by Leslie North
“My driver will be there at four, so be ready. I’ll make sure to send along a bottle of pinot grigio, so you can get a head start on relaxing.”
She smirked. He’d picked up, in their six short days living together, that she was a huge fan of a good pinot grigio…and the stuff that he had access to far surpassed anything she’d ever been able to afford at her favorite wine shop.
“That’s sweet of you,” she said. “Condoning drinking and driving.”
Daniel laughed. “But you’re not doing the driving, and we’re not going to tell a soul, right?”
“Right.” She drew a deep breath, looking at the dresses laid out on her bed. The dresses that Daniel himself had encouraged her to purchase with the use of his credit card. She’d gone all out, at his recommendation, and had ended up with enough gowns and evening dresses to wear two outfits for each night of the wedding week. Part of her felt guilty about the lavishness…but the other part was unabashedly excited.
It felt like she was finally having the Christmas she’d always dreamed of. The Christmas that she had never once come close to having in all her years of hopping between homes as a foster kid.
“Okay. I gotta run. Just make sure you’re ready by four. I’ll see you in Napa.”
“See you in Napa,” she said, just as the line went dead on his end. As she looked around the spacious guest room, she wondered who she was anymore. See you in Napa was not a phrase she had ever imagined saying, nor were any of these dresses anything she’d considered possible owning. Yet here she was. Somehow, she’d gotten lucky, even if it was only going to be for the next week.
Luckily her classes had ended early that day, so Jackie was able to spend more than enough time organizing her things and packing her lone suitcase. By the time four rolled around, she was waiting outside in the black flapper-inspired dress she’d chosen for that evening’s attire. Paired with black heels and tons of bangles, she felt like she’d struck the perfect balance between her inner punk rock pixie and this new ritzy version of Jackie she was going to try on for the following week.
Once Daniel’s sleek BMW pulled up, the driver immediately offered to load her suitcase. She insisted she do it herself, which seemed to confuse him. When she tried to sit in the front seat, though, he corrected her.
“You sit in the back. Mr. Trent has left some things for you back there.”
“Oh. Okay. Gotcha.” So it was like an Uber. A very well-maintained, permanently available Uber. Jackie slid into the backseat, finding a small card waiting for her with an uncorked bottle of pinot grigio tucked into the middle console next to a stemless wine glass. She hurried to open the note as the driver pulled away from the residence.
“Begin relaxation! I’ll see you in Napa.”
She smiled, watching as the buildings of the Mission district began to melt away as they moved through traffic. It was nice to be able to just relax for once. She was bringing some schoolwork with her, of course, being that the wedding festivities were happening during the week, but she’d be able to handle it no problem.
The only real blip on her radar was the whole convince Daniel’s friends that we’re a couple part. She and Daniel had spent some time over the past few days figuring out what this ruse might entail—both the part where they’d have to put on an act for his friends, and how they’d deal with things when they were alone. He assured her that it would stay platonic, but told her they’d be sharing a suite at the resort and would be spending plenty of time with his friends.
So without Daniel at her side, what was she supposed to say to preliminarily win them over? Hey, your best friend in the entire world has been in my life for six days, so clearly we have a lot to talk about. If anything, she needed to pump these guys for details about Daniel. They knew what was up more than she did. The only piece of information she had over them was the name of his fish—but maybe even they knew the names too.
Her thoughts cycled between anxieties about putting on a good show and wondering what the menu might be for tonight’s dinner. When they finally pulled up to the Napa Valley resort, her jaw nearly clattered to the floor.
The place where they’d be staying was an adobe mansion. Wrought-iron gates, dripping with vines and hibiscus, were pulled open as the car approached a brick-lined cul-de-sac. Jackie pressed her face to the window of the sedan, gawking like a medieval England peasant finally glimpsing the king’s castle, not even realizing the car had stopped and the driver was standing outside the door.
“I’ll unload your things,” the driver said once she finally remembered how to stand on her own two feet.
