ã€ŠI want You Deeperã€‹


 Chapter 1

    LILY

    Graduating high school and turning eighteen should have made me excited about my future, but instead, I¡¯m bored out of my goddamn mind and itching for some action. I¡¯ve always been a good girl. I was valedictorian, voted most likely to seed, and spent more time in the school library than any other student in the history of my high school.

    I¡¯m also as untouched as a damn nun, and if I don¡¯t get some cock soon, I¡¯m going to lose my mind. I¡¯ve got my heart set on the sexy, older owner of my favorite Italian bistro. Alexander Moretti is more than twice my age and so sexy it should be illegal. Ever since I was little, my family has gone every Wednesday night to eat there. Mr. Moretti was my first crush, and it¡¯s never gone away.

    It started harmless enough, but as I got older, my feelings grew bigger and stronger. Soon I couldn¡¯t even get through the meal without soaking right through my panties. So many times I had to run to the bathroom just so I could hurry up and rub one out while I fantasized about him fucking me. It was the only way I could get any relief for my poor aching pussy.

    Now that I¡¯m an adult, I can finally act on how I¡¯ve been feeling. I¡¯ve dared myself to make a move. It¡¯s a simple dare. All I have to do is go to his restaurant, find a table in a dark corner, catch his eye, and sh him my tits. Two seconds of bravery before I ran off to college and probably never saw him again. The worst that can happen is he looks away and I slink out of there with my face beet red and my heart broken. No biggie. But the best that can happen is a night with Alexander, and that¡¯s worth the risk of humiliation.

    Studying myself in the mirror, I eye the short ck dress I picked out, loving the way it hugs my body and shows off all my curves. I didn¡¯t bother with a bra, and the strapless dress will make it easy to tug it down and expose a tit. Testing it, I give myself a provocative smile and slip one side down, showing my tit quickly before pulling it back up. Simple. Now I just need to do that in the middle of a crowded restaurant without anyone seeing him. I sh myself again andugh. My full tit and hard nipple are going to be impossible for him to ignore, or at least that¡¯s the n.

    I¡¯ve paired the dress with a tiny,cy thong and ck thigh highs, and the heels I¡¯m wearing make me feel downright morous. It¡¯s time to stop acting like a kid. I¡¯m a grown-ass woman now, and I¡¯m ready for a real man.

    It¡¯s Friday night, so my parents are out with some friends, making it easy for me to leave without having to answer a million questions. The drive downtown doesn¡¯t take long, and when I pull into the small parking lot, I check the mirror onest time before taking a deep breath and getting out. The Italian bistro is always busy. It serves the best food in town and there¡¯s just something so damn charming about the ce. It feels like you¡¯re escaping to Italy when you step inside.

    The gorgeous hostess at the front greets me with a huge smile. She¡¯s not the one who usually works Wednesday nights, so I don¡¯t recognize her, but I immediately dislike her because she gets to work for my dream man, and I only get to see him once a week. Still, I smile back and point at the booth I want. It¡¯s the one way in the back corner that gives me a good view of the bar while also keeping me mostly hidden.

    After I¡¯m seated, I take a look around, trying to spot Mr. Moretti, but the waitresses over and I have to stop. I quickly order what I usually get and then go back to scanning the crowd. I¡¯m starting to worry that maybe he doesn¡¯te in on Friday nights, but right when I¡¯m about to give up all hope, I see him walk out from the back. He¡¯s in an expensive suit like always, and like always he looks mouthwateringly delicious. Just the sight of him has me wiggling around in my seat and my thong soaked in seconds.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    His blue eyes scan the crowd, and the dark stubble on his face entuates his chiseled jaw, making him look way too gorgeous. I¡¯m suddenly nervous as hell. Why did I think this was a good idea? And why in the fuck did I think I could ever be brave enough to do this?

    As if on cue, Alexander turns around and spots me. He smiles as soon as he sees me and starts to walk over. I have a sudden, crazy desire to hide under the table, but with his eyes locked on mine, he stalks toward my booth like a fucking tiger on the hunt, and it¡¯s so damn sexy that all I can do is sit here, watching him get closer and closer to me until he¡¯s standing less than a foot away. I can smell his expensive cologne when he leans closer, and I have to bite my bottom lip to keep from moaning and jumping into his very strong arms.

    His blue eyes run over me, and for one brief second, I can see the hunger in them before he pushes it away and says, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you tonight, Lily. Will your family be joining you?¡±

    His parents moved here when he was a teenager, so he speaks fluent English, but he still has a touch of that sexy, Italian ent, and every time I hear it, I swear I have a tiny orgasm.

    ¡°Um, no,¡± I sputter like an idiot. ¡°I mean, I just decided toe alone tonight.¡±

 Chapter 2

    He gives me a wink and says, ¡°A beautiful woman like you should never eat alone.¡±

    I¡¯m so stunned by hisment that I¡¯m speechless, but then I tell myself that he probably says that to everyone. I mean, restaurant owners are like car salesmen. They¡¯re all smiles andpliments. Still, I can¡¯t help but wish that he thought of me like that. Maybe he will after I sh him tit, I think, and barely manage to hold back theugh that threatens to bubble up. It¡¯s the nerves andpleteck of sex. It¡¯s starting to make me a bit unhinged.

    I take a deep breath and try my best to be bold. ¡°Well, maybe you can join meter, Mr. Moretti.¡±

    He smiles and runs his eyes over me again. ¡°Maybe I will, and call me Alexander.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Alexander,¡± I say, loving the wicked smile he gives me when I say his name.

    ¡°Enjoy your supper, Lily. I¡¯ll see youter.¡±

    He gives me another wink before walking off to help the bartender with something. I watch his broad shoulders and wonder if there¡¯s any way at all for me to fuck myself right here without anyone knowing. The waitress interrupts my thoughts by setting down my te of spaghetti and sweet tea. I¡¯m so nervous and horny that I can barely stomach the idea of eating anything, so instead I watch Alexander, choosing to feast on him.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    I can¡¯t help but notice how he keeps shooting and looks in my direction, almost like he¡¯s checking on me to make sure I¡¯m still here and okay. When I can¡¯t take it anymore, I scoot further into the corner and slide my hand up my dress, moaning at how fucking wet I am. My thong is soaked and my inner thighs are slippery with my juices.

    I know this is insane and not at all appropriate, but I can¡¯t help it. I need to cum or I¡¯m going to lose my goddamn mind, and I don¡¯t want to do it in the bathroom. I want to do it here where I can see Alexander while I fuck myself. Pushing my thong aside, I slide a finger into myself and bite my lip to keep from moaning too loudly.

    I very slowly finger myself while watching Alexander at the bar. The bartender sets a drink in front of him, and before he takes it, he looks over at me. I try to remain calm, telling myself that he can¡¯t possibly know what I¡¯m doing, but the hungry way he¡¯s looking at me makes me doubt myself.

    My pussy clenches around my finger, and when I slide out and bring my wet fingers to my swollen clit, I can¡¯t stop the moan that escapes when I start to slowly rub myself. I bite my bottom lip harder and try to force my hips still, but my body is having none of it. It has a will of its right now, and no amount of rational talk is going to stop it.

    He narrows his eyes at me, watching my every movement, and when I start to cum, I keep my eyes on him, whispering his name as pleasure crashes over me. I grip the table with my free hand and try not to scream. When I start toe down and all those I just came hard, feel-good vibes start hitting me, I give him a wicked smile and tug my dress down enough to expose one full tit to him.

    He watches me, gripping his ss so tightly that I¡¯m afraid he might break the damn thing. A nce around tells me he¡¯s the only one watching, so I give my nipple a good pinch before pulling my dress back up as thest of the aftershocks run throthroughiding my hand out from between my legs, I wiggle my glistening fingers at him in a cutesy wave before sucking them clean.

    By the time I¡¯m sliding thest finger out from between my lips, he¡¯s already crossed the room and is leaning down to whisper in my ear.

    ¡°Did you seriously just fuck yourself in my restaurant, little girl, and then sh me your tit?¡±

    A shiver runs through me at how strained his voice sounds. I let out a shaky breath and say, ¡°Yes,¡± because there¡¯s no point in denying it. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± I¡¯m a little surprised by my boldness. I me it on the orgasm I just had and the way my pussy is still throbbing with need.

    He lets out a deepugh and scoots into the booth next to me. His powerful body makes the space feel even smaller and more secluded, and when he scoots in closer so our bodies are touching, I lean into him and let out a sigh.

    ¡°What do you want me to do about it?¡± he asks, resting his hand on my thigh and smiling when I immediately part them in invitation.

    ¡°I want you to punish me for being a bad girl, and then I want you to fuck me.¡±

    He arches a dark brow in surprise and slides his hand under my dress. When he feels how slick my inner thighs are, he gives me a wicked grin. ¡°You have been a naughty little thing, haven¡¯t you? Youe to my restaurant and fuck your wet little pussy in public and then beg me to punish you for it. You always seemed so sweet and innocent, Lily.¡±

    I smile and part my thighs even more. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m innocent, Alexander, but hopefully not for too much longer.¡±

    His hand stills on my inner thigh. He grips me tightly and studies me. ¡°You¡¯re a virgin?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± I purr, leaning in even closer so our lips are almost touching. ¡°This little virgin pussy is all yours. I¡¯ve been saving it just for you, but I¡¯m not sure how much longer I can wait.¡±

 Chapter 3

    I moan and wrap my arms around his shoulders when he lightly brushes the tip of his finger over my soaked thong.

    ¡°This is all mine?¡± he asks, stopping his fingers right over my swollen, achy clit.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I whimper when he gives me a soft rub.

    ¡°No one else has touched or tasted you, Lily?¡± He fists the back of my hair and pulls me back so he can see me. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I say in a breathy rush. ¡°I¡¯ve never even been kissed. I¡¯ve always wanted you, just you.¡±

    He presses harder against my clit, giving me a firm rub that has me rocking my hips and letting out a soft moan. Fisting my hair even harder, he keeps his eyes on me and roughly yanks my thong aside before sliding a finger into me.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± I whimper, making the corner of his mouth rise in a sexy smirk.

    He fingers me slowly, running his eyes over me so he can see the effect he¡¯s having on me. He notices every tiny detail of my arousal and when he presses his thumb to my clit, making my breath hitch, he says, ¡°This is the first part of your punishment, sweetheart.¡±

    I smile and say, ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel like much of a punishment to me.¡±

    The wicked grin he gives me should have me nervous, but I¡¯m way too far gone to be thinking properly. All I care about is the way he¡¯s working my pussy just as perfectly as I knew he would.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cum,¡± he warns, making my eyes widen in surprise before I let out augh.

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± I say, making it painfully obvious that I think it¡¯s the stupidest suggestion I¡¯ve ever heard.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You have a lot to learn, little one, but don¡¯t worry.¡± He gives my clit a hard enough pinch to make me gasp. ¡°I will teach you.¡±

    I¡¯m so stunned that all I can do is stare at him in surprise, and when he starts to rub my throbbing clit again, I let out a surprised yelp at how damn good it feels when the pain mixes with the pleasure.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cum,¡± he warns again, and I shake my head yes because I can¡¯t seem to form words. ¡°Good girl.¡±

    I moan at his praise and rock my hips again, knowing I¡¯m dangerously close to the edge. I can¡¯t seem to stop, though. I¡¯m more aroused than I ever thought possible, and the feel of his hands working my pussy is unlike anything I¡¯ve ever known. He pulls my hair harder, shooting me a warning look that my body gives me no choice but to ignore it.

    His soaked fingers rub my clit as he slips another finger inside me, and I know there¡¯s no way in fuck I¡¯m going to be able to resist.

    ¡°Please,¡± I beg, digging my fingers into his strong shoulders, willing him to take pity on me. ¡°I¡¯m going to cum,¡± I pant.

    ¡°That would not be wise,¡± he calmly says, giving my clit a softer pinch, lighting my whole body on fire.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± I whimper, right before I look at him and moan his name, cumming so hard it feels like a fucking out-of-body experience. He watches me with hard eyes as I rock against him, breathing heavily and using all my strength to not scream and alert the whole damn ce to what¡¯s going on. He doesn¡¯t take pity on me. Instead, he works me harder, not caring that my clit is bing overly sensitive or that I¡¯m shaking and barely able to catch my breath.

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t,¡± he growls when I try to back away and give my poor clit some relief. ¡°You wanted to cum, little one, so fucking cum.¡±

    I moan and bite my lip when he forces another orgasm onto me. I buck against his hand as my pussy tightens around his finger and all my muscles tense as the orgasm thunders through me. He gives my clit a sharp pinch, making me let out a sharp squeal before I can stop myself. The wicked grin he gives me tells me he doesn¡¯t give a fuck, and when he pinches me again, I whimper and feel heat run through all my muscles, turning my body into a limp, weightless mess.

    ¡°Please,¡± I whimper. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I disobeyed. I¡¯ll be a good girl. I promise.¡±

    Heughs and takes pity on me, stilling his fingers so I can catch my breath. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure you know how to behave, little one. I have a feeling you¡¯re going to be quite the handful.¡±

    I¡¯m too dazed to do much except give him a loopy smile and try to remember how to breathe. When he slides his fingers out of my pussy, I let out a pained sigh at the loss of contact. He arches a brow at me but doesn¡¯t say anything, just brings his wet fingers to his mouth and slowly sucks them clean. The deep groan he gives at the taste of me has my pussy clenching and my nipples so hard they¡¯re achy. I need him inside me, and I need it now.

    ¡°Please,¡± I beg. ¡°I need you inside me.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just beg me to stop making you cum?¡±

    Hearing him say that out loud makes me wonder what in the everliving fuck I¡¯d been thinking. Why in the hell did I do that?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I quickly say, making himugh again.

    ¡°No,¡± he says, giving me a sinfully wicked grin, ¡°but you will be.¡±

 Chapter 4

    ALEXANDER

    I knew something was different the second Iid eyes on Lily tonight. She usuallyes here with her family, and she¡¯s always modestly dressed and shy. I¡¯ve always known she had a crush on me. the way she would always blush when I looked at her was enough to give that away, but I never thought she¡¯d act on it. I¡¯d hoped she would, but I¡¯m old enough to be her dad, and she always seemed too shy to try anything. God knows I¡¯ve jerked off enough to fantasize about her, but I always assumed that would be it.

    That is until she came in tonight in a sexy, ck dress and started fucking herself. I¡¯d nearly busted a goddamn nut just watching her when she¡¯d arched her back and orgasmed before shing me her perfect tit.

    She wiggles her perfect ass again and lets out a soft sigh, making me grit my teeth to keep from fucking her right here at the table. She can¡¯t seem to keep still, and the way she¡¯s eye-fucking me is driving me crazy. The taste of her sweet, virgin pussy is still on my tongue, making my head spin. Every fucking thing about her is a temptation. Her big brown eyes run over me, demanding I give her the cock she¡¯s so desperate for, but I¡¯ve never been one for obeying orders.

    I still have a tight grip on her hair, holding her in ce, and when I pull her back a bit, exposing her neck and making her scalp tingle with pain, she parts her lips in a gasp and rocks her hips again. Leaning in closer, I bring my face to her neck and breathe her in. She¡¯s wearing a light, floral scent, but underneath that is all Lily, and it makes my cock strain at my pants, desperate to get out and inside her sweet little cunt.

    She lets out a soft whimper when I run my tongue over her smooth skin before giving her a soft bite. Her hands run over me, eager and greedy to feel every part of me. When she slides a hand down and runs it over my hard cock, she lets out an adorable, surprised gasp that has me smiling against her skin.

    ¡°Find something you like, little one?¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± she whispers, exploring my cock with shy fingers that have my cock giving a healthy jump in my pants.

    I give her neck one more kiss before pulling back to look at her. Running my eyes over her flushed skin, I smile and say, ¡°Show me your tits.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She gives an embarrassedugh and darts her eyes around, but I know no one can see her, and I also know she didn¡¯t care too much about anyone seeing her when she shed me earlier.

    ¡°You heard me. That little glimpse you gave me earlier isn¡¯t enough.

    You want to give yourself to me?¡±

    She quickly nods her head yes and grips my cock possessively.

    ¡°Then show me what¡¯s mine, Lily.¡±

    When she pulls her hands back and starts to pull her dress down, I say, ¡°Good girl,¡± and watch the beautiful blush spread across her skin. I¡¯m hypnotized by the sight of her slowly lowering her dress, revealing her full, perfect tits to me one inch at a time. When her tits are on full disy, I groan and whisper a ¡°goddamn,¡± before cupping them in my hands.

    Her nipples are rock-hard, and she lets out a moan when I pinch them between my fingers. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful,¡± I tell her, squeezing her tits in my hands as she rocks her hips and her breathing picks up.

    ¡°I need you,¡± she whimpers, bringing her hand back to my cock.

    ¡°You need me or do you need my big cock, little virgin?¡±

    She smiles and says, ¡°Both.¡±

    Iugh at her honesty and give her nipples one more hard pinch before pulling her dress back up. She scrunches her brow up and says, ¡°But I thought you wanted to see my tits.¡±

    ¡°I do, my sweet girl, but I don¡¯t want anyone else seeing you. I just wanted to see how good you are at obeyingmands.¡±

    She gives me a cute, pouty smile. I pat myp and say, ¡°Come here.¡±

    I see the war going on behind that pretty face of hers. She wants to be a stubborn brat, but she¡¯s also desperate to hear another good girl from me, and there¡¯s no denying how much she wants my cock. Even now her eyes are locked on the hard length of me, and within seconds she¡¯s in myp, grinding her round ass against me like the sex-starved little virgin she is.

    ¡°Good girl,¡± I tell her, scooting further into the booth so we¡¯re both hidden from the waist down. Sliding my hand under her dress, she moans and turns to me, parting her pouty lips in a gasp when I drag my finger along her soaked slit. ¡°What did youe here for?¡± I ask her, giving her shoulder a soft bite while I tease her soaking wet pussy.

    ¡°You,¡± she moans, rocking her hips against me.

    ¡°What did you imagine happening?¡±

    She gives me a wicked grin. ¡°I wanted you to notice me and want me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I want you, sweetheart.¡± I give her clit a soft, teasing rub. ¡°Have you ever fucked yourself while you think about me?¡±

    ¡°All the time,¡± she whispers, her eyes growing dark as I speed my finger up. ¡°I always think about you fucking me. I think about you popping my cherry and fucking me hard, sometimes in your bed, sometimes right here in the middle of your restaurant, sometimes up against the wall.¡±

    She gives a small shrug, and I get the very distinct feeling that the list could go on and on.

    She surprises me by adding, ¡°I even think about you fucking my ass.¡± The shy giggle she gives after admitting it has me so close to busting a goddamn nut that I have to grit my teeth and take a calming breath to get myself under control.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You are full of surprises, little one.¡± I give her onest rub before pulling back. Before she can protest, I say, ¡°Kneel for me, sweetheart.¡±

    She looks at me like she¡¯s waiting for me tough, but when I don¡¯t, she shoots a nervous look around the restaurant. When she¡¯s sure no one is watching, she carefully lowers herself between my thighs, kneeling under the table like the good girl she is.

    ¡°Undo my pants and take out my cock,¡± I tell her, giving her a wink.

 Chapter 5

    She smiles up at me and brings her shaky fingers to the button of my pants, undoing it shyly. I¡¯m reminded that this is the first time she¡¯s ever undressed a man, and it makes me so fucking hard I almost feel sorry for the poor girl. She¡¯s going to have a mouthful, more than she can probably handle, and I¡¯m going to enjoy watching her choke on my cock. When my pants are unzipped, I keep still and try not tough at how carefully she¡¯s trying to remove my dick. When my need to have her lips around me outweighs everything else, I reach down and help her out, fisting my cock and sliding it out for her. Her whispered ¡°Wow¡± from beneath the table makes meugh.

    Reaching under the table, I pat her head and say, ¡°Get to know my cock, little virgin, and be quiet. I¡¯m going to get a drink.¡±

    Before she can say anything, I raise my hand and wave a waitress over. The feel of Lily¡¯s sweet mouth on the head of my cock makes it nearly impossible to speak, but I fucking love that I¡¯m getting a blowjob right here in the middle of my crowded restaurant without anyone being the wiser. Just the idea of it has me nearly cumming all over my sweet girl¡¯s face.

    ¡°Bring me my usual,¡± I tell the waitress. She doesn¡¯t ask questions, just turns to get my drink, leaving me alone with Lily again.

    ¡°Fuck, baby,¡± I groan when she runs her tongue along my shaft. ¡°You like the taste of my precum?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± she moans, sliding her tongue up before giving my head a soft suck that nearly has my eyes rolling back in my head.

    ¡°Good because I¡¯m about to give you a whole lot more to swallow.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She lets out a whimper and sucks me harder, making me grab onto the table so hard it makes my hands ache. When the waitresses back, it takes all my strength to give a nod and say, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    The young woman doesn¡¯t seem to be taking the hint, though, because she starts talking about the weekend schedule. I swear I hear Lily let out a soft giggle before sucking me harder, sliding my cock further into her mouth while she lightly drags her nails over my tensed-up balls.

    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± I groan, making the waitress pause and look at me in surprise. ¡°Sorry,¡± I hurry up and say, ¡°but I need you to leave now. Talk to Eric about your schedule.¡±

    She¡¯s about to say something, but the look on my face stops her. She says a quick, ¡°Okay, sorry to bother you,¡± before scuttling off back to the kitchen.

    I down my drink in onerge swallow, trying to get myself back under control. When Lilyughs again, I lean back to look down at her and say, ¡°Payback¡¯s a bitch, sweetheart, just remember that.¡±

    Her eyes widen at my words, making meugh. ¡°Toote to worry about it now. Keep sucking, sweet girl. Show me how deep you can take me.¡±

    With a sexy moan, she opens her mouth and takes me in again. I watch my cock disappear between her full, wet lips until she¡¯s about halfway down. When she tries to take me in another inch, she gags and freezes in ce, turning her big, brown eyes up to me.

    I give her a wicked grin. ¡°Serves you right for teasing me so much. I should sit here and watch you gag and choke on my cock as you try to take me in, because, fuck, would I enjoy that, but this is your first blowjob, so maybe I should go easy on you. What do you think, little virgin, should I help you take me in?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± she whimpers around my cock, begging me with her teary eyes. I let out a groan when she tried to lower herself again and choked on me, causing the tears in her eyes to spill over.

    ¡°Fuck, baby,¡± I say, reaching down to cup her face. ¡°I could cum right now just from watching you try so hard to deepthroat me.¡±

    She runs her tongue over me and gives me another hard suck.

    ¡°God, you¡¯re so fucking perfect. You have no idea how much I¡¯m going to enjoy fucking the hell out of every part of you. I¡¯m going to leave all three of your holes, stretched, sore, and dripping my seed.¡±

    She moans and whimpers around my cock, begging me with her eyes to give her all of it. ¡°Soon, baby. First, I¡¯m iming your mouth, and then I¡¯m going to im your pussy, and then your sweet little ass. Would you like that?¡± I ask, running my thumbs over her cheek to wipe away her tears.

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± she moans, shaking her head yes as best she can.

    ¡°Good girl,¡± I say, making her close her eyes in pleasure and give me another suck. When I wrap one hand around her neck, she opens her eyes and looks at me, giving me a wink to let me know she¡¯s okay. I smile and tighten my fingers around her throat. ¡°Just rx, baby, let me show you how I like it.¡±

    When I feel her rx and take a big breath through her nose, I tighten my fingers even more and slowly lower her down. ¡°That¡¯s right, sweetheart,¡± I tell her when she takes me in another inch. ¡°You¡¯re taking my cock like such a good girl.¡±

    She whimpers at my praise, and I swear I could probably make her cum just by tying her up and teasing her while I praise the hell out of her. I promise myself I¡¯ll test that theory someday very soon. When I slide her down the rest of the way and my cock is firmly lodged in her throat, I let out a groan and try to memorize every detail of this moment so I can rey it again and again.

    ¡°Fucking hell, baby,¡± I groan, keeping her still for just a few more seconds. When she digs her fingers into my thighs and lets out a soft whimper, I slowly pull her up so she can take in a lungful of air before sliding her right back down. She gives herself over to me, letting me move her however I want, and I wish we were alone right now so I could kick the damn table out of the way and fuck her sweet face as roughly as I want.

    Lucky for her, I remember that I can¡¯t do that and instead keep her at a slow, steady pace that doesn¡¯t rattle the untouched meal on top of the table or alert all the people around us as to what¡¯s going on. My breathing picks up, and my body is so damn tense with the need to cum that I know I¡¯m not going tost much longer. She sucks me harder, sensing how close I am to the edge, and when she runs her nails softly over my balls again, I clench my jaw and stifle a groan as I bury myself in her throat, cumming with a force that shocks the hell out of me.

    She moans as I shoot my load down her sweet throat, and when I feel her throat constrict around my head as she swallows everything I¡¯m giving her, I know there¡¯s no way in fuck I¡¯m ever letting my sweet little virgin go. She¡¯s mine now, and I¡¯m going to im every inch of her and breed the everliving fuck out of her young, fertile body.

 Chapter 6

    When I¡¯m finally empty, I loosen my grip on her, and she immediately pulls back enough to suck in a big lungful of air. I expect her to crawl back up into myp, but she surprises me by taking her time and licking and sucking me clean, worshipping my damn cock with her lips and tongue until I¡¯m almost fully hard again and needing to be inside her like I¡¯ve never needed anything before in my life.

    I hook my finger under her chin and tilt her face up to look at me. ¡°Come with me, sweetheart,¡± I tell her, tucking my cock away and grabbing onto her hand. She follows me from the table as I lead her to my office in the back. My staff eye me, but they¡¯re all wise enough to keep their mouths shut. As soon as we¡¯re inside, I shut and lock the door and pick Lily up, smiling when she immediately wraps her arms and legs around me.

    I give her bottom lip a soft bite and say, ¡°You sucked my cock like such a good girl.¡±

    She beams at my praise and runs one hand through the back of my hair, holding me close as she runs her tongue over my lips. ¡°Please,¡± she begs in between licks and kisses. ¡°Please fuck me.¡±

    I set her on my desk and kissed her hard while grabbing onto the bottom of her dress. I pull away from her lips long enough to yank her dress off and toss it aside before bringing my mouth back to hers. I give her tongue a suck, loving that she tastes like me. She leans back on her forearms as I start to kiss my way down her neck, wanting to taste every inch of her body.

    Every part of her tastes so fucking good.

    ¡°Please fuck me,¡± she begs again.

    I smile and give her corbone a soft bite. ¡°There¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m going to fuck you without tasting your little virgin pussy first.¡±

    She lets out a soft moan at my words.

    ¡°Be a good girl and be patient for me just a little while longer,¡± I say, kissing my way to her full, perky tits. ¡°Can you do that for me, sweetheart?¡± I wrap my mouth around one perfect tit and give her a good suck.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she moans, arching up to me.

    I flick her nipple with my tongue before giving her a soft bite. ¡°Good girl, baby.¡± I run my hands up her thighs and hook my fingers under her thong before slowly pulling it down and tossing it aside. I give her tit one more suck before pulling back so I can look at her. ¡°My fucking god,¡± I breathe out when I see her bald, wet pussy on my desk.

    She smiles and leans back so she can grab her knees. I watchpletely mesmerized as she draws her knees in and then spreads them wide. Her young, flexible body has no issues with the position. She spreads her knees so wide that her pussy lips gently part, and I feel like I¡¯ve died and gone to heaven. I kneel before her and grab onto the backs of her thighs, gripping her tightly as I press my face close to her bald little cunt and breathe her in.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± I groan, wanting to bury my entire face in her delicate little pussy. She¡¯s so wet, she¡¯s dripping onto the wood of my desk, and with a groan, I run my tongue up her glistening slit before slowly sliding in.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± she pants, reaching down to run her fingers through my hair as I slowly tongue fuck her. The taste of her drives me wild with need, and all I can think about is how damn good her little pussy is going to feel wrapped around my cock.

    Sliding my tongue out of her, I kiss and suck on her pussy lips before licking my way to her swollen clit. When I wrap my lips around her and give her a good suck, she bucks up against me with a gasp. I smile and flick her with my tongue, teasing her until she¡¯s panting and whimpering and rocking her small hips as best she can, so fucking eager and desperate to cum. When I slide a finger into her and start to rub her G-spot, her whole body starts to shake.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± she pants, reminding me of how innocent and adorable she is.

    I keep working with her, rubbing the bundle of nerves on her inner wall as I suck her clit, and when she starts to cum, she screams my name as her whole body tenses. She rocks her hips, heedless of anything except the pleasure racing through her, and when I feel her squirt, the hot liquid hitting my face and neck, I let out a deep groan and keep working her, forcing another orgasm onto her before she¡¯s evene down from the first.

    Slowing my finger down, I finger-fuck her in azy rhythm while I gently lick her pussy clean, savoring every damn drop of her. Tremors still run through her body, and when I slide my finger out of her and give her pussy onest kiss, she lets out a happy sigh as I stand up to look at her. The loopy came-hard hard smile she gives me is the cutest damn thing I¡¯ve ever seen.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    She watches me as I start to undress, lifting onto her forearms to get a better view, and when I¡¯m naked before her, she lets out another sigh and says, ¡°Wow. I knew you looked good in a suit, but I had no idea you¡¯d look this damn good out of it.¡±

    Iugh and step closer, smiling when she immediately sits up and starts running her hands over my body, exploring every inch of me with a virgin¡¯s curiosity.

    ¡°Ready to get fucked, little one?¡± I ask, pressing the head of my cock against her tight, wet slit.

    ¡°Fuck yes,¡± she practically purrs, scraping her nails down my chest.

 Chapter 7

    LILY

    I can¡¯t believe this sexy man is about to pop my cherry. I¡¯m having a hell of a time trying to decide what to look at. My eyes keep darting from the hard, chiseled upper chest that¡¯s covered in tattoos I¡¯d had no idea he had, to the many peaks and grooves of his rock-hard abs, to the enormous cock that¡¯s pressing against my virgin pussy and about to enter me.

    Hisugh brings my eyes back to his, reminding me that his face is just as gorgeous as the rest of him. He fists his cock, running his thick head over my clit and making me forget about everything except how fucking good this feels.

    ¡°Are you sure this is what you want?¡± he asks, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say, rocking my hips against the desk. ¡°I¡¯ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Please fuck me, Alexander. Make me your woman.¡±

    He smiles at my answer and keeps rubbing my clit, sliding his thick head over my sensitive skin. He¡¯s covered in precum again, making it easy to slide over me, and I watch,pletely mesmerized by the sight of it.

    ¡°You like watching?¡± he asks me, and I love how strained his voice sounds. I love that I¡¯m the one having this effect on him.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say, making him smile. ¡°I never knew it could be so arousing to watch.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Keep watching,¡± he tells me. ¡°Watch yourself cum, and then watch me pop your little cherry.¡±

    ¡°Fuck,¡± I groan, so turned on by his words and the sight of his cock running over me that it only takes seconds before I start to cum again.

    ¡°Keep watching,¡± he growls before pressing the head of his cock against my slit and sliding into me.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I yell as he pushes past my body¡¯s natural resistance and ms into me. Pain mixes with my orgasm, and I¡¯m so overwhelmed by everything that when he leans closer to me, I dly wrap my arms around him to anchor myself.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby,¡± he whispers in my ear. ¡°I¡¯ve got you.¡±

    I cling to him as he slowly fucks me, and when he cups the back of my head, pulling back so he can see me, he gives me the sweetest smile before kissing and licking away my tears.

    ¡°You¡¯re mine now, sweetheart, and I¡¯m never letting you go.¡±

    His words send a thrill through me, and when I start to rock my hips, needing and wanting more, heughs and gently lowers me to the desk.

    ¡°You want it harder, baby?¡± he asks, kissing his way down my chest as he starts to fuck me faster.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I moan, feeling every thick inch of his cock as he slides in and out of me. He squeezes one tit roughly while wrapping his mouth around the other, and I feel like I¡¯m going to explode from pleasure overload. I run my hands through his hair before sliding my nails along his shoulders and upper back. He gives my nipple a sharp bite while pinching my other one and circles his hips as he fucks me in long, deep thrusts that hit my clit perfectly every time.

    ¡°Oh fuck!¡± I moan, feeling myself start to cum again. I scream his name, not giving a flying fuck if the whole damn restaurant can hear me, and cum hard enough to make me see stars. He doesn¡¯t let up, just starts to fuck me harder until all I can do is mumble incoherently and then whimper and moan when I lose the ability to even do that.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, baby,¡± he growls, fucking me in a hard, fast rhythm that keeps my orgasmsting longer than I ever thought possible. ¡°Let the whole fucking world know who you belong to.¡±

    When I finally start toe down, I let out a shaky breath and give him a big, ridiculous smile. ¡°God, you¡¯re good at this,¡± I say, making himugh.

    ¡°It¡¯s your tight little cunt, sweetheart. It¡¯s driving me crazy.¡± He pulls back and keeps a tight grip on the backs of my thighs, keeping me spread wide for him as he slows down, fucking me in long, powerful strokes that have me whimpering with need. ¡°Watch your little pussy take my cock,¡± he growls, keeping his eyes on my pussy as he rams into me again and again.

    I watchpletely mesmerized by the sight of him fucking me and spreading me wider than I ever thought possible. He¡¯s covered in my juices and the tiny bit of blood I see mixed with it has me letting out a soft moan.

    ¡°Mine,¡± he growls, fucking me harder.

    ¡°Yours,¡± I say inplete agreement. ¡°Only yours.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± he says, and those two words send a spike of pleasure all through me. I know I¡¯m going to spend the rest of my life waiting to hear him tell me that, trying my damnedest to make him want to say it.

    He gives me a sexy, wicked grin, knowing exactly what his praise does to me. When he brings one hand to my clit, I let out a gasp and use thest remaining strength I have to keep my hands nted firmly behind me, keeping myself upright instead of falling back onto the desk like my body wants to.

    Squeezing my clit between his fingers, he gives me a soft squeeze. ¡°Fuck!¡± I moan, rocking my head back and arching my tits out to him, desperate for more, for anything and everything he wants to give me.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asks in a strained, deep voice.

    ¡°Everything,¡± I pant, nearlying right out of my skin when he gives my clit another firm pinch.

    ¡°Not good enough. Tell me what you want, sweet girl.¡±

    The next pinch he gives me has me practically purring like a damn cat and arching my body for more. I can barely think. I¡¯ve been reduced to the basest of instincts, and all I want is to be fucked over and over again.

    ¡°Your cock,¡± I moan. ¡°I want your cock. I want you to never stop fucking me, and I want you to fill my little pussy with your cum.¡±

    ¡°Fuck,¡± he groans, massaging my clit between his fingers as he rams his cock into me.

    ¡°Breed me,¡± I beg. ¡°Cum inside your good girl.¡±

    With a groan, he rams into me even harder, rubbing and pinching my clit until I¡¯m screaming his name and bucking wildly against him, cumming so hard I¡¯m momentarily blinded. My pussy clenches tightly around his cock, and when I feel him start to shoot his load inside me, I throw my head back and scream, ¡°Yes, fuck yes!¡± while my pussy milks him dry.

 Chapter 8

    His fingers dig into me, holding me still as he keeps our bodies locked together until he¡¯spletely spent and we¡¯re both gasping for air. Pressing his forehead to mine, he smiles and says, ¡°Fucking hell, baby.¡±

    I smile and kiss him, letting out a moan of protest when he starts to slide his cock from my used sore pussy. He looks at my cunt and lets out a groan. ¡°God, you look sexy as fuck dripping my cum, sweetheart.¡± ¡°I want to always look like this,¡± I tell him, making him smile.

    ¡°That won¡¯t be difficult since I¡¯m never going to be able to stop fucking you.¡±

    He runs his eyes over me again before carefully lifting me and turning me around. Kissing the nape of my neck, he slides his hands up my stomach and cups both my tits, massaging them in hisrge hands while his cock grows hard between my ass cheeks.

    ¡°You still want your little ass fucked?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I moan, rocking my hips back so I can feel his thick cock slide along my ass.

    ¡°Bend over.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    I do as he says and rest my hands on the desk, but he presses his hand against my back and says, ¡°More. I want your tits on my desk, sweetheart.¡±

    I smile and lean my upper body against his desk, arching my ass and putting it on full disy. He sighs and runs his hand over one ass cheek and then the other.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck your ass, baby, but first I want to make it red.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to spank me?¡± I ask, feeling nervous and excited.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to spank your ass hard, and it¡¯s going to hurt little one, but I promise I¡¯ll also bring you more pleasure than you can imagine.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say, arching my hips up even more. ¡°Please yes.¡±

    Heughs at my eagerness and gives one ass cheek a hard enough smack to make me yelp. I knew it was going to sting, but I wasn¡¯t expecting it to hurt this much. My ass stings like a motherfucker, and before I can get used to it, he smacks my other cheek almost making my knees give out from the surprise of it.

    ¡°God, your ass looks fucking amazing when it¡¯s getting spanked, baby.¡± He rubs his hard cock over my ass, coating me in his precum. ¡°You see what you do to me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I moan, gasping when he spreads my cheeks and runs the head of his cock over my asshole.

    ¡°You like that, baby?¡± he asks, teasing me as he slides over my asshole again.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± I moan, feeling every nerve ending that I never knew existed spark to life. ¡°Please fuck my ass,¡± I beg.

    Instead of giving me what I want, he pulls back and spanks me three more times, each smack harder than thest until I¡¯m panting and tears are running down my face and I¡¯m so turned on I can barely think, all I can do is mewl like a damn animal and rock my hips, desperately needing something to fuck.

    He cups my pussy possessively, sliding three fingers into me as he gives me another spanking. My whole body tenses with each spank, gripping his fingers tightly as he delivers three more hard smacks. By the time he finishes, all he has to do is barely rub my pussy before I¡¯m cumming so hard it¡¯s only his hand on my cunt that¡¯s keeping my legs from buckling andpletely giving way.

    As soon as I start toe down, he slides his hand out of me and brings his soaked fingers to my asshole. He rubs my tight pucker and grabs onto my wrist with his other hand, guiding it between my legs.

    ¡°Fuck yourself, baby. Show me how badly you want my cock in your ass.¡±

    I finger my sopping wet pussy while he slowly slides a finger into my ass. I clench down on him, moaning and whimpering as he slides it in and starts to slowly fuck me with it. My eyes roll back in my head, and my hips start rocking against him, so eager and ready for more. With a groan, he slides a second finger into me, stretching me and getting me ready for him. I work harder, loving the feeling of having both my holes filled and knowing it¡¯s going to feel even better when he gets his thick cock inside me.

    ¡°Such a good girl,¡± he praises me, scissoring his fingers and stretching me wider until I¡¯m as ready for him as I¡¯m going to be. Sliding his fingers out, he grips my hips and positions the head of his cock against myst virgin hole.

    ¡°Just rx, baby,¡± he says, pressing harder against me and pushing past my body¡¯s natural resistance.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I whimper when he slides the thick head of his cock into me.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing so good, sweetheart. Be a good girl and rub your clit for me.¡±

    I do as he says and bring my fingers to my swollen clit, rubbing myself harder and faster as he feeds me his cock. I feel like I¡¯m being ripped in two, but it¡¯s the most delicious pain I¡¯ve ever felt, and all I can think about is getting more. He feeds me thest several inches, and when he¡¯s balls deep inside me, he lets out a raw, primal groan that sends me over the edge. I cum hard, clenching my ass around him and freezing him in ce. He kisses the nape of my neck and bites my shoulder as I rock against him, so lost to pleasure I can¡¯t even think. All I can do is feel and beg for more. ¡°Fuck me!¡± I yell, feeling my orgasm start to fade knowing there¡¯s another one right around the corner.

    He ignores me and kisses the bite marks he left on me.

    ¡°Please,¡± I whimper. ¡°I need it so badly.¡±

    ¡°What do you need?¡± he whispers as he kisses and nips at my skin.

    ¡°Your cock. I need your cock. I need you to fuck my ass hard!¡±

 Chapter 9

    ALEXANDER

    I watch my sweet girl as she begs me to fuck her ass harder. She¡¯s bent over my desk with her ass shamelessly in the air, dripping my seed from her used little cunt and whimpering for more. I wish I could freeze this moment and live it over and over again. Her tight ass is clenched around me, and the sounds of her wet pussy as she keeps fucking herself fill my office, making me so close to busting a nut I have to take a calming breath to keep myself under control.

    Giving her shoulder another bite, I slowly slide my cock out of her. She whimpers and rocks her hips, so fucking eager for anything I want to give her. I love it when she¡¯s like this. I love making her insane with need until all she can think about is my cock and how badly she wants to be fucked.

    I lick my way down her spine while I very slowly fuck her perfect little ass. She whimpers and whines and ms her hand down on my desk, but I ignore her little tantrum and keep teasing her, fucking her the way I want to fuck her.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair!¡± she finally yells, making meugh and give her nipple a hard enough pinch to make her yelp.

    ¡°You¡¯re learning, little one.¡± I slide my cock into her again and massage the pain away from her tit. ¡°You¡¯ll get my cock how I want to give it to you.¡± I slowly slide out of her before mming back into her in one hard thrust, making her moan and writhe beneath me. ¡°When I want to fuck you hard, I will.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± she begs.

    ¡°So fucking greedy,¡± I murmur against her skin. ¡°Maybe you need another spanking to remind you who¡¯s in control.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she moans, making me shake my head in amazement. God, she is fucking perfect.

    Instead of bringing my hand to her ass like she¡¯s expecting, I slide it down her stomach and grip her hand, roughly pushing it aside so I can touch my pussy. Cupping her possessively, I slide three fingers into her, fucking both her tight holes until she¡¯s shaking and whimpering and desperately rocking against me. Right when she¡¯s about to cum, I slide my fingers out of her and give her pussy a sharp smack.

    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± she yells, trying to turn her head to look at me.

    I bring my free hand up to fist her hair, pulling her head back sharply so I can see her. I watch her anger turn to pleasure as I start to rub her sore, stinging pussy. She whimpers and sucks in a quick gasp.

    ¡°Not so bad, is it, sweetheart?¡±

    She whimpers and mumbles something iprehensible as she gets closer and closer to her orgasm. Right before she does, I ruin it for her by giving her another hard spank. This time her knees start to buckle, and I have to hold her up so she doesn¡¯t copse.

    ¡°Please let me cum,¡± she begs, tears running down her face.

    I smile and lean closer, licking them up as they fall while I pinch and massage her clit. She is way too much fun to tease. I thrust into her ass even harder, watching her eyes roll back in her head. Finally taking pity on her, I fist her hair even tighter and fuck her ass as hard as she¡¯s begging me for while I pinch her clit and push her over the edge.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± she screams, her whole body tensing as she cums hard. Her ass mps down on me, threatening to take me with her, but I fight it. I watch her beautiful face as she cums, and when she starts toe down, I bring my hands to her hips and dig my fingers into her hard enough to leave bruises.

    Looking down, I watch her round, perfect ass take my cock as she grips my desk tightly, preparing for what I¡¯m about to give her. mming into her, I let out a groan and buried my balls deep inside her before pulling back out. I fuck her in a hard, relentless rhythm that has her whimpering and banging her fists on my desk.

    ¡°Yes!¡± she moans, working her hips, showing me that sexy dip in her lower back as she meets every brutal thrust I¡¯m giving her. ¡°Fuck yes!¡±

    My balls smack against her wet pussy, and when she starts to rub her clit again, I smile at how greedy my sweet girl is.

    ¡°Cum for me, baby,¡± I growl, knowing I¡¯m not going tost much longer.

    She works her hand faster, and as soon as she starts to scream my name and I feel her ass tighten even more around me, I let go with a growl and shoot my seed into her sweet little ass.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I groan, feeling my whole body tense as pleasure races through me with each pulse of my cock. I cum harder than I ever have before, filling her little ass to the brim as she milks me of every damn drop I have. When I¡¯m finally spent, I lean over her body and wrap my arms around her.

    ¡°Holy fuck, baby.¡±

    Sheughs and reaches a hand back to touch me. Running her fingers through the back of my hair, she lets out a happy sigh and says, ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll always fuck me like that.¡±

    ¡°Deal,¡± I say with augh. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll always be a bratty little slut who begs me to.¡±

    She giggles and says, ¡°Deal.¡±

    I kiss her before slowly sliding my cock out of her ass. Pulling back I look down at my sweet girl, groaning at the sight of her used ass and pussy, both sore and dripping my seed. Exactly how she should always look, I think to myself.

    Reaching down, I carefully pick her up and cradle her in my arms. She smiles and snuggles into me.

    ¡°Time to go home, sweetheart.¡±

    Her eyes light up at my words, and she smiles even bigger. God, she¡¯s going to be a handful to keep satisfied, but damn am I going to have fun trying.

 Chapter 10

    Another Story

    KNEEL FOR ME

    JESSICA

    I stare at the flyer on campus, willing myself to be brave enough to write down the information. I wanted to do something brave, I remind myself, and before I lose all courage, I scribble down the number listed and scurry away so I won¡¯t bete for my next ss. College isn¡¯t at all what I thought it would be. I expected big parties and hot guys and a schedule so busy that I would barely have time to study.

    Instead, it¡¯s pretty much like high school except I live in a dorm. I¡¯m still keeping my head buried in books and too shy to do anything except mumble out some basic conversation to my roommate who¡¯s usually not around anyway because there¡¯s a girl who knows how to have some fun. Maybe a little too much, if I¡¯m being honest. If I wake up one more time to the sounds of her fucking her boyfriend from about four feet away, I¡¯m going to seriously lose my shit.

    It¡¯s probably just jealousy. I mean, at least one of us is getting some cock. I just really wish it was me. Being a virgin at neen isn¡¯t the end of the world, but it sure feels that way when no one makes me want to spread my legs. When guys flirt with me, I just feel annoyed. I want a man, and all I see around me are boys who wouldn¡¯t know how to pleasure a woman if she came with a diagram and how-to instructions. Judging by my roommate¡¯s boyfriend, they also don¡¯tst very long. I don¡¯t want two minutes of mediocre fucking. I want to have my world rocked. I want an out-of-body experience and to be so sore that I can afterward. I refuse to settle for anything less, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m alone and bored out of my goddamn mind.

    But all that ends today.

    I slip into my next ss and try to focus on the lecture, but all I can think about is the number that¡¯s burning a hole in my pocket. I¡¯ve heard the art department here is pretty awesome. Not that I would know, I can barely draw a stick figure, but everyone knows they need real-life models to draw, and I¡¯m going to volunteer to be one. If I¡¯m going to try and put myself out there and meet someone, then what better way than to stand up naked in front of a bunch of strangers? Besides, I¡¯ve heard that some of the art students are older, so maybe I¡¯ll get lucky and snag myself a silver fox- some sexy, older man who¡¯s decided toe back and get the degree in art he always wished he¡¯d gotten. A girl can dream, right?

    As soon as ss is over, I grab my phone and call the number I¡¯m holding so tightly my fingers are cramping. The sexy, deep voice that answers isn¡¯t at all what I¡¯m expecting.

    ¡°Um, hi,¡± I say, sounding like aplete idiot. ¡°I¡¯m calling about the flyer I saw on campus.¡±

    ¡°Which flyer is that?¡± he asks, and I swear I can hear him smiling, almost like he¡¯s teasing me and daring me to say it.

    ¡°The one for a nude model.¡± I feel my face heat up in embarrassment even though no one can see me.

    ¡°Have you ever done this before?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I say, letting out a small, nervousugh. ¡°Not at all.¡±

    ¡°Perfect. Can youe in on Friday at seven?¡±

    ¡°Sote?¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    He lets out a deepugh that suddenly has me squeezing my thighs together as warmth washes over me. What in the fuck?

    ¡°Seven on a Friday iste? This should be an interesting time for you.

    What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Jessica,¡± I mumble, feeling stupider by the second.

    ¡°I look forward to meeting you, Jessica. If you could show up a few minutes early, that would be great. It¡¯ll give me a chance to walk you through everything.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. Oh, wait, what¡¯s your name? I didn¡¯t see it on the flyer.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Professor Reed,¡± he says, and his voice is so damn sexy I almost let out an honest-to-god moan over the phone. Luckily, I stop it in time and just settle on biting my lower lip and wondering what in the fuck is happening to me.

    ¡°Thanks, Professor Reed. I¡¯ll see you on Friday.¡±

    ¡°Looking forward to it, Jessica,¡± he says before hanging up and leaving me in a pair of soaked panties and more frustration than I know what to do with.

    Time seems to slow down as the next two days drag by. All I can think about is the sexy, deep voice. I hear it ying in my mind, over and over again. When I¡¯m finally walking out of myst ss on Friday afternoon, I smile and rush back to my dorm. I want to shower before I stand naked in front of a room full of strangers, so I grab my shower caddy and slip into the bathroom. Once I¡¯m silky smooth, I can¡¯t resist running my hand over my bald pussy. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve touched myself in the dorm bathrooms, but it is the first time with a very specific voice in my h, head. Usually, I just think of some random, vague, mystery man. He¡¯s always older and sexy, and I imagine him taking control and popping my cherry and opening up this whole new world of sex to me.

    This time when I slide my finger into my tight pussy, all I¡¯m thinking about is Professor Reed. I hear his voice in my ear, telling me to cum for him, and when I bring my soaked fingers to my clit and start to rub, I have to bite down on my forearm to keep from screaming as I cum hard beneath the spray of water. I¡¯m gasping and my legs are shaky by the time I start toe down.

 Chapter 11

    Feeling a little bit better, I turn off the water and start to get ready. At least my pussy will be a little easier to manage after that orgasm. Wrapping a towel around myself, I walk back to my room and decide on a short, id skirt and ck T-shirt. Since I¡¯m going to be naked, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter, but I still want to look nice. I blow dry my hair and put on some light makeup before grabbing my phone and heading over to the art building.

    I take my time, but I¡¯m still twenty minutes early. Oh well, he said to show up before seven, so instead of standing second-guessing the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± he shouts from the other side, and I let out a soft groan. God, his voice sounds just as sexy as I remembered it.

    I step in and shut the door behind me. The room isrge with a small, raised stage in the middle with a bunch of chairs and easels positioned around it in a circle. I suddenly feel like an idiot. Why in the hell did I think I could just strip under these bright lights and show my naked body to everyone? No one¡¯s ever even seen me naked before for god¡¯s sake! I¡¯m just about to make a mad dash to freedom when the sexiest man I¡¯ve ever seen walks out from behind one of the easels. He¡¯s got to be about twice my age with dark hair that¡¯s showing a tiny bit of grey. The dark Henley he¡¯s wearing is only entuating his broad shoulders and killer body, and when I finally bring my eyes to his, I let out a soft sigh at how impossibly blue they are.

    He smiles, revealing a perfect set of teeth, and I feel my panties grow wet as he walks towards me. Good god, professors are not supposed to look this hot. I bet his entire ss is made up of women, and he probably fucks all of them, I tell myself, trying to get my body under control. It doesn¡¯t work. When he runs his eyes over me, I feel my nipples grow hard and my pussy clench with the need to be filled.

    ¡°Are you Jessica?¡± he asks, stopping in front of me.

    I look up at him, noticing how tall he is and fighting my urge to climb up that strong body of his and take it for a ride.

    ¡°Um, yeah,¡± I croak out and then blush when he gives a smallugh.

    ¡°You said this is your first time, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I ask, while my sex-addled brain tries to figure out how in the hell he knows I¡¯m a virgin.

    ¡°Your first time?¡± he asks again, giving me a sexy smirk. ¡°Posing nude?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I say, letting out an embarrassedugh. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s my first time.¡±

    ¡°I promise to try and be gentle.¡± He gives me a wink, and before I can wonder what in the fuck just happened, he turns and points to the raised stage in the middle. ¡°All you need to do is take off your clothes and stand up there. The students will be positioned around the room. Just try your best to remain still.¡±

    I turn around in a small circle, knowing there¡¯s no way in hell I can do this.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asks, noticing how nervous I am. He leans closer and rests a hand on my shoulder. The feel of his strong hand on me has my stomach doing flips and my heart racing. ¡°Here,e sit down.¡± He gently leads me to the stage and helps me to sit down. Squatting down next to me, he ces his hand on my back, caressing me with this thumb and making me feel so many different things at once that I feel like I might burst.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say, knowing my face is beet red. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I can do this.¡±

    He gives me a sweet smile. ¡°Not used to getting naked in front of others,¡± he asks, lifting a dark brow at me.

    ¡°No,¡± I confess with augh. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I feel so stupid.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± he says, hooking a finger under my chin. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about.¡±

    ¡°I just really wanted to do this, you know? I wanted to prove to myself that I could.¡±

    He¡¯s quiet for a second, and then he says, ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it with just me? Would that help?¡±

    I look at him andugh, but he doesn¡¯t join in, just stares at me with those gorgeous blue eyes. It looks like he hasn¡¯t shaved in a couple of and y want to reach out and cup his face, feeling the stubble beneath my palms. What would it be like to get naked in front of a man this gorgeous, to have all of his attention focused on just me? Will an opportunity like this ever present itself to me again? Something tells me this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and I¡¯d be a damn fool not to take it.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I say in a breathy rush before I can change my mind.

    He smiles and runs his thumb over my cheek before standing up. ¡°I¡¯ll lock the door.¡±

    ¡°But what about your ss?¡±

    He turns back and gives me a wink. ¡°I just canceled it.¡±

    I can¡¯t stop the huge smile from spreading across my face, and when he locks the door and walks back to me, I¡¯m still wearing it. I know this isn¡¯t appropriate. I mean, he is a professor, but we¡¯re both adults, and it¡¯s not like he¡¯s my professor. Although, the idea of him making me stayte for some sexy extra credit is a fantasy I¡¯m going to be imagining over and over again.

    ¡°Are you going to draw me?¡± I ask when he¡¯s back in front of me.

    ¡°Do you want me to?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say so fast that it makes himugh again.

    ¡°Then I will.¡± He reaches out and runs a finger along the bottom of my shirt, hitting the tiny bit of skin that¡¯s showing. ¡°Time to lose the clothes, Jess.¡±

 Chapter 12

    I suck in a breath at the feel of his finger dancing along my skin and the way he¡¯s so easily switched to calling me Jess. It feels so fucking intimate even though I¡¯ve just met him. I kick off my shoes and gather my courage. Turning around, I look over my shoulder and say, ¡°Can you unzip me?¡±

    The side of his mouth quirks up in a grin as he runs his hands over my hips before slowly pulling my zipper down. When he catches sight of the ck thong I¡¯m wearing, I hear him let out a soft groan before my skirt falls to the ground.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I say, loving the heat I see in his gaze. It¡¯s intoxicating, and I want more. I want to see how crazy I can drive this sexy, older man.

    He watches as I turn around and pull my shirt off, revealing the matchingcy bra that¡¯s doing shit to hide how hard my nipples are. His eyes run over me, drinking in every inch of my body as I unhook my bra and let it drop.

    The feral look in his eyes makes me bold enough to bend over and slide my thong down, revealing my smooth little pussy to him. When I¡¯mpletely naked before him, he runs a hand over his face and groans out a ¡°Good god,¡± before giving his head a soft shake and trying to focus.

    I smile and run my eyes over him. When I see therge bulge in his pants, my mouth drops open in surprise. Holy fuck, he¡¯s huge!

    It¡¯s his turn to smile before turning to walk to one of the easels. He grabs it and brings it closer before going to grab arge sheet of paper. Hees back and clips it to the board how he wants it and grabs a stick of charcoal.

    ¡°You¡¯re not using a pencil?¡± I ask.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I prefer this.¡± He eyes me, and I can tell he¡¯s looking at me like an artist now instead of a hungry man, and I don¡¯t like it.

    ¡°How do you want me?¡± I ask, giving my bottom lip a soft suck.

    He fights a grin and says, ¡°Kneel for me.¡±

    My body obeys him immediately. Before I even have time to think about it, I¡¯m sliding to my knees and sitting back on my heels. When it¡¯s not enough, I spread my knees and give him a better view. He quirks a brow at me but doesn¡¯t say anything. He¡¯s gone back to artist mode. I watch his arm move as he puts the first strokes on the paper, and then something takes over and he bes immersed in it. I¡¯ve never seen anything so sexy as Professor Reed sketching me. He¡¯s so focused and in control, and the way his eyes are running over me makes it obvious that he¡¯s seeing me in a way that no one else ever has. His attention ispletely focused on me, and it¡¯s so damn addictive. I can feel my pussy growing even wetter, and I wonder how long it will take me to form a small puddle beneath me.

    ¡°How long have you been teaching?¡± I ask, trying to take my mind off how horny I am.

    ¡°Since I was twenty-five.¡±

    ¡°How old are you now?¡±

    He smiles and says, ¡°A lot older than that.¡±

    ¡°Come on, tell me,¡± I say, making my voice a little pouty.

    ¡°Forty-one.¡± He watches my reaction, and when I let out a soft moan, he raises a brow in surprise but doesn¡¯t stop sketching me.

    ¡°I bet you¡¯re a great professor.¡±

    ¡°You think so, huh?¡±

    I smile, remembering how gentle he¡¯d been with me when I said I was too embarrassed to pose in front of the ss. ¡°I know so.¡±

    ¡°What made you decide to call me about posing?¡±

    ¡°I was trying to be brave.¡± I let out a harshugh. ¡°I guess I failed.¡±

    He stops and looks at me. ¡°Jess, you¡¯re naked and kneeling in front of a man you just met a few minutes ago. I¡¯d say you¡¯re incredibly brave.¡± His eyes run over me slowly. ¡°And incredibly beautiful.¡±

    I blush at thepliment, making him smile. ¡°You think I¡¯m beautiful?¡±

    ¡°Incredibly,¡± he corrects. ¡°Incredibly beautiful, and yes, I do.¡± My knees parted a bit wider, earning me another eyebrow raise.

    ¡°You need to hold still, Jess,¡± he says, and I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s using his professor¡¯s voice on me, which is just hot as fuck.

    He starts sketching me again, and I try my best to obey and stay still, I do, but there¡¯s just something about him that makes it impossible to hold still. When I start to slide a hand up my inner thigh, he stills his hand and watches me with an intensity that has me so wet I can feel it dripping out of my pussy.

    ¡°Jess,¡± he warns, but there¡¯s no stopping me now. My clit is so achy, and every part of my body is screaming out for him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor Reed, but I can¡¯t help it.¡±

    ¡°I need you to be a good girl and hold still for me.¡±

    I let out a moan at the good girlment and slide a finger into my wet pussy.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± he groans, watching me finger-fuck myself as the wet sounds fill the room. ¡°You¡¯re not being a very good girl for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I moan. ¡°I want to be your good girl, Professor, but my pussy is so achy.¡±

    ¡°Then be a bad girl for me,¡± he says, putting up a new sheet of paper. ¡°Fuck yourself, little girl, and I¡¯ll sketch you are. I¡¯ll show you exactly what a naughty little slut you are.¡±

 Chapter 13

    PROFESSOR REED

    I watch Jess slide another finger into her bald little pussy while she cups one of her perky, small tits. She gives her nipple a hard enough pinch to make herself gasp, and I feel my nuts tense up with the need to shoot my seed all over her. I want to cover that sweet little girl in my cum more than I¡¯ve ever wanted anything in my life. I soon as I heard her sweet, timid voice I knew, knew I was in trouble. I¡¯ve never gotten an instant hard-on just from hearing someone¡¯s voice, but she¡¯d done it to me, and I¡¯ve thought of little else since. When she walked into my ssroom earlier and I¡¯d gotten my first look at her, I¡¯d immediately known that there was no way in fuck I was going to let her get naked in front of my students. No one is going to see her naked except me.

    The sounds of her finger-fucking her sopping wet pussy are driving me crazy. I keep my focus on her, drawing her in quick strokes with the charcoal, image after image as I try to capture her in as many ways as possible. I could happily spend the rest of my life drawing her, knowing I¡¯d nevere anywhere near close to being able to capture all of her beauty onto a piece of paper. That¡¯s not going to stop me from trying, though.

    She lets out a moan that has my cock straining so hard at my pants I¡¯m amazed it doesn¡¯t just bust out. My eyes dart back and forth. I don¡¯t want to miss a single second of watching her, but I also want to capture this moment on paper so I can look at it over and over again and remember it for what it is-the sexiest damn moment of my life. I¡¯m used to young college girls hitting on me, but I¡¯ve never been tempted to act on it, not until that phone call from Jess.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± she whimpers, drawing my eyes back to her. A red flush has crept up her chest and neck, and she looks so fucking sexy it blows my mind. It¡¯s effortless with her. She doesn¡¯t need to try to drive me wild; she just does. Every little thing about her has me hard as fucking steel.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Is my bad girl about to cum?¡± I ask, loving how my words make her moan even louder.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she says in a breathy rush. ¡°I¡¯m so close.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡±

    Her blush deepens even more.

    ¡°Think about my cock and cum for me like the little slut you are.¡±

    My words send her over the edge. She rocks her hips harder, throwing her head back as she screams my name. I sketch faster than I ever have in my life, capturing on paper the arch of her back, the curve of her and perky tits, the raw desire and lust in her half-lidded eyes. By the time she starts toe down, I¡¯m more aroused than I¡¯ve ever been in my life and covered in more precum than I ever thought possible. If I don¡¯t get inside her soon, I¡¯m going to lose what little sanity I have left.

    I set the charcoal down and watch as shezily fucks herself, savoring the aftershocks that are still running through her. She lets out a soft giggle that¡¯s fucking adorable and says, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I just did that.¡±

    I smile and walk towards her. ¡°That was the sexiest goddamn thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    She looks surprised, which is something I¡¯ll never understand, and blushes even harder.

    Kneeling I run my eyes over her body. ¡°Surely you¡¯ve been told a million times how sexy you are.¡± I¡¯m surprised by how angry the idea of other men seeing what I just saw makes me. I remind myself that I¡¯m more than twice her age and that she has every right to fuck whatever little twerp she wants to. The reminder doesn¡¯t make me feel any better.

    ¡°No, no one¡¯s ever told me that,¡± she says, shocking me into silence. She looks down in embarrassment and says in a quiet voice, ¡°I¡¯ve never had a boyfriend or anything.¡±

    I¡¯m still too stunned to speak, so I just look at her like a giant dumbass.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s weird,¡± she quickly says.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not weird at all. I¡¯m just shocked. You must have guys throwing themselves at you.¡±

    She shrugs her small shoulders. ¡°I keep to myself. I¡¯ve just never met anyone that¡¯s affected me.¡± She locks her blue eyes on mine. ¡°But you have, Professor Reed. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, but ever since I heard your voice the other day, you¡¯re all I can think about. I even fucked myself in the shower before I came over here, but it wasn¡¯t enough.¡± I watch her finger slowly slide in and out of her bald, wet pussy.

    ¡°I need more,¡± she moans.

    I keep my eyes locked on her pretty little cunt. ¡°You¡¯re a virgin?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she moans, fucking herself faster.

    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± I groan.

    ¡°I want you to be my first, Professor Reed.¡±

    I grab her hand, stilling it in a tight grip. ¡°Then stop fucking yourself, baby. It¡¯s my turn now.¡±

    She gives me a big smile and then lets out another breathy moan when I slowly slide her wet finger from her pussy. ¡°God, sweetheart, you are soaking wet.¡± ¡°I need you,¡± she whimpers.

    ¡°I can see that,¡± I say with augh that earns me a pout from her cute face. ¡°You fucked yourself thinking about me before you came over here tonight?¡± Vivid images of a wet, naked Jess float through my mind, making it hard to not unzip my pants and slide into her tight, virgin pussy.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she whimpers when I dance my fingers along her inner thigh, leaving ck smudges on her creamy skin from the charcoal that¡¯s still coating my hand.

    I lean closer so our lips are only inches apart. ¡°Tell me what you thought about.¡±

 Chapter 14

    She licks her plump bottom lip, and the sight of her wet tongue is too much for me. With a growl, I close the distance between us and press my lips to hers. She opens her mouth for me, moaning when I slide my tongue along hers. I can feel my restraint dissolving with each passing second. When I give her bottom lip a soft bite, she whimpers against me and parts her knees even wider as she runs her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer.

    I pull back with a smile when she lowers her hands and grabs onto my shirt, trying to pull it over my head.

    ¡°Eager to get me naked, sweetheart?¡±

    ¡°God, yes,¡± she says with a moan, pulling my shirt off me and tossing it aside. Her eyes run over my exposed torso, and the raw hunger I see on her face has my cock spilling even more precum. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you had so many tattoos,¡± she says, reaching out to run her shy fingers over me, tracing the lines of my inked-up body.

    ¡°I am an artist,¡± I say with augh.

    ¡°You designed these?¡±

    ¡°Everyone.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She lets out a soft ¡°wow,¡± and leans in to run her tongue over the wolf that covers my right pec. I run my fingers through her hair before fisting it and pulling her back with a gasp.

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn to taste you,¡± I tell her, leaning her back so she¡¯s lying on the raised square that¡¯s used as a stage.

    ¡°God, you are so beautiful.¡± I run my hands down her firm, young body, amazed that I¡¯m going to get to fuck such a sweet, young thing. I kiss my way down her neck, nipping and licking the delicate skin at the crook of her neck before licking a line along her delicate corbone. I tease her nipple with my fingers as I kiss my way to her other tit. Her tits are small and perky and so fucking perfect they make my head spin.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± she moans when I wrap my lips around her, sucking her in while I give her hard nipple a flick of my tongue. She runs her fingers through my hair and spreads her legs even wider, arching her hips up to me.

    I devour her tits like a fucking starving man, sucking, kissing, and biting them until she¡¯s shaking beneath me and begging me to fuck her. Giving her onest bite, I pull back, sucking her tit hard until thest second. Her cherry-red nipples glisten with my spit, and I can¡¯t wait until every part of her is wet from me. I want to cover this sweet girl with my seed. My need to im and possess her is unlike anything I¡¯ve ever known. I don¡¯t just want one time with her. I want to cum all over her, fill her to the fucking brim with my seed, and breed the everliving fuck out of her. I want the whole fucking world to know that she belongs to me, that she¡¯s mine.

    ¡°Please, Professor Reed,¡± she moans, ¡°I need you so badly. Please fuck me.¡±

    ¡°Not yet, baby,¡± I whisper against her skin as I kiss my way down her firm little stomach. ¡°Not until I¡¯ve tasted your sweet little virgin pussy.¡±

    She rocks her hips as I get closer, and the scent of her is driving me crazy. She makes me feel like a fucking animal because all I want to do is ram my cock into her and rut her until she can barely move. I want to hear her screams and feel her nails drag along my back. I want our bodies locked together while she clings to me, taking every fucking inch I¡¯m giving her like the good girl she is.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± I growl when my face is hovering above her bald little cunt. I lean closer, pressing my nose against her as I breathe her sweet scent in.

    When I run my tongue up her wet slit, she gasps and clutches my hair tighter, rocking her hips up even more. She¡¯s so fucking eager for more.

    Every part of her body is begging me to fuck her, and I¡¯m not sure how much more torture my cock can take.

    The intoxicating taste of her pussy fills my mouth, and it tips me over the edge. Gone is the calm, put-together professor who can handle any situation, and in his ce is the man I am-the man that I¡¯ve always been able to keep hidden-the possessive alpha who needs to im and tame his sweet girl.

    I let out a growl and slide my tongue into her, fucking her as she moans and writhes beneath me, rocking her hips and so fucking desperate for more. Gripping the backs of her thighs, I spread her wider, exposing more of her pussy to me as I slide my tongue out and suck on her pussy lips. I give her a soft bite before kissing my way to her swollen clit. As soon as I wrap my lips around her, she¡¯s bucking against me and cumming with a scream. I work her harder, never letting up, forcing her to take all the pleasure I want to give her. I run my tongue over her overly sensitive clit, smiling when her hips jerk under me as she tries to wriggle away.

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t,¡± I growl, holding her tighter and running my tongue over her again. ¡°You¡¯re going to take all the pleasure I want to give you, little girl. Do you understand me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she whimpers and lets out another gasp when I give her clit a soft suck. ¡°Please give me more.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± I murmur, gently licking her clit before pressing the pad of my tongue against her and working her in tight circles, guiding her towards another orgasm. I slide a finger into her pussy, groaning when she immediately mps down onto me. God, she¡¯s so fucking tight. How is my sweet girl ever going to be able to take all of my cock?

    I keep finger-fucking her while I work her clit. When she starts to cum again, I wait until I feel her body rx before slipping another finger into her, working her and stretching her as she cums hard around me. She¡¯s so fucking wet, the sounds of her sloppy cunt fill the studio, and when she starts toe down, I give her clit onest flick before sliding my fingers out and licking a line up her soaking wet slit, filling my mouth with the taste of her virgin pussy.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± she pants out, as she tries to catch her breath.

    ¡°Feel better, sweet girl?¡±

    She lifts her head and gives me an adorable, loopy grin. ¡°Yes, but now I want to taste you, and then I want you to fuck me.¡±

    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a bossy little thing?¡±

 Chapter 15

    She smiles bigger and sits up. ¡°Not bossy, just eager and excited. I never knew anything could feel that good, Professor Reed, and I want more. I want you to fuck my pussy, and then I want you to fuck my ass.¡±

    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± I groan, feeling like I¡¯m about to bust a goddamn nut.

    ¡°And I don¡¯t want anything between us, Professor. When you fuck me, I want you to do it raw. The skin on the skin so I can feel you when you cum inside me.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    All I can do is let out a growl and press my lips to hers, showing her how badly I need her with my lips and tongue. She drags her nails down my chest before eagerly working on my jeans. Her hands are shaky, and I smile against her lips before taking control. Pulling back, I kick off my boots and undo my jeans, sliding them down while taking my boxer briefs with them. When my cock is free, her mouth parts in an adorable O, which is just exactly the position I need her in. Her hungry eyes run over my cock, and when I fist my shaft and start to slowly stroke myself, she lets out a moan and bites her bottom lip while she watches me.

    ¡°Is this what you want to wrap your lips around, baby?¡± I ask, working myself harder.

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± she whimpers. ¡°Please let me suck your cock, Professor Reed.¡±

    ¡°Kneel for me, sweetheart,¡± I growl, watching as she scurries back onto her knees, so fucking eager to please. ¡°Good girl.¡± I pat her head, knowing that a lot of women would find this offensive, but all she does is smile even wider and lean into my touch, reveling in my attention. The block she¡¯s kneeling on puts her at the perfect height to take my cock, and I¡¯m more than ready to give her something to choke on.

    I guide my head to her mouth, coating her lips in precum that she¡¯s eagerly licking away as soon as it hits her skin. Her tongue runs over my head, making me let out a growl as I use my other hand to fist her hair tightly.

    ¡°Open wide, baby. Show me how my good girl sucks cock.¡±

    She moans and grabs onto my hips, opening her mouth and sliding her lips over my head, slowly sucking me in as I use every ounce of willpower I possess to not cum right this fucking second. I know there¡¯s no way in hell she¡¯s going to be able in, so when she slides her mouth further down and gags, I¡¯m expecting it, even if she isn¡¯t.

    She tries again and gags again, and when she looks up at me with tears streaking her cheeks, I smile and give her a wink. ¡°Poor baby,¡± I say, brushing away her tears before sliding my hand down to her slender neck. I keep her pinned in ce, one hand gripping her hair and the other her neck, and memorize every detail of this moment so I can draw itter. ¡°Rx, baby, and take my cock like a good girl.¡±

    She moans at my words, but I feel her body rx as I tighten my fingers around her neck and slowly slide my cock into her sweet mouth. She runs her tongue over me, sending a wave of pleasure through my body and making my nuts tighten up with the need to shoot my load. When I¡¯m a little over halfway in, I feel her body start to tense.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare,¡± I growl, tightening my fingers around her neck even more. ¡°I want my cock down your throat, sweet girl.¡±

    She digs her fingers into my hips and lets out a sexy moan, eye-fucking the hell out of me from where she¡¯s kneeling. With a groan, I slide my cock in the rest of the way until I¡¯m balls deep inside her little virgin mouth. She looks up at me, her eyes zed over with lust and raw need as she gives me a good suck that has my eyes rolling back in my damn head. I pull back, letting her take a breath of air before mming my cock back into her.

    ¡°Be a good fuck doll, baby, and let me use you how I want.¡±

    She moans ¡°Mm-hmm¡± and gives herself over to me. I¡¯m so desperate to cum and the feel of her mouth on me has me unable to go easy on her even if I wanted to, so I fuck her sweet mouth at a brutal pace. Tears and spit fall from her face as she whimpers and moans, taking my cock like the good girl she is. When she brings one hand to my balls and gently drags her nails over my tightened sensitive skin, I let out a growl and m my cock into her, burying my head down her throat as I finally let go and cum harder than I ever have in my life.

    She whimpers and cups my balls while I shoot my load down her throat. Each pulse of my cock has her throat constricting around me as she swallows every damn thing I¡¯m giving her. She milks me dry until I¡¯m gasping for air and my ears are ringing.

    ¡°Goddamn, baby,¡± I say, watching her slowly pull her head back, sucking my cock the whole way until she lets go with an audible, wet pop.

    She looks up at me with cock-swollen lips and a proud smile on her face. ¡°Did I do good?¡±

    ¡°You did so good, sweetheart,¡± I tell her, stroking her face as I release my tight grip on her. ¡°Such a good little fuck doll.¡±

    She beams at my praise, letting me know I¡¯m the luckiest sonofabitch on the, before leaning forward and giving my still semi-hard cock a kiss. Keeping her eyes looking up at me, she licks and sucks on my cock, worshipping my dick, until I¡¯m fully hard again and dying to be inside her.

    ¡°Are you going to fuck me now, Professor Reed?¡± she asks, giving me a sexy, pouty smile.

 Chapter 16

    JESSICA

    Professor Reed looks down at me like a man who¡¯s about to lose control, and I can¡¯t fucking wait. I love how rough he¡¯d gotten while I was sucking him off. That feral glint in his eyes makes my pussy so damn achy. The more dominant he is, the more I like it. I hope he fucks my pussy as hard as he did my mouth.

    ¡°You think you¡¯re ready for all this, little virgin?¡± he asks, fisting hisrge cock in his hand.

    I run my eyes over him, not at all sure that he¡¯s going to fit, but

    I know I want to try. I look up at him and shake my head. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m ready.

    Please fuck me, Professor.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± he says, making another rush of pleasure run through me at his praise. I had no idea I was a praise whore, but, fuck, do I love it.

    I lean back and spread my thighs as he lowers his body on top of mine. I can¡¯t believe this sexy, older, tattooed professor is going to pop my cherry. His chest and back are covered in colorful ink, and just the sight of him has me so fucking wet I can barely stand it.

    ¡°Please,¡± I beg when I feel the head of his cock press against my wet slit.

    ¡°Please what, baby?¡± There¡¯s a wicked smile ying on his lips, and it¡¯s driving me crazy. I arch my hips up to him, desperate for him to get inside me.

    ¡°Please fuck me, Professor,¡± I beg.

    He smiles and lowers his head to run his tongue over my hard, aching nipple. ¡°You know I¡¯m not your professor, right?¡± he asks with a smile.

