He’d lied to her. She knew he’d lied. And all the while he’d been giving her that smile—a smile that should have been declared illegal. She certainly hoped he didn’t flash that smile willy-nilly on the streets—he’d be responsible for car crashes and pedestrian collisions left and right.
A full day had passed and she was still trying to sort out why he would have lied to her, not to mention why he seemed to be everywhere she went—and that was when it happened.
She looked up from Lily, the little girl whose drawing she was admiring…and bam! Her heart smashed against her ribcage. Colton Parker. Gone was the badge and the uniform shirt. This time he was dressed casually, as though it was his day off.
She stiffened when his gaze clashed with hers across the room.
There it was. That smirk. It didn’t fade, and he didn’t look away. Not even when the nurse on duty came to stand beside him and started talking. By the looks of it, she was flirting.
Of course she was.
The pretty blonde in pink scrubs twirled her hair as she laughed at whatever it was he’d just said.
There was absolutely no reason for the nurse’s flirting to annoy Addison so intensely. There was also zero explanation for why her heart was threatening to leap out of her chest and do a cha-cha all the way over to Colton’s cowboy-boot-clad feet.
What on earth was he doing here?
The pediatrician who’d come in to check up on some of his patients as she worked with them on their artwork came to stand by her side. “Do you know our new volunteer?”
New…volunteer?
She tore her gaze away from Colton’s smirking stare to face the doctor. Doctor…Hellman, she thought his name was. She’d learned so many names over the last few days, she had a hard time keeping them all straight. “He’s a volunteer?” Disbelief tinged her voice.
“That’s right.” The doctor’s smile was warm and welcoming, as it had been every time she’d talked to him. “Seems today’s his first day. Maybe you can show him the ropes.”
“But I—”
“I know, I know. You’re still new here yourself.” He patted her shoulder and she had to resist the urge to jerk away. She’d never been much for people invading her personal space, at least not before she truly knew someone. She was all for hugging friends, kissing on the cheek…but with relative strangers her first tendency was to back away from touchy-feely people.
The doctor didn’t seem to notice her discomfort as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “But you’ve made fast friends with our patients here, and in such a short amount of time.”
She forced a small smile of acknowledgment. “It’s a fantastic group of kids.”
“And you’re so good with them,” he said. “Colton here is in great hands.”
It was only then that she realized Colton was walking over to join them. His smirk was gone, but she was hardly reassured by the new expression on his handsome face.
Anger, or something like it, had darkened those piercing blue eyes and the weight of his stare now fell on the doctor’s hand which was holding onto her shoulder.
She hadn’t been aware that she could be any more uncomfortable. But between the doctor’s awkward grip on her and Colton’s nerve-wracking glare…she had a brief and overwhelming desire for the brightly-colored tile floor to open up and swallow her whole.
The doctor seemed to sense Colton’s annoyance too because his arm slipped away from her and he took a step back so he was once again respecting her personal space.
“I was just telling our lovely Ms. Mack here that she ought to show you the ropes. She hasn’t been volunteering with us for long, but the kids adore her.”
Addison’s cheeks heated at the praise, as well as the looks she was getting from both men. The doctor’s warm with praise, and Colton’s…well, she couldn’t honestly say what he was feeling. If anything, he looked determined.
She took another step back.
Dr. Hellman’s hand brushed her arm and she tried not to jerk away. “Addison has been teaching the patients, isn’t that right, Addie?”
She blinked in surprise. No one but her father and Vanessa called her Addie. The doctor’s use of her nickname felt weirdly intimate. “Um…”
“Oh yeah?” Colton’s voice sounded too loud in this little playroom. His grin was filled with cocky confidence that put her on edge. “And what do you teach these kids, Addie?”
She flinched at his use of the nickname. He leaned in slightly, his eyes filled with wicked amusement. “Poker?”
Her brows shot up. “What? No. No, of course not, I—”
His slow smirk had her trailing off in dismay. He was kidding. Of course. The reminder of their run-in the day before had her shifting uncomfortably, itching to run away.
“Ms. Mack, come look at my picture,” Thomas called out.
She smiled at him because it was impossible not to smile when this particularly adorable redheaded five-year-old spoke. He had the voice of an angel, and a lisp that made her heart clench with fierce tenderness.
“Be right there,” she called back. She looked back to the two men, and the nurse who seemed permanently attached to Colton’s side. “I’ll be back,” she murmured.
This was a lie.
The nurse knew where the art supplies were, as well as all the toys. If Colton was here to volunteer, someone else could show him the ropes.
But why was he here?
She was dying to know. The words were on the tip of her tongue even as she hovered over Thomas’s shoulder, oohing and aahing over his watercolors. “Is that a clown?” she asked. It was a stab in the dark.
Thomas looked up at her with wide eyes.
“Anyone can see that’s a rainbow.” Colton’s deep voice behind her had her shooting upright like she’d been zapped with a taser.
This man was lethal.
But even as she thought it, she saw Thomas’s face break into a wide, gleeful grin. “It’s a rainbow,” he agreed.
She looked over her shoulder to find a supremely smug Colton giving the child a nod of acknowledgement. “Nice work.”