“Right. Thanks.” She cleared her throat, running damp palms along the sides of her dress. She’d drank a glass of wine on the way, and at the time, it had helped to ease her anxiety—but now she was more nervous than ever. It was one thing to merely imagine the pending festivities. It was an entirely different matter to be standing at the brink of it all and realize how underprepared she was.
Because beyond the payout and the all-expenses-paid week in Napa, one truth remained: she was the pauper among gods. The foster kid just pretending she belonged. Like always.
A man strolled out of the enormous dark wooden front doors. Behind him, a gleaming foyer beckoned, welcoming her to a complex of untold wonders.
“Jackie Stone, am I right?” The dark-haired man had to be close to Daniel’s age but looked somehow ageless, like he was a living Gucci ad. He stuck out a hand. “I’m Blake. Daniel’s friend.”
It took her a moment for everything to click into place, but when it did, the words flowed out of her. “Blake! Yes, hello! I’m soooo happy to meet you.” She shook his hand eagerly. As long as she didn’t dwell too much on who she really was and focused on playing a part, she could get through this week.
“Daniel has told me so much about you,” he said, shaking the driver’s hand and taking the handle of Jackie’s rolling suitcase from him. “I’ll show you to your suite and then we can head to dinner. Everyone’s dying to meet you.”
“Well, I already met Grayson—sort of,” she said, having a slight panic attack as she second-guessed herself on his name. But it was too late now. Better to barrel forward like she knew what she was doing. “I’m sure Daniel told you about that hilarious story.”
“I might have heard the executive summary,” Blake said with a wry grin as he led the way, rolling her luggage behind him. A cool blast of air overcame them as they stepped into the grand, two-story foyer. Marble floors stretched in every direction. On the walls hung unique and incredibly ornate wooden art, like a mandala had sex with a forest.
“Well, I’m just so excited to be here, but I wish Daniel could have made the ride out here with me.”
“Delayed Daniel,” Blake said with a little laugh. They rounded a corner to a long hallway with a domed ceiling. Golden lights shone from beneath the floor, making it seem like they were walking on something touched by God himself. “I’m not sure how you put up with it. Tell me, was he late to your first date?”
She laughed nervously. Oh God, here come the personal stories with details. “He was. A little. But it worked out fine, because I was later than he was.”
“Ah, I see. A match made in heaven, then,” Blake said, stopping suddenly in front of a door that read The Plum Grove. He swiped a key card and the door opened soundlessly. Inside, a lushly decorated suite awaited them, accented heavily with curtains, artwork, and embellishments…all in the color plum.
“Holy crap,” Jackie said, lifting up a very real plum that sat in a bowl next to a welcome note. “They’re serious about the theme here.”
“Every suite is different,” Blake said. “I’m in the apple orchard.”
“I feel sorry for whoever got stuck with the cabbage patch,” Jackie cracked, which elicited a laugh from Blake.
“Do you need anything for now or are you ready to go? Everyone’s heading to dinner, so we’re right on time—but I can come back in a minute if you want to freshen up.”<
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“I’m ready,” Jackie said, clapping her hands. Better to just get it over with now. “Let’s do it!”
Blake led her back out of the room, handed her the room key, and they walked down a different hallway to a new part of the resort that looked part atrium, part wine cellar. The scent of garlic reached her first, and then the chatter of conversation. Finally, they came into a sprawling dining room set among entire walls stocked with racks of wine. Another gasp escaped her involuntarily. This place was just too cool.
“Is this Jackie?” a woman asked, pushing up from her chair. The table was set for probably fifty, but luckily Jackie didn’t have time to let anxiety take over. Blake led her to her spot at the table, next to an empty chair that she assumed was for Daniel, as everyone began cooing ‘hello there!’ and lifting their glasses.
“It’s so nice to meet you all,” Jackie said once everyone had introduced themselves, including Grayson’s very pregnant wife-to-be, Mila.