    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know your first name, and it¡¯s hot as fuck knowing I¡¯m about to fuck the sexy Professor Reed.¡±

    He smiles and gives my nipple a hard enough bite to make me gasp. ¡°My name is Justin,¡± he says before flicking his tongue over my nipple,

    ¡°and I want to hear you scream it when you cum around my cock.¡± ¡°Fuck,¡± I moan, already so close to the edge just from what he¡¯s saying.

    ¡°Soon, baby,¡± he murmurs against my skin, teasing me with his tongue and lips until I¡¯m whimpering and wiggling my body beneath him, trying my damnedest to get him inside me. He knows how badly I want him, but all he does is slow his mouth down and bring one strong hand to my hip, forcing me to be still.

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer,¡± I pout.

    He gives my nipple a harder bite. ¡°But you will.¡± He circles my nipple with his tongue. ¡°You¡¯ll wait as long as I fucking want you to, won¡¯t you, baby?¡±

    I whimper when he drags his teeth over my nipple and digs his fingers in harder at my hips.

    ¡°Because there¡¯s not a goddamn thing you can do about it.¡± He gives me a hard enough bite to make me gasp and I grab onto his shoulders hard enough to have my nails digging in. He lets out a deep groan when I squeeze harder and rewards me by sliding the head of his cock over my clit.

    ¡°Justin,¡± I moan, needing him more than I¡¯ve ever needed anything in my life. ¡°I need your cock.¡±

    ¡°I know you do, baby,¡± he murmurs against my tit. ¡°I can feel how sloppy wet you are for me.¡±

    He slides the length of his cock over my clit, making me let out a moan as I try even harder to rock my hips against him, but his grip is like steel, and it¡¯s obvious I¡¯m not going anywhere. It doesn¡¯t stop me from trying, though. He lifts his head and watches me. He can feel how badly I¡¯m fighting his grip. Arching a brow at me, he slides along my clit even faster, smirking when my eyes roll back in my head.

    ¡°You are a wild little thing, aren¡¯t you? Do you like it when I hold you down?¡±

    ¡°Yes, fuck yes,¡± I moan. ¡°I want it rough, and there better be a line of fingertip-size bruises along my hip tomorrow or I¡¯m going to be very disappointed.¡±

    He digs his fingers in harder, giving me exactly what I want. ¡°Careful what you wish for, baby. You may just get it.¡±

    Before I can even think to answer, he¡¯s rubbing my clit harder with his cock, sending me hurtling over the edge. All I can do is grab on tighter and scream his name when he pulls back enough to slide his cock into me in one brutal thrust that sucks the air right out of me and leaves me seeing stars. He holds me tightly, moving his hips just enough to keep the orgasm going while also giving me a chance to get used to his enormous size. It doesn¡¯t help. Even as the pleasure is coursing through me, I still feel like I¡¯m being ripped in two.

    By the time I start toe down, I¡¯m clinging to him and shaking, and my cheeks are covered in tears. He leans his face close to mine and runs his tongue over my wet skin, licking up the salty tears and groaning from the taste of them.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re mine, little one,¡± he growls, rocking his hips enough for me to feel how powerful he is, how far he¡¯s spreading me wide.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I moan, turning my head so I could see him. ¡°I¡¯m all yours and only yours.¡±

    ¡°God, your little pussy is so fucking tight.¡± He lets out another deep growl and starts to fuck me faster. The feel of his powerful cock thrusting in and out of me has me clinging to him even harder as I bring my mouth to his. He kisses me hard, sliding his tongue along mine and making everything else disappear except for the feel of his body against mine, inside me, all around me. All of my senses are consumed with him. He¡¯s the only thing that exists right now.

    When he loosens his grip on my hips, I start to move, rocking my hips to meet the hard pounding he¡¯s giving me. He¡¯s showing me who I belong to with each hard thrust of his cock, and I fucking love it.

    ¡°Justin!¡± I scream when I start to cum again.

    Feeling me spasm around his cock has him groaning and fucking me even harder. I cling to him, feeling like my whole body is going to explode from too much pleasure. When I start toe down, he doesn¡¯t let up, just keeps fucking me in that same brutal rhythm. I whimper and drag my nails over his back, feeling the line between pain and pleasure start to blur as he plunges into me, hitting my overly sensitive clit with each thrust.

    I suck in a big lungful of air and try to stop the orgasm I know ising, trying to give myself a tiny breather so my clit can recover.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare,¡± he growls at me. ¡°If I want you to cum, little girl, then you¡¯re damn well going to cum.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    He ms into me harder, pushing me over the edge, forcing the pleasure onto me until I¡¯m seeing stars. My pussy clenches around him as my whole body tenses.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± he growls, burying his cock into me as he starts to cum. I feel him swell even more inside me, pulsing with each shot of his seed as my pussy milks him dry. I bury my face against his neck and give him a hard enough bite to make him groan as I feel him fill my little pussy to the fucking brim.

    When he¡¯s finally spent, I feel his body rx on top of me. He lifts enough to see me, giving me a sexy grin while he brushes a sweaty strand of hair off my forehead. His fingers caress the side of my face.

    ¡°Your pussy feels just as amazing as I knew it would, and you took my cum like such a good girl.¡±

    I let out a soft moan at his praise and rocked my hips a bit. I¡¯m going to be sore as fuck tomorrow, but I don¡¯t care. All I can think about is getting more.

    As if reading my mind, he asks, ¡°Ready to see how well your ass takes my cock, baby?¡±

 Chapter 17

    PROFESSOR REED

    Jess smiles at my question. ¡°Yes,¡± she quickly says, already trying to wiggle out from under me so she can turn around. God, she is perfect. I give her another kiss before slowly sliding out of her with a pained groan. I hate to leave her tight, wet pussy, but I¡¯m dying to get in her ass. Besides, I¡¯ll be back in her pussy soon enough. Poor girl is going to be fucked more times than she can imagine. My sweet girl is always going to be sore and dripping my seed.

    As she scurries to her hands and knees, I look down at my cock and groan. I¡¯m covered in our cum, and there¡¯s no denying that I just popped my girl¡¯s cherry. The small amount of blood on my cock is proof of that. Just knowing that I¡¯m the only man who will ever get to be inside this sweet girl has me rock-fucking-hard again in seconds.

    Jess looks over her shoulder at me and gives me a sexy wink. ¡°I¡¯m ready for you to fuck my ass, Professor Reed.¡±

    I run my hands over her perfect, round cheeks and shake my head at her. ¡°No, you¡¯re not, baby. You just think you are.¡± Sliding one finger up her ass crack, I gently press against herst virgin hole. ¡°Your tight little ass is nowhere near ready to take my big cock, but don¡¯t worry baby, we¡¯ll get you there.¡±

    She moans and arches her hips even more for me, showing me how badly she wants and needs me to fuck her little ass. I cup her pussy and slide two fingers inside her, loving the sounds of her moans as I slowly finger her sore little cunt. My eyes run over the sexy dip in her lower back as she starts to grind against my fingers. When I pull them out, she gives a pouty whimper that earns her a sharp smack to the ass.

    ¡°Patience, baby,¡± I warn her, even though I can tell she loved having her ass spanked and it¡¯s not much of a punishment because of that. Why the fuck am I not surprised, I think with a grin. I smack her other cheek, giving her a matching red handprint and making my cock give another hungry jump.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± she moans, rocking her hips back.

    ¡°You like being spanked, sweetheart?¡±

    ¡°Yes, fuck yes,¡± she purrs, letting out another sexy gasp when I bring my wet fingers to her tight little pucker. ¡°Please, Justin,¡± she begs. ¡°Work my ass and get me ready for that big cock of yours.¡±

    ¡°Fucking hell, baby,¡± I groan, sliding one finger into her tight little asshole. She mps down onto me, but I push through, finger-fucking her in a slow, steady rhythm as she whimpers and writhes in front of me.

    When I feel that her body is rxing a bit, I test her limits and add in a second finger. At first, her whole body tightens, resisting the bigger size and making it impossible for me to get in.

    ¡°Easy, baby,¡± I say, bringing my other hand to her pussy and rubbing her clit in slow circles that have her moaning and rxing her body enough for me to get both fingers in. ¡°Good girl,¡± I say, noticing how her whole body reacts to my praise. She rocks her hips and moans as I start to slowly fuck her ass with two fingers.

    I keep working her clit, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. When I slip my thumb into her soaked pussy, she groans and presses harder against me.

    ¡°You like having both your holes filled, baby?¡±

    ¡°God yes,¡± she pants, and I can tell she¡¯s only seconds away from cumming again.

    I rub her clit faster and start to scissor my fingers, stretching her little ass wider until she¡¯s throwing her head back and screaming my name again. Her pussy and ass tighten around me as my cock drips precum onto her ass. I¡¯m seconds away from ramming my cock into her sweet little ass, and it takes all my willpower to resist the urge.

    Still working her clit and ass, I wait until she starts toe down before sliding my fingers out of her ass and pressing the head of my cock against her tight little asshole.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she begs. ¡°Fuck my ass, Justin. Give me that big cock!¡±

    I grab onto her hips and slowly slide my head into her, groaning at how fucking tight she is and how damn good it feels. I push past her body¡¯s natural resistance, sinking my head into her. I watch her little ass take me as I slide in some more. She whimpers and moans and smacks her hand down on the hard ground, and when I¡¯m fully inside her, she looks back at me and gives me a sexy smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hold back, Justin. I want it rough.¡±

    ¡°Goddamn, baby,¡± I groan, leaning my body over hers as I keep myself buried inside her. She immediately turns her head to kiss me, showing me how hungry she still is for me. When I bring a hand to her pussy, she moans and gives my tongue a suck that has my hips moving and my fingers sliding into her tight, wet cunt.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    I slowly start to fuck her ass and pussy at the same time, making her pull her mouth back in a gasp. She moans something incoherent and rocks her hips, grinding against me, desperate to cum again and chasing after the pleasure she knows I can give her. I kiss the nape of her neck before biting her hard enough to make her gasp again.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± she moans, when I pound into her little ass even harder, rocking her whole body forward with each hard thrust. When I press the palm of my hand against her clit, she arches back and cums hard. ¡°Justin!¡± she yells. Her eyes roll back as she moans and whimpers, riding her orgasm while I fuck both her holes until she¡¯s gasping and shaking and it¡¯s only my hand cupping her little cunt that¡¯s keeping her hips up.

    ¡°My turn,¡± I growl, giving her neck another kiss before lifting back up and gripping her hips. My girl wanted a line of bruises, so she¡¯s damn well going to get them. I dig my fingers in and start to fuck her hard, watching my cock slide in and out of her tight ass. My balls smack against her wet, used pussy, and I¡¯m not surprised at all when her arms give out and her upper body falls to the ground.

    Holding her tighter and keeping her little ass in the air, I fuck her ass in that hard, rough rhythm she was begging for. She moans and takes everything I¡¯m giving her, and when she starts to cum again, she screams my name in a breathy rush. Her ass tightens around me, and I let her take me with her. With a feral growl, I m into her, shooting my load in her sweet ass, filling her to the fucking brim with my seed. My cock pulses in her ass as pleasure rips through me until I¡¯mpletely and utterly spent.

    Rxing my grip on her hips, I caress her soft skin as we both catch our breath ande back to reality. With a groan, I slowly slide my cock out of her, eyeing her used ass and pussy and knowing it¡¯s the most beautiful, sexiest thing I¡¯ve ever seen.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to spend the rest of my life fucking and drawing you, sweetheart.¡±

    She lets out a happy sigh, and when I reach down to pick her up, she immediately wraps her arms and legs around me, nuzzling her face into my neck. She runs her tongue over the crook of my neck.

    ¡°God, you¡¯re going to be a handful,¡± I say with augh.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault your cock feels so good,¡± she purrs in my ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you like it, sweetheart because you¡¯re going to be getting as much of it as you can handle.

    Sheughs and squeezes me tighter. ¡°Take me home, Professor Reed.

    Your good girl needs to get fucked again.¡±

    I hold her tighter, knowing I¡¯m the luckiest motherfucker on the.

 Chapter 18

    Note: Hey lovelies, hope y¡¯all are enjoying your ride here. Well, I¡¯m going to drop some billionaire Standalones which will leave you wanting more. Enjoy some more!!!

    Xoxo.

    Title: Pardoning My Billionaire Crush.

    Living above a coffee shop sucked when you suffered from insomnia.

    Grumbling to herself, Alyssa Kennedy sat up, swinging her

    feet to the floor in the process. Her best friend¡¯s sofa was her bedroom for the foreseeable future. It was necessary while Alyssa struggled to build her marketing firm after being suddenlyid off from her job at one of the city¡¯s top techpanies.

    Alyssa looked at the coffee table, already reaching out for herptop. Her hand was met with space, then the table surface. Herptop wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± she said as she remembered exactly where it was. Downstairs.

    Careful not to wake her roommate sleeping on the other side of her closed bedroom door, Alyssa crept toward the door to the apartment, grabbing her keyring from the hook near the kitchen. She¡¯d just retrieve herptop and return to the sofa, catching up on some work in the two hours before they had to get ready and open the coffee shop.

    The closer she got to the store, the stronger the smell of coffee was. They could close this ce up for six months and she was pretty sure the scent would still permeate this entire area. It had permanently soaked into the floors, walls, ceiling, and furnishings.

    Alyssa unlocked the door and stepped inside, flipping the lock behind her before entering. Over the past couple of weeks, she¡¯d gotten used to entering a dark coffee shop every morning. Usually, she came down and started on opening duties while the cafe¡¯s owner, her roommate, showered and got dressed. She found it amusing that she could be thought of as the early bird when Emily had been opening this store at four a. m. for two years.

    Theptop was right there, on the counter. Alyssa headed straight toward it, eyes on the prize, and was just about to grab it when a sound caught her attention. It wasing from the direction of the front door to the cafe. Her heart began racing as she turned, seemingly in slow motion, to check out the source of the noise.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    There was a man outside that door. He was dressed in all dark clothing, like a burr, and even had a ck beanie on his head. Burrs wore ck beanies, didn¡¯t they? She was pretty sure she¡¯d seen that on cheesy TV shows. Alyssa quickly looked around for something to use as a weapon, realizing at the same time that the wise move would probably be to run. She could call the police from her cell phone upstairs and-

    A loud click drew her attention back to the door. The burr had figured out how to pick the lock, even though it was a super strong deadbolt. But that door was opening and the man in the beanie was entering. If she didn¡¯t find a weapon fast, she¡¯d be toast.

    ¡°I called the police!¡± she shouted.

    It was too dark to make out the face of the burr, but she could confirm he was wearing a beanie. And he had a fairly thick winter coat on, which was odd for San Francisco-area weather. He probably had all his burry tools secured in the pockets or something.

    ¡°Alyssa?¡±

    That voice. She¡¯d know it anywhere. It was the grown-up version of the voice of the boy she¡¯d heard in her head every day and night of her adolescence. It was the voice of Jeremy Owens.

    ¡°Jeremy?¡±

    Alyssa¡¯s hands immediately crossed in front of her. She was suddenly all too aware that she stood there in a long T-shirt and nothing else. Not even a bra. She couldn¡¯t guarantee the T-shirt was thick enough to conceal what she needed to be covered in the chest area. Suddenly, the counter in front of her became a shield.

    Jeremy turned and flipped the switch on the wall next to the front door. Light flooded the coffee shop, calling her attention to another thing to be self-conscious about. She wore no makeup and hadn¡¯t even checked her reflection in the mirror. She was guessing she had a bad case of bedhead. ¡°Alyssa Kennedy!¡±

    Yes, his voice was deeper, but he still had that slightly yful tone that seemed to underly everything he said. It was one of the things she¡¯d found so adorably irresistible about him when she was fifteen. But as her best friend¡¯s older brother, he¡¯d been off-limits. Not that he¡¯d ever noticed her.

    As he¡¯d always said, he had two little sisters, Emily and Alyssa.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked.

    He frowned and started toward her. ¡°What, no hug? I¡¯ve been overseas for two years. Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯ve been forgotten already.¡±

    Forgotten? No. Forgiven for standing her up for senior prom? Also, no.

    ¡°I just came down to get myptop,¡± she rushed to exin. ¡°I¡¯m still in my nightclothes.¡±

    Jeremyughed. ¡°Like I¡¯ve never seen you in your nightclothes before. You pretty much lived at our house when we were kids. Seems like nothing¡¯s changed. Emily said you two were roomies.¡±

 Chapter 19

    He came around the counter and stopped. He was looking at her now like he¡¯d never seen her before. Crap. Her legs were so pale, that he probably thought he was seeing a ghost, especially whenbined with the state her hair was in.

    ¡°Temporarily.¡± Alyssa picked up theptop and turned to face him. Theptop became a shield, protecting him from noticing her braless state. ¡°I wasid off from TravTech. Most of the staff was let go. I¡¯m starting my marketing firm and Technologia Cafe is my first client.¡±

    ¡°Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit. You¡¯ve grown up.¡±

    Yeah. She¡¯d grown up. Thest time he¡¯d seen her, she¡¯d been walking across the stage at college graduation along with his sister. He¡¯d already been well-established in Silicon Valley and had flown out to see them graduate. Since Emily¡¯s and Jeremy¡¯s parents had died in a car ident while she and Emily were in college, Jeremy was the only family Emily had in the audience.

    ¡°Butter your butt and what?¡± Alyssa couldn¡¯t help but smile. Yeah, she was supposed to be mad at him, but this was how it always was with him. The second he came around, she found it impossible to stay mad.

    ¡°I picked some sayings up from my business partner.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Bad habit. Now, put thatptop down and hug me.¡±

    She didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t move. He cocked his head slightly, frowning.

    Was she prepared to exin to him why she was mad? She shook her head. No, she wasn¡¯t. Not giving him the hug he wanted was creating unnecessary drama. But she didn¡¯t want to hug him. Okay, she wanted to hug him, but she didn¡¯t want to want it. So she decided to avoid the subject altogether.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked.

    The frown lessened a little and he turned to stare at the ss-covered part of the counter next to him. Looking down, you could make out the top level of muffins and bread that Emily sold along with coffee every day. He¡¯d have to go around the counter to see what was on the other shelves, though.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± He shrugged, turning toward her. ¡°My sister needs me, so I¡¯m working out of the Silicon Valley office for the foreseeable future.¡±

    She seemed to have lost her ability to breathe normally. Jeremy was back. She hadn¡¯t realized until now just how much it had helped her, knowing he was on the other side of the world. Hispany developed parts for cell phones, and the manufacturer was in Asia. He had a business partner here who managed things while he oversaw the manufacturing process.

    Yeah, they¡¯d all known he¡¯d be back someday. She just hadn¡¯t realized how soon ¡°someday¡± could be.

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    Alyssa struggled to sound polite without seeming excited. This grudge against him was messing with her emotions. Deep down, she wanted to be genuinely excited.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to help Emily out.¡±

    Alyssa announced that it would mean anything to him. Jeremy had made a fortune off hispany, using the money he¡¯d gotten after his parents¡¯ death. Emily, with the same investment, had started this coffee shop that was still struggling to get out of the red. Jeremy had put some of his own money into it to hire more people and buy extra equipment so they could take advantage of the local delivery market. But the undeniable truth was that you couldn¡¯t throw a rock in Silicon Valley without it touching down between five coffee shops. The market was just beyond saturated.

    ¡°She told me. Thank you.¡±

    Jeremy stepped toward her. She fought the urge to move back. She wasn¡¯t afraid of him. She¡¯d never be afraid of him. What she was afraid of, though, was the way she felt when he was around.

    With a nervousugh, Alyssa looked away. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not getting something out of it, too. I¡¯m doing all the marketing for her in exchange for room and board. It¡¯s a great resume builder for me. We¡¯re pouring a lot of time and energy into her socials, just to get the word out. Plus, I have some ns to maybe get some media attention. Can you imagine if we could get a reality TV show or movie to film here?¡±

    ¡°That would be great.¡±

    But he sounded distracted. When she dared look at him again, he was staring at her. Staring at her. It was like the grown-up version of her teenage fantasies.

    He¡¯d never, ever, ever looked at her like that before.

    ¡°I should be getting back upstairs.¡± Alyssa stepped around him, walking as far to the right as she could in the confined space behind the counter. It was like he was a ma and she was metal. If she got too close, she¡¯d be sucked toward him¡­

    Maybe that didn¡¯t sound as unappealing as she wanted it to.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just hang down here, maybe fire the coffee machine up,¡± he called after her.

    Alyssa turned to look at him. Seriously? He was just hanging out here until they opened? But¡­why?

    ¡°I figured you¡¯d go home,¡± she said.

    He shrugged. ¡°My clock still hasn¡¯t adjusted to U. S. time. I¡¯ll sleep this afternoon after I get some work done at the office.¡±

    Good. By the time she returned in an hour or so, he¡¯d be gone. She could open the shop, help Emily out with customers, and maybe, just maybe, forget Jeremy was back in town. Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t stop in very often, and when he did, she¡¯d be too busy to deal with him. Besides, she had her hands full lining up other clients, anyway. Ideally, she¡¯d soon be able to move into her ce and meet with Emily once a week or so, just as she would with her other clients.

    ¡°Just lock up before you leave.¡±

    She didn¡¯t wait for his response to that, instead turning and heading back toward the stairs that would take her to the safety of Emily¡¯s apartment.

 Chapter 20

    How in the heck was it possible that Alyssa Kennedy was now a woman?

    He¡¯d seen her over the years, most memorably at his sister¡¯s

    college graduation. She¡¯d been wearing one of those oversized graduation gowns, though, and a cap on her head. Before that, when he¡¯d run into her, he¡¯d still looked at her as the same shy, giggly teenage girl who never seemed to have a straight face when he was around.

    Now she was serious. Dead serious. When he¡¯d asked her to hug him, she¡¯d looked at him as though he was some smarmy type with grabby hands. He had not liked the way that made him feel.

    But what he liked was the way she looked in that oversized T-shirt. It hade to mid-thigh, so it wasn¡¯t like it revealed much more than a pair of shorts or miniskirt would. Her long, chestnut, wavy hair had been just mussed enough to reveal she¡¯d recently climbed out of bed, and her sleepy eyes had given her a sort of glow.

    Man, she¡¯d grown into a stunning woman.

    Jeremy fired up equipment and began opening procedures while he waited for things to warm up. What he needed right now was a strong cup of coffee, but in the meantime, may as well make himself productive. It would save his sister sometime when she rolled down here at four a. m. to get started. Maybe he should text her and tell her to take her time.

    She deserved to sleep in, as hard as she worked.

    No, he¡¯d rather surprise her.

    Jeremy had all the opening procedures finished and was seated at a table by the front window, coffee in front of him when he heard the back door open. He turned to see Alyssa, lookingpletely refreshed and awake in a white T-shirt and jeans. She stopped just inside the doorway.

    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡±

    He patted the table, mostly to indicate the seat across from him. He just hoped that message tranted. ¡°Grab a cup of coffee and join me.¡±

    ¡°I have to-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all done.¡± He waved a hand in the air. ¡°Just have to wait for five-thirty¡±

    Alyssa walked behind the counter and began looking things over. Didn¡¯t trust him, huh? He considered teasing her about it. The old Alyssa would have giggled and coyly looked away. He wasn¡¯t so sure how this new Alyssa would handle being picked on.

    ¡°I helped her open this ce every day for the first few months it was open.¡±

    He stared down at his phone while he spoke. If Alyssa handled opening duties now, it wouldn¡¯t have surprised him. Emily was not a morning person, which made it fairly amusing she¡¯d chosen a line of work that required getting up at the crack of dawn. The only exnation for that choice was the fact that it was a coffee ce. Emily had always heavily relied on some type of caffeine to get her eyes open in the morning. She¡¯d drunk heavily-sweetened coffee from their parents¡¯ coffeemaker starting in middle school.

    ¡°So you¡¯re helping my sister open the store? That¡¯s nice of you,¡± he called out to Alyssa as she moved around behind the counter.

    It was tough not to monitor what she was doing. It had been so long since he¡¯d opened the shop, that he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he¡¯d missed something crucial. But he decided to let her do her thing back there while he repeatedly refreshed his news app to make it look like he was reading something on the screen.

    Alyssa came from behind the counter, a cup of iced coffee in hand. ¡°She¡¯s paying me an hourly wage, so it¡¯s hardly charity. Her top employee quit around the time I wasid off, so it was a win for both of us. This is just until my business gets going.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    To his surprise, she settled into the chair across from him, like they were just two old friends having a meeting at a coffee shop. A closed coffee shop. This was a little closer to the warm reception he expected from someone who had been like a little sister to him.

    ¡°How long did you work there?¡± he asked.

    She looked up at him as she took a sip from her straw, and then set the cup down. ¡°At TravTech? Just a couple of years. I did that internship in college at that tech startup, though, and they rmended me. I was promoted to director just before theyoffs. They kept one of my employees because her sry was way lower.¡±

    ¡°That sucks.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Just part of doing business.¡±

    At first, he didn¡¯t answer. He just looked out the window thoughtfully. Yes, that was part of doing business for some people, and maybe they seeded that way. Sometimes shareholders and investors push you to make some tough decisions. But he liked to believe if he was ever in that position, he¡¯d find a way to aplish the goals while still rewarding his most loyal employees somehow.

    ¡°I got a severance package,¡± she said. ¡°But this is my chance. I knew when I wasid off, I could go one of two ways. I could start actively searching for a sried position or I could start my own business. Silicon Valley is full ofpanies that need marketing expertise. Most of them can¡¯t afford a full-time person. I¡¯m here to help businesses like that.¡±

    ¡°Like coffee shops.¡± He gave her a teasing smile, pushing the limits a little. This type of banter would have been fine when they were kids, so why did it feel so weird now? There was distance between them, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he definitely would be considering hitting on her had she been anyone else.

    ¡°Mostly techpanies, but I¡¯d love to work with more small businesses like this one. Brick-and-mortar isn¡¯t really where it¡¯s at around here.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it is.¡±

    She frowned at him, and it hit him how different she was now. He was having a hard time seeing her as the girl he¡¯d been sofortable with just a few years ago. Had he ever really looked at her? Sure, she¡¯d been sixteen when he was neen, so just a child, but now she was twenty-four and he was twenty-seven. The age gap wasn¡¯t quite as extreme now.

    ¡°All these tech startups around here, they¡¯re pretty much the same.¡± He waved his hand in the air as if to indicate the whole of Silicon Valley in one gesture. ¡°Businesses like this one-that¡¯s where the heart is. I can bring you into mypany and have you blow a bunch of smoke, but when ites down to it, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be happy doing that.¡±

    Alyssa narrowed her eyes at him. The move was barely perceptible, but he knew her. Just as knowing her made him fully aware that she wouldn¡¯t be happy promoting the testosterone-fueled dudes who pretty much ran this town.

    Jeremy should know. He was one of them.

    For seven years, he¡¯d worked his butt off. He¡¯de to this business-driven town-leaving college early-to make something of his dream to be a techpreneur. In the dark of the night, when he was struggling to fall asleep, he knew he¡¯d been trying to outrun his parents¡¯ sudden death in a car ident. But from that, he¡¯d somehow managed to build one of the most powerful SIM cards-a card that was used in cell phones put out by most of the top manufacturers.

    Yet, deep down, also in those dark hours of the night, he knew many people thought of him as that trust fund baby. That kid who hade to Silicon Valley with a bunch of money in his pocket and used those funds to start a business. Of course, it was sessful, they¡¯d say. Any entrepreneur could kick off a sessful business if he had a bunch of money handed to him.

    So he spent his career trying to prove them wrong. And now that he was back in town, that was more apparent to him than it had been the entire two years he¡¯d been away from here.

    ¡°I¡¯m going after female-led businesses.¡± Alyssa took a long sip of her drink, seeming to await his response.

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure what else to say to that. Mostly, his mind was racing as he tried to think of some colleagues to refer to her. But he was all too aware, during that mind-racing, that he couldn¡¯t think of one.

    They were all dudes.

    When he looked at her, she was smiling at him. ¡°Yeah, there aren¡¯t many. You¡¯re probably thinking, ¡®Good luck with that.¡¯ But that¡¯s the problem. There are a lot of female-led startups around here, but they don¡¯t get the attention¡­not to mention, the funding. I¡¯m hoping to help with that.¡±

    Jeremy was having a hard time thinking at all if he were honest. He was too busy looking at the dramatic way her lips moved when she spoke, as though she were careful to enunciate every word. Then there was that adorable little nose and thoserge brown eyes, framed by long, lushshes. Even when she had been clean-faced earlier, thoseshes had stood out. All of this was just an older version of the features she¡¯d had as a kid, but somehow, they now came together to make her a breathtakingly gorgeous woman.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 21

    Toote, he realized he¡¯d zoned out while she was talking. Now she was asking him a question. He felt like aplete jerk that he¡¯d been thinking about how attractive she was when they were having a serious conversation.

    Before he could say anything, a scream pierced the rtive silence of the cafe. He hadn¡¯t even noticed the back door opening, and if Alyssa had, she hadn¡¯t mentioned it. She looked just as startled as he did.

    When he turned to look, his sister was rushing toward him.

    It was just the reception he¡¯d been expecting. He had to admit, he¡¯d sort of assumed Alyssa would wee him simrly. But in seconds, he was getting the wee-home hug he¡¯d been craving since walking through the door to the coffee shop more than an hour earlier.

    ¡°Yay!¡± Emily squealed. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me you were back.¡±

    ¡°I came a few days early. I couldn¡¯t wait to see you.¡±

    In truth, her situation had sounded pretty dire on the phone. As her big brother, he¡¯d feltpelled to get here sooner than he¡¯d originally nned. There wasn¡¯t much he could do to help out-especially now that he knew just how much Alyssa had done-but he felt better being close by.

    ¡°He opened the store.¡± Alyssa was standing just behind him now, hands in her back pockets. ¡°I checked. We¡¯re all ready to go.¡±

    ¡°Just like old times, huh?¡± Emily punched her brother in the arm yfully. ¡°Big brothering to my rescue.¡±

    ¡°And just like old times, you¡¯re handling things pretty well on your own.¡±

    ¡°Not on my own.¡± Emily pointed to Alyssa. ¡°My right-hand woman here has been a huge help.¡±

    Alyssa stepped up to stand next to Jeremy. ¡°I haven¡¯t even gotten started yet. I got everything set up on social media, and I¡¯ve also been scheduling posts to go out every day, as well as engaging inmunity groups. It¡¯s all about building brand awareness.¡±

    Emily looked at her brother. ¡°See? Right-hand woman. Come on, and I¡¯ll show you some changes we¡¯ve made.¡±

    Alyssa chose to stay in the dining room, letting Jeremy follow Emily to the back area of the restaurant. Oddly, he missed Alyssa. How could he miss her when he¡¯d barely given her a second thought before three a. m. that morning?

    ¡°Who would have thought we¡¯d all end up right back here where we started?¡± Jeremy asked.

    They¡¯d grown up only twenty minutes from here, where they¡¯d also gone to school. Alyssa had lived in the same neighborhood, but they hadn¡¯t gotten to know her until she¡¯d befriended Emily in second grade. From that point on, they¡¯d been inseparable.

    Emily had been showing him the new shelving they¡¯d bought, but his words caused her to stop and flip around to face him. ¡°She¡¯s been amazing, Jer. Even before she lost her job, she was always checking in on me, and she worked some long hours at that other job. I snatched her up as soon as she was out of work. She gave her apartment up and moved here, where she¡¯s been staying and working around the clock since.¡±

    Something was suddenly very clear to Jeremy as he listened to his sister talk. It didn¡¯t surprise him at all. Years of watching Alyssa help out his mom and sister rolled through his mind. If they had a yard sale, Alyssa was right there, alongside his family, and she did the same for her own family.

    She was a real trooper.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank her for taking care of my sister,¡± he said.

    ¡°I take care of myself. But, yeah, she¡¯s pretty great. So how long will you be here?¡±

    ¡°Indefinitely.¡± He opened the fridge, noting the various types of creamers and milks lined up neatly inside. ¡°Nice.¡± He closed the door and turned back to face her. ¡°I may have to travel some, but I¡¯m officially a northern California resident again.¡±

    ¡°I meant today, although that¡¯s nice to know.¡± She turned and walked him toward a wall with a big bulletin board covered in announcements. Wasn¡¯t that sort of thing all done online now?

    ¡°I have to get to work, unfortunately.¡± He meant every syble of that ¡°unfortunately,¡± too. Thest thing he wanted was to drag himself away from here. Not just because he¡¯d been enjoying his morning with Alyssa so much, but also because he¡¯d just reconnected with his sister after being gone for two solid years.

    ¡°Come back after work,¡± Emily called out as he headed out of the backroom and toward the front door of the cafe.

    ¡°The shop closes at two, or did you forget?¡± He pointed to the hours, clearly posted on the door.

    ¡°I mean to our apartment, silly. I¡¯ll make dinner for the three of us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t-¡± Alyssa started, standing near the table, her coffee cup forgotten behind her. She was trying to find a way out of having dinner with him? Just when he¡¯d thought they¡¯d gotten on somewhat solid ground, she was being all weird again.

    ¡°I don¡¯t bite.¡±

    Jeremy wasn¡¯t sure what possessed him to say those words. If she was feeling skittish about him, he probably shouldy off the teasing for a while. But he couldn¡¯t seem to shut off the instinct to go right back to the way he¡¯d interacted with her when they were kids.

    ¡°I hope not,¡± Alyssa said.

    Their gazes connected and held. He felt something he never would have imagined feeling for his little sister¡¯s best friend. A spark. More than a spark¡­fireworks.

    Did she feel it, too? Was that why she was being so weird?

    Or maybe she¡¯d felt it all along.

    Emily¡¯s voice sliced right into the moment, forcing Alyssa to nervously avert her gaze. ¡°You¡¯reing for dinner if I have to drive over to your office and drag you here.¡±

    He saluted his sister. ¡°You¡¯ve got it. Meanwhile, get to work!¡±

    Smiling at his sister, then nodding at Alyssa, he headed out the door, eager to get away from Alyssa so he could figure out what was going on inside his head.

 Chapter 22

    ¡°O Jeremy had been out the door all of two minutes, if that, kay, so what¡¯s the deal?¡±

    when Emily turned her full attention to Alyssa. Alyssa responded by heading straight to her workstation. Even though Jeremy had done most of the opening procedure duties, there had to be something left for her to do.

    ¡°Did we get new small cups?¡± Alyssa bent over, checking various cubbies behind the counter. ¡°I looked for them, but I couldn¡¯t find them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re changing the subject. What¡¯s going on with you?¡±

    Alyssa shed her a look, then continued her search. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You¡¯re being all weird around Jeremy. You don¡¯t want himing over for dinner? It sounded like you were about to object for a minute there.¡±

    Sighing, Alyssa stood. Maybe it would have been better for all of them if she¡¯d just admitted her crush when they were twelve and let Emily deal with it. But what would have been the point? Jeremy hadn¡¯t returned her feelings, so all it would have done was make things awkward.

    Besides, Emily made it clear from a very young age that she didn¡¯t like girls dating her brother. She ended up pretty much hating every girlfriend he ever had. Back then, she¡¯d been worried about losing her BFF over it, and looking back, Alyssa was pretty sure she would have.

    ¡°You¡¯re very protective of your brother,¡± Alyssamented instead of responding.

    ¡°You bet I am. Is this about prom night? Because you two need to clear the air about that.¡±

    Alyssaughed. ¡°It¡¯s been six years. I think if he were going to apologize, he would have already.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been six years.¡± Emily¡¯s message was clear in the way she leveled her gaze at Alyssa.

    Six years. She should¡¯ve gotten over it by now. But it wasn¡¯t just the image of her sitting alone in her fancy gown with her parents trying to console her on what should have been one of the best nights of her life. No, arge part of it was that Jeremy had never apologized for standing her up. Never even exined it. He¡¯d just vanished.

    ¡°He was going through his wild phase back then.¡± Emily shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t make excuses for it. There are no excuses. But he had to hit rock bottom before he picked himself back up, and then¡­¡±

    And then their parents died. Which was why she could never, ever tell Jeremy how devastating his treatment of her had been. He¡¯d only asked her to the prom as a favor to his sister, she was pretty sure, but it would have been Alyssa¡¯s one chance to show everyone she wasn¡¯t just a knobby-kneed, awkward girl. She was a woman capable of getting a hottie like Jeremy to escort her to the biggest event of her entire high school existence.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Alyssa shook her head as if to shake off the entire conversation. She¡¯d never be able to tell Jeremy she was angry at him, so she may as well forget the whole thing. No point in holding a grudge if she wasn¡¯t hoping for some sort of resolution.

    Emily didn¡¯t look like she believed Alyssa, but she seemed to think better of pushing it further. Instead, they jumped into their work, setting out the new small cups and updating the baked goods in the disy case. Soon, the doors were open, and Alyssa was too busy to think about anything else. At least until around midmorning, when business died a little and she got a chance to look at her phone.

    Call me, a text read. Dismissing it as spam, she moved to pocket her phone and returned to work when it buzzed in her hand again. It¡¯s Jeremy.

    ¡°Your brother¡¯s texting me,¡± Alyssa said.

    Why was she saying that out loud? She¡¯d finally gotten Emily to drop the subject a few hours ago, and now she was opening it back up again. Maybe it was because her heart had leaped at the sight of his name and she wanted to y it off as no big deal to convince herself of it.

    Emily was refilling the espresso machine. ¡°What does he want?¡±

    ¡°He wants me to call him.¡±

    ¡°So call him. Put him on speaker.¡±

    That sounded like a much better option than talking to him alone. His sister could serve as a safety barrier between them. She was suddenly very d she¡¯d mentioned the text to Emily.

    ¡°You¡¯re on speaker!¡± Alyssa blurted as soon as she heard Jeremy pick up on the other end. ¡°Say hi to your sister.¡±

    ¡°Hey, everyone!¡± Jeremy called out. ¡°I was calling to see if I could borrow Alyssa for a couple of hours.¡±

    Borrow her? What was she, a library book or something?

    ¡°That¡¯s up to Alyssa.¡± Emily looked at her. ¡°Can my brother borrow you for a few hours?¡±

    ¡°Couple,¡± Jeremy corrected. Alyssa had to ask. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise.¡±

    No. Not.

    ¡°I have to know why before I¡¯ll agree to go.¡± Alyssa looked over at Emily. ¡°It¡¯s my decision, as long as Emily can spare me.¡±

    Emily held up her hands as if in surrender. ¡°Don¡¯t let me get in the way of a good surprise.¡±

    ¡°It has to do with your business.¡±

    Knowing Jeremy as she did, that was as detailed as it would get. Alyssa was torn. The goal was to spend as little time around Jeremy as possible- especially one-on-one time with him-but if she wanted to achieve her dream of starting a marketing firm, she needed to be open to every opportunity that presented itself. Also, she couldn¡¯t help but feel intrigued.

    Curiosity won out in the end. ¡°Fine. Where do you want me to meet you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m out front.¡±

 Chapter 23

    Heughed, shifting into drive. ¡°This one¡¯s on loan. My buddy hooked me up. I¡¯m trying to decide if I want to trade in for it.¡±

    Alyssa looked around the interior. She couldn¡¯t imagine what it would be like to own an SUV like this. She was still driving the same sedan her parents had given her when her very first, very used car waspletely worn out. There were dings from parking in tight spaces around town, not to mention tires she couldn¡¯t afford to switch out. She should have thought about a new car while she had a full-time job, but she¡¯d been hopeful she could pay down some of her college debt during that time.

    Although she¡¯d nned to wait until they¡¯d driven a few minutes, she couldn¡¯t put it off any longer. ¡°So where are we going?¡±

    ¡°I told you-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°If it¡¯s rted to my business, I¡¯d prefer to know in advance so I can prepare.¡±

    The corner of his mouth tightened. It was a move she recognized all too well from childhood. Whenever she was being too pesky, he¡¯d get that look, and she¡¯d immediately shrink back, fearful she¡¯d do something to make it so he¡¯d never like her the way she liked him.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Okay.¡± He took a deep breath as they slowed to a stop at a traffic light. ¡°My business partner has a younger sister who¡¯s starting a graphic design firm. We¡¯re having lunch with her.¡±

    Whoa. That was a lot. She was supposed to be wooing a new client and here she was, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. She looked down to make sure there were no stains and realized she hadn¡¯t even stopped to remove her apron before leaving. She quickly remedied that.

    ¡°You look fine.¡± Jeremy didn¡¯t even nce over her as he said that. ¡°Fine¡± wasn¡¯t how she wanted him to see her, at least not in the way he was saying it. Hot, beautiful, even great¡­ All those would be preferable to ¡°eptable for interacting with other humans.¡±

    ¡°We could go back to the apartment and I could change,¡± Alyssa suggested, pointing behind them.

    ¡°No time. She¡¯s already at the restaurant, waiting.¡±

    No pressure there. Alyssa felt panic rise in her chest, not just because they were alreadyte, but because she was in no way prepared for this meeting.

    Jeremy pulled up to a valet stand, put the car into park, and turned to face her. ¡°You can do this.¡±

    For the briefest of moments, it was just the two of them. Everything outside this car seemed to disappear as he stared at her, his gaze so intense, it sent chills down her spine. She¡¯d forgotten just how she¡¯d felt in his presence, but now it was easy to see how she¡¯d spent her entire adolescence waiting for him to notice her.

    Alyssa nodded, mostly to break this hold he had on her. But he was right. She absolutely could do this. She¡¯d logged plenty of hours in meetings with bigwigs while at TravTech. Losing her job had temporarily shaken her confidence. This was her chance to get it back.

    The valet appeared in Jeremy¡¯s window behind him, giving Alyssa the excuse she needed to break the spell. She reached for the door handle and exited the car, giving herself a quick pep talk. She thought back to all the times she¡¯d pushed herself through challenges in the past and, in doing so, realized exactly what the difference was this time.

    Jeremy was with her.

    He led the way toward the front door of the restaurant, pulling it open and holding it for her. Yeah, he¡¯d be sitting next to her at a table, watching her work her magic. She¡¯d rather be speaking in front of a crowd of millions than pitching her services in front of him. It had her terrified.

    ¡°Someone is waiting for us,¡± Jeremy said to a hostess behind the podium at the front of the restaurant. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what she looks like, but

    -¡±

    Someone behind them was waving at them. Alyssa tapped Jeremy on the arm and nodded in the woman¡¯s direction. The hostess grabbed some menus and led them that way while Alyssa concentrated on walking, her legs feeling weak and unsteady beneath her. ¡°You must be Jeremy!¡±

    The woman spoke very loudly and enthusiastically. She jumped up and gave Jeremy a big hug, rather than a handshake, then turned to Alyssa.

    ¡°Alyssa Kennedy.¡± Her voice was hoarse. Great. She hoped she wasn¡¯t about to croak her way through this lunch meeting.

    ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Mitzi. I¡¯m a hugger.¡±

    Alyssa encountered a lot of Mitzis in her work and usually, they annoyed her. But something about Mitzi¡¯s exuberance was appealing. For one thing, right now it was exactly what she needed to put her at ease.

    After the required hug-one that seemed to be just a little too tight- they all sat down andpletely ignored the menus in front of them.

    ¡°So¡­my brother tells me you can help me get my business off the ground.¡± Mitzi looked from Jeremy to Alyssa and back again, as if not sure which of the two of them to give her focus. ¡°I¡¯ve been frencing for five years, but I¡¯m ready to grow. I have a logo and website and all that stuff. It¡¯s just¡­getting the word out. That¡¯s what I need help with. Oh, and bookkeeping and taxes and all that.¡±

    ¡°I can hook you up with my financial guy.¡± Jeremy looked over at Alyssa. ¡°But this is the marketing expert. She is the former head of marketing for TravTech.¡±

    Mitzi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°TravTech. Impressive. Wait, didn¡¯t they justy off a bunch of people?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they¡¯reing back strong.¡± Alyssa wasn¡¯t sure why she was defending her former employer. She supposed she still felt loyalty toward them even though she no longer worked there. ¡°I¡¯m like you, though- ready to start my own business. Even if they offered me my job back, I wouldn¡¯t take it.¡±

    Although it would be tempting. Just having thefort of a steady sry, not to mention medical benefits. She¡¯d taken so much of that for granted. But she¡¯d also spent almost every day wishing she were working hard to put money in her pocket rather than someone else¡¯s.

    Mitzi¡¯s full attention was on Alyssa now. ¡°Frencing is a great way to start. So how does this work?¡±

 Chapter 24

    He couldn¡¯t possibly be serious. Alyssa rose on tiptoe-a highly unnecessary move-and peered out the front windows. She didn¡¯t know what she was trying to see. It wasn¡¯t like she could identify Jeremy¡¯s car.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right out,¡± Alyssa said. What else could she say? She had to see what happened next.

    ¡°Have fun!¡± Emily waved to Alyssa with a big smile. ¡°And make sure you¡¯re both home in time for dinner.¡±

    Emily sounded like her mom-a thought that hit Alyssa like a freight train. She knew the consensus was that everyone took on their parents¡¯ personality traits, but that had to be especially difficult when you lost those parents at such a young age. When Emily had children someday, she¡¯d be so much like her mom. Sadly, her mom wouldn¡¯t be there to see it.

    There was a Range Rover outside the front door to the cafe, and it looked pretty darn new. When she climbed in and was immediately assaulted by the new car smell, Alyssa looked over at him. ¡°Have you bought a new car since arriving home?¡±

    That was the question Alyssa wasn¡¯t prepared to answer. When she¡¯d worked with TravTech, her goal was to promote one client: thepany. But she¡¯d certainly created her share of marketing ns, which she¡¯d had to present to the powers that be. This couldn¡¯t be that much different, right?

    Alyssa jumped right in. ¡°I¡¯d just need to sit down with you and learn about your business. Your branding, what your goals are. Then, once I¡¯ve gathered all the information, I¡¯ll prepare a preliminary marketing n for you to review. You would make tweaks to it or add things-whatever youe up with. Often, clients find that the marketing n gets the gears going and theye up with all kinds of great ideas and strategies.¡±

    Wow. Who would have thought the lessons she¡¯d learned in college would help her out so much today? She remembered doing mock presentations and discussing these very things. Even though she¡¯d done this sort of work when she was with TravTech, pitching external clients waspletely different than sitting in a meeting with your bosses to discuss uing marketing campaigns.

    ¡°Then we¡¯d sign a contract?¡± Mitzi looked more bright-eyed than ever if that were possible. ¡°How soon could you get started?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°This afternoon?¡±

    Alyssa looked over at Jeremy. He¡¯d driven her here, but she certainly wouldn¡¯t expect him to wait around while she went over everything in detail with Mitzi.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do it while we eat.¡±

    Mitzi opened her menu and started studying its contents. The server returned and they ordered, with Alyssa taking Mitzi¡¯s lead to ask for a sd. She¡¯d learned to take the client¡¯s lead when ordering early in her career, although she still wasn¡¯t sure about the logic of that. She was ying it safe this time, though.

    ¡°So how do you two know each other?¡± Mitzi asked. She pointed to Alyssa and then Jeremy. ¡°Are you¡­?¡±

    Alyssa nearly choked on the mouthful of water she¡¯d just swallowed at the brusque question. How did she even answer that? She looked over at Jeremy.

    ¡°Childhood friends,¡± Jeremy answered.

    No surprise. At least he hadn¡¯t responded to the question with disgust at the unspoken implication that they might be a couple. Even though they weren¡¯t, that would have been painful to hear.

    ¡°His sister and I are best friends.¡± Alyssa took another sip of her water, now that the choking hazard had passed. ¡°Have been since second grade.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so awesome.¡± Mitzi lent her usual enthusiasm to those three words. ¡°I don¡¯t have any friends from high school, even. We all lost touch during college.¡±

    ¡°It helps that we both still live in the town we grew up in. Plus,

    Jeremy¡¯s sister owns a coffee shop. I¡¯m doing her marketing.¡±

    A big smile covered Mitzi¡¯s face. ¡°Which coffee shop? I love coffee.¡± ¡°Technologia Cafe,¡± Alyssa answered.

    Mitzi frowned. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of that one.¡±

    ¡°You will soon. She just hired me to get things going. You¡¯ll have toe check it out.¡±

    Only, if she did, she¡¯d see Alyssa working there and wonder just how much a marketing firm owner she was. There had to be some way to get ahead of that.

    ¡°Right now, Alyssa is getting some hands-on experience there.¡± Jeremy looked over at her. ¡°My sister needed some help, and Alyssa pitched right in. What better way is there to learn about a business than to spend some time as an employee?¡±

    Alyssa returned Jeremy¡¯s stare. He was looking at her appreciatively, and it gave her stomach those butterflies that reminded her of her teen years. And he was sitting by her side as she worked to achieve her dream. That was a true hero, in her mind.

    ¡°I would say you coulde to work with me for a while, but unless you know your way around design tools, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d be just watching me work.¡±

    Alyssa smiled. ¡°I can do that for half an hour or so after we finish up here.¡±

    As if on cue, the server showed up with their meals, setting them down in front of them. Jeremy, having missed the message that you should match your order to the client¡¯s, was enjoying a big, juicy ribeye with a baked potato.

    Although he had to have been bored throughout the meal, Jeremy ate quietly while Mitzi filled Alyssa in on all the details of her business. The more Mitzi talked, the more excited Alyssa was. They¡¯d have to agree on pricing, and of course, Mitzi would have to like her marketing n, but for the first time, she saw the possibility of achieving her dream of running her marketing agency.

 Chapter 25

    Leaving Alyssa¡¯s side was surprisingly hard. But as Jeremy lost himself in the many activities associated with running his business, he knew he¡¯d be seeing her in just a few hours. They were having dinner together at his sister¡¯s apartment.

    ¡°Can I bring anything?¡± Jeremy was rushing out the door to his car while talking on the phone to Emily. It was the weirdest thing. He couldn¡¯t remember thest time he¡¯d been this excited about something, and all he was doing was having dinner with his sister.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    And Alyssa.

    ¡°Just yourself.¡±

    There was no mistaking the stress in his sister¡¯s voice. She was rushing around, trying to make everything perfect for her big brother who had returned home. But it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d been at war or anything. He¡¯d been living the life of luxury in a high-rise condo for the past couple of years. Still, nothing beats time with family and friends.

    ¡°Seriously, I can stop by the store and grab some dessert or rolls or something. I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°In this traffic? You¡¯ll do well to get here in time for thesagna toe out of the oven.¡±

    His mouth immediately began watering at the mention of his favorite childhood dish. His sister had carried on the tradition, making their mother¡¯s recipe for him as often as she could before he left.

    ¡°Watch me.¡±

    After hanging up with his sister, he used his mad driving skills to get from his office to his sister¡¯s apartment in record time. There were plenty of obstacles along the way, but his goal was to impress Emily and, especially, Alyssa.

    By the time he found a spot on the very tip-top of the parking garage and walked his way down, he wasn¡¯t sure his arrival time was all that impressive. But he knocked on the door with confidence, hoping Alyssa would answer.

    What was happening to him?

    Emily pulled the door open and gave him a big hug. ¡°I¡¯m just so excited you¡¯re back. Come on in. Thesagna has another half an hour. What can I get you to drink?¡±

    That was a heck of a lot of information at once. Her energy level made him tired. But maybe that was because he¡¯d just descended ten floors via the stairs.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have some of that punch.¡±

    He¡¯d entered the apartment and found himself subconsciously scanning the area for signs of Alyssa. He was one hundred percent aware of her presence-orck thereof, in this case. He wanted to ask Emily where she was, but he didn¡¯t want to give away the fact that he was excited to see Alyssa again, especially when he didn¡¯t even understand why he was excited.

    Emily called back, ¡°I sure do. Made a batch just for you as soon as I got home from work. I¡¯ll pour you a ss.¡±

    Jeremy smiled. In addition to hersagna recipe, Emily had also adopted their mother¡¯s fruit punch, which had been a party favorite from the time they were young. Emily had turned it into a regr indulgence, though, making small batches of it even when they were just having dinner together. He wasn¡¯t sure what all was in it, but he knew it somehow involved sherbet and pineapple juice.

    ¡°Alyssa¡¯s on her way.¡± Emily emerged from the kitchen and set a ss of punch in front of him. ¡°Things must have gone well with your business meeting.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    Emily led the way over to the sofa and sat down on one end. Jeremy opted for the big recliner nearby that had once been his father¡¯s. She frowned.

    ¡°She never came back. I texted her around mid-afternoon and she responded that she was in a meeting and would get back to me once it was over. The next time I heard from her was about fifteen minutes ago, saying she was grabbing a rideshare and would be here soon.¡±

    After taking a moment to savor the fruit punch he hadn¡¯t realized he missed, Jeremy set the ss down on a coaster on the table next to him. ¡°I left her there after lunch. They were going to go to her office to discuss what Mitzi¡¯s business does. They seemed to be hitting it off.¡±

    ¡°That was nice of you.¡± Sipping her punch, Emily looked at him over the top of her ss. There was a hint of amusement in her eyes.

    Jeremy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m always eager to help out where I can. I had a lot of help while I was building my business. Besides, she¡¯s your best friend.¡±

    Still, she watched him. He shrugged to make it seem as though it was no big deal. He was just about to change the subject when she spoke again.

    ¡°Alyssa¡¯s always had a crush on you, you know.¡±

    Suddenly, the air in the apartment got ridiculously heavy. No, he hadn¡¯t realized that at all. But thinking back on it, she had been a little weird around him, starting around the time she was in middle school. At seventeen, a fourteen-year-old girl with a crush on him would have been ttering, but that was it. At twenty-seven, a twenty-four-year-old woman with a crush on him¡­

    That was a different matter.

    ¡°Remember, you were supposed to take her to her senior prom?¡± Emily asked.

    Something he¡¯d avoided thinking about for the past six years hit him all at once. He¡¯d somehow managed to repress that entire thing, probably because when he thought about it, the guilt overwhelmed him.

    He¡¯d been a jerk. No, ¡°jerk¡± wasn¡¯t even a strong enough word for it. At the time, he¡¯d been away at college, trying to establish his independence. He¡¯d thought he was the man, thanks to his status in his fraternity and the fact that he¡¯d somehowe out of his shell to discover women were interested in him. Taking the four-hour drive back home for Alyssa¡¯s prom had been something that had sounded good when his sister had convinced him to ask her because nobody else had, but a couple of weekster, when prom night happened, he¡¯d done the wrong thing.

    And now that he¡¯d been forced to remember it, he felt like aplete, grade-A fool.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying she still has a thing for you or anything, but she did at that time,¡± Emily said. ¡°Not to mention the fact that shepletely missed her senior prom. That kind of sucked.¡±

    ¡°How do I make it up to her?¡± He picked up his drink and took a generous swig.

 Chapter 26

    From the look on her face, it was immediately clear that Emily had hoped he would ask that very question. ¡°First of all, you can apologize. I think that would go a long way. And maybe then the two of you can address this thing between you.¡±

    Jeremy had been prepared to assure her he was all too willing to apologize. But thatst sentencepletely derailed him. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Emily rolled her eyes. ¡°Come on. Anyone paying any attention at all would see it. When the two of you are in a room together, sparks are flying.

    I assume that¡¯s something new unless I just didn¡¯t notice it before.¡± ¡°No way. Alyssa was always like a little sister to me.¡±

    ¡°Until now.¡±

    He¡¯d painted himself into that corner, he realized. She was like a little sister to him. That was past tense. He could double back and say she still was like a little sister, but he couldn¡¯t even get those words out. It was like the Alyssa he¡¯d known a few years ago wasn¡¯t even the same person.

    The sound of the front door to the apartment opening saved him from having toe up with a response. He knew it was only a temporary dy, though. His sister had made it clear she was aware of whatever was flying around between him and Alyssa and would likely find a way to encourage it. Just how she¡¯d make that happen remained to be seen.

    ¡°Hi, everyone.¡±

    Jeremy didn¡¯t even have time to think about standing before Emily was on her feet, zing past him on her way to the kitchen. He turned to see Alyssa entering the apartment, her hands loaded down with shopping bags.

    Emily skidded to a halt when she got a glimpse of Alyssa. ¡°What? When did you have time to do all that?¡±

    ¡°I texted you from the store. I thought you might need some things to go with your famoussagna. I got a sd, some rolls, and, best of all, three kinds of dessert.¡±

    ¡°Three?¡± Jeremyughed. ¡°I hope they¡¯re single-sized.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say we¡¯ll have plenty left over for tomorrow.¡±

    Emily turned to look at him, a knowing smile on her face. ¡°Did you hear that? You¡¯reing back tomorrow for dessert.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a n to me.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he was watching for Alyssa¡¯s reaction. If she¡¯d made a face or sighed or something, he might have to think about noting around as much. She didn¡¯t. Instead, she rushed right into the kitchen and started unloading items onto the counter.

    He helped get everything on the table, then took a seat at one end while Emily sat at the other. Alyssa took one of the two seats on the side of the table facing the wall, and he noticed she chose the seat closest to Emily rather than him. That should be expected. Emily was her roommate and best friend and Jeremy was just¡­the guy who had stood her up on prom night.

    ¡°Tell us about your meeting,¡± Jeremy blurted as they passed the bowl of sd around.

    It was a good move. He could tell that much right away. She perked up and the tension that had lingered in the air around them seemed to lift slightly.

    ¡°It was amazing. We spent hours going over everything. She showed me her portfolio and I have pages of notes on her goals. Now I just have toe up with a marketing n like the one I did for Emily.¡±

    ¡°You should see her marketing n.¡± Emily grabbed a roll from the basket and passed it to Alyssa. ¡°It¡¯s so detailed and helpful. I can¡¯t wait.¡±

    Alyssa looked at Jeremy. ¡°A good marketing n takes the business owner¡¯s goals and breaks them into steps the marketer can take to achieve them. No one can ever guarantee results because we can¡¯t control what happens on the other end. But with hard work and some expertise, good things happen.¡±

    He heard every word she was saying, but they didn¡¯t sink in. Instead, he was wondering why he¡¯d never noticed just how mesmerizing the light brown color of her eyes was. Like smooth caramel. And the way her mouth turned up at the corners a little, even when she wasn¡¯t smiling. Her mouth just naturally seemed stuck in a cheerful position. He wondered if that made it tough for her to express her anger at someone.

    The sound of Emily¡¯s fork scraping against her te pulled him out of his thoughts, making him realize he and Alyssa had been just staring at each other. And in full view of Emily, no less. So much for any n he might have had to argue with her that, no, there was no attraction whatsoever there.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time for that dessert. What do you say?¡±

    That came from Alyssa, who had suddenly jumped up and grabbed her te, heading straight for the kitchen. Jeremy looked at his sister, who, like him, still had half of her serving ofsagna left on her te.

    ¡°Sparks,¡± Emily mouthed, unable to hold in a heartyugh at the situation.

 Chapter 27

    ¡°Okay. We have a problem.¡±

    ¡°O Alyssa had spent the entire morning trying not to think

    about Jeremy Owens¡­and failing miserably. They¡¯d ended dinner with a game of Uno-a family favorite at the Owens house growing up-before Jeremy had finally left, citing the early bedtime the roomies needed if they were going to get up to open the store early.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    The odd thing was, she¡¯d slept straight through to her rm. That hadn¡¯t happened going as far back as she could remember. Maybe since college. She¡¯d drifted off to sleep remembering the way she¡¯d seen Jeremy looking at her while they were ying cards. And she¡¯d woken up to the image of his face. It was an image she couldn¡¯t seem to shake.

    And now, here he was, zooming through the door just after the lunch crowd had dissipated. He was carrying his phone, holding it out in front of him like he was ready to disy the screen to an audience.

    ¡°Problem?¡± Alyssa reached for her chai tea and braced herself for his approach. He didn¡¯t stop on the other side of the counter, though. He came around and sidled up next to her. Close to her, so she could see the screen.

    ¡°The numbers. You guys didn¡¯t tell me the numbers were so bad.¡±

    Alyssa had a feeling she knew exactly what this was about. It was the reason she was helping his sister in the first ce. Although Alyssa hadn¡¯t seen the numbers herself, Emily had confided in her that the cafe was in big trouble.

    And it was up to Alyssa and her marketing experience to bail them out. ¡°Those numbers don¡¯t reflect the increase in traffic we¡¯ve seen recently.

    This morning, we sold out of muffins-¡±

    ¡°Look at this.¡±

    He leaned closer, pretty much guaranteeing she wouldn¡¯t be able to focus on anything he had on the screen he was holding in front of her. And that was saying quite a bit, considering she loved spreadsheets and pie charts, which were exactly what he was showing her. It was some sort of dashboard filled with data on how Technologia Cafe was performing.

    ¡°We¡¯re behind on the lease. Three months behind. She should be getting notices by now.¡±

    ¡°But-¡± Alyssa looked up at him, hoping for some sort of reassurance that it would all be okay. She didn¡¯t find it in his expression. ¡°What are we going to do?¡±

    Jeremy took a deep breath and pocketed his phone. ¡°We¡¯re going toe up with a n to save this ce.¡±

    That was exactly what Alyssa had been doing, but now wasn¡¯t the time to bring that up. Whatever she did now would be worthless if they showed up for work tomorrow to find the doors dead-bolted and a notice that the property had been seized. At least, she thought that was what happened when a business didn¡¯t pay its lease. She¡¯d only seen that happen as a customer, so she had no idea how it worked from a business owner¡¯s side of things.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a talk with the property management of the building and see what we need to do to get back on track.¡± Jeremy spun around and poured himself a cup of coffee. ¡°Or, at the very least, avoid eviction. Then we¡¯re going toe up with a n to pull this ce out of the red.¡±

    Alyssa felt a little sick at this point. After the morning rush, Emily had left to go to the bank. She wondered now if that trip had something to do with her dire financial situation. Maybe she was seeing if she could get a loan to avoid going under.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Jeremy came to stand next to Alyssa again, leaning against the counter, his back toward the door. ¡°I should have been keeping an eye on this ce while I was overseas. I was so caught up in my own stuff, I forgot to check in on the businesses I had a stake in back home.¡±

    ¡°Businesses?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an investor in a couple of other ventures.¡± He took a sip of his coffee, staring nkly at the wall in front of him. ¡°Nothing like this. A couple of tech startups that are doing really well. This is my only¡­¡±

    ¡°Failure?¡±

    He looked over at her. ¡°Absolutely not. There¡¯s no such thing as a failure.¡±

    There was no doubt he fully believed that. ¡°Failure¡± wasn¡¯t a word in his vocabry. That would be true if it were one of his other investments, certainly, but this was about far more than the money he¡¯d put into this ce. This was about taking care of his little sister.

    Alyssa took a deep breath and started wiping the counter. It helped her feel more in control. ¡°So what do we do?¡±

    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him watching her vigorously wipe. He seemed slightly amused by the sight. Just his other little sister, being cute again. Alyssa resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the thought.

    ¡°We work together to save this ce.¡±

    Alyssa stopped wiping and looked at him. Work together? She didn¡¯t want to like the sound of that, but she couldn¡¯t seem to help herself.

    ¡°We should talk to Emily.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    His voice was a little loud. The two women seated near the window, talking while asionally sipping theirttes, turned to look at them. Jeremy nodded at them before turning back to Alyssa, his voice lowered.

    ¡°We should keep her out of the loop for now. She¡¯d be devastated if she knew I knew. She¡¯ll start seeing business pick up and assume it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°So let me do my job.¡±

    Alyssa was proud of herself for forcing those words out. Despite her body betraying her, her mind knew all too well that working with Jeremy on anything was a bad idea. She¡¯d get her hopes up, just as she had on prom night so long ago, and in the end, she¡¯d be left sitting alone and heartbroken, wondering how she¡¯d been so foolish. Twice.

    ¡°I have every intention of doing that.¡± He pushed away from the counter and withdrew his phone from his pocket. ¡°But I may have called in a favor

    -¡±

    The door to the cafe opened and a guy walked in. He looked around as if fascinated by the mural Emily¡¯s artist friend had painted. It spanned all four walls of the main area of the cafe, depicting a technology timeline that started with adding machines and ended with 3-D printers.

    ¡°Ben!¡± Jeremy walked around the counter and approached the guy, sharing one of those man hugs that was somehow both an awkward embrace and a p on the back at the same time.

    ¡°Jer! It¡¯s been, what, four years?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. How the heck have you been? Let me introduce you to Alyssa. She¡¯s handling all the marketing for this ce.¡±

    ¡°Alyssa Kennedy, yes, I know. I¡¯ve been working with your friends at TravTech.¡±

    Alyssa just stared at the tall, thin man as he approached. He wore a faded zer and T-shirt, along with a pair of jeans. She had no idea what was going on here, but it felt a little creepy, realizing this stranger knew who she was.

    Jeremy rushed in to exin. ¡°This is Ben Eisenberg. He¡¯s the senior columnist for Business News Today. He¡¯s here to write a profile on Emily.¡±

    ¡°I love cafes, but in this town, I don¡¯t get to cover them very often. This is perfect for my tech column.¡±

    Ben looked around again, his gazending on the mural. He stepped back and pulled out his phone, snapping some pictures. When he was finished, he slipped the phone back into the pocket of hisptop bag and looked at Alyssa.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m going to have our photographere down and shoot that mural. I don¡¯t know how he¡¯ll capture the whole thing in a picture, but maybe he can grab enough of it to get people toe in and see it for themselves.¡±

    ¡°I can give you the name of the artist,¡± Alyssa offered.

    She was trying to catch up with what was going on here, but she was still a little lost. This guy was doing a profile on Emily¡­or the cafe itself? Maybe abination of both?

    Jeremy stepped up to stand in front of Ben, probably trying to find a way to pull his attention from the mural. ¡°Emily will be back any minute. Meanwhile, why don¡¯t you and Alyssa have a chat? I¡¯ll watch the counter.¡±

    shing a skeptical look at Jeremy, Alyssa said, ¡°Are you sure? Do you know how to work the equipment? The tablet?¡±

    Jeremy looked over at the tablet they used to process payments. ¡°Of course. If I need help, you¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    She followed the direction of his pointing finger and realized he expected them to ¡°chat¡± over at one of the tables in the corner. Right in front of him. Granted, the corner was far enough away that he probably couldn¡¯t overhear every single word, especially if customers starteding in, but she¡¯d feel self-conscious, nheless.

    ¡°Sounds like a n. Follow me.¡±

    With those words, Ben started toward the table, leaving Alyssa standing there, looking confused. She really had no choice at this point. She had to follow.

    Suddenly, Alyssa realized how ungrateful she was being. Jeremy had teed up this meeting. All she had to do was take over and work her magic. More than that, it was the second meeting he¡¯d set up for her. Did this mean she had to forgive him for standing her up on prom night?

    By the time she was seated across from Ben, she¡¯d decided no, it didn¡¯t mean that. Because it was one thing for him to help her as his little sister¡¯s best friend. It was quite another for him to have broken her heart with no regard for her feelings whatsoever.

 Chapter 28

    Jeremy leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, as his sister posed in front of the sign-out front. This had turned out just the way he¡¯d hoped. A two-hour-long interview followed by a series of pictures for the article. This Ben guy seemed serious about featuring the cafe.

    Alyssa, who had been watching alongside him, leaned over to see what he was looking at. ¡°Good job. I¡¯m going upstairs. See you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­what?¡±

    At his question, Alyssa paused, her progress toward the door that led to Emily¡¯s apartmentpletely halted. ¡°It¡¯s my nap time. I always take a nap after we close. Your sister will lock up.¡±

    Then she turned and continued toward the door. He had to stop her. As much as he wanted her to have her nap, they had work to do.

    ¡°I want to go over that marketing n,¡± he called out.

    She stopped again. This time, though, she didn¡¯t freeze in ce. She turned and doubled back until she was standing directly in front of him.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we do that tomorrow? I¡¯d rather look back over it before I show it to you.¡±

    She wanted to pretty it up. He got it. But he couldn¡¯t sleep well until he helped his sister out. He¡¯d already stopped in to see thendlord and had paid the cafe¡¯s rent in full. Now he needed to find a way to make this ce profitable.

    And Alyssa¡¯s expertise was necessary to make that happen. ¡°How about if I make you a sundae?¡±

    Her eyes widened. It was subtle, but he saw it. Nothing had changed since her teen years. Alyssa still had a sweet tooth-specifically, a sweet tooth for sundaes.

    ¡°With waffles?¡± she asked.

    Heughed. ¡°I can¡¯t promise that. I haven¡¯t checked my sister¡¯s freezer recently. Does she have waffles?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°Then, yes, one of my special waffle-and-peanut-butter sundaes.¡±

    Alyssa frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t promise we have peanut butter.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see.¡±

    Alyssa headed over to the front door and pressed the button on the window next to it that turned the neon ¡°open¡± sign off. She opened the front door to say something to Emily, who turned and nodded. Probably telling her to close up the shop when she was finished. All the customers were now gone, and Alyssa had finished up the closing duties while Jeremy had responded to various work-rted emergencies on his phone. They were free and clear to go up to Emily¡¯s apartment.

    Alone.

    It hit him then that they¡¯d be together with no one else around. That hadn¡¯t happened yet, not since he¡¯d returned and not where they were assured privacy. Although he supposed in this case, they wouldn¡¯t be assured privacy, either, since his sister would likely return at any moment.

    Not that he would do anything with that privacy. He wasn¡¯t going to make a move on Alyssa. At least not until they¡¯d resolved the issue of prom night. He had to at least apologize for that before they could move forward.

    That was one of his goals for this afternoon. But Goal Number One? To work out a n with Alyssa to fill Technologia Cafe with customers. He wanted to see them lined up at the counter every single morning, just as he had seen every day at a certain chain coffee restaurant when he was working overseas.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you my social media posts first.¡±

    Alyssa was talking as they headed toward the elevator. He knew it was wrong of him and hated himself for it, but he was distracted by the firm fit of her jeans across her butt area. Instead of admiring her backside, he should be listening. He had to focus.

    ¡°I have everything prescheduled, so if you want any changes starting tomorrow, that can easily be done. We¡¯ll just look over my uing posts and figure out ways we can make them more effective.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s about social media posts.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jeremy realized he was frowning, and they were in the elevator now so she could see him. He quickly forced a neutral expression to his face.

    ¡°We need something bigger,¡± he rushed to exin. ¡°The article will help, but he made it clear it can take a few days to publish it. Longer if something more urgentes up. In the meantime, we need to line up the next big thing.¡±

    She was watching him now. He had to admit, he liked the feel of her gaze trained on him. It made him want to figure out what he needed to do to keep her looking at him at all times when they were together.

    ¡°Like¡­?¡± she finally asked.

    Oh, that. He needed to get back on track so he could tell her what he¡¯d been thinking about pretty much nonstop since he¡¯d learned his sister was in trouble. Yeah, having Alyssa around tended to throw his brain off track a little. He was scrambling to find a way to fix things.

    ¡°A promotion of some kind.¡± That had been an idea he¡¯de up with early that morning while tossing and turning. ¡°Not just a ten percent-off coupon, but something really over the top. Franchise coffee shops do things like mermaidttes or whatever. We need something that will make people want to take pictures and share them online.¡±

    The idea seemed to spark something in Alyssa. The elevator dinged, indicating they¡¯d reached their floor, and he had to lead the way out because she was so lost in thought, that she wasn¡¯t even moving. He was worried she might stay in there after the doors closed, with the elevator then carrying them back to the first floor, but when he looked back over his shoulder, she was following him down the hallway.

    ¡°You have the key.¡± He stepped back and waited for her to unlock the apartment.

    She unlocked it and stepped inside, heading straight for the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll pour you some of that punch you like. I think there¡¯s still some left.¡±

 Chapter 29

    The words made him smile. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he liked having someone aside from his sister who knew about his mom¡¯s punch. Without his parents around, there were so few people in his life who knew who he was. Until he¡¯d returned home, he¡¯d feltpletely disconnected from that younger version of himself.

    ¡°Have you ever heard oftte art?¡± Alyssa called from the kitchen.

    He stepped up to the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room-feeling all too much like they were at the coffee shop. ¡°Those are

    the hearts they draw in foamy milk on the top ofttes, right?¡±

    ¡°Right. But it goes beyond hearts. I¡¯ve been practicing.¡±

    ¡°Practicingtte art?¡±

    He didn¡¯t realize that could be a hobby, but he supposed it made sense. There was, after all, a mural that covered the entire cafe. Why couldn¡¯t foamy milk art be something people lined up to see?

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen people do animal heads, and I think I¡¯ve gotten that, but it needs to be more.¡± Alyssa handed him his ss of punch. ¡°Not pandas and giraffes, but something more¡­Silicon Valley-ish. Maybeputer monitors and smartphones.¡±

    Sipping on his punch, Jeremy thought that over for a moment. ¡°No, something less obvious. Maybe the faces of entrepreneurs.¡±

    ¡°Human faces are tough to do, especially if you want them to be recognizable.¡± Alyssa breezed past him and headed to the sofa, where her bedding fromst night was still all setup. She shoved it to the far end and took the cushion in the middle, pulling herptop from the coffee table to herp.

    Drink held protectively in front of him, Jeremy headed over to the sofa, tentatively taking the empty cushion next to her. There was no coaster on this side of the sofa, so he settled for holding his drink. His parents had taught them to never set a drinking ss on a table without a coaster, and that message had stuck with him today.

    ¡°Technology isn¡¯t quite so literal,¡± Alyssa said, typing something into a web browser, and pulling up a page full of images. They were symbols. ¡°Social media logos. We could ask them to list their favorite social media site and deliver. I could see a logo intte art being shared all over the ce on the tform where it¡¯s posted.¡±

    ¡°Or how about the Wi-Fi symbol?¡± Jeremy pointed to one of the images on the screen. ¡°Not only does that represent technology, but half the people who walk through the door want to know the password.¡±

    Alyssa¡¯s jaw dropped and she turned to look at him. ¡°You¡¯re a genius!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I always say,¡± he mumbled to himself.

    She pulled up some images and showed him. Turned out, he hadn¡¯t been the first one toe up with that idea. It looked like some people had already been doing Wi-Fitte art. That didn¡¯t seem to stop Alyssa, though.

    ¡°We could even change the logo. Could you imagine? Do you know any graphic designers?¡±

    She turned her attention back to him, and again, he lost his focus. He had to learn to get around that. He couldn¡¯t get this business venture going if he was constantly letting himself be distracted by those light brown eyes.

    ¡°I do. We have a graphic design firm we use. They did the current logo.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s great, but if you want to push a new promotion, maybe we could tie the logo into it?¡±

    He frowned. As much as he wanted to agree with whatever she said, his business acumen got in the way here. ¡°Starting over with all new branding is pushing it. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s such a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Good point.¡± She looked down at the screen, thoughtfully chewing on her lip.

    The current logo was a coffee cup with steaming up from it. The cup had nothing to do with technology, but the name of the cafe on the building was in techie-looking font. It had always bothered Jeremy, even though he¡¯d signed off on it at the time. It seemed a little¡­

    ¡°Boring.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Alyssa tilted her head slightly. ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°The current logo. It¡¯s¡­bleh. Maybe you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°You want to change the logo now?¡±

    There was no denying he was being confused. Maybe because he was confused. He decided some things were best not to decide on a whim.

