need?” She looked at her watch. “I have to meet a client in a half an hour.”

  “Are you always busy on the weekend with work?”

  “If I don’t make plans, I do show a lot of houses. People don’t work on weekends, so it’s a good time.”

  “That’s good to know. I also work weekends, about every third.”

  She tapped her head. “I’ve got all the info saved.” Sloan stood and slung her purse over her shoulder. “Anything else?”

  “One more thing,” I said in a serious tone. “This is important.”

  “What is it?”

  I motioned toward me. “Come closer.”

  She put an arm on the table and leaned over.

  “Just in case anyone asks …” I looked around the room to make sure that no one was listening.

  “What? Just tell me.”

  I met Sloan’s eyes and grinned. “In case anyone asks, I think you should know, I have a big dick.”

  “Ugh,” she groaned as she pushed herself off the table. “You’re a pervert,” she said as she turned and headed for the door.

  “I just thought you should get your facts straight,” I called out to her. “I don’t want you to sell me short.”

  Sloan shook her head and pushed the door open.

  “Get it? Sell me short.”

  Sloan walked away as I took a long drink of my coffee. Goading her was so much fun.

  Six

  Sloan

  Caleb rang the doorbell, and we waited for his boss to answer.

  “Now, remember, you’re my girlfriend. If I put my arm around you or kiss your cheek, it’s because I’m playing the part. I am not hitting on you.”

  “I know.”

  “And please try not to flinch when I get close to you.”

  I frowned. “I won’t.”

  Caleb snorted. “We’ll see.”

  Footsteps sounded from the other side of the door.

  “Showtime,” he said and put his arm around me.

  I stiffened.

  “Loosen up,” Caleb said from the side of his mouth. “While I like being right, I’d love for you to prove me wrong tonight.”

  Damn.

  He was right. I needed to get over my resistance to men.

  I took a deep breath, relaxed into him, and put my arm around his waist.

  Wow. No body fat on this guy.

/>   The door swung open, and a man with salt-and-pepper hair stood on the other side. “Caleb and …”

  “This is Sloan,” Caleb said.

  “Come in, come in.”

  Caleb dropped his arm from around me and put it at the small of my back as we walked inside. The house was stunning. Big and spacious. My realtor brain was automatically calculating how much the place would cost to buy. It wouldn’t be cheap.

  I held out my hand. “It’s lovely to meet you. I’ve heard nice things about you. And you have a beautiful home.”

  “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, too,” Ted said. “And I wish I could say the same about hearing nice things about you.”

  I laughed and put my hand on Caleb’s arm. “I heard he’s been keeping me a secret around the water cooler.”

  Caleb scowled. “I wasn’t ready to tell everyone yet.”

  I couldn’t tell if he was acting or not.

  I put my arm around him again and smiled up at him. “Well, I’m glad you finally did.” I looked at Ted. “And thank you for inviting me tonight.”

  “It’s my pleasure. Why don’t you come into the sitting room?” Ted said and showed us the way. Once we reached the room, he asked, “What can I get you to drink? Beer? Wine? Pop? Water?”

  “I’ll take a beer,” Caleb said, “and Sloan will have white wine.”

  Ted smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

  Caleb poked his head out of the room and spun around. “Way to prove me wrong. You did good back there.”

  “I know.” I narrowed my eyes and put my hands on my hips. “But why did you just assume I wanted wine? Is that because it’s what all women drink?” My tone had a bite to it.

  Caleb rolled his eyes. “Relax. I wasn’t assuming anything. I’ve seen you drink wine more than once at Melanie’s house.”

  I dropped my arms. “Oh.”

  “You’re determined to hate me, aren’t you?”

  “I am not.”

  “Could have fooled me.”

  It wasn’t that I wanted to hate him so much as I didn’t want to like him. Men were trouble, and while I could try to keep myself rational when it came to the opposite sex, my heart and my vagina often overruled my head. It was easier to keep my distance, which was even easier if I didn’t like someone.