“Sit down, sit down!” Mila encouraged. “And please, have all the wine that I can’t.”
Jackie grinned, drinking Mila in. Of all the people here, so far she felt an immediate connection with her. There was just something in her face that seemed so down-to-earth and approachable. She could tell that Grayson, Daniel, and Blake’s world wasn’t necessarily hers, either.
“Where’s Daniel?” someone casually inquired from the other end of the table—already she’d forgotten his name.
“He had a last-minute meeting come up,” Jackie explained. “So he sent me to get the party started.”
A ripple of laughter moved across the table.
“Typical Daniel,” Grayson said. “Even when he shows up, he’ll still be typing on his laptop under the table.”
A few others laughed, and Jackie tried to as well.
“I made him promise to take a few hours off each day,” Jackie said, trying to add to the conversation. It was unsettling, though, how everyone’s perception of Daniel immediately reverted to late and workaholic.
Grayson scoffed good-naturedly. “Good luck with that. The man checks his emails while he sleeps.”
“I’m sure you’re not telling her anything new,” Blake added.
Mila swatted away their comments. “Honestly, guys, the teasing between you three can get tiring.”
“That’s just the pregnancy talking, dear,” Grayson joked, grinning as he rubbed his fiancée’s back. “You know you love it when we shit talk each other.”
Mila grimaced, but Jackie could tell there was a hint of a smile behind it. She didn’t know how long Mila and Grayson had been an item, but it seemed like they were already an old married couple.
“Jackie, I haven’t heard much about you,” Mila said as she sipped at water with lemon and lime slices floating in it. “What do you do for a living?”
Mila, Grayson, and Blake were all crowded around one end of the table. The other end of the table had begun their own conversations now that the introductions were over.
“I’m still studying, actually,” she said. “But I’m almost done. And I hope to be a fully licensed social worker by this time next year.”
Mila’s eyes lit up as Daniel’s friends nodded their approval.
“Very noble,” Blake said. “Daniel needs someone like you. His idea of a social worker was always someone who dresses up and has dinner during a business meeting.”
Jackie feigned a laugh, but the comments only continued to drive home the vast differences between her and Daniel. The high-powered business meetings that seemed to be his whole life were worlds away from the path she’d chosen for herself.
Even though she’d been fantasizing about Daniel way too often over the last week, his friends were reminding her of an inalienable truth: he was the opposite of her, and they would never be compatible. Not even in her wildest fantasies.
It was just driving home the fact that the deepest part of her seemed hesitant to accept: that this would begin, and end, as a business arrangement.
Appetizers arrived, skinny wooden boards filled with panko shrimp and canapes and slabs of salmon draped over oiled greens. Jackie ate recklessly—she’d never seen so much gourmet food in one place—and was absolutely stuffed before the main course even arrived. The excellent wine filled her belly too. She’d started with a pinot grigio but segued into a cabernet sauvignon that they said was bottled on site. Bottled on site! The drunker and happier she got, the more items she added to her Napa to-do list.
Once Daniel finally showed up, it felt like only a half hour had passed in the whirlwind of good food and wine—but when she checked her phone, it showed that he was actually an hour and a half behind her, and not the hour he promised.
The whole table cheered and catcalled him as he sat down. Especially—and unsurprisingly—Grayson and Blake.
“There he is!” Blake lifted his glass as Daniel eased into the seat beside her. She grinned up at him, feeling more eager to see him than she’d expected. Was it possible to miss a fake boyfriend she’d only had for a few hours? She patted his knee as he sat down, but he didn’t even glance her way.
“Who’s paying out now that I’m forty seconds late?” Daniel cracked, immediately reaching for a waiting glass of wine.
“I was forbidden by my love to engage in betting during our wedding week,” Grayson said, raising his palms in surrender. “So you have a free pass.”
“You got lucky,” Blake added.