    ¡°Let¡¯s shelve that idea forter,¡± Jeremy finally said. ¡°Instead, we shoulde up with a n for thette art.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need to practice.¡± Alyssa frowned at her screen. ¡°I don¡¯t know how easy it¡¯s going to be. Thest thing I want is to hand people their coffee with a big blob on top.¡±

    Heughed. ¡°Good point. So¡­let¡¯s go practice.¡±

    ¡°What about my waffle sundae?¡±

    Jeremy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll make itter. Come on.¡±

    The door to the apartment opened just as Jeremy was standing. Emily came to a stop once she saw her brother bounding toward the door.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Back to the cafe. Alyssa needs to practice painting Wi-Fi symbols in foam.¡±

    Yes, he was aware of how bizarre that sounded. He knew his sister, though. She didn¡¯t ask questions. He looked back over his shoulder to see Alyssa giving her best friend a shrug as she passed. Then, over Alyssa¡¯s shoulder, Jeremy saw a smile had spread over Emily¡¯s face.

    She was enjoying watching the two of them.

 Chapter 30

    The coffee shop had never seemed so quiet.

    That was Alyssa¡¯s overriding thought as she stood behind the counter, a cup of steamed milk in hand, trying very unsessfully to make a Wi-Fi symbol. Jeremy was standing all too close to her, searching in vain for some sort of instruction manual.

    ¡°I think you can only do solid shapes,¡± he said, staring at his screen. ¡°That¡¯s why you always see hearts.¡±

    She frowned, staring down into the barely full coffee cup. ¡°There are those flowers I see.¡±

    ¡°Connected by a stem. What shapes have you done?¡±

    ¡°Hearts.¡± The word came out pinched like she¡¯d been forced to admit it. ¡°I also did an acorn once. But, yeah, they were connected. I thought maybe there was a trick.¡±

    Setting his phone down, he came over to look down at her cup. There was no way she could pour with him watching like that. Would it be rude to ask him to step back?

    If she did that, he¡¯d assume it was because she didn¡¯t like him being in her space. In truth, she liked it a little too much.

    ¡°Stencils!¡± Alyssa blurted out the second it hit her brain. She¡¯d studied up ontte art a while ago when she was procrastinating at work. She vaguely remembered reading about a stencil that could help creatette art.

    ¡°Stencils.¡± As Jeremy said the word, he was staring at her quizzically, probably wondering if she¡¯d finally flipped her lid. ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°Watch.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure how she was going to demonstrate this, but she had to see if it would work. She filled up the coffee cup with the steamed milk, then reached for the nearby cinnamon shaker. Making a circle with her thumb and forefinger and cing it as close as possible to the liquid surface, she sprinkled the cinnamon.

    It made nothing resembling a circle, but he could see her point from that, she was pretty sure. With a stencil, they could make whatever shape they wanted.

    ¡°I like it,¡± he said. ¡°But maybe you could do different kinds of symbols.¡±

    Alyssa looked up. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Their gazes met and held, and she tried to tell herself it was nothing. They weren¡¯t sharing a moment here. Nope. She was just stuck in her adolescent fantasies where Jeremy was attracted to her.

    He looked back down at his screen again and started tapping around on it. ¡°Grab a bunch of stencils and do one every day. Or alternate on the same day. Customers will show up to see which one they¡¯ll get. Kind of like fortune cookies. They¡¯llpare with their friends. Maybe¡­you could customize the stencils to the personality of the person cing the order.¡±

    Frowning, Alyssa thought about that for a moment. Thest part soundedplicated, but he did have a great idea there. Changing up the stencils would make it a fun surprise for each customer.

    ¡°The biggest part of that is social sharing,¡± Alyssa finally said. ¡°Customers will snap photos and upload them. That¡¯s the best way to market a business these days. It¡¯s an even better version of word of mouth.¡±

    ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Jeremy was already halfway around the counter, leaving Alyssa standing there, wondering what was going on. They couldn¡¯t leave.

    ¡°Emily will expect us back.¡± Alyssa looked toward the door that led to Emily¡¯s apartment.

    ¡°She won¡¯t care. Guaranteed, she¡¯s napping right now. If she wonders where we went, she¡¯ll text.¡±

    As she reluctantly followed him to his SUV, Alyssa realized her hesitation had nothing to do with Emily expecting them. She didn¡¯t want to upset Emily by hanging out with her brother too much. It was no secret that Emily was protective of her big brother, especially to Alyssa, who had watched her best friend make life miserable for any girl her brother ever dated.

    Not that Alyssa would ever have a chance with Jeremy. But if, by some odd chance, he did see her as more than his kid sister¡¯s best friend, she could imagine Emily would be especially upset about it. Nobody wanted her sibling to start dating her best friend. That was just¡­weird.

    Still, that didn¡¯t stop her from going along with Jeremy¡¯s n. She told herself it was all for work as she sat in the passenger seat of his SUV while he drove out of the parking garage and hopped on the Eighty-Five. She kept staring down at her screen, wondering if she should text Emily or if doing so would only make it more suspicious. But there was nothing to be suspicious about. Just heading down the highway with her best friend¡¯s brother.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not kidnapping you. I¡¯ll have you back in time for dinner.¡±

    Jeremy¡¯s words drew her attention to him, sitting over there with a charming smile on his face. He had that way about him, and it charmed almost everyone he met. Women-girls, back in the day-had always reacted around him the same way she did. She¡¯d tried to tell herself back then she had an edge, even though he was too old for her. Like most people, she¡¯d had to be rejected a few times by other guys to lose that childhood innocence. The innocence had her believing that if she liked a guy, there was a good possibility he¡¯d like her back.

    She decided to try to get out of her head. ¡°Where exactly are we going?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m having deja vu. Didn¡¯t we just do this yesterday?¡±

 Chapter 31

    ¡°Yes, and you didn¡¯t want to tell me then, either.¡±

    She would suggest maybe he should stop whisking her away on surprise field trips if he didn¡¯t want a rey. But deep down, she kind of liked these adventures. She never knew where they¡¯d end up. Besides, if yesterday¡¯s trip was any indication, this trip was in the name of helping her achieve her business dreams.

    ¡°The stencils we were looking at are avable.¡±

    ¡°I was just going to order them online.¡±

    ¡°But this way, we can practice and have it up and running tomorrow. No time to waste.¡±

    Okay, now that he put it that way, she did have to admit it was a good idea. If she¡¯d ordered online, it would have been at least a day or two, if not a full week, before the stencils arrived at the apartment. That was an entire week wasted that they could have spent promoting Technologia Cafe, and at this point, they didn¡¯t even have a day to spare.

    He pulled into a parking spot near the front door and hopped out, walking briskly toward the store without even waiting for her. Either he was determined or very rude. She¡¯d go with abination of both.

    Every time she started to develop a soft spot for him, he did something like this. Something that took her straight back to middle school, when she¡¯d done anything and everything to get his attention, to no avail. She may as well have not even existed, judging by the way he treated her back then.

    She entered the store. He was nowhere in sight. There was a cashier at the front, behind a counter, and she didn¡¯t even look up from her phone as Alyssa walked the length of the store, looking down every aisle for signs of Jeremy. She was starting to wonder if he¡¯d escaped through a back door or something when a big, moving object barreled right into her, nearly knocking her over.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Oh!¡±

    It was Jeremy. In the milliseconds before they both stepped back, she felt his strong hand on her elbow-probably a reflexive move designed to steady her. She¡¯d liked that tiny bit of contact more than she¡¯d ever admit, even to herself.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Alyssa¡¯s voice sounded strained to her ears. She winced. ¡°Did you find something?¡±

    He stared at her for a long moment without answering. Then he looked down at his hands, seeming to take a second to figure out where he was and what he was doing.

    His eyes widened, and he lifted the package he held in his right hand. ¡°Stencils. There are more if you want to look, but this package seems to have it all.¡±

    Trying to shake off how nervous he¡¯d suddenly made her, Alyssa reached out and took the stencils. There was something about transferring the package from his hand to hers that made her even more nervous. They weren¡¯t even touching, but the air between them seemed electrically charged.

    ¡°These are perfect.¡± She hoped her voice didn¡¯t sound as trembly to him as it did to her. ¡°A little of everything here. I love it.¡±

    Sure enough, there was a Wi-Fi symbol, as well as a cloud, aptop, a smartphone, and a bunch of other technology icons. They could start with this and expand to non-technology symbols if it caught on.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She lifted her gaze to his face, taking a chance that her feelings for him would show in her eyes. It was hard to remember the night he stood her up and how hurt she¡¯d felt. When he was near, she seemed to go straight to that middle school version of herself-the one who only saw him as somethingrger than life.

    ¡°Wait here, and I¡¯ll take care of this.¡±

    As if he hadn¡¯t already done enough, he headed to the checkout to pay for the stencils. She wasn¡¯t even sure how much they cost, but it was a gesture that melted the ice around her heart just a little more. If she wasn¡¯t careful, she couldpletely forget about how hurt she¡¯d felt when he¡¯d left her stranded at home, wearing a prom dress nobody outside her house would ever see.

    By the time they were back in his car, she¡¯d worked herself into a frenzy over it. Maybe she should say something-confront him once and for all.

    After it happened, she¡¯d only seen Jeremy once before his parents died, and that had been at a dinner with his family to celebrate Alyssa and Emily going off to college. The next time she¡¯d seen him had been at his parent¡¯s funeral, then only a few more times after that. Aside from the funeral, when it wouldn¡¯t have been appropriate to bring it up, she couldn¡¯t force herself to even show him how mad she was about it. She could have texted or called him at any time and confronted him about standing her up, but she hadn¡¯t.

    Why?

    Mostly because she¡¯d been hurt, not mad. Devastated. And showing her anger over the whole thing would have meant risking letting him know he¡¯d hurt her. Pride simply wouldn¡¯t let her do that.

    ¡°I have to run by the office. Why don¡¯t youe with me?¡±

    Jeremy¡¯s question pulled Alyssa out of her thoughts. She looked over at him. They were at a traffic light, and he was looking at her with a hopeful expression. His mouth was fixed in a slight smile and his eyebrows lifted as he waited for her answer.

    No. That was what she told herself to say. Not. But shouldn¡¯t she pretty it up in some way? Make up an excuse about needing her afternoon nap, even though she doubted she¡¯d sleep when she was so excited about trying out her newtte art.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Wait, where had that worde from? She was supposed to say, ¡°No.¡± Here she was, agreeing to go to his office¡­for what? To watch him sit behind his desk and talk on his phone about purchase orders andte shipments?

    But her response made his smile widen until it was a full-out grin. He looked like a kid who¡¯d just been told Christmas wasing early. For a moment, she almost let herself believe he was excited about spending time with her.

 Chapter 32

    Jeremy couldn¡¯t believe how excited he was to show Alyssa where he worked.

    It was silly. The only thing he couldpare it to was childhood, when his parents had shown up for parent-teacher night. Showing them where he sat and introducing them to his teacher had felt so thrilling, like merging two sides of his life into one.

    As they exited the elevator onto the third floor, he realized just how much he longed to impress Alyssa. He wanted her to see his offices and think more highly of him, not because his business had earned enough to pay for nice digs, but because he¡¯d worked hard to get here. He was pretty darn good at his job, too, and he wanted her to appreciate him for that.

    Mostly, he wanted that same respect she¡¯d seemed to have for him as a kid. An adoration, almost. He¡¯d squashed that by disappointing her on prom night and never making up for it. If he could gradually win his way back into her heart, maybe he could think about moving forward from there.

    ¡°This is where the magic happens,¡± Jeremy said as they reached the big door with the opaque window that read, Data Industries, Inc. His name wasn¡¯t on the door, nor was the name of his business partner, but he felt like the title of his business was as much a part of him as the name he¡¯d been given at birth.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Owens.¡±

    The woman behind the desk just inside the door was new-at least to him. But then, when you¡¯d been overseas for a couple of years, things tended to change back home. Not that his business partner hadn¡¯t cleared everything with him along the way. He had. Jeremy was just struggling to adjust to the way things were around here now.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Lilly. This is a friend of mine, Alyssa. I¡¯m just showing her around.¡±

    Friend. He felt weird using that word. Wasn¡¯t she more to him than that? It felt like it, but he couldn¡¯t exactly describe it in any other way. They were friends.

    Lilly shed a big smile. ¡°Nice to meet you, Alyssa. Not many people around thiste in the day but have fun.¡±

    ¡°Everyone works from home these days,¡± he exined to Alyssa as he led her back. His partner jumped from one meeting to the next and Jeremy -well, Jeremy had been so distracted since returning, he hadn¡¯t resumed his fourteen-hour days just yet.

    ¡°That seems to be the norm in this town.¡±

    Alyssa looked around as they walked through therge area where most of the team worked. A few people were scattered around, but they were mostly administrative staff. He headed for his own office, which he still hadn¡¯t set up yet. He wished he¡¯d taken some time to settle in, but he kept feeling drawn to the cafe.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit empty at the moment.¡± He stepped into his office and flipped on the light. He was going to have to get better about being here all day, every day. The cafe could run things on its own. ¡°I haven¡¯t unpacked yet.¡±

    He pointed to the corner, where a box of office items remained. Nothing major-just some photos of his parents and his sister and all the folders and paperwork he¡¯d brought with him from overseas. The rest of the office was bare-bones because he¡¯d never really made himself at home before leaving. He¡¯d always gone with the thinking that all he needed was hisptop to have an office wherever he was.

    But now he had this odd urge to make a more permanent home.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    Alyssa¡¯s voice-and enthusiasm-caught him off guard. He turned to look at her. She was already headed toward the box in the corner.

    ¡°Wait¡­you¡¯re unpacking? Now?¡±

    She didn¡¯t even look up at him as she pulled the picture frames from the box and stared down at them. ¡°Why not? Do you have other ns?¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°I thought¡­¡± His voice trailed off as she headed around his desk and set the pictures up in the corner. She was very methodical about it, even stepping back and straightening them several times.

    ¡°You¡¯ll enjoying to your office every day when it¡¯s more like home.¡± Alyssa looked around. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any nts?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a nt person.¡±

    Mostly because he¡¯d never thought to buy them. His home growing up hadn¡¯t even had nts that he could remember, aside from the asional bouquet his dad brought his mom for anniversaries and Valentine¡¯s Day. Besides, nts required amitment to regr watering, and he didn¡¯t want to deal with a bunch of dead leaves all over the ce.

    ¡°There are some artificial ones that are unbelievably realistic looking,¡± she said, turning to check out the credenza that held the big monitor he rarely used. ¡°We¡¯ll go shopping.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can buy whatever it is online. Just pick it out and send me the link.¡±

    She turned to look at him, eyes narrowed. ¡°You can¡¯t just pick out nts online. You have to see them in person, touch the leaves. Pictures can be deceiving. Besides, it¡¯s not all that easy to ship an artificial nt. They¡¯re kind of bulky.¡±

    His initial instinct was to hand her some money and tell her to pick some out for him. He could pay her to decorate his entire office. But she was offering him an excuse to spend more time with her. How could he turn that down?

    ¡°Sounds like a n.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I can put the rest of that awayter. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Not until he was in the doorway to his office did he realize she hadn¡¯t followed. She was still standing behind his desk.

    ¡°Now?¡± she asked.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what you had nned?¡±

    ¡°Well, I thought maybe we could do it this weekend or something when it isn¡¯t sote in the day. Your sister will be expecting us for dinner.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m invited for dinner?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s curry night. We get takeout and watch our favorite show.¡± He was afraid to ask. ¡°What show is that?¡±

    ¡°The Next Runway Superstar.¡±

    Yeah, just as he¡¯d feared. He¡¯d grown up dealing with his sister¡¯s taste in entertainment. Not that there was anything wrong with reality TV-but Emily¡¯s taste couldn¡¯t have been more opposite his. He¡¯d rather watch the news or sports recaps. It had caused many arguments until his parents had finalloke down and bought them small TVs for their rooms.

    ¡°Do I have to?¡± he asked, but he gave her a teasing smile as they exited his office. He realized then that he hadn¡¯t shown her around. ¡°You have to see the break room. Come on.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t all that impressed by the pinball machine and pool table in the break room, but the free chocte and chips got her attention. Then there was the espresso machine, which his partner had bought while he¡¯d been overseas. When he¡¯d left, it had just been a one-cup coffeemaker and some free creamer. The snacks had been a popr job perk-so popr that they were considering offering catered lunches like otherpanies in Silicon Valley did.

    ¡°I think I have an idea.¡±

    Alyssa had stalled in front of the espresso machine and was staring at it. He walked over to stand next to her, staring, too, as though that would exin her idea.

    ¡°A coffee truck.¡± Alyssa turned to face him, and he could see just how excited she was. ¡°Think about it-all these parking lots, all over the South Bay Area. You just pick a different one each day of the week and show up with everything you need on the truck.¡±

    ¡°We already own a coffee business,¡± he pointed out.

    She gave him a knowing smirk. ¡°Not another business. The same business. The Technologia Cafe Coffee Truck.¡± She frowned. ¡°Okay, we might want to work on the name.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a startup cost associated with that. With the restaurant operating in the red-¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s look into it.¡± She was already around him and out the door. Did she ever slow down? ¡°I¡¯ll bet we could rent what we need, and it¡¯d pay for itself in a few weeks. Plus, it would be great publicity for the cafe.¡±

    Although she was opening her own business, Jeremy had a feeling Alyssa had no idea what was involved in starting up something like a food truck. There were licenses and permits and approvals and employees to hire and payroll to handle and insurance¡­ He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her all that, though, she was so excited about things. There were so many other ways to drive business to the location they already had that didn¡¯t involve throwingrge chunks of money at it.

    So they just went shopping. If buying fake nts didn¡¯t get her mind off starting a spinoff business to the coffee shop, he didn¡¯t know what would.

 Chapter 33

    Alyssa couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her business idea. And she couldn¡¯t wait to tell her best friend about it. But every time she started to mention it, Jeremy somehow managed to steer the

    conversation in another direction.

    So she¡¯d tell Emily as soon as Jeremy went home. That was the n anyway. But she hadn¡¯t factored in how tired she was, mostly because she¡¯d missed her afternoon nap. She fell asleep almost as soon as the food containers on the coffee table in front of them were empty and awoke the next morning, fully dressed, under her covers on the sofa. Someone had set her bed up for her, and she just hoped it was Emily. Just knowing Jeremy had been there while she¡¯d been sleeping-possibly snoring or drooling or whatever else she did in her sleep-horrified her.

    Fortunately, her insomnia wouldn¡¯t allow her to oversleep, even though she wasn¡¯t one hundred percent sure if her rm was set. She always set it the night before while plugging it in to charge. It was across the room, plugged into the usual wall socket. She slipped it into her pocket and headed to the coat closet they¡¯d set up as her closet while she was staying here.

    After quickly getting dressed and throwing on some makeup, she headed downstairs to the coffee shop,ptop in hand. She was a bit early, but she¡¯d get some coffee going and work on some marketing stuff. Any future business ideas would have to take a backseat to what she¡¯d already promised Emily she¡¯d do. Besides, they still needed to talk about it.

    Alyssa had just fired up herptop and was looking at the cafe¡¯s social media ount when she heard a knock. The sound made her jump, but when she looked up at the door, she wasn¡¯t surprised at all to see Jeremy standing there. Who else would be up and standing outside the cafe at the same ridiculously early hour?

    As she neared the door, she saw why he was out there. He was holding up the stencils-the package they¡¯d bought before their nt-shopping excursion and curry dinner. Somehow in all the excitement, she¡¯d ended up leaving the stencils in his car. Her excitement over being able to try out funtte art suddenly returned, recing all the thoughts she¡¯d had yesterday about a coffee truck.

    Going in too many directions at once spelled disaster for any business. She knew that. She¡¯d taken plenty of marketing and business sses in college. Plus, you couldn¡¯t hang around Silicon Valley any time at all without personally seeing at least a few business failures. She needed to keep her focus.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, pulling the door open and weing him in.

    He didn¡¯t budge. ¡°I just stopped by to drop those off.¡±

    ¡°You have toe in for some coffee. I¡¯ll practice my new project with you. Let me just wash and dry these first.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you twist my arm.¡± Jeremy stepped into the cafe, locking the door behind him. ¡°You must have been tiredst night. We looked over, and you were out.¡±

    ¡°No nap, remember?¡± Alyssa smiled to let him know it hadn¡¯t bugged her. She¡¯d already stepped behind the counter and was heading straight for the sink. It was almost afort to turn her back to him. But knowing he was standing behind her, wearing that dark brown long-sleeved T-shirt that seemed to match his eyes perfectly¡­ He was just too distracting.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I forgot the stencils,¡± she said. ¡°I need to snap a picture of one and promote it, maybe get some people toe in to try it.¡±

    ¡°Practice a few first.¡±

    She turned to see him standing on the other side of the counter, leaning against it, propped on his elbows. He was watching her, and the look in his eyes was so intense, it made her breath catch in her throat.

    For the past couple of weeks, all she¡¯d done was make coffee, and she wasn¡¯t even new to it. She¡¯d helped Emily many times on weekends and work holidays, just for something fun to do. She¡¯d loved working alongside her best friend, even when the lines were long-back in the days before there had been a coffee shop every six feet in this town. But right now, she couldn¡¯t seem to even muster the basics of how to make a cup of ck coffee. He had her brain all muddled.

    ¡°I have an even better idea.¡± She turned and looked at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you make thettes and I¡¯ll do the art? I need to wash these stencils anyway. Do you know how to swirl the steamed milk into the cup?¡±

    ¡°Do I know how-? What kind of question is that? I¡¯m part owner of a coffee shop!¡±

    His indignant tone was apanied by a smile, giving away the fact that he was teasing. He came around the counter and stepped in front of the espresso machine, putting him dangerously close to her. She grabbed the stencils and rushed off to wash them if only to put some space between them so she could regain herposure.

    It worked. She was able to calm her shaking hands and step up to the counter, where he¡¯d already set up threettes for her to practice with. She grabbed the cinnamon and nutmeg shakers and alternated with each, practicing a Wi-Fi signal,ptop, and cellphone tower. By the time she got those three finished, Jeremy had set another three cups down.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your phone? I¡¯ll start taking pictures.¡±

    At his offer, Alyssa looked up from her work, then stopped to examine her creations. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re ready to be photographed yet. Do you?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? These look great.¡±

    He¡¯d never seen the perfectionist side of her. When she looked at these cups, all she saw was the excess sprinkles on the outer edges of the design, but she could get better at this. She would get better at this.

    ¡°Let me try a few more, then we¡¯ll take pictures.¡±

    Her words were lost, though, as Jeremy already had his phone out and was snapping away. ¡°I think you¡¯re doing great. Looks like you¡¯ve been doing this for years. Besides, I don¡¯t think Emily will appreciate us wasting supplies.¡±

    Quickly, she grabbed a cup and took a generous sip, messing up the group photo he was taking. It was delicious, she had to admit. The cinnamon added a little something extra to it. She set that one down and picked up one of the nutmeg-sprinkled mugs and took a sip of that, too.

    Nutmeg wasn¡¯t her thing, but she had a feeling for some people, it would be.

    He held up his phone. ¡°Toote. I already got the photos. Nice try, though.¡±

    At the sight of the imperfect attempts, Alyssa winced. ¡°Maybe I could clean it up with photo-editing software. Send it to my phone.¡±

    ¡°Only if you go upload it now. No fixing it up. These look great, and we only have fifteen minutes before the store opens. Go.¡±

    He had a point there. She had no choice but to head over to herptop and share her creations. She picked out the best of the images-theptop had turned out better than the others, probably because it was the most solid of all the stencils-and shared it to their social media, adding a post that read, Practice makes perfect. Come watch us mastertte art this morning! Share photos of yourtte to be entered into a drawing to win a gift card.

    ¡°Do you think Emily will mind if I give away a gift card?¡± Alyssa shut herptop and headed over to the front door to unlock it. ¡°I guess I should have asked first, but I figure it¡¯s better to beg forgiveness-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, and I¡¯m part owner. Send her to me if sheins.

    What exactly do they have to do to get a gift card?¡±

    ¡°Share a picture.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never given anything away for shares before?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Not here. It¡¯s something we tried when I was doing my internship. Worked like you wouldn¡¯t believe. But you have to be careful-some tforms won¡¯t let you incentivize sharing.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°You mean, they won¡¯t let you bribe people to share?¡±

    She immediately felt defensive, even though he still had that teasing look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s not bribery. It¡¯s rewarding participation. Like conferences where they do door prizes and stuff for those who post on social media. It¡¯s all just¡­marketing.¡±

    ¡°I get it. Just joking. I know you wouldn¡¯t do anything hical. So, let¡¯s get this party started. Where are the customers?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte.¡±

 Chapter 34

    That came from Emily, who was sting through the back door, tying her apron in the back as she walked. That was when Alyssa realized she hadn¡¯t floated any of this past her best friendst night. What if she was furious that Alyssa and Jeremy had concocted this whole marketing scheme- including buying stencils and posting pictures of the art-without even mentioning it to her?

    And that brought Alyssa to her biggest fear-that Emily would think something was going on between her best friend and brother and be hurt. Or angry. Or a mixture of both. At the very least, she might feel left out. They needed to try to include her in everything moving forward.

    Emily paused just as she got to the counter. She looked from Jeremy to Alyssa, a half-smile on her face. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you two? You look like you¡¯re up to something.¡±

    Alyssa rushed to squash that assumption immediately. ¡°No. Just-we were trying out these new stencils Jeremy bought. Come look.¡±

    Maybe by minimizing the role she yed in the whole thing, it would seem less like something Emily had been squeezed out of and more like an idea-in-progress. Emily stepped over, smile still on her face, and looked down at what remained of Alyssa¡¯s creations. The two Alyssa had taken a sip of now looked more like abstract art, but the others were still holding up impressively well. She¡¯d been worried the artwork would start to degrade after a few seconds if nobody took a sip.

    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Emily immediately looked at Alyssa. She knew who had done the artwork. Alyssa had always been into arts and crafts. It was how she¡¯d expressed herself creatively when she was younger.

    ¡°Stencils.¡± Alyssa grabbed the two pieces of stic she¡¯d used to show Emily. They were now stained with cinnamon and nutmeg, so Emily headed off to clean them.

    ¡°I have to be getting to work.¡±

    Ignoring Jeremy¡¯s promation, Alyssa turned to the sink. She was a little relieved he¡¯d be out of the way, mostly because she needed to be able to concentrate to make this happen. If people started showing up in bigger-than-usual numbers, having his watchful eye on her would only slow her down and lead to mistakes.

    Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t something she had to worry about. Customers trickled in, as always, although she did manage to impress some of them with her art. She told each one about the social media-sharing contest, and Emily jumped in to encourage them, even sharing a couple of Alyssa¡¯s prettiest creations on her feed.

    Around lunchtime, Alyssa held up her phone to show Emily. ¡°We got three tags. So, pretty productive. I didn¡¯t expect instant results.¡±

    But there was no denying the concern in Emily¡¯s eyes. It had been there for a while, Alyssa suddenly realized. She¡¯d just thought maybe it was worry for Alyssa having lost her job. Now that she knew the cafe was in trouble, it all made sense.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to figure this out,¡± Alyssa promised. ¡°I have some emails out to some old colleagues of mine. One works at the local TV station-¡±

    Alyssa was interrupted by the front door of the cafe opening. In walked a man Alyssa recognized all too well. Just a few weeks earlier, she¡¯d sat across the table from him in herpany¡¯s conference room while he fired her.

    ¡°Justin Travers?¡±

    The question came out of Alyssa, but it was more to herself than anyone else. She couldn¡¯t think of anyone she¡¯d be more surprised to see walking through those doors.

    Maybe he was here to offer her the chance toe back. Things had picked up for TravTech since she¡¯d left, or so she¡¯d heard, although they¡¯d handed marketing over to the most junior person on her marketing team and, of course, the lowest paid. It had made financial sense, but as TravTech gained momentum again, he¡¯d need someone who knew what she was doing to run marketing for him.

    As he approached the counter, her mind was racing. She imagined showing up for work at that office every day, leaving her dreams of running a marketing firm behind. Sure, she¡¯d have a guaranteed paycheck, but as much as she told herself she¡¯d build her business on the side so she could someday quit, she knew, deep down, she¡¯d never do that. She¡¯d find herself a few years down the road, still in the same job, stuck, watching the years pass by with no hope of ever doing what she wanted to do.

    ¡°I can¡¯te back!¡± Alyssa blurted the words out before she could stop herself. If she headed this thing off at the pass, he couldn¡¯t make the offer, which meant she couldn¡¯t ept it. It was the best thing to do because no way could she trust herself not to give in right now, not when she longed to go back to having her ce. Or, at the very least, her bedroom.

    As soon as she saw Justin¡¯s reaction, though, Alyssa knew he wasn¡¯t here to ask her toe back to work for TravTech. His smile changed to an expression of confusion. He looked at Emily, as though she¡¯d know what this was all about.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Emily¡¯s apology came out like a question as she tried to work out what was going on here. She looked over at Alyssa, who was too busy trying to figure out a way out of this toe up with anything intelligible to say.

    Justin cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m here about yourtte art. I hear you¡¯re having a share contest. Is it for to-go orders, too?¡±

    It was like a punch in the gut. He didn¡¯t want her back. That much was clear. All of a sudden, her pride came back in full force, just as it had done that day in the conference room when he¡¯d given her a bunch ofpliments before telling her they were letting her go.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take eight,¡± Justin, oblivious to what was rolling through Alyssa¡¯s mind, was saying.

    ¡°Eightttes?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d grab more, but that¡¯s all I can squeeze into two of those carriers.

    You do have the carriers?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Emily busied herself gathering two carriers from beneath the counter while Alyssa made thettes. She hadn¡¯t worked directly for Justin since marketing was under the sales and marketing department, and she¡¯d only been in a couple of meetings with him before he¡¯d fired her, but she felt the need to impress him. As though her abilities withtte art would somehow make him realize thatying her off had been a mistake.

    ¡°Don¡¯t put the lid on yet. Need to snap a photo. Very impressive.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Another oddity. Nobody at TravTech had everplimented her work -or acknowledged it at all-at least not until the day he¡¯d fired her. But that had been required. Build her up before letting her down and all. This felt like a genuinepliment.

    As she was putting the lids on a few minutester, Justin pocketed his phone and leaned forward. ¡°Look, my offer when west met holds. If you want a referral, I have plenty of buddies around here. We¡¯re keeping TravTech small for now, but I can help yound a position-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m starting my marketing firm.¡± Alyssa smiled at him as Emily slid the cups into the two carrying trays. ¡°Technologia Cafe is my

    first client, but I¡¯m always looking for more.¡±

    ¡°Now that, I can help with. I¡¯ll be in touch.¡±

    He gave her a big smile, then nodded at Emily before picking up his two drink trays, propping them perfectly on both hands and heading toward the door. Just as Alyssa was thinking about rushing around to open it for him, another customer came along to do that.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What a hottie,¡± Emily whispered. ¡°He was your boss?¡±

    ¡°He was the one who fired me.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look too mad about that.¡±

    Alyssa frowned. Suddenly, she realized she¡¯d never really processed losing her job. She¡¯d just plowed forward. What had she held in? And was it keeping her from moving forward?

 Chapter 35

    At first, Jeremy thought something was wrong. As he turned the corner in his SUV and saw a crowd of people in front of

    Technologia Cafe was the exnation that immediately came to mind. Someone had gotten hurt on the sidewalk or, worse, choked on some coffee or a muffin inside the shop. He didn¡¯t see an ambnce, though. Maybe he should call for one.

    But as he passed the door, he caught a quick glimpse and saw it was being held open. That wasn¡¯t a crowd-it was a line.

    They were lined up outside the door.

    He turned to face the front just in time to see traffic at a stop in front of him. He braked quickly, inches away from the back bumper of a sports car. When finally the cars started moving again, he nabbed a parking space. It was a bit of a hike to the cafe, but he knew how lucky he was this time of day. No way would there be an open guest space in his sister¡¯s garage.

    Eyes on the coffee shop, he rushed toward the store, ncing down at his phone. No messages from his sister. Why would people be lining up? All he could think was maybe thette art posts Alyssa had made that morning had been a huge hit. It seemed like a stretch-only three posts? But if enough people had shared pictures of their cups of coffee, that could generate some interest.

    ¡°Hey! There¡¯s a line,¡± some guy shouted just as Jeremy was preparing to squeeze through.

    He looked at the person closest to him. ¡°This is my sister¡¯s shop. What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here for the contest.¡±

    Wow. Who would have thought?

    ¡°How did you find out about it?¡±

    Another woman was all too willing to tell him. ¡°TravTech posted a challenge. Their team shared their pictures and dared any otherpany to enter, too. My boss sent me over here.¡±

    Competitive tech people. No surprise. That was one thing he hadn¡¯t missed about living in Silicon Valley. It seemed everyone was always vying to have the most expensive car, the biggest home, the most impressive valuation¡­

    And now the best pictures of somette art contest?

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Jeremy stepped forward and the crowd parted to let him through. There were some grunts and groans, but he ignored them, speeding toward the counter where Alyssa and Emily were calmly handling the workload.

    ¡°Need some help?¡±

    His question caused both their heads to turn in his direction. He didn¡¯t wait for an answer, simply speeding behind the counter and checking to see where he could pitch in.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where all this ising from,¡± Emily said as he grabbed the next cup on the counter, which Emily had marked with the customer¡¯s order.

    ¡°I do.¡± Jeremy headed straight over to the equipment, sliding in next to

    Alyssa. ¡°TravTech challenged everyone.¡±

    Alyssa¡¯s head snapped around. ¡°TravTech? Where did you hear that?¡±

    He gestured toward the line with the hand holding the cup. ¡°Someone in line. Her boss sent her.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡± Alyssa over-enunciated the word as she finished filling the cup.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he did that.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± But they didn¡¯t have time to discuss this right now. ¡°I have an idea. You do the art and I¡¯ll make the coffee.¡±

    ¡°It just takes a second to make the art. We¡¯ll work together.¡±

    And that was exactly what they did. He needed to get back to his job, but he kept reasoning to himself that the line would clear out any minute. They just had to pound through the people who were already here, and Emily and Alyssa could handle the remaining trickle of people. Only, the crowd didn¡¯t let up. Not even as the lunch hour came and went. A little after one-thirty, he finally looked up to see just a few people left in line.

    That was when he realized how much he¡¯d enjoyed working alongside Alyssa.

    They¡¯d been a team, the two of them, moving orders along and even having a couple ofughs along the way. Despite the hard work, both Emily and Alyssa stayed in good spirits, and it was contagious, especially to the customers. He couldn¡¯t help but think the good publicity would pay off, mostly because so many people had walked away smiling.

    When the cafe was finally empty, Emily took a deep breath and turned to face them. ¡°That was¡­¡±

    ¡°Amazing!¡± Alyssa finished for her.

    ¡°Okay, so what¡¯s the deal?¡± Jeremy felt like he¡¯d missed something.

    Emily spoke first. ¡°Alyssa¡¯s former boss-¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t my boss. He fired me.¡±

    Now Jeremy was really confused. ¡°Someone who wasn¡¯t your boss fired you? Like he just showed up and told you that you no longer had a job?¡±

    ¡°TravTech was my former employer.¡±

    He decided to take a stab at piecing this together. ¡°So the person who fired you at TravTech is responsible for this crowd?¡±

    ¡°So, ording to the person you spoke to in line.¡± Alyssa stepped up to stand next to him and he felt that now-familiar zing of electricity that seemed to happen now when she was close to him. ¡°Justin Travers came in and bought eight cups of coffee. I wasn¡¯t sure what he nned to do with them.¡±

    ¡°Justin Travers? Head of TravTech?¡±

    He may have been away a while, but it was impossible not to know Justin Travers¡¯ name with the way it had been all over tech news sitestely. He¡¯d never met Justin, but they did share some mutual friends.

    ¡°He did a whole thing.¡± Emily came around and held up her phone.

    Sure enough, Justin Travers, whose photo had been all over the newstely, had posted one of those photo coges of himself and his team smiling at the camera while seated around the conference table.

    ¡°I used to sit at that table,¡± Alyssa said, staring at the screen. ¡°That¡¯s the table where Justin Travers fired me. He was polite and regretful, but that made it no less painful.¡±

    Jeremy took a closer look at the screen. The two other pictures in the montage were of coffee-one of all eight cups and one close-up of her WiFi creation.

    ¡°Wait, I just realized-that¡¯s the guy who had his app stolen.¡± Emily turned her phone around to look at the images.

    ¡°identally,¡± Alyssa said. ¡°The guys at Tutor2Tutor outsourced some work to an overseaspany that was stealing code. They did it to a bunch ofpanies-Justin figured it out.¡± ¡°And blew the lid off the whole thing,¡± Jeremy added. ¡°I read about it. In Business News Today.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Emily¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The guy who¡¯s doing the profile on my cafe was from Business News Today.¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Jeremy said. ¡°Top business reporter in Silicon Valley.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much the country,¡± Alyssa corrected. ¡°At least when ites to business technology.¡±

    ¡°Wow. I had no idea.¡±

    ¡°Alyssa¡¯s taking good care of you.¡± Jeremy smiled at Alyssa, then turned. ¡°I need to get back to work. I¡¯m sure you two don¡¯t need me to close up.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯reing back for dinner, right?¡±

    That question, shockingly, came from Alyssa, who was looking at him expectantly. She wanted him toe back? He felt something stir inside him. Something he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d ever felt before.

    It went beyond attraction. It was much more than that.

    ¡°Of course,¡± he said.

    ¡°Actually¡­¡±

    They both turned to look at Emily, who had a sheepish look on her face. He had a feeling about that look. He knew his sister well enough to recognize when she was up to something. She was ying matchmaker.

    And he couldn¡¯t say he minded.

    ¡°I have ns.¡±

    Wait. Maybe he¡¯d misinterpreted his sister¡¯s behavior. Did she legit have ns? Was there something she wasn¡¯t telling him?

    ¡°Do you have a date?¡± Alyssa asked, echoing Jeremy¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°No. A date?¡± Emilyughed as if that were preposterous. ¡°It¡¯s my book club.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in a book club.¡± Jeremy didn¡¯t mean for that toe out the way it did. It sounded like he was implying his sister was thest person he¡¯d expect to be in a book club. That wasn¡¯t the case at all. His sister had always loved to curl up with a good book. He was just surprised she had time to read.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Why is that so surprising?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± That came from Alyssa.

    They were both staring at him now, challenging him to say more. How did he dig himself out of this one?

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m surprised you have time. This cafe has to keep you busy.¡±

    ¡°She reads every night before bed,¡± Alyssa said.

    ¡°It puts me to sleep.¡± Emily smiled. ¡°And being in book club gives me a deadline. Every month, I have to finish the book before the meeting.¡±

    Alyssa walked around the counter, grabbing a rag along the way to begin wiping off tables. ¡°Maybe I should join, too. Let me in on next month¡¯s book and I¡¯ll read with you.¡±

    Jeremy looked at his sister, who shed a knowing smile. The smile felt as if she was saying she had his back. After thinking about it, he figured she normally would invite Alyssa to join her for that night¡¯s meeting. But not tonight. Tonight was for him.

    ¡°So, you two are on your own for dinner tonight.¡± Emily gave him a wink, then turned to Alyssa, who had her back to them while she worked. ¡°Take my brother to that ce we tried a few weeks ago. They could use the business.¡±

    ¡°Always supporting other business owners.¡± Jeremy shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s my sister.¡±

    Alyssa straightened and turned to face them. ¡°You don¡¯t have to entertain me. I really could use the rest.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting out of this that easily,¡± Jeremy said with a smile. ¡°My treat. You deserve a night out with all the work you¡¯ve been doing. Plus, maybe this new restaurant owner could use a little marketing.¡±

    Now he had Alyssa¡¯s attention. Her eyes widened, and then she looked off to the side thoughtfully. It immediately got the wheels in his head turning. What other local businesses could she sign to her client roster? He could personally escort her to each of them.

    And spend more time with her along the way.

    Jeremy grabbed the to-go cup of coffee he¡¯d been nursing and headed around the counter toward the door. ¡°Six o¡¯clock. I¡¯ll pick you up out front.

    Don¡¯t bete.¡±

 Chapter 36

    This wasn¡¯t a date. But it sure felt like it.

    Alyssa took a deep breath and pushed the door to the cafe open, turning to lock it before heading straight to Jeremy¡¯s waiting SUV. Although she¡¯d been telling herself this wasn¡¯t a date, that hadn¡¯t stopped her from taking a few extra minutes to make sure her makeup and hair were perfect before stepping out the door.

    She¡¯d done all that, of course, after Emily had left for her meeting. Until then, she¡¯d been lounging on the sofa, sipping some of Emily¡¯s punch and mindlessly watching a game show. Thest thing she¡¯d wanted was for Emily to think-to know-that Alyssa¡¯s stomach was all tied in knots like this was a first date with someone she liked.

    As she climbed into Jeremy¡¯s SUV, though, he stared at her for a long moment. So long, it made her feel self-conscious.

    Finally, she managed to force some words out. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± He shook his head as if to shake himself out of some sort of brain fog. ¡°No, nothing at all. It¡¯s just¡­you look nice tonight. Not that you don¡¯t always look nice, but-¡± He took a deep breath and shifted into drive.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go get some dinner.¡±

    As he sped around cars, Alyssa smiled to herself. He¡¯d seemed a little flustered, and she couldn¡¯t help but think it was kind of cute. She¡¯d never really seen him like that before.

    The restaurant offered valet service, and of course, Jeremy pulled his fancy vehicle right up to the podium. He was an old pro at this sort of thing -that much was clear. Alyssa, meanwhile, had no idea what they were supposed to do. Did they wait for the valet toe to them or hop right out? Jeremy remained in ce, so she decided she¡¯d just follow his lead.

    Jeremy leaned forward to look at the front of the restaurant. ¡°I had to pull some strings to get a reservation. They have a three-week waiting list. Emily didn¡¯t mention that.¡±

    ¡°She knows the owner. We went to their friends and family night. You know how new ces are in this town. Everyone has to try them, then once the newness dies down, they struggle to stay in business.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. I remember when our cafe opened. But back then there weren¡¯t as many coffee shops in town.¡±

    Alyssa frowned. She hadn¡¯t been around as much back then, and she felt bad about it now. She¡¯d been such a workaholic, she¡¯d neglected her best friend for a little while. But Emily had Jeremy by her side in those days, and Alyssa couldn¡¯t bring herself to be around him that much, knowing the way he¡¯d hurt her. So she¡¯d stayed away until Emily had called her to say her brother was going to work overseas indefinitely. But even then, she and Emily hadn¡¯t truly be inseparable until she¡¯d lost her job and her best friend had offered her sofa and a job helping out with the cafe.

    ¡°Still, even a new coffee shop wouldn¡¯t see the business we saw today,¡± she pointed out.

    ¡°Thanks to your former boss.¡±

    Alyssa refrained from pointing out, once again, that Justin Travers hadn¡¯t technically been her boss. She wouldn¡¯t have had the chance anyway because her door opened and the valet was standing there, ready to help her out of the car.

    After an awkward moment where Alyssa wasn¡¯t sure whether she was supposed to stand on the sidewalk or head on into the building, Jeremy was by her side. He held out his hand, arm extended like he was going to put his arm around her and escort her into the building, but he never made contact. She couldn¡¯t ignore the disappointment she felt that he didn¡¯t.

    They were just friends. She had to keep reminding herself of that. No matter how much this felt like a date, it was not. Letting herself believe it would only lead to her being hurt again. She recited it to herself like a mantra until she was seated across from Jeremy in a dark, very romantic corner of the restaurant, candlelight barely illuminating the menus the host had set in front of them.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    She refocused her attention on the menu, trying to shut out how handsome he looked tonight. All she could see in front of her was a rey of the way he¡¯d looked at her when she¡¯d climbed into his car. His eyes had somehow managed to convey both softness and intensity at the same time as he¡¯d taken her in.

    No. She couldn¡¯t get wrapped up in that. This was no different from the many times she¡¯d convinced herself as a teen that something he¡¯d said or done had been a clear sign he was interested in her. Now, looking back, she knew every single one of those indications had been aplete fantasy. In his eyes, she¡¯d been just a kid. Today, she was sure he still saw her that way even though she was the same age as every other woman he¡¯d probably dated in the past few years.

    ¡°So¡­what do I do here?¡±

    His question snapped her attention back to the present. She lifted her gaze to find him staring at his menu. What do I do here? Her heart sped up as she considered that maybe, just maybe, he was kicking off a romantic conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Her voice sounded raspy.

    Alyssa cleared her throat and thought about trying again. Had he heard her?

    ¡°You¡¯ve eaten here before, right?¡± he asked. ¡°What do you rmend?¡±

    Oh. Yes, this had nothing to do with romance. It was a prime example of how she would only be hurt if she got her hopes up about any of this. She bit her lip and looked down at the menu.

    ¡°I had the chicken parmesan,¡± she said. ¡°Your sister had eggnt.¡±

    ¡°Eggnt¡¯s not my thing. So you rmend the chicken?¡±

    ¡°It was very good, but I¡¯m sure everything on the menu is great.¡±

    Now that she¡¯d revealed she¡¯d had the chicken parmesan, she felt pressure to order something different. But she didn¡¯t want to order the most expensive thing on the menu. He¡¯d said this was his treat, so she didn¡¯t want to seem like she was trying to freeload here.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking salmon.¡± He set his menu down. ¡°That¡¯s something different.¡±

 Chapter 37

    Everything was fairly expensive. This was one of those restaurants where sides weren¡¯t included, she remembered. When she¡¯de here withThis belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Emily, theyoffs were still fresh. It hadn¡¯t quite sunk in that although she was getting severance pay, she needed to make it stretch. But she felt worse about ordering something expensive when he was paying than when it wasing out of her bank ount.

    ¡°Ravioli,¡± she blurted out suddenly and loudly, looking up. His eyes widened in response. He seemed surprised at her outburst. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t eat lunch.¡±

    ¡°I suppose you didn¡¯t have time.¡± He smiled.

    The server stopped by to take their drink order and he requested cmari as an appetizer. As the server walked away, he turned back to Alyssa and said in a secretive voice, ¡°In case it takes a while for the food to arrive.¡±

    He was taking care of her. Looking out for her. Which was nothing new. He¡¯d always look out for his little sister¡¯s best friend. After all, she was the little sister he¡¯d never had. She just had to remember this was not romantically motivated.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Again, the words were just blurted out, although this time they weren¡¯t said loudly enough to startle him.

    He tilted his head slightly, frowning as though puzzling over what she might mean. ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°Looking out for me.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have anyone around to do that. Well, besides your sister.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re family to Emily.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but notice he¡¯d left himself out of that. She wasn¡¯t sure whether to feel hurt or grateful. But she didn¡¯t want to ask him to rify because there was a small part of her that hoped he didn¡¯t think of her as a little sister anymore.

    It was a part she couldn¡¯t seem to shut off, no matter how hard she tried. She thought of it like all the other things she learned as a child. Having a crush on Jeremy was part of her conditioning, like knowing how to drive or sign her name.

    ¡°I¡¯ll always look out for you,¡± Jeremy said. ¡°No matter what.¡±

    Their gazes locked then, and she was afraid to look away. As much as she tried to avoid thinking this was more, moments like this made it difficult. There was a weight to it that made her feel both weak and euphoric at the same time.

    ¡°Your drinks.¡±

    The server¡¯s voice jerked them out of their staring, giving Alyssa a moment to gather her thoughts. Suddenly, Jeremy pulled his phone out of his pocket and began looking at the screen, just in time for them to order. Even after Alyssa had ced her order, Jeremy continued to stare at his screen.

    ¡°Jeremy?¡± Alyssa prompted.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    He seemed to suddenly realize both Alyssa and the server were watching him stare at his phone. He set the device down and ordered, handing the server the menu distractedly before picking his phone up again.

    Rude. Maybe that was the part of him that thought she was family. He wasfortable enough to feel like he didn¡¯t have to be polite on a not-date with her. Another server came to set down their cmari and Alyssa dug in, figuring if she was going to sit across from a distracted dinnerpanion, she might as well enjoy delicious food.

    Finally, he looked up at her. Then he held up his screen. Alyssa nearly choked on some lingering marinara sauce in her throat when she saw the big photo of Emily, standing in front of the ¡°open¡± sign in the window of her cafe.

    ¡°It¡¯s life,¡± he said.

    ¡°What¡¯s live?¡±

    ¡°The Business News Today article. Here. Read it.¡±

    Alyssa took the phone and began reading the article. She didn¡¯t know why, but for some reason, she had a feeling it wasn¡¯t going to be good. Like, Ben Eisenberg had selected Emily Owens and Technologia Cafe as histest expose. This was silly because Ben wasn¡¯t exactly the type of reporter who went around writing bad things about people. The piece he¡¯d written that had brought down the overseaspany that was stealing code and selling it to other businesses was still fresh in her mind, though. It was thest thing she¡¯d read by him.

    This wasn¡¯t that, at all. It gave her a new respect for Emily, whom she already respected more than just about anyone else she knew. Even more than Jeremy. The article kicked off with a story about Emily¡¯s sorrow in the aftermath of her parent¡¯s death and how she¡¯d dragged herself to college graduation. Degree in hand, she¡¯d felt lost, not sure what she was supposed to do next.

    So she¡¯d turned to the one thing she still had a taste for, even when she¡¯d lost her appetite for all else. Coffee. She¡¯d learned everything she could about running a business as quickly as possible, then had lost herself in frantically building Technologia Cafe.

    The article mentioned nothing about her struggles. Reading it as a stranger, she would have assumed the cafe had been nothing but pure sess for her.

    ¡°One thing¡¯s for sure,¡± Jeremy said between bites of their appetizer.

    Alyssa looked up. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be busy tomorrow morning.¡±

 Chapter 38

    The n was to go straight to work. No stopping at the cafe, no matter what. If he stopped by, he wouldn¡¯t want to leave. He was already still fuzzy-brained from having dinner with Alyssa the previous night.

    But Jeremy couldn¡¯t stay away. He found himself taking a right turn when he should have been going straight. There wasn¡¯t a line in front of the store. He saw that as he approached and wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good or bad sign. On one hand, he wanted the cafe to have the business, but on the other, a crowd like yesterday could overload his sister and Alyssa, leading to shortages in¡­well, everything. Plus, one of the first things his sister had told him when she¡¯d mentioned Alyssa helping out was that it was just temporary. The n was to hire someone full-time, relieving his sister while also letting Alyssa focus on her new marketing firm.

    At this point, she wouldn¡¯t be around as much.

    Jeremy pulled into a parking space several blocks away-the closest he could find-and smiled to himself at the thought of seeing Alyssa again. Last night had been¡­frustrating. As he¡¯d sat across from her at that table, in a setting meant for couples, he¡¯d wanted so much more. It had been a work of sheer will to keep himself from reaching out to take her hand.

    As they¡¯d chitchatted about the cafe and tried to make this as casual as possible, all he¡¯d been able to think about was kissing her at the end of the evening. But when they¡¯d left the restaurant, she¡¯d said she wanted to get home and sleep, which he¡¯d taken as a sign he shouldn¡¯t ask her to go for a walk. His vehicle had barely rolled to a stop in front of the cafe when her door opened and she climbed out with a hasty, ¡°Goodnight. Thanks for everything.¡±

    So much for kissing her goodnight.

    Not that he would have tried, anyway. He wasn¡¯t even sure he had the green light. Every time he tried to get a little romantic, she seemed to shut him down. Even when he¡¯d tried to tell her she¡¯d looked nice, she¡¯d quickly dismissed him. But it seemed they were sharing long, meaningful nces more oftentely. At least they meant something on his end.

    Jeremy was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn¡¯t immediately notice things were unusual on the other side of the big windows he was passing. Only when he arrived at the door and reached for the handle to open it did he see the crowd gathered inside. And a small group of people was approaching to his left, waiting for him to enter.

    This ce was beyond busy. There wasn¡¯t a line out the door, granted, but there was at least one person seated at every table, arge group of people gathered around the area where Alyssa was doing hertte art, and a line at the cash register, cing orders. This was how it was every day when they first opened. But back then there were four people behind the counter to keep up with demand.

    As usual, he rushed behind the counter to help out. He had an eight-a. m. meeting, but he could just help for a few minutes¡­

    ¡°Hey!¡± Emily called out when she glimpsed Jeremy sliding in next to Alyssa. Odd how he went straight to her side rather than asking his sister what she needed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be at work?¡±

    ¡°Just stopping in for some coffee.¡± He nced at the clock above the door. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can help out for a little while, though.¡±

    What he needed to do was get to his office and go over that report he¡¯d stayed up until midnight prepping. He was existing on far too little sleep and far too much coffee these days.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    And far too much thinking about Alyssa.

    ¡°Hi.¡± Alyssa looked over at him, speaking in a sweet, slightly dazed tone. Yes, she was looking at him in a way that anyone with decent eyesight would say was interesting. He wasn¡¯t imagining that, was he?

    ¡°Hi,¡± he replied in a tone simr to hers. He couldn¡¯t seem to pull his gaze away from her.

    ¡°Could you two lovebirds stop staring at each other? I¡¯m runningte.¡±

    That did it. A customer standing right in front of them had drawn attention to Jeremy and Alyssa. The man hadn¡¯t even said it in a normal tone. It had been shouted, for the benefit of everyone standing nearby, Jeremy assumed.

    Before he could figure out what to do about it, though, a raucous near the front door drew his attention. Even the customers who had been staring at Jeremy and Alyssa curiously turned to see what was happening.

    Equipment. That was the first thing he saw. A guy was holding a camera up by his shoulder and a woman rushing in behind him. That woman looked familiar-

    ¡°Renee Forrester!¡± someone shouted. He realized the shouter was his sister. She¡¯d frozen, receipt in midair, and was gaping at the scene in front of all of them.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± The dude with the camera pushed his way toward the counter. People began to step aside to make way for him, but he still had to sweep through a few of them. He was headed straight back here.

    ¡°This area¡¯s employees only,¡± Jeremy blurted without even realizing he¡¯d said the words out loud. Why was he suddenly feeling territorial about his sister¡¯s store?

    ¡°Hi.¡± The reporter had walked straight up to the counter and was looking at his sister. ¡°I¡¯m Renee Forrester, KSFT News. We tried to call ahead but your number appears to have been disconnected.¡±

    Their number had been disconnected? Jeremy looked at his sister, eyes wide. She just kept her attention focused straight ahead on the reporter. The message was clear there. Either his sister was fully aware the cafe¡¯s phone number had been disconnected or she was putting on a neutral face for the reporter.

    Renee kept talking. ¡°I thought we¡¯d do some shots from here this morning. We have the truck out front, and we¡¯re going to go live, but I wanted to get some footage from inside to runter in the morning. Just pretend we aren¡¯t here. Maybe I can interview you in a little while?¡±

    This crowd wasn¡¯t going anywhere anytime soon. For his sister to do the interview, she¡¯d have to leave the counter shorthanded. Jeremy could not miss his meeting, not with it being the first meeting with his entire team since his return. He thought about it for a second before his problem-solving skills kicked in.

    ¡°Maybe do the interview now.¡±

    Both Renee and Alyssa turned to look at him. Renee¡¯s expression immediately changed. She shifted slightly and her gaze ran the length of Jeremy. Hmm. Maybe he could work with that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll watch the register.¡± Jeremy stepped into ce in front of it, at which point his sister automatically moved out of the way. ¡°You do this, and when youe back, I can run off to work.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡±

 Chapter 39

    There was no ignoring the disappointment in Renee¡¯s voice, noticeable probably to anyone who wasn¡¯t even looking at her. That included Alyssa, who was busy off to his left. But when he nced over at her, he saw that she, too, was staring at Renee. He turned back to Renee and confirmed that, yes, she was pouting a little.

    Jeremy decided to pretend he hadn¡¯t even noticed all that. ¡°I have a meeting, but you can do your interview quickly, I¡¯m sure. Otherwise, we may have to recruit your cameraman to work back here.¡±

    Nobodyughed, not even the camera guy. Instead, the camera guy turned and followed Jeremy¡¯s sister and the reporter out the front door.

    ¡°I think she likes you.¡±

    That came from Alyssa, who leaned close to say it secretively when she came over to hand a customer the extra lid she¡¯d requested. Just that brief amount of closeness sent warmth through him, making it hard to focus on what was happening there.

    He got so caught up in what he was doing-the line seemed to never end-that he didn¡¯t even notice a full half hour passed until his phone rang. The sound brought a brief stop to the chatter in the cafe as people looked around to figure out who could be getting an actual phone call.

    Crap. He knew what the call was about even before he withdrew his phone. Sure enough, it was his business partner¡¯s name on the screen.

    ¡°Where are you, dude?¡±

    Jeremy squeezed his eyes shut. He didn¡¯t want to look at the clock hanging on the wall above the door to the cafe, but he knew he had no other choice.

    ¡°On my way!¡± Jeremy called out.

    He gestured to Alyssa, who nodded, even though hemunicated nothing through the gesture itself. He then began his push toward the door. He had to wait for a group toe in just to slip out.

    ¡°Quick, can I get a word from you?¡± Renee called out to him.

    He hadn¡¯t even seen her over there, standing almost in the road while she interviewed his sister. He assumed that was some fancy maneuver to get the store sign in the shot. Behind her, a big van bearing the station logo was parked. That must have been for the live shot she¡¯d mentioned.

    ¡°I need to-¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Renee called out as she rushed toward him. Over her shoulder, he saw his sister give him an apologetic shrug before heading back into the cafe.

    ¡°I have a meeting-¡±

    Renee interrupted him again. ¡°Just a few seconds, I promise.¡±

    The cameraman lined up behind her, aiming his lens directly at Jeremy. He didn¡¯t know if this was live or recorded, but if it was live, he didn¡¯t want to walk off in the middle of it. The worst part of it was, that if his employees saw this on the newster, they¡¯d know why he waste.

    ¡°You¡¯re part owner in this cafe?¡± the reporter asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m an investor,¡± he corrected.

    Technically, he co-owned it with his sister, but right now, it was all about giving her full credit. Not just because of his other business but because she¡¯d been the one here, working her fingers to the bone to make this ce a sess, while he¡¯d been overseas for two years.

    ¡°This cafe has been getting a lot of buzztely. To what do you attribute the sudden interest?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure how much credit he should give to the business owner who posted about it. Justin Travers was a pretty big name in this town, but he¡¯d alsoid off Alyssa. Right now, that made him a not-so-good guy in Jeremy¡¯s mind.

    Suddenly, Jeremy knew exactly what he had to say.

    ¡°Emily made this happen, with the help of her best friend, Alyssa. Alyssa runs a marketing firm here in Silicon Valley and she¡¯s a genius. She came up with thette art concept, as well as the idea to st it across social media. She brought the customers in and my sister made sure once they were here, they wanted toe back.¡±

    ¡°How did she do that?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Delicious coffee, of course. We have the best coffee in town. Don¡¯t believe me? Come see for yourself.¡±

    Okay, now he sounded like an ad. He was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t at all what this reporter wanted. She confirmed that by pulling the microphone away from him.

    Jeremy took the opportunity to bolt. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I need to get going. Thanks for stopping by!¡±

    Without giving the reporter a chance to respond, he turned and rushed to his vehicle.

    Is she breathing?¡±

    ¡°I ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe I should get a mirror and hold it up to

    her nose.¡±

    ¡°I think she¡¯s breathing. I see her chest moving.¡±

    ¡°Quit staring at her chest.¡±

    At the sound of Emily and Jeremy snickering, Alyssa¡¯s eyes popped open. She looked up to see her best friend and her best friend¡¯s brother staring down at her. They were leaning over, their faces so close, it felt like she was still dreaming.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Alyssa asked.

    She was still in that just-awake ce where her body wanted nothing more than to pull her back down into sleep. But having Jeremy this close made her want to snap out of it and enjoy time with him. Either way, with the two of them staring down at her, going back to sleep wasn¡¯t an option.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been napping for three hours.¡± Emily straightened and walked away, calling back, ¡°I thought you might want to get up and have dinner.¡±

    ¡°Pizza!¡± Jeremy said with raised eyebrows. She¡¯d forgotten that old mannerism of his. She¡¯d always found it massively adorable.

    ¡°From your favorite ce,¡± Emily added, her voice distant now.

    Now Alyssa wanted to sit up, but she couldn¡¯t. Jeremy was still hunched over her. Alyssa narrowed her eyes and he seemed to suddenly realize he hadn¡¯t moved. That was when he straightened.

    Maybe she shouldn¡¯t have been so quick to scare him off. She sat up and tried to get her bearings as Jeremy followed his sister into the kitchen.

    They were setting the table. So this wasn¡¯t a ¡°sit on the sofa and watch TV¡± sort of takeout night. She should probably at least go brush her hair.

    Once she was safely locked in the bathroom, she sshed water on her face, which meant she had to do a quick touchup of her makeup. It was silly. Had it been just her and Emily, she wouldn¡¯t have even bothered with her hair. But had it just been her and Emily, they would be eating on the sofa, not at the table like they were all fancy.

 Chapter 40

    When she emerged, Emily and Jeremy were already seated, arguing over whether or not pineapple was a legitimate pizza topping. It was Alyssa¡¯s job to settle it for them.

    ¡°Pineapples, taco meat, bananas¡­I¡¯ve seen it all.¡±

    Now they were both staring at her. ¡°Where did you have bananas on pizza?¡± Emily asked.

    Alyssa slid into the seat at the center of the table since brother and sister upied the end spots. ¡°One of my employees swore by it. There¡¯s a ce here in town that does dessert pizzas.¡±

    ¡°Dessert pizzas don¡¯t count.¡± Jeremy reached for a big slice of pizza and took a generous bite, not even bothering to set it on his te first. ¡°You can put anything on a dessert pizza.¡±

    Emily jumped in to name some. ¡°Chocte chips. Peanut butter. Cool whip.¡±

    ¡°Cool whip?¡± Alyssaughed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you understand the concept of dessert pizza.¡±

    Jeremy looked from Alyssa to Emily. ¡°So¡­catch me up on the cafe.

    How did it go after I left?¡±

    Alyssa and Emily looked at each other. How did they describe how exhausting it was?

    ¡°You saw how hard it was to wake Alyssa up,¡± Emily added. ¡°That was why. We were both zapped.¡±

    ¡°The reporter being there didn¡¯t help.¡± Alyssa reached for another slice.

    ¡°She added to the stress.¡±

    ¡°She was the stress.¡± Emily shuddered.

    Yeah, Alyssa knew that shudder. She felt it through her body. Having cameras on them when things were chaotic had put tension in the air that was gone the instant the reporter left. In the meantime, they¡¯d been forced to try to keep up with a line that seemed to grow longer with every moment without making it look on camera like they didn¡¯t know what they were doing.

    ¡°We had a lunchtime crowd, too,¡± Alyssa told Jeremy. ¡°Even more of one than yesterday¡¯s. It was out the door.¡±

    ¡°It will normalize, I¡¯m sure,¡± Jeremy said, always the calming force.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want it to slow down.¡± Emily smiled at both of them. She took a final bite of pizza and sat back in her chair. ¡°The money we¡¯re making will allow me to hire some extra help. But I can¡¯t hire extra help if this is temporary.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be. I¡¯ll make sure of that.¡±

    Alyssa hoped her voice showed more confidence than she felt. Her years of experience had taught her that interest in something always came in spurts. Then people were on to the next big thing. The attention the cafe was getting would wane, and it was up to her as the person charged with their marketing to make sure people still came back after all the attention died down.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed early.¡±

    Emily¡¯sment came out of the blue. Alyssa was stunned, and judging by Jeremy¡¯s reaction, she wasn¡¯t alone in that.

    ¡°It¡¯s six-thirty!¡± Jeremy said. He looked over at Alyssa as if to say, Can you believe this?

    Emily shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t take a nap like some people.¡±

    ¡°And she¡¯s not an insomniac like us.¡± Jeremy winked at Alyssa, and her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll entertain Alyssa.¡±

    Wait¡­the two of them were being left alone out here? She relied on Emily to be the buffer between them. Alone¡­

    What? The more she thought about it, the more she realized there was nothing to be afraid of here. This was her best friend¡¯s brother. Nothing more. They¡¯d just hang out, and watch some TV, and he¡¯d go home at some point. She just wasn¡¯t used to being alone with him since they¡¯d always spent time as a trio when they were younger. Until he¡¯d returned to town recently, she couldn¡¯t remember a single instance of them being alone together in all the time she¡¯d known him.

    ¡°y nice,¡± Emily said. She got up and headed straight to her bedroom, not even pausing to clean up her part of the mess. Alyssa knew that was a sure indication Emily was exhausted.

    ¡°She deserves it.¡± Jeremy stood and picked up every paper te on the table, including Alyssa¡¯s. ¡°You both do. Why don¡¯t you go have a seat and I¡¯ll bring you dessert?¡±

    ¡°Dessert?¡±

    They never had dessert. asionally, one or both of them would pull out one of the pints of ice cream in the freezer and splurge, but there was never any type of formal dessert.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we have anything in there,¡± Alyssa warned. She picked up the box with the remaining pizza in it and headed for the kitchen. She couldn¡¯t just go sit down while he worked.

    He paused in the doorway to the kitchen, facing her as she approached with the pizza box in hand. ¡°What did I tell you? Sit. Stay.¡±

    He pointed toward the sofa. But he said the words with a smile on his face, and she knew he was teasing. Well, half-teasing, half-serious. She smiled back and headed over to her spot on the sofa, pulling her nket up over her and picking up the remote.

    There had to be something they could both enjoy. He wasn¡¯t into reality shows-he¡¯d made that much clear. She didn¡¯t want to put on a romantic movie out of fear it would make things awkward between them. Something safe, like aedy or action movie.

    As it turned out, she had plenty of time to decide. Whatever Jeremy was doing in there was taking a while. She settled for catching up on the news while he worked. Finally, he emerged empty-handed.

    ¡°There¡¯s some ice cream in the freezer.¡± Her goal was to make him feel a little better about his failure.

    He paused in his walk toward her and frowned. ¡°Dessert is in the oven.¡± He shrugged, then headed toward the other sofa. ¡°Let¡¯s y a game.¡±

    What? A game? Like Monopoly or Truth or Dare or something? She was almost afraid to ask.

    But she didn¡¯t have to ask. Jeremy had grabbed the remote and was pressing buttons. The TV screen went dark, then a menu popped up. He was going through the various options on a gaming console she didn¡¯t even know Emily owned. As far as she knew, Emily didn¡¯t even y video games.

    He stood up and walked over to the TV, pulling a box from inside the entertainment center. She hadn¡¯t even known that was in there. He withdrew two steering wheels and held them up.

    ¡°Racing game?¡±

    He was looking over at her, waiting for an answer. She looked over at the screen. Somehow, he¡¯d managed to pull up a game without downloading anything. All she could think was that the game had to have been pre-loaded or something.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really-¡±

    He was walking toward the sofa. He pointed to the area where he¡¯d previously been sitting.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have toe over here, though,¡± he said. ¡°This console may as well be the first generation.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that sentence means.¡±

    Maybe, from that, he¡¯d get the message. She knew nothing about ying video games. Sure, she¡¯d yed a few times when she was a kid, but whenpared to just about anyone else her age, she had to be pretty far behind. She assumed ¡°racing game¡± meant racing in a pretend car, although it could be running a marathon or horses or even dogs. Didn¡¯t they have dog races somewhere?

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    His offer drew her attention back to him. He wanted her toe over to sit next to him, and he was going to show her how to y the game. All of this waspletely tonic, she was sure, but she couldn¡¯t seem to stay on her sofa when the alternative was to sit next to him.

    ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m not the world¡¯s best driver.¡± She got up and moved over to sit next to him, pulling her nket along with her. She could pretend she was cold but really, she felt like it provided some sort offort.

    ¡°Here.¡± He handed her a steering wheel.

    She looked up at the TV, wondering why she¡¯d had toe over here.

    Maybe the gadget didn¡¯t work unless it was stationed directly in front of the TV. Or maybe, just maybe, he¡¯d wanted her seated next to him and this had provided an excuse.

    ¡°Ready?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Her honest answer brought a smile of amusement to his lips. She liked making him smile.

    He looked over at her. ¡°The winner gets the corner brownie.¡±

    There were four corners, but she didn¡¯t have time to point that out. He¡¯d turned back to the TV and the game was going.

    ¡°Hey! No fair.¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She bumped into him teasingly as he ran her off the road onscreen. She¡¯d gotten so caught up in the game, she forgot for a moment it was Jeremy Owens next to her. But by just bumping into him, she¡¯d be all too aware of the muscles beneath that thin T-shirt he wore. Muscles she¡¯d paid far too much attention to over the past few days.

    If her move bothered him in any way, he didn¡¯t react. Instead, he kept his focus on the screen, continuing to enthusiastically maneuver around obstacles to beat her to the finish line. She¡¯d lost all focus in those few seconds. It was impossible to evene close to beating him this time. But she knew she had to give it a good try to keep him from seeing she was rattled.

    ¡°Victory!¡± he shouted, obviously forgetting his sister was asleep in the next room.

    Alyssa looked at him, eyes wide, as they both waited a second to see if Emily got up. Jeremy was looking directly at Alyssa, but she was avoiding his gaze.

    Finally, though, curiosity won out. She couldn¡¯t continue to stare off to the side, not with his stare so intently focused on her face.

    When their eyes finally met, her breath caught in her throat. He was looking at her like¡­like¡­

    Slowly, he moved toward her. His movement was tentative at first as if testing to see if she was okay with this. If she¡¯d looked away and returned her attention to the screen, it would have given him an easy out at that point. But she didn¡¯t do that.

    Instead, she began moving toward him. He reached up with his right hand and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, but as his lips brushed against hers, that hand moved to her jawline, then her neck. An involuntary sigh escaped her as she gave in to the kiss.

    And gave up all hope of denying she¡¯d fallen for him.

 Chapter 41

    She tasted sweet.

    How that was possible, he had no idea, since they¡¯d both just eaten pizza. But as he deepened the kiss in response to her sigh, he realized this was how he expected her to taste. Like droplets of honeysuckle.

    The strange thing was, he felt like he¡¯d waited his entire life for this kiss. Like everything had been leading up to this one, perfect moment. He could have stayed here all night, just kissing her and holding her hand, but as he pulled back to look down at her, the timer on his phone went off, causing both of them to jump.

    ¡°The brownies are ready.¡± His voice sounded raspy. It didn¡¯t sound like him at all. Mentally, he was cursing his decision to make dessert. It was as though a big ss of ice water had been thrown on both of them. He wasn¡¯t sure where to go from here.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get them.¡± She hopped up, knocking her nket to the ground, and rushed to the kitchen.

    He started to call out that there was no rush-he¡¯d chosen the lower length of cooking time rmended on the box-but he had a feeling she wasn¡¯t running to save dessert. She was running from him.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    While she worked in the kitchen, he thought it through for a moment. He was her best friend¡¯s older brother. Maybe that was a problem for her for some reason. Maybe she was conflicted about how Emily would feel about the two of them.

    He could handle that. He could assure her that his sister was not only fine with it, but she was also encouraging it these days. But what if that wasn¡¯t the reason for her hesitation? He¡¯d just have to wait and see how she acted next.

    ¡°I put them back in for a few more minutes,¡± Alyssa said as she returned to the living room. ¡°They seemed a little gooey.¡±

    ¡°Gooey brownies are the best.¡±

    Were they discussing brownies? All he could think about was kissing her again.

    Alyssa plopped down next to him, leaving a noticeable gap. ¡°You never liked to cook. I remember that about you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing,¡± he said. ¡°I just haven¡¯t had much time since I got home. Plus, my kitchen was being redone.¡±

    ¡°Likely story.¡± She smiled at him, that teasing smile that made him feel all warm and¡­gooey.

    He struggled to pick up his train of thought. ¡°Seriously. My real estate agent found this great condo for me, but the kitchen was dated. They¡¯d updated everything else. I¡¯ve gotten used to having an ind in my kitchen.¡±

    ¡°Like the one you had growing up.¡±

    Herment threw him off. Yes. Like the one he¡¯d had growing up. He hadn¡¯t even thought of that until now, but when he¡¯d lived alone all those months, there had been somethingforting about chopping vegetables and mixing ingredients on that big wooden countertop in the center of his kitchen. Standing crowded in the corner, trying to deal with limited counter space, felt very unnatural to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you over for dinner now that my kitchen¡¯s ready,¡± Jeremy said.

    Okay, so maybe he was testing the waters here. Seeing how she¡¯d respond to the mention of a future date. There was little doubt it would be a date, he figured, after the kiss they¡¯d just shared. He could have her over, try to impress her with his signature dish-chicken parmesan-and maybe share a few romantic moments with her like the one they¡¯d had a few minutes ago.

    Before she could respond, a timer beeped. It came from behind him in the kitchen. He assumed she¡¯d set the oven timer when she¡¯d put the brownies back in.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get that. Want some ice cream?¡±

    And she was up again, racing for the kitchen. He called out a, ¡°No,¡± and stared at the screen in front of him. He wasn¡¯t sure how he could get things back on a romantic ne with her, so he decided not to even try. Instead, he¡¯d simply enjoy eating a brownie on the sofa with a woman he felt like he was just now getting to know.

    ¡°I brought you the corner piece,¡± she said.

    He smiled and reached out for the te she was extending. ¡°Because I won.¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    When she sat down on the sofa-he couldn¡¯t help but notice she¡¯d returned to the same sofa as him rather than her separate one-he saw what she¡¯d done. She¡¯d cut herself a corner piece, too.

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not fair. The winner was supposed to get the corner piece.¡±

    She paused, holding the te up in front of her. ¡°Do you even know how brownies work? There are four corners.¡±

    ¡°And I should get all four.¡±

    ¡°Greedy.¡± She shook her head, lifting her brownie to her mouth. He did the same. They didn¡¯t speak for a long moment, just chewing silently.

    ¡°You have a lot of money, don¡¯t you?¡±

    He nearly choked on the bite of brownie he¡¯d just swallowed. Great.

    Now he needed something to drink.

    ¡°Hold that thought.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want her to hold it, but he didn¡¯t want to be rude, either. He rushed to the kitchen and poured them each a ss of milk. He knew when they were kids, she¡¯d liked hers with a little chocte syrup in it, and he considered doctoring that up for her. There was no chocte syrup in the refrigerator or pantry, though.

    If she minded in milk, she didn¡¯t say it. She just thanked him and set the ss down next to her on the end table.