Panic set in at his proximity. He wasn’t touching her, but he was close, and the nurse…was gone. As was Dr. Hellman. It was just her, Colton, and the kids—most of whom were so engrossed in their painting and drawing that they weren’t paying the least bit of attention to the adults in the room.
“What are you doing here?” The words sort of tumbled out of her mouth.
He arched his brows, amusement making his eyes crinkle. “Well, that’s some welcome.”
She pressed her lips together, torn between embarrassment and irritation. “What are you doing here?” she asked again.
“Volunteering, just like you.”
She bit her lip to keep from blurting out any more questions. He was here to volunteer? Fine. Great. The kids could use as much entertainment and diversion as possible. Twisting her hands together in front of her, she went into work mode. Gesturing for him to follow, she showed him to the sink and ordered him to wash his hands, then she led him over to the toys and supplies.
He kept quiet as he followed her around, and for a minute she forgot to be nervous. This was her home away from home. He was the interloper here. For a little while there she actually felt at ease.
But then he had to go and speak. “So, are you and the doc a thing?”
She’d been going over the roster of names, pointing out who was who and giving him an overview of their conditions and how long they’d likely be here when he’d interrupted with that total non sequitur.
The clipboard fell from her hands. “P-pardon?” she stammered as she dropped down to a crouch to pick it up.
He was down on the ground beside her before she could come back to stand, and for a second it was like their first awful run-in all over again.
This man was a danger to her equilibrium.
“You and the doc,” he said as he handed her the roster and came to stand. “Are you guys a thing?”
&nbs
p; Ew. She thought of the overly touchy-feely doctor with his condescending tone and smarmy smile. “No. No. Definitely not.”
His laugh was a low rumble that she could feel in her belly. “So, that’s a no then?”
She looked up at him, his eyes all crinkled up in laughter, the cleft in his chin just begging to be touched. Was that…was that relief in his eyes?
No. Of course not. Even her ever-loyal best friend hadn’t believed that a guy like Colton could be into a woman like her. She took a deep breath and turned away.
“Ms. Mack,” Lily called out. “I need your help.”
“Coming.” She wondered if her relief was that obvious as she hurried over to the oldest of the group. Lily’s bald head was wrapped in a pretty pink scarf that her mom had bought for her the day before. Addison knew that because Lily had told her all about it. The girl was chatty, and outgoing, and so very different from what Addison had been like as a child in a pediatric ward just like this one.
“I can’t get it right,” Lily said now, a fierce scowl in place as she glared down at her work in progress.
“Hmm.” Addison planted her hands on her hips as she studied the girl’s drawing. Cinderella. Again. The girl was obsessed with princesses, but her drawing skills were improving dramatically. “It’s almost perfect. I think you just need to work on your perspective.”
“Perspective?”
“Yup.” She pulled up a small seat beside the other girl and explained the basic concept of perspective, picking up a piece of charcoal to add a little shading.
“That’s better,” Lily said.
“You try.”
She was so engrossed in helping Lily that she didn’t notice Colton had followed her over. “That’s really impressive,” he said.
Lily beamed up at him. “Thank you. Ms. Mack helped.”
“Did she?”
“Uh huh,” Lily pushed out a small chair and Addison couldn’t quite squelch the laugh that bubbled up as she watched him try to fold his large frame into the tiny piece of furniture. “She’s really good,” Lily gushed, her wide eyes fixed on Colton.
Colton slid the piece of paper in his direction for a better look. “I’d say you’re really good,” he said, making the young girl’s smile grow even wider.
“Thanks, but I’m not as good as Ms. Mack.” She pushed her chair back. “Wait, I’ll show you.”
“Oh, you don’t have to—” Addison started, but Lily was already off and running.
“You’re an art teacher?” he asked.
She couldn’t ignore him without being unforgivably rude so she turned her attention to the man whose presence seemed to take up the entire room. He looked sexy even now, perched on a tiny chair. It just wasn’t fair. She tucked some hair behind her ear as she nodded.
“Is that what you do? Are you a teacher?”
“No,” she said. “I’ve started up a graphic design company. It’s just getting underway but I’m hopeful that by the end of the summer it’ll be my full-time job.”
He stared at her for a moment, and she realized how much she’d said. Maybe she was starting to get a little more comfortable around this guy, after all. She normally did warm up to people eventually; she just wasn’t used to guys who looked like Colton giving her the time of day.
Unless they knew who she was. She winced involuntarily at the memory of her high school boyfriend.
Unless they wanted something from her.
They stared at one another for a heartbeat. She was still shocked by the fact that she’d voluntarily offered up information about herself, and he seemed just as taken aback.
The silence was broken by Lily, who proudly presented a painting to Colton. The painting was of Lily—well, Lily as a princess. By her request, of course. Thomas’s picture featured him as a clown…hence her earlier guess.
Colton looked at the picture for a long moment and then looked to Lily. “Did you make this?”
She laughed. “No, silly. Ms. Mack made it.”
His gaze shot to her face and she felt the blood rushing to her cheeks.