“Now the two lovebirds are reunited!” Mila cooed, grinning at them from across the table. “Oh, you two are cute together.”
Jackie grinned, leaning into Daniel’s side. This was all pretend—so why not have fun with it?
“We get that a lot,” she said, tilting her head to look up at Daniel. He laughed, but it sounded forced.
“Did everyone welcome you nicely?” he asked.
“More than nicely,” she said, hooking her arm through his. God, he was nice to hang onto. She grinned out at everyone, hoping that this level of look-we’re-dating was what Daniel had in mind. “We’re already best friends, all of us.”
Daniel smiled, but he felt wooden beneath her grip. She loosened her hold on him, reaching for her wine instead. He did the same as Blake launched into a conversation about some work thing the three of them were familiar with.
Dessert made the rounds soon, and Jackie could only take one bite before her full belly protested. She tried to keep a smile pasted on and stay engaged in Daniel’s conversation at her side, but the longer they sat together, the more she understood why his friends had doubted he’d make time for a girlfriend—even if it was just for a week-long wedding celebration. If this was how he treated the women he dated, it was little wonder that they got fed up. He wasn’t rude to her, but he made no effort to include her.
When it got to the point where she imagined all his friends were probably thinking they looked like the least happy couple ever, she grabbed his hand, bringing his knuckles up to her mouth.
“Hey, babe,” she said, trying to sound bubbly. “Did you check out our suite yet? We’re in the plum orchard.”
He looked down at her, curiosity sparking in his gaze before it faded away to confusion. He hesitated before he said, “You mean, outside?”
“No, the suite is called the plum orchard, silly.” She slapped his shoulder playfully. “It’s gorgeous. I can’t wait until you see it. We’re going to have so much fun there.”
His laughter sounded forced, and Jackie tried to squash her annoyance. This whole thing was his idea, and he wasn’t even going to try to pretend? His friends would figure out this was a farce, and he would lose the bet tomorrow at this rate—which meant she’d lose her tuition money.
And she wouldn’t allow that happen. Not when her future was riding on it.
This meant they needed to have a serious talk about what this whole ‘dating’ thing meant, and what they planned to show to the world.
Because this right here? He was as convincing as a piece of drif
twood.
And Jackie knew that even workaholic Daniel had to have more passion inside him than that.
She just needed to coax it out of hiding.
5
Daniel’s head was spinning by the time he and Jackie went back to the plum orchard.
It was hard to orient himself to all the new elements surrounding him here. The lush villa begged him to forget about his work obligations and deadlines. And with this version of Jackie at his side—darkly rimmed eyes, cleavage screaming his name, her cute little feet stuffed into the sexiest heels he’d ever seen—it was easy to get lost in the vortex. This fantasy place where he could relax and enjoy this beautiful woman at his side.
It was too disorienting. Because one look at Jackie made him forget the rules they’d put in place. This stays platonic. He’d promised it to her. He’d promised it to himself.
As soon as he shut the door to their suite behind him, Jackie let out a long sigh.
“That was seriously, hand down, the best dinner I’ve ever had.”
He smiled but it faded quickly. He worked at undoing his watch and slipping off his shoes. He’d had a long day, and it wasn’t over yet.
“You didn’t seem to enjoy it,” Jackie said as she floated toward their bedroom. An enormous king bed sat beneath a wall where water trickled noiselessly, like a miniature cliff face instead of a headboard. The sight was mesmerizing, and he watched it for a few moments as she eased onto the side of the bed, kicking off her heels.
“It was great,” he admitted. “I was just a little too distracted to enjoy it fully.”
She nodded like this didn’t surprise her. “Your friends talked a lot about that.”
“About what?” he asked, heading for his briefcase. He went over the list of emails he needed to send in his head, lest Jackie’s winding down process distract him.
“About the fact that you’re constantly working.”
He tugged his laptop out from his briefcase and hit the power button. “They work just as much as I do, don’t let them fool you.”