    Alyssa didn¡¯t hesitate to pick up the previous conversation. ¡°Your sister said you live in a penthouse suite at that high-rise near your office.¡±

    ¡°My agent found that for me. I would have been fine with a regr condo, but it¡¯s not so easy to find a ce on short notice in this town.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Sheughed. ¡°Even when I do get my business going, I¡¯m going to probably have to get on a waiting list. I don¡¯t want to be on your sister¡¯s sofa forever.¡±

 Chapter 42

    He leaped at the chance to change the subject. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t mind, I¡¯m pretty sure. I know my sister, and she loves having you around all the time.¡±

    ¡°Like a sleepover every night.¡± She stared at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±

    He studied his brownie, looking for anything to distract him from this ufortable conversation. ¡°About my penthouse?¡±

    ¡°About your money. Your sister said you¡¯re super wealthy.¡±

    Now, this was awkward. If there was one thing he didn¡¯t like talking about, it was money. He considered himself very lucky. Sure, he¡¯de up with a great idea, but he attributed most of his sess to timing and aligning himself with the right people. He¡¯d been excited when he¡¯d seen just how well hispany was doing but at first, he¡¯d poured all the money he made back into his venture. He¡¯d heard that was the right thing to do.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never really spent my money,¡± he finally said. ¡°It¡¯s in an ount, and my financial manager handles it. I keep an eye on it, but I don¡¯t feel the need to spend it right now.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re in denial.¡±

    She was watching him, eating her brownie while she did so. Over the past few years, he¡¯d gotten used to people-women, especially-taking an interest in him because they¡¯d heard he was a billionaire. It had given him a love-hate rtionship with his money.

    ¡°I love the financial security, but I¡¯m just not into things.¡± He shrugged, realizing he¡¯d never opened up to anyone about this. It felt good to finally talk about it. ¡°I flew first ss on my way back, but that was just so I¡¯d have a private,fortable ce to sleep. I love my condo, but I¡¯m only there to sleep. I guess I just have been too focused on work to enjoy it.¡±

    Alyssa leaned forward, setting her te on the coffee table. She reached back to pick up her milk and took a long sip before finally speaking again.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    Jeremy set his te down and frowned at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°With your money. If you could do anything, what would it be?¡±

    He sat back and thought about it a moment. He didn¡¯t have to think long, though. He¡¯d fantasized about it for a while. ¡°Spend an entire month at a beach house. Doesn¡¯t matter where. Maybe one of those inds where the water is clear, bright blue.¡±

    ¡°The Caribbean?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±

    ¡°So why don¡¯t you do it? You have the money.¡±

    His eyes narrowed. ¡°Work. No way could I take even a week off right now. I just got back here.¡±

    If he had to be honest, most of it was guilt. He¡¯d been scaling up their manufacturing operations overseas and without his hard work over there, they wouldn¡¯t have achieved the sess they had now. But he still felt the need to help his business partner out, having been gone so long.

    ¡°Especially not with the cafe taking off like this,¡± Alyssa said.

    Jeremy nodded. ¡°Good point. But Emily seems to keep things running just fine without me. She just needs to hire a couple of people to help so you can focus on your own business.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Can I be honest?¡± She looked at him, her eyebrows raised in question.

    He hoped she would. This conversation was bringing them closer than the kiss had. He felt close to her. It terrified and exhrated him at the same time.

    ¡°Sure.¡± He adjusted on the sofa, putting his knee closer to her leg, which was taking up part of the middle cushion. If she minded, she didn¡¯t indicate it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave the cafe,¡± Alyssa confessed. ¡°I kind of enjoy working there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Emily will let you help out all you want but keep something in mind. You¡¯re about to get popr.¡±

    Alyssaughed. ¡°Right. I can dream.¡±

    ¡°Not a dream. I predict you¡¯re about to find your days filled with meetings and creating proposals-and whatever else it is people who run marketing firms do. I probably should pay more attention, but we don¡¯t market our stuff.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much what you said,¡± she responded. ¡°At least in the early days. Eventually, I¡¯ll have to hire someone who can help with some of that.¡±

    But even then, she wouldn¡¯t have time to work at the cafe. And she¡¯d no longer be sleeping on his sister¡¯s sofa. Which meant if he wanted to keep seeing her, he¡¯d have to make it formal. He¡¯d no longer be able to count on showing up at the cafe or his sister¡¯s apartment to hang out with her.

    ¡°I should get going.¡±

    Jeremy¡¯s brain was doing the talking there. The responsible part of his brain that knew he had to get up early tomorrow and go to work. But his body was betraying him by not moving.

    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you to the door.¡±

    She stood first, picking up the nket and wrapping it around her. Why did he have a feeling she was protecting herself by doing so? It wasn¡¯t like it was all that cold in here, but who was he to say what was cold to her? He just wanted to be the one to warm her up.

    As Jeremy followed her to the door, he wondered if he should try to kiss her again. A goodnight kiss was perfectly reasonable, right? But he wouldn¡¯t even try if he didn¡¯t get a signal from her.

    At the door, she turned and looked up at him. ¡°Thanks for the brownies and pizza.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°And for kicking your butt in that game?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no thanks for that.¡±

    She was smiling, too. But her smile gradually faded as he continued to stare down at her. It wasn¡¯t that difficult. When he looked at her these days, he couldn¡¯t seem to pull his gaze off her.

    Since he was forcing himself to stand still, he knew she was the one who moved to close the space between them. She also rose on tiptoe slightly, her face positioned toward his. There was no way he could resist.

    This time, the kiss was sweet and filled with longing for more. He could have deepened it, but he decided this was exactly what both of them needed. The promise of more toe tomorrow and the next day and the next.

    ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± he said as he pulled back and looked down at her.

    Her eyes gradually opened, and she nodded. With fumbling hands, he somehow managed to unlock the door and find his way out without hitting himself in the face with it. Yes, she was getting to him.

 Chapter 43

    There was a term in the restaurant business that referred to beingpletely overwhelmed. ¡°In the weeds.¡± Alyssa knew it all too well from her time waiting tables during college. She and Emily were, without a doubt, in the weeds this morning.

    She wouldn¡¯t have thought it possible, but they were even busier today than the day before. The phone was ringing off the hook, mostly with questions about whether they delivered, but neither of them had time to answer it. They¡¯d tried at first, but the person on the other end of the line had hung up, only for it to ring again. It eventually came down to a choice between talking on the phone and taking care of the line of customers in front of them.

    ¡°This has too much vani.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t atte.¡±

    ¡°Could I get another shot of espresso in this?¡±

    Theints rolled in without stopping. Alyssa was making the orders as written on the cup-or so she thought-but when the cup came back, it seemed to always turn out to be her fault, not Emily¡¯s. She had to find a way to focus.

    Yeah, she had Jeremy on the brain.

    At the start of the morning, she¡¯d felt like she was floating on a cloud. Remembering that kiss had gotten her through the boring tasks that came with opening the cafe. But her dreamlike state was short-lived. There was a small group gathered outside the door when they opened, and it didn¡¯t let up until just after lunch.

    ¡°Whatever happened to people drinking coffee in the morning?¡± Alyssa asked as they watched thest of their counter customers walk out. There were a few people scattered around, seated in front ofptops or catching up with friends. Even that was more than they usually saw this time of day.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Coffee. It¡¯s not just for breakfast anymore.¡±

    Alyssa frowned, struggling to remember where she¡¯d heard that before.

    ¡°I thought that was orange juice.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll have toe up with a different slogan.¡±

    ¡°Slogan! That¡¯s what we¡¯re missing.¡±

    Alyssa pulled out her phone and checked. Annoyingly, she¡¯d been hoping for a text from Jeremy. Maybe something saying he missed her, or he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her. Nothing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need any other reason for people toe in.¡± Emily stepped around to wipe off the back counter. ¡°Hopefully, this will normalize soon. I don¡¯t know if we can keep up this pace.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just it,¡± Alyssa said. ¡°If we want-¡±

    Her voice cut off when she saw the first email waiting in her inbox. She¡¯d set up an alert to let her know if the coffee shop was mentioned anywhere online. The notification was no surprise, as much attention as they¡¯d been gettingtely, but when she pulled it up, she saw there was more than one mention, and most of them were reviews.

    ¡°What?¡± Emily said. ¡°If we want what?¡±

    Alyssa shook her head. She couldn¡¯t remember what she¡¯d been saying before, and it didn¡¯t even matter anymore. She could see from the brief text under each headline mentioned in the email that these reviews were not good.

    And she didn¡¯t know how to break it to Emily.

    ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    The problem was, that Emily was standing in front of her now, looking at her with concern. It was pretty obvious Alyssa had seen something on her screen that had slowed her to a full stop. But she could easily imagine the crushed expression on her friend¡¯s face if she broke the news to her about the bad reviews.

    So she clicked on one that took her to one of their social media tforms. That message was a good one. A photo of someone¡¯stte art, simr to the dozens that had been posted yesterday. She held it up to show Emily.

    ¡°Just more free publicity.¡± Alyssa forced a smile to her face. ¡°As I was saying, I think we need to focus on keeping customersing back after all the attention dies down.¡±

    ¡°You think it will die down?¡± Emily frowned. Not quite crushed, but worried. So much for protecting her friend.

    ¡°I think that anything like this has a short shelf life. Remember that

    Italian restaurant we tried on opening night?¡± Emily nodded.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go back¡­eventually.¡± Heck, she went with Emily¡¯s brother just a couple of days ago. ¡°But there¡¯s no rush. And if the food had been horrible or we¡¯d experienced really bad service, we wouldn¡¯t have ever gone back.¡±

    ¡°And we would have told others,¡± Emily added.

    Uh-oh. They were venturing dangerously close to online review territory. She needed to steer the conversation away from that.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Alyssa slid her phone into her back pocket and turned to the espresso machine to start closing procedures. ¡°We have to focus on making the customer experience so great, that we keep as many peopleing back as possible. It may just be half or one-fourth, or even one-tenth of what we saw today, but loyal customers are the goal.¡±

    ¡°How do we do that?¡±

    That was what Alyssa had been puzzling over all day while they¡¯d struggled to keep up. She knew every single customer whoined about the wait or incorrect drink orders could very well be a lost cause. But she¡¯d concentrated on being friendly and apologetic and hoped it would make a difference.

    ¡°I think we¡¯re going to need some help.¡±

    Alyssa hated to say those words, but they were unavoidable. The facts were right in front of them. They could not handle this crowd, not at the rate they wereing in. Even if it died down, Alyssa couldn¡¯t put in these hours forever.

    It was time to start thinking about her recement. The problem was, that she couldn¡¯t bring herself to suggest it to Emily. It was best for the cafe, but she could already feel the pain thating in here to find someone else standing in her ce would bring.

    The sound of the cafe door opening pulled her from her thoughts, reminding her they¡¯d forgotten to change the sign to ¡°closed.¡± She was grateful she hadn¡¯t gotten too far in her closing procedures. They already had enough trouble right now without making a customer mad by being closed when she wanted to order.

    As soon as Alyssa looked up, though, she knew the womaning toward the counter wasn¡¯t here for coffee. It was the reporter from yesterday. Was she back to ask about the bad reviews? A follow-up to yesterday¡¯s interviews?

    ¡°Hi.¡± Renee Forrester shed them a big smile, showing off her perfectly straight, bright white teeth. Camera-ready at all times, of course. ¡°I was wondering if your brother is around.¡±

    Alyssa promptly stepped out of the discussion, heading to the far end of the counter to clean up the mess she¡¯d made with hertte art. If she stayed near Renee, she feared she¡¯d let Emily see that Renee¡¯s interest in Jeremy bothered her.

    ¡°Nope. He¡¯s at work. Do you want me to tell him you dropped by?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just stop by there. Thanks. And keep up the good work.¡±

    With that, Renee spun and drifted toward the door. That was the best way to describe the way she walked. She drifted, moving gracefully and smoothly like she was gliding on a pair of skates.

    ¡°Maybe I should warn Jer.¡± Emily watched Renee¡¯s exit, biting her lip.

    ¡°He¡¯s not going to like this.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    Alyssa¡¯s goal was to pretend she didn¡¯t care about any of this, but she honestly didn¡¯t understand what her best friend meant. A beautiful woman chasing him around town? Jeremy should love that. Even if he didn¡¯t, Emily didn¡¯t know a thing about the kisses her best friend and brother had shared. It only seemed natural that Alyssa would assume Emily¡¯s brother would wee Renee¡¯s attention.

    And Alyssa had a sinking feeling he would.

    ¡°This woman is just going to show up at his work, sounds like,¡± Emily said, heading around the counter.

    Emily went to the door and flipped the sign off, showing they were no longer open. The customers took the hint and started packing up. She waited until she was behind the counter to continue talking to Alyssa, though.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of creepy, don¡¯t you think? I mean, just showing up in someone¡¯s lobby?¡±

    This put Alyssa in a weird position. She wanted to believe Jeremy would bepletely creeped out by it. But he could also see it as romantic or, at the very least, ttering that this beautiful woman had tracked him down and shown up to demonstrate her interest.

    ¡°Oops. Never mind.¡±

    That caught Emily¡¯s attention. She looked up from her work to see her friend staring at her phone. Her first thought was that Emily had somehow discovered the bad reviews. Alyssa straightened, prepared tofort Emily if what she saw upset her.

    Emily held up her phone. ¡°Jeremy¡¯s on his way here. He said to tell you to change into something professional. You have a meeting.¡±

 Chapter 44

    ¡°T Jeremy smiled at his passenger, who didn¡¯t look at all his seems to have be a pattern,¡± Alyssamented.

    annoyed by the fact that he¡¯d scooped her up from his sister¡¯s cafe. Part of him wished he was whisking her off to some romantic early dinner. But he had a feeling Alyssa would be far, far happier about where he was taking her.

    ¡°Okay, no surprises,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re meeting up with an old friend.¡±

    Alyssa didn¡¯t respond at first, no doubt running through a list of ¡°old friends.¡± Jeremy, meanwhile, was having second thoughts about calling the person that. It was what he¡¯d been told, but that didn¡¯t mean Alyssa would see the person that way.

    ¡°She worked for you,¡± he rushed to amend.

    Now she looked over at him. He saw it out of the corner of his eye while he attempted to navigate his way to the offices where Alyssa had once worked. Jeremy had never been to TravTech, but it was hard not to know someone who had been an employee there at one point or another. It used to be massive. Theyoffs had shrunk the staff side considerably, but TravTech was still a legend in this town.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to assume she still works here.¡±

    Thatment came from Alyssa as they were entering the parking garage. She¡¯d know this ce all too well. He assumed she¡¯d even parked here every day during the time she worked here unless she¡¯d taken public transportation.

    ¡°Brooke Alexander,¡± she guessed.

    ¡°Bingo!¡±

    He pulled up to the machine that dispensed tickets and pressed the button. This was a personal venture, so he wouldn¡¯t be taking this parking expense back to work, although he did feel like being on good terms with TravTech was a good thing for hispany.

    Alyssa waited until he¡¯d parked to speak again.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the deal?¡± She¡¯d turned to face him, waiting for his answer.

    Yes, he needed to tell her. Thest thing she¡¯d want was to go in there without knowing what to expect.

    ¡°TravTech has decided not to rece the team they had before. Instead, they¡¯re going to outsource their marketing¡­and they want your marketing firm.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a marketing firm.¡±

    ¡°You do. You have a very sessful client-Technologia Cafe-and my partner said you¡¯re about to get a call from Mitzi.¡±

    Alyssa¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The woman with the graphic design firm?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°She¡¯s hiring you. So this will be your third client. They¡¯re all very impressed with what you¡¯ve done for the cafe. You¡¯re on your way.¡±

    Thest thing he¡¯d expected was for her to think of this as bad news. But her eyes had zed over and her half-smile seemed forced. She didn¡¯t want this?

    ¡°I thought this was your dream,¡± he said.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Tears were welling in her eyes. All he could think was that he¡¯d put those tears there. It made him want to say whatever it took to make them go away.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this.¡± He reached up and brushed away the tear that hadnded on her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll just tell Justin you¡¯re overloaded with work right now. Or we could say it¡¯s a conflict because you¡¯re working with one of hispetitors.¡± He smiled. ¡°That would be an interesting twist on things.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just¡­opening the cafe, working with your sister. I¡¯m realizing that¡¯sing to an end, and I love it. Plus-¡±

    He waited for her to continue, but she was quiet for what seemed like an eternity. He rxed back against his seat to give her the space she needed to speak. It was his way of taking the pressure off.

    ¡°We kind of messed up today.¡±

    The words were apanied by a sheepish expression. She was ashamed of something, and he had no idea what. Who was ¡°we?¡± Did this have something to do with their kissst night? No, that wasn¡¯t ¡°today.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to look, but there were some bad reviews.¡± She held up her phone, but the screen was locked. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was supposed to be seeing here. ¡°A bunch of them. We¡¯ve had a hard time keeping up with the flood of customersing in.¡±

    ¡°Understandable.¡±

    Her brow furrowed. ¡°But bad, bad form. Marketing is only the first part of sess. You have to follow through once people buy into what you¡¯re selling.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t a barista. And my sister needs more help. I¡¯ve been telling her that for a while, and now we can afford it.¡±

    By pointing out she wasn¡¯t a barista, he certainly hadn¡¯t nned on offending her. She was a marketing consultant. A business owner. A great friend. She¡¯d done a phenomenal job helping his sister out, and he was pretty confident she¡¯d excel at whatever she tried in life, but if she failed to live up to customer expectations, was it wrong to remind her that this was not some kind of failure?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Alyssa reached for her door handle and opened the door, leaving him with no other choice but to scramble to keep up. She was mad at him? Or just eager to get inside? He couldn¡¯t tell the difference at this point.

    ¡°Wait!¡± he called out as he stepped out of his SUV.

    The intention was to try to get her to slow down. Maybe even to chase after her and try to talk his way out of this. But they weren¡¯t alone in the parking garage, not by a long stretch. The elevator had just opened, and people were stepping out of it to start toward their cars. Alyssa rushed to catch the elevator before the doors closed.

    She had to wait for him, didn¡¯t she? He supposed she could go up and kick off the meeting without him there, but it would be awkward when he finally did show up. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her standing outside the doors, staring down at her phone screen. The n was to try to exin hisment about her barista status once they were alone. The only problem was, they weren¡¯t alone. By the time he got to her side, a woman was closing in on them, and there was a man not far behind her.

    That left him with his thoughts as they stepped into the elevator and rode up. They didn¡¯t even get a break when a couple of people exited. They hadpany the whole way up, as well as a group of people waiting outside the elevator doors once they arrived at their floor.

    ¡°Alyssa!¡± he said in an almost whisper as they neared the door that led to the TravTech conference room. On the other side of those big ss doors, he saw both Justin and Brooke seated at the table, waiting for them.

    Predictably, Alyssa didn¡¯t stop. She pulled the door open and walked into the conference room as though he hadn¡¯t said her name at all.

    All he could hope was he¡¯d somehow redeem himself during this meeting. Maybe whatever Brooke and Justin said would make her so happy, that she¡¯d forget his baristament.

    ¡°Alyssa!¡± Brooke eximed, sounding much more upbeat than his use of her name had been a few seconds earlier. She stood and gave Alyssa a hearty hug.

    ¡°Good afternoon.¡± Justin stood and shook both Jeremy¡¯s and Alyssa¡¯s hands. Then he gestured toward the empty seats across from him. ¡°We hear your marketing firm is on fire. Congrattions.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡± Brooke gave Alyssa a big smile. ¡°You were such an inspiration. I was shocked when you were part of the downsizing.¡±

 Chapter 45

    Jeremy¡¯s eyes widened. Brooke was an interesting person. She was this bundle of energy, packaged into a petite frame. It would be hard to even be in a room with her without smiling.

    Which was why what she¡¯d just said had been just fine. If anyone else had said it, it would have sounded catty and negative. But Alyssa¡¯s former employee was one hundred percent genuine.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Alyssa assured Brooke. ¡°It all worked out for the best¡­for all of us.¡±

    Justin, who had been watching this entire exchange with amusement, finally spoke. ¡°Brooke¡¯s pretty spectacr, but we had to reduce costs, so the more senior staff members were the ones we cut. Which is exactly why we¡¯ve decided to outsource.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s where youe in.¡± Brooke pushed a button on herptop and the big whiteboard on the other side of the room lit up.

    They all shifted their attention to that wall, where Brooke stepped them through a presentation on their goals, their numbers, and how much those numbers had changed since Alyssa left.

    Jeremy watched, mildly interested, but even more interested in what was going on in this room. It took someplex politics for apany to fire someone, and then bring her back as an independent contractorter.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just about thepany, either,¡± Brooke said once she reached the final slide and everyone had turned back to face her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished learning from you.¡±

    Justin sat up in his chair, sping his hands on the table in front of him. ¡°We anticipate we¡¯ll need you just a few hours a week at first. But some big events areing up, marketing expos and such. Some travel may be involved, but I¡¯d love to send the two of you to represent thepany.¡±

    Next to him, he felt Alyssa perk up. He knew, then and there, that this was everything she wanted. He also suddenly knew why things had felt so off in this conference room. It wasn¡¯t weird politics. It was right there, in the way Justin looked at Brooke.

    They were a couple. Jeremy¡¯s first thought was actually that Justin had a crush on Brooke, just as he considered himself to have a crush on Alyssa. No guarantee it was reciprocated. He recognized Justin¡¯s expression while he watched Brooke sell Alyssa on taking on this project. Jeremy was pretty sure that was the same expression he had when he looked at Alyssa.

    But then Brooke looked over at Justin, just after he suggested Brooke and Alyssa attend events together, and Jeremy saw the expression on her face. Whatever Justin felt for Brooke, it was reciprocated.

    Yep. They were a couple.

    ¡°This sounds amazing,¡± Alyssa said, looking from Justin to Brooke. Jeremy wondered if she noticed the sparks flying between the two of them like he did. ¡°What are the next steps?¡±

    ¡°Brooke will fill you in. Jeremy, let¡¯s take a walk.¡±

    A walk with Justin Travers. How could he possibly turn down that opportunity?

    The funny thing was, just a couple of weeks ago, if someone had asked him if he wanted to have a meeting with Justin Travers, Jeremy would have thought about asking his thoughts on business sorts of things. Right now, though, he half-hoped the guy and would have some suggestions for figuring out how to win Alyssa over. Or, at the very least, how not to repel her by opening his big mouth.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be right back,¡± Jeremy called out as they exited, but he may as well not have wasted his time. Neither of the women seated at the table even nced his way. He followed Justin out, heading straight for the elevator.

    It was strange-like he had orchestrated it-but they passed no one between the conference room and the exit to the building. Meanwhile, they made small talk about Jeremy¡¯s return, his time overseas, and how hispany was doing. The entire time, Jeremy just wanted to ask what this was all about.

    ¡°I love what yourpany is doing,¡± Justin finally said as they started a walk around the block. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching it for some time.¡±

    Was he about to say he wanted to acquire Jeremy¡¯spany? That wasn¡¯t really how these deals were made, so that made no sense. No, it had to be something more.

    ¡°I have an idea for a new piece of hardware, and that¡¯s what you do.¡±

    That was definitely what Jeremy did, which set him apart in most circles. He was constantly in conversations with founders ofpanies specializing in software. Apps were fun. He¡¯d always been more into the inner workings of technology, but he got why everyone went the app route. Justin¡¯s tutoring app, for instance, helped kids learn. It was easy to exin to people and get their interest. When someone asked what hispany did, eyes usually zed over, even when he exined it in short, very basic terms.

    ¡°It would take my concept beyond tutoring. Kids could learn anywhere, interacting as they would in a ssroom.¡±

    Jeremy didn¡¯t want to break bad news here, but he¡¯d heard enough pitches in his day to know when someone was off base. ¡°Sounds like software to me.¡±

    ¡°We already have the app down. We need to take it further to make it more like a ssroom. And for that, we need hardware.¡± Okay, now Justin had his attention.

    They¡¯d circled the building and were in the elevator by then. ¡°Let¡¯s schedule a meeting,¡± Justin said as the elevator drifted up to his floor.

    ¡°Loop in your business partner. We¡¯ll discuss.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    Jeremy didn¡¯t want to look too eager. If they were going to partner up on something, he had to retain his negotiating power. But the prospect of working with one of the biggest legends in tech had him pretty excited.

    They stepped out of the elevator to an empty conference room. Jeremy looked around, not sure what to do from here.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Sync up with my assistant and we¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Justin dropped that sentence and headed off down the hall.

    That left Jeremy standing there, wondering where he could find Alyssa. When he looked down at his phone, he got the answer to his question. Alyssa had left.

    Took a rideshare home, the text read. Thanks!

 Chapter 46

    Jeremy probably thought she was mad at him. Not at all. But she couldn¡¯t deal right now. She needed to be alone.

    That was why she was sitting in the cafe-hiding. She wasn¡¯t sure what the n was. Maybe she¡¯d go get some dinner or something. If Emily texted to ask where she was, she¡¯d just tell her she met up with an old friend.

    It wasn¡¯t entirely untrue. She¡¯d enjoyed the short amount of time she¡¯d spent with Brooke. It had taken her back to the days of working in an office, which she¡¯d missed more than she realized. But all that just made it even clearer that there was an impending separation in her life. Her time working in this cafe wasing to an end.

    Suddenly, she heard the back door to the cafe open. She was in the far corner where nobody could spot her from that back door, but all someone would have to do was enter and walk toward the front. Maybe she should hide under the table.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    The tone of Emily¡¯s voice made it obvious she knew Alyssa was in there, even if Alyssa couldn¡¯t see her right now. She shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. She and Emily had that best friend¡¯s intuition. They¡¯d always joked about that.

    ¡°Just checking my email.¡±

    Pathetic excuse, Alyssa knew. She should havee up with a cover story, but honestly, she had assumed Emily would text rather thane looking for her.

    Emily came over and took the seat across from her at the tiny table.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing your meeting didn¡¯t go well.¡±

    ¡°It went very well. I think I have a new client.¡±

    Her voice was weak, probably matching her pathetic attempt at a smile. It was strange. She knew she should feel excited, but she couldn¡¯t quite get out of this funk. Plus, something about working with TravTech again bothered her, and she couldn¡¯t put her finger on what it was.

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome! So¡­what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Emily was frowning at her now, and for good reason. This would be a great time for that best friend¡¯s intuition she¡¯d been thinking about a couple of minutes ago.

    ¡°It¡¯s just-I¡¯ve enjoyed helping you out here.¡±

    There. The words were out. She couldn¡¯t have hidden her feelings from her best friend, anyway. It was strange, though. As much time as they¡¯d spent together since she¡¯d lost her job, it felt like they were further apart than ever.

    And that had everything to do with Emily¡¯s brother.

    He was driving a wedge between them again, just as he had after the prom night fiasco. This time, the wedge had to do mostly with Alyssa hiding things from her best friend. If it was anyone but her brother, she¡¯d be rushing to share every detail with Emily.

    Alyssa took a deep breath. ¡°Your brother pointed out I¡¯m not a barista and it bothered me. Silly, huh?¡±

    Emily shook her head. ¡°Not silly at all. You¡¯re a fantastic barista. I¡¯m going to have to talk with him.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t.¡± Thest thing she wanted was for Jeremy to know she¡¯d been talking to his sister about him. ¡°It made me realize how much I¡¯ve enjoyed helping you. But I¡¯ve also held you back.¡±

    ¡°What? That¡¯s the most ridiculous thing I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    Yes, Emily would think it was ridiculous. She¡¯d forgotten that Emily didn¡¯t yet know about the bad reviews. Maybe now was the time to tell her.

    ¡°We got some bad reviews,¡± Emily said in a quiet, somber tone.

    Alyssa¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You know about that?¡±

    ¡°I get an alert when things are posted about this ce.¡±

    Of course, she did. It was shortsighted of Alyssa not to realize she would. This was Emily¡¯s cafe-her baby. If Alyssa was getting alerts on it, Emily surely would, too.

    So now it was time to take the me for what she¡¯d done. ¡°If you¡¯d been able to hire someone who was a pro at this, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten those bad reviews. It¡¯s my fault.¡±

    Emily leaned forward, putting herself closer to Alyssa. ¡°This had nothing to do with you. You¡¯re helping me. Besides, you¡¯ve been great. All the customers love you. Did you read the reviews?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    Alyssa realized she¡¯d seen snippets of the review in the email she¡¯d received, but she hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to go to the reviews and read them in their entirety. She¡¯d just seenments about long waits and messed-up orders.

    Emily smiled and sat back in her chair. ¡°You got a ton of mentions about yourtte art, and we both were praised for being friendly. It was mostly things that are out of our control, like long lines. But they didin about the taste of the coffee.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­the taste of the coffee?¡±

    Of all the negativements she might have expected to see in the reviews, the coffee would have been thest. Alyssa was no coffee expert, but she¡¯d always thought this ce had the best-tasting coffee in town.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been cutting corners.¡± This admission came out in the same weak voice Alyssa had heard from her mouth just minutes ago. Emily stood and began pacing the area as she spoke. ¡°I had to shop around for cheaper beans. I thought it would be a way to stay in business. Then things picked up, and I started second-guessing that decision.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice,¡± Alyssa admitted.

    It was no surprise. Alyssa poured so much stuff into her coffee, that she tasted the cream, sugar, and sweetened syrup more than she did the coffee itself. Plus, it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d ever been a daily customer of this cafe, especially when she was working for TravTech. When she came to work here, she wouldn¡¯t have noticed the difference, she supposed.

    ¡°Can you switch back?¡± Alyssa asked. It was suddenly sinking in just how bad this was, especially with all the traffic that had been driven here recently.

    ¡°I already did, but is it toote? I¡¯ve been going through the old stuff first, but I guess I just need to throw that away.¡±

    Alyssa started to agree, but before she could get the word out, she saw

    Emily¡¯s attention goes to the front door. She followed her friend¡¯s gaze and saw Jeremy standing out there, knocking. Alyssa¡¯s heart did its usual pace quickening as she watched his sister walk toward the door and unlock it for him.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Emily locked the door behind him, then turned and started toward the back door. ¡°I¡¯m off to get dinner started. Come on up when you¡¯re finished.¡±

    ¡°Finished with what?¡± Alyssa called out after her.

    Emily didn¡¯t answer. A few secondster, she heard the back door m shut. She looked down at the table, not sure how to handle this situation.

    ¡°Sorry about myment.¡± Jeremy had turned toward her and was watching her. It tugged at her heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m not mad about that,¡± Alyssa said.

    ¡°Okay, well, I owe you an even bigger apology. It¡¯s long overdue.¡±

    Now she looked up at him. He walked slowly toward her, stopping behind the chair his sister had just vacated. He put both hands on the back of it and met her gaze head-on.

    ¡°Prom night. Ipletely messed that up. I¡¯ve beaten myself up over that for years, but I¡¯m even more disappointed that I never said I was sorry.

    I¡¯m very, very sorry.¡±

    Tears welled in her eyes. Darn it. She¡¯d spent all these years trying to hide how hurt she¡¯d been when he was around, and now she was making it crystal clear. What she should have done was tell him it was no big deal. But she was crying.

    ¡°Alyssa.¡±

    There was so much emotion in his voice when he said her name, she was willing to forgive anything at that point. He closed the distance between them and knelt next to her. The positioning made her feel like he was begging for forgiveness on her bent knee.

    ¡°I was a moron.¡± His voice was barely above a whisper. He reached out and took her hand. ¡°I can¡¯t go back and change things, but I can make it up to you. If you¡¯ll forgive me.¡±

    Tears were streaming down her cheeks now. She¡¯d willed them to stop, but it seemed like she¡¯d suddenly been transported back to when she was eighteen. She was sitting in her bedroom in herce and sequin dress, staring at her phone, willing it to ring. She¡¯d texted Jeremy once. Where are you? No response ever came.

    She hadn¡¯t cried then. She¡¯d been too angry. If he¡¯d apologizedter, she probably wouldn¡¯t have cried at that point. But enough time had passed that she had a perspective on it. Plus, if he¡¯d apologized back then, she was pretty sure it wouldn¡¯t havee with the look he was giving her now.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    A look that showed he thought of her as far more than his sister¡¯s best friend.

    ¡°Forgiven?¡±

    How could Alyssa say anything but yes to that question? She was too overwhelmed to speak, though, so she just nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go help my sister.¡±

 Chapter 47

    Jeremy had a heck of a lot of soul-searching to do.

    Mostly, it revolved around his apology. It had taken him back to that night that seemed like so long ago, even though it had only been six years. It was before his parents¡¯ death, and everything before that event had been like a different lifetime.

    That was what was bothering him so much as he exited his sister¡¯s apartment and returned to his empty condo. He tried to sleep, but he mostly tossed and turned, finally drifting off as the sun began to rise. His rm woke him a couple of hourster, reminding him he had a business to run.

    And that business gave him a handy excuse to stay busy.

    Jeremy skipped the coffee shop and went straight to work, for the first time not lured there by the promise of seeing Alyssa. He wasn¡¯t avoiding her. They¡¯d had a great timest night,ughing, eating, and watching mindless TV with his sister. But as the night had progressed, his thoughts had caught up with him.

    Alyssa¡¯s prom had been during his wild phase. He¡¯d been determined to rebel against their father¡¯s strict rules, and being away at college had helped with that. He¡¯d gone so far off the rails, his grades had suffered, and his father had threatened to cut him off. In an ultimate act of rebellion, Jeremy told his father, over the phone, that he was dropping out of school, so he could just keep that tuition money.

    Those had been thest words he¡¯d ever spoken to his father. Four dayster, his sister had called, sobbing, telling him their parents had been in a car ident on their way back from a weekend ski vacation. They were both gone.

    ¡°You¡¯re a hard man to track down.¡±

    Jeremy was so inside his head as he entered the lobby of his building, that he didn¡¯t realize someone was speaking to him at first. He spun around to see that TV reporter from the cafe standing there. Renee, he believed her name was.

    ¡°Hi.¡± Jeremy looked around. No sign of a cameraperson. ¡°You¡¯re trying to track me down?¡±

    His first thought was that this was about the cafe. Maybe she¡¯d decided to do a follow-up story or something. But without a cameraperson, he wasn¡¯t sure how she¡¯d aplish that.

    She stepped toward him. ¡°Yes. Can we go somewhere to talk?¡±

    That was a strange request. Did she want to confide in him or something? Or was she¡­

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said, eager to get her out of the lobby as quickly as possible. ¡°Let¡¯s go up to my office.¡±

    Data Industries didn¡¯t have a conference room like TravTech¡¯s, where everyone passing by could see in. But they did have a huge open-n work area. He intended to keep her out there, where everyone could see. Mostly because thest thing he wanted was for it to get back to Alyssa that he¡¯d been in his office alone with a woman who had gone to the trouble of tracking him down.

    Jeremy made small talk while they waited for the elevator. ¡°Thank you for the story on my sister¡¯s cafe.¡±

    Renee looked up at him, shing a big smile. ¡°Seems like it did well for her. We¡¯ve been getting a lot of mentions on social media about it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, business has been pretty intense.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t give her full credit for that. After all, a certain Silicon Valley business owner had been bringing customers in before Renee showed up. But they¡¯d stepped into the elevator by then, apanied by a rapidly growing crowd of people. Talking business would keep rumors from spreading, he hoped.

    ¡°I have an idea for a series, and I was hoping you could help with that.¡±

    Renee¡¯s words took him by surprise. He looked over at her. She was facing forward as the numbers on the digital panel above the door ticked upward. He felt like aplete creep for thinking, even for a second, that she might be hitting on him. There was no denying she was a flirt-that had been clear at the cafe when she was officially working. But that didn¡¯t mean she wanted anything more from him than help with whatever story she was nning. He breathed a sigh of relief.

    They stepped out of the elevator and Renee followed him to the main door of Data Industries. Once he¡¯d scanned in, he gestured toward a four-person workspace in the far corner. They could talk there without worrying about disturbing the people scattered around the various workspaces across the big, open room.

    ¡°Coffee?¡± he asked as she sat down.

    ¡°No, thanks.¡±

    He really could go for another cup, but he didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of this whole thing. Maybe he could just push through and get her out of there so he could start work.

    Before he¡¯d even sat down, she jumped right into her pitch. ¡°I want to do a feature on Silicon Valley billionaires. You can be the first one. But it means following you around for a few days. Do you own a yacht?¡±

    They were venturing into ufortable territory here. He hated talking about money, and he certainly didn¡¯t want some reporter putting him on disy to the world.

    ¡°No.¡±

    She looked surprised at that. ¡°What about nes? Do you flymercial?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Usually coach.¡± He didn¡¯t mention that he¡¯d flown first ss on his return home to get the privacy he wanted. He usually flew coach.

    ¡°What about your house? Is it fairly opulent?¡±

    That question threw him off. Opulent. He¡¯d heard the word, and he was pretty sure he knew what she meant.

    ¡°I live in a condo close to here.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not home much.¡±

    That seemed to perk her up a little. ¡°You¡¯re more of a traveler?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I spend a lot of time at my sister¡¯s ce, helping out at the cafe and such.¡±

    He thought about working Alyssa into the conversation somehow but stopped himself. She was a reporter, and Alyssa worked for his sister. It would seem unprofessional if he mentioned they were dating.

    Besides, were they dating? They¡¯d kissed and had even been to a romantic restaurant together. He wanted to think they were dating, but Alyssa might not be on board with that.

    He wanted to think they were dating.

    The thought was a revtion to Jeremy. He¡¯d known, deep down, that he was developing feelings for her that were romantic to the thousandth degree. But he hadn¡¯t allowed himself to dwell there.

    Until now.

    ¡°Are you single?¡±

    Renee¡¯s question yanked him from his thoughts, pulling him into the present moment. This time, he knew better than to assume she was about to hit on him. It was all too clear now that she was in this for professional gain only.

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    Her eyebrows rose. ¡°Not really? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not on the market,¡± he said, forcing a neutral expression to his face. ¡°We¡¯ll just leave it at that.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking maybe an ¡®eligible billionaires of Silicon Valley¡¯ series might be better. But that leaves you out, I guess. If you¡¯re sure you¡¯re not single.¡±

    ¡°I can give you some names.¡±

    Even as he said the words, he was racking his brain for someone he could throw under the bus. Justin Travers seemed to be somewhat involved with Brooke, so he was out of the question.

    He didn¡¯t have to think too hard. Derek Hughes. He was sessful and single, and women seemed to fall under a weird spell when he walked into the room. He was the very kind of billionaire Renee wanted.

    ¡°Have you ever heard of Derek Hughes?¡± Jeremy pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled up the web browser. A quick web search pulled up the name of Derek¡¯spany. He held up his phone so Renee could see the business name on his screen.

    ¡°He¡¯s not in tech?¡± Renee asked.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Yeah, he knew what the reporter was thinking. If she was doing a series on Silicon Valley billionaires, a guy who made his billions building superyachts probably wasn¡¯t the best choice. But Derek would seriously make great TV. He could take her for a ride on his private jet, show her around his fifty-room mansion, or whatever else it was people with too much money did.

    Renee pulled up the information on her phone, and then ooked up at looked ¡°Thanks, but are you sure you don¡¯t want to participate? It would be good publicity for your business.¡±

    He shook his head, trying not to be as adamant about it as he was feeling. No way would being portrayed as the hottie of the month on some program help his business. That wasn¡¯t his thing. He wasn¡¯t sure it was even Derek¡¯s thing, but as far as Jeremy was concerned, he didn¡¯t fit anyway.

    ¡°I¡¯m no longer an eligible bachelor.¡±

    There. It was out. It was official. He¡¯d never been surer of anything in his life. He was waiting this thing out to see where it went. There was no way he could even look at another woman right now. Somehow, seemingly overnight, he¡¯d gone from not being interested in a rtionship to being unable to think about anything but this incredible woman who hade back into his life.

    He¡¯d asked for Alyssa¡¯s forgiveness for being such a jerk in the months before his parents¡¯ ident. Now he just had to work on forgiving himself.

 Chapter 48

    ¡°O There Alyssa was, trying to have a good time making kay, what¡¯s going on with you?¡±

    dinner alongside her best friend, when she was blindsided by a question.

    Alyssa put on her bravest face. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Emily let go of the spoon she¡¯d been using to stir the big pot of chili she was making. ¡°I know you. I¡¯ve known you for as long as I can remember. When things are off, I can tell.¡±

    Alyssa knew she had to think quickly. She went with the most obvious answer.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­everything¡¯s changing, you know? I worry that we won¡¯t get to spend as much time together.¡±

    ¡°Not just that.¡± Emily turned to look at her. ¡°I know you¡¯re upset about not being at the cafe, and you¡¯re wee to stay here as long as you need. I want you to. But you¡¯ve been¡­happiertely. There¡¯s a glow about you. I think you¡¯re in love.¡±

    Of all the things Alyssa expected her best friend to say, that was thest she anticipated. How could she possibly respond to that?

    Especially since Emily was right.

    ¡°And I think the person you¡¯re in love with is my brother.¡±

    Alyssa felt as though all the air had been sucked from the room. She wasn¡¯t even sure how she could catch her breath enough to speak again, let alone give Emily an answer. What answer could she possibly give, anyway?

    ¡°How long have you known?¡± Alyssa finally managed to force it out.

    Emily thought about that for a second. ¡°If I¡¯m really honest with myself about it, probably since sixth grade.¡±

    ¡°Sixth grade?¡±

    Emily smiled. Smiled. She went back to stirring the chili, but there was a wistful expression on her face as she did. Alyssa forced her attention back to the onion she was chopping.

    ¡°What happened in sixth grade?¡± Alyssa finally dared to ask.

    ¡°Jeremy came in from football practice, and we were just hanging out. He started talking about some nonsense, and you were staring at him like he was a movie star. Was that when your crush started?¡±

    Alyssa thought about it for a moment. ¡°It was around that time, yes. But I had no idea you knew.¡±

    ¡°How could you not at least suspect? I mean, you were so excited about going to prom with him, and then¡­¡±

    ¡°Devastated when he didn¡¯t show,¡± Alyssa finished for her. ¡°He finally apologized for that, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Really.¡± Emily looked over at her. ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°He talked a little about his rebellious phase and said he was sorry.¡±

    Alyssa knew that didn¡¯t sound like much of an apology, but how did she describe the sincerity in his eyes? The way he¡¯d looked at her like he would never hurt her like that again?

    ¡°Yeah, I always thought that woulde back to bite him.¡± Emily sighed and looked down at the chili again. ¡°Did you know hisst words to Dad were that he was dropping out of school? He doesn¡¯t talk about it, but right after the funeral, he broke down. Just to me. After that, we never mentioned it again.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s running from it?¡±

    ¡°I think so. Maybe he blocked it out. Maybe that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t apologize to you until now, but we need to talk.¡±

    This was it. This was where Emily revealed she was not at all in favor of Alyssa dating her brother. Not that her brother wanted to date Alyssa anyway, but if there was even a small chance of that, it would be aplete no-go if Emily was against it. Emily was more than a best friend. She was family.

    Alyssa decided to get ahead of the discussion. ¡°You¡¯re my priority. If you don¡¯t want me involved with your brother, it¡¯s done. Over. I¡¯ll never see him again. Well, without you around, of course, but if you want to keep your time with him separate from your time with me, I¡¯ll understand.¡±

    That would be for the best. If she wasn¡¯t allowed to be with Jeremy, she didn¡¯t want to spend time around him. It would just be too heartbreaking.

    But when Emily looked at her, she had a confused look on her face.

    ¡°What are you talking about? Of course, I want you and my brother to date.

    Is this why you never told me you had a crush on him?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Alyssa smiled to herself as she chopped. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off her. Emily was okay with her dating Jeremy. That meant nothing was keeping them apart.

    Nothing, that was, but Jeremy not want to be with her.

    ¡°Wait¡­what did you want to talk to me about?¡± Alyssa asked, suddenly remembering what her friend had said.

    ¡°Your issue with speaking up.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Emily turned the burner down to the lowest setting and leaned against the counter, looking directly at Alyssa. ¡°You didn¡¯t speak up about your crush on my brother, even when he stood you up for the prom and you were so hurt about it.¡±

    There was a perfectly good reason for that. Alyssa put her friendship ahead of some crush. She even put it ahead of an actual romance, if there were going to be one. But Emily wasn¡¯t finished.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me about the reviews, even though I could tell you were upset about something. You didn¡¯t tell your former boss to shove it when heid you off and kept the least experienced person on your staff. And yeah, that might have worked out better in the long run, if you choose to work with them, but I think it¡¯s bull that they have you thinking they¡¯re doing you a favor by asking you to do their marketing. They¡¯re calling on your expertise without paying you a sry.¡±

    Alyssa¡¯s first instinct was to argue that she¡¯d make much more money as a consultant than she ever made as a sried employee, especially if she couldbine this gig with a bunch of other great clients. But Emily made a good point-plus, she¡¯d brought to light something that had been on Alyssa¡¯s mind for a long time now. She had a tough time asserting herself.

    A knock on the apartment door put their conversation on pause-for now. Alyssa knew it would only be a matter of time before she had to address this. But Jeremy¡¯s arrival gave her a reprieve.

    ¡°Hi,¡± Alyssa said when she opened the door to see Jeremy standing outside.

    She¡¯d been expecting it to be him, but she hadn¡¯t prepared for her reaction to seeing him again. Their gazes met and all doubts that he had feelings for her vanished.

    What she wanted was to let him know his sister was aware there was something between them. But she didn¡¯t even know if that had crossed his mind. For all she knew, he was already aware of his sister¡¯s feelings about them getting romantically involved.

 Chapter 49

    Mostly, though, she couldn¡¯t mention it because she didn¡¯t know how to define what was going on between the two of them. They¡¯d kissed-twice -and that had meant something to her. But he may have no interest in taking that anywhere. He could make a habit of kissing women.

    ¡°Hi.¡± He lifted his left hand, showing off arge paper bag. ¡°I brought dessert.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°Brownies?¡±

    ¡°Something far better than that.¡±

    Alyssa stepped back, turning to walk back to the kitchen. Emily was moving the pot from the stove to the table, so Alyssa rushed to grab a dishtowel to set it on to protect the table.

    ¡°Remember that reporter from the other day?¡±

    Alyssa nearly tripped over her own feet when she heard Jeremy¡¯s question. The reporter. The one who hade looking for him at the cafe. The extremely beautiful reporter seemed to be interested in Jeremy.

    All of a sudden, Alyssa¡¯s appetite was gone. It felt like there was a giant rock in her stomach. Jeremy and Renee Forrester had gotten together. Maybe they hadn¡¯t gone out yet, maybe they had. Whatever was going on, though, it was clear he feltfortable discussing it in front of her, and the reason for that was clear.

    He still thought of her as his little sister.

    ¡°Renee Forrester?¡± Emily asked, tossing a nce in Alyssa¡¯s direction. ¡°What about her?¡±

    ¡°She showed up at my office, wanting to profile me for some story she¡¯s doing.¡±

    Like what he was saying was no big deal, Jeremy plopped down in his seat and scooped a generous helping of chili into his bowl. That reminded Alyssa she needed to rush back to the kitchen and grab the toppings.

    ¡°What kind of story?¡± Alyssa heard Emily ask.

    There was no getting away from this conversation, no matter what she did. She had to stay here and endure this torture, even forcing herself to eat despite herck of appetite. But if Jeremy was about to tell them about his love life, she wanted out of there.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she knows. She was going to profile billionaires in general, but now she wants to do something on eligible billionaires.¡± ¡°She¡¯s doing a story on you?¡± Emily sounded surprised.

    Alyssa, meanwhile, was still trying to decide whether she should be excited or not. This could be worse than an announcement that he was starting something up with Renee. Now Renee would be putting him out there for the entire town¡¯s consumption. And the fact that it waswork-rtedd didn¡¯t mean Renee didn¡¯t have her sights set on him. Working together would just give her an excuse to spend time with him.

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    Both Emily and Alyssa looked up at him. He took a bite of his chili, clearly not nning to say more.

    ¡°So you turned her down?¡± Alyssa dared to ask, mostly because she was impatient to figure out what was going on here.

    ¡°Better. I pointed her in Derek Hughes¡¯ direction.¡±

    Alyssa looked over at Emily. She was supposed to know his name, she assumed, but Emily seemed just as confused.

    ¡°Who?¡± Emily asked.

    Jeremy looked from Emily to Alyssa. ¡°You don¡¯t know who Derek Hughes is? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°No idea.¡± Alyssa resumed eating. ¡°I assume he¡¯s an eligible billionaire.¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jeremy shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s a billionaire. Don¡¯t know if he¡¯s ¡®eligible¡¯ or not, but if not, he¡¯ll let her know when she contacts him.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be interested in something like that.¡± Emilyughed. ¡°Just being called a billionaire skeeves you out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m skeeved.¡± Jeremy nced over at Alyssa before returning his attention to his bowl.

    In that one nce, Alyssa felt a now-familiar zing of electricity. But she also saw that Jeremy wasn¡¯t underying his aversion to the whole ¡°billionaire¡± thing. He really, genuinely hated being referred to that way.

    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Emily announced as they were finishing up their chili.

    Alyssa waited, poised for anything. If she had to take a guess, she¡¯d predict Emily was about to suggest watching a movie or something. That was as adventurous as they usually got.

    Looking at Jeremy, Emily said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give Alyssa a tour of your condo? You were saying you wanted to.¡±

    Alyssa was so shocked, that she wanted to turn to look at Jeremy. But she was afraid to even nce at him. Things had suddenly gotten very awkward.

    From the sound Jeremy made-something between augh and a cough -the situation was pretty awkward for him, as well. Beneath her sudden self-consciousness, though, Alyssa was ted.

    He¡¯d talked to his sister about this? He wanted to give her a tour of his condo. Did that mean he was feeling something romantic toward her¡­or was Emily exaggerating things to y matchmaker?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jeremy stood and took his bowl to the kitchen.

    Alyssa and Emily made eye contact. What was happening here?

    ¡°Go,¡± Emily mouthed, then grabbed both bowls and walked to the kitchen. She would clean this mess up. That was the message Alyssa was getting from this.

    She didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on it, though. Jeremy emerged from the kitchen and took Alyssa¡¯s hand, leading her toward the door while calling out a goodbye to his sister.

 Chapter 50

    They were holding hands now.

    He¡¯d grabbed Alyssa¡¯s hand impulsively to lead her out of his sister¡¯s apartment. She hadn¡¯t resisted. It had felt so natural to hold her hand as they¡¯d walked to his car, he¡¯d grabbed it again as they¡¯d walked from his SUV to the elevator in his building.

    If he¡¯d worried she might have minded, the look they shared as they stood in the elevator would have erased that concern. Yes, there was something more going on here. Something he¡¯d never experienced before.

    But then the elevator door opened, disying his condo. All of a sudden, he was aware of how this ce likely looked through her eyes. The designer kitchen, the ten-foot ceilings, the door that led out onto a terrace with a seating area and fire pit. He¡¯d hardly spent any time here, but he felt guilty. This woman was sleeping on his sister¡¯s sofa while just trying to get her business going, after all. Here he was with a condo most people would love to spend just a week in, and he didn¡¯t even appreciate it.

    It was no longer as much about being self-conscious about his financial status. He should be ashamed of just how much of this he took for granted.

    ¡°This is a-ma-zing.¡± Alyssa walked ahead of him, releasing his hand. She slowly spun around in a circle, looking up at the ceiling, down at the floor, and over at the big, empty ss table he owned in case he ever had anyone over for dinner.

    Now he had a reason to use it.

    ¡°Let me show you around.¡±

    Jeremy tossed his keys into the dish he kept on a table just inside the entryway. He knew his bed was unmade and his bathroom countertop was covered in clutter. He hadn¡¯t had time to hire a cleaning service yet, but it had been on his to-do list since returning home. If he¡¯d even had a hint he might have her over tonight, he would have made it his top priority that day.

    ¡°Excuse the mess,¡± he said as he led her through the big, open area to the hallway with all the bedrooms.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Alyssaughed. ¡°This is the cleanest ce I¡¯ve ever seen. Have you noticed where I¡¯ve been living?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±

    But what? But he wanted to impress her, not with expensive furnishings or a scenic terrace. He wanted to impress her with who he was as a person. It was interesting to figure that out about himself.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s my dream shower,¡± she said when she saw his bathroom. She barely nced at the counter, which wasn¡¯t as bad as he¡¯d imagined. She also didn¡¯t seem to notice the clothes scattered across the floor, including some¡­personal garments. He wanted to rush her out of the room the second he saw it.

    ¡°It is pretty nice,¡± he said, stepping back, hoping she¡¯d get the hint.

    She didn¡¯t. Instead, she stepped farther into the room, taking a closer look at the garden tub he¡¯d never used. Probably never would use it.

    ¡°It¡¯s funny, isn¡¯t it?¡± She spun around until she was facing him. He stepped back toward her, eager to hear her thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re living the dream. You¡¯ve worked hard, and these are your rewards. But you never have time to enjoy them.¡±

    ¡°I got a little leeway because I was settling in.¡± He stepped closer to her, just wanting to shorten the gap between them. ¡°But the long hours are about to kick back in. I can do some work from home, though. Come see my office.¡±

    That area of his condo he was very proud of. It wasn¡¯t messy, mostly because he¡¯d been spending so much time at the cafe and his sister¡¯s ce that when he wasn¡¯t sleeping, he was at his office. But his instructions to the real estate agent had been an office with a view. This particr bedroom-turned-office had delivered on that.

    ¡°This is my office.¡±

    As with the other rooms, the lights automatically turned on as they walked in. It was one of the coolest things about the ce.

    Alyssa walked into the room, crossing to his desk, which was pushed up to a window that provided a view of the surrounding area. ¡°Wow. I could work here. This would make work fun.¡±

    ¡°I do hope to work from here a little more. It¡¯s tough. So many meetings. Seems like there¡¯s not a day I can get away with working from home. I keep looking for one, though.¡±

    Plus, he¡¯d been going into the office as an excuse to stop by the coffee shop. If Alyssa wouldn¡¯t be there every morning, though, he wouldn¡¯t have that anymore. Even if she worked there a little longer, he had a feeling he¡¯d have better excuses to see her. Like having her over for dinner. That would be much more enjoyable than trying to talk to her with a line of customers waiting fortte art.

    Suddenly, she spun to face him. ¡°You¡¯re really lucky. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t talking about his condo, his job, his bank ount-any of that. He was lucky because he had the most amazing woman he¡¯d ever known standing here in his condo. He wouldn¡¯t have cared if he still lived in the tiny apartment he¡¯d shared with three other guys in college if it meant he could be with her.

    ¡°But none of this matters to you,¡± she said in a quiet voice as she studied his face. He felt like she could see his thoughts. Like they werepletely in sync.

    ¡°Money, things¡­¡± He looked around. ¡°I won¡¯t say it¡¯s not nice to not have to worry about money. I remember trying to scrape by in college. And then, when I dropped out, not know where my next dor woulde from. Then my parents died-¡±

    He cut off there. So much was wrapped into that one half-sentence. Then his parents died¡­and everything changed. Nothing was ever the same again.

    Alyssa stepped closer to him, putting a hand on his arm. ¡°The money you used to start yourpany came from that.¡±

    From the look on her face, he could tell she was breaching this subject hesitantly. She wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d shut off at the mention of it. He very well could have, honestly. But he didn¡¯t want to. For the first time since it happened, he wanted to open up about it.

    ¡°Maybe it would have been different if I hadn¡¯t shunned my father¡¯s advice right before he died. I dropped out of college to make a point to him -to show him that his money didn¡¯t control me.¡±

    Even as he said the words, he was realizing something that had never urred to him. Yes, he¡¯de up with an idea that hadter be sessful, and the money had bought this house. But it was never far from his mind that his father¡¯s money had nted the seed. That was why there was so much of it sitting in the bank, as well as in various investments like his sister¡¯s coffee shop, rather than being used to pay forvish trips.

    ¡°Your father would be very proud of you,¡± Alyssa said softly. ¡°Look what you made of yourself. You turned everything around.¡±

    ¡°I was on the wrong track before his death. It changed everything.¡±

    Without his father¡¯s death, would he have started Data Industries? The answer was very likely no. It had nothing to do with the money his parents left behind, either. He just wouldn¡¯t have had the drive to work to blur everything else out. As long as he kept running, he never had time to stop and think about loving¡­and risking loss again.

    ¡°I think the person I need to forgive is myself,¡± he finally said. ¡°I asked for your forgiveness. I can¡¯t ask for my father¡¯s. But I can work on forgiving myself for the people I hurt back then.¡±

    Tears welled in Alyssa¡¯s eyes. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do about that. So he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, giving her a long hug filled with all the emotion he¡¯d held in for so long.

 Chapter 51

    This is Alyssa Kennedy. She¡¯s going to be working with us on,

    ¡°T the uing campaign.¡±

    Alyssa was seated at a conference table filled with people who knew exactly who she was. She¡¯d interacted with almost every single one of them at some point during her time here. Plus, she¡¯d headed the marketing department. If they didn¡¯t know her, they knew her name, surely.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Alyssa said, smiling over at Justin. ¡°I¡¯m d to be here.¡±

    The words didn¡¯t feel genuine, though. Emily¡¯s words were weighing heavily on her today. Alyssa¡¯s reluctance to speak up for herself was a real problem. She¡¯d thought back over her life and realized how many times she¡¯d been silent when she should have spoken, and now it was all she could think about.

    ¡°Brooke will be handling the day-to-day stuff,¡± Justin announced. ¡°We¡¯ll have Alyssa serving in more of an advisory capacity.¡±

    Alyssa looked over at Brooke. It shouldn¡¯t have surprised her, but Brooke was smiling at Justin like he was her hero or something. None of this was Brooke¡¯s fault, nor was it Justin¡¯s. Alyssa wasn¡¯t mad at the two of them.

    She was mad at herself.

    ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t she fired?¡± came from one of the board members, a guy who had stuffed himself into a suit jacket that appeared to be about two sizes too small. He was staring at Justin, eyes narrowed as if trying to figure out what he was missing here.

    ¡°She was part of the downsizing,¡± Justin started, ¡°but only-¡±

    Mr. Too-Small-Suit let out a snortugh. ¡°I hardly think we need to take advice from someone who wasn¡¯t good enough to keep her job.¡±

    There were a couple of gasps around the room, and Alyssa was pleasantly surprised to realize none came from her. This dude had a heck of a lot of nerve. Old Alyssa would have been upset, angry even. But she would have been both of those things silently.

    This wasn¡¯t old Alyssa.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Brooke is an excellent marketing consultant.¡±

    Everyone turned to look at Alyssa, seemingly surprised she¡¯d spoken. What? They didn¡¯t think she had vocal cords or something.

    She wanted to make it clear, first and foremost, that she had no ns to throw Brooke under the bus. This wasn¡¯t about Brooke. Brooke had always been an amazing employee. Eager to learn and a hard, hard worker. Sure, it would be easy to feel bitter over her firing and take it out on Brooke, but that made no sense. What she was about to say was one hundred percent true.

    Alyssa stood, picking up her tablet and lifting herptop bag from its spot on the floor next to her. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to be here. Brooke can handle every bit of this. She¡¯s amazing. The clients I work with hire me to manage campaigns, not to teach. This just¡­ isn¡¯t the right fit for me.¡±

    It was weird. Part of her winced inwardly as she said those words, fearful what she was saying right now woulde back to haunt her professionally. But she was erring on the side of professionalism, even as she stood up for herself. It was about integrity. It was about having basic guiding principles she wouldn¡¯t cash in, no matter what the offer.

    ¡°Alyssa¡­¡± Brooke¡¯s voice filled the room.

    It didn¡¯t stop Alyssa. She was out. She would go back to Emily¡¯s cafe, maybe help out a little, then head upstairs to send out letters of introduction to a few more marketing firms throughout the Bay Area. She had a goal of just a few per day, and already, they¡¯d paid off in the form of two meetings scheduled forter that week.

    She sped from the conference room to the elevators, never looking back. ¡°Alyssa!¡± This time, the voice was louder. Still Brooke¡¯s.

    Alyssa was kind of stuck waiting for the elevator to arrive, so she had no choice but to turn to face Brooke as she approached.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about that.¡± Brooke sounded out of breath. Her enthusiasm always seemed boundless, like a high school cheerleader. She hadn¡¯t even run very far, but she was breathing in quick gasps. As she stopped in front of Alyssa, though, Alyssa saw she was nervous.

    ¡°That guy was totally out of line,¡± Brooke said. ¡°Anyone with half a brain knows why they kept me and not you. My sry is nothing.¡±

    Alyssa bit her lip. Honestly, she¡¯d pretty much suspected as much. But she also worried that was her ego, refusing to let her believe that maybe they¡¯d gotten rid of her because they thought Brooke was better at this than she was, even though she was slightly less experienced.

    ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m turning this gig down,¡± Alyssa finally said. She knew she had to let Brooke off the hook here. ¡°You¡¯re, what? A year or two behind me in experience? It¡¯s ridiculous. There¡¯s nothing I can teach you that you don¡¯t know already.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. That¡¯s not true at all. I feel like I¡¯d just started learning from you when they split us all up. You always took the time to exin everything-and then, when it was time for me to apply what I¡¯d learned, you stepped back and let me do it on my own. I¡¯m the one who requested you.¡±

    Alyssa¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You?¡±

    She didn¡¯t know what to make of that. It felt a bit like a p in the face. Here she¡¯d been thinking that TravTech wanted her for her expertise when their marketing person just wanted a mentor.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m in way over my head, but I don¡¯t want Justin to know.¡± For some reason, Brooke waited until then to look around to see if he¡¯d overheard. ¡°Plus, Justin¡¯s going to be working with your friend¡¯s brother, so I thought-¡±

    ¡°Jeremy?¡±

    Now Brooke was the one who looked surprised. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡±

    Alyssa shook her head, feeling a little numb. ¡°I¡¯m so confused.¡±

    ¡°No big deal. They¡¯re just working on a new venture together¡­¡±

    Brooke¡¯s words drifted into the background as Alyssa¡¯s mind reeled. In all the time they¡¯d spent together, Jeremy hadn¡¯t once mentioned he was working with Justin Travers on something. Justin Travers, the man who had fired her. She¡¯d felt like, of all the people he could partner up with in this town, Justin should be thest.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Alyssa said as the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. ¡°I have to go talk with someone.¡±

 Chapter 52

    Concentrating on work was nearly impossible.

    Jeremy kept ncing at the clock on hisputer, watching as the minutes slowly ticked upward. First thing that morning, he¡¯d sent Alyssa a text asking her toe over at six o¡¯clock for a gourmet meal. She¡¯d texted an immediate yes,plete with a smile emoji, and the countdown had begun.

    He didn¡¯t quite make it to five o¡¯clock, which was fine, considering he¡¯d been at it since six a. m. Working out of his home office was more exhausting than going in every day. Lunch had been a protein bar he¡¯d downed in five minutes before his noon teleconference. He was starving.

    And he had a little over an hour to turn the groceries he¡¯d had delivered that morning into the promised gourmet meal. He thought about texting Alyssa, but he decided that might be a bit much. Besides, she had that big meeting today. For all he knew, it was still going on. Thest thing he¡¯d want to do was interrupt her.

    At six o¡¯clock on the dot, the doorbell rang. Jeremy turned the burner down and rushed for the door. He still had a little left to do, but he could finish it up while she sat at the counter. That was how he pictured it going down, anyway.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    He was always saying that to her, it felt like. Always in that same goofy voice. There was a good reason for that. When he saw her for the first time after being away from her for a while, he was always struck speechless by how beautiful she was.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    Wait. No. Something was off here. She didn¡¯t have a goofy voice or an admiring expression on her face. She looked¡­mad.

    ¡°Come in.¡± He stepped back, frantically searching his mind for something he could have possibly done. Aside from the text, he hadn¡¯tmunicated with her, so it had to be something he¡¯d done previously. Or maybe she wasn¡¯t mad at him at all. Maybe she was mad at something that had happened during her meeting with TravTech.

    ¡°I have appetizers.¡± He followed her down the hallway. She wasn¡¯t speaking. That couldn¡¯t be a good sign. ¡°Hope you brought your appetite.¡±

    Still not speaking, even after his horrible attempt at a joke. Maybe at this point, it was the bad joke that would keep her from speaking to him. He should probably quit while he was ahead.

    Suddenly, just as they reached the end of the entryway, she spun to face him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯re partnering with Justin Travers?¡±

    Jeremy stopped just as abruptly. Well, at least he knew what was bugging her. Rightly so. He could clear this up quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he said. ¡°He suggested it and we¡¯re meeting-¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re meeting. So you¡¯re entertaining the idea?¡±

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d at least hear him out. What¡¯s wrong?¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°He fired me. Did you forget that fact?¡±

    Jeremy shook his head. No, he hadn¡¯t forgotten that Justin had downsized Alyssa, but he had no idea she was mad at her former boss. He¡¯d been with her when she¡¯d gone to a meeting in their offices. Last he¡¯d heard, Alyssa was nning to meet with him on her own that very day.

    ¡°You¡¯re mad.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m hurt.¡±

    And she was. He could see it in her eyes. She saw his decision to meet with Justin as some sort of betrayal. The thing was, if he¡¯d had any idea this would bother her, he would have never agreed to the meeting. But at this point, defending why he¡¯d agreed to it was useless. He needed to find a way to show her that he truly regretted ever agreeing to it in the first ce.

    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± he said. ¡°I won¡¯t work with him. Ever. I won¡¯t even speak to him.¡±

    Alyssa shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re just doing that because I¡¯m mad about it. I want you to be on my side.¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°You hurt me. You hurt me when we were kids, and you¡¯re hurting me now. I just¡­I can¡¯t anymore. I can¡¯t keep putting myself out there¡­¡±

    He opened his mouth to protest, but he had no idea what to say here. He didn¡¯t have to worry about it, though. She took off out of his condo, letting the door m behind her, leaving him to wonder what he could do to make this right.

    Alyssa couldn¡¯t sleep.

    She tossed and turned for a while before finally getting up and walking to the window. Emily¡¯s apartment had a view of the

    the street below through a tiny window covered by a nt in the corner. Quite a contrast to Jeremy, who had those big, open, wall-length windows that made you feel like you were outside without even having to step out on the terrace.

    As unreasonable as Emily thought Alyssa was, she couldn¡¯t help how she felt. She couldn¡¯t verbalize it, either. But she was pretty sure it came down to feeling rejected. Not just by her former boss, but by this entire town. A town that saw people like her as expendable as soon as something happened that threatened their ability to take a limo to catch a private ne to have dinner in Paris.

    But most hurtful of all was Jeremy. He had the money, the sess, everything. Yet he¡¯d entertained the idea of working with the man who had tossed her aside the second money got tight. The jerk of a board member had only added to that. To everyone, including Jeremy, people like Alyssa were secondary characters in their all-too-important lives.

    Being a secondary character wasn¡¯t enough. She had to be more.

 Chapter 53

    Her cellphone rm began ring music from across the room, and Alyssa rushed to shut it off before it woke up Emily. She had a big meeting this morning but first, she was going to help Emily get the cafe open. Sure, Emily was hiring helpers, but only to help with the morning rush, not to open the cafe. Alyssa didn¡¯t mind getting things started up early.

    What else was she going to do? It wasn¡¯t like she could sleep.

    After getting dressed and tiptoeing out of the apartment, Alyssa took the stairs. She was exhausted, but there wasn¡¯t much she could do if her racing mind wouldn¡¯t let her sleep. Hopefully, things would equalize soon, and she¡¯d at least be able to get six hours-

    Her thoughts broke off when she saw a light on in the cafe. Had Emily forgotten to turn it off the night before? Alyssa smiled, imagining the number of people who had walked up to that doortest night in search of caffeine, only to find that the ¡°open¡± sign being off did, indeed, mean they weren¡¯t open.

    But as she drew closer, Alyssa realized the light wasn¡¯t the only thing different this morning. She heard soundsing from the cafe. And she smelled coffee. She should not be smelling coffee this early.

    Alyssa knew immediately what was going on here. A criminal hadn¡¯t broken in to make coffee. It was Jeremy.

    Reminding herself to stay strong and stand up for herself, Alyssa unlocked the back door and walked in. It did ur to her that she could turn around and go back to bed, but by the time that idea hit her, she¡¯d already pushed the door open. It was as though her body was betraying her, pushing her toward Jeremy.

    ¡°Good morning!¡±

    He had the nerve to be loud and cheerful. She winced. Even if she wasn¡¯t angry-no, hurt-right now, she wouldn¡¯t enjoy that type of greeting. She may be an early riser, but it wasn¡¯t by choice. And herck of sleep meant she was especially irritable first thing in the morning.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    She stopped at the end of the counter, one hand on the countertop and the other in her pocket. Yeah, ignoring him could have been the best way to go, but she¡¯d never been a fan of the silent treatment. It was just too ufortable. The goal here was to let him know she had this under control and send him back home or to his office or wherever he nned to go after this.

    ¡°Getting this ce ready to open.¡± He was standing in front of thette machine, a cup of coffee in hand. He didn¡¯t look like he was working, but she couldn¡¯t say she hadn¡¯t stood exactly like that many times herself.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I can handle it.¡± She moved forward, fully ready to take over. She should have known it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to open the store.¡±

    He set his cup down, and she knew she was in trouble here. He wasn¡¯t going to just leave, and he wasn¡¯t going to keep it all about business. He wanted to discuss things, and she hadn¡¯t yete up with a way to articte what was bothering her.

    Turned out, he had. ¡°You felt betrayed. I get that. I didn¡¯t betray you, though. You have to know that. I would never, ever have agreed to a meeting if I¡¯d known-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± she interrupted him. She couldn¡¯t let him continue with this assumption that he¡¯d done something wrong. ¡°I just want someone on my side. I thought you were on my side.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t be more on your side. What do you want me to do? I¡¯ll go kick his butt. Buy out hispany? I don¡¯t think I can, though. They have a pretty high valuation now. I could buy hispany and fire him, though. Brooke, too.¡±

    Alyssa had to resist the urge tough. How could those words not melt the protectiveyer of ice she¡¯d put around her heart?

    Stopping directly in front of her, he took her hands in his. ¡°This is about more than that, though, isn¡¯t it? This is about what happened on prom night.¡±

    ¡°No. I mean, I can¡¯t say that didn¡¯t make me afraid something like that would happen again.¡±

    Was she giving away too much here? If all of this was just a meaningless fling to him, saying she was afraid revealed this was more to her. She cared. She was pretty sure she¡¯d fallen in love.

    ¡°There¡¯s a real problem here,¡± he said.

    At those words, she held her breath. So far, the conversation had been fairly positive. Was he about to let her down gently?

    But he stepped closer, and the look in his eyes told her it was the opposite. ¡°Seems I¡¯ve fallen in love with you,¡± he said, moving his right hand to her elbow and nudging her gently toward him. She went willingly. ¡°I never intended to. When I returned home, my goal was to stay single and focus on my business, but you walked back into my life¡­and it will never be the same.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± It was the first thing that came out of her mouth. It was exactly how she felt-scared to believe Jeremy Owens could be in love with her.

    ¡°Never been surer. But if you¡­¡±

    ¡°I thought I was in love with you as a kid.¡± She was nervous to admit that. ¡°Turns out that was just a crush. I didn¡¯t start falling in love with you until you returned and I took the time to get to know who you are.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°I can see that. You were so much younger than I was-¡±

    ¡°I was closer to being a fan. Like you were a rock star or something.¡±

    His eyebrows arched. ¡°I can say I¡¯ve never had a fan. It¡¯s nice.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m still your biggest fan, but it¡¯s different now.¡±

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s mutual.¡±

    He stepped even closer toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist and settling his hands on the small of her back. She rose on tiptoe and met his kiss, hardly able to believe Jeremy Owens was in love with her.

 Chapter 54

    EPILOGUE

    ¡°Everyone, I want you to meet someone!¡±

    The noise level in the cafe gradually dropped as everyone turned to look at Emily. She was looking toward the door, where Jeremy stood. He¡¯d just entered.

    Emily smiled at him before continuing. ¡°This is my brother, Jeremy Owens. He¡¯s part owner of this coffee shop. The new sign is all him. And his girlfriend came up with thette art you see.¡±

    Alyssa, who had just slid through the door behind him, came up to stand next to him. Not surprisingly, she blushed and averted her gaze toward the floor as everyone turned to look at them.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Jeremy called out to everyone.

    Thankfully, they all seemed to get the message. They turned back around to face the front, letting Jeremy and Alyssa take their ces at the end of the line.

    Alyssa leaned over to speak where only he could hear. ¡°This is weird.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jeremy looked around, trying to figure out what might be weird about it.

    As always, the coffee shop was packed with customers, although it had calmed down a little since the initial rush of interest. But Technologie Cafe was consistently hitting sales figures they could only have dreamed about a few weeks ago, and they were not only getting great reviews, but people were posting extremely positive things about them on social media.

    ¡°Seeing someone else doing my old job,¡± she answered.

    He followed her gaze to the two employees working with his sister behind the counter. It was an adjustment, seeing strangers where Alyssa used to stand, but he wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.

    ¡°Do you miss it?¡± Jeremy asked.

    Alyssa turned and smiled at him. ¡°How could I? I was the one who opened the cafe today.¡±

    Yes, there was that-something that would change once she moved into her apartment in a couple of weeks. Alyssa had signed a lease for a new apartment with the oddest person he could think of-Brooke Alexander. The woman who had once been her employee was now her roommate.

    After walking out of the office that day, Brooke and Alyssa had begun having lunch together. They¡¯d formed a bond that had superseded anything they¡¯d had before. Part of growing and bing more assertive, Alyssa told him, was forgiving TravTech and everyone associated with it. She was grateful for them. If Brooke¡¯s boyfriend hadn¡¯t fired her, Alyssa might never have found the courage to start her ownpany.

    Now that she was moving out, Emily would have to start handling opening procedures herself. No big deal-after all, she¡¯d done that for more than two years before Alyssa started helping out. But Alyssa was spending as much time with Emily as possible before she moved out.

    ¡°Even if you wanted to help out back there, you wouldn¡¯t have time,¡±

    Jeremymented. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing.¡±

    The line moved forward. Jeremy and Alyssa moved with it.

    ¡°True. It¡¯s funny. All this time, I¡¯ve been waiting for the day my business would get off the ground, but now that it¡¯s moving forward, I¡¯m feeling nostalgic. For something that hasn¡¯t even ended yet. That¡¯s what¡¯s weird.¡±

    He nodded. He could see that. He certainly had experience with missing the way things had been just days earlier. After his parents¡¯ death, he¡¯d wanted nothing more than to just go back. But what he¡¯d learned since was that things happened. Sometimes they were unexpected, although not always disastrous.

    Finally, they arrived at the front of the line, where Emily was all smiles behind her register. ¡°You¡¯re customers now!¡±

    Alyssa looped her arm through Jeremy¡¯s, moving closer to him. ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I want toe around that counter and start working.¡±

    ¡°But she has a very important proposal to prepare,¡± Jeremy finished for her. ¡°And I have a state of thepany teleconference. We both need as much caffeine as you can pack into one cup.¡±

    ¡°Just one extra shot for me.¡± Alyssa looked over at Jeremy, smiling. ¡°Thest thing I need is to be jittery.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Emily grabbed two cups and wrote their orders on the side, then rang up the order. ¡°I¡¯m not going to charge you.¡±

    Jeremy was already reaching for his wallet. ¡°Nope. I¡¯m going to pay. Don¡¯t want to mess up your numbers. Besides, business is good for me, Alyssanded a big client earlier this week, and this cafe is on fire. It¡¯s pretty exciting to spend my money at my favorite local coffee ce.¡±

    Emily rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, we get it. You have it all. Do you have to rub it in?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    She was teasing, but he went with it. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He put his arm around Alyssa and pulled her next to him. ¡°I do have it all.¡±

 Chapter 55

    Title: Concealing For The Billionaire.