“This is amazing.” He didn’t say it like Dr. Hellman had—all syrupy compliments and insincere praise. No, Colton said it like it was a fact. And he wasn’t waiting for her to accept the praise either. “You are really talented.”
She cleared her throat. “Thank you. I, uh…” She cast a quick look at Lily, mentally willing the girl to come to her rescue.
She did not. Lily was already back in her seat, bent over her artwork, her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth in concentration.
“I plan to do paintings of all the kids.” She glanced around at the handful of kids who were hard at work with their art. “Well, all the kids who will be here for a while.”
His silence was unnerving. When she risked a glance in his direction, her heart took a tumble toward her toes. His gaze was so very intense. His eyes searching, his lips slightly parted like he was going to say something but stopped.
“What?” she asked, her tone just a little too defensive.
“Nothing, just…” He cleared his throat. “Nothing.” He looked around, and this time it looked like he was hoping one of the kids would come to his aid.
They didn’t.
The heartless little monsters were way too interested in their projects to worry about the tension going on between the adults in the room.
“I’m just wondering how I can be of service,” Colton finally said with a smile. Once again he was back to being the charming, confident guy she’d first met. “I’m afraid I’m pretty useless when it comes to arts and crafts.”
“Just being here is a good start,” she said. “The kids love visitors, and keeping them occupied is a help. Their parents can go take a nap or grab some food while they’re being entertained, and it helps keep their minds off of what they’re dealing with.”
He studied her. “You seem to know a lot about this.”
She should. She’d spent the better part of her childhood in pediatric wards just like this one. “I’ve been volunteering for a while now.”
“Uh huh.”
She waited for him to say more, afraid of what else she might say if given half the chance. She didn’t trust herself around this guy. He made her uncomfortable, and when she was uncomfortable…bad things happened. Either she ran away, she clammed up, or she blurted out whatever was on her mind.
“Where did you learn to paint like this?” he asked.
She shrugged. “A teacher, just like everyone else.”
His eyes narrowed a bit. “So you took art classes in school?”
“Um…something like that.”
His lips twitched a bit. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m interrogating you right now?”
She choked on a laugh. “Why do I get the feeling I’m being interrogated?”
He held his hands up in mock innocence. “Hey, I’m just trying to make nice with my fellow volunteer.”
“Uh huh.” She crossed her arms.
He mimicked her pose and her noise of disbelief. “Uh huh. What does that mean?”
A muscle near her eye twitched as she froze in indecision. Was she being paranoid? Was he just a friendly guy? Was it coincidence that he was here volunteering at the same time that she was?
No. It didn’t add up. Straightening in her seat, she summoned up her courage and met his gaze head-on. “What are you doing here?”
“I already told you—”
“And I don’t believe you,” she said. “I keep running into you, and you keep trying to talk to me, and…why?”
He opened his mouth and closed it again. “Would it be so horrible if I said I wanted to be your friend?”
She frowned at him, uncertain whether he was teasing. He seemed serious. But it still didn’t add up. Her instincts, the ones that had seen his lies a mile away the day before at the coffee shop—they were on high alert, looking for a tell, a tick of some sort, or maybe a nervous twitch.
He sat perfectl
y still, his gaze never wavering from hers.
A friend. He wanted to be her friend?
Nope, still didn’t compute.
Luckily she was saved from responding by the return of Dr. Hellman. She thought perhaps he was here to check on one of his patients, but he headed straight toward her, his teeth gleaming a shade of white that came naturally to no man. Caps, maybe?
Her fascination with his teeth came to an abrupt halt as he stopped beside her. “Addie, just the woman I was hoping to see.”
Surprised, she turned to look at Colton, who was staring at the doctor with narrowed eyes. She fidgeted with the sleeve of her cardigan. “Oh, um…you were?”
He gave her his hand and she took it, allowing him to help her to her feet. “I wanted to see if you’d like to join me for dinner tomorrow night.”
She stared for so long that her eye started to sting. For a second she was certain she’d heard him wrong. Then she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond. He’d spoken it as a statement, not a question, but she felt certain she had a say in whether or not she went out with the doctor who made her cringe. “Um…”
This apparently was taken as a yes. “I’ve got a standing reservation at the Harlow Inn every Friday night, and I would love it if you could join me.”
Addison didn’t even know what to find more surprising—that this doctor who barely knew her had asked her out on a date, that he’d done it in front of Colton Parker and a handful of her art students, or that he had a standing reservation at the only nice restaurant in town.
Who even did that?
“I, uh…I’m sorry,” she started. Oh mercy, no one had ever asked her out on a date before. Ever. Not once. How was she supposed to say no without being a jerk? “I’m afraid I can’t tomorrow night. I have plans.”
He frowned. “You have plans? What plans?”
She froze. It never occurred to her that he might question her excuse. What would Vanessa say? What would she do? Whatever it was, it would be sassy and bold, and there was no way on earth she’d be able to pull it off.
A heavy arm fell over her shoulders. “She’s heading to the fair,” Colton said. “With me.”
Addison’s gaze shot up to him, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at Dr. Hellman, and his unflinching glare was unnerving.
Fake Dating the Unsuspecting Heiress Page 5