    This house has a moat.¡±

    ¡°Vanessa Gilbert said the words aloud as she navigated thelong driveway to Heath Hardcastle¡¯s home. More like a castle. Heath Hardcastle¡¯s castle? Sheughed to herself, wishing her best friend could be here to see this.

    Vanessa groaned as she pulled into a parking space-yes, the driveway opened up into what could only be described as a parking lot-and cut her engine. Her tiny little electric car was surrounded by ginormous SUVs, none of which were luxury models. She assumed those belonged to the camera crew, here to film the billionaire-in-residence.

    Billionaires. They were everywhere these days. Her roommate, Brooke, was dating her own billionaire boss. Brooke had invited a friend she worked with to room with them, too. Surprise of all surprises, she also was dating a billionaire. It was almostughable. What were the odds?This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    One thing was for certain. She, Vanessa Gilbert, would not be joining the billionaire club. Nope. In fact, these days she seemed to only attract broke guys, which was fine by her. They were also plentiful around Silicon Valley, thanks to all the big techpanies that had been downsizing and going out of businesstely.

    Which brought her to why she was here. To meet and impress a billionaire. She stepped out of her car, smoothed down her skirt, and stared up at the mansion-sh-castle that even had two tower-looking things on each side. She was pretty sure those were called turrets.

    Vanessa began the long walk toward the front door of the ce, filled with the strange sensation that she was being watched. The film crew could even be pointing a camera at her from one of those turrets, for all she knew. It would make for good footage, anyway. Actress-wannabe arrives to audition to y the billionaire¡¯s fake assistant on the reality show he was doing. She¡¯d auditioned for enough shows-both scripted and reality-by now to know how all this stuff worked.

    Channeling the same confidence she always faked on her Los Angeles auditions, Vanessa stepped onto the stone ledge, rang the doorbell, and winced as it let out a chime that was too loud even through the thick wooden front door. She could only imagine how it sounded to someone standing inside.

    Nothing. Everything was eerily still and silent. Maybe this was part of the audition. See how she¡¯d react to no oneing to the door? The type of person they liked for reality shows would go right into the ce anyway, manners forgotten. She always had to remind herself to throw out all those childhood etiquette lessons and take charge.

    Suddenly, the door flew open. And there, standing in front of her, was Heath Hardcastle.

    Vanessa blinked, mostly to avoid staring. He was unbelievably gorgeous in person. Piercing green eyes and thick brown hair. Of all things, he wore a bathrobe over pajama pants. It was like something out of a ssic movie.

    ¡°You the actress?¡± he asked.

    She blinked again, this time out of nervousness. Actress? Granted, she¡¯d worked since middle school y auditions to be seen as just that. But for some reason, when a billionaire in a bathrobe said it, it came out sounding less than.

    ¡°I¡¯m Vanessa.¡± She thrust out her hand, clenching her jaw as she waited for him to return the offer of a handshake. That was how every audition seemed to kick off. Someone said hi, shook her hand, then told her where to stand and when to speak.

    Not this time. This time, a man in a bathrobe was staring at her hand as though he didn¡¯t know what to do with it.

    Feeling more awkward than ever, she let her hand drop to her side and straightened, oddly more confident than ever. If this guy wasn¡¯t going to tell her where to stand, she¡¯d just take charge.

    ¡°Where do you want to do this?¡± she asked.

    She wasn¡¯t sure what to expect in response to that. He¡¯d called her ¡°the actress,¡± so he obviously knew why she was here. Why not get down to business?

    ¡°The crew is in the kitchen.¡± He turned and strode confidently into the house. Vanessa frowned. She assumed she was expected to follow?

    Shaking her head and mumbling to herself, she turned and closed the front door. She paused a moment, taking in the two staircases-one on each side of the entryway. Each had decorative wrought-iron railings going all the way up, with a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling as a centerpiece to all of it.

    Wow. Just wow.

    Vanessa grew up in one of the nicest suburbs of Chicago in a house that overlooked theke. She¡¯d had her own pool, a giant bedroom with a walkin closet¡­all the things you¡¯d think of as ¡°the dream.¡± And she¡¯d spent most of her time alone.

    So, yeah. This sort of thing didn¡¯t really impress her. For her, it represented sadness and istion and grown-ups who worked twenty-four hours a day, sacrificing everything to live like this. What impressed her was a family in a normal house with parents who actually spent time with their kids.

    ¡°He can¡¯t possibly be serious.¡±

    The sound of a man¡¯s voice, floating out from the kitchen, reminded her she was dawdling. The bathrobed billionaire was waiting for her in there. Although making a grand entrance was a good thing, she didn¡¯t want to bebeled one of those on-air talents who kept everyone waiting around.

    Vanessa tiptoed toward the kitchen to prevent her shoes from making excessive noise on the marble floors. If the cameras were rolling, clipclopping to announce her arrival wouldn¡¯t trante well on TV.

    Sure enough, there were two cameras, a boom mic, and a man behind each of them. Heath was pacing the center of the kitchen, phone pressed to his ear. ¡°Justin Travers is dead to me. I¡¯d rather work with an untamed tiger.

    Do you hear me?¡±

    Without waiting for a response, Heath pulled the phone from his ear, tapped on the screen, and tossed it on the counter. Then he turned to look at Vanessa.

    Vanessa knew she looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but it had nothing to do with this man in a robe. It had to do with the fact that the man he¡¯d been yelling about-Justin Travers-was her roommate¡¯s boyfriend and boss.

    ¡°Did you say Justin Travers?¡± Vanessa asked, just in case she¡¯d misheard.

    Heath crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Yeah. Why?¡±

    Why? Good question. Vanessa looked over at the closest camera, which had suddenlye just a little closer to her.

    No, she couldn¡¯t mention it. Not here. Not now. She turned back to Heath and shook her head. ¡°Nothing. So¡­do you need me to read some lines or something?¡±

    ¡°Read some lines?¡± He looked genuinely confused. That was right. He was a billionaire. She assumed he made his bazillions in tech since everyone else in this town had. Silicon Valley and Hollywood were worlds apart.

    ¡°I¡¯ve auditioned for a few reality shows, but mostly scripted. Usually, for reality shows, there¡¯s a producer who asks some questions to get a feel for my personality.¡±

    His mouth twitched a little. Was that the beginnings of an actual smile? No, couldn¡¯t be. This man had shown no signs of a sense of humor before, so why start now?

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a seat?¡± He pointed to some tall stools.

    Vanessa looked down. Her skirt came to her knees but crossing her legs wouldn¡¯t be easy on a seat like that. What choice did she have, though?

    First challenge¡­epted!

    The production crew rearranged themselves until there was a camera person behind each chair. A lens immediately stared Vanessa in the face. As with scripted TV, reality shows required pretending the camera wasn¡¯t there. But with reality, you were supposed to be natural, yet animated. No one wanted phony, but nobody wanted boring, either.

    ¡°So¡­tell me why you want to help with this project.¡±

    Heath¡¯s question came just as Vanessa realized how close they were sitting. He was directly in front of her, his knees inches from hers. He didn¡¯t seem the least bit flustered by it, though. In fact, he looked like he had settled in for a long chat.

    ¡°I love reality TV,¡± Vanessa said. ¡°My agent said you¡¯re going undercover to find the problems with yourpany, and you need someone to pose as your assistant.¡±

    Plus, it was an on-camera gig near home. She wouldn¡¯t have to make the five-hour drive to L. A. and just hope the job provided amodations if she got it. It was rare to get an audition here, and she certainly wasn¡¯t going to turn it down. Even if she wasn¡¯t one hundred percent clear what it involved.

    ¡°Do you have any experience with trade shows and conventions?¡± Heath asked.

    The question caught her off guard. Trade shows and conventions weren¡¯t what she¡¯d been expecting. Her agent had said he was going undercover with his business. She¡¯d pictured it being like those shows where the boss put on a wig and some makeup and pretended to work at a store or restaurant or call center or¡­ Trade show.

    Heath sat forward, seeming to examine her expression. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a promotional model.¡±

    Oh, no. She knew plenty about promotional modeling. She¡¯d even considered it for extra money. That would be A-Okay with her, assuming that had been what her agent had sent her to do. But she had her hopes set on a reality show gig, only to hear this was something she could havended on her own?

    ¡°I think there must be a misunderstanding.¡± She scooted off the ridiculously high stool, hitting the ground in her too-high heels with an awkward thud. She couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d endured ufortable shoes for this.

    ¡°Wait. Where are you going?¡± His entire expression changed. The smug, in-control look was now filled with a hint of panic. Was that possible? His expression had softened, and for the first time, she saw him as an actual human being she might actually¡­ Like.

    ¡°I was sent for a reality TV show audition, not a promotional modeling gig.¡± She started toward the door. Not surprisingly, the cameras and boom mic followed.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what this is,¡± he called after her.

    She paused, nearly causing a traffic ident with all the dudes carrying equipment. In the small gap between them, she saw Heath, robe and all, walking toward her.

    Somehow, he managed to squeeze through the crew to stand in front of her. ¡°You¡¯re going undercover, too. It¡¯s all part of the show.¡±

    ¡°Undercover¡­as a promotional model?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s brilliant. At the big trade shows, promotional models are expected to be fully trained on what they do. That means you¡¯ll have to spend a lot of time meeting customers, getting to know how we run things. See what I mean?¡±

    She did. He was going undercover because there were problems with hispany. He needed someone to y ¡°assistant.¡± Her agent had said exactly that, so this wasn¡¯t some sort of bait and switch.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    She saw. But she had no idea what to say now. She knew she probably should be scrambling to make sure she got this job, but something about that ridiculous bathrobe-at two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, no less-made her annoyed more than regretful. She didn¡¯t care if she was destroying every chance to get this job. This man was not getting the better of her.

    ¡°Fine.¡± She squared her shoulders and lifted her head in the most confident posture she could muster. ¡°So, how do we do this? Do I need to talk about something technical to show I can? Because I spent an entire summer learning to code when I was in high school. Oh, yeah. Drama kids can do more than act.¡±

    This was the real Vanessa in all her glory. She¡¯d been told reality shows picked the people with the biggest, boldest personalities, which was why it puzzled her to get nothing from the many auditions she¡¯d been on.

    ¡°Nope. I think we¡¯ve seen all we need to see. Right, guys?¡±

    The camera dudes didn¡¯t budge. The guy holding the microphone looked at Heath, but Vanessa noticed the right side of his mouth twitch upward a little as if he wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of this robed billionaire.

    She could rte.

    Before he could start barking orders, she jumped in to say, ¡°Just give my agent a call. She¡¯ll hammer out all the details. I look forward to working with you.¡±

    Vanessa didn¡¯t wait for him to respond. Instead, she spun on one heel and walked out the door, hoping her shaky legs wouldn¡¯t give out beneath her.

 Chapter 56

    Watching your business¡¯s gradual self-destruction was a slow form of torture.

    Heath mmed the lid on hisptop down and stared out his window at the parking lot. She would be here any minute, this infuriatingly distracting woman he¡¯d hired to help him. Meanwhile, there was an entire crew in his house, waiting to turn him into someone else.

    ¡°Mr. Hardcastle?¡±

    That was the makeup guy. The crew was made up of all guys for some reason. Interestingly, a woman had been the one who had contacted him about doing this TV show, which she¡¯d said was pretty popr. One hour of TV and it was possible-maybe remotely so, but possible-that he could correct all the bad press he¡¯d gotten after hispany had been used of ripping off Justin Travers¡¯s app.

    ¡°You ready now?¡±

    Heath spun around in his chair, rolling away from his desk. Earlier, the guy had set up a table and covered it with makeup. He could honestly say this would be the first time in his life anyone had put makeup on him. He would never have imagined the first time it happened would be to save his reputation.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Heath stood, pped his hands once, then did his usual arm-stretch exercise. He had no idea why he did things like that. ¡°You going to make me look older? Younger? Scruffier?¡±

    The makeup guy smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to wait and see.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Heath nodded and rolled his chair over to the makeup table. This was part of the deal he¡¯d made with himself. Give up control. Trust other people to help him. It was something he¡¯d struggled with most of his life, but it was especially hard now. He¡¯d trusted an overseaspany to develop an app for him and now it threatened to destroy him.

    Trust.

    Heath sat down in the chair and closed his eyes, mostly to avoid the awkwardness of someone staring at him. The guy seemed to be studying him, like Heath¡¯s face was a canvas he was about to paint. Interestingly, that was exactly what this guy was about to do. ¡°I let myself in.¡±

    The sound of a female voice caused Heath¡¯s eyes to pop wide open. Behind the makeup guy, in the doorway, was Vanessa, and she looked¡­ amazing. ¡°Come on in,¡± the makeup guy said. As if this was his house, his office. Control¡­

    Heath took a deep breath and nodded at Vanessa, who hadn¡¯t moved. He¡¯d somehow managed to fall into that same numb state he¡¯d been in a few days ago when she showed up for her audition. One look at her and he seemed to have trouble speaking, walking, smiling-all the things he¡¯d done freely before hispany had been on the verge of copse.

    Yeah, he¡¯d lost his confidence. And nothing made him more aware of that than having Vanessa Gilbert nearby.

    ¡°I¡¯m Vanessa Gilbert.¡± She extended her hand to the makeup artist, who shook it enthusiastically and immediately began chatting her up about her blouse, which was apparently some brand-name something-or-other. In a matter of seconds, the two of them somehow became best buds.

    ¡°He grew out some scruff, so my job¡¯s easier,¡± the makeup artist, whose name was Josea, said. ¡°I¡¯m thinking a full-on beard, though?¡±

    Vanessa moved to stand in front of Heath, assessing him alongside Josea. ¡°You can do that?¡±

    ¡°Watch me!¡±

    Heath had watched a few of the show¡¯s episodes online and found it almostughable. The bosses always looked a little over-the-top. They¡¯d take some obviously older dude and try to young him up by throwing on some horrendous wig. If the boss was a woman, they¡¯d just throw some sses on and an oversized cardigan, like Central Casting had called for someone who looked ¡°dowdy¡± for the job. He was pretty sure the employees always figured out it was their boss in disguise, but they pretended for the sake of the cameras.

    That was why he¡¯d tried growing a beard. Only, for some reason, his facial hair never extended beyond a five o¡¯clock shadow.

    ¡°Make it look real, that¡¯s all I ask,¡± Heath said.

    Did that sound gruff? He didn¡¯t mean to be demanding or rude. What was wrong with him these days?

    ¡°I agree.¡± Vanessa squinted and tilted her head slightly. ¡°Less is more with this one.¡± This one?

    Heath looked at her, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth. For some reason, being called ¡°this one¡± amused him more than anything had in a while. Maybe it was the way she said it. There was just something about this woman¡­

    ¡°So¡­tell me about this moat you have around your house.¡± Vanessa, seemingly oblivious to Heath¡¯s amusement, grabbed the chair in the corner and pulled it over in front of him. She sat down, smoothing the legs of her dress pants with her hands as though to straighten imaginary wrinkles.

    ¡°Moat?¡± he asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I called it!¡± Josea said as he began sponging makeup liberally across Heath¡¯s forehead. ¡°It¡¯s like this is a castle.¡±

    Heath finally figured out what they were talking about. ¡°It¡¯s a manmadezy river.¡±

    That didn¡¯t help his case-assuming his case was to be apologetic about his home. They were both staring at him now, including Josea, who was supposed to be working. Should he point out that they were on a tight timeline here?

    ¡°Azy river?¡± Josea asked. ¡°Like what they have at waterparks?¡±

    Heathughed. It came out more as a dryugh, but he figured it was at least a little progress toward his normal self.

    ¡°Not exactly. Don¡¯t grab an inner tube and jump in or anything. There are fish in there. It¡¯s mostly for looks.¡±

    ¡°Can someone fish out of there?¡± he heard Vanessa ask. Heard, rather than saw, because he had to keep his eyes closed as Josea brushed some sort of scented powder over his face. He was pretty sure there was a cloud of powder floating around him right now.

    ¡°The fish are to keep algae down. It¡¯s all for looks.¡±

    Heath should add that this ce hade like this. He¡¯d bought it off a builder after it had been on the market, on and off, for seven years. It had been far more house than he¡¯d needed, but there was an amazing pool, along with a workout facility and this office they were in right now, which overlooked the pond they were all talking about¡­ Still, he worked hard for his money and felt no reason to apologize for all of this.

    So why was he worried about it?

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    At Josea¡¯s question, Heath¡¯s eyes popped open. Mostly because Josea had stepped back and stopped working on his face. Were they done already?

    ¡°I still have to do the beard, but-¡±

    Heath cut Josea off. ¡°You¡¯re doing a beard?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. This isn¡¯t enough of a disguise. Trust me. I¡¯m the beard master.¡±

    Vanessaughed. ¡°Hipster beard! Hipster beard! Hipster beard!¡±

    Josea started cheering right along with her as he dance-walked over to his bag, which he¡¯d set on the floor next to the door. He pulled out what looked like a small tackle box and set it on the table behind Heath. Heath, meanwhile, closed his eyes again, sure he probably didn¡¯t want to know what was about to happen.

    ¡°Hardcastle Enterprises has a certain look,¡± Josea said as he rustled around behind Heath. ¡°No hipster beards. More-dudes who haven¡¯t followed fashion in at least a decade.¡±

    Vanessa let out a sound. Heath identified it as a suppressedugh. Initially, Heath applied the criticism to himself, but his look was fairly generic. Shaven face, short hair, T-shirt and jeans most days. It was typical ¡°Silicon Valley CEO,¡± as far as he was concerned. You didn¡¯t see too many suits around here, nor did you see startup founders worrying about what was trending in fashion these days.

    But then he moved on to his staff. He admittedly spent most of his timeworking, both locally and at various trade shows and events where hispany set up booths for customers. That was the bulk of his business- but he¡¯d tried to make the move into apps, mostly with sess. Until his Tutor2Tutor app had crashed and burned in the most public way possible.

    And now, he was dealing with criticism over the rtive fashion sense of his trade show booth team. Relevant, considering they were trying to make him look like he was one of them, but it was really thest thing he needed to worry about right now.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s talk game n,¡± Vanessa said.

    Heath immediately rxed. He didn¡¯t even realize how tense he¡¯d gotten, just thinking about his professional situation. ¡°Talking game n¡± made him feel in control of things a little more.

    ¡°Today, we¡¯re going to my offices.¡± Realizing his slip-up, Heath rushed to correct it. ¡°The offices. I have to get away from thinking of this business as mine. They already grabbed some footage of me around the house, working in here at my desk, that sort of thing.¡±

    Silence followed. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was staring at him. ¡°What?¡±

    She shook her head slightly, but there was a smile on her face. While he was trying to piece together what was happening here, Josea stepped back.

    ¡°Looks good, right?¡± Josea asked Vanessa.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Vanessa smiled. ¡°I honestly wouldn¡¯t know it was the same person. But what about the hair?¡±

    Heath looked around. There had to be a mirror somewhere around here. No mirror. He¡¯d never even considered having a mirror in his office. Why would he need such a thing?

    Vanessa repeated her question. ¡°What about the hair? That hair¡¯s definitely distinctive.¡±

    Josea stepped in front of Heath, finger to his chin, head tilted slightly. Studying him again. Heath didn¡¯t like feeling as though he was some sort of art project, but that fit with the way Josea had assessed him initially. Like he was a nk canvas he was about to fill.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I brought hats.¡± Josea once again danced over to his bag, even though there was no reason to dance, really. No music ying, not even the cheering he and Vanessa had been doing thest time he¡¯d danced over there. Heath felt like he¡¯d crashed their party.

    ¡°Sheesh,¡± Heath said as Josea began pulling out baseball caps. ¡°How much can you fit in that bag? It¡¯s like a clown car.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a pro-fess-ion-al.¡± For some reason, Josea enunciated each syble of that. Heath decided to just nod and go along with it.

    ¡°Which one?¡± Josea held one after another, in turn, up to Heath¡¯s face and looked to Vanessa for her reaction. Shouldn¡¯t Heath be the one handling this? They definitely needed a mirror.

    Control.

    Heath took a deep breath and closed his eyes. But then he realized having his eyes closed made it look like he was losing patience with the process. So, he opened them again and stared directly at Vanessa, willing her to choose the one that didn¡¯t make him look half as foolish as the other guys who¡¯d done the show.

    ¡°The pink one.¡± Vanessa nodded as if to back up her decision. Yep. The pink one. Why didn¡¯t that surprise him?

    It wasn¡¯t just some pale color of pink, either. It was a bright pink you could spot from miles away. In fact, it would probably reflect off his skin and make his entire face look pink in certain lighting.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think-¡±

    But Josea wasn¡¯t really sticking around for Heath¡¯s opinion. He pped the hat onto Heath¡¯s head, then turned to Vanessa. ¡°Okay, your turn.¡±

    Vanessa stared up at him, eyes wide. ¡°I already did my makeup.¡±

    ¡°First, no. That won¡¯t work. You¡¯re going to be on camera. Second, we¡¯re going to pick out your wardrobe before we worry about makeup. Come with me.¡±

    Vanessa shed Heath a ¡°help me¡± look before following Josea out of the room. Apparently, the guy couldn¡¯t fit a wardrobe into his bag. Heath had already been down that road before Vanessa arrived. That was why he was wearing these khaki pants and this golf shirt. But now that he was alone in the office, he finally had the chance to check out his look.

    Dreading what he was about to see, Heath stood and crossed the room to his desk. That was where he¡¯d left his phone. He may not have a mirror in this room, but he most definitely had a camera on his phone, perfect in a pinch for checking out how he looked.

    He unlocked the phone, pulled up the camera, flipped the view around, and nearly dropped the phone. Whoa.

    No hipster beard. This was just a in beard. No big deal, but it was theplete opposite of what he normally had. What was really strange, though, was that the makeup artist had somehow managed to make him look not like himself. His cheeks looked puffier, his eyes narrower, hisshes far longer¡­ And even standing up close, someone wouldn¡¯t be able to tell he was wearing makeup.

    Despite how goofy he looked, he had all-new respect for the guy with the clown-car bag.

 Chapter 57

    ¡°This is your office building?¡± Heath turned to look at Vanessa as they walked toward the

    front door. She immediately realized her error. It wasn¡¯t his building. He was Mac Sutterfield-a name the producers of the show hade up with.

    Speaking of producers, Heath and Vanessa were currently being followed by the same two camera people and the boom mic holder who had been at Heath¡¯s house when she¡¯d arrived for her audition. It was a bit absurd, pretending he was an average working-ss guy when a production crew was trailing after him.

    ¡°This is Hardcastle Enterprises.¡± Heath reached for the door and opened it for her. ¡°Home of Hardcastle Exhibitions, Hardcastle Software, and Hardcastle Technologies.¡±

    ¡°This Hardcastle person is pretty full of himself,¡± Vanessamented as she led the way to the elevator.

    Somehow, Camera Guy Number Two managed to rush past Vanessa, flip around, and get a front shot of the two of them as they walked to the elevator. Vanessa did her best to act natural with a camera pointed at her face. She figured that part would get easier over time.

    Heath stepped up to press the up arrow to call the elevator. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Vanessa tried to remember what they¡¯d been discussing before she¡¯d been distracted by the camera. Oh, the building, which had ¡°Hardcastle Enterprises¡± stered inrge letters at the top, as well as on a sign at the entrance.

    ¡°Just that everything¡¯s named after this guy.¡± Vanessa shrugged. ¡°Seems a bit¡­narcissistic to me.¡±

    Yeah, it was pretty daring of her. Call her a rebel. But the guy had azy river around his house. He had a building with his name stered on it. He drove an Aston Martin. It was just all so¡­ shy.

    ¡°It¡¯s customary for founders to name theirpanies after themselves.

    Ever heard of TravTech? That¡¯s short for Justin Travers. Ferrari, Procter and

    Gamble, Wal-Mart¡­¡±

    ¡°Nike, Facebook, Google¡­ None of those are named after their founders, are they?¡±

    Boom. Got him. She figured he¡¯d have a long list of buddies who named their businesses after themselves, so she headed him off at the pass.

    ¡°My roommate¡¯s dating the guy who founded Data Industries,¡± she said.

    ¡°His name isn¡¯t Data.¡±

    ¡°Jeremy Owens. Know him.¡±

    Vanessa cleared her throat and deliberately looked behind him, where a small group of people was starting to gather. Heath obviously hadn¡¯t noticed they hadpany.

    ¡°Anyway¡­¡± Vanessa began.

    He didn¡¯t seem to have anything to say after that. In fact, he seemed a little flustered. Vanessa smiled to herself as she stared at the indicator above the elevator doors. The one on the right would arrive any second now- Ding.

    She already knew to let one of the camera guys hop in first. They loved to capture front shots of the two of them, she was noticing. The good news was, the elevator could only hold a couple more people, thanks to the crew and equipment, so their ride to the fifth floor was mostly stranger-free.

    Nobody talked. Vanessa searched her mind for some sort of chitchat that would fit what two people about to go to a meeting about an uing trade show they¡¯d be working would say. Nothing came to mind. So, instead, she thought about the fact that she liked Mac much, much, much more than she liked Heath.

    On the third floor, both strangers stepped out, leaving Heath and

    Vanessa alone with their crew. It took her a second to realize she could speak freely now. This was going to be confusing.

    ¡°Let me do most of the talking,¡± he said, beating her to the punch.

    What? He couldn¡¯t be serious. He surely didn¡¯t want her to just sit there during a meeting and say nothing. If so, he didn¡¯t know her very well.

    She opened her mouth to respond, with no idea what she was about to say. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t have to worry about it. The doors opened, and everyone around her kicked into high gear, speeding off the elevator and toward the reception desk as if they were racing.

    The cameras, oddly, didn¡¯t wait for her this time. They were both specifically trained on Heath.

    So that was how it was going to be. She was only part of the narrative when it told Heath¡¯s story. She should have known as much. The show was focusing on his journey, and she¡¯d been hired to help out. Still, if she wanted to use this gig to get more onscreen work, she knew she had to find a way to steal the show.

    Mission: on.

    The man at the reception desk looked bored when Heath introduced himself as Mac Sutterfield. The name meant nothing to him, obviously. But he picked up the phone, spoke to someone for about two seconds, then pointed toward a hallway behind them. It was one of two hallways on either side of the elevator they¡¯d just exited.

    Heath didn¡¯t even issue amand. He just turned and started walking, and the crew followed like they were attached to him by some sort of maic field. Vanessa shed the guy a grateful look since nobody had bothered to thank him, but he just rolled his eyes and went back to work.

    Nice job, dude. Your founder literally just saw how you treat people who arrive.

    Vanessa smiled to herself as she rushed to catch up with her group. That was the first of many ways this would be interesting. The question was, would he be recognized by anyone?

    For the first time since getting out of the car, Vanessa remembered how she looked. It wasn¡¯t like she wasn¡¯t ustomed to wearing dresses and skirts. She preferred jeans and a T-shirt, but dressing up sometimes fit the role she wanted. So, this was yet another role, only it involved wearing a dress that made her feel a bit like a mummy, bandaged from neck to knee in solid white. Only her arms were fully revealed and there was a cutout in the back that showed a small section of skin. It was cute and not too revealing, but it wasn¡¯t something she would normally wear to a business meeting.

    But as Vanessa Gilbert, promotional model, it totally fit.

    Vanessa paused for a second before following the crew into the room at the end of the hallway marked ¡°Authorized Personnel Only.¡± Promotional models in Silicon Valley were expected to bring their A-Game when they worked trade shows. She¡¯d already known that much, but she was even surer of it due to her research over the past few days. Her looks would draw people over to a booth to learn more. Then she¡¯d wow them with her presentation skills.

    It was a tall order, but she was up to it. And when she was finished, anyone watching the TV show would see her as more than capable of tackling any task. She¡¯d then have clips for her demo reel that would help her get bigger and bigger roles until she finally achieved her dream of being seen.

    Yes, it had nothing to do with money or even fame. What mattered to her-what had always mattered to her-was being seen. She¡¯d spent her entire childhood being invisible¡­and dreaming of the day everyone would know her name. Then her parents wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore her.

    Putting on her best ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing¡± face, Vanessa stepped into the office and immediately came to a full stop.

    There was no ce for her around the table. Literally. Somehow, in the few extra seconds it had taken her to step through that door, Heath had settled in at a small table in the corner, which also included five other dudes. Six chairs, six dudes, and no room left for her.

    And nobody seemed to even realize she was there.

    Yes, it was annoying. But it wasn¡¯t surprising. Not in Silicon Valley, where women were invited to the table merely to keep that table from looking like it did right now. Vanessa thought about the women she¡¯d seen in TV shows and movies about the tech industry and realized she hadn¡¯t really watched all that many. Most of the women in tech were either ignored, as she was right now, or they were at the head of the table.

    This was a defining moment.

    She knew it as sure as she knew that nobody in this room even remembered she was there. Vanessa took a deep breath, reminded herself of all the young women who would watch this and know how to handle this situation moving forward, and left the room.

    ¡°I need a chair,¡± she told the guy at the front desk.

    Suddenly, he looked alert. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±

    ¡°A chair. I need one. They¡¯ve left me without anywhere to sit in there, and I need a chair. Where do I get a chair?¡±

    She said all this in a calm, measured tone, but if it took escting her voice, she¡¯d do it. Luckily, she didn¡¯t have to. The guy nodded, picked up the phone, spoke so quietly into it that she couldn¡¯t hear, and set it back down again. Then he returned his attention to hisputer, pretending she wasn¡¯t standing a few feet away. Ignoring her, just as the other men had.

    Just secondster, a door opened behind him and out walked a woman, carrying a chair. Vanessa wanted to ask that woman what her role was here and if she felt just as left out as Vanessa did. But there were no cameras here. The cameras were in the room with the meeting that could end if she stood out here too long.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Vanessa told the woman, giving her a big smile before turning and retracing her steps from before.

    The long walk down the hall gave Vanessa extra time to determine whether she could gracefully carry this chair into the room. It wouldn¡¯t be quite the same if she was struggling the entire way. She stopped to rest when she arrived in front of the door. That gave her the burst of energy she needed to confidently stride across the room, stand next to Heath until he moved over, then set her chair down and confidently plop down on it.

    Both cameras shifted until they were pointed at her. Vanessa made eye contact with each of the five people now staring at her and nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m Vanessa Gilbert,¡± she announced. ¡°I¡¯m here to learn more about yourpany.¡±

    Heath shifted ufortably in his chair. ¡°I was just telling them about you. Where did you go?¡±

    Seriously? Where did she go? He was seriously asking that?

    ¡°I left to retrieve a chair.¡± She sat up straighter, looking around again. ¡°Gentlemen, it¡¯s my goal to absorb as much information as I can to be able to appropriately sell your products for you. Let¡¯s make this the best quarter ever.¡±

    Oh. Oops. She remembered toote that Heath had asked her to let him do all the talking. Oh, well.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Ms. Gilbert, is it?¡± one of the guys asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re excited to have you on board. We were just telling Mac here that we¡¯re sending both of you to Las Vegas for a couple of days, starting tomorrow. I know he has this camera crew following him for a documentary on techpanies, and Mr. Hardcastle hired you to help out with our trade shows-¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to mention the cameras,¡± Vanessa said.

    Heath looked over at her. There was some sort of warning in that look, but she ignored it. The goal was to make this as realistic as possible, right?

    Vanessa continued as if the look hadn¡¯t even happened. ¡°It¡¯s a production thing. No big deal. They edit it out if you slip up, but we were told not to acknowledge the cameras or the fact that we¡¯re on a TV show.¡±

    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the camera guys lean to the right. He was looking at her.

    They hadn¡¯t discussed this. Any of this. It was all stuff she¡¯d learned while working her butt off in Hollywood, trying to get just one role on a reality show. Rule Number One of reality show production: Pretend the cameras weren¡¯t even there.

    The man cleared his throat and continued. ¡°No problem. You¡¯ll both be going to Vegas. Leaving this afternoon. We couldn¡¯t get you on a ne on this short notice, so Mac will be driving both of you. On the way, he can fill you in on what he knows about ourpany. Questions?¡±

    Vanessa realized she was staring and quickly pulled her thoughts together. ¡°I have a lot to learn. I was hoping to maybe sit down with one of your top employees and go through some things.¡±

    ¡°No time for that,¡± the man said. ¡°Mac seems pretty knowledgeable. I think he can fill you in.¡±

    ¡°I can.¡±

    That came from Mac-er, Heath-who was exuding some weird sort of alpha-male energy. It was as if, just by mentioning she needed to sit down with someone, she was saying he couldn¡¯t tell her about his ownpany.

    Ridiculous. Had the guy forgotten why they were here in the first ce? The whole point was to figure out what was going on behind the scenes. He was supposed to be going undercover in his own business. Sitting in a car for eight hours, making small talk with cameras pointed at them, wouldn¡¯t make for good footage of hispany.

    Oh, well. They¡¯d just have to figure out a way to get that footage when they returned.

 Chapter 58

    ¡°Hungry? Thirsty?¡±

    ¡°I could go for some coffee,¡± Vanessa said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Maybe a bagel. No, scratch that. Lunch would be nice.

    There¡¯s a drive-thru taco ce that¡¯s really good just off the next exit.¡±

    Heath looked at Vanessa. He was all too aware of the cameras rigged up in front of them on the windshield. While he liked the fact that they didn¡¯t have to share the car with two camera guys and all their equipment, driving around in a rental SUV outfitted with production equipment was throwing him off, to say the least.

    ¡°Tacos?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Let me guess. You¡¯re thinking something a little less messy.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°This isn¡¯t my car. Let¡¯s mess it up.¡±

    She looked down at her white dress, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. ¡°Maybe a burger instead. in.¡±

    He smiled. Good point, although he figured the two suitcases she¡¯d crammed into the back of this vehicle had to have some recement outfits if she messed this one up. All the clothes were on loan from Josea, who was meeting them at the hotel to do their hair and makeup every day before shooting started.

    It was a strange, strange new reality he¡¯d entered. He just had to keep reminding himself that this was for his business. After following him around for a couple of weeks, the producers would put together a show that demonstrated how much he cared about hispany and the products he put out there. His reputation would be saved, and finally, people would be calling Hardcastle Enterprises to do business again, rather than him having to scramble to get people to agree to work with them.

    They stopped for burgers and hit the highway again. ¡°I guess I need to give you a full brief on our products,¡± he said while Vanessa slowly chewed a bite of her burger. Her eyes were closed as though she was fully savoring it. ¡°We provide booths for businesses at trade shows.¡±

    ¡°I pretty much figured that part out.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what that means?¡±

    Vanessa looked over at him, hamburger poised in front of her. ¡°You put walls up in a big room?¡±

    Heughed. ¡°You haven¡¯t been to a trade show in a while, I take it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been to a trade show. I¡¯ve seen them on TV, though. I think.

    Maybe in a movie?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just walls. Some of these businesses construct entire rooms. There are two stories on some, food cases, bars with stools¡­ You name it, we can do it.¡±

    Vanessa wasn¡¯t nearly as impressed as he would have expected. Maybe it was something she¡¯d have to see to really grasp. She was still happily munching over there, not responding.

    Finally, she wrapped an uneaten section of her burger up and tossed it down in the bag. ¡°So, our job is¡­what?¡±

    By then, he¡¯d taken a bite of his own burger, and his bites were muchrger than hers. That meant he had to chew and swallow before he could respond.

    ¡°Our job is to sell booths.¡±

    Vanessa was staring at him again. ¡°But they already have booths. It¡¯s like going to a wedding to sell the bride and groom stuff for their wedding.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°No. A bride and groom don¡¯t get married every few months. Well, they shouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Vanessa nodded. ¡°Okay, so these people have crappy booths, I assume, and we go in and tell them what we can do for them.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly. It¡¯s more aboutworking. There are people who have worked with us in the past, but they were pulled away bypetitors after¡­well, what happened recently.¡±

    ¡°The scandal.¡±

    Heath¡¯s gaze immediately went to the camera that was pointed at him, even though that was against the rules. The scandal. He¡¯d expected it toe down to this eventually, but he¡¯d assumed it woulde through an interview by the producers. Now that he thought about it, though, maybe it was better to talk to Vanessa about it.

    ¡°The funny thing was, I got a referral. So many people were using this same overseas firm for app development. They underbid everyone else, so I thought I was getting a deal. I had no idea they were ripping off other developers.¡±

    ¡°So, why were you med? They should have been the ones punished, right?¡±

    ¡°Ben Eisenberg.¡±

    ¡°Ben Eisenberg?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a business reporter. Big-name, nationally-known business reporter. He somehow got involved with Justin Travers of TravTech. TravTech¡¯s app was the one the developers ripped off to make mine. So, Ben did it as this expose sort of thing, making me look like this bad guy who was trying to make money off an app I stole.¡±

    ¡°Nobody stopped to rify that you didn¡¯t do anything wrong?¡±

    Heath had to choose his words carefully here. He didn¡¯t want to badmouth Justin or Ben. They both had good intentions, and Justin was watching his own business tank as a result. In fact, he¡¯d had toy off many employees just before the scandal broke, so the whole thing had punched him when he was already down. He just wished Justin had issued some sort of public gesture of goodwill to help Heath save his own business.

    ¡°Justin was just relieved the whole thing was cleared up,¡± Heath finally said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he realized what it did to Hardcastle Enterprises.¡±

    ¡°Maybe if you exined, he could help you out. You know, founder to founder. Most of you guys have each other¡¯s backs. That¡¯s kind of what this town is all about.¡±

    Heath nced over at her. ¡°Is that what people think?¡±

    Vanessa looked over and their eyes met. Heath was grateful that he had to keep his attention on the road. It gave him a reason to look away. It wasn¡¯t easy to take his eyes off her, he was finding.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what people think. That¡¯s my observation.¡±

    He had to admit, despite himself, he was drawn to her. And not just because she was beautiful. She was, but there was something about her that went far deeper than physical beauty. She had a sophistication and wisdom that seemed to be well beyond her years. He wanted to know everything about her, but he couldn¡¯t afford to grow to like her like her. He didn¡¯t have time for that right now, even if it wasn¡¯t a bad idea for a fake boss to get involved with his pretend employee.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing this,¡± Heath said, deliberately diverting the conversation away from the TravTech scandal. ¡°I¡¯m redirecting all my resources into my trade show booth business. This is where my heart really is. I want to show off what we can do.¡±

    ¡°It would make an interesting reality show in itself.¡± Vanessa ced her hands in front of her, palms out, as though visualizing it. ¡°Extreme trade show booths. So fun.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t even seen what it¡¯s like yet.¡±

    ¡°You exined it.¡± Vanessa shrugged. ¡°I have a good imagination.

    Anyway, it reminds me of this dollhouse I had as a kid.¡±

    Okay, now she had his attention. ¡°Did you justpare my business to a dollhouse?¡±

    ¡°I had these dolls I could dress up, and my parents bought a dollhouse for me. It was so borate. It had a pool, three stories, a fake elevator¡­ Nozy river, though. That¡¯s what it was missing.¡±

    She looked over at him, a teasing smile on her face. Okay, he would let that one go.

    ¡°And you think we build dollhouses for businesses.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re temporary, right? That¡¯s kind of what my dollhouse was. It wasn¡¯t sturdy like a house, but it was good enough for me to create these pretend worlds. That¡¯s what your clients are doing. They set up a pretend world for a few days, and you-we-help with that. I can sell this. No problem.¡±

    Heath shook his head. ¡°We have six hours. Settle in. I¡¯m about to brief you on everything we offer.¡±

    To his surprise, she did exactly that. She sipped her soda through a straw, stared out the windshield, and sat quietly while he went into excruciating detail about lightboxes and canopies and monitor mounts. He was waiting, at any point, to discover she¡¯d zoned out and hadn¡¯t processed a word of it, but she asionally stopped him to ask questions. She even pulled out her phone and began looking through his website, asking questions about what she saw there.

    He breathed a sigh of relief. At least he didn¡¯t have to worry about her not grasping this. He had a feeling she¡¯d do a better job than some of the salespeople who¡¯d dedicated their entire careers to this stuff.

    It was well past dinnertime when they pulled up to the valet outside their assigned hotel. He might not have been able to drive his own vehicle for this, but he was going to indulge in a few of the luxuries he enjoyed in his everyday life.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just need the name the room is under.¡±

    The front desk clerk¡¯sment threw him off. He¡¯d given hispany name, which was what he always did when he traveled. But he hadn¡¯t stopped to consider the fact that the production crew had nothing to do with this hotel reservation. It had been handled one hundred percent by Hardcastle Enterprises.

    ¡°Mac Sutterfield.¡±

    He had to getfortable using that name. It would just take one slipup to blow his cover. And there were no second or third takes with the people who weren¡¯t in on the fact that he was undercover.

    ¡°Okay, sir. I see yourpany is paying for the room. I¡¯ll just need to see your I. D. and a credit card for any incidentals.¡± I. D.

    Heath looked over at Vanessa, his eyes wide. How did he handle this? The camera crew wasn¡¯t around, so he couldn¡¯t get them to exin the situation.

    Shrugging, he pulled out his wallet, then handed over both his ID and his credit card. With any luck, she¡¯dpare the picture, hand it back, and swipe his credit card without noticing the discrepancy in names.

    ¡°Who is Heath Hardcastle?¡±

    The clerk¡¯s question, asked very loudly, caused him to wince. He looked around. He and Vanessa were the only two customers right now, fortunately. He could just picture someone from the trade show-or, worse, someone from Hardcastle Enterprises-standing behind him during all this.

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±

    The clerk squinted at him. Yeah, he got it. She couldn¡¯t figure out what the game was. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m going to need an I. D. and card that matches the name on the room.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯m Heath Hardcastle,¡± he said. ¡°Mac Sutterfield is my alias.¡±

    Celebrities did it all the time. Everyone knew that. They reserved hotel rooms under assumed names so fans couldn¡¯t track them down.

    But the clerk wasn¡¯t budging. ¡°There¡¯s nothing noted about an alias in the system. We can¡¯t rent a room to anyone but the person named on the room.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a Vanessa Gilbert?¡± Vanessa asked.

    Heath looked over at her. Really? She was going to just look out for herself here? What was the n? Check in and head up to the room, leaving him here to work things out?

    The clerk shed an uncertain look at Vanessa. He could almost hear the gears in the clerk¡¯s mind moving as she tried to figure out what this scam actually was.

    But finally, the clerk began tap-tapping away on the keys. The sound seemed to fill the spacious, overly ornate lobby.

    ¡°Yes, here you are,¡± the clerk said. ¡°May I see your I. D.?¡±

    Vanessa withdrew her driver¡¯s license and a credit card, handing them over. ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Hardcastle¡¯s assistant. It¡¯s my fault. I called in under his alias and forgot to mention that it wasn¡¯t his real name.¡±

    The clerk stared at her a moment before turning back to theputer to begin typing again. Meanwhile, Vanessa was looking for something on her phone.

    Finally, Vanessa held up her phone. ¡°Here¡¯s a picture. See? Same guy.¡±

    The clerk stopped typing. Heath was afraid to look. The clerk stared at the screen, then looked at Heath, her mouth tightening as she studied.

    ¡°Heath Hardcastle runs one of the biggestpanies in Silicon Valley,¡± Vanessa continued. ¡°He¡¯s been all over the newstely. He just wanted some anonymity. That¡¯s why he¡¯s in disguise.¡±

    Still staring at Heath, the clerk began to slowly nod. She seemed to decide, yes, this was legit.

    ¡°Sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Hardcastle. If I could borrow your credit card for a moment, I¡¯ll get you checked in.¡±

    While the clerk worked, Heath shed a questioning look at Vanessa. She shrugged, then handed him her phone. Still dreading what he was about to see-but figuring he already knew-he looked down at the screen and saw the picture Vanessa had just shown the clerk. It was a photo his sister had shared of him on social media while he was visiting. He wore a pair of swim trunks and a baseball cap-ck, not pink-and he¡¯d juste inside from being out on theke all day. He had a full-on five o¡¯clock shadow and looked like he¡¯d just awoken from a long nap. In other words, the worst picture ever taken of him.

    And that had been the photo that resembled him most right now.

 Chapter 59

    A loud noise pulled Vanessa from a much-needed eight hours of sleep. She reached over to the right and realized it was her phone rm going off. Time to get up and go downstairs.

    Sighing, she stopped the rm and briefly thought about snoozing. But then she remembered what the day had in store, and no way could she sleep.

    This was it. Her big chance.

    She¡¯d been more than happy to lock herself in the roomst night, order room service, and go to bed. But not before calling her mom to tell her the big news. She was going to be on a reality show. Her mom, of course, didn¡¯t answer, so she¡¯d left her announcement on voicemail, wondering if she should¡¯ve texted it instead. The chances her mom would even check voicemail with her own busy schedule were pretty darn slim these days.

    In the end, Vanessa had decided her parents could just find out when it aired. No telling when that would be. These things could take up six months or longer, depending on the television schedule. Maybe she¡¯d tag them on social media. Her mom seemed to have plenty of time to show off for her friends on there.

    A knock on the door reminded her she wasn¡¯t being left to get ready alone. Josea was here to do her makeup. Vanessa was going first so Heath could sleep a littleter. Her n was to use the extra time at the exhibit hall, familiarizing herself with things before the cameras showed up.

    But when she looked through the peephole, Vanessa had to immediately change those ns. It wasn¡¯t Josea. It was Heath.

    She opened the door, suddenly all too aware of her messed-up hair and totalck of makeup. But that was how she was supposed to show up for an early call. It was the professional way to do things.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Vanessa leaned out and looked down the hall. She also realized she only wore a sleep shirt. Luckily, it came to midthigh, but she ducked back behind the door, nheless.

    Heath adjusted his pink cap before answering. ¡°Thought you might want to get your makeup done in my room.¡±

    That was when it hit her that his makeup was done already. She wasn¡¯t talking to Heath. She was talking to Mac.

    ¡°Down here¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not dressed.¡±

    ¡°Get dressed. I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    Was he listening? She was fine.

    ¡°We have breakfast. A big selection of pastries. And gourmet coffee. Trust me, you¡¯re going to like it.¡±

    Gourmet coffee. That was tempting. But the food and beverage options weren¡¯t as tempting as the way he was looking at her. Those green eyes always seemed to go straight to her heart, as cheesy as it seemed. It was hard to concentrate when he looked at her like that.

    She sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll get dressed and head that way. What¡¯s your room number?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I have to wait. You can¡¯t ess my floor without a key.¡±

    He held up a white card that looked identical to her room key. Why wouldn¡¯t she be able to ess his floor unless-?

    ¡°Did they upgrade you?¡± she asked. It was weird. She¡¯d been standing beside him when the clerk had issued his room key, and she couldn¡¯t remember any mention of him being on one of the private upper floors where all the suites usually were.

    ¡°I asked for an upgradest night.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m paying for it out of pocket. By the time ounting figures out what¡¯s going on, we¡¯ll already have revealed who Mac Sutterfield really is, so no big deal.¡±

    He¡¯d upgraded to a suite. She could imagine exactly what happened. He¡¯d gotten to his room, which was nice but standard. Just two beds, a desk, and a window overlooking the city. It was all she needed, but she¡¯d grown up with parents who demanded to be moved, whether it was an average room in an expensive hotel or a table in the wrong ce in a restaurant. She knew the type.

    ¡°Just a second.¡± Vanessa pushed the door closed, d to put some space between herself and those piercing green eyes. Yeah, distance was exactly what she needed at this point.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    On the way out of town, Heath had stopped by her apartment so she could run upstairs and pack a quick overnight bag to go with the two dressfilled suitcases that Josea had sent along. But she clearly hadn¡¯t been thinking things through when she¡¯d packed the bag. It was stuffed with Tshirts and one pair of jeans¡­and that was it. No shorts, no yoga pants, nothing. She wondered if she could make a quick shopping trip for some casual clothes to get her through situations like this.

    Shoving her jeans on, along with a bra, she quickly grabbed one of the dresses from the suitcase and rushed back to the door, pulling her hair into a messy bun as she walked. She assumed Josea would do her hair, too, but she didn¡¯t have her brush or her makeup here since she¡¯d gone on the assumption the production crew would take care of all of that.

    ¡°Ready,¡± she said, pulling the door open and tucking her keycard and phone into her back pocket. She¡¯d have toe back here to get dressed. She¡¯d grab her purse then.

    ¡°That won¡¯t work. Tell that new guy to take care of it. I¡¯m tied up right now.¡±

    Heath was on the phone. Vanessa blew right past him and kept going toward the elevator. He could follow if he wanted. If not, she¡¯d wait for him by the elevator. She wasn¡¯t going to stand around and watch him bark orders into the phone.

    It only urred to her as she reached the elevator that he¡¯d been on a business call. Was he ying Heath by phone and Mac in person? And the ¡°new guy¡± he referenced-was that Mac? Which was technically himself? This could get confusing.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she heard Heath say at the same time the elevator doors slid open. He rounded the corner and she realized he was talking to her, not someone on the other end of a phone call.

    ¡°No problem. Were you just telling your people to tell you to take care of something?¡± ¡°Yep.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but smile. Okay, it was a little bit amusing. But Heath wasn¡¯t smiling. ¡°TravTech is here.¡±

    He stepped into the elevator, and after a brief dy, she followed. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It means they purchased a booth setup from one of ourpetitors, and apparently, it¡¯s getting some buzz.¡± Uh-oh. That couldn¡¯t be good.

    Vanessa immediately thought back to the day before. She¡¯d been pretty bold, getting him to open up about his scandal right in front of the cameras. As ashamed as she was to admit it, she¡¯d brought up the subject knowing that the discussion would be guaranteed to air. The key to getting time on a reality show was to be part of the scenes that were sure to make the final cut. She¡¯d heard too many stories about aspiring entertainers who put in weeks of work on some reality show, only to get just a few minutes of airtime, if that.

    That would not be her fate.

    Vanessa kept her eyes on the indicator above the elevator doors, mostly as an excuse to keep from looking at him. ¡°Sounds like a challenge to me.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Their booth is getting buzz. So, you need toe up with a booth that will show them up. Sell it to one of theirpetitors. At the next conference, guess who will be getting buzz?¡±

    It didn¡¯t escape her attention that he was staring at her as the elevator made that ding sound, then the doors slid open. She stepped out ahead of him and headed directly into the beam of two cameras.

    They were waiting outside the elevator, like a team of paparazzi. Although they weren¡¯t nearly as aggressive as paparazzi, she was one hundred percent without makeup, and thest thing she wanted was to be photographed right now.

    Note to self: Tomorrow, wear sunsses to the morning makeup appointment.

    Vanessa¡¯s solution to the immediate problem was to head very quickly toward Heath¡¯s suite. But there was one big problem with that. She had no idea where his suite was. There were two rooms next to the elevator, along with a hallway leading in either direction.

    ¡°This way.¡± Heath breezed past her, heading straight toward one of the two doors in front of her. The words ¡°Presidential Suite¡± were on a sign above it. Did that mean the President stayed here when he visited Vegas?

    Did the President even visit Vegas?

    She decided to keep those questions to herself as she followed Heath into the suite. It was a big, open room that appeared to have been repurposed as some sort of staging area. Josea, standing in the center of it all, pped and jumped up in the air a little when he saw Vanessa.

    It was likeing home after being away for a while. And Vanessa was someone who was still figuring out where her ¡°home¡± actually was. But Josea was the one person in this entire scenario who seemed to be on her side. She needed that right now.

    She¡¯d needed that her entire life, actually.

    ¡°These cameras are following me,¡± Vanessa whispered to Josea as he rushed forward to give her a big hug. ¡°I need makeup. Now!¡±

    ¡°Have a seat and I¡¯ll hook you up.¡±

    Josea did just that, with cameras capturing every second of it. Heath, meanwhile, paced the room, typing things onto his phone screen and intermittently taking phone calls. He did pause his work long enough to bring her a cup of coffee and muffin when she requested, but it took four trips because he didn¡¯t listen when she asked for creamer for her coffee. Plus, he brought her some sort of strange lemon muffin when she wanted blueberry.

    Yeah, small things, but they just confirmed her suspicion that he wasn¡¯t all that different from her parents. Work-and money-always came first.

    ¡°We ready yet?¡± Heath asked after Vanessa had emerged from behind the privacy partition Josea had set up. She wore the dress she¡¯d pulled from her suitcase earlier. She was twirling around, showing off her look, when Heath¡¯s question pushed the smile from her face.

    ¡°Two seconds,¡± Josea said, much to her surprise. He stepped up and fluffed her curls, then pped his hands. ¡°Done!¡±

    She walked over to the mirror on Josea¡¯s makeup table and caught her reflection. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

    Amazing. She¡¯d had her makeup done professionally before, including by Josea before their meeting yesterday. But she¡¯d never looked like this. He¡¯d managed to make her eyes look wider, her cheekbones more defined, and her lips fuller-all while somehow giving the appearance that she wasn¡¯t even wearing makeup.

    But if she¡¯d expected a reaction from Heath, she would have been very disappointed. He just looked at her, nodded, and turned to walk to the door.

    Vanessa and Josea exchanged a look. ¡°I guess I¡¯d better go,¡± she said.

    ¡°I guess so.¡±

 Chapter 60

    At first, Heath wasn¡¯t sure why their entrance caused such a scene. Then he remembered there were cameras, which reminded him he was Mac Sutterfield, not Heath Hardcastle. He needed to get

    in character, pronto.

    The first step was to slow down. Walking quickly and with purpose was a bad idea when he was trying to look like the new guy around here. Sure, confidence was great, but someone who was just stepping into a job didn¡¯t walk around like he was ready to take charge.

    Vanessa¡¯s eyes widened as he slowed down and turned to look at her. ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked.

    She looked absolutely stunning. It had been far easier to keep things moving at top speed so he didn¡¯t find himself distracted by it. But somehow, right now, it came in handy to really take her in.

    Let¡¯s face it, it was what Mac Sutterfield would do. In fact, maybe Mac Sutterfield could get away with doing some things Heath Hardcastle never would, like chatting with a beautiful woman when he was supposed to be working.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­wow.¡±

    Vanessa wasn¡¯t looking at Heath or Mac. Her attention was fully focused on her surroundings, and he couldn¡¯t me her. All around them were booths and light-up signage andrge-screen TVspeting with otherrge-screen TVs for attention.

    It was a lot of noise. But that was what they were here to create for future events. Noise.

    ¡°Check this one out. This is one of ours.¡± He stopped and gestured toward a booth set up to look like a kitchen. It was a disy of smart technology built into appliances. He knew this one all too well. They had been a top client for the past several years. Heath didn¡¯t recognize the people standing there, staring right back at the two of them, so he felt safe they wouldn¡¯t figure out his true identity.

    ¡°Did you provide the refrigerator and oven?¡± Vanessa asked, still gaping at the scene in front of her.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all theirs. We build the cabry and countertops to the specifications they provide. It¡¯s all smoke and mirrors. Looks real from here, but if you get up close, you can see it¡¯s fake. Come on.¡± He turned and headed toward the booth he¡¯d had set up just for Hardcastle Exhibits. That was where his salespeople would be.

    And that would be the true test of whether his disguise held up.

    There was only one guy standing in the borate setup hispany had arranged at the end of the first row of booths. Heath didn¡¯t recognize him, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean he wouldn¡¯t recognize Heath. The Hardcastle Enterprise CEO¡¯s face was stered everywhere-not by choice. His marketing team seemed to love making him the face of the operation, insisting that it helped personalize the connection with any clients thinking about doing business with them.

    ¡°Are you Mac?¡± the guy asked.

    ¡°Sure am.¡±

    Mac¡¯s Southern ent surprised even Heath. He¡¯d gone to college in

    Georgia and, during that brief time, had picked up the ability to fake a Southern ent when he had to. The problem was, he hadn¡¯t used it when he¡¯d originally met with the managers at Hardcastle Enterprises. Instead, he¡¯d spoken very little and just hoped they wouldn¡¯t recognize him since he hardly spent any time in the office, anyway. Was he now obligated to speak in an ent every time this guy was around?This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Great!¡± the guy gushed. He was a bit antsy. ¡°I need to run to the bathroom. Can you man the shop?¡±

    Man the shop? Was that how they referred to things out in the field? He made a mental note to let this guy know they didn¡¯t call this a shop and they tried to be sensitive when it came to gendering certain activities. In other words, ¡°manning¡± was not a term they used.

    All of a sudden, the guy stopped squirming. He was staring at something behind Heath¡¯s shoulder. Heath turned and saw the camera guy had crept up behind him.

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Heath said. ¡°They sent a camera crew along to document what we¡¯re doing. Did they mention that?¡±

    The guy shook his head, eyes wide. ¡°I-I¡¯ve got to go.¡±

    With that, the guy took off, speeding around Heath and nearly knocking the camera guy over. What was that all about?

    ¡°Guess he really needed that bathroom,¡± Vanessamented. She¡¯d snuck in behind him and had her hands, palms down, on the counter they¡¯d set up to show how easy it was to create a space for interacting with prospects.

    Heath shrugged. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m watching things for a while.¡±

    He headed into the booth and looked around. There were big boxes stacked in the back that looked like they hadn¡¯t even been opened. What had this guy been doing?

    ¡°What¡¯s my role here?¡± Vanessa asked.

    Heath turned to look at her. That was right. He hadn¡¯t really talked this through with her. She and Josea had done a whole thing with her putting on this dress and spinning around in it. She was going with a very retro look today, with a bright red and white polka-dot dress. He had a feeling she would draw plenty of attention to their booth, as ssy and beautiful as she looked.

    She¡¯d draw them over, and he¡¯d win them with a sales pitch that would wow the cameras-and everyone who wouldter be watching what those cameras were capturing. He nodded. Yes, that was the n. He just needed tomunicate it with her.

    But Vanessa didn¡¯t wait for his answer. ¡°I¡¯m going to go draw people in. Text me if you need me.¡±

    She pulled her phone out of one of the pockets he didn¡¯t realize that dress had. She smiled, then turned and headed off down the row of booths.

    One of the photographers chased after her, but the other stayed with him.

    Where was she going?

    Shrugging to himself, he headed over to the back of the booth, where boxes had been left in big stacks. Whoever set this booth up was supposed to have opened these, removed their contents, and shoved the empty boxes into the space that had been hollowed out within the fake cabry. Instead, they¡¯d just left a mess.

    Yes, he¡¯d definitely have to talk to someone about this. He¡¯d specifically created the itinerary for this, and his people were supposed to make sure it was handled.

    Oh, wait. Maybe he was supposed to handle it.

    Heath straightened and pulled out his phone. It was on there, somewhere, in an email he¡¯d sent to his managers. But he wasn¡¯t really in charge of the people who would be here, including his alter ego, Mac. That was up to someone under his marketing manager, whom he barely knew.

    There it was. Pre-event. He was supposed to arrive and help Jeff set up. He assumed Jeff was the guy who¡¯d just taken off for a restroom or whatever. No wonder the guy was in a panic. Mac hadpletely ked out on his end of the deal.

    Well. Time to get to work. He rolled up his sleeves, literally, and ripped the tape off the first box. He was digging into the stacks of paper when he suddenly had the feeling he was being watched.

    The camera was directed at him.

    Telling himself most of this footage would never be used, Heath got to work. Maybe the footage would be used, though. Everyone loved to see a billionaire hit rock bottom, and to some, this would be the very picture of ¡°rock bottom.¡± But Heath had never shied away from hard work, even if it meant jumping in there and doing things himself. In fact, his control issues had him doing far too much, which may have been why he¡¯d gotten in trouble in the first ce. He¡¯d tried to start his app on his own, using an overseas development firm, instead of pulling in a team to work on it with him.

    Lesson learned¡­the hard way.

    ¡°You Mac Sutterfield?¡±

    The question, which came from a man standing on the other side of the counter that divided his booth from the hallway, startled Heath from his thoughts. The camera swiveled to point at him, which made the man take a step back.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Heath said, gesturing toward the camera guy. ¡°It¡¯s for a documentary my boss is doing. May I help you?¡±

    ¡°Vanessa sent me. I want to schedule a meeting with you.¡±

    Heath straightened fully. ¡°Vanessa.¡±

    The guy pointed off to his left, looking a little confused. ¡°Lady in a polka-dotted dress? She really knows her stuff. She said you have just the product disy I¡¯d need to show off my phone cases at Tulsa TechCon.¡±

    Heath grabbed one of the flyers from the box he was unpacking and rushed to meet the guy. Twenty minutester, they had a preliminary n in ce for Hardcastle Exhibits to help put together a booth for a conference three months away.

 Chapter 61

    The end of the meeting was rushed because someone else had shown up and, soon after, a group of people who had a booth around the way. All hade over after talking to Vanessa, who had somehow managed to show them prototypes of Heath¡¯s previous work. He assumed she¡¯d tracked down his website and was showing it all off on her phone.

    He didn¡¯t have time to give it much thought, to be honest. The camera guy even seemed to be getting bored with it all. Half an hour in, he started wandering around, shooting footage of other booths.

    As soon as he found himself alone again, Heath went out in search of Vanessa. The camera wasn¡¯t even on him. He enjoyed having a few minutes to walk around and breathe. But just when he was finally feeling at peace, he saw something that sent tension spiraling through his entire body.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Vanessa. Up ahead. Surrounded by men. Two of them were hanging on every word she said.

    Heath didn¡¯t like the feeling that shot through him at the sight. He felt the sudden urge to fight these two men, which made no sense. He wasn¡¯t a violent man. Never had been, never would be. There was only one word he coulde up with to describe what he was feeling.

    Jealousy.

    He skidded to a halt, not sure what to do about the scene ahead of him. It wasn¡¯t just Vanessa and a bunch of guys. There was a camera capturing the whole thing. If he walked up there and interrupted the conversation, he¡¯d look like a possessive¡­boss?

    Whatever it was, it wouldn¡¯t be the image he¡¯d want to portray on national TV. He was considering making a U-turn straight back for the booth when Vanessa suddenly spun around and shouted his name. Well, not his name. The name of his alter ego.

    ¡°Mac!¡±

    Suddenly, the camera and the crowd were facing in his direction. He wanted to duck into one of the nearby booths and maybe even hide under a table. Not that he minded attention-in fact, he¡¯d invited it when he agreed to do this show. But he felt particrly vulnerable right now since he¡¯d uncovered his own jealousy.

    But shying away from this wasn¡¯t the answer, either. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and gave Vanessa a nod.

    ¡°There are some people I want you to meet. This is Derek Hughes. He makes boats. This is my boss, Mac Sutterfield.¡±

    Derek Hughes. Was she kidding? No, she wasn¡¯t. The guy turned and looked right at Heath.

    Problem. Heath and Derek had met more than a few times. Derek was a big name around Silicon Valley, and his ¡°boats¡± were actually yachts. Heath had talked to him a few times about designing one for him, but right now, that seemed like a long-ago dream.

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Derek stepped forward, extending his hand for a shake.

    Heath returned the shake, but averted his gaze slightly, as though that could keep the man from looking at him. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he saw Derek assessing him.

    ¡°You look familiar,¡± Derek said. ¡°Have we met?¡±

    Heath was ready with an exnation if anyone mentioned his resemnce to the head of Hardcastle Enterprises. It wasn¡¯t like he was a celebrity or anything. In fact, the majority of the country had no idea what Hardcastle Enterprises even was. They operated in the background, serving big names like Derek Hughes. But Silicon Valley was a fairly small town, and business owners knew Heath, both by name and sight.

    The exnation, should he need it, was that he was Heath Hardcastle¡¯s cousin. He¡¯d been hired on as a favor. But he wanted to save that as an absolutest resort.

    ¡°I get that a lot,¡± Heath said. ¡°I think I just have one of those faces.¡±

    But Derek was still staring at him. Heath searched frantically for a way to quickly bring up something that would divert the guy¡¯s attention from whatever thought train he was on.

    ¡°Derek and I came up with a great idea,¡± Vanessa, who apparently was on a first-name basis with one of the wealthiest men in the country, said.

    Heath winced. He didn¡¯t know Derek all that well, but he definitely could be one of the types who was offended when someone he¡¯d just met referred to him by his first name.

    ¡°Your employee here knows her stuff.¡± Derek turned to look at Vanessa, who had stepped up to stand next to him. The second camera guy had suddenly caught up with them, and now there were two lenses on them.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to set up a yacht for this boat show he¡¯s doing in a few months.¡± Vanessa stood, hand on each hip, smiling up at Derek like he was her partner. ¡°We¡¯ll build a prototype of one of his yachts. On the trade show floor.¡±

    Oh, no. Vanessa had gone off the rails.

    Heath looked from Vanessa to Derek, a big smile on his face. ¡°There are restrictions, of course.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Derek pped him on the shoulder. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make it work. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡±

    Without further word, Derek turned and walked off. For a moment there, Heath would have sworn one of the camera guys was going to follow Derek, finding him more interesting than the person they were currently profiling. But the guy seemed to remember why he was here and turned the camera back on Heath and Vanessa.

    ¡°What exactly did you promise?¡± Heath asked Vanessa.

    Vanessa looked around at the men still standing nearby. They were talking among themselves now, seemingly not even noticing Heath and Vanessa were standing there. But her nervous nce at them reminded Heath they needed to stay in character.

    ¡°We can make it work.¡± Vanessa shrugged. ¡°Trust me.¡±

    Trust her. He¡¯d been doing this for long enough to know that Derek would want the moon and he¡¯d have to work hard to talk him down. But if he could manage it, he¡¯d have Derek Hughes as a client. And that would be huge for Hardcastle Enterprises, especially if it became a long-term thing.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I have some more clients to round up.¡± Vanessa shed Heath a big smile before turning and walking around the group of men still standing there. Both camera guys followed her.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Heath called out.

    One of the guys turned, saw him standing there, no camera on him, and turned back to follow Heath. He didn¡¯t look happy about it, though.

    Even the camera crew realized Vanessa was doing better at this than he was. He had to get on his game soon, or the entire point of going undercover as Mac Sutterfield would be lost.

 Chapter 62

    Vanessa¡¯s day was going perfectly.

    And then she saw her roommate.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Yes, her roommate would eventually find out that Vanessa was

    shooting a reality show with Heath Hardcastle. But Vanessa hadn¡¯t mentioned what she was doing to either of her roommates at this point, even though she and Brooke were friends. Brooke had been out of town since just before Vanessa left, so she hadn¡¯t felt the need to even say she¡¯d gotten a new gig.

    But there Brooke was, stationed at a very borate booth near the main doors to the convention hall. TravTech had somehow managed prime cement, which probably shouldn¡¯t be a surprise. Justin Travers was the golden boy of Silicon Valley right now.

    And Heath Hardcastle¡¯s archenemy, apparently.

    Vanessa backed up and headed toward the door to the far right-the one that would take her back to the safety of Heath¡¯s booth. But she¡¯d forgotten all about the cameras. The guy stayed where she¡¯d just been standing, zooming in on something. She assumed it was Brooke at her booth.

    Somehow, the cameraman managed to catch up with Vanessa just in time for her to arrive back at Heath¡¯s side. Heath was standing at the table in the center of the booth, eating a sandwich wrapped in tinfoil.

    ¡°No clients?¡± Heath asked, looking behind her as she entered.

    Really? He was putting expectations on her after all she¡¯d brought him that morning. She chose not to directly address that. ¡°Where did you get food?¡±

    He pointed to a paper sack next to him. ¡°They brought us two. This is lunch.¡±

    Eyes wide, Vanessa pulled her phone out of her dress pocket to check the time. That was the best thing about this retro-style big-skirted dress. Plenty of room to store things in the pockets without worrying about them showing in the skintight type of dress she¡¯d worn yesterday.

    ¡°We just eat here, standing up?¡± she asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s a green room somewhere around here.¡± He took another big bite of his sandwich, chewed, and swallowed before continuing. ¡°You can

    go if you want, but someone has to stay here.¡±

    ¡°Nope. If it¡¯s good enough for you, it¡¯s good enough for me.¡±

    She felt his eyes on her as she pulled the sandwich from the bag and unwrapped the foil around it. Turkey and veggies. Safe choice, she figured, although there were probably some vegetarian options for those who had signed up before thest minute, as they no doubt had.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say thank you.¡±

    Heath¡¯s words pulled her attention from her sandwich to his face. He was staring at her. Off to the left, she saw the camera guy move into ce. It would be nice to have just one conversation without cameras capturing it.

    Only after the thought traveled through her head did Vanessa realize how absurd it was. This was, after all, why she was here.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    Their gazes held for a long moment, and she felt a little flutter in her stomach. It wasn¡¯t even something she could control. Her body just naturally reacted to his stare. This was definitely going too far.

    ¡°I saw TravTech¡¯s booth,¡± she blurted, eager to cut through whatever was going on here. ¡°They¡¯re positioned by the main entrance.¡±

    Heath¡¯s jaw twitched as he wadded up his sandwich wrapper and tossed it into the paper sack. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure they were given their choice of locations.¡±

    It seemed odd that Heath treated TravTech like apetitor when they weren¡¯t even in the same industry. Heath seemed to me Brooke¡¯s boyfriend for all his troubles. But from what he¡¯d told her, Justin wasn¡¯t to me for this. Nobody was to me, really, aside from the developers who¡¯d ripped him off and put both their reputations at risk.

    Either way, this was about fixing all that. Reputation fixed, problem solved. What was the big deal?

    ¡°So¡­maybe you should just go for it.¡± Vanessa punctuated that statement by popping a potato chip into her mouth. As she chomped, she waited patiently for his answer. Patiently because he was just staring at her, not speaking.

    ¡°Go for what?¡± he finally asked.

    ¡°Go talk to Justin Travers, assuming he¡¯s here. If not, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll take a meeting with you. Hash it out. Make it clear you meant no harm, even though I¡¯m pretty sure he knows that already. You guys could work together to clear up your reputation. Problem solved.¡±

    Vanessa tried to make it sound like what she was saying was no big deal, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel as though she¡¯d just dropped a giant truth bomb on him. She didn¡¯t know him well enough to determine if that would make him mad or upset or whatever.

    Instead of responding, though, Heath looked at the camera that was somewhere above her left shoulder. That made the footage unusable, but they could edit that out. She wasn¡¯t worried about that as much as the fact that he seemed to be sending a message by deliberately directing his gaze that way. He didn¡¯t want what she¡¯d just said to air on TV. That was the message she received, anyway.

    ¡°Justin isn¡¯t here.¡± Heath walked toward the back corner and slid his trash into a wastebasket that had been discreetly tucked behind a Hardcastle

    Exhibits disy. ¡°I already checked.¡±

    He¡¯d checked to make sure Justin wasn¡¯t at the trade show. Interesting. He really had homed in on the guy. Vanessa decided to table the issue for now.

    ¡°About Derek Hughes,¡± she said. ¡°I have some ideas.¡±

    She hadn¡¯t had much time to work on it, but while talking to Derek, she¡¯d gone through the photos of his yachts on his website. She was no pro in this field, but Heath was. He could take a look at the pictures ande up with something.

    ¡°All the photos on the site are of the outside of yachts, but the inside is what it¡¯s all about.¡± Vanessa stepped over to stand next to him so he could see her phone screen. She immediately realized her mistake, but she couldn¡¯t correct it. Not without being obvious. So, she stood next to him, trying to ignore this strange maic pull that seemed to exist between them. It was as though every cell in her body was being drawn toward him.

    ¡°The inside?¡± he asked.

    Was it his imagination, or did his voice sound a bit shaky? Like he was having a hard time being this close to her, too.

    No, that had to be her imagination.

    She used his question as a chance to step back and look at him. ¡°Think of what people really want to see on a yacht. Has nothing to do with the outside. You¡¯ve seen one big boat, you¡¯ve seen them all. It¡¯s the jacuzzi on the deck and the big-screen TV in the living area and the amazing dining area with a view of the ocean.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the point of a yacht. A view of the ocean.¡±

    Vanessa rolled her eyes. ¡°I know that. My point is that if you want to really convince people to buy a yacht, you need to set up a disy that shows how amazing it is.¡±

    Heath stared at her, eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you understand the market for yacht buyers. They don¡¯t really go to trade shows like this one.¡±

    ¡°Derek¡¯s disy will be at the national boat show.¡±

    ¡°Even so. Billionaires don¡¯t go to yacht shows.¡±

    Okay, now he was making a pretty solid point. Derek had mentioned he was attending a boat show, and that he¡¯d had a booth there. She¡¯d talked him into really amping up his booth game. But when she really thought about it, it didn¡¯t make much sense that Derek¡¯spany would be trying to drum up business at some regr boat show.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a bunch of looky-loos, won¡¯t it?¡± Vanessa asked, feeling a little sick.

    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m sure Derek knows that, deep down. But he loves the boost something like that gives. His booth will be the star of the show, and he¡¯ll pay a fortune for it, but it won¡¯t trante to buyers. It will be a bunch of people dreaming of what they¡¯d buy if only they somehow stumbled upon a ridiculous amount of money. It¡¯s an ego stroke. I¡¯m not in the business of stroking egos.¡±

    Vanessa narrowed her eyes at him. Was he negating the work she¡¯d done that morning? And, if so, was she fine with it?

    Yes, she was. Because, like him, she wasn¡¯t in the business of stroking egos. If Derek Hughes was going to invest money into a booth for some trade show, she wanted that to trante to earnings for him, not fame. She needed to sell something useful, not sell for the sake of selling.

    ¡°So, what can we do for Derek Hughes?¡± Vanessa asked, feeling a little sick to her stomach.

    ¡°Derek knows, as much as we do, that this boat show he¡¯s doing is just forworking. Maybe meeting some suppliers and other vendors. Making connections in the industry. It has very little to do with consumers. So, the goal is to set up a booth that will win over suppliers, not be flooded with people looking for a fifty-thousand-dor fishing boat.¡±

    Vanessa nodded. All of this made perfect sense. And the camera was capturing every second. ¡°So, what I need to do is consider the market when

    I¡¯m pitching booth setups. Got it. I¡¯ll send some more clients your way.¡±

    She spun on one ballet t to wander off in search of someone who looked like they might need Heath¡¯s services. Vanessa was determined, no matter what, to send so many potential clients over, Heath wouldn¡¯t know what had hit him.

    It only urred to her after she walked away that she was supposed to be doing this for the cameras, not Heath.

 Chapter 63

    Heath was so busy, he didn¡¯t even notice the exhibition hall was closing down around him until Vanessa returned. She was standing to the left of the person he¡¯d been working with for the past twenty minutes. Together, he and his potential new client were drawing up a n for a booth for an event happening in Silicon Valley in just a few weeks.

    ¡°Hi again,¡± Vanessa said when the man-owner of a startup providing online legal services to small businesses-noticed her standing there. The guy lit up at the sight of Vanessa.

    There it was. That twinge of jealousy again. It was ridiculous. The goal was to turn his business around and get good publicity for Hardcastle Enterprises. It wasn¡¯t to worry about the attention Vanessa Gilbert was getting from the men around here.

    Heath and his maybe-new client set a date for a future meeting, then the guy wandered off, leaving Heath alone with Vanessa. It was only then that he realized the night stretched ahead of them.

    But Vanessa had other ns for that night. ¡°We have to be at the cocktail reception in ten minutes. No time to change. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Heath didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Who said I was going to the cocktail reception?¡±

    She stared at him as though trying to determine what species he was exactly. ¡°I did. It¡¯s good for¡­¡±

    Her eyes told the rest of the story. She looked pointedly at the camera positioned not so discreetly to the left of her. It would be good for the show.

    Heath knew what she was saying was right. And they were here for one reason: the show. It was just that he wasn¡¯t used to being around people this much, especially not with a camera capturing it all. He could use a solid half hour in a closed room with nothing but his phone andptop to keep himpany.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fun. Trust me.¡±

    With that, Vanessa reached out and took his hand, tugging him in the general direction of the exit. He looked around at the booth, quickly checking to make sure there wasn¡¯t something he needed to put away. He assumed nobody would be wandering around in here, searching for something to steal, but it looked like there was nothing here for them to steal if they did.

    ¡°Should I change?¡± Heath rushed to keep up with Vanessa, who was walking at an incredibly quick pace. The guys with the cameras seemed to equally be having trouble, especially the one trying to walk backward.

    Vanessa moved quickly when she was runningte.

    Without missing a single step, she looked over at him. ¡°Change?¡±

    ¡°Clothes.¡± As if that wasn¡¯t obvious. He looked down at what he was wearing-khaki pants and a golf shirt. His Mac Sutterfield uniform. ¡°Typically, for a cocktail party-¡±

    ¡°Mac Sutterfield wouldn¡¯t dress up for a cocktail party. Mac Sutterfield wouldn¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    Heath narrowed his eyes at her. Why was she referring to his alter ego like she knew him¡­and he didn¡¯t?

    ¡°I¡¯ve done an entire character profile on him.¡± Vanessa took a hallway to the right. Up ahead, there were some other people walking. As it looked like they might catch up to them, she slowed up a little. ¡°It¡¯s an acting thing. You flesh out as many details as you can on your character, even if those things are never mentioned in the work you do. It brings depth to your acting.¡±

    The camera guy walking backward flipped around, lowering the camera. He took a deep breath before starting to capture footage of the view in front of them.

    Yeah, Heath had just been thinking that Vanessa¡¯s talk about acting had rendered this conversation unusable for the show. She wasn¡¯t supposed to discuss the fact that they were ying roles here.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done trade shows before,¡± Vanessa suddenly said. ¡°This can¡¯t be new to you.¡±

    Her words threw him off a little. Yes, he¡¯d spent arge part of the past few years traveling around to various trade shows. He¡¯d certainly done his fair share of schmoozing over the years. It was just that, normally, he was booked solid by the time he arrived. He might meet up with a few colleagues at the cocktail party, but it would only be to have a drink or two before heading to dinner.

    In other words, he and his colleagues didn¡¯t typicallywork with the Mac Sutterfields of the world.

    Instead of directly responding to what he¡¯d said, Heath chose to turn it on her. ¡°You¡¯ve done this before? Cocktail parties at a trade show?¡±

    ¡°Networking events.¡± Even as she spoke, though, Vanessa¡¯s attention was focused on the people ahead of them, who had formed a line outside the door. Someone was walking around, checking badges. As if anyone would try to sneak into an event where the discussion revolved around tech gadgets and apps.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll follow your lead then,¡± hemented.

    She looked at him, her face scrunched up in confusion. But someone opened all four doors at the front of the line, and it immediately started moving. He definitely had missed this part of things by showing up after everyone else flooded in. This looked like the gates had opened at a big football game.

    Once inside, Vanessa began enthusiastically chatting with a guy standing off to the side by himself. Heath stood back, thinking about his alter ego. Yes, Heath Hardcastle would take charge of the situation, jumping right into the conversation at the first opening. Not Mac Sutterfield, though. Mac Sutterfield bided his time, watching Vanessa work and waiting for the chance to close the deal.

    Okay, so maybe he and Mac Sutterfield weren¡¯t all that different. They were both born salespeople. But Mac wouldck Heath¡¯s bold confidence. He¡¯d be new to this, havinge from a job selling tech somewhere else.

    ¡°This is my colleague, Mac Sutterfield.¡± Vanessa suddenly turned toward Heath, making him all too aware of the fact that he¡¯d zoned out for a minute or two there. ¡°We¡¯re with Hardcastle Exhibits. Heard of them?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, as a matter of fact, I have. That¡¯s thepany with the owner who goes around ripping off other people¡¯s hard work.¡±

    Vanessa turned to look at Heath. At the same time, both cameras swiveled in his direction. Once again, all the attention was on him, waiting for his reaction. And his immediate impulse was tosh out at this guy who thought he knew it all.

    Reel it in, buddy. Reel it in.

    Heath took a deep breath and waited for his temper to cool a little. Mac Sutterfield. He was Mac Sutterfield. And Mac Sutterfield would defend his new boss, but he wouldn¡¯t be nearly as passionate about it as Heath.

    ¡°Actually, that was this app development firm a bunch of techpanies used. Hardcastle Enterprises fired them and canceled the app as soon as they found out about it.¡±

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t hear that. Are you sure?¡±

    The man had the audacity to look like he didn¡¯t believe Heath. Heath, who knew more about this than anyone except maybe Justin Travers. But Travers was Silicon Valley¡¯s golden boy at the moment, which meant everyone was rushing to paint Heath Hardcastle as the bad guy, even if they didn¡¯t fully understand why.

    ¡°Look it up.¡± Heath shrugged, hoping that by doing so he would give the impression he was indifferent. ¡°They¡¯re still in business, so if you ever outsource any of your development work, you¡¯ll need to be careful yourself.¡±

    The manughed. ¡°I thoroughly vet every person who works for me. No way am I getting bamboozled by some scam artist.¡±

    In saying that, the guy was implying that Hardcastle Enterprises-and every otherpany that had fallen victim to the scammers-was somehow lesser than him. Heath did not like this guy.

    Control.

    Heath breathed in deeply, doing his best to slow his heart rate. He had to focus on what was important here, and it wasn¡¯t getting the better of this person, whoever he was. The cameras were on Heath, and the guys behind those cameras were no doubt waiting for him to start a scene. But this reality show was about fixing his reputation.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯d love to talk to you about that.¡± Heath smiled, doing his best to look like the newbie who had stars in his eyes about meeting someone sessful. ¡°I hope to start my own business someday, and it would be great to get some of your thoughts about how to protect myself in these situations. Maybe we could meet up and discuss it after all this is over?¡±

    Truth be told, he had no idea how the offer would go over with this guy. For all he knew, the guy would be offended that Heath was still trying to sell him. But instead, his face lit up and he started nodding.

    ¡°Sounds good. Here¡¯s my card.¡± The guy reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a business card, and handed it over. ¡°You have a good one here. She deserves a raise.¡±

    Thatst part was directed at Vanessa, who was still standing there, watching everything withoutment. Heath had done all the talking, but somehow, Vanessa was the star of this show. Even when she didn¡¯t talk, she was a better salesperson than he was, apparently.

    ¡°That guy had some nerve,¡± Vanessamented as they walked farther into the room.

    Heath looked over at her, eyes wide. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Talking about Hardcastle Enterprises like that to one of their employees? Who does that? Seriously.¡±

    Someone was on his side. It had been a while since he¡¯d felt that. Sure, his management team had taken his side, but that was no surprise. They were paid to do that.

    He frowned at that thought. Vanessa was on the payroll, too, technically. Not his payroll, but the show was paying her for her work in helping him out. So why did her support feel so different?

    Because he legitimately felt as though she was on his side.

    ¡°Crud!¡± Vanessa skidded to an abrupt halt, jerking Heath from his thoughts. She was staring at something up ahead. He followed her gaze and saw an attractive redhead standing just a few feet away.

    She wasn¡¯t a few feet away for long, though. Vanessa had kicked it into reverse, leaving Heath standing there alone, staring at some redhead who was looking around like she was just waiting for a friendly face. He quickly turned, before she could catch him trying to puzzle out what was happening here, and searched the immediate area for Vanessa.

    The good news was, she hadn¡¯t made it very far. She was maneuvering through the crowd, catching stares from pretty much everyone she passed. He hurried to catch up with her, struggling to make it seem as though he wasn¡¯t in any sort of hurry. Both cameras were rushing to keep up with him. ¡°Hold up!¡± Heath called out as Vanessa pushed through a side door that led straight outside. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    The exit dumped them right out onto a patio that had heaters set up all around. It was obviously designed for partiers who wanted to bring the celebration outside, but there was a chill in the air that no doubt scared everyone off. That meant they had the entire patio alone. Well, aside from the two men holding cameras who were all up in their business. ¡°TravTech. TravTech was in there.¡± What? How had Heath missed that?

    ¡°Where? You saw Justin Travers?¡±

    Vanessa shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the woman who¡¯s handling his booth. She¡¯s¡­she¡¯s my roommate.¡±

    Whoa. He struggled to piece together what she was saying. This could make sense. Maybe her roommate was a promotional model for real, and she was helping with the TravTech booth. If so, though, why would Vanessa run away when she saw her?

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m helping you.¡± Vanessa paced back and forth, her skirt billowing as she walked. ¡°I haven¡¯t told her yet.¡±

    Heath shrugged. ¡°No big deal. What? You think she¡¯ll be mad that you¡¯re working with me?¡±

    That brought a look to her face that told him, without a doubt, there was more to the story. Whatever it was, she wasn¡¯t eager to tell him about it.

    He took a deep breath. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s hear it.¡±

    ¡°My roommate is dating Justin Travers.¡±

    Heath frowned, not sure what to make of this news. How long had Vanessa been aware of this? Had she been deceiving him all along?

    ¡°The redhead is your roommate, I assume,¡± he finally said.

    Vanessa¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You saw her?¡±

    ¡°You took off. I was curious what the big deal was. So that redhead is Justin Travers¡¯s girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s pretty serious. I don¡¯t know much about him, businesswise. She just talks about the personal stuff. I didn¡¯t realize you and Justin had an issue until I¡¯d already agreed to do the show.¡±

    He could tell she was sincere. She really hadn¡¯t known.

    Heath crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°You were hired to y a role. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re personally cheering me on or anything. You don¡¯t even work for mypany. You¡¯re being paid by the production crew.¡±

    She was staring off to the side, seemingly lost in thought. He wondered if that meant this was making sense.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m hesitant to let her know, to be honest.¡± Vanessa looked up at him then, and he felt a tug at his heart when he saw the earnest, worried look on her face. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have many friends in town. Okay, I have zero friends besides Brooke and my new roommate, Alyssa. She gave me a ce to stay and a shoulder when I needed it. This just¡­well, it feels like a betrayal.¡±

    The cameras were capturing every second of this, and Heath suddenly wanted them to go away. This was a private moment. She was opening up to him. He had a feeling she¡¯d forgotten all about the fact that every second of this could end up on a national TV show.

    After a quick nce around, Heath leaned over and whispered so only she could hear, ¡°Come on.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Vanessa looked around, startled, even ncing directly at the cameraman behind her.

    But Heath didn¡¯t wait. He reached out and grabbed her hand, then ran back toward the building, opening the door and staying at a run all the way back to the elevators.

 Chapter 64

    Vanessa had no idea what Heath was doing. Somehow, they were at the elevator, but that wasn¡¯t good enough. Heath nervously looked around, then gestured for her to follow. He wasn¡¯t holding her hand anymore, which was a bummer. But he didn¡¯t have to pull her along with him. Maybe he¡¯d figured that much out. She was too curious to stop running now.

    Before she could ask what was happening for the third time, they were in the stairwell, running up the stairs. Surely, he wasn¡¯t running to his room. Not only was that way too far up, but she¡¯d bet her day¡¯s earnings for this gig that the door up there was locked to anyoneing up the stairs.

    What wasn¡¯t locked, though, was the door to her floor, which was only the fourth. She knew, before he even got there, where he was going. He jerked the door open and gestured for her to go through first, looking behind him for the camera guys.

    They were long lost. That was what he¡¯d been up to. She realized that as she headed-walking-down the hallway to her room. His goal was to get her to her room? Should she be worried?

    No. That wasn¡¯t what this was about at all. He¡¯d kept this strictly professional. In fact, she could use a little less ¡°professional.¡± Every time she looked at him today, she¡¯d found herself imagining what it would be like to kiss him.

    This was about running from the cameras for some reason. If she had to make a guess as to why, she¡¯d say it was for the fun of it. But that made no sense, either. He was the one who¡¯d signed up for this TV show.

    She stopped in front of her door, waiting for him. Like her, he¡¯d slowed down once they exited the stairwell. ¡°Do you want to tell me what all that was about?¡± she asked as he approached.

    ¡°Inside.¡± He nodded toward the door. ¡°They could catch up with us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances. Why should I want to run from them?¡±

    ¡°I just need a minute without cameras on us. Is that too much to ask?¡±

    Vanessa studied him for a long moment. There was something about this that appealed to her own sense of adventure. So, she pulled her keycard out of her right pocket and opened the door.

    That was when she remembered the fact that her room looked like a hurricane had blown through. She¡¯d been so exhausted the night before, she¡¯d just pulled things out of her suitcase and spread them out across the dresser. Then, that morning, she¡¯d had to get everything together while Heath waited outside the door in the hallway.

    ¡°Sorry for the mess.¡±

    Her apology was a waste, though. He¡¯d stopped at the door, closing it behind him and leaning against it. That stance told her he wasn¡¯t going anywhere anytime soon. No point in even inviting him into the room.

    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± She stepped back toward him, feeling as though she was missing something. He¡¯d said he needed a moment without the cameras, but did that mean without her, too? If so, couldn¡¯t he do this in his own room?

    He nodded and looked at her. ¡°What you were telling me earlier. Did you really want that aired on the show?¡±

    Initially, Vanessa wasn¡¯t sure what he meant. What she told him earlier? About Brooke not knowing that she was working for the enemy? Or¡­

    Oh. That. She had admitted on camera that Brooke was her only friend. Did she want that to air on national TV? She wasn¡¯t sure.

    He was watching her-studying her. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know how these shows work. You have more experience with them than I do. But now that you¡¯ve dropped that little Brooke nugget, production is going to push you in Brooke¡¯s direction. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they aren¡¯t chasing her down with a production release for her to sign tomorrow morning.¡±

    That was absolutely absurd. Reality shows didn¡¯t have to beg people to participate. Her agent could send over dozens of people for consideration in a matter of hours.

    But they wouldn¡¯t be authentic.

    ¡°Justin isn¡¯t here, so Brooke would be the next big thing.¡± Vanessa was mostly speaking to herself as his message finally sunk in. ¡°I don¡¯t want to pull Brooke into this.¡±

    ¡°And I don¡¯t want her in this, either. This isn¡¯t about TravTech. We¡¯ve all heard enough about Justin Travers by now. This is about me.¡±

    Vanessa realized toote that her face had scrunched up into an expression she didn¡¯t want it to have. But she couldn¡¯t help it. Did he even realize how he sounded right now?

    Instead of getting mad, though, Heath seemed to see himself as she was seeing him. ¡°That sounds a little childish, doesn¡¯t it? Crap. I don¡¯t mean to be petty. This really isn¡¯t me.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, though, running wasn¡¯t about Justin Travers.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­the cameras sometimes¡­¡±

    Oh, yeah. She got that part of it. She¡¯d been waiting all her life for the moment she could be in front of cameras, and it was even wearing on her after a few hours. You never realized just how unnerving it was to have a camera pointed at you every single second until you were right in the middle of taping a reality show.

    For someone like Heath, who had an agenda that had nothing to do with bing a celebrity, she could imagine it would be nothing short of overwhelming after a while. And even she could feel the relief that had washed over her without the cameras trained on them.

    ¡°I have an idea,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s go to your suite and order room service.¡±

    Heughed, stepping away from the door. ¡°The camera crew will head straight up there.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh. Don¡¯t those guys ever take a break?¡±

    She knew the answer to that. Shoots could be ridiculously long for crew members, whether it was a reality show or a film production. They were usually long for actors and other talent, too, but at least they could rx between takes.

    Or run from the crew and hide out.

    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Heath said with a mischievous gleam in his eye. He gestured for her to follow him, although what she¡¯d really like to do was dig through her bags to see if she maybe could change into something somewhatfortable. Instead, she followed him somewhere that was not his ptial suite, pretty much limping in her ballet ts as her aching feet finally began transmitting pain signals to her brain.

    Unfortunately, the elevator still wasn¡¯t an option. He headed straight for the stairs, stopping at every corner to look around it, spy-style. Vanessa, meanwhile, was trying not to giggle at the sight of a mega-rich corporate CEO behaving like a twelve-year-old hiding from his parents.

    It was these little glimpses of the real Heath Hardcastle that made her like him more.

    The stairwell was, thankfully, empty as they started down the steps. But that didn¡¯t stop Heath from leaning over the railing to peek down each time they reached a new floor. If anyone was anywhere in this stairwell, she was pretty sure they¡¯d hear something, as echoey as this ce was.

    Spy behavior really kicked into gear when he arrived at the bottom. He peeked out, looked both ways, then gestured for her to follow.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she whispered as they navigated a long hallway.

    ¡°Trust me.¡±

    Trust him. Surprisingly, she did. Most of all, though, she realized she felt like she was alone with him for the first time ever. They weren¡¯t alone alone, actually, and there was a very good chance they could end up being spotted. All it would take would be for the camera crew to stop at the front desk and ask if they¡¯d seen the billionaire and promotional model they¡¯d been following around all day, and they¡¯d have cameras on them once again.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    But for now, she was going to enjoy this.

    The hotel restaurant was down a long hallway and off to the right. Or maybe there was an easier way to get here from the front desk and this route was part of their great escape. Either way, she found herself standing behind Heath at a podium, speaking to a woman about her age who seemed to gopletely haywire at the sight of him.

    Yeah, Vanessa knew the feeling.

    ¡°Could we have the back room?¡± he asked.

    The woman behind the podium nodded and grabbed two menus. She spun and led them past tables filled with people. Vanessa kept her gaze fixed on the woman¡¯s back, going by the foolish logic that if she didn¡¯t look at people, they couldn¡¯t see her.

    ¡°Do you think anyone saw us?¡± Vanessa whispered as soon as they were seated.

    Heath stared at her. ¡°Who knows who we are?¡±

    Oh. Good point. It wasn¡¯t like they were celebrities or anything.

    She thought about that for a moment before speaking. ¡°Most of the people in this hotel are here for the conference, right? I just assumed you might be recognized, at least. It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t gotten attention for having a camera crew follow us around all day.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances. If the camera peoplee looking for us, the hostess will point them in our direction, anyway.¡±

 Chapter 65

    Another good point. Vanessa decided to rx and focus on the menu. She hadn¡¯t realized how hungry she was until she was considering what she might eat.

    A burger was what she really wanted. A big, juicy cheeseburger with fries. But the sodium content on that, not to mention the bulk the food would add, probably wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. She had no idea what Josea had sent for her to wear tomorrow. The sucky thing about being on camera was that it always seemed to emphasize her every w.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the grilled chicken sd, no croutons,¡± she said when the server came by to take her order. She pped the menu shut and handed it over before she could slip up and add some bacon bits in there or something.

    Heath ordered one of the more expensive items and handed over the menu to the server. He made noment about Vanessa¡¯s order, even as she was worrying that he¡¯d think she¡¯d ordered something inexpensive-at leastpared to his order-just to save money.

    ¡°Tell me something about you.¡±

    The question, spoken as Heath stared intently at her, threw her off a little. She hadn¡¯t realized until that moment just how much not having cameras around changed the dynamic between them. There was no hidden agenda in him asking her this. He wasn¡¯t helping her to flesh out her backstory or be more likable to audiences. He legitimately wanted to know about her.

    ¡°What do you want to know?¡±

    She was dying. She was aware of that. But she wasn¡¯t sure what part of herself she wanted to carefully curate for him.

    ¡°Why did you want to be on a reality show?¡± he asked.

    Wow. Straight to the heart of things. She would have a hard time sugarcoating that part of her story.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to be an actress.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I see it as a stepping-stone.¡±

    ¡°Do reality show stars typically go into movies and stuff afterward?¡± He genuinely looked confused, so she didn¡¯t take offense to thement, despite the fact it was literally what everyone had told her since she went on her first reality show casting call. That list of people included her agent, who had strongly suggested she choose one or the other.

    ¡°It¡¯s happened before,¡± she finally answered. ¡°But there are other options. If you be a fan favorite, you can do all kinds of things. You don¡¯t have to be cast in a Hollywood production to be a star now. You can build a social media following, do your own stuff, act in independent films

    -¡±

    He held up a hand, looking off to the side as if trying to process what she was saying. ¡°You said something there. Do you want to be a star, or do you want to be an actor? Because they¡¯re two different things.¡±

    She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again when she had no argument for that. There were most definitely people she¡¯d met who truly loved acting. She¡¯d taken acting sses alongside them. It wasn¡¯t that they were better than she was at it-they just were more likely to steal scenes by being outstanding at their craft. She was the one Hollywood tended to cast in the same role, over and over. The beautiful, but t, character who mostly stood alongside the hunky main male character.

    ¡°I want to perform.¡±

    As soon as she said the words, she realized they were a revtion, even to herself. That described it best. It wasn¡¯t that she wanted people to chase after her in airports or set up entire forums online dedicated to trashing her. Nobody enjoyed that part of it-at least nobody she¡¯d ever met in the business. She was like many of them in that she just wanted people to watch her. Listen to her. Notice she existed.

    It was something that had eluded her throughout her life.

    But she couldn¡¯t tell Heath any of that. She had to carefully craft her personality for him, showing him only what she wanted him to see. So, instead, she gracefully shifted the conversation to him.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    The server arrived with their drinks, giving him an excuse to dy. When they were alone again, he answered. ¡°Quiet.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the answer she¡¯d expected. She set her ss down and folded her hands in herp. ¡°Quiet?¡±

    He nodded, staring directly at her. ¡°I just want to go back to running my business, not really being talked about. Like it was before. I prefer to operate in the background.¡±

    The fact that what he wanted waspletely opposite of her own wishes didn¡¯t escape her attention. It would have been amusing if not for the fact that his stare made her feel all warm inside.

    Quickly, she shifted the conversation to work-his work, not hers. By the time the food arrived, he was enthusiastically telling her about his next project, which was a concierge service for businesses participating in trade shows like this one. She actually enjoyed listening to him talk, mainly because he obviously really cared about his work. Plus, it kept the focus off her.

    ¡°I think the coast is clear now,¡± Heath said a full half hourter as they exited the restaurant and entered the hallway they¡¯d snuck down earlier. She had found herself dreading the end of dinner as she longed for more time with him.

    ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Vanessa looked down the long expanse of the hallway. There didn¡¯t seem to be signs of life, but she didn¡¯t trust it. ¡°They could be waiting in the lobby, cameras pointed right at us when we emerge.¡±

    Without warning, he took a sharp left turn. It took her a second to realize he wasn¡¯t still walking alongside her. She doubled back and saw him waiting at the start of a hallway. ¡°Where does this lead?¡± she asked.

    They were walking at a pretty rapid pace. He seemed to know where he was going, even though it was aplete mystery to her.

    ¡°Second elevator.¡± He slowed to a stop and pointed. Sure enough, there was an elevator. He reached over and pressed the up button. ¡°I took it when I came down to ask to change roomsst night.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you handy?¡± She smiled over at him, then turned to watch the digital readout tick down the numbers. At the same time, it ticked down the minutes she would remain in hispany.

    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you to your door,¡± he said as they stepped into the elevator. ¡°You know, I have to make sure there are no cameramen lurking in the hallway up there.¡±

    The doors slid closed, and the elevator started climbing. Her heart rate sped up at the thought of Heath walking her to her door. Like this was an actual date. What if he tried to kiss her goodnight?

    Try, nothing. He wouldn¡¯t have to try. If he kissed her, she¡¯d kiss him right back. It probably wouldn¡¯t be the wisest move for her career, but her attraction to him was overruling her professionalism right now. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like he was her real boss. That part of this was pretend.

    Her attraction to him was all too real.

    Neither of them spoke as they stepped out of the elevator on her floor and started toward her room. It felt like a far longer walk than it had been before. She found that strange. But with the way her heart threatened to pound out of her chest, it wasn¡¯t surprising.

    ¡°Thank you for dinner,¡± shemented as they arrived at her door and she spun to face him.

    That was when she saw the way he was looking at her. Staring down at her with that intense gaze he seemed to havetely. Was it attraction? Did she dare assume?

    Did she dare initiate a kiss?

    ¡°Make sure your key works.¡±

    Hisment was so unexpected, it took her a few seconds to process it. She realized she was just standing there, staring up at him, when she should be withdrawing her keycard from her pocket.

    ¡°Oh, yes, I should do that.¡± Hoping he wouldn¡¯t notice her hand was shaking, she grabbed her keycard and inserted it into the slot on the doorknob. A beep and click confirmed it worked. She turned back to him as she pushed down on the lever and slid the door open.

    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± With those three words, he turned and walked back toward the elevator. The perfect gentleman. So why was she so disappointed that he hadn¡¯t at least tried to kiss her?

 Chapter 66

    Heath couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Vanessa.

    She¡¯d stayed on his mind all night as he tossed and turned and waited for his bedside clock to tell him it was time to get up. Thoughts of her had haunted him as he¡¯d gotten out of bed and put on the nd clothes Josea had given him to wear on the second full day of the trade show. And now, as he watched Vanessa sip her coffee while listening to Josea describe her look for the day, it was impossible to deny his attraction to her.

    Which was ridiculous. She¡¯d establishedst night she stood for everything he was against. Fame for the sake of fame, the pursuit of attention, and the shallowness that existed just a few hours down the coastline from where he lived.

    Yet something just didn¡¯t fit with Vanessa. She had depth. They¡¯d spent a full half hour discussing politics, technology, and his ideas for new businesses. It was almost impossible to reconcile this person who imed to be fixated on fame with the Vanessa Gilbert he saw otherwise.

    And all only contributed to his growing fascination with her.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little tight.¡± Vanessa spun around, showing off the fit of the skirt she was wearing. What she had going on today, though, was a very professional look. She wore a knee-length ck skirt with a white buttondown blouse. There was something ssy about the look Josea had given her, and Heath appreciated it.

    In fact, he couldn¡¯t seem to stop appreciating it.

    ¡°Sit,¡± Josea ordered, indicating the seat Heath was still in. Talk about awkward.

    ¡°If you¡¯re finished with me, I¡¯ll go on down to the exhibit hall.¡± Heath stood, walked over to the mirror and took a quick look, and tried to cement in his mind that he was now Mac Sutterfield, not Heath Hardcastle. Not an easy thing to remember.

    ¡°See you down there,¡± Vanessa called after him.

    Heath winced, heading to the elevator, and realized he wasn¡¯t really all that excited about going down there alone. Which was silly, considering he¡¯d spent most of yesterday in the booth by himself. He might not even realize it when she finally did show up since she¡¯d be wandering the floor.

    As he neared his booth, he didn¡¯t see the person standing in front of it. His attention was fully focused on his screen as he rushed to respond to an urgent client request. But the big camera was hard not to see. He caught it out of the corner of his eye as he approached.

    The camera guy had set it up on a tripod today, maybe as a way to rest. He was standing, staring at Heath. Oh, yeah. He and Vanessa had ditched him the previous night. Heath had forgotten all about the fact that he¡¯d have to eventually face the two guys today.

    ¡°Sorry, man,¡± Heath said with a shrug. ¡°I just needed a timeout.¡±

    The guy shook his head. ¡°Whatever. Just pretend I¡¯m not here.¡±

    He was a man of few words. Not just him, but the other guy as well. Heath wondered if maybe that was part of the job. The two of them were supposed to blend into the background, capturing the action. Seen and not heard. Heath could totally respect that.

    Shrugging the whole thing off, Heath headed into the booth, finishing the email he¡¯d been sending. Nothing interesting to capture here. He was just going to stand here until someone came up, then give his best sales pitch and hope it was interesting for the cameras.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    Maybe he¡¯d spoken too soon. At the sound of a woman¡¯s voice, Heath looked up from his screen. It was the woman fromst night-the one that Vanessa had said was dating Justin Travers. Also known as Vanessa¡¯s roommate.

    ¡°Hi.¡± He pocketed his phone and stepped forward to greet her. He had no idea why she was here, but he figured he¡¯d better be polite. ¡°Mac Sutterfield, Hardcastle Exhibits.¡±

    He held out his hand for a handshake, just as he had for every person who had approached his booth yesterday. If he could keep this professional, he¡¯d stay safe. She wouldn¡¯t figure out he was actually the person who¡¯d been used of stealing her boyfriend¡¯s app code.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± The word was apanied by a slight tilt of her head and a frown. She was studying him. Not a good thing. ¡°I¡¯m with TravTech. Brooke Alexander.¡±

    He had a strange moment where he wanted to impress her. Not because she was dating and working for the person he was trying to one-up. That had nothing to do with it. He wanted to impress her because she was Vanessa¡¯s roommate and closest friend. Strange reaction, but okay.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. How can I help you today?¡±

    She was still studying him, and it was making him doubt his decision to pretend he had no idea what was going on between TravTech and Hardcastle Enterprises. It wasn¡¯t too much of a stretch. He figured a new sales team member like Mac Sutterfield would have no idea what was going on at the top. He¡¯d just care that his paychecks didn¡¯t bounce.

    ¡°Your boss is focusing on exhibit stuff now, I assume?¡± Brooke asked.

    Suddenly, he saw the agenda behind this friendly visit. She wanted to dig for information on his boss.

    ¡°My boss?¡± He forced himself to stay in character, furrowing his brow in confusion. ¡°I was hired by a guy named Steve. I met with him and a few others once, but I don¡¯t really know what the focus of Hardcastle Enterprises is. I just know I was hired for Hardcastle Exhibits. Does that make sense?¡±

    Toote, he realized he might not have sounded professional when he said that. He had a chip on his shoulder, and there was really no reason for it-not as Mac Sutterfield. His voice needed to match what he was saying. He didn¡¯t work for Heath Hardcastle and didn¡¯t even know him.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the story with the cameras?¡± She pointed to the camera that was next to her, tripod and all, and was no doubt capturing every word of this conversation.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to acknowledge them. They can¡¯t use any footage if you do.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t we have to sign a release for you to use it, anyway?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a sign on the main doors,¡± the camera guy said in answer to her question.

    Heath raised his eyebrows. Camera Dude was getting feisty. He kind of liked it.

    ¡°One of those ¡®If you enter this area, you could be captured on camera and entering is your consent¡¯ signs?¡± she asked. ¡°I see.¡±

    Heath decided to answer her original question. ¡°They¡¯re doing a documentary on the tech industry. They¡¯re following us this week, but it¡¯ll be someone else next week.¡±

    That was the fake story the production director had told him to go with if he was questioned about the crew following him around. He had practiced it enough that he was pretty sure he sounded convincing.

    Her eyes widened, indicating he¡¯d seeded. ¡°Hmm. Maybe I should talk to my boss. I think he¡¯d love to be a part of something like this.¡±

    Really? Knowing what she knew about the situation, she was suggesting putting Justin on the same documentary. He wanted to tell her it wasn¡¯t a documentary about a guy finding out his code had been stolen and doing absolutely nothing to clear up that it was an overseas team, not a colleague. If they¡¯d wanted a documentary like that, they would have said so.

    But, of course, he said none of that. He was Mac Sutterfield, not Heath Hardcastle. He shrugged.

    ¡°They don¡¯t seem to be following the head guys around.¡± Heath held his hands out, indicating he was the prime example of what he was saying. ¡°They¡¯d be more likely to follow you around, or so it seems. They want the people who actually do the work, if you know what I mean.¡±

    He gave her a conspiratorial smile. She knew what he meant. The people who did all the work, likeing to trade shows like this one, while their bosses were back in Silicon Valley, sitting around a conference table talking about the work they were going to make other people do.

    But if he¡¯d thought that would get Brooke on his side, he was wrong. Now she seemed to really be studying him. She was actually squinting at him as if that would somehow help her figure him out.

    Good luck with that.

    Suddenly, she seemed to snap out of it. ¡°Well, I¡¯d better get back to it. Nice to meet you. If you need anything, I¡¯ll be over there.¡±

    She pointed toward the main entrance, but there was a lot going on between here and there. Rows and rows of booths. He wouldn¡¯t need anything from her anyway, but her general directions would be useless if he didn¡¯t already know exactly where her booth was.

    ¡°Nice meeting you, too.¡±

    He pulled his phone back and pretended to go straight back to work. But really his mind was reeling. Why did he have the eerie feeling this Brooke person was onto him? It had to just be paranoia, but he felt unsettled, anyway.

    ¡°Miss me?¡± Vanessa asked, appearing from out of nowhere. It was so soon after Brooke¡¯s exit, he found himself looking up to make sure she wasn¡¯t still lurking nearby. Fortunately, she was nowhere in sight.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He was aware he sounded distracted, but his mind was spinning. Should he tell her that her roommate had been standing in that exact spot only seconds earlier? The camera had captured it, so it wasn¡¯t like she wouldn¡¯t find out about itter.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Oh, great. Now she was directly asking him about it. He needed to either confess or get himself together.

    ¡°Nothing. Just¡­ Work stuff.¡± He held up his phone to demonstrate. ¡°Any prospects out there?¡±

    He nodded to the general area behind her, being vague just as Brooke had been when she¡¯d described where he could find her. Vanessa followed his gaze, looking over her shoulder, even though there was really nothing back there to see. It was still early. He assumed people hadn¡¯t had time to grab their coffee and head this way yet.

    ¡°None.¡± She walked around to enter the booth, turning to lean against the not-so-real counter. In fact, he worried for a second whether it was sturdy enough for leaning. ¡°I figure I¡¯ll stand outside the booth and draw people over. Once it gets busy, I¡¯ll go in search of potential clients.¡±

    He nodded. Sounded like a n. He hated how happy he felt that she would be staying nearby. In fact, he was half-hoping that nobody would show up and they could just hang out all day.

    Which was one hundred percent what he was not here to do.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking¡­¡±

    He looked up from the phone screen he¡¯d been staring at without really seeing it. She was chewing on her bottom lip, apparently nervous about something. He waited patiently for her to continue.

    ¡°Excuse us for a second,¡± Vanessa told the camera guy. He didn¡¯t budge, of course, but Heath knew she wasn¡¯t asking him to leave. She was about to break a rule, and the camera guy was just going to have to get over it. ¡°I think we need to stop and ask ourselves where you want to go from here. This shoot ends soon, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a whole part where I reveal who I really am to my staff and what I learned by working here.¡±

    ¡°What did you learn?¡±

    Heath nced over at the camera guy. This felt wrong, but why was he so worried about it? It wasn¡¯t like he could be fired from the shoot, and if he were, so what? Besides, Vanessa made a good point. He hadn¡¯t stopped to think through what he wanted to be portrayed on the show-not since the shoot had started, anyway.

    So, he answered her question. ¡°I learned that this is hard work. I learned that businesses want borate, showy booths that beat thepetition. In fact, that¡¯s probably the biggest thing I¡¯ve learned. These people arepetitive.¡±

    ¡°Techpanies,petitive? Imagine that.¡± She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched him, that full mouth tilted up at one corner.

    She was amused.

    ¡°You think I¡¯mpetitive?¡± he finally dared to ask.

    Sheughed. It was a dry, one-offugh that sounded like she was enjoying an inside joke. He got the message all too clearly. She saw his issues with TravTech as some sort ofpetitive thing. It wasn¡¯t at all about that, but that didn¡¯t matter. If Vanessa saw it that way, the people watching at home would see it that way, too.

    ¡°The techmunity is at its best when we work together and support each other. I think most of us in Silicon Valley get that. Sure, there¡¯spetition, but the realpetition is with ourselves.¡±

    Vanessa nodded, studying him simrly to the way her best friend had just minutes ago. As if the cameras weren¡¯t intrusive enough, now he had to deal with Vanessa and her friend studying him. Analyzing him. Seeing through the facade he thought was solid.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± She stood up and gestured for him to follow. Heath resisted the urge to nce at the camera as he left the booth with her. Where was she taking him? To show him something?

    People were starting to slowly drift in, which made him a little nervous. He should be at his booth. What if someone came along who wanted to work with him? He really should be getting back-

    It hit him, as Vanessa slipped through the main door, gesturing for him to keep following, that he was getting a little too involved in his role as a salesperson. Normally, he¡¯d be sipping coffee in his suite, letting that Jeff guy who¡¯d gone to the bathroom and never returned handle everything. But, suddenly, he¡¯d be the hands-on guy who wanted to talk to anyone and everyone who might do business with hispany.

    It would be hard to go back to being the guy who delegated this to someone else. Maybe he never would.

 Chapter 67

    Vanessa found it amusing that Heath was so antsy to get back to the booth. That was the problem, though. He was giving off an energy that wasn¡¯t good for his reality persona. Her goal was to inject a

    little bit of Heath in with all that Mac.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± he asked as he rushed to fall into step beside her, forcing the poor camera guy to pretty much run sideways to capture footage of them. Finally, he gave up and shot the footage from behind, staying in their wake as they entered the main lobby.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the fitness center?¡± she asked the woman at the front desk.

    ¡°Second floor, take a left when you step out of the elevators.¡±

    Without giving Heath a chance to ask questions, Vanessa headed straight for the elevators. The lobby was mostly empty, with a few people drifting through here and there on their way to the exhibit hall or breakfast or wherever. She saw that as a good thing, considering they only had one camera on them.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± he asked again as they waited for the elevator.

    Before she could answer, the doors opened, and people spilled out. She took the opportunity to squeeze through the crowd and step in, deftly avoiding his question.

    Unfortunately, the doors closed all too soon. That meant they were in the elevator alone together. Well, alone with a guy holding a camera pointed directly at them.

    ¡°You need to expend some energy,¡± she said.

    It was something she¡¯d learned years ago when she was nervous about an audition or performance. In fact, she routinely got up before sunrise to go for a long run, just to clear her head and free up some creative space. But even a quick five-minute run could put her in a ce where she was more rxed when she auditioned.

    She couldn¡¯t have arranged it more perfectly if she¡¯d tried. The fitness center was empty. Just the two of them. Well, the two of them plus one cameraperson, but she was getting better at forgetting that existed.

    ¡°So, we¡¯re working out?¡± He looked around, then turned to her.

    Something about that pink cap and fake beard suddenly amused her. It was a little strange how much that had blended into the background. He really looked nothing like himself, if she had to be honest, but she felt just as attracted to him as she had before Josea had worked his magic.

    ¡°We¡¯re running off some of that nervous energy. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    She headed straight for one of the four treadmills set up in the corner. In her experience, there was always at least one treadmill in these hotel rooms that didn¡¯t work right, so she took a chance on one of the two in the middle. Her logic was that the one farthest from the door was probably the most used.

    Heath headed straight for the one farthest from the door.

    Vanessa fired up the treadmill and started running, hoping nobody woulde in here and tell her she couldn¡¯t run in a skirt and ballet ts. She was pretty sure there was a rule against using the equipment without proper clothing and footwear, and it was probably posted on a sign somewhere. But they wouldn¡¯t be here long enough to worry about rules.

    That was her logic, anyway.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Heath punched buttons on the treadmill and started running alongside her. He was being such a good sport about this, it surprised her. He could have just as easily refused to join her on the treadmills, making her look bad in front of the camera.

    After exactly five minutes, Vanessa pushed the minus button to gradually step down the treadmill until it came to a full stop. She stood, breathing deeply in and out with her eyes closed to calm her pounding heart. Then she turned to face Heath, who was still running.

    ¡°What?¡± he asked, not even sounding out of breath. ¡°Why did you stop?¡±

    She smiled. ¡°You can stop, too. Five minutes is all you¡¯ll need.¡±

    His gaze dropped to the disy. He pressed one button, and the treadmill immediately began slowing to a stop. No minus button for him.

    ¡°All I need for what?¡± He turned to look at her, not showing any signs of fatigue whatsoever. ¡°Do you mind telling me what we¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°You were wound up. This helps you rx.¡±

    He frowned thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t think I feel any more rxed.¡±

    ¡°Okay, well, it helps me rx. And you aren¡¯t giving off the same nervous energy you were before we started. That¡¯s the point. It¡¯s all about ying it cool.¡±

    ¡°ying it cool?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You want to sell, right? People will see your nervousness as desperation and be scared away. You have to seem like it doesn¡¯t make any difference whether you close the deal or not, right?¡±

    She held her breath as she awaited his answer. This could go in a variety of directions, including anger. If he saw her as trying to tell him how to do his job, she really wouldn¡¯t me him for telling her to mind her own business.

    But it didn¡¯t go that way. Instead, he stepped off the treadmill and headed straight for the weight bench. While she watched, he removed the pink cap, tossed it on the ground as though he¡¯d been waiting to do just that, and sat down. He then scooted andid back, reaching up to put both hands on the barbell above him.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± As she voiced the question, she realized it was an echo of the same thing he¡¯d asked her repeatedly on their way from the exhibit hall to here. How annoying, not knowing what was happening.

    ¡°Letting off some steam.¡± He pushed the barbell up, making not a single sound. But she could see in his extreme grimace that he was struggling.

    Vanessa stepped off the treadmill and rushed to stand next to him. She¡¯d never lifted weights, but she¡¯d spent enough time in the gym to know that people usually needed someone standing behind them during the process.

    He lifted five times, with her watching, before finally cing the barbell in its rack. She stood, watching, mesmerized by what she was seeing. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, so his biceps were fully visible with every movement. It was clear this was a normal thing for him.

    He sat up and looked up at her. ¡°You¡¯re right. I feel better.¡±

    Suddenly, it was like something came over her. A part of her that was far more courageous than she actually felt. She walked around until she was standing in front of him and leaned over, pausing with her face just inches from his.

    This was his chance to meet her halfway. Far less than halfway, actually. If he looked at her with a what-are-you-doing? sort of expression, she¡¯d back away and probably go bury herself under her covers for the rest of the day. But he didn¡¯t have that expression on his face as he returned her stare. Instead, his entire bodynguage seemed to change as he tried to catch his breath, then realized what was happening.

    He stood, putting a hand on each of her arms. This was it. This was the moment he was going to reject her. The entire world seemed topletely melt away in the seconds that followed as she waited for him to give her some sort of we-can¡¯t-do-this speech.

    Instead, she found him looking down at her with heat in his eyes. It wasn¡¯t her imagination. There was something between them. That was clearlymunicated in that one look.

    He took it from there. Gently, he tugged her toward him, lowering his mouth to hers. At first, his lips gently brushed hers, as if testing to see if she was okay with this. She took that as a sign she needed to push things to the next level, wrapping her hands around his waist and pulling him toward her to deepen the kiss.

    There had never been a kiss that had gone through her the way this one did. It spread warmth through her body, making her forget everything else. She sighed as she rose on tiptoe to get closer to him,pletely forgetting everything else.

    If he hadn¡¯t pulled away, she didn¡¯t know if she ever would have voluntarily ended the kiss. In fact, she didn¡¯t need to eat, breathe, or sleep if she could just stay here, in this fitness room, in his arms. But the first thing he did when he stepped back was to look to his left, at the lens that was only inches from them.

    Seriously? Had this guy never heard of a zoom button?

    Clearing his throat, Heath stepped back and looked at her. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Yeah, she was taking a risk in responding that way. He could very well regret what he¡¯d just done, and she¡¯d made it clear she didn¡¯t. But the chance she was taking was that he was saying that for the cameras, not because he really regretted it. If so, she wanted to make it clear-on camera -that she was one hundred percent on board with what had just happened.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not, either.¡±

    Now he was smiling, too, and her heart did a little leap at the sight. That was exactly what she needed to hear right now. But she also needed to get him out of here before they looked like they were in here making out instead of working.

    ¡°I¡¯d better get back to the booth.¡±

    He said the words, not her, which was the perfect way for it to go. She nodded and stepped back, already missing the feel of his arms around her. She was pretty sure that was all she¡¯d be thinking about until they returned home.

 Chapter 68

    There was no getting out of tonight¡¯s event.

    When the woman hade by and shoved a flyer in front of

    Heath, he¡¯d been in the middle of a sales pitch with a guy who had big ns for promoting his brand-new app over theing year. The guy was going to need some serious booth setups, and he didn¡¯t seem to have an issue spending the money to do it. If he could close this deal, Heath felt like it would be the perfect ending to the trade show part of the reality shoot.

    But as soon as his new client was gone, Heath had to deal with what the flyer said. Tonight¡¯s event wasn¡¯t a cocktail party. It was some sort of awards ceremony. He had no idea what they were awarding, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the sessions that were happening while they were hanging out here in the exhibit hall. It wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d award exhibitors or anything.

    But he had to go. That was part of theworking he¡¯d failed at so badly the night before. He had to make up for that tonight. This was it. The rest of the shoot would be at his own offices, where he¡¯d go undercover for a few hours as a salesperson, typically working in the field but there to learn as much as he could.

    True to her word, Vanessa hadn¡¯t strayed far from the booth that day, even when things had gotten busy. She¡¯d stayed right in front of him, talking to people as they passed, then carrying on conversations with potential clients while they waited their turn to speak to Heath. He was bbergasted that there was a line, but that seemed to be the way things were going today.

    ¡°I need to go get ready,¡± Vanessa announced, startling Heath. He¡¯d lost track of time once again. The second andst full day of the trade show hade and gone in a sh. He was actually disappointed that it was over.

    No, if he was really honest with himself, he¡¯d admit he was disappointed that he wouldn¡¯t have an excuse to spend his days with Vanessa. But maybe he didn¡¯t need an excuse.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up,¡± he blurted spontaneously, not even sure what that meant. But as he stopped to think about it, he had to admit that he liked the idea. It was perfect for theirst night of the trade show, mostly because it would set a precedent. After this was all over and they returned home, he could ask her on a real date, no cameras allowed.

    ¡°Pick me up?¡± She nced over at the cameras. ¡°For the banquet?¡±

    Banquet. That was what it was called. The word hadn¡¯t stuck in his head.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He nced at his phone screen. ¡°Five forty-five? That will give us fifteen minutes to get down there and find our seats.¡±

    Vanessa nodded, and he couldn¡¯t help but notice there was a big smile on her face. That smile made him feel like smiling, too, but the camera pointed at his face kept that from happening, especially when he heard that near-silent whir that indicated the guy was zooming in on him. He¡¯d grown to dread that sound over the past couple of days.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Unfortunately, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get ready for his date alone. The other camera dude was waiting for him in his suite, along with Josea, who was all prepared to ¡°dress him up¡± for the event. Mac¡¯s idea of dressing for a banquet and Heath¡¯s were two totally different things, it turned out. He was wearing a button-down shirt instead of a golf shirt for a change, but the zer and khakis didn¡¯t even match.

    ¡°Mac is budget,¡± Josea exined as Heath stood, staring at himself in the mirror. ¡°It checks.¡±

    Half of what Josea said made no sense to Heath, but it just reminded him how out of touch he was with normal people. He hung around guys who used words like ¡°circle up¡± and ¡°impact¡± and ¡°leverage our corepetencies.¡± He would assume ¡°budget¡± meant that Mac didn¡¯t have a stylist who picked out his clothing, purchased it, and had it delivered to his doorstep.

    Well, actually, that was exactly what Josea was, now that he thought about it.

    But it did ¡°check.¡± The look was pure Mac Sutterfield. He just wanted to look more like himself for his first date with Vanessa. He¡¯d have to make up for it once this was over by inviting her for a real date. Maybe rent out his favorite rooftop restaurant and have a driver drop them off. He¡¯d go all out to make up for showing up in khakis to take her to a provided dinner of what was probably tough chicken with nd gravy and mushy roasted potatoes.

    ¡°You¡¯re nervous,¡± Josea said, watching Heath as he just stood there, staring at himself. He hadn¡¯t even realized he¡¯d stalled like that until Josea spoke.

    ¡°I guess I am.¡± Heath was all too aware of the camera pointed at him as he admitted that. ¡°Maybe I should go for a quick run.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that. You¡¯ll get all sweaty.¡±

    Josea sounded horrified, and Heath smiled. The whole run idea had been a bust for him but lifting those weights had been well worth it because it had ended in a kiss. Maybe weightlifting had improved his energy somehow, but that kiss definitely had thrown his focus off. He¡¯d had a tough time thinking about anything but that kiss all day.

    Suddenly, Heath pped his hands and turned to walk toward the door. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    He didn¡¯t give the camera guy much time to keep up, getting to the door in a few long strides. All he wanted was to get this date started.

    Actually, all he wanted was to be in Vanessa¡¯spany. He was startled to realize that. He was rushing toward her because he missed her. Absurd, considering it had been less than an hour since she was standing in front of him. After the long drive back home tomorrow, he¡¯d no longer have a reason to be around her, business-wise. Even if they agreed to see each other, they wouldn¡¯t be together all day like they had been here.

    He was disappointed to realize that.

 Chapter 69

    Vanessa answered the door within seconds of his knock. She nced at the camera guy standing next to him as if surprised to see him.

    ¡°Yeah, we had a shift switch, I guess,¡± Heath said. ¡°You look¡­ beautiful.¡±

    Not that she didn¡¯t look beautiful no matter what she wore, but this particr look was stunning. It was a long, ck dress that covered her from head to toe, but there was a slit in the front that fully exposed her left leg. He couldn¡¯t imagine a sexier dress.

    Although she had to be fully aware of how amazing she looked, Vanessa lowered her head a little and even seemed to blush at thepliment. Could it be that, even dressed as a low-budget version of himself, hispliment actually meant something to someone who was no doubt regrly told how beautiful she was?

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He noticed she didn¡¯t return thepliment, and he couldn¡¯t me her. He wouldn¡¯t have said he looked nice, either. But this was almost over. They had a drive home tomorrow, and after that, when she saw him next, he¡¯d be Heath Hardcastle once again. Meanwhile, he was going to enjoy every minute of this date with her.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± He stepped back as though to invite her to step into the hall.

    Again, she ducked her head as she walked out, letting her hotel room door close behind her. She was carrying a different purse than she¡¯d had earlier, making him wonder if Josea had included that in her luggage, as well. It was a solid ck that matched her dress, so he would assume he had.

    ¡°Ready.¡± She looked up at him then, smiling confidently. Their gazes locked, and he felt something between them that hadn¡¯t been there before they¡¯d kissed. A heat. A longing. She was feeling it, too. He was confident of it. Yes, they would definitely continue seeing each other after this was over.

    The moment was ruinedpletely by the camera guy, who pivoted around to capture them from the side. He moved from Heath to Vanessa, pausing on each of them before moving again. It took everything Heath had not to turn and ask the guy to back off.

    No, he¡¯d signed up for this. He had to see it through to the end.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Taking Vanessa¡¯s hand, Heath led her down the hallway toward the elevator. Maybe it wasn¡¯t appropriate for Mac Sutterfield to be holding her hand. He didn¡¯t care. It had been a long time since he¡¯d felt this strongly about someone-if ever-and he wanted to enjoy every moment of it.

    Heath waited until the doors were closed to ask the question that had been on his mind since leaving the exhibit hall. ¡°What exactly is this banquet?¡±

    Smiling, she looked up at him. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    He met her stare. ¡°It¡¯s pretty clear I don¡¯t. Want to share?¡±

    ¡°They had a big contest throughout the trade show. Bunch of prizes being given away. Exhibitors aren¡¯t eligible, but they do a little awards thing at the end for all of us, just for kicks, mostly.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Basically, we just go to these things for the free food, anyway, right?¡±

    He thought about that a moment before answering. It was a little tough to concentrate when they were staring at each other this way. Once again, it was like they were lost in their own little world, which was weird considering thest time he¡¯d checked, a camera had been pointed at the two of them.

    ¡°If you say so.¡± He gave onest smile before looking up at the elevator doors, which were opening behind the camera guy.

    They followed the trail of people in cocktail attire heading from the lobby to the big ballroom on the other side of the lobby. Heath figured without the camera, the two of them would have blended with everyone else, but this drew attention to them. He immediately had a shback tost night, when they¡¯d had to escape the cocktail party to keep Vanessa¡¯s roommate from seeing them.

    ¡°What are your ns to avoid Brooke?¡± Even as he asked the question, Heath looked around for signs of her. She was fairly easy to spot in a crowd. He noticed Vanessa suddenly started looking around, too.

    ¡°I was thinking about that while I was getting ready,¡± Vanessa said. ¡°We have to find her, keep an eye on her, and situate ourselves on the other side of the room from her.¡±

    Should he point out that seating at this event was assigned? It was very feasible that the event organizers had put them at the same table as Brooke. Mac Sutterfield had no problem with TravTech, after all. If Heath had thought ahead, he could have requested to be seated separately, but he wasn¡¯t confident in Mac Sutterfield¡¯s ability to make those sorts of things happen quite as easily.

    While concocting a n in his head to call someone in his real persona to demand some changes, Heath made a quick walk around their designated table, checking ce cards for the first name of ¡°Brooke.¡± He didn¡¯t know herst name. He was happy to find there was no sign of her. That didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t be the next table over, but at least they wouldn¡¯t be face to face with her.

    ¡°Maybe I should have worn a disguise.¡± Vanessa looked up at him as he held her seat out. He nned to be on his best dating behavior tonight, even if he wasn¡¯t considering this their first official date because he couldn¡¯t be himself. ¡°Josea probably could have hooked me up with a wig.¡±

    ¡°At least we both would have been undercover,¡± he said quietly so only she could hear.

    She smiled up at him as he pulled his own seat out, then sat down next to her. Suddenly, Camera Guy Number Two showed up from out of nowhere and knelt on the other side of Vanessa. They were nking the two of them now. He told himself after tonight, they¡¯d just have to make it through the drive back and they could enjoy true personal time whenever they got together.

    The more the room filled up, the more nervous Vanessa seemed to get. Yet he searched the room and saw no sign of Brooke. It wasn¡¯t hard to spot a redhead in this crowd of people-a crowd that seemed to be mostly abination of dark and gray-haired people, with some bald and blonde mixed in. He figured if he helped Vanessa in his search, one or the other of them would spot her right away and be able to take action before she saw them.

    ¡°Just a couple more hours and I can return home and she¡¯ll never know,¡± Vanessamented as a server set a sd down in front of her. She picked up the little cup of dressing and poured it over the top of the lettuce. ¡°Everything can go back to normal.¡±

    Was she serious? He waited a while for her to correct herself, but she never did.

    ¡°We¡¯re on camera.¡± He looked pointedly at the lens that was just above her shoulder. ¡°This is going to be broadcast. Even if she doesn¡¯t watch it, she¡¯ll hear about it from Justin.¡±

    Yep. She was realizing this for the first time. How she hadn¡¯t thought about it until now was beyond him. There were cameras. It stood to reason that, eventually, her roommate would see what she¡¯d been up to for the past couple of days.

    ¡°I need to tell her myself, I guess.¡± Vanessa had a dazed look in her eyes. Yes, she was definitely processing this for the first time. ¡°Learning about it on a TV show would be the absolute worst.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. Maybe you should just walk up to her tonight and tell her.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Act like you¡¯re surprised to see her here.¡±

    Vanessa¡¯s gaze went straight from his face to the camera behind him. The message in that was clear. He¡¯d just said that for footage that could be aired on the show. Plus, the cameras would follow after her to capture any interaction she had with Brooke.

    ¡°Or you could just wait until you¡¯re home again.¡± He took a drink of his ice water. There was one at each ce setting. ¡°Honesty¡¯s probably the best policy here.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I haven¡¯t done anything wrong, anyway. In fact, I think maybe Brooke and I can help you.¡±

    ¡°Help me?¡± He must be missing something here. ¡°With what?¡±

    ¡°You and Justin need to just have a nice conversation, work everything out.¡± Vanessa shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking¡­¡± Uh-oh. This didn¡¯t sound good.

    ¡°Maybe if you issued an apology, took the first step, it would be good for your brand.¡±

    This time, Heath was the one ncing nervously at the camera. He really didn¡¯t want the show airing Vanessa¡¯s suggestion that he apologize to Justin. Not along with some sort of refusal from him to do so. That would be the worst thing he could do.

    So, he decided to make a statement for the record. ¡°Here¡¯s what I did wrong. I hired a shadypany-apany, I should add, that was referred by at least four of my colleagues. Nobody knew what thispany was doing. Yet despite all these otherpanies using the same firm for their startups, I was the one thrown under the bus for their behavior. As if I¡¯d done something deliberately.¡±

    Vanessa was looking off to the side, and after a quick assessment, he realized she was noticing there were others at the table with them. Others who were listening to what he was saying.

    ¡°Sometimes we harm others without even meaning it.¡± She stared down at her ss, and he wondered if she was speaking from personal experience. ¡°Taking ountability for our part in the damage can help heal those wounds a little.¡±

    He didn¡¯t respond. It felt like she wasn¡¯t on his side right now, but he knew she was just trying to help.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you should admit wrongdoing.¡± Vanessa spoke in a voice that couldn¡¯t easily be heard by others at the table, although he had no doubt it was picked up on her mic pack. ¡°I¡¯m saying that sometimes an apology breaks the ice. Next thing you know, the other person is apologizing, too.¡±

    He started thinking about that, processing what she was saying. But before he could respond, a voice red out over the speakers ced around the room. Someone was standing at the podium, ready to make announcements.

    That someone was Brooke.

 Chapter 70

    Only when she saw one of the camera guys reposition himself to capture her face did Vanessa think about her own expression. She was staring at the podium, eyes wide, unable toprehend what she was seeing.

    There was Brooke, her roommate, making the opening announcements. She¡¯d say ¡°so much for avoiding her,¡± but she figured there was zero chance of Brooke seeing her way back here. As long as Brooke stayed behind that podium, Vanessa was well hidden, even with these cameras around her.

    ¡°In a little while, we¡¯ll be handing out some awards,¡± Brooke announced, her voice booming through the speakers. ¡°In the meantime, enjoy your delicious dinner. Thank you.¡±

    That didn¡¯tst long. Brooke stepped down and made her way through the tables. Vanessa¡¯s heart sped up as her roommate drew closer and closer, waving and smiling at various people she passed. Vanessa had no idea

    Brooke was this well-connected. She¡¯d been head of marketing for TravTech for, like, a minute. In fact, their other roommate, Alyssa, had been head of marketing until TravTech¡¯s bigyoffs. Somehow, Alyssa and Brooke had remained good friends after that. Vanessa wasn¡¯t sure of the details on that yet.

    Just as Vanessa was making ns to dive under the table, Brooke made a sharp turn two tables away and crossed to the far-right side of the room. It was kind of dark back here, so it made sense she wouldn¡¯t have looked this way, despite the cameras.

    ¡°Dodged a bullet there,¡± Heathmented, bumping her upper arm with his.

    She smiled over at him, loving the camaraderie they seemed to share. She was going to miss this when he dropped her off at her ce tomorrow.

    Would she see him again after that? It wasn¡¯t just that kiss they¡¯d shared, but it was also the way he¡¯d acted afterward. He hadn¡¯t avoided her or shunned her. Instead, he asionally shared a look with her that definitelymunicated his attraction to her. He¡¯d also taken her hand as they¡¯d walked toward the elevator. All that had to mean something.

    But she was used to disappointment. People always disappointed her. She wasn¡¯t going to let that happen to her again. She¡¯d brace for being hurt by him. She¡¯d expect him to drop her off andpletely vanish from her life.

    ¡°The food at these things always sucks,¡± Heath muttered seconds after someone set down a te that had the usual chicken and potatoes on it.

    Her only experience with this type of thing had been the banquets she¡¯d attended in school, and nobody expected those to have good food. Surely, a room full of professionals who had paid money to participate in this trade show should elevate the food selection a little.

    ¡°It would be great if the chicken wasn¡¯t always so dry,¡± shemented as she cut into it, verifying what she¡¯d suspected. She felt like she needed to pretend she had experience with these things. It was a little embarrassing to be such a noob.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking!¡± he eximed, seemingly excited that they¡¯d had the same thought on the issue.

    She looked over to find him staring at her again, a look of admiration on his face. If that was all it took to win his admiration, she¡¯d have to try reading his thoughts on the regr.

    She felt the need to say something positive. It felt wrong toin about free food.

    ¡°The potatoes are pretty good, though,¡± she said after she¡¯d stabbed her fork into one and given it a try.

    ¡°Do you like Greek food?¡±

    His question threw her off. She finished chewing her bite of potato, swallowed it, and nodded. ¡°I think so.¡±

    Truth be told, the entirety of her experience with Greek food was a takeout ce near their apartment. Sometimes they had it delivered, and usually, she had the sd. She couldn¡¯t say she¡¯d really experienced authentic Greek food at this point.

    ¡°My favorite restaurant back in the city is this Greek ce near the office. I¡¯ll take you there when we get back. If you want.¡±

    His words nearly made her choke on the sip of water she¡¯d just taken. Was he¡­asking her on a date?

    No, she couldn¡¯t assume that. Maybe he just wanted to hang out when they returned. He might feel sorry for her after her admission that Brooke was her only friend in town. For all she knew, he would invite the cameras along and make it part of the show, although there really was nothing else to cover when it came to that.

    Interesting. She didn¡¯t want the cameras around anymore.

    As some guy stepped up to the podium and started some long speech about the conference¡¯s sess, Vanessa was stuck in her own head. She¡¯d signed onto this gig solely to further her career, but right now, she wanted to just spend time with Heath, no cameras allowed.

    As the event organizers droned on, then introduced a bunch of awards that had nothing to do with them, Vanessa savored the delicious fudge pie that had been ced at each setting. All else faded into the background as she closed her eyes and enjoyed every bite.

    ¡°You¡¯re really feeling that pie.¡±

    Heath¡¯s voice pulled her out of her chocte-induced trance. He¡¯d said the words close to her ear, probably to keep from disturbing the people around them, who were watching the not-so-riveting presentation going on up front.

    Swallowing the most recent bite, she looked over at his now-empty dessert te. ¡°Did you even taste yours?¡±

    That was said in a whisper, of course. She punctuated it with a teasing smile as she moved her gaze to his face. But he wasn¡¯t smiling. He was looking at her with that longing in his eyes again, and it immediately turned her thoughts from savoring chocte to savoring the taste of his kisses.

    As everything seemed to fade away around them, he leaned over and gave her a slow, gentle kiss. His hand caressed her cheek as he deepened the kiss slightly, but it was still a tame kiss. She¡¯d ssify it more as sweet than passionate, which was in direct opposition to the way he¡¯d looked at her.

    He was holding back because there were cameras and people around. The awareness of that suddenly brought her full attention to where they were right now. This was definitely not appropriate, and it could hurt him, especially considering there were cameras on them at a professional event. His whole goal was to protect his reputation, and this wouldn¡¯t help at all.

    Without warning, Vanessa pulled back, her gaze automatically shifting toward the camera that was pointed right at her face. She didn¡¯t even nce in Heath¡¯s direction. Instead, she returned her attention to the presentation, shaken by the kiss while at the same time worried about what they¡¯d just done. Would it hurt his reputation? Or did it even matter?

    ¡°Once again, Brooke is going to step up to help with that. Brooke is one of our exhibitors this year, representing TravTech. Everyone, give her a warm wee.¡±

    With that announcement, the emcee stepped aside and let Brooke take his ce at the podium. She looked amazing, and Vanessa was dying to tell her that. But she could never mention it. She had to slink out of here tomorrow, pretending she¡¯d never been here. All she could hope was that the topic of the past couple of days would nevere up.

    ¡°Hi, everyone. As you know, TravTech has had a rollercoaster ride of a year, so we really appreciate the warm wee. Justin and I always feel at home here, and we look forward to being a part of this trade show next year. But for now, I¡¯m handing out some awards to a few of our exhibitors who stood out. If I call yourpany name,e up and get your award.¡±

    Vanessa let out a gasp before realizing she¡¯d done so. They were calling people up. What if they called Hardcastle Enterprises?

    No, that wouldn¡¯t happen. It couldn¡¯t. Hardcastle was the unwanted exhibitor this year. No way would they have won an award.

    One by one, exhibitors came up to get their awards, and Hardcastle waspletely left out. But just as she¡¯d decided they were safe, the dreaded words came out of Brooke¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°For besteback, Hardcastle Exhibits!¡± she called out.

    Eyes wide, Vanessa looked over at Heath. Brooke had said his name. He was expected to go up there. She couldn¡¯t go for him because she wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. It was all on Mac Sutterfield to ept.

    What was most disconcerting, though, was that he didn¡¯t even nce over at her before he stood, pushed his chair up to the table, and headed toward the stage, camera trailing him. But Brooke wasn¡¯t finished. She stepped back up to the microphone and spoke.

    ¡°Interesting thing about this guy representing Hardcastle Enterprises. I met him yesterday. You know those shows where the boss goes undercover? I swear that¡¯s exactly what I thought when I first met him. Isn¡¯t that hrious?¡±

    The apuse died a little as people strained to get a glimpse of the man now walking toward the stage. Only, he¡¯d slowed his step significantly as her words seemed to sink in.

    Vanessa felt his pain. Not to mention his confusion. She¡¯d spent ridiculous amounts of time with Brooke over the past few months and even she didn¡¯t understand what her friend was up to. Why call this out in front of everyone, even if she was on to him?Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    And, by the way, since when had Brooke and Heath met? Why hadn¡¯t Heath mentioned it?

    But Vanessa didn¡¯t really have time to dwell on that. Heath was reaching the front of the room, having sped up his step in what was likely an attempt to grab the award and get back to his seat. Brooke wasn¡¯t going to make it that easy.

 Chapter 71

    What was happening here?

    Heath fully understood that Brooke was proud of herself for having figured things out. He even somewhat got that she

    might have wanted to have a ¡°called it!¡± moment when the episode aired. But making aplete public spectacle of them? That had to be more about her boyfriend¡¯s issues with Heath than showing off for TV cameras.

    If he¡¯d thought he could just grab the award-a trophy that felt like it had been crafted by the same people who made sports trophies for kids- and rush back to his seat, he was wrong.

    Brooke put a hand on his arm and spoke into the microphone. ¡°Could all the presenter recipientse on up here? We¡¯re going to get a group picture.¡±

    A group picture. Great. He decided what he really needed to do was take a step back and gradually drift farther down the line from Brooke. Everyone seemed to be over what Brooke had said a couple of minutes earlier, although he was getting more stares than usual. But at least the camera guy had the presence of mind to stay well back from the gathering crowd, shooting from the audience.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Brooke said, leaning toward him as everyone shuffled into ce. ¡°But you are Heath, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Heath looked at her, fully prepared to deny it. Before the words were out, though, he realized that this would air eventually, and Brooke would remember his denial. He decided to go with evasiveness instead. ¡°What would make you think that?¡±

    At those words, Brooke¡¯s eyes narrowed. He knew that look. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of him. Billionaires with quirky personalities tended to get that quite often.

    ¡°Your eyes. They¡¯re very distinctive. There¡¯s a picture of you on thepany website, and it¡¯s pretty obvious. In fact, I¡¯d guess some of the people out there in the audience are pulling up your picture on their phones right now and noticing the resemnce. Someone should have at least put you in eyesses to hide you a little better.¡±

    Heath let out the breath he¡¯d been holding. There was no point in denying it at this point. At least it was off camera.

    Or so he¡¯d thought.

    ¡°Excuse me!¡±

    Camera Guy Number Two, who had not spoken at all during this entire experience, now suddenly had a voice. He¡¯d set his camera down to talk on the phone during the group photo shoot, but now he was off the phone, standing directly in front of them, poised to capture whatever was going on here.

    ¡°You figured out Heath¡¯s identity. Maybe you could talk to him about that?¡±

    Heath blinked at the guy. Really? He was a camera guy, not a producer. One reason Heath had agreed to do this show was that he¡¯d been assured some crew wouldn¡¯t be here telling him what to say to create a fake storyline out of the ¡°real¡± things going on. He didn¡¯t know much about reality shows, but he¡¯d heard some things from people who had been involved in them over the years.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Brooke was more than happy toply. In fact, she decided they needed to move over into a better-lit corner, where they could get some distance from the noise happening. The camera guy instructed Heath to take off his battery pack and hand it to Brooke since she¡¯d be doing most of the talking.

    Without argument, Heath did what they said. Mostly because he was distracted. He¡¯d lost track of Vanessa somehow in all this, and as the crowd shuffled out, he wanted to make sure she was okay.

    ¡°Look,¡± Brooke said. That one word, and her tone while saying it, pulled his attention back to her. The sincere expression on her face told him she wasn¡¯t about to say something negative. He rxed a little.

    ¡°Justin¡¯s a little burnt that you didn¡¯t issue a public statement of any kind.¡± She looked around. ¡°I think if you¡¯d just make an apology, it would help everything.¡±

    There was a camera pointed directly at her as she said those words. The guy turned slightly to capture Heath¡¯s reaction. He knew his response here was everything. It would make air. He wanted to defend himself, to attack the way Justin had handled things, but that wouldn¡¯t do much to help his reputation.

    ¡°We need to set up a meeting.¡±

    The all-too-familiar voice seemed so out of ce, it took Heath a moment to realize it was Vanessa. He turned to see her standing behind him, watching the two of them.

    ¡°Vanessa?¡±

    There was no denying the sheer disbelief in Brooke¡¯s tone. Vanessa smiled weakly, an expression he interpreted as apologetic. So, she wasn¡¯t going to sneak out of here and hope Brooke never pieced things together, even after they were shown together on national TV?

    ¡°I swear I had no idea who Heath was when I signed on to do this show,¡± Vanessa blurted out quickly, as though she was rushing to keep her roommate from making assumptions. ¡°Once I figured it out, I was afraid you¡¯d be mad.¡±

    Frowning, Brooke looked from Vanessa to Heath. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Heath decided he¡¯d fast-track this exnation. Otherwise, they¡¯d be here all night, and he really just wanted to get out of this ufortable situation.

    ¡°Vanessa was hired to help with this reality show we¡¯re doing. She¡¯s been lining up clients and I¡¯ve been pitching them. It¡¯s all¡­I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s me seeing what my salespeople go through when theye to events like this. I was supposed to be working alongside a guy-¡±

    ¡°He disappeared early on,¡± Vanessa exined. ¡°No idea where he went.¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been doing the whole thing myself. Well, Vanessa and I have been doing it all ourselves. Without her, I don¡¯t know what I would have done.¡±

    He looked over at her, and he hoped his expressionmunicated how genuine those words were. But Vanessa¡¯s attention was on Brooke, not Heath. What was happening here?

    ¡°I wish you would have told me,¡± Brooke said. ¡°We could have hung out together.¡±

    Brooke nced over at Heath, that frown still in ce. She was trying to figure out what was going on between the two of them, but if she was getting a vibe about it, it wasing from Heath alone. Vanessa seemed to have gonepletely cold on him for some reason.

    ¡°We need to set up a meeting between Heath and Justin, on camera.¡± Vanessa turned and looked at the guy, who was still holding the camera in

    ce. ¡°It will be the perfect ending to the show, don¡¯t you think?¡± The camera guy didn¡¯t answer. He¡¯d gone silent again.

    Heath turned to look at Vanessa. Why was she trying to control the direction of the show they were doing? He wasn¡¯t even doing that, and this particr episode would mostly be about him.

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. What do you think?¡± Brooke was watching Heath carefully now, and he didn¡¯t like the scrutiny. But there were now two cameras on him, just waiting to capture some sort of negative reaction from him. He wouldn¡¯t give the producers that.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m done here. I¡¯m going back to my room.¡±

    And with that, he turned and left the two of them there, along with the camera guys who seemed to suddenly be more interested in Vanessa and Brooke than the very person they¡¯de here to cover.

 Chapter 72

    They¡¯d clear things up in the morning.

    That was what Vanessa had told herself as she fell asleep after a long catch-up session with Brooke. She¡¯d confessed she¡¯d developed feelings for the man she¡¯d spent so much time with the past couple of days. It had felt good to finally say the words out loud to someone.

    But when morning came, he was gone.

    She found out thanks to a note slipped under the door. It told her to call the front desk. She did so and learned that she had a ten-a. m. flight back to San Francisco. The front desk clerk didn¡¯t know any details, but Vanessa assumed Heath had booked it for her.

    A call to his cell went unanswered. She didn¡¯t continue to call or text- she did have her pride, after all. Whatever was going on, hecked the decency to have an actual conversation about it and let her defend herself. For that reason and that reason alone, she wanted nothing more to do with him.

    The problem was, actually, she did.

    Summoning both pride and determination, Vanessa packed her suitcase, wondering how she¡¯d get all this stuff back to the production crew, and headed downstairs around eight a. m. The n was to catch a rideshare to the airport and just try to put all this behind her. But there was a nice surprise waiting for her.

    ¡°You¡¯re on my flight!¡± Brooke said, rushing to catch up with her in the lobby.

    When Brooke had texted to ask where she was, she¡¯d assumed Brooke just wanted to meet her to catch up for a few minutes. They¡¯d have plenty of time to do that when they got home, but whatever. As it turned out, though, somehow Heath had managed to make sure they were on the same flight.

    There was no limit to the strings a billionaire tech guru could pull.

    ¡°We can share a ride. This is so awesome!¡±

    Brooke was her usual overly exuberant self, but Vanessa wasn¡¯t feeling it. Not that she was ever as cheerleader-ish as her roommate, but today, she really just wanted to get home, crawl into bed, and pull the covers over her head. She¡¯d deal with calling her agent and figuring out where to go from here tomorrow. Today, she wanted to hide from the world.

    Brooke had other ns.

    ¡°So, this meeting with Heath and Justin, how are we going to do it?¡±

    Vanessa winced. How did she exin to her best friend that she really wanted no part of it? If it meant seeing Heath again, count her out.

    ¡°My agent can get it set up for you.¡± Vanessa shrugged. ¡°I really need to focus on lining up some more casting calls.¡±

    Even as she said the words, Vanessa knew it was going to take a lot of effort to go back to life as usual. Like it or not, her time with Heath had impacted her. It would take a while for her to shake himpletely.

    And just when she would start to forget him, their episode would air, and it would all smack her right in the face again.

    Brooke led the way toward the big hotel entrance, rolling her suitcase behind her. ¡°We should be part of it. It¡¯s more airtime for you. Trust me. People are all in on your romance with Heath. You two have chemistry.¡±

    Brooke had her back to Vanessa, so she couldn¡¯t see that her friend was gaping at her. ¡°How could you possibly know that?¡± Vanessa asked.

    Turning to face her, Brooke shrugged. ¡°Anyone can see it. The way he looks at you¡­it¡¯s just so¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you see us together beforest night?¡±

    Vanessa hadn¡¯t thought of it until now, but what if Brooke had known the two of them were there all along? Would her friend hide that from her? If so, could she legitimately be mad when she¡¯d been hiding from Brooke that she was there in the first ce?

    But Brookeughed. ¡°Of course not. It didn¡¯t take more than two seconds to see the sparks there. I¡¯m sure when you get a sneak preview of the footage they shot of you, you¡¯ll see it.¡±

    As sadness washed over her again, Vanessa shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t see any preview. I¡¯m done. Just have to wait for it to air.¡±

    The ride Vanessa requested showed up then, and they climbed in while the driver tossed their luggage into the trunk. Once he was behind the wheel and they were on the way to the airport, Brooke picked up the conversation where they¡¯d left off.

    ¡°You don¡¯t go into a booth and dub audio over the parts that are hard to hear? I thought that was always a required part of shooting a TV show.¡±

    ¡°Nope. I think reality shows just use subtitles if something¡¯s not clear. I¡¯m not sure. But my agent said it was just three full days of work and I was done.¡±

    At the time, that had sounded great, especially for what they were paying her. But now, it meant three days was all she¡¯d ever get with Heath Hardcastle. And that broke her heart. ¡°Add in a fourth day, then.¡±

    At Brooke¡¯s words, Vanessa¡¯s sadness was reced by confusion. Added to that was a little hope that she shouldn¡¯t be feeling right now. There was no reason to get her hopes up. Three days was it.

    ¡°Can you get a copy of the shooting schedule?¡± Brooke asked. The wheels seemed to be turning in Brooke¡¯s head with every word she spoke. She was up to something, but if it involved chasing Heath around town, Vanessa wanted no part of it. If he didn¡¯t want her around anymore, she wouldn¡¯t be around, in and simple.

    ¡°I have a copy of the shooting schedule,¡± Vanessa blurted out, and then immediately regretted it. Now she couldn¡¯t easily get out of whatever it was Brooke was concocting by simply saying there was no way to know where Heath would be and when. Well, except she knew where he lived and where he worked. Oh, and his favorite restaurant. But other than that¡­

    ¡°Forward it to me.¡± Brooke was already tapping on her smartphone. ¡°I have a n.¡±

    Before she could ask what that n was exactly, the driver pulled to a stop at the terminal. Vanessa had to scramble to pull up the e-ticket someone from Hardcastle Enterprises had inboxed her overnight. The whole thing was bizarre. Was Heath driving back or had he, too, caught a flight? If so, could she possibly run into him at the airport?

    Despite her resolution to move past this, she found herself looking for him as they checked their luggage, waited in the long line at security, and walked to their gate. She wasn¡¯t sure what she¡¯d do if she saw him, but she could figure it out. Maybe she would just walk up to him and demand to know why he¡¯d skipped out on her.

    No, she couldn¡¯t do that. Especially since he¡¯d still have cameras on him. It would be bad enough to humiliate herself over a guy who clearly wanted nothing more to do with her, but to do so on national TV? Hard pass.

    ¡°I have to make a quick phone call. Watch my purse.¡± They¡¯d barely arrived at the gate when Brooke issued thatmand. Without waiting for a response, she took off, putting plenty of distance between them and eventually disappearing out of sight.

    She could have waited for Brooke to return, but she knew her friend would be evasive even if she did. So, with the straps of both purses in her left hand and her travel bag on her right shoulder, she headed down the concourse, spotting her roommate¡¯s familiar head full of red hair from about a quarter of a mile away.

    Just as Vanessa spotted her, Brooke took a sharp right turn. Vanessa looked around. It wasn¡¯t likely she¡¯d find a way to eavesdrop on her friend without being seen. But she had to at least give it a try.

    Vanessa rushed to catch up to Brooke, stopping at the right turn Brooke had made. She positioned herself, back against the wall, and peeked around the corner as if she were in a spy movie or something. She just hoped security wasn¡¯t watching her on surveince right now. All she needed was to be pulled into some office and interrogated about her strange airport behavior.

    But one peek around the corner told her she didn¡¯t have to go far. Luckily, Brooke had her back to her at the moment she peeked around, but she made a sharp pivot to begin pacing back in Vanessa¡¯s direction. Vanessa ducked back out of sight, just hoping she hadn¡¯t been spotted, and tried to decide if it was safe to stay here.

    ¡°He wants to apologize to you.¡±

    Brooke¡¯s words sted through the air, surprising Vanessa with how well she could hear. It still wasn¡¯t clear if she was safe here, but she couldn¡¯t have peeled her own body away from that wall if she¡¯d tried.

    ¡°My roommate and I have a n. We¡¯re going to show up wherever they¡¯re filming tomorrow and allow him the opportunity to do it on camera. It will be huge for both of you. ¡®Two battling billionaires make up on national TV.¡¯ I can even see it going viral.¡±

    Judging by the way Brooke¡¯s voice seemed to travel closer, then farther, than closer again, Vanessa knew she was likely pacing. She was safe for at least a few more seconds. Then she had to figure out how to get away without being seen.

    ¡°We¡¯ll figure out the details. Just trust me. It¡¯s going to work. Do it for me?¡±

    Her voice was getting closer again, and it sounded like the call might be winding up. Vanessa took off at a quick pace, looking around for somewhere to hide until her roommate passed. She saw the perfect symbol on a sign up ahead, not too far from their gate. She couldn¡¯t have thought of a better n if she¡¯d tried.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Vanessa ran to thedies¡¯ room, opening the door and rushing inside before she could be spotted.

 Chapter 73

    ¡°Ready for yourst day?¡± Heath had never been more ready for anything in his life.

    Josea, who had shown up at the Hardcastle Enterprises offices bright and early to get Heath camera-ready, was now standing back, admiring his creation. The boom mic was back, even though Heath was wearing a mic pack as he had during the trade show. They had to capture everyone else¡¯s audio.

    ¡°They¡¯re waiting for you in the big conference room, Mr. Hardcastle.¡±

    Nodding at his assistant, Heath took a deep breath, looked directly into Camera Two, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    The drive home had been long and uneventful. He was pretty sure the production crew wasn¡¯t too happy about that. But thest thing he¡¯d wanted was to be cooped up in a car with Vanessa, cameras pointed at their faces to capture every word they¡¯d say.

    Vanessa had gotten her screen time. It had been all she¡¯d wanted all along, and he realized that now. He¡¯d been hurt when she¡¯d pulled away from the kiss and suddenly stopped making eye contact with him. He¡¯d had a rude awakening a few minutester when she¡¯d shown up to give away her identity to her roommate.

    All for screen time. All of it. Pretending to be attracted to him, opening up to him about Brooke being her only friend-which he doubted was even true at this point-and wrapping it all up with a neat little bow after the banquet. Yes, he¡¯d been yed by a fame seeker.

    He headed straight to the big conference room at the end of the hall, taking a deep breath and striding with confidence. The cameras trailed him all the way, but there were more cameras capturing his entire staff, all of whom had been asked to report to this room first thing that morning with no exnation as to why.

    The surprised expressions told him they hadn¡¯t expected their founder and CEO to show up this morning. He¡¯d kept the reason for the meeting under wraps, but the video was ready to y on the big screen at the front of the room.

    ¡°Good morning, everyone,¡± he said as he stepped up to the podium. ¡°For those who don¡¯t know, I¡¯m Heath Hardcastle. I founded this littlepany.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    He smiled as he said that and heard a few snickers from the audience. His goal was mostly to show he was a nice guy. He really needed to have more gatherings to demonstrate that, though.

    ¡°I have a little video clip I¡¯d like to y. I think it speaks for itself.¡± He stepped off to the side to let the clip roll.

    Unfortunately, there was no getting away from the cameras, even now. One of them stepped into ce directly in front of him, capturing his reactions as he watched clips of him as Mac Sutterfield.

    But quickly enough, he dropped his gaze from the screen to the crowd. As Mac struggled to make a sale, was touched by a potential client¡¯s business disaster, and spent time with Vanessa, the expressions remained neutral. Nobody nced over at him in a way that made it seem like they¡¯d figured out the big secret until¡­

    The end of the clip showed Heath removing the fake beard and hat. That part was staged to ensure that when the hat and beard came off, he looked polished and camera ready, but the rest of it was genuine. His on-screen persona spoke with heartfelt emotion about what he¡¯d learned.

    ¡°I had so much passion when I started Hardcastle Enterprises,¡± the onscreen version of Heath said. ¡°It¡¯s all too easy to build it, hire capable people, and let them run things, and then something goes wrong. Something goes horribly wrong. But it shook me up, made me realize that I have to be involved. I need to be out there with all of you, working hard and meeting the people who use our products. I¡¯vee up with a n.¡±

    The screen went ck, and attention immediately shifted to Heath, who was now walking toward the stage. But that attention didn¡¯t follow.

    Everyone was watching something to the left of him. He turned and saw Vanessa Gilbert standing just behind where he¡¯d been a few seconds earlier.

    And she wasn¡¯t alone.

    Justin Travers stood with her.

    Heath stopped and stared, waiting for what wasing next. He had to admit, his heart did a little skip when he saw Vanessa. She had that effect on him-had since the first time he saw her. But he wasn¡¯t giving in to it this time. This time, he knew she was just here for the cameras.

    The best thing to do was pretend nothing out of the ordinary was happening. He walked to the front of the room andunched into what he¡¯d prepared to say all along. A retreat. They all were going on a bonding trip- the entirepany, all expenses paid. He¡¯d reserved a luxury hotel on an ind for a full workweek. He needed the vacation as much as they did.

    ¡°The goal, when wee back, is to be more engaged in the work we¡¯re doing. It¡¯s an investment in thispany¡¯s future. Any questions?¡±

    The questions were scheduled. Toote, he realized he probably should have skipped them. The fact that Justin Travers was standing off to the right -Justin had been briefly mentioned in the clips and Heath was pretty sure at least some people knew him by sight-left him open to questions he didn¡¯t want to answer.

    ¡°Have you and Justin Travers made up?¡±

    Heath¡¯s jaw twitched at the question, which came from an unfamiliar employee on the front row. He weighed his options. He could ignore the question or simply say he didn¡¯t want toment on that right now. But was noment actually ament in itself?

    ¡°That¡¯s a great question,¡± Justin called out.

    His voice seemed to fill therge room even though there were no microphones. But that was no surprise, considering Justin¡¯s mere presence was too much for one room. If anyone asked, Heath would chalk that up to his gigantic ego, but he knew, deep down, Justin was just a charismatic person.

    People liked him. They didn¡¯t take to Heath quite as quickly. He¡¯d gotten used to that over the years, telling himself that it was fine. He didn¡¯t need everyone¡¯s approval. But the fact that the entirety of Silicon Valley had pretty much immediately sided with Justin when the truth about the coding scandal had broken bothered Heath. It bothered him more than he¡¯d ever admit.

    ¡°I heard you have something to say to me.¡± Justin walked toward him, a big smile on his face. It was off-putting. How was Heath supposed to be mad at him when he was just so darn likable?

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Heath asked. Because saying no, he absolutely didn¡¯t have a thing to say to him, wasn¡¯t an option with cameras pointed right at the two of them. Every second of this would show up on the final episode, especially if it started to get ugly.

    Justin stopped just a few feet in front of him, spreading his arms wide. ¡°Look, man, the whole thing was a misunderstanding. I get it. But it could have ruined my entirepany.¡±

    ¡°Mine, too.¡± Heath wasn¡¯t sure if that was the right response or not. It just popped out. It probably sounded defensive, but it was the truth.

    Apologize. That had been Brooke¡¯s request. Not just any apology, though-an apology on camera. Because if it didn¡¯t happen with arge chunk of America watching, did it really happen at all?

    And if it didn¡¯t happen with Vanessa looking on, did she really get credit for it?

    Heath was furious. But worse than that, he was hurt. He¡¯d somehow foolishly fallen into the trap of believing that Vanessa was interested in him. As it turned out, the only thing she was interested in was her fifteen minutes of fame.

    So, he¡¯d get rid of her, the cameras, and this man standing in front of her. He¡¯d do it in a way that salvaged his reputation and gave a neat and tidy ending to this show they¡¯d been shooting. Once this was done, Vanessa and Justin could walk out that door and he¡¯d never have to see any of them again.

    ¡°I made a mistake,¡± Heath said loudly, turning to look at the audience. ¡°I trusted when I shouldn¡¯t have. There are consequences to that. People got hurt.¡±

    The audience would think he was referring to the overseas firm that had scammed him and the subsequent fallout. And that was true. But he was also referring to a person in this very room he¡¯d trusted when he shouldn¡¯t have. And, in that case, the ¡°people¡± who had gotten hurt? Him.

    But now he turned to look at Justin, finally seeing things from his side. Justin had been going about his life when the rug had suddenly been pulled out from under him. The town had turned on him. His investors had turned on him. And it was at a time when he¡¯d already had toy off the vast majority of his staff because hispany was iling.

    Yes, Justin had risen from the ashes and now was stronger than ever, or was he? He was still operating with a very small team, especially whenpared to Hardcastle Enterprises. He¡¯d taken a fairly big hit even before the theft incident but oveing the damage to his reputation the usations had caused had set him back even further. Heath hadn¡¯t directly caused that, but by failing to be more careful about the contractors he hired, he¡¯d created a bad situation. He had to be ountable for that.

    Which was what Vanessa had been trying to get him to understand all along. He got it now. Only, he couldn¡¯t thank her for helping him get there.

    ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry,¡± Heath said. ¡°I was careless with outsourcing work, and it created a huge mess. If I can make it up to you, I will.¡±

    Justin let out a deep breath. The relief he felt was visible. Brooke had been right-this had been all he¡¯d wanted all along. Just an apology.

    ¡°Thank you for that. And I¡¯m sorry, too. It wasn¡¯t your fault. Half the town was duped by that overseas team.¡±

    Okay, so ¡°half the town¡± was probably an exaggeration, but the damage was fairly widespread. And now everyone was on alert, double-checking references and extensively interviewing possible contractors. The entire industry had been shaken a little by the whole thing, and maybe that was good. They should have been more careful all along.

    ¡°I have a confession now,¡± Justin announced, catching Heath off guard. The TravTech founder was looking out at Heath¡¯s employees, well aware, no doubt, that there was a camera pointed directly at him.

    ¡°I sent a spy to work the Hardcastle Exhibits booth,¡± Justin announced.

    ¡°He gave the name-¡±

    ¡°Jeff!¡± Heath said before Justin could finish.

    It exined why he¡¯d never seen Jeff before and why he didn¡¯t match the name of the two Jeffs in thepany directory. Jeff had been nted by Justin Travers.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t realize he was going to be on camera.¡± Justinughed. ¡°He called me and said he didn¡¯t sign up for that. I decided it was best to let go of the whole thing.¡±

    Heath frowned. ¡°A spy? Really?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t imagine any benefit TravTech would get from spying on Hardcastle Exhibits. Did he think Heath was stealing ideas from TravTech for his booth business?

    Justin shook his head. ¡°It was a horrible idea. We have this weirdpetitive thing that makes no sense.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ve been thinking.¡± Heath smiled. ¡°We need to work together, not against each other.¡±

    Heath extended his hand, a smile on his face. All this time, he¡¯d fought taking his share of the me, but now that he had, it felt like a weight had been lifted off him. He could breathe again.

    Justin reached out and returned the handshake. The audience burst into apuse and cheers, and cameras moved around in front of them. It was the happy ending everyone had waited for, and the perfect TV moment. Unfortunately for Heath, there would be no happy ending. He nodded at the audience, turned, and walked out the side door of the conference room with the goal of putting as much space between him and Vanessa Gilbert as he could.

 Chapter 74

    The only thing worse than getting your heart broken was having to relive your entire romance on TV a month and a halfter.

    But that was exactly what was happening in Vanessa¡¯s own

    living room.

    Brooke and Alyssa had thrown a viewing party for premiere night, inviting everyone they knew. That party had been in Jeremy Owens¡¯ penthouse condo-Jeremy being Alyssa¡¯s billionaire boyfriend. There had been a bunch of people Vanessa didn¡¯t know, but by the end of the first episode, they were cheering her on.

    For the second and final episode, though, the viewing party had been a private one. Just the three of them in their apartment. In all this, she realized she wouldn¡¯t feel the samefort hanging out in Heath¡¯s gigantic castlemansion. Maybe that meant this was all for the best.

    Unfortunately, no matter how many times she told herself that, it wasn¡¯t sticking. Her heart continued to ache.

    ¡°The way he looks at you¡­¡± Alyssa said.

    ¡°I know, right?¡± Brooke said, casting a nervous nce in Vanessa¡¯s direction. Probably not the best thing to say to someone who had just been dumped by the man doing that looking.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    On screen, they were showing the interaction between Heath and Vanessa in the hotel gym. The scene where they kissed. Vanessa wanted to cover her eyes and not watch, but she couldn¡¯t seem to look away. There it was. The kiss. Vanessa felt like this was some odd form of slow torture.

    As they pulled back from the kiss, the scene cut to what they called a ¡°talking head.¡± That was a clip of Heath talking about what had just happened. But what he was saying hit like a punch to Vanessa¡¯s gut.

    ¡°I tried to keep it professional, and then Vanessa kissed me.¡± He shrugged. ¡°What can a guy do?¡±

    They then cut to the scene of the two of them working hard in the exhibit hall. Suddenly, Vanessa in her modest dress and overdone makeup looked like some sort of seductress, thanks to Heath¡¯s words. She was even seeing herself differently, and she knew she had no intention of seducing Heath.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Brooke murmured as the show cut to amercial.

    Vanessa stood and walked to the kitchen. She couldn¡¯t watch another second of this. Apparently, this show was going to paint her as someone who came in to distract Heath, and she wanted no part of it, even though she couldn¡¯t help but be a part of it.

    This was, luckily, the final night. She knew how these shows worked. They aired, a bunch of people voiced their thoughts on social media, and a few dayster, everyone was on to the next reality show. For all she knew, nobody was watching this, even though every other episode had gotten high ratings, including the first episode on Heath.

    ¡°There was no way he wasn¡¯t into that kiss.¡± Alyssa shook her head. ¡°And the way he¡¯s looking at you¡­ Nobody¡¯s buying that the kiss was all you.¡±

    Now Brooke spoke up. ¡°I think he was saving face. Think about it. He was sent to that trade show to work and there he is, making out with a booth babe.¡±

    Vanessa closed the refrigerator door she¡¯d just opened and turned to face her roommates. ¡°First of all, ¡®booth babe¡¯ is a derogatory term. I was a promotional model.¡±

    ¡°Okay, promotional model.¡± Brooke winced, looking over at Alyssa.

    ¡°But the show isn¡¯t painting you as some kick-butt salesperson.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was, though.¡± Vanessa heard the frustration in her own voice and knew it had nothing to do with her friends. They were just trying to help. ¡°They didn¡¯t show that the people flooding to Heath¡¯s booth were flooding there because I talked to most of them. I started the pitch, then he closed the deal. We were a team.¡±

    Both Brooke and Alyssa looked at her with mild amusement on their faces. They believed what she was saying, but for some reason, the mention of Vanessa and Heath as a ¡°team¡± had been funny to them.

    Then, she got it. It was romantic. They worked together to make things happen.

    Sighing, Vanessa trounced back to the refrigerator to get the bottle of water she¡¯d originally meant to grab. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what really happened. All that matters is what the producers decide should make the final cut.¡±

    ¡°Does it?¡± Brooke¡¯s eyebrows arched as she picked up the remote and paused themercial. ¡°Because I don¡¯t think some TV show means squat.¡±

    ¡°Well, except that¡¯s how she makes her living,¡± Alyssa pointed out.

    ¡°There is that.¡± Brooke looked at Vanessa. ¡°But I think what¡¯s going on in real life means much more than what we¡¯re seeing on TV. Am I wrong?¡±

    Tears welling in her eyes, Vanessa shook her head. No, Brooke wasn¡¯t wrong at all. This had nothing to do with some TV show or her career or what people thought of her. It was about Heath dismissing their kiss as being all from her end of things. She¡¯d been so sure there was something going on between them, but she¡¯d been wrong. It had beenpletely onesided all along.

    Seeing her tears, both Brooke and Alyssa rushed to her side. That was the great thing about having two roommates. There was always someone around when you just needed a hug.

    While Vanessa sobbed on their shoulders, a gentle chime went off somewhere in the background. Then another and another and another. Someone was getting a text message. No, scratch that-someone was getting dozens of text messages in rapid session. It got so bad, Brooke pulled back and cast a frown over her shoulder in the direction of the sofa.

    ¡°Just a second.¡± Brooke rushed over, retrieved her phone, and came back, frown on her face as she stared down at the screen. ¡°Well¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Brushing the tears away from her face, Vanessa leaned back to look up at her friend. ¡°More bad news?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. You¡¯re trending.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡± Actually, Vanessa was well aware of what ¡°trending¡± meant, but she didn¡¯t know what it meant in the context of right now. ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t want to know. Am I the big viin?¡±

    Brooke shook her head. ¡°Not at all. My friend from high school sent me a link. She said all her friends are talking about you.¡±

    A long silence followed as Brooke stared at her screen, moving her finger up and down on it in an indication she was scrolling. Meanwhile, Vanessa and Alyssa were stuck waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

    ¡°What does it say?¡± Alyssa asked impatiently.

    By then, Vanessa had dived for her own phone, which was set on silent but had a screenful of notifications from friends and rtives all over the country. She opened up her favorite social media app and, sure enough, had seventy-two notifications. Not a big deal. She¡¯d been tagged the first night the show aired an equal number of times, but this time, there was a hashtag assigned to her name.

    #HeathandVanessa was the hashtag, and somehow it had a heart at the end of it. She didn¡¯t even know hashtags could have hearts, but then Brooke and Alyssa were the social media geniuses. She only had an ount to keep up with what her favorite celebs were doing.

    ¡°It¡¯s a showmance, not a romance,¡± Brooke read from her screen.

    Having watched reality TV for pretty much her entire life, Vanessa knew all too well what a showmance was. It was a romance that existed solely for the duration of a reality TV show. The likelihood it wouldst outside that environment was next to nothing.

    ¡°But then the next one says you guys are so dreamy. There¡¯s another that calls you guys ¡®hashtag rtionship goals.''¡± Brooke held up her screen. ¡°People are actually fighting over whether you guys are a cute couple or not.¡±

    ¡°What happened at the banquet?¡± Alyssa asked, who had at some point pulled her own phone out of her back pocket and was now staring at the screen. They were all three sitting on the floor, next to the kitchen, staring at their phones.

    Alyssa¡¯s question led Brooke and Vanessa to exchange a look. ¡°The banquet?¡± Brooke asked Vanessa. ¡°The one I was at?¡±

    ¡°Did you guys kiss again, and you went stone-cold on him?¡± Alyssa asked, holding up her screen to show a picture.

    The picture was a close-up of their kiss at the banquet. It was a very passionate, if quick, kiss, but right as it was intensifying, Vanessa had pulled away. That moment was what was frozen on the screen, and it looked far harsher than she ever would have realized. She hadn¡¯t meant to pull back so sharply.

    ¡°I knew we were at a professional event,¡± Vanessa said in defense of her own behavior. ¡°I thought it would look bad on TV for him to be¡­¡±

    ¡°Making out with a booth babe,¡± Brooke said with a teasing smile on her face, no doubt remembering how much the term had riled Vanessa up just minutes ago.

    That summed up pretty well why she¡¯d pulled away, though. Her role as a promotional model had put her, technically, in his employ, and kissing employees was bad business for most bosses. All bosses, not just those who were trying to turn their reputations around.

    ¡°People are arguing about whether or not you¡¯re into him,¡± Brooke said, once again staring at her screen. ¡°We have to go watch the rest of the show.¡±

    Vanessa squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t watch it. I have to go.¡±

    Both roommates looked up from their screens, staring open-mouthed at Vanessa as she stood and grabbed her jacket and purse. She had no idea where she was going, but she felt the need to run as far away from this as she could get. Without another word to her roommates, she exited the apartment, headed straight for her car, started it up, and drove.

 Chapter 75

    There was a camera in Heath¡¯s face.

    He¡¯d seen iting from the second he pulled into the

    Hardcastle Enterprises parking lot. A big production truck had been parked on the edge of the lot, but there had been no sign of a camera until he exited the vehicle and started toward the building.

    That was when the reporter stepped in front of him. ¡°Renee Forrester, KSFT News,¡± she said, jabbing a mic toward his chin. ¡°Everyone¡¯s buzzing about you and Vanessa. I¡¯d love to do a follow-up. A ¡®where are they now?¡¯ sort of piece. I know reality shows often film months in advance,

    sometimes even a year. Are you two still together?¡± ¡°We never were together,¡± he said.

    She stepped in front of him, halting his progress. He probably could have pushed his way around her, but thest thing he needed was to give the appearance that he¡¯d pushed a reporter out of the way. The camera guy had rolled into ce behind her and had the lens pointed directly at him.

    ¡°The show didn¡¯t exactly offer closure,¡± Renee said, her expression softening as she spoke. ¡°We¡¯re all just hopeless romantics, hoping to hear you guys had your happy ending. Maybe I could interview the two of you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where Vanessa is.¡±

    That much was the truth. He knew she shared an apartment with Brooke Alexander, Justin¡¯s girlfriend, and if he really wanted to track her down, he could. He did want to track her down, actually, so maybe that wasn¡¯t the best way to put it. He wasn¡¯t going to chase after someone who had only been using him to get her big TV break.

    And now, thanks to the reality show he¡¯d signed up to do, he¡¯d somehow be linked to her in a way that wouldn¡¯t let him easily escape her. Right now, all over social media, there was some sort of bizarre push for photos and information on #HeathandVanessa. Were they together?

    Weren¡¯t they? If not, why?

    This reporter was here to find out.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re no longer speaking,¡± Renee said. ¡°Do you mind telling us a little more about where things stand between the two of you?¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°We did a reality show together. I tried to keep things professional as best I could. We¡¯re just from two different worlds.¡±

    ¡°So, it didn¡¯t work out because you¡¯re a billionaire and she¡¯s a model.¡±

    He didn¡¯t like the way that sounded. Billionaires and models certainly went together, but it was a stereotype. And it was a stereotype that didn¡¯t fit here. His attraction to Vanessa went so much deeper than the way she looked. He¡¯d connected with her-or at least he thought he had-in a way he hadn¡¯t connected with a woman in a long, long time-if ever.

    ¡°What if we could arrange to fix the two of you back up again? Would you be up for that?¡±

    He felt the re of the camera pointed at him and knew he could undo everything he¡¯d worked so hard to achieve with the reality show. It wasn¡¯t just about what people thought of him. It was about his own personal growth from the whole thing. He was a better person and shouting that he didn¡¯t want anything to do with this was not a fit for the new, improved Heath.

    ¡°Thank you, Renee, but right now, I¡¯m focused on connecting with my team and growing my business.¡±

    He didn¡¯t wait for her response, just walked into his building and headed straight to his office. As he moved through his own lobby, he felt people staring, but he brushed it off. Then he walked down the hallway and saw the reaction of a woman who passed him in the hallway. He wasn¡¯t just the boss now. He was the guy people had watched on TV.

    When it came to fame, Heath couldn¡¯t be more opposite of Vanessa. He didn¡¯t want anything to do with it. He¡¯d primarily done that TV show to turn things around with his business. The fact that he couldplete the whole thing in disguise had been a huge selling point.

    So here he was, a prisoner in his own office. He knew this brief bout of attention would pass quickly enough and it would be back to life as usual.

    He could no doubt walk through an airport or even have dinner in a restaurant without anyone saying anything. It wasn¡¯t like the entire country had watched the show. But here, in Silicon Valley, and particrly in his own office building, everyone now knew all his business.

    Including that he¡¯d fallen for Vanessa Gilbert.

    He¡¯d done his best to distance himself from Vanessa in his interviews throughout the show, but at the very end, they¡¯d caught him. They¡¯d inserted a clip from him talking about her with a look on his face that made it very clear he¡¯d fallen head over heels in love with her. Naturally, they had no simr clip from Vanessa.

    Sighing, Heath plopped down at his desk and fired up hisputer. Might as well throw himself into his work. He¡¯d walked away from the trade show with so many potential clients, he¡¯d be busy in meetings for weeks. It was just what he needed to get his mind off things.

    But he¡¯d barely had time to open the first email when he heard a knock on his office door. His assistant peeked her head in. ¡°Someone¡¯s here to see you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time right now. Tell them to make an appointment.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Justin Travers.¡±

    Heath looked at her, sure this must be some kind of prank. Who would have put her up to it, though? This wasn¡¯t the kind of joke his friends would y.

    There was movement in the window next to the door to his office, followed by Justin standing behind Heath¡¯s assistant. She retreated and Justin entered, a friendly smile on his face.

    Wow. How things had changed.

    ¡°Watched your show, man,¡± Justin said as he entered. ¡°Congrattions.

    Hey, nice office.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Heath wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the ¡°thanks¡± was for, though. The congrattions or thepliment on his office. He decided it would work for either.

    ¡°Did they tell you I lost my office in the downsizing?¡± Justin asked. He spread his arms wide, then moved them together, palms facing each other, to demonstrate a crushing motion. ¡°We had to squeeze everything down to

    just one floor to save office space. Downsizing sucks.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. But things have to be getting better.¡±

    Justin shrugged and walked toward Heath¡¯s desk, taking a seat in the guest chair across from him. ¡°I guess my answer would be that I don¡¯t really want things to get better. Not in the sense that I have hundreds of strangers working for me. There¡¯s a benefit to keeping it small, you know?¡±

    Heathughed. ¡°I¡¯d say. I¡¯ve been trying to figure out how I can be more involved in the day-to-day and I¡¯m realizing it¡¯s just¡­a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, you¡¯re running multiple ventures here. I just really have one now.¡±

    Justin¡¯s tutoring app-the one Heath had identally copied when he¡¯d tried tounch his own education solution-was back at the top of app store rankings. Everything seemed to be on the rise.

    ¡°So, you aren¡¯t growing your staff?¡± Heath asked.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Justin picked up the stress ball on Heath¡¯s desk and started throwing it back and forth between hands. ¡°Keeping it small.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t they be overloaded?¡±

    ¡°Surprisingly, no. You¡¯d be shocked how efficiently you can run when your back¡¯s against the wall. I had a lot of vanity hires.¡±

    Now he was at a loss. ¡°Vanity hires. Hmm.¡±

    Justin set the ball down on the desk. ¡°Having a big staff was good for my overblown ego. If I do hire a few more people, it¡¯ll be on the app development team, and I¡¯m letting the head of that team take care of making those decisions.¡±

    Sitting back in his chair, Heath took all that in. That was where he¡¯d gone wrong. ¡°I tried to outsource my development,¡± he said, thinking aloud.

    Justin nodded. ¡°You can outsource. That¡¯s fine. But if you¡¯re seriously interested in an app startup, you have tomit.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯tmit.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, I was sent here on a mission.¡±

    Cutting to the chase. Good. Heath had been wondering why Justin was here, but it seemed like it would have been rude to ask upfront. It wasn¡¯t like the two of them had ever spent one-on-one time before the big incident.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Heath dared to ask.

    Justin sat up in his chair, elbows on the arms, hands sped in front of him. ¡°Brooke says Vanessa¡¯s gone to L. A.¡±

    On the inside, Heath¡¯s heart sank a little. ¡°Gone to L. A.¡± Did that mean she¡¯d moved to L. A? Permanently? It shouldn¡¯t bother him so much that she might have moved away, but it did.

    But on the outside, Heath was cold as ice. ¡°Okay.¡± He shrugged. ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s there because of you.¡±

    Heath nodded. ¡°No surprise. The show boosted her career. She needs to make the most of the momentum. Still don¡¯t get what that has to do with me.¡±

    Justin shook his head. ¡°She left to get away from you.¡±

    At first, Heath wasn¡¯t sure how to react to that. He spun around in his chair slightly, facing away from Justin. That in itself was an interesting maneuver-as though he subconsciously didn¡¯t want Justin to read his reaction.

    ¡°So, she¡¯s running from me. Why?¡±

    Justinughed. ¡°I guess that didn¡¯te out the way I¡¯d meant. She¡¯s got it bad for you, bro. And you rejected her on national TV.¡±

    Now Heath spun back to face him. ¡°What? Where did you get that idea?¡±

    ¡°From Brooke. She watched the show with Vanessa. I don¡¯t watch TV.¡±

    ¡°At the end of the show, I made it pretty clear-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot the messenger.¡± Justin stood, smoothing down nonexistent wrinkles in his jeans. ¡°I need to get going. Just stopped by to keep my girlfriend happy. We should get together for lunch sometime. Shoot me an email and we¡¯ll set something up.¡±

    Heath nodded and pushed himself to his feet, feeling more than a little numb. What had just happened here? Vanessa¡¯s friend had sent her boyfriend-one of Silicon Valley¡¯s most well-known startup founders-to Heath¡¯s office to tell him he¡¯d broken Vanessa¡¯s heart? It was like he¡¯d fallen asleep and had the wackiest dream of his life.

    ¡°Piece of advice?¡± Justin stopped near the doorway and looked back at Heath. If there was one thing Heath could use right now, it was advice.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Heath said, not certain whether he should be eager or anxious about whatever Justin was going to say.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her get away.¡±

    Heath let out the breath he¡¯d been holding. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    And that was when he knew he had to do something to get Vanessa Gilbert back.

 Chapter 76

    Vanessa was making the most of her week in L. A. She¡¯d booked a room at an affordable but safe hotel well outside the city and was working her way around town to every casting call and audition she could line up. Her agent had sent her on a few, but she was getting a lot of the action off a casting website she¡¯d used, on and off, for the past year.

    As she stepped out of herst audition of the day, she nced at her phone screen. Her agent. Again. As if she needed further proof that something had gone wonky inside her over the past week, she was annoyed at the sight of her agent¡¯s name, Monica, on the screen.

    A week ago, one call from her agent would have caused her to jump up and down with excitement. Those calls used to be few and far between. But things were different now. And she didn¡¯t know if they¡¯d ever be the same.

    ¡°Vanessa.¡± Monica spoke in a terse, clipped tone. ¡°I have one more for you. Need you to report to the Wayside Agency in Venice. Here¡¯s the address. Do you have a pen?¡±

    Of course, she didn¡¯t have a pen. She wasing out of an audition. Monica knew that. Oh, wait. This had been one of the casting calls she¡¯d found online, so her agent didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°I¡¯ll punch it into my navigation,¡± Vanessa said. ¡°I can take a rideshare there. What exactly am I auditioning for?¡±

    ¡°Reality show. Good luck.¡±

    With that, the line went dead. Vanessa looked at her screen and sighed. This was the sort of thing that wouldn¡¯t have seemed even the slightest bit noticeable a week ago. When you were excited that your agent merely bothered to grace you with herpany for thirty seconds, nothing could annoy you. When you expected someone to act like a normal human being, these little things got on yourst nerve.

    That was what she¡¯d learned, anyway.

    Like a good little girl, Vanessa went exactly where she¡¯d been told to go. She hopped in a rideshare, got to the destination, and made her way to the talent office in the very back of what looked to be a converted warehouse of some type. She expected to open the door marked ¡°Wayside Agency Casting¡± and find rows of chairs filled with excited auditioners. Instead, she was met with a small, empty waiting area that didn¡¯t even have one chair in it.

    If her agent hadn¡¯t sent her on this, her Spidey senses would definitely be kicking in at this point. Heck, they still were. This could be some sort of

    scam. She should turn and leave before they knew she was-

    ¡°Vanessa Gilbert?¡±

    The head and shoulders of a Jack McBrayer lookalike appeared in the window that looked like it had been built for the front desk of a medical practice. He had the friendliest smile she¡¯d ever seen. It was like

    Hollywood had cast him in the role of ¡°receptionist you can trust.¡± Oh, yes, this had to be some kind of trick.

    ¡°Come on back,¡± he said and vanished from the window. A couple of secondster, the door next to it opened. The head and shoulders had a body, it turned out, and somehow itmunicated the same ¡°too happy¡± message as his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m so excited to meet you,¡± he gushed as he led her down a long hallway. Just how far back did this building go? ¡°I loved you on that secret boss show.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    She knew her voice sounded t on that word, but the whole ¡°Ohmygosh you¡¯re her, aren¡¯t you?¡± thing had gotten old, fast. It had started when she walked into the lobby of the hotel that first night after escaping San Francisco. It had continued when she¡¯d dropped into a coffee shop the next morning, and from there, it had never stopped. People stared, snapped photos of her without asking, surrounded her when she was just trying to check her phone while leaving a building-

    Yeah. Fame. That thing she¡¯d always wanted. It wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d thought. She hadn¡¯t realized how much she¡¯d prized her privacy until she lost it. Although she knew this particr type of fame was very, very shortlived, she also knew that if she really seeded at her goal, this would be her life. Every time she left the house, she¡¯d have to be prepared to have long conversations with strangers, often answering the same questions over and over and over.

    The reception¡¯s voice cut into her thoughts. ¡°You and Heath are the cutest couple ever. I hope you¡¯re still together. I loved what he said at the end of the episode.¡±

    Huh. Wait. What? Why were they talking about Heath?

    ¡°Sorry?¡± she asked.

    He slowed to a stop right there in the middle of the hallway, his smile quickly transforming to a frown. This was getting creepier by the second. ¡°You aren¡¯t together anymore, are you? This is just awful. My friends and

    I¡­we were so rooting for you guys.¡±

    ¡°What did he say at the end of the episode?¡±

    She knew, even as the question came out of her mouth, that she probably shouldn¡¯t be asking a stranger this. She should watch the episode herself. She¡¯d do just that, assuming she could figure out a way to watch it online. But she couldn¡¯t wait for that. She had to know now.

    ¡°It was so dreamy,¡± the guy said, pping his hands in front of his chest and staring at a spot on the wall with a dazed expression on his face. ¡°He said he¡¯d waited all his life to meet a woman like you, and now that he had, he couldn¡¯t tell if your feelings for him were real or not.¡±

    The guy sighed then. Actually sighed. Vanessa was too stunned to react. She just stared at him, her eyes wide. Was it possible she¡¯d missed the most important thing to ever happen to her?

    ¡°Come with me.¡± The guy had snapped out of his reverie and now had a very serious look on his face. He waved for her to follow and took off down the hallway toward a door at the very end. Something about it reminded her of Heath¡¯s office, making her long to be back in San Francisco even more.

    ¡°Vanessa Gilbert,¡± the guy said in a voice that was all business. He said it into a small, but echo-filled room as he held the door open for Vanessa to step inside, then shut the door behind him.

    The room was like a thousand others in Los Angeles. Camera set up and pointed at a backdrop and, next to it, a person to interview her. Sometimes there was a team of people seated at a table, but this time, it was just one.

    Vanessa preferred it that way if she had to be honest.

    ¡°You seem to be the talk of the town this week,¡± the womanmented, smiling at her. ¡°This is ast-minute thing, but we want to work you in.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Work her in? What did that even mean?

    ¡°What¡¯s the job?¡± Vanessa asked stiffly. All business, no enthusiasm. It wasn¡¯t like her at all, but she was more than a little distracted right now.

    ¡°It¡¯s a new game show. You would be one of the contestants on the first episode.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re casting for a game show?¡± Vanessa found that odd.

    ¡°Just the celebrity guests. You¡¯d be on a panel of former reality show stars, of course. There might be a couple of actors mixed in-we¡¯re still working on that. Anyway, we just need to get a clip of your on-camera personality to send to the productionpany. No big deal.¡±

    Vanessa stepped into ce in front of the backdrop, putting her feet on the mark as she¡¯d been well trained to do. The woman, who hadn¡¯t even bothered to introduce herself, positioned the camera, then pressed a button to start recording. She stepped off to the side and instructed Vanessa to keep her eyes on her, not the camera.

    Yeah, she¡¯d done this a few dozen times, at least. It felt like all few dozen had been today. She was definitely burned out.

    ¡°Tell us a little about yourself. How did you end up on a reality show?¡±

    Suddenly, that burned-out feeling was gone. As it turned out, this was exactly what she wanted to discuss. Smile on her face, she looked at the lens and talked through her experience, from the time she¡¯d pulled up to Heath¡¯s castle-mansion to the airing of the show. She included how weirded out she was by being recognized and the woman jumped right on that, asking her to talk more about that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess I didn¡¯t really understand what I wanted.¡± Vanessa looked down at her hands before remembering she was on camera, not talking to a trusted friend or therapist. ¡°All my life, I fought for attention and I never got it. Do you know my parents didn¡¯t even watch the show? They said, ¡®That¡¯s great,¡¯ when I called them to tell them to watch. I can¡¯t get their attention even now.¡±

    ¡°You thought being on TV would get their attention.¡±

    Vanessa nodded. ¡°I guess I did. I realize now even if I had the number one movie in the country, they¡¯d barely notice. I was just¡­a child they had to check off a box on the list of things they needed to do in life.¡±

    ¡°Wow. That had to be hard.¡±

    Maybe this was some bizarre therapy session. It sure felt like it. She wasn¡¯t sure how this could possibly help with the casting of some game show, but at this point, she didn¡¯t even care if she got the show or not. She wasing to the realization that the thing she¡¯d always wanted wasn¡¯t what she wanted at all.

    ¡°What about Heath?¡±

    Blinking in surprise, Vanessa slid her gaze over to the interviewer.

    ¡°Heath?¡±

    ¡°How does he fit into the picture?¡±

    Vanessa shrugged. ¡°I think I messed everything up with Heath. I don¡¯t know. I have to go back and fight for him. I guess I spent so much time

    trying to get attention, I didn¡¯t realize that wasn¡¯t what I wanted.¡±

    ¡°What did you want?¡±

    ¡°Love. I wanted someone to love me the way I loved them. I never had that with my parents, and now I¡¯m wondering if maybe that¡¯s partly my fault. If I thought I had to be on a TV show to get their attention-that¡¯s kind of messed up, right?¡±

    The woman said nothing, just watched her with big, soft, sympathetic eyes. The sympathy didn¡¯t seem genuine, though. There was something about this entire experience that seemed¡­off. She¡¯d never had a screen-test that was anything like this.

    ¡°Could you tell me a little more about this game show?¡± Vanessa suddenly asked, narrowing her eyes at the woman.

    The woman stepped over and shut off the camera. ¡°We have all we need. I¡¯ll be in touch with your agent about call times. Thank you foring out. Dave!¡±

    Thatst word was shouted, startling Vanessa. Suddenly, the door to the room flew open, and the smiley host guy stuck his head in.

    ¡°We¡¯re all finished here. Please escort Ms. Gilbert out.¡±

    Dave, as his name apparently was, didn¡¯t let his smile falter even a centimeter as he nodded and waved Vanessa toward him. She cast a quick, uncertain look at the casting person, then did exactly as she¡¯d been instructed. There really was no other choice, was there?

    ¡°What exactly was that all about?¡± Vanessa asked the guy as he led her down the hall. ¡°Can you tell me the name of the game show? Is it legit?

    Something¡¯s weird about all this.¡±

    The guy didn¡¯t say a word, just led her to the door she¡¯d entered through minutes earlier. He turned and gave her a big, phony smile.

    ¡°Thank you foring,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch!¡±

    Vanessa paused, staring at him. She considered staying there and initiating a stare-off, but she immediately changed her mind. Wasn¡¯t worth it. Whatever had happened here would be clear soon enough. Meanwhile, she was going to have the rideshare take her back to her hotel, where her own car was parked.

    And then she was driving home.

 Chapter 77

    Now that he wanted to see Vanessa, there was no way to do it.

    The realization hit Heath as he pulled up to the gate outside his house and input the ess code. Vanessa was in L. A. Who knew when she¡¯de back, if ever. He could text or call her, sure, but he didn¡¯t want to contact her that way. He wanted to work things out face to face.

    His house was too big. He¡¯d always known one person didn¡¯t need nearly this much space. But the real estate agent had talked him into it as an investment, assuring him that as rapidly as the Bay Area was growing, this house would earn him more than any stock market investment ever could.

    But when you were all too aware of how alone you were in the world, there was nothing worse thaning home to a huge, empty house.

    Sighing, Heath headed straight to his kitchen, where he tossed his phone on the counter and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV in the corner. Odd, but he now realized that TVs were the key to feeling less alone in this house. He tended to keep one on in whatever room he was in. The constant noise helped this ce seem less vacant.

    ¡°Will Jodi choose Chase or Matt? We have the scoop after this.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Frowning, Heath looked up at the screen. Whatever he¡¯d been watching thest time this TV was on had now trapped him with some entertainment news show. And these days ¡°entertainment news¡± was all about reality TV shows, and not even the one he was on. These were of the single-guychoosing-from-twenty-women variety. Not his thing at all.

    But he didn¡¯t mess with the remote. He¡¯d had a light lunch at his desk while trying to smash out a few proposals to stay on deadline. That meant he was now starving. Luckily, he always kept a few microwavable meals in the freezer. Thest thing he felt like doing was cooking.

    While he stood in front of the microwave, watching the seconds tick down, Heath tried to shut off the sound of the man on the screen, giving the show¡¯s version of ¡°entertainment news.¡± Normally, he could easily ignore whatever wasing from the TV. It was all background noise. Things had changed, though. Now he¡¯d been on a reality show himself and had seen what happened when thousands ofplete strangers voiced an opinion of you online.

    As the microwave reached the two-minute mark, heughed to himself. At least he wasn¡¯t being covered as ¡°news¡± on some evening entertainment show. He couldn¡¯t imagine being a teaser as the news anchor tossed to amercial. After this, we¡¯ll tell you all about-

    ¡°Today, the nation is talking about Heath Hardcastle.¡±

    The sound of his own name pulled Heath out of his thoughts. Had he imagined it? He turned and looked at the screen, sure he had. They couldn¡¯t have possibly mentioned his name on a nationally-syndicated entertainment show that had been on the air his entire life.

    ¡°If you¡¯re like us, you have Heath and Vanessa on your mind. They¡¯re reality TV¡¯stest super couple. Our Lydia Linley has the scoop on the nation¡¯s sexiest billionaire.¡±

    ¡°The nation¡¯s sexiest billionaire,¡± Heath repeated out loud to himself as the show cut to footage of him and Vanessa kissing at the banquet. For what seemed like the zillionth time, he was standing there, watching her pull away from him with a look on her face he had a hard time identifying. The first time he¡¯d seen it, he saw it as disgust, but now¡­

    Was it forced will? As in, she was making herself pull away when she really didn¡¯t want to?

    No, that had to be wishful thinking. Justin had said she¡¯d left town to get away from him. He could read that either way, too, which was what had him so confused. If she¡¯d been disgusted with the kiss, escaping would be a way to keep him from possibly trying to take her on that date he¡¯d mentioned. But if she¡¯d forced herself to pull away from the kiss, maybe she¡¯d left because she felt as if he¡¯d rejected her.

    But Justin had specifically said she had it bad for him. He kept telling himself maybe Justin and Brooke had misunderstood. But the thought that maybe she wanted to be with him had haunted him¡­

    Vanessa appeared on the screen, smiling and looking amazing as always. There was sadness in her eyes despite her smile, though. She was talking about her parents and how they¡¯d never given her attention. They still hadn¡¯t given her attention, even though she was a national news item, apparently.

    Maybe they¡¯d notice her now.

    The show cut to another clip. This one was of him and Vanessa, standing together in the booth, talking. It was clear as day from his expression that he was into Vanessa, but now that he watched it, it was pretty clear she was into him, too. Unless that was an act.

    The microwave beeped behind him, causing him to jump. The food needed to rest a minute or so, anyway. He stared at the screen, unable to look away from Vanessa.

    Then they cut to that interview again. ¡°I think I messed everything up with Heath,¡± Vanessa said to someone off-camera. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have to go back and fight for him. I guess I spent so much time trying to get attention, I didn¡¯t realize that wasn¡¯t what I wanted.¡±

    The camera then cut to a shot of the reporter-Lydia Linley, they¡¯d called her. ¡°It sounds to me like some matchmaking is in order. So, Heath, if you¡¯re out there, there¡¯s a woman who wants to be with you. If you feel the same, give her another chance.¡±

    The show cut back to the news anchor, who made somement about the show ying matchmaker before going on to their big story. Some guy and some woman on some reality show had broken up. Heath grabbed the remote and cut off the TV. He needed to think.

    Instead of grabbing his dinner from the microwave, he walked over to the counter and picked up his phone. A couple of callster, he had Vanessa¡¯s dad¡¯s assistant¡¯s phone number. It would be a reach to aplish what he wanted, but he had confidence in his ability.

    He was, after all, a salesperson.

 Chapter 78

    Vanessa drove straight home, her eyes on the road, hands in the ten o¡¯clock and two o¡¯clock positions on the steering wheel the entire way. She was determined to get back and nothing-not even the activity on her cell phone-was going to stop her.

    And there was plenty of cell phone activity. She¡¯d tossed it into her purse, which was on the passenger seat, and she heard it buzzing at least once every few minutes. She figured it was her agent or maybe one of her roommates. If it was her agent, she didn¡¯t want to talk. If it was a roommate, she¡¯d see both of them soon enough.

    But as she walked through the door of their apartment, she found it empty. That was when she finally pulled her phone out of her purse and nced at the screen. Thetest text message was still disyed, with a bunch of other notifications behind it. The message in the foreground was from Brooke.

    When are youing back?

    Vanessa stopped, purse still on her shoulder, and called Brooke. She probably could text, but she didn¡¯t want to stand here, tapping on her screen for the next ten minutes. This saved time, and right now, she wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a long nap in her own bed.

    ¡°I¡¯m back at the condo,¡± Vanessa said when Brooke answered. ¡°Where are you?¡±

    There was no background noise, as Vanessa had expected when she called. She¡¯d assumed her roommates had gone to their favorite hangout-a pizza ce around the corner. At this time of night, there was no way the pizza ce would be this quiet, though, unless Brooke had stepped outside.

    ¡°We¡¯re at Technologia Cafe. Come over.¡±

    Vanessa stared at the clock on the wall next to the sofa. ¡°It¡¯s after seven o¡¯clock. Aren¡¯t most coffee ces closed?¡±

    ¡°Just get your butt over here.¡±

    Vanessa prepared to decline, but the line had gone silent. Brooke had hung up on her. Sighing, she looked longingly at her closed bedroom door.

    She really wanted that nap.

    But who could take a nap when adventure awaited?

    Technologia Cafe was Alyssa¡¯s best friend¡¯s coffee shop, located close to the apartment. So close, in fact, Vanessa could walk there. They¡¯d made that journey many weekend mornings in search of caffeine. But going there at night was¡­strange. Even stranger? The light was on, and the ce was open thiste in the day. She would have sworn the ce closed in the afternoon.

    She was confirming her memory was correct by looking at the letters and numbers on the front door when she reached for the handle. For that reason, she didn¡¯t see the small group of people gathered around a table inside. Only when she walked through the door did shey eyes on her parents.

    Her parents.

    Vanessa skidded to a halt, staring at the two of them, sure she must be seeing things. Her parents had never, ever visited her here. She wasn¡¯t even sure they knew where she lived. Heck, at this point, she wasn¡¯t even sure they knew they had a daughter.

    ¡°Vanessa!¡± Her mother jumped up and rushed over to hug her.

    Vanessa was still unable to move, so stunned by what was happening. This had to be a dream. She¡¯d taken a shower and fallen asleep in her apartment and now was dreaming that her parents were here.

    ¡°Your friends were just telling us about your show. Why didn¡¯t you mention it? Can we get it on DVD?¡±

    Vanessa stepped back and looked at her mother. Her dad was now walking toward them. He stopped behind her mom.

    ¡°I did tell you,¡± Vanessa said. ¡°I called and told you. You were on your way to the country club for some golf thing-¡±

    ¡°Edward¡¯s awards ceremony.¡± Vanessa¡¯s mom turned to look at Edward, Vanessa¡¯s father. ¡°He was sure he was going to finally be part of the Circle of Excellence, but it wasn¡¯t to be.¡±

    ¡°Your mother didn¡¯t tell me,¡± Vanessa¡¯s father said. He stepped up and gave his daughter a hug. ¡°Of course, we would have watched. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    ¡°I hear you were interviewed by the Lydia Linley.¡± Vanessa¡¯s mom pped her hands. ¡°It¡¯s so exciting.¡±

    ¡°What? Who?¡± Vanessa looked around her mom at the three people standing behind her parents. Alyssa and Brooke and¡­ Heath.

    Heath was here. In the cafe down the street from her apartment. Yes, this had to be a dream.

    ¡°Heath saw your interview and called your parents,¡± Brooke said, standing. ¡°He has something nned-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to talk to Vanessa alone first,¡± Heath interrupted, getting to his feet. He¡¯d been seated at the end of the table, along with Vanessa¡¯s roommates and parents. Heath, her former billionaire boss, was just hanging out in a coffee shop with everyone Vanessa cared about.

    Yes, definitely a dream.

    He was Heath again, not Mac. It hit her again how handsome he was. But she¡¯d been just as attracted to him as Mac. It was all about the person he was beneath that gorgeous exterior.

    ¡°There¡¯s a car waiting outside to take you to my house,¡± Heath said to everyone who had gathered around Vanessa. ¡°We¡¯ll be there shortly. Hopefully.¡±

    After giving Vanessa onest pat on the arm, her mom followed her dad and her roommates out the front door of the restaurant, where a stretch limousine sat, waiting. Eyes wide, Vanessa watched through the cafe¡¯s ss door as the four of them climbed into the back of that limousine.

    ¡°What is happening right now?¡± Vanessa turned to face Heath. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°I saw your interview, the one your mom mentioned. You didn¡¯t mess things up with me. Not by a long shot.¡±

    He stepped closer, but Vanessa shook her head. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want him closer to her. She had to fully understand what was happening, though.

    ¡°What interview? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Heath frowned. ¡°You gave an interview on some entertainment news show. You said you thought you messed things up with me. Before that, you talked about your parents and how you always wanted their attention-¡± Vanessa gasped. No. It couldn¡¯t be.

    ¡°That woman was a news reporter?¡± she asked.

    Heath let out a dryugh. ¡°If you call that ¡®news.¡¯ I¡¯m not sure when entertainment news became all about reality shows, but-¡±

    ¡°Was that the Lydia Linley person Mom was talking about?¡±

    Her mom may have been all self-involved throughout Vanessa¡¯s life, but if there was one thing she did have time for, it was following entertainment news. She had stacks of print magazines dedicated to what various celebrities were wearing and doing and saying. Her mom would know entertainment reporters by name, without a doubt.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Heath looked like he wasn¡¯t sure what to do with his arms. He folded them over his chest, then dropped them to his sides, then put him in his pockets. ¡°It was a great interview.¡±

    ¡°Sure, if I¡¯d have known it was an interview. I thought it was an audition.¡±

    His eyebrows lifted. ¡°Really? How did that happen?¡±

    ¡°She tricked me. Even convinced my agent to send me there somehow, although I thought my agent did a better job at checking into things like that. Or maybe¡­¡±

    ¡°Your agent knew,¡± Heath finished.

    Vanessa looked at Heath. ¡°By doing the interview, I got more exposure, right? It made her job easier.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get a show offer soon enough. Maybe even one of those shows where they line up guys and you pick one to marry.¡±

    Just the thought of that made Vanessa shudder. Not only did she have no interest in dating anyone else at this point, but she also didn¡¯t even want to think about having cameras pointed at her. In fact, all she wanted to do was spend time with her friends and maybe even her parents.

    And Heath.

    ¡°I¡¯m done with reality shows,¡± she said, admitting it for the first time out loud. It had been bubbling beneath the surface since she¡¯d returned from the conference, but now it was an unavoidable truth. ¡°I¡¯m done with cameras altogether.¡±

    ¡°But your career¡­¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I realized it¡¯s not what I want. I¡¯m not sure what I want, but I¡¯ve never been happier than I was with you at that conference.

    Everything about that¡­that¡¯s what I want.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°You want to be a promotional model?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Shaking her head again, she stepped closer to him. ¡°I want to be with you. Whatever that means. I¡¯m sorry it took me so long to tell you that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve known it for a while.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve known it since our first kiss.¡±

    Maybe before that. She hadn¡¯t dared think that a man like Heath would be interested in her.

    ¡°I went into this thinking it was about my career,¡± she said after stopping to think for a minute. ¡°But almost as soon as it started, all I wanted to do was help you. I wanted you to seed. Somewhere along the way, I started caring about you. And then I was scared to let you know. Of course, it¡¯s possible you don¡¯t feel the same way.¡±

    She didn¡¯t dare breathe in the seconds that followed that statement. She just waited, holding her breath, until he spoke again.

    ¡°I feel exactly the same way. I said as much on the show.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see the end of the show. Some stranger told me what you said.¡±

    Actually, after what she¡¯d learned, she was guessing that ¡°stranger¡± had been hired by this Lydia Linley person to pretend to work at some casting office. In fact, it looked like they¡¯d even put fake lettering on the door to look like a casting agency. The whole thing was just so bizarre¡­and it would go down as her first and only brush with sneaky reporters.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want you to hear it from a stranger.¡± He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and gently nudging her toward him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve waited all my life to meet someone like you.¡±

    He leaned down and kissed her then-a kiss filled with all the passion of their first kiss. Only this time, there was no camera pointing at them. It was the two of them,pletely alone, just as it should be.

    When he finally pulled back, she struggled to catch her breath. She was d his arms were around her or she might have tipped over. That was how weak his kiss had left her.

    ¡°I said I couldn¡¯t tell if your feelings for me were real,¡± he said, his arms still wrapped around her. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you. I guess I¡¯m just always looking for what someone¡¯s angle is.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s tough to know who you can trust, especially in your position.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°I never, for a second, thought you cared anything about my money. I just worried that as soon as production wrapped, what I thought you felt for me would have been all for show.¡±

    ¡°Never. I can¡¯t fake something like that for cameras.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­isn¡¯t that the very definition of acting?¡±

    He gave her a teasing smile, and she couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Okay, maybe I wasn¡¯t cut out for acting. Turns out what I really wanted was just to get my parents¡¯ attention.¡±

    ¡°I think you have that. Speaking of which¡­¡±

    He stepped away from her and gestured toward the door. She turned to walk out of the restaurant, but once again skidded to a halt when she saw what was in front of her.

    ¡°Is that the limo that just left?¡±

    ¡°Yep. I told him to double back after he dropped the first group off at my house. Tonight, we travel in style. After you.¡±

    She led the way to the limo, still feeling like this was all a dream. If it was, though, she never wanted to wake up.

 Chapter 79

    Heath pulled up to the ptial house in a subdivision well to the north of Chicago, parking next to a luxury SUV. It had been two weeks since Vanessa¡¯s parents hade out to California, and she¡¯d made great strides in her rtionship with her parents. Now it was his turn to try to make a good enough impression that they¡¯d want him to be part of the family.

    Looking at this house, though, he now knew why Vanessa had never been all that impressed by his wealth. She¡¯d shared with him her upbringing that included a nanny, a personal assistant for her mom, and a full-time housekeeper who lived in the guest house behind the home she grew up in.

    This was the house her parents moved into after she graduated high school. They¡¯d ¡°downsized¡± to this house, which had to be at least three thousand square feet. His instinct had been right. Romancing her with fancy trips and extravagant dinners out was a bad idea. The way to Vanessa¡¯s heart was simply being there for her. Seeing her.

    Heath had barely stepped out of his car when he saw Vanessaing up the sidewalk in front of the house toward him. Uh-oh. Was that a bad sign? She¡¯de to her parents a couple of days ago to spend some time with them, and so far, his phone calls to her had indicated all was well. But he was here for the weekend, and he didn¡¯t have a good feeling about the look on her face.

    ¡°My mom has lost it,¡± Vanessa whispered as she drew near. ¡°She wants to do everything together. Ev-er-y-thing.¡±

    He frowned. He hated to sound dense, but he had to know.

    ¡°Like what?¡± he asked.

    ¡°We just iced cupcakes, and now she wants to shop for a matching outfit. For the women¡¯s lunch.¡±

    ¡°Women¡¯s lunch?¡± He tried not to look amused, but there was something about this that was undeniably humorous.

    ¡°At the country club, tomorrow at noon. Don¡¯t youugh. You¡¯ll be ying golf with my dad.¡±

    ¡°I have my clubs in my trunk.¡±

    She hadn¡¯t expected that answer. That much was clear. He closed his car door and started walking toward the house, figuring she¡¯d follow. Sure enough, she fell into step beside him.

    ¡°This is good, right?¡± he asked. ¡°You¡¯re spending time with your parents. That¡¯s the point.¡±

    ¡°Too much time. I think the pendulum has swung in theplete opposite direction.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving out of here on Sunday, so it¡¯s just two more days. We¡¯ll get through this. Together.¡±

    He smiled down at her as they reached the front door of the house. He started to press the doorbell, but Vanessa reached over and pushed the door open.

    He resisted the urge to let out a whistle as he entered the house. This was most definitely impressive. He¡¯d seen his fair share of entryways in his time, but this took extravagance to a whole new level. Marble floors, a second floor that overlooked this entryway, the most interesting zigzag light he¡¯d ever seen hanging from the ceiling¡­ Yet at the same time, it felt cold.

    He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. Maybe it was due to what he knew about Vanessa¡¯s family dynamic. But as they headed through the house, toward the gigantic den withrge windows overlooking a swimming pool, he realized it was a house, not a home.

    The same way his house felt, now that he thought about it.

    ¡°Hello!¡± Vanessa¡¯s mom said, rushing over to hug him. ¡°I have coffee for you.¡±

    Sure enough, there was a fancy tray with three cups of coffee on it, along with a tiny dish filled with creamer and sugar packets in a matching bowl. Heath took his seat next to Vanessa on a sofa that was way too white to be in a ce where human beings lived. He looked around and realized everything looked pristine, as though no human hands had ever touched any of it.

    ¡°So sorry Edward couldn¡¯t be here.¡± Vanessa¡¯s mom took a sip of her coffee. ¡°He had ate tee time. So, did you have a safe flight? I hear you have your own ne?¡±

    Heath shook his head. ¡°A buddy of mine is a private pilot. He hooks me up with a flight when I need one. It works out pretty well.¡±

    ¡°On a private jet?¡±

    Heath nodded and searched for a way to quickly change the subject. One thing he¡¯d noticed by being around people with money was that there were two types of people: people who talked about wealth and people who never mentioned it. He was ufortable around the former group, and he fell solidly into thetter.

    ¡°I started a business,¡± Vanessa blurted out before Heath coulde up with a change of subject. That worked. Her mom seemed to be speechless, and Heath couldn¡¯t say he med her. Vanessa hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about a business.

    ¡°I was doing some research,¡± Vanessa continued. She was speaking quickly, as though afraid she¡¯d lose her nerve to talk about it if she didn¡¯t hurry. ¡°There are a bunch ofpanies that hire promotional models, but I want to do something different. I want to bring value-add to the traditional setup.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®value-add?''¡± Vanessa¡¯s mom asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a term we used at the trade show.¡± Heath smiled over at Vanessa. ¡°You provide one thing and throw another in for free.¡±

    ¡°Free?¡± Vanessa¡¯s mom said the word in a horrified voice. ¡°Like¡­a buy one, get one free sale?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± Vanessa looked over at Heath as if trying to think through how to exin it. She turned back to her mom and dove in. ¡°My team of models will specialize in technology. We¡¯ll learn everything we can about how your thingamabob works, then go to the conference and mingle with

    attendees, sending them over to the client to seal the deal.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t call it a ¡®thingamabob,''¡± Heath teased.

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. We won¡¯t be about bogging people down in technical details. It¡¯s all about how the technology will help them do whatever it is they do. There¡¯s an art to it.¡±

    ¡°You really were quite amazing on the show,¡± Vanessa¡¯s mom said, setting her coffee cup on the ss table between them without even using a coaster.

    Heath jumped in there. ¡°She was. And the thing about what Vanessa¡¯s suggesting is that it keeps us from having to make that initial contact. She drops the pitch, we close. That way, at mixers and banquets and cocktail

    parties, we can feel free to just mingle and enjoy ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been so self-involved,¡± Vanessa¡¯s mom said.

    Her serious tone immediately changed the air surrounding them. Heath¡¯s smile faded, and he sat back in his seat. This was between the two of them.

    ¡°Both your father and I are really proud of you. I know we didn¡¯t tell you that very often. We were always so busy, we just didn¡¯t take the time we should have. But I want to change that. Your father and I will visit you in California as often as possible, and I want you to fly here. Get Heath to bring you on his ne.¡±

    He didn¡¯t have a ne, but now wasn¡¯t the time to bring that up. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Vanessa, who looked down at her nowempty cup of coffee.

    ¡°That means a lot,¡± Vanessa finally said, her voice cracking a little, giving away the emotion she was holding back. ¡°I really just wanted you to notice me. That was my only goal in life.¡±

    ¡°Oh, honey.¡± Her mom stood and came to kneel by her side. ¡°We always noticed you. You were the center of our world. I guess we just weren¡¯t very good at showing it. I can¡¯t change the past, but I can do better moving forward.¡±

    They both stood and embraced. Just when Heath started to feel like he was intruding on a family moment, Edward came strolling in, looked

    around, and frowned. ¡°Why¡¯s everyone crying?¡±

    EPILOGUE

    V

    anessa stood on the edge of a tform made to look like the bow of a sailboat. She looked around the mostly empty exhibit hall, taking in the scene. At the entrance, she saw two of the promotional models she¡¯d assigned to this conference, both working for Derek Hughes¡¯spany. He had a new line of sailing yachts he was promoting at this boat and RV show, and Vanessa¡¯spany had been hired to represent him. There were three salespeople in the booth-all men-and almost as soon as she saw them, Vanessa knew it was on her team to make this happen.

    ¡°It¡¯s an Audi SQ7,¡± one of the guys was saying. ¡°Five hundred horsepower engine and all the bells and whistles.¡±

    Rolling her eyes, Vanessa climbed down from the tform and headed out onto the floor. She¡¯d rather have her eyshes plucked out, one at a time, than listen to one more word out of these guys¡¯ mouths. The good news was, most of their time would be spent talking to other people, sending them over to talk to these guys.

    She was walking over to check on her models when Heath came into view. He smiled at her, and her insides immediately turned to mush, as they always did when he looked at her that way. They¡¯d practically spent every minute of the past two months together and that hadn¡¯t lessened in the slightest.

    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Becka.¡±

    One of Vanessa¡¯s promotional models had stepped up to him, not noticing that Heath¡¯s gaze was unwaveringly focused on Vanessa. He winked at Vanessa, then looked at her model.

    ¡°Heath.¡± He held out his hand and shook hers.

    ¡°Wee to the boat show. Are you here looking for anything in particr?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Just looking around.¡±

    ¡°Check this out.¡± Becka turned and pointed toward Derek¡¯s big disy, which hadnded a spot right at the entrance. It wasn¡¯t as if anyone could miss it. ¡°Carbon-reinforced hull, retractable propeller, and twin rudders. You¡¯ve never seen a sailboat until you¡¯ve taken a tour of the Dolphin360.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Heathmented. ¡°Is that Derek Hughes¡¯s new sailing yacht?¡±

    Becka¡¯s face lit up. ¡°It is. Are you familiar with hispany?¡±

    Heath smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it. I¡¯ll go check it out. Meanwhile, I¡¯m here to see your boss.¡±

    As Becka followed his gaze to Vanessa, mouth hanging open, Vanessa stepped up to take his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here,¡± she said to her model.

    ¡°I see your model knows her stuff. Impressive.¡±

    ¡°She was just getting started,¡± Vanessa said, leading him over to the booth. ¡°If you¡¯re really interested in a sailing yacht, I can show you all the benefits and features.¡±

    ¡°Not really, unless you want to sail the world with me.¡±

    Vanessa stopped and turned to face him, smiling up at him. ¡°I think I¡¯d rather stay onnd, if that¡¯s okay with you. I¡¯m not much for roughing it on the ocean for days at a time.¡±

    Heathughed. ¡°I¡¯d hardly call one of those bad boys ¡®roughing it.''¡± He pointed to therge mock-up of a sailing yacht bow they¡¯d constructed in just hours. ¡°But I do think we should take some time off and travel after this is over.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she asked, smiling up at him.

    The thought of going on an adventure with him filled her with warmth.

    In fact, she hoped their future was filled with many, many adventures. ¡°Maybe on a honeymoon.¡±

    Now her heart rate had picked up. ¡°I think you have to propose first.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯sing, believe me.¡± He looked around and seemed to decide this might not be the best ce for a public disy of affection. Instead, he looked down at her, squeezed her hand, and leaned over to whisper in her ear, ¡°I just have to find the perfect moment.¡±

    He stepped back and smiled down at her, leaving her breathless. Then, with another wink, he turned and walked farther into the exhibit hall, leaving her to her work.

    Yes, life with him definitely was going to be an adventure.

 Chapter 80

    Title: Searching For Mr. Billionaire

    Renee Forrester skimmed the article on her smartphone screen for a long moment before returning her attention to the scene outside her window. She¡¯d promised herself a screen-free week, just enjoying her favorite inn on her favorite ind off the coast of California.

    Yet Silicon Valley seemed to have followed her here.

    ¡°Can I top you off?¡±

    That came from a server named April who had stopped by here no fewer than seven times in the past fifteen minutes. Renee was the only customer, probably because everyone else was at work. It was one of the few perks of suddenly finding herself unemployed.

    Renee nodded, and the server poured some coffee into the giant mug on the table in front of her. ¡°You picked a great week to visit,¡± April said as she stepped back, holding the coffee pitcher in front of her. ¡°The busy season starts up in two weeks.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure the storms are keeping a few people away.¡± Renee nodded at the window in front of her, where dark skies loomed over a choppy ocean.

    ¡°Yeah, we get a lot of traffic from boats. Not too much boating going on this week, I guess. But with all the canctions, you pretty much get the inn to yourself.¡±

    Nodding, Renee picked up the tiny creamer container and filled her coffee mug the rest of the way. ¡°I didn¡¯t really check the weather when I left. Just got in the car and drove to meet the ferry. I guess I was lucky I came inst night when the weather was still good.¡±

    Halfway through thatst sentence, it became clear that Renee was talking to herself. April¡¯s attention had drifted to the general direction of the entrance to the dining area. Renee didn¡¯t bother to turn to look as the server scurried off to greet the person. If someone else was staying here, she didn¡¯t need to know about it. She wasn¡¯t here to make friends. She was here to rest, recharge, and figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life.

    ¡°Table for one, please.¡±

    The deep, masculine voice almost tempted Renee to turn around. Almost. She didn¡¯t take the bait, though. She closed her eyes as the memory of her boss¡¯s voice came back to her.

    We¡¯re going in a different direction. It¡¯s nothing personal. It¡¯s just the nature of the business.

    Renee had expected to be fired eventually. She was a TV news reporter, after all, and it was an industry where even the most talented, hardestworking women were often reced by someone twenty years younger. But she was only twenty-seven. She¡¯d been keeping her highlight reel up to date in the hopes that she¡¯d be the one someone hired as that younger recement reporter.

    ¡°Do you have eggs Benedict?¡±

    Great. The guy¡¯s voice sounded way too close. This was a fairly big dining room, too. Did the server have to ce him right behind her?

    ¡°It¡¯s a continental breakfast,¡± April exined in a voice that sounded a little too apologetic for the situation. ¡°Muffins and pastries. We do have oatmeal and gran if you¡¯d like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just have coffee,¡± he said.

    The server scurried off and Renee took a deep breath, nning to resume her rxation. Mr. Deep Voice had other ns.

    He didn¡¯t speak. Instead, he rustled around, moving his silverware, coughing, shifting in his seat. Somehow, he managed to make even shifting in his seat noisy. Astounding.

    ¡°Here you go,¡± April chirped a couple of minutester. The sound of liquid being poured followed.

    ¡°Looks like a pretty fierce storm¡¯sing this way,¡± the manmented.

    ¡°Renee and I were just talking about that.¡±

    Renee squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of April bringing her into the discussion. She picked up the phone, deciding the best course of action was to pretend she was so distracted, she hadn¡¯t heard the mention of her name.

    ¡°Renee?¡±

    So much for that. The man was saying her name.

    Now the server¡¯s voice again. ¡°Thisdy right here. Looks like you two are our only guests right now.¡±

    As much as Renee wanted to hide from the world right now, there was no denying her curious nature. It was what attracted her to being a reporter in the first ce. She had to turn around and take a look.

    She already had her greeting ready to go before she saw him. But as the words spilled out, she caught a glimpse of the man seated there.

    Yes, he was gorgeous. Breathtakingly so. He had dark, short-cropped hair and an intense stare. There was a dimple in his chin that somehow made him just a little more interesting to look at than everyone else.

    But that wasn¡¯t what made her heart speed up a little when she saw him. She knew him. Well, she knew that face, anyway. It had just been on her screen a few minutes ago.

    He was the missing billionaire.

    Renee stared at him, not sure what to do. Should she mention it? No, that wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. She had to stay silent, sit on the information a while. Then decide what to do with it.

    It was the reporter in her. She couldn¡¯t help it. Anyone else would think about calling the police or asking him straight out if he was the guy making news. Not Renee. Even unemployed, she was considering how she could use this to her advantage.

    Derek Hughes nodded, then thanked April. But Renee had already abandoned all thoughts of ignoring the other guests at the inn. This was an opportunity, she was sure of it.

    In San Francisco, Renee had been known as a reporter who went after a story, full speed ahead. That part of her personality kicked in and she stood, grabbed her cup of coffee, and moved a couple of seats over at her ownrge, empty table so she could see him without turning around in her seat.

    First step: Make sure he didn¡¯t recognize her. He did live in the San Francisco Bay Area, part of her TV station¡¯s market. But she was hardly a household name, even locally.

    ¡°Where are you from?¡± she asked.

    He looked up at her as if surprised she was still there. Yeah, mega sessful dudes like him weren¡¯t used to having conversations with average Joes. But he was a missing sessful dude, for some reason. That made him a little less elite.

    ¡°Nowhere,¡± he responded, looking past her out the window. ¡°And a little bit of everywhere.¡±

    Okay. What did that even mean?

    Before she could ask, he answered, ¡°I live on my sailboat. Ie ashore when I can, but never overnight unless the weather turns.¡±

    He punctuated that with a nod at the window. Yeah, she got it. The weather was bad. But she found it pretty intriguing that a missing billionaire now defined himself as living on his boat. A sailboat, no less. She¡¯d bet there was no way to trace him on that boat. That device on the table next to him was probably a burner phone.

    ¡°That sounds exciting.¡± She smiled wistfully. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to do something like that.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t lying. Traveling the world was a dream of hers. A sailboat might be a bit rustic. A giant cruise ship run by professionals who knew how to navigate around bad weather would be more her speed.

    ¡°I highly rmend it,¡± he said.

    She frowned. ¡°What do you do for work, though?¡±

    Mostly, she was curious how he¡¯d answer that question. Would he admit he didn¡¯t have to work because he¡¯d made a bunch of money in Silicon Valley on yachts or something?

    Yachts. Boats. She suddenly got the connection.

    ¡°I¡¯m in boating,¡± he said. ¡°I travel around, selling. Boring stuff. What do you do?¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but notice how swiftly he¡¯d changed the subject. It would work with most people, actually, but she liked to ask the questions, not answer them.

    As she searched for the answer, April returned, setting down a dish in front of her. It held a bowl of oatmeal, artfully arranged with an orchid on top, along with a blueberry and strawberry, both perfectly positioned.

    Very chef-like.

    ¡°I¡¯m a chef!¡± Renee blurted as April headed back to the kitchen.

    Had that sounded as loud as she thought? She nervously looked around.

    She knew nobody else was here, but she did it out of habit.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Derek leaned forward. ¡°So, what do you think of the oatmeal?¡±

    She looked down at the bowl. It was pretty, but she knew all too well that didn¡¯t mean it was tasty. She picked up the spoon at her ce setting and took a tentative bite of the oatmeal. Then she took another, much more generous one.

    ¡°Thick,¡± she said when she finally swallowed the second bite. ¡°But the oats haven¡¯t held their shape well. The key to good oatmeal is to soften the oats up just enough. Mushy is bad.¡±

    ¡°Mushy is bad.¡± He smiled at that, and for a moment, she wondered if maybe she¡¯d strayed a little too far away from professional chef territory with thatment. ¡°You know what? I think I¡¯ll try some.¡±

    As if summoned, April suddenly came through the kitchen door, walking straight toward him. ¡°Is everything okay? Need a refill?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have the oatmeal.¡± Derek gestured in Renee¡¯s general direction. ¡°Maybe with extra fruit.¡±

    April nodded and rushed off to the kitchen. Renee couldn¡¯t help but notice she moved faster and was a little extra helpful when she waited on Derek.

    ¡°Do you think they can hear us back there?¡± Renee whispered once April was safely in the kitchen. ¡°She seemed to know you wanted something.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Or she¡¯s just bored.¡±

    ¡°She did check on my coffee way too often before you showed up. I was d to see you.¡±

    ¡°Really.¡± He smiled, leaning forward a little.

    She¡¯d meant the statement in a lighthearted way, but she didn¡¯t want it to sound like she was d to see him for personal reasons. Thest thing she wanted right now was any sort of romantic thing. She had to get her own life in order before she even thought about dating.

    Besides, Derek Hughes was way, way, way out of her league. No, he was the key to getting her career back on track. She had to stay focused.

    ¡°Just to get her off my case,¡± Renee said, taking another bite of her oatmeal. It was really good, but she couldn¡¯t seem to get past her description of it as mushy. All she tasted now was mush.

    ¡°What brings you to the ind?¡± Derek asked.

    Renee looked up from her food. He was asking her questions again. That had to stop.

    ¡°This is my favorite ce.¡± She looked out the window. ¡°The first time

    I came to California as a child, it was to this ind.¡±

    ¡°So, you aren¡¯t from California?¡±

    Sheughed. ¡°Is anyone?¡±

    Maybe that gave away a little too much. Outside L. A. and San Francisco, there were plenty of people who had lived here from birth. Those two cities just seemed to be known for their transnts.

    ¡°I¡¯m from Indiana,¡± she said. ¡°Hoosier, born and raised.¡±

    ¡°Sports fan?¡±

    ¡°Basketball. My dad was a high school coach, so it was pretty much required.¡± She smiled, fondly remembering all the hours she¡¯d spent sitting in bleachers, cheering her father¡¯s team on. It was one of the best parts of growing up in a small town.

    ¡°I¡¯m more a baseball guy myself.¡± He sat back in his chair and stared at her. The scrutiny was a little unsettling. ¡°It sounds like you and your dad are close.¡±

    ¡°We are. My mom, too. I just wish I could see them more often.¡±

    She was giving away far too much here. She had to find a way to stop this before she poured out her entire life story to the guy.

    Derek didn¡¯t ask. He waited a while, silently, for her to continue, then straightened in his seat as the server returned.

    ¡°I added some extra fruit for you,¡± April said as she stepped away. ¡°Let me know if you need anything else.¡±

    Renee almostughed out loud. At first, she¡¯d assumed Derek was getting preferential treatment because he exuded ¡°billionaire,¡± but now she saw it for what it was. April clearly found him attractive. He probably got that sort of reaction everywhere he went.

    She wondered how he nned to hide out for the next however long when he would draw attention everywhere he went.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. This is delicious.¡±

    She nodded. At least she wouldn¡¯t blow her cover as a chef.

    ¡°So, where¡¯s your restaurant?¡±

    His question threw her off. She looked over, mentally backtracking to recall when she¡¯d given him the impression she owned a restaurant.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯d love toe try your cooking next time I¡¯m in town.¡±

    ¡°I never said what town,¡± she pointed out.

    That was deliberate. She wanted to make sure he hadn¡¯t recognized her and was keeping it a secret. There was no way he would assume she lived in Northern California. She¡¯d merely told him she was from Indiana and visited this ind off the coast of Southern California when she was younger.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t, but I travel around, remember?¡± He pulled a handful of sugar packets from the dish in the center of his table and began opening and dumping them, one at a time, onto his oatmeal. ¡°Geography doesn¡¯t apply.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m between jobs right now,¡± she said, setting her spoon in her halfeaten bowl of oatmeal and pushing it away. That was one thing about oatmeal. It was filling. ¡°I¡¯m here trying to figure out my next move.¡±

    He paused in eating and stared at her. ¡°So, you¡¯re looking for work.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡±

    She was curious about where he was going with this. No doubt he knew a bunch of people who owned restaurants. One problem with that: She wasn¡¯t looking for a job as a chef, but she couldn¡¯t let him know that.

    He was still eyeing her, this time in a way that seemed like an assessment. ¡°I may have something for you, but I have to make sure you¡¯re the right person for the job.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t be more wrong for whatever job he was considering, but she had a feeling going along with this was key to spending more time with him. And spending more time with him was key to getting the best story. By the time the storm blew over and he was back on his sailboat, she¡¯d be able to write an in-depth story on who he was, where he was going, and why he¡¯d gone into hiding.

 Chapter 81

    Derek stepped out onto the balcony of his room, taking a deep breath to inhale the fresh ocean air. It had been all he¡¯d inhaled for the past three days, but somehow, standing onnd, looking out at it, gave it a perspective that sailing didn¡¯t.

    His yacht was too big. The n was to trade it in on a strong, sturdy, but simple sailboat that could get him from one mooring to another. But right now, he was just trying to get as much space between himself and Silicon Valley as possible.

    It hadn¡¯t taken long for his disappearance to make the news. He¡¯d tracked it on his new burner phone that morning. His ex-girlfriend-if that was the right word for someone who¡¯d just been using him for his money- had reported him missing when he hadn¡¯t responded to her texts for two days straight. Obviously, nobody ghosted Nancy Moriarty.

    Nobody but him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to scare you.¡±

    The sudden sound of a female voice did, indeed, scare him. He actually jerked around, ready to defend himself. But it was Renee, the woman who had upied his thoughts for the past five hours as he¡¯d taken a rideshare into town, bought a few snacks and other essentials, then returned to his room to wait for dinnertime¡­

    When he could see her again.

    But he didn¡¯t have to wait until dinnertime. She was here, now, on the balcony directly next to him.

    There were five rooms in this inn, which was really more of a bed and breakfast. Five rooms¡­and they¡¯d put the only two guests side by side?

    Not that he minded, especially right now.

    She was seated on one of the chairs that had been provided on each balcony, feet propped on a horizontal bar that ran the length of the railing at the bottom. She had a paperback book in one hand, cover and part of the pages pulled back, but her head was turned in his direction.

    Finally, he found his voice. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t know you were there.¡±

    She smiled. He couldn¡¯t see her eyes past the sunsses, but he saw enough. She wore shorts and a halter top that showed far more skin than the t-shirt and jeans she¡¯d been wearing at breakfast. He assumed she was getting some sun, considering the way she was stretched out as it zed down on her.

    ¡°I thought as much.¡± She held up her book. ¡°The sun came out, but I don¡¯t know how long it willst, so I thought I¡¯d stay here.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to get all set up near the water, only to have toe back?¡±

    It had been one of those days on the ind. Rain, then sunshine, then a fierce early-afternoon storm, then more sunshine. He¡¯d ended up jetting from ce to ce in rideshares to avoid getting caught walking in a storm.

    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think I caught your name.¡±

    Renee¡¯s statement pulled him straight out of his thoughts. No, he hadn¡¯t told her his name, and he certainly couldn¡¯t reveal he was Derek Hughes. One quick web search and she¡¯d find out exactly who he was. Oddly, his first concern wasn¡¯t keeping his identity secret so he could remain in hiding. Right now, he was more interested in getting to know her without all that baggage.

    ¡°David Humphreys.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    That was the name he¡¯d been using on the road. What people didn¡¯t know was that David Humphreys was his real name. Derek Hughes was the fake persona. But that just made it all that much easier to go into hiding since he had the birth certificate to back up that this was his name if it came down to having to prove it.

    She didn¡¯t respond immediately, which made him wonder if he¡¯d given something away in his response. What, he had no idea. He thought the answer had sounded pretty natural.

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± she finally responded.

    She hadn¡¯t told him herst name, he noticed, but he hadn¡¯t really asked. He wasn¡¯t all that interested in knowing right now, although if he followed through on his hint of a job, he might need to do a basic background check on her. Or maybe not. These days, he was kind of tired of people invading other people¡¯s privacy. There was something to be said for trusting your instincts.

    And his instincts said this was one of the most interesting women he¡¯d ever met.

    It wasn¡¯t just that she was beautiful. Drop-dead gorgeous, some would say. He¡¯d dated his share of women who turned heads wherever they went, including his ex-fiancee. No, there was a depth to Renee that he hadn¡¯t seen in a while, despite the fact that he met plenty of extremely intelligent women through the course of his work. She was beyond intelligent. She was simply¡­

    Mesmerizing.

    ¡°I can go back inside if you want your alone time,¡± Derek said, suddenly realizing just how rude he was being. Talk about invading someone¡¯s privacy. She¡¯d been enjoying some peace and quiet on her private balcony when he¡¯de along andpletely shattered it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± She closed her book, set it on the table next to her, and sat up in her chair, crossing her long, tanned legs in front of her. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Derek was actually ttered she wanted to spend time with him. He told himself not to let it go to his head. She¡¯d probablye to the ind to rest and consider her next move in life, only to find it lonely and isting. He knew that feeling. It was why he was d he¡¯d hired a captain toe along with him on this adventure. No matter how much you prized alone time, after a while you just craved thepany of another person.

    She waited until he sat down, then leaned her head back, face pointed toward the sun, and said, ¡°Tell me about this work opportunity.¡±

    Oh. That. He wasn¡¯t sure he was ready to reveal the extent of it at that point. It would definitely scare her off. Besides, he needed to make sure it was the right move for all involved.

    ¡°It¡¯s a personal chef on a yacht. The owner needs someone to do the cooking.¡±

    She looked over at him, and he was pretty sure her eyes were wide with either surprise or rm behind those sses. He wasn¡¯t sure which. ¡°Is it safe?¡±

    Yeah, that would definitely be her first concern. Getting on a yacht with some stranger-and a man, at that. He wasn¡¯t sure what to say except that he could personally guarantee she¡¯d be in good hands. That probably wouldn¡¯t be worth much, though, considering the fact that she¡¯d just met him.

    ¡°There will be a crew,¡± he rushed to say. ¡°Probably pretty soon. There are ads on all the job boards, including one for a chef. It¡¯s just-well, we all know personal rmendations are always best.¡±

    He had no idea if we all knew that. It had been his experience as someone who ran apany with thousands of employees. But he¡¯d been handed money to start a business when he was sixteen and had just happened to have chosen the right industry. He started building small canoes and kayaks on his own and selling them, soon finding that there was a huge demand for water vessels all along the coastline. Somehow, he¡¯d managed to turn the six figures his grandmother had given him into a billion-dor enterprise with employees all over the country.

    And now, thatpany would run without him.

    ¡°I assume I¡¯d get to meet this guy.¡±

    For a moment, Derek was lost. He almost even asked, ¡°What guy?¡± but he caught himself in time. ¡°Sure. That can be arranged. But you¡¯d have to be able to leave tomorrow.¡±

    Renee gasped. ¡°Tomorrow? That¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯ste notice, but we just met. Think of it as an adventure.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the owner, but I can¡¯t promise anything.¡± It was clear in her voice that she was on the ¡°no¡± side of the fence when it came to this idea. ¡°I have ns.¡±

    ¡°To stay here all week?¡± he asked. ¡°Or were you going back home?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here until Friday. Just enough time to get the salt air in my system and clear my head. Then I have to go back¡­¡± Her voice trailed off. She seemed to be deep in thought about something. In fact, he¡¯d noticed that during breakfast, this constant need to stop herself, as though she didn¡¯t want to reveal too much. This woman was definitely hiding things. As if he had room to talk about hiding things.

    ¡°Instead of sitting here on your balcony, reading all week, you could hop on a yacht and sail to Hawaii.¡±

    Slowly, her head turned back toward him. He held in a smile. Yes, he¡¯d definitely gotten her attention with that.

    ¡°Hawaii?¡±

    Derek nodded. ¡°It can take up to a couple of weeks, though, depending on weather conditions. And it¡¯s a couple of weeks of nothing. Nond, no people-¡±

    ¡°No way.¡± Shaking her head, Renee sat up even straighter in her chair.

    ¡°I¡¯m not getting on a boat, yacht, whatever, with some strange man-¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call him a strange man.¡±

    ¡°That just sounds like a recipe for disaster. There was this reporter-¡± She broke off. She kept doing that. Like she was about to say too much. But this time was different. This time he had reason to worry that maybe she¡¯d stopped talking because she realized who he was.

    Derek Hughes, topic of all the local headlinestely. Some local reporter had billed him Silicon Valley¡¯s Most Eligible Bachelor, despite the fact that he¡¯d technically, on paper, had a girlfriend at the time. That girlfriend had loved the attention, though, rushing to tell all his friends. Meanwhile, having his face stered all over the inte had been thest thing he¡¯d wanted. He¡¯d worked too hard to hide in the shadows of hispany to be outed as David Humphreys now. So, he¡¯d left his phone at home, bought a burner phone, hopped on his yacht, and headed out to sea.

    ¡°This woman went in this guy¡¯s submarine,¡± Renee said, this time noticeably omitting the fact that the subject of a story was a reporter. ¡°He killed her.¡±

    Renee shuddered and suddenly all thoughts of her discovering his identity fled his mind. He was suddenly worried about this woman he hadn¡¯t even known about until seconds ago.

    The first question he had was why this stranger had been on the submarine in the first ce, but he could piece that together from what Renee had said. The woman had been a reporter. And she¡¯d gotten on a stranger¡¯s water vehicle-a stranger who was a murderer.

    ¡°This particr yacht owner is very reputable,¡± Derek assured her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t refer you otherwise.¡±

    ¡°The submarine owner was a well-known expert. Fairly famous. I can¡¯t remember the details but look it up when you get a chance.¡±

    How did he break it to her that the job was on his own yacht? At this point, she probably pictured him traveling around on a normal-size sailboat, not something his ownpany had designed to be the best sailing watercraft currently avable. But when he¡¯d taken off, he hadn¡¯t thought about the fact that he¡¯d need to serve as co-captain, deckhand, chef, housekeeper, and everything else he¡¯d always had done for him when he went out on the water.

    That reminded him. ¡°There¡¯s a captain on board. One of the best in the industry. A true professional. So, it¡¯s not like you¡¯d be alone with one strange man.¡±

    ¡°It would be two strange men,¡± Renee pointed out. But she had a slight smile on her face. He took that to mean she was teasing, but still- justifiably-concerned.

    This wasn¡¯t about having someone to make delicious meals for him, though. This was about finding a way to spend more time with this woman who intrigued him. So, the key was to hire at least one other person so Renee wouldn¡¯t be signing up to spend a couple of weeks on a boat alone with a stranger. One other person, then maybe line up more crew once he got to his destination.

    But how did he find another person to hire quickly in a big, empty inn where there were literally no other people around?

    Suddenly, he had an idea.

 Chapter 82

    Dinner was far better than breakfast.

    Not that the inn had to work all that much harder to top oatmeal and fruit. But everything was perfect, from the crispy skin on the roasted duck to the creaminess and seasoning of the mashed potatoes.

    ¡°Just the right amount of crispness,¡± Renee said after she took a bite of the asparagus.

    Derek watched her as she enjoyed the meal that had been set in front of each of them. They were sharing a table in a big, empty dining room. She was trying to ignore the fact that it suspiciously felt like a date.

    But Renee had a secret. More than one.

    Before he¡¯d shown up, surprising her on her balcony, she¡¯d been on her phone. The intention had been to read her paperback book, but she¡¯d ended up researching him instead. Right before he¡¯d disappeared, her very ownwork had named him Silicon Valley¡¯s Most Eligible Bachelor, and Renee was horrified to realize she¡¯d been a part of it.

    There had been a meeting where they¡¯d thrown out ideas, and her idea had been to cover the wealthiest bachelors in town. She didn¡¯t remember even hearing Derek¡¯s name mentioned, but she did remember another billionaire she interviewed, Jeremy Owens, mentioning him when she¡¯d considered doing a story on Jeremy. She¡¯d never given Derek another thought. The same went for the wealthiest bachelor story, which was assigned to one of her colleagues. Renee had grabbed a piece on local politics-a topic she found much meatier and more likely to advance her career-and all had been forgotten until earlier that day when she¡¯d pulled up the wealthiest bachelor story online.

    The bachelor piece had been a doozy, exposing the fact that he had a girlfriend named Nancy who was a socialite and that he had been handed his money after his mega rich grandfather¡¯s death. It led her to wonder if the puff piece had prompted him to go on the run in his little sailboat. It made sense he¡¯d retreat to the water, considering watercraft was how he¡¯d made his billions.

    ¡°How would you do this differently?¡±

    Derek¡¯s question made her abruptly stop chewing to stare at him. He was assessing her, yes. But now she realized he was assessing her to determine whether she was the right person to be his friend¡¯s chef. At least, she assumed it was a friend. Maybe it was his own yacht. In fact, a yacht would be the perfect ce to hide out.

    ¡°The meal?¡± she asked, knowing that was precisely what he¡¯d meant. It was a stalling tactic.

    ¡°Yes. If you were making this for a crew on a yacht, how would you do things differently?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never served in that kind of capacity.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t exaggerating there. She¡¯d worked as a line cook in a restaurant for her entire time in college. It paid well and she loved it. But at the same time, she¡¯d been working toward her degree in broadcast journalism, which meant logging hours at the campus TV station so she¡¯d have a reel to help hernd a job after graduation. She knew enough about cooking to know there was a big difference between a line cook and a chef in a restaurant like this.

    Although on a yacht, while cooking for arge crew, probably not as different.

    She decided to wing it. ¡°But it depends. Does the crew get a gourmet meal like this? I would think in the case of a yacht situation, the crew might not get the same food.¡±

    ¡°Everyone will eat the same, but breakfast and lunch can be simple. Maybe sds, sandwiches for lunch.¡±

    She smiled at him. ¡°Oatmeal for breakfast? Oh, wait. Maybe eggs Benedict.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t smiling, though. ¡°What makes you think your employer likes eggs Benedict?¡±

    It had been a joke, but obviously, she¡¯d touched on a sore subject. She searched for a reason he might be sensitive about his own breakfast preference. Was it well-known that Derek Hughes liked eggs Benedict and she¡¯d reminded him she knew a little too much about him? Maybe it wasn¡¯t his own yacht, and he was afraid she¡¯d hop on a yacht with his friend, then put two and two together. At that point, she might call the coast guard to go track him down on his own boat.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Not that her phone would work out in the middle of the ocean, anyway.

    ¡°We havepany,¡± he said, nodding his head as he looked at something behind her.

    Secondster, a familiar female voice chirped loudly behind them.

    ¡°Hey, you guys. Thank you so much for the invitation.¡±

    Renee turned, and sure enough, their server from that morning was breezing toward them. Instead of work clothes, though, she wore a pantsuit and her hair in some sort of updo. She looked like she was going on a job interview.

    ¡°April?¡± Renee asked. What was happening here? Why would April think they had invited her to join them?

    ¡°I thought April might like to enjoy dinner as a guest for a change.¡±

    Derek smiled at her. ¡°Please, have a seat. They¡¯ll bring you a te shortly.¡±

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte.¡± April cast an apologetic nce in Renee¡¯s direction. ¡°I live about twenty minutes away. I know it doesn¡¯t seem like this ind could possibly have a twenty-minute drive on it.¡±

    Aprilughed. Renee figured she¡¯d heardments about her twentyminute drive from other guests, but twenty minutes was a perfectly reasonable drive on this ind. Maybe some of those people had never visited an ind before.

    ¡°April is interested in one of the crew positions on the yacht I was telling you about.¡±

    Derek was looking at Renee now, and she realized April was, too. This was directed at her, whatever was going on here. She was the one person who was out of the loop.

    ¡°Cooking?¡± Renee asked.

    ¡°More a steward type of position,¡± Derek said. ¡°There will be more people hired soon, but the goal is to get to Hawaii first.¡±

    What was the rush? Whoever owned the yacht obviously nned to spend two weeks on the water getting there. Seemed that person could wait around until a full crew was hired.

    ¡°It will be so exciting,¡± April gushed. She had to wait for the server, who stopped to chitchat with her for a few seconds after setting her te in front of her, to go back to the kitchen. Finally, he did, and she continued.

    ¡°The four of us traveling to Hawaii. I can¡¯t imagine-¡±

    ¡°The four of us?¡± Renee looked from April to Derek. What four? The way she said that, it sounded like¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m the fourth person,¡± Derek admitted. ¡°It would be you two, the captain, and me. I would like to hire both of you to join me as the first two members of my crew. At least for the first leg of my trip. After that, we can decide if it¡¯s the right fit to move forward.¡±

    Wait¡­so was Derek outing himself as a billionaire here? A billionaire with a fake name? There weren¡¯t that many billionaires in the world, so it wasn¡¯t like April couldn¡¯t piece it together with a simple web search if she wanted.

    ¡°I work for thepany that built the yacht,¡± Derek exined. ¡°I¡¯m their executive salesperson. My job is to take the yacht around to various ces so that prospective buyers can tour it, then fly back to get another yacht if it sells.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried that it might not work out,¡± April said, biting her lip. ¡°If I¡¯m going to quit my job here¡­¡±

    Derek took thest bite of his food and set his fork down. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± he said after he¡¯d swallowed. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll get you another job on the ind if you can¡¯t get this one back. I¡¯ll even talk to your boss for you if you¡¯d like. I have a way with words. I¡¯m a salesperson, after all.¡±

    A salesperson who owned a yacht? Was April buying this?

    Apparently, she was. She was smiling as she loaded her fork with potatoes and slid it into her mouth.

    ¡°I know neither of you knows me, but I can assure you you¡¯re in safe hands.¡± He leaned back in his chair, looking down at the table. The guy just oozed ¡°billionaire.¡± April had to see that. ¡°I do expect you to be reliable and good at what you do. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Yeah, well, considering her entire experience as a gourmet chef was practicing various dishes in her own kitchen, Renee couldn¡¯t promise that.

    But who said she wanted to anyway?

    ¡°Imagine,¡± April said between bites. ¡°Hawaii! He¡¯s paying for us to stay for two whole days once we¡¯re there. I¡¯ve always wanted to see Hawaii.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t much April could have said that would have convinced her more than those words. She¡¯d dreamed of visiting Hawaii since she was a little girl, looking at her grandmother¡¯s vacation photos. She wanted to wear a lei and attend a luau and eat roasted pig. She wanted to fly over volcanos in a helicopter and live.

    And this might be the only time in her life she could do something like that. Once she returned home, she¡¯d have to start looking for work-not chef work but broadcasting work. She¡¯d end up in no telling what city and state, on-call twenty-four-seven, afraid to take a vacation in case the station decided it wanted to ¡°go in a different direction¡± while she was gone.

    ¡°Exactly what would the job entail?¡± Renee asked. ¡°Where would we sleep? Is it like on TV where we¡¯re in bunks down below?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are bunks, but you¡¯re the first two, so you¡¯d get your own room. Once I hire some deckhands, you two might need to consolidate, especially if it¡¯s a male-female situation. Don¡¯t worry. The door between locks.¡±

    Renee frowned. This felt very formal. Like she¡¯d somehow found herself offered a job on a cruise ship or something. How had she gone from trying to enjoy a few days at her favorite inn to considering a job on a ship headed for Hawaii?

    But this wasn¡¯t about the job. It was about spending time in Derek¡¯spany. On a yacht in the middle of the ocean, she¡¯d have chances to get to know him and grab information for her story.

    How could she possibly turn the opportunity down?

    They said their goodbyes, and she headed back to her room, already realizing she wouldn¡¯t be getting nearly enough sleep that night. She had work to do, and once she climbed on that boat, she was pretty sure her phone would stop getting a signal at some point. That meant any work she needed to do to make sure her story would be bought needed to be done now.

    Within minutes of settling into her room, she had the information she needed to email her dream publication. She¡¯d done some print journalism work in college, but the goal of this article wasn¡¯t tond a job writing for a publication. She nned to use this to get national attention, then leverage it into a reporting gig at a local station in a smaller market than the one she¡¯d been hustling at for the past two years. At a smaller station, she could be a bigger fish, boosting the chances she could get those big stories that would help her move up, up, up in her career.

    She worked on the story pitch for nearly twenty minutes, fired it off, and looked for a few backup publications, pitching those, as well. The goal was to have messages of interest waiting in her inbox as soon as she had Wi-Fi again. She didn¡¯t expect the ping that told her she had a response a half an hour after seeing the first email.

    It was her dream publication. They were interested in the story, but only if she could have it soon. She just hoped two weeks would be soon enough.

 Chapter 83

    The weather was perfect for sailing.

    Derek got up early and took his dinghy over to the boat. With the help of Captain Jake, he prepared the boat to sail so they could get started as soon as his new team arrived.

    Team. He already had a team. He smiled to himself, realizing this dream of his was finally bing real. His chief operating officer, bound under the contract they¡¯d signed, would continue to make sure hispany ran smoothly and money kept flowing to his bank ount. A bank ount that was conveniently set up under David Humphreys. On paper, he was David Humphreys. Derek Hughes had always been and would always be an alias he used only for business purposes.

    That made going off-grid easier than ever, he¡¯d found.

    At the designated time-the end of April¡¯s shift-he headed back to shore. April¡¯s n was to email her boss and let her know that she was taking another job, but she¡¯d finish out her shift. Not the best situation, but when a yacht owner offered you a job traveling to Hawaii, you didn¡¯t always have advance notice.

    Surprisingly, both women were waiting at the dock when he arrived. They had their suitcases stacked around them. Multiple suitcases. So many suitcases, he wondered if they¡¯d all fit into the dinghy as he pulled up next to where they stood.

    ¡°I see you packed for two weeks,¡± hemented, mostly to April. Renee had already been packed for vacation, so this was just bringing her luggage with her-three suitcases and some sort of small tote, along with theptop bag she had hanging from her shoulder.

    Yeah. This wasn¡¯t going to work.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to make multiple trips.¡± He started to hop out, but the women were already loading suitcases in the back of the dinghy. ¡°First the luggage, then I¡¯lle back and get the two of you.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t ideal, but dinghies weren¡¯t really built for transportingrge groups of people. Fortunately, it would only take minutes for him to make the round trip, plus a little time to hand the luggage off to Captain Jake. He radioed ahead to make sure Jake was at the back of the boat waiting when he arrived.

    By the time Derek returned, they were seated on the dock, feet in the water. He saw their shoes resting next to them. He had to force his gaze away from Renee, who looked even better than he remembered. She wore a simple tank top and shorts, but somehow, she made it look like something you¡¯d see in a magazine.

    ¡°No lifejackets?¡± Renee asked as they approached.

    Crud. He¡¯d forgotten the lifejackets. He tried to wear one every time he used the dinghy, but today, he¡¯d been distracted with getting the boat ready so they wouldn¡¯t be dyed even further. It was a short ride, so he just hoped they weren¡¯t busted in the time it took to get there.

    ¡°This is so exciting!¡± April yelled over the sound of the motor as they neared the yacht.

    Derek figured that was meant for Renee¡¯s ears only, so he just kept his focus forward, slowing to a stop near the boat. Captain Jake was waiting for them, boat hook in hand.

    ¡°We need lifejackets!¡± Derek said into the radio as they approached.

    He saw Captain Jake reach for his radio on his belt, then nod and disappear. Thest thing they needed was to try to unload without the proper safety equipment. He¡¯d do his best to keep his passengers out of the water, but he always practiced proper safety procedures.

    Except when he forgot lifejackets.

    Captain Jake returned secondster, tossing the lifejackets to Derek. He managed to catch all three of them. He demonstrated how to put them on, and both April and Renee followed through without issue.

    Derek had custom-designed this yacht himself, adding in all the features he wished he¡¯d had over the years. The railing on the back made it easy to step onto the toe rail, which then made it easy to get to the small tform, then climb up the stairs. It was borate, and not meant to be performed in high-heeled sandals, but he noticed Renee was still gripping hers by the straps in one hand as she waited for April to transfer first.

    Again, he was surprised by how both women jumped in and seemedpletely fearless. He wasn¡¯t sure what he¡¯d expected, but both had said they had zero boating experience. Any novice would be a little hesitant, but April didn¡¯t even take the help he offered her. She just went straight for the handrails and pulled herself up and onto the boat.

    Then it was Renee¡¯s turn. She stood slowly, pausing to bnce her weight as the dinghy started moving. That was when that cool confidence she¡¯d shown so far began to wane. Derek couldn¡¯t see her eyes behind those sunsses, but he was pretty sure they were filled with fear.

    He held his hand out, leaning as forward as he dared. ¡°Take my hand.¡±

    Her head lifted slightly, and he felt her looking at him. She slowly, tentatively extended her own hand as though terrified that even the slightest move mightpletely disturb the bnce and tip the dinghy over.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    As her soft, dainty hand slid into his muchrger, rougher one, the chemistry he¡¯d been sensing between them intensified. It definitely was the wrong time to be feeling anything like that, but he¡¯d be darned if he could help it. He directed all his effort on getting her from the dinghy to the sun deck.

    With every step she took, the dinghy swayed. It hadn¡¯t had time to do that with April, she¡¯d moved so quickly. He knew the dinghy wouldn¡¯t tip because¡­ gravity, but he couldn¡¯t expect her to have his level of confidence. So, he tightened his hand around hers and did his best to distribute his weight in a way that steadied it.

    ¡°I think- Oh!¡±

    Whatever she¡¯d been about to say was cut off when she took a bold step and the boat started shaking again. At that point, she was close enough that he could reach for her, and that was exactly what he did. He closed the distance between them and put one arm around her. His free hand went to her upper arm. It was instinct, but it seemed to work. The boat gradually stilled.

    ¡°Here, put your weight on me,¡± he said as he shifted slightly, grabbing the handrail with the hand that had been on her upper arm.

    She did just that, and he let part of his mind wander to just how nice it felt to have her in his arms. Her warmth against his upper chest tempted him to pull her even closer, but he resisted that temptation.

    And somehow that was the thought that upied him the rest of the way. Her hand grasped the handrail, and together, they shifted her until her feet were on the toe rail. She was so eager to be on solid ground she nearly whacked him in the head with the sandals still dangling from her right hand, but at least she was safe.

    ¡°Wee aboard!¡± he heard Captain Jake say as he climbed his own way up.

    Derek never got that level of enthusiasm, but then he did owe his captain a big thanks for staying on the boat. It was the captain¡¯s personal rule that he never, ever left the boat, even if it was dangerous. Sounded like a bad policy to Derek, but the captain was somehow both young and experienced with sailing at the same time.

    ¡°So, you drive this ship?¡± Renee asked.

    ¡°Sailboats don¡¯t need too much driving, ma¡¯am.¡± Captain Jake gave Derek a smile. ¡°But, yes, I make sure she stays afloat and going in the right direction.¡±

    ¡°I help out sometimes.¡± Derek had no idea why he¡¯d felt the need to add that little factoid in. It sounded like he was bragging, and maybe that was what it was.

    ¡°I keep an eye on things at night so everyone can sleep,¡± Captain Jake exined. ¡°Let¡¯s give you the grand tour.¡±

    Renee wasn¡¯t finished with the questioning, though. She sounded like she¡¯d been hired to learn everything she could about the ship. It made sense. If she was going to be confined to this boat for the next couple of weeks, she should want to know a little more about how everything worked.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s as secure as secure can be,¡± Captain Jake exined as they entered a seating area toward the back of the boat. Appearing to be in awe, both Renee and April looked around at areas he never used because he¡¯d only ever sailed this vessel by himself.

    ¡°Is there a pool?¡± April asked.

    ¡°Hot tub,¡± Derek said. The word came out sounding more clipped than he¡¯d intended.

    When he¡¯d decided, halfway through designing this, that he was going to keep it for himself, he¡¯d scrapped the idea of putting a swimming pool aboard. He pretty much always included swimming pools on his yachts these days unless the client specified otherwise. Yachts were for entertaining.

    Derek didn¡¯t entertain.

    It had been an ongoing point of contention between him and his exgirlfriend. She wanted to have a weekend where they hosted some of the bigwigs in town, but that wasn¡¯t Derek. Thest thing he wanted was to pack one of his boats full of people who were only there because he had money and a fancy boat. He had this unshakable need to only surround himself with people who genuinely wanted to be around him.

    And since he couldn¡¯t trust that anyone genuinely wanted to be around him, that meant he spent a lot of time alone.

    ¡°Do we have provisions?¡± Renee asked as they entered the kitchen area. It was set up for a team of people to cook for the guests onboard. For guests, there was a refrigerator in the lounge area near the master bedroom.

    ¡°I brought some over this morning to add to what we already have.¡± Derek nodded at the refrigerator. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Renee stepped over to it and opened the door. Sure enough, the refrigerator was packed with meat, cheese, and perishables like vegetables. There was a produce cab off to the side, as well as a pantry filled with seasonings and canned foods.

    ¡°The fresh produce will be the toughest,¡± Renee said as she closed the door and looked around. ¡°You said it takes two weeks.¡±

    ¡°Roughly.¡± He shrugged. Captain Jake had taken off to get the boat going. He¡¯d be able to give a more urate estimate.

    ¡°Then we need to utilize the produce while we can, while still conserving it. I¡¯lle up with some menus.¡± Renee pulled out her phone and started tapping on the screen. She then began typing frantically with both thumbs.

    ¡°Hallmark of a professional chef,¡± April exined to Derek. ¡°People don¡¯t realize how much goes into nning.¡±

    ¡°Especially on a ship,¡± Reneemented, still typing.

    Derek nodded to himself. April had been an impulse hire, mostly to make Renee feel a little safer about stepping onto a boat with two strangers. But he was starting to suspect she¡¯d been a good choice, as well. She¡¯d already proven herself to be a hard worker and now she seemed like a pretty sharp cookie. He needed that around here.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you theundry room.¡±

    Derek had meant that solely for April since it would fall on her as the sole steward to take care of that. There were only four people aboard-for now, anyway-soundry shouldn¡¯t be too overwhelming.

    ¡°There¡¯s aundry room?¡± Renee asked, trailing along after them.

    Derek kept walking, closing open cabs as he went. He¡¯d been a bit less than organized and neat when it had been just him and Captain Jake aboard. Now that there was someone taking care of things, he¡¯d be much more conscientious about it.

    ¡°Laundry falls under the steward¡¯s duties,¡± he heard April say to Renee.

    ¡°Oh, I can do my own. And help you out. When I¡¯m not making meals, that is.¡±

    Derek felt a little tug at his heart at the offer. How long had it been since he¡¯d been attracted to a woman who didn¡¯t expect things to just fall in herp? He felt like the past eight years of his life had been spent trying to impress women with the things he owned, rather than the person he was. He¡¯d med the women for that, but maybe it was his fault. Maybe the fact that he prioritized his own financial status when he was meeting a new woman attracted the type of woman who cared about that.

    Although he¡¯d just met her, he could already tell Renee was different from every woman he¡¯d met in recent years.

 Chapter 84

    Renee was out of her depth here. And she was saying that from a boat that was sailing into very, very sizable depths.

    She stood in the kitchen, staring at the four tes she¡¯d set

    out. They were the type of tes you¡¯d see in a restaurant-that was what had her feeling so intimidated. These tes were waiting to hold food prepared by a professional chef, not a TV reporter on the hunt for her next scoop.

    Before the ship could get too far away fromnd, Renee had snuck into the bathroom and screenshot a bunch of recipes. Sds, pork chops, steaks -all working with the seasonings she was likely to find out there. But now, standing in the smallmercial kitchen, she stared into the pantry as if she¡¯d never seen garlic salt or paprika before.

    Since it was lunchtime, the pressure was rtively low. She found some Mahi Mahi that she hoped Derek had brought on board that morning. There were tortis, so she ckened the Mahi Mahi and made tacos, garnishing each te with a couple of lime wedges. She topped each taco with some cabbage and a bell pepper she¡¯d sliced up. It looked gourmet enough, she figured. After lunch, she¡¯d have to do a full inventory of the items in the kitchen and n meals for the next two weeks. Thest thing they needed was to run out of food.

    ¡°Looks delicious,¡± Derekmentedter as they sat down at the table. ¡°Where¡¯s April?¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°She took the captain¡¯s te to him.¡± And hers, too. She¡¯d told Renee she didn¡¯t want him to have to eat alone. ¡°I think she may have a little crush on him.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Derek teased, pure sarcasm. ¡°What possibly gave you that idea?¡±

    Laughing, Renee settled in across from him at the table. ¡°I¡¯d love to see your captain¡¯s chair!¡± she said, imitating the words April had said earlier during their tour.

    Anyone who was paying attention would have noticed the way April had looked at Captain Jake. And, objectively speaking, she could see it. The guy was several years younger than Renee, but at that age, she would have found him attractive. April was that age, Renee was pretty sure, so it made sense.

    ¡°I hope he¡¯s single,¡± Reneemented as she took a bite of her taco.

    She closed her eyes to savor the vors. Perfect.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±

    At Derek¡¯sment, Renee¡¯s eyes popped open. ¡°What do you mean you wouldn¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t discuss that sort of thing.¡±

    She stared at him, all chewing having stopped. He didn¡¯t seem to notice her stunned look as he squeezed lime over his tacos. ¡°You¡¯ve been trapped on a boat with him for¡­how long? And I assume you knew him before that. How do you not discuss your situation at home?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my employee, and besides, dudes don¡¯t sit around talking about our rtionships. We just¡­don¡¯t.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t say that didn¡¯t match what she¡¯d observed over the years. Her father never seemed to know what was going on with anyone he knew -man, woman, child, whatever. It was all about surface stuff.

    ¡°I guess maybe I could ask him.¡± Renee thought about that a second, then shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want him to think I¡¯m hitting on him or something. April will just have to sort it out.¡±

    Now Derek was watching her. He kept chewing, but he did so slowly, thoughtfully. He seemed to be processing what she was saying. ¡°So, what¡¯s your situation?¡±

    The question almost made her choke on the sip of water she¡¯d just taken. Was he¡­asking about her love life? It definitely seemed like he was. But she didn¡¯t want to assume he was and get it wrong. That would be super embarrassing.

    She decided to y it safe. ¡°I¡¯m between jobs, as I said. I guess right now I¡¯m just between everything. I have to figure out where I¡¯m going to be in five years before I can think about anything else.¡±

    Was that vague enough? She certainly hoped so. Whether it was or not, he was looking at her with appreciation, and that was definitely a positive result.

    ¡°This was my dream,¡± he said.

    He set his half-eaten taco down and unscrewed the cap on his water. She took another bite of her own taco and patiently waited while he sipped. Finally, her patience paid off. He kept going with his story.

    ¡°From a young age, I just wanted to escape. To get away from the pressures of everything. School, friends, family¡­the pressure to seed. I started working when I was sixteen. Did I mention that?¡±

    She shook her head. She wondered if that work was the business that had eventually turned him into a billionaire.

    ¡°Not just a part-time after-school job, either,¡± he continued. ¡°Although that¡¯s hard work, too. I was building big boats. Construction. I learned everything I could about the business so that when I-¡± He broke off and the slightly dazed look in his eyes vanished.

    Renee immediately knew what was going on here. He¡¯d been about to say something about thepany he¡¯d founded, and that would risk giving away his identity. Although he might be opening up to her a little, he was going to keep that part of his life safely tucked away, it appeared.

    ¡°When I started selling, I quickly became one of the best in my industry.¡± He smiled. ¡°I guess that sounds like bragging.¡±

    She returned his smile. ¡°Hey, brag away. I like seeing people aplish things in life.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the same. I can tell.¡±

    He sat back in his chair, holding the bottled water. She was stunned to see he¡¯d already cleared his te of the three tacos she¡¯d served him. She only made two for herself and she still had one left. Hopefully, that was a sign he liked her creation.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty driven, which makes being let go even harder.¡±

    No way would she admit to him that her career had been pretty much all she¡¯d had in life, which made her job loss an even fiercer blow. She¡¯d had to move out to California to take the job, leaving her friends and family behind, and working around the clock meant no time to meet new people. Aside from her coworkers at the station-none of whom had even called in to check on her since her firing-she spoke to pretty much no one on a daily basis.

    It was a lonely existence, but she¡¯d loved that job.

    ¡°Seems a chef like you would be in demand. You certainly have the talent. I¡¯d hire you if I owned a restaurant.¡± ¡°You did hire me,¡± she reminded him.

    ¡°Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.¡±

    Their gazes held for a long moment that made her heart do a little jump a couple of times. In his eyes, she was his employee. In her eyes, he was the subject of an investigative piece she was secretly writing. In either scenario, any sort of romantic entanglement was one hundred percent out of the question.

    She cleared her throat and forced her gaze to her te. Time to tackle thest taco.

    ¡°Where exactly do you live?¡± Derek asked right after Renee took a generous bite of her taco. She used the excuse that she couldn¡¯t speak with her mouth full as a dying tactic. She should have a quick answer to that one.

    ¡°San Diego,¡± she said when she finally could speak again.

    It was a safe answer because it was far away enough from the ind she¡¯d met him on for it to have been a getaway. But most importantly, it was far, far from where he lived before he¡¯d gone into hiding. Her goal was to continue to stay away from saying anything that might jar his memory if, by chance, he was a fan of local news.

    ¡°Nice city. I haven¡¯t spent nearly enough time there. Are you tied to San Diego, or would you be open to working anywhere?¡±

    Again, he seemed to be forgetting that she was, indeed, working ¡°anywhere.¡± She wasn¡¯t even sure where she was working right at this exact moment.

    ¡°You could always travel around with us until you figure it out,¡± Derek suggested. ¡°I know cooking for four may not be your thing, but this crew will have to grow pretty quickly. Captain Jake and I have a tough time managing this superyacht.¡±

    Renee¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Superyacht? Is that a new thing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡­sell.¡±

    The hesitation at the end of his sentence told her he wanted to say ¡°build.¡± He built superyachts.

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between a yacht and a superyacht?¡±

    ¡°Size.¡±

    ¡°And owners. I assume you typically sell to someone with more money in his bank ount than thebined poption of most cities.¡±

    ¡°Not always his bank ount. We sell to women, couples, families, corporations that have yachts to impress clients¡­¡±

    Renee knew her face betrayed her feelings on that. Everything scrunched up as if she¡¯d just tasted something horrendous. The idea of some CEO buying up a yacht just to show off and make money¡­

    But she wouldn¡¯t dare say that. Derek was one of those CEOs who had done just that. In fact, the superyacht she was sitting on at this very moment likely had been bought to impress people. He just happened to find it a handy ce to go into hiding for whatever reason.

    She wasn¡¯t here to care. She was here to get the story. Focus.

    ¡°So, this is one of the boats you sell?¡± Renee asked, redirecting her efforts toward learning more about him. Not that she could learn more about someone who was hiding everything.

    ¡°Yep. My boss lets me sail around on it. It¡¯s kind of like a model home on the water.¡±

    Did he really think she bought that? That apany would just let a yacht sales guy float around from one piece ofnd to another with a captain and crew? It didn¡¯t even make sense, but she couldn¡¯t blow his cover while she was trapped on a boat with him for two weeks. That meant she had to y along.

    ¡°Like when someone goes to a neighborhood that¡¯s still under construction?¡± Renee asked, trying her best to sound clueless about boating. She didn¡¯t have to try very hard-she actually was clueless about boating.

    ¡°Exactly. We custom build yachts to customer specifications. This allows them to get an idea of what we can do. Then they can decide what they want and don¡¯t want.¡±

    ¡°Really. There are enough super wealthy people out there that you¡¯re just building these humongous yachts all the time?¡±

    Heughed, showing off a row of perfectly straight teeth. He was already starting to get a five o¡¯clock shadow and it was still early afternoon. She wondered if he¡¯d even taken time to shavetely, considering he¡¯d been hiding out in an inn, waiting for a storm to pass.

    ¡°Not in droves,¡± he answered. ¡°It¡¯s like a really expensive house. You sell one at a time, but you make a bigger profit thanpanies selling smaller boats and yachts, so it evens out.¡±

    That made sense. She made her living telling stories, basically. Often that meant getting to know people and exposing things they didn¡¯t want other people to know, which was sort of the same, now that she thought about it. She had to convince people to talk to her, just as Derek had to convince people to buy from him.

    But it wasn¡¯t the same at all. He wasn¡¯t a salesperson. He was like the station management who had decided to go in a different direction and got rid of her. He sat at the top, making decisions, while other people got out there and kept the business going.

    Or maybe she was underestimating him. He definitely seemed like a hard worker. She didn¡¯t see him as someone who ever just sat around. What she wished, more than anything right this second, was that she could get to know the real Derek Hughes, not this person he was pretending to be.

 Chapter 85

    April had been working hard while they lounged after lunch.

    She whipped through the boat, grabbing up all the linens that had been piling up in the bathrooms and tossing them into the washer. Then she¡¯d started cleaningmon areas, saving Derek¡¯s suite untilst.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of my own cabin,¡± he said when he ran into her in the bathroom across from the master suite. ¡°I¡¯m weird about my space.¡±

    If that wasn¡¯t the understatement of the year, he didn¡¯t know what was. He hadn¡¯t even liked someone cleaning his house, finally settling on a crew that came highly rmended by one of his clients. They¡¯de in once a week, every week, for the past four years. He figured they were stilling in every week since he hadn¡¯t been able to contact them before disappearing without a trace.

    ¡°Sure.¡± April, a true professional, kept apletely neutral expression as she returned to the bathroom, toilet scrubber still in hand.

    ¡°Private person, huh?¡±

    Renee¡¯s voice,ing from behind him, startled him. She had to stop making his heart race the way she was. He wasn¡¯t used to having people around who kept him on his toes like this.

    ¡°I guess I am.¡± He stepped back in case she wanted to breeze by, but she didn¡¯t move. She seemed to be studying him. ¡°I know that¡¯s rare these days, but that¡¯s why it¡¯s always been my dream to live off the grid.¡±

    ¡°On a boat without Wi-Fi. No better way to do it.¡±

    Herment made him frown. ¡°You can¡¯t connect to the Wi-Fi?¡±

    Hey, at least he had the power to surprise her. It was good to know it worked both ways. Her expression went toplete shock, but soon enough it changed to understanding.

    ¡°I just assumed¡­¡± Now she was frowning. ¡°So, this boat has Wi-Fi?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°Built into all our newer models.¡±

    ¡°But, how¡­?¡±

    ¡°Satellite. I could go into the intricate details, but I doubt you want to hear them.¡±

    Even as the words came out of his mouth, he knew he was off base there. Something about her told him she actually did like to learn about things. But for some reason, she didn¡¯t ask further questions. She just squinted, frowned, then shook her head as though having some sort of internal argument.

    Finally, she came out with a response. ¡°Then you aren¡¯t off the grid, exactly.¡±

    Oh, wait. Had he inadvertently given something away? He was supposed to be working right now, not living off the grid or hiding from the world. He had to quickly correct the course of the conversation.

    He leaned against the wall, feeling odd having a conversation here, in the narrow hallway just outside his bedroom where the master bath was. ¡°I said it¡¯s my dream to go off the grid. Someday. Unfortunately, right now I have tomunicate with work. Plus, we have a lot of smart devices around here. I¡¯m sure Captain Jake could show you all the features when he wakes up.¡±

    ¡°He could!¡± April¡¯s voice rang out from the bedroom, where there was plenty of sshing and flushing happening. As would be expected, she said those two words with the enthusiasm of someone who had a crush.

    But Renee was still staring at Derek. ¡°Why don¡¯t you show me around? It could be practice for your potential clients.¡±

    He started to ask why she¡¯d think he¡¯d need practice but getting defensive about it wouldn¡¯t help hide his true identity. His alter ego hadn¡¯t worked since the age of sixteen to build one of the most sessful luxury watercraft businesses in the world. The Derek Hugheses of the world teed all that up, leaving it to the hired hands to do the rest.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    He was one of those hired hands.

    ¡°Sounds like a great idea!¡± The enthusiasm in his voice took him by surprise, but Derek went with it. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll give you the real behindthe-scenes tour.¡±

    Truth was, there was so much of this boat he hadn¡¯t taken the time to enjoy, primarily because when you were mostly alone, you tended to get stuck in your routines. He¡¯d spend at least eight hours a day monitoring the boat¡¯s course so Captain Jake could catch some sleep, but the great thing about a sailboat was that you didn¡¯t have to babysit it twenty-four hours a day.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s automated,¡± Derek exined as they made their way up the steps to the main deck. ¡°We could go to sleep, technically, thanks to all the alerts we have, but Captain Jake likes to keep watch at night.¡± ¡°Do we stop at night or keep going?¡± she asked.

    ¡°We could drop anchor and stay in one ce, but Jake also has a thing about making good time.¡±

    Reneeughed. ¡°My dad is like that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m kind of with him. Not that we¡¯re in any hurry. I guess it¡¯s drilled into us from a young age. Like it¡¯s a race to see who can get from Point A to Point B the fastest. This is the gym.¡±

    Renee gasped as he stepped into what he thought was a fairly small room. His gym at home had been double this size, with much more equipment, but he understood her astonishment at seeing a gym on a boat.

    ¡°This view.¡± She walked farther into the room, approaching one of the three treadmills pushed up to a window. Everything in this room overlooked the ocean. He¡¯d spent far too much time in here since leaving home, mostly for a way to kill time between meals and naps.

    ¡°You do know you¡¯re living the dream, don¡¯t you?¡± She spun and looked at him, that question lingering in the air between them.

    Living the dream. He knew she meant all the stuff he was surrounded by, and he supposed he could see why someone would see it that way. Few people seemed to realize how empty it could feel to be surrounded by things, not people.

    ¡°I¡¯m selling the dream,¡± he countered. ¡°When you look at our brochures, they¡¯re packed with pictures of groups of people seated around, eating and drinking. Beautiful couples enjoying the sunset in the outdoor lounge. Not exactly some sales dude sitting by himself in the cockpit.¡±

    Substitute ¡°sales dude¡± with ¡°billionaire,¡± and he¡¯d given more away than he¡¯d intended. Why was he telling her this? He had no idea.

    He decided a quick change of subject was in order. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll show you the bilge pump system.¡±

    ¡°The who what?¡±

    He heard that question from her as he turned and headed below deck. As curious a nature as she seemed to have, he didn¡¯t get the sense she enjoyed the technical details he was reviewing. When he nced over at her, she always seemed to have that same ssy-eyed look. But for some reason, he felt safe going over everything that made this boat safer and stabler than others he¡¯d built.

    He took her through the engine room, discussing things like instion and venttion. But she was stuck on the practicalities.

    ¡°Why does a sailboat have an engine?¡± she asked. ¡°Why not fire it up? Would we get there faster?¡±

    ¡°The motor¡¯s mostly for docking. Hard to control things with the sail.

    But out on the open sea, we let the wind carry us.¡±

    ¡°What if you hit an iceberg?¡±

    That was a question he hadn¡¯t expected. He even let out a littleugh.

    She smirked. ¡°I know there are no icebergs here, but your work will take you north eventually, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    He was being honest about that. He turned and gestured toward thedder, motioning for her to climb up first.

    She stepped toward it and easily would have made it if the boat hadn¡¯t made a sharp dip to the right. His first thought was that he needed to take some time to give Renee and April a primer on how unpredictable sailboats could be, even with all the extras built into this one to keep it stable. Something as simple as a drink cup left on a table-they were all stic on this boat-could easily be a spill with one shift in the water around them.

    But that thought was quickly reced as the boat took an even sharper, more sudden dip. Renee reached for thedder, but her arm wasn¡¯t quite long enough. She toppled against Derek with a force that reminded him of his middle school football days. As lightweight as she was, it wasn¡¯t like it was that harsh a blow. But his arms instinctively went around her, pulling her against him in a protective measure.

    The ship didn¡¯t steady itself for a while. It tilted in the other direction, then came back toward the center, only to shift to the other side. Renee put her arms around his waist and held on as he struggled to keep both of them upright.

    He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of her in his arms. There was something about this that was nothing at all like embracing any other woman. It felt like¡­ Home.

    Finally, the boat stilled, and she pulled back. She looked up at him without releasing her arms from around him. He could just lower his head slightly and kiss her. It would be so easy, as long as she was okay with it. Maybe he should move part of the way toward her and see if she moved toward him, as well. That would tell him she felt this pull between them.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    It all happened at once-her apology, the release of her arms from around him, and her stepping away from him. Before he could even process what had happened, she was climbing up thedder. It was like she couldn¡¯t get away from him fast enough.

 Chapter 86

    There were good and bad things about having inte ess, even if it was spotty and slow. The good? She could pull up recipes for salmon and Brussels sprouts-the dish she nned to make for dinner. By the time she headed to the kitchen to start preparations, she had her entire meal prep for tonight nned out.

    The bad? She¡¯d gone down a rabbit hole soon after leaving Derek in the engine room. She¡¯d searched her own name and read what locals were saying about her termination. Apparently, people thought Renee Forrester had gotten exactly what she deserved.

    People hated her. Hated her. They ripped apart her voice, her delivery, her fluff pieces that she¡¯d had no choice in doing since the juicy assignments went to those with more experience. Then there were rumors that she¡¯d been fired for having an affair with someone. It varied from her boss to the evening news anchor to the morning traffic guy, depending on thementer.

    There were some positives-a few people defending her, most notably. She didn¡¯t consider the peopleplimenting her solely on her looks as positives. Thest thing she wanted to be respected for in her career was her physical appearance.

    ¡°Smells delicious.¡±

    Renee had been so caught up in her thoughts, she didn¡¯t even realize Derek was nearby until she heard his voice. She immediately felt selfconscious about the work she was doing here. She didn¡¯t have the years of experience in amercial kitchen that would make her confident enough to have her cooking watched by a billionaire.

    ¡°Thank you. It should be ready soon. Are Jake and April around?¡±

    In all honesty, Renee had no idea how this worked. Should she have set a formal dinnertime? It wasn¡¯t as though she was experienced in preparing dinner on a superyacht. A superyacht that was, by the way, pretty much empty.

    ¡°Captain Jake, this is Derek. Over.¡±

    She turned around to see Derek talking into his two-way radio. Both she and April had been outfitted with their own versions soon after their initial tour of the boat. They were supposed to wear them everywhere they went, but she admittedly had forgotten it in her cabin a few times already. It was a necessary part of the job. On a boat this size, you couldn¡¯t not have a way to reach each other.

    ¡°This is Captain Jake. Over.¡±

    ¡°When will dinner be ready?¡±

    It took Renee a few seconds to realize Derek was directing that question at her. She¡¯d assumed he was speaking to Captain Jake, despite theck of an ¡°over¡± at the end of it.

    ¡°Now?¡±

    Even as Renee answered the question, she was scooping up the salmon and ting it. She had all four pieces in ce, Brussels sprouts next to them, sauce drizzled on top, before Derek was finishedmunicating the message to Jake.

    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll help.¡±

    Renee was surprised at Derek¡¯s offer to help her transfer the food to the table, which was no short walk. They had to climb a small staircase and walk down a long hall. She was treated to a nice view of his muscr legs as he walked ahead of her, though.

    Once they had the tes on the table, he walked back with her to get the beverages for everyone. She¡¯d already set the table up with cups, cloth napkins, and silverware, imitating a table setup she¡¯d seen online. There were no sses on this particr superyacht-a move she found smart considering how they¡¯d been bumped around earlier.

    When she¡¯d been shoved directly into Derek¡¯s chest.

    It would take a lifetime to forget the way it had felt to have his arms around her. Yes, the boat had been tipping back and forth so precariously, she legit felt unsafe. But with his arm around her, everything seemed safe.

    She liked that feeling.

    And she¡¯d been missing it for far too long.

    ¡°That smells delicious,¡± Aprilmented when she appeared a few minutester. Tonight, she wore a loose, flowy sundress and sandals. Her hair was down in a casual look that emphasized how young and carefree she was.

    Renee was wearing her jeans and a T-shirt, mostly because she¡¯d dressed to cook, not to enjoy it. She made a mental note to wear one of her sundresses the next night. She hadn¡¯t packed to work on a boat for two weeks. She¡¯d packed to hang out in an inn on an ind for a few days. The good news was, she was not a light packer. Plus, she could wash whatever she needed to in theundry area when April was finished cleaning all the linens and the guys¡¯ clothes.

    ¡°Have a seat, everyone.¡± Renee stepped back, feeling a little awkward. As the chef, she would normally be expected to disappear to the kitchen and clean up. If this were a real setup, she¡¯d probably even cook dinner in courses, delivering the appetizers, followed by the entree, then the dessert. She hadn¡¯t even thought about dessert yet, and there definitely hadn¡¯t been appetizers. Maybe she should pull that together for tomorrow night.

    ¡°You first,¡± Derek said, sliding Renee¡¯s chair back.

    That was the invitation she needed, telling her she hadn¡¯t been wrong in assuming they¡¯d want her to eat with them. She figured she could get away with a few rookie mistakes anyway since she was supposedly a professional chef in restaurants, not on superyachts.

    ¡°Captain Jake is going to train me to be a deckhand,¡± April announced as she sat down and picked up her fork. ¡°I think I may have a career in this.¡±

    Renee stared at her, unsure if she was serious or not. She didn¡¯t know much about sailing, but being a deckhand sounded like hard work. ¡°You¡¯re prepared for a life on the sea?¡± Renee asked.

    ¡°I think I am.¡± April looked out at the water as she chewed a Brussels sprout. ¡°I can breathe here. I¡¯ve felt for so long like all I was doing was existing. Here, I feel like I¡¯m living.¡±

    Renee looked out at the water and thought about it. There was something peaceful about being out here. No texts or phone calls to respond to-although she doubted anyone wanted to talk to her, anyway. But it had that vacation-y feel that made everyday troubles seem so, so far away. When she did have to return to California, she knew those pressures would pile right back on her.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the n when we get to Hawaii? Is it too soon to ask?¡±

    April directed those questions to Derek, who had so far been focused on his food. Renee wasn¡¯t even sure he was following the discussion at all.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    As Derek looked up at her, Renee could tell he was trying the same little trick she¡¯d executed earlier. He knew exactly what she meant. He was dying while he thought up a good answer.

    ¡°Do we stay ashore as you did at the ind, or do we sleep and stuff on the boat? Do we have a scheduled date of departure? Will we be going back to the ind or do I need to make ns to have my stuff shipped to

    Hawaii?¡±

    Renee¡¯s eyes widened as April¡¯s list of questions progressed. Wow. They were all really good questions-questions Renee should be asking, in fact. If this little employment audition didn¡¯t work out, she should be wondering, as the ¡°chef,¡± whether she¡¯d be flown home or would be expected to stay on this boat as it went to the next destination. All she was thinking about right now was whether she¡¯d have reliable Wi-Fi so she could file her story once she¡¯dpleted her research.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never done this before,¡± Derek said with a shrug. He stopped and took a sip from his cup. Another dying tactic, Renee assumed. ¡°I can speak to my boss, but my guess is that we¡¯ll evaluate your performance at

    some point before we arrive and decide if it¡¯s the right fit.¡± Speak to his boss. Nice one.

    ¡°Will we sleep on the ship once we get to Hawaii?¡± Renee asked, doubling down on April¡¯s question.

    Not that Renee nned to stick with him, but there was a remote possibility that she wouldn¡¯t have her story by the time she arrived. Whatever the case, she fully nned to stay in Hawaii a few days after letting Derek know she wouldn¡¯t be continuing with him. She had no idea if she¡¯d ever have the chance to visit Hawaii again, so why not?

    ¡°Unless it¡¯s storming, we always stay with the boat.¡±

    This came from Captain Jake. Renee wondered if he was speaking out of turn. Shouldn¡¯t Derek be his boss? But Derek just nodded and went back to eating.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Wait a second. In his role as pretend salesperson for his own yachting operation, Derek wouldn¡¯t be Captain Jake¡¯s boss, so it made total sense that Captain Jake would speak up on this issue. Maybe, though, even as Derek Hughes, well-known mega entrepreneur, Captain Jake was still in charge when it came to the boat. That was how it worked if you chartered a boat, Renee was pretty sure.

    ¡°As long I get to attend a luau, fine with me,¡± Reneemented.

    Why she was pushing that, she wasn¡¯t sure. She didn¡¯t need their permission to attend a luau in a couple of weeks when they arrived. She was her own boss-now and then. She might be undercover as a chef, but she did not work for either of these two men. She just had to pretend to until she got the information she needed.

    Which should start tonight.

    ¡°Tell me a little about how the two of you met,¡± Renee said, preparing to dive into her food. If she was listening, not talking, she could settle into audience mode and enjoy her meal.

    Initially, her question was met with a long silence. Uh-oh. Had she put the two of them in a position where they couldn¡¯t answer? Maybe she shouldn¡¯t push too hard.

    ¡°It¡¯s a funny story,¡± Captain Jake finally said, taking a big swig of his drink. ¡°Mind if I tell it?¡±

    Derek, who was already finished with his meal, sat back in his seat with his cup of fruit tea. ¡°Not at all. You tell it better than I do.¡±

    ¡°David here was the one who interviewed me because his boss couldn¡¯t make it. I¡¯d been running a charter boat from Los Angeles to Catalina Ind for a while, and we had a full crew on board. Tackling this beast was a challenge I couldn¡¯t resist.¡±

    Renee looked from Derek to Jake. The weird thing was, Jake seemedpletely genuine when he called Derek ¡°David.¡± It was almost as though he really believed that was his name.

    Maybe Jake wasn¡¯t in on it. Maybe ¡°David¡± had shown up, told Jake he was the salesperson, and Jake never questioned it. He probably wouldn¡¯t even care as long as he got paid.

    ¡°So, David here decided he wanted to sit in on one of my charter cruises. One of my regrs agreed to let him tag along on their trip-but what I didn¡¯t tell David was that the trip was a work thing.¡±

    ¡°They ran one of those referral marketing businesses,¡± Derek exined to April and Renee. ¡°It was two days of ra-ra sessions and team bonding.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re skipping over the best part,¡± Captain Jake said with a big smile. ¡°It was all about makeup.¡±

    ¡°Makeup?¡± Renee asked, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.

    ¡°And guess who ended up being a judge in their makeover contest?¡± Jake looked at Derek, who by now had his eyes closed as he took deep inhtions in and out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he knows everything about makeup.¡± Aprilughed. ¡°What was that like?¡±

    Derek opened his eyes and shrugged. ¡°I did my best to avoid their sessions, but even at dinner, they talked shop. By the time thepetition rolled around, I knew pretty much what the makeup was supposed to look like.¡±

    ¡°It was awesome.¡± Captain Jake leaned forward, an excited expression on his face. ¡°I showed up just in time to hear him exining things like full coverage and blending. He even used the term ¡®smoky eye.''¡±

    By that point, both Renee and April wereughing. She just hoped Derek knew they wereughing with him, not at him. He did have a smile on his face, so she figured that was a good sign.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± Derek suddenly said, standing. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of dessert. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

 Chapter 87

    After Derek¡¯s dessert-custard in small pie shells he¡¯d bought while they were on the ind-Captain Jake had to go back to the cockpit. April hung around to clean up, but Derek had a feeling she wouldn¡¯t stick around long after Jake was gone. He was right about that. There was no reason she should feel like the third wheel, but he could tell she did.

    He¡¯d never spent time in the lounge area on the main deck until now. It was an area designed for entertaining, with big windows that overlooked the ocean. Right now, it was too dark outside and too light inside to see much of anything, but he didn¡¯t mind. He¡¯d rather look at Renee, anyway.

    She looked especially beautiful tonight. The makeup she wore throughout the day had worn off quite a bit and she¡¯d pulled her hair down from its tightly-wound knot on her head. She¡¯d exited chef mode and gone straight to casual lounger. He liked it.

    ¡°What do you do for fun?¡± Renee asked suddenly.

    It was almostughable, that question. They were seated on a yacht as he lived out his dream of traveling the world by sea. Did he really need a hobby at this point?This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    But then he remembered that to her, he was working. He was David Humphreys, salesperson headed to Hawaii on business. This wasn¡¯t a hobby. This wasn¡¯t for fun. This was work.

    He needed toe up with an answer for David Humphreys, not Derek Hughes. Only he was David Humphreys.

    ¡°Movies!¡± he blurted out, and the force of his answer took even him by surprise. He moderated his excitement a little as he continued. ¡°I guess I haven¡¯t shown you the theater.¡±

    Her eyes widened. ¡°There¡¯s a theater on this boat? What am I saying? I don¡¯t know why that would surprise me.¡±

    Derekughed. ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t designed one of these without a theater. This one is a little more¡­borate than most, but-¡±

    Oh, wait. What was he saying? This theater was more borate because it was important to him. But David Humphreys was not the owner of this superyacht, as far as Renee knew. He had to talk his way out of this corner he was in.

    ¡°But this is thetest and greatest,¡± Renee finished for him. His panic gradually deted. ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± ¡°What kind of movies?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Action, mostly. Some science fiction. Comedies, asionally. I just like losing myself in a good movie. It reminds me of childhood.¡±

    The way her expression softened, he could tell his words had connected with her. The part of him that was trying hard not to blow his cover told him, ¡°Score!¡± But that had nothing to do with why he was d she was looking at him as though seeing him in a new light. He liked connecting with her. He liked it on a personal level.

    ¡°You went to the movies as a child?¡±

    ¡°With my mom.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re close to your mom?¡±

    He could tell she wasn¡¯t sure how to proceed with the conversation. She didn¡¯t want to ask if his mom was still around, just in case.

    ¡°I am,¡± he said. ¡°She flies out to visit me when she can.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, that has to be tough, considering you¡¯re always traveling.¡±

    For the first time, he felt bad about not being one hundred percent truthful with her. If he could, he would be. He flew his mother out to spend time with him at his home in Silicon Valley a few times a year, but he couldn¡¯t say that.

    ¡°We work it out.¡±

    ¡°Your father?¡± she asked.

    That was the hard part. She¡¯d made it clear she was close to her own father, so how did he convey what a disappointment his own dad had been? Would she think less of him, knowing that David Humphreys-the person he was before he¡¯d taken on this Derek Hughes persona-had walked away from his own father, rejecting his requests for help?

    ¡°He¡¯s no longer in my life.¡±

    That was all Derek was going to say about that. He decided this conversation needed to end. He felt awkward about the way it was progressing, like somehow, she was seeing who he really was. If they talked much longer, he¡¯d end up spilling everything to her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go watch a movie.¡± He didn¡¯t even wait until the words were out before he was on his feet, heading toward the stairs that led up to the hallway that would take them to the movie room. He didn¡¯t look back to make sure she was following.

    She managed to keep up somehow. Which was pretty amazing, considering he was a fairly fast walker. He didn¡¯t know many people who could keep up with him once he took off somewhere.

    ¡°This is it. My favorite room on the entire ship.¡±

    Renee stepped into the movie room behind him. Two walls of windows looked out onto the water around them. It provided a spectacr view. With one press of a button, he could put blinds down to darken the room and create that true cinema experience.

    ¡°What is it about this room that you like so much?¡±

    She was doing it again. She was asking him questions in a way that enticed him to open up to her. Opening up to her was a bad idea because it put him at risk that he¡¯d say too much and reveal his secret.

    Any of his secrets. He certainly had more than a few of them.

    Yet he couldn¡¯t help himself. He wanted to open up to her. He wanted that connection. He couldn¡¯t seem to stop himself from making that connection.

    ¡°Come have a seat and I¡¯ll show you,¡± he said, gesturing for her to follow him to the front row of seats, where he¡¯d left the remote that controlled everything.

    She followed him without question. It was the perfectpromise, letting her just far enough into his world. Actions spoke louder than words, anyway.

    Within seconds of taking their seats, the blinds were on the way down and the projector was starting up. His favorite movie-an apocalyptic tale involving the White House-showed on the screen as most recently watched. He started it up with the sole intention of demonstrating whatever it was he was trying to demonstrate here.

    Oh, yeah. He was showing her what he loved about this room.

    Within minutes, the room filled with sights and sounds, surrounding them. Enveloping them. She¡¯d taken the seat next to him, which meant his left arm was just inches from her right arm. His awareness of that distracted him from the experience he normally had in here.

    Instead of being transported back to childhood, he was transported back to adolescence. Back then, movies were for dates, and they often involved moments like this one. Just like when he was a teen, he wondered what she¡¯d do if he took her hand in his or put his arm around her.

    No. He couldn¡¯t do that. That was a youth dating ritual, not what a twentysomething, aplished man did. Besides, she was technically his employee-for now, anyway.

    Instead, he just closed his eyes and savored her nearness. The maic pull between them made it tough to concentrate on anything but her when she was close by.

    Finally, remembering he wasn¡¯t here to watch an entire movie with her, he paused the image on the screen and turned to look at her. ¡°It¡¯s an escape.¡±

    She looked up at him, and suddenly, he was even more aware of her nearness. Having her close was one thing. Having her face within inches of his, where he could so easily lean down and kiss her, was another.

    It was her eyes. Not just the way she looked at him, but the way she looked at the world. He couldn¡¯t quite describe the color-a shade of blue so light and bright it would make anyone take a second look at her. But there was a depth, an intelligence, behind those eyes thatpelled him to get to know her better.

    ¡°I see what you mean.¡±

    Her voice was barely above a whisper, which was strange considering the noise level that had just existed in this room. It created an intimacy between them, only heightening this urge he had to lean down and capture her mouth in a long, slow- ¡°What are you escaping?¡±

    Renee¡¯s question, said in a much louder voice than the previous nearwhisper, sliced right through the tension between them. His first thought was that she¡¯d felt what he was feeling and wanted to put some distance between them. They were, after all, boss and worker-at least temporarily.

    But then he wondered if maybe she didn¡¯t feel it at all. Maybe it was just on his side of things. If so, he needed to put that wall up again.

    Derek turned to look at the screen, now frozen on an image of a helicopter mid-flight. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±

    ¡°You said this was an escape. I get it. I lost my job and haven¡¯t yet figured out what I want to do next. It feels good to just shut all that out right now. What are you trying to shut out?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t staring at him in that assessing way anymore, which was helpful. But her question dug pretty deep. He, Derek Hughes, was trying to get away from the unwanted press he¡¯d been getting. The relentless calls and texts from friends, acquaintances, and just about everyone else he¡¯d met since moving to town. They all just wanted to congratte him on being the talk of the town.

    With every call, every text, he¡¯d remembered why he¡¯d escaped being David Humphreys in the first ce. Why he¡¯d tossed away his cell phone and changed his number. Why he¡¯d even changed his name after turning down his father¡¯s request to borrow yet another chunk of money from him. Just to get him through to the next payday. Only, David Humphreys knew his father all too well. He¡¯d grown up hearing those pleas to his grandfather for just a little more money. It had been exactly why his grandmother had given the money to him to start his own business. The only way to cut the cycle was topletely change hispany name, go by a different name himself, and change his phone number so that his father couldn¡¯t find him.

    But escaping also meant making sure he flew under the radar. He¡¯d avoided putting his face on thepany website-or anywhere online. He had no social media ounts and had developed a general reputation as a very private person. It was all about ensuring he could never be found. And then some reporter had sted a photo of him across the website of a local TV station. Next thing he knew, friends were contacting him. It would only be a matter of time before word got to his father, wherever he was now.

    Derek looked at Renee, who was watching him curiously again. She was waiting patiently for his answer, but it also felt like she was trying to guess the answer from his expression. As if she could somehow extract it from him if she just stared at him long enough.

    That was when he remembered this wasn¡¯t about what Derek Hughes was escaping. It was about David Humphreys.

    ¡°People.¡±

    Renee frowned. ¡°People?¡±

    ¡°I like to shut out people. Not you, of course, or Captain Jake or even

    April. Just people in general. It¡¯s the curse of my profession.¡± ¡°As a salesperson,¡± Reneemented.

    Weird. The way she said that, it almost seemed like, for a second there, she didn¡¯t believe he was a salesperson. But it was impossible that she might have guessed otherwise. Just in case, he decided to elevate things a little.

    ¡°Sales executive,¡± Derek corrected. ¡°I¡¯m the top sales guy in thepany. Six figuresst year inmissions alone. I¡¯m on track to top that by about double this year.¡±

    Renee squinted at him. The answer had admittedly been a bit on the douchebag side of things. Who bragged about something like that? He was wondering if he should walk it back a little when she suddenly stood.

    ¡°I think maybe it¡¯s time to turn in. Thank you so much for showing me around, but it¡¯s been a long day.¡±

    His instinct was to offer to walk her to her room, as any gentleman would do. But she jumbled up his thoughts so much when she was around, he needed some time to gather his thoughts.

    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡±

    The message was clear. He was staying here to ¡°escape¡± a little longer.

    For the first time since he¡¯d met her, he actually did need an escape.

 Chapter 88

    Derek was missing.

    Not just from Silicon Valley, where people were still specting about his whereabouts, but from breakfast and lunch. April had taken his food to him, and Renee had let her. If he didn¡¯t want to be around her, she certainly wasn¡¯t going to push it.

    ¡°What happenedst night?¡± April asked when she returned with the empty te she¡¯d gathered.

    ¡°We checked out the movie theater.¡± Renee shrugged. ¡°Nothing eventful.¡±

    Aside froming this close to kissing. This time, she was sure of it. He¡¯d looked down at her and the desire in his eyes had been impossible to miss. And she would have been perfectly fine with it¡­

    Until today. The next day. She knew she would have regretted it. She had to keep herself emotionally removed from him. Otherwise, she¡¯d lose sight of why she was here in the first ce-to get the story.

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    Even as the question came out of her mouth, Renee knew she was fooling herself by saying she didn¡¯t care. She wanted to know exactly where he¡¯d been, and she wanted to know why he¡¯d been there. Not that it was any of her business, of course. He was staying away because of something that had happenedst night. Aside from her leaving suddenly after he¡¯d made it clear he made lots of money, she wasn¡¯t sure why that would be.

    If April thought anything of Renee¡¯s question, though, she didn¡¯t show it. ¡°He¡¯s in the cockpit. Took over for Captain Jake when he went to bed. He just seems kind of grumpy.¡±

    Thement took Renee by surprise. April had been nothing but Little Miss Sunshine since she¡¯d met her. She seemed to always have a smile on her face. But as she mentioned Derek¡¯s not-so-positive disposition, her expression changed to a frown.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    ¡°I called him a salesperson,¡± Renee said. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s mad about that.¡±

    April sidled in next to Renee at the sink to start drying off the nonstick pans Renee was washing. ¡°Why would he be mad about that? Isn¡¯t that what he is?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a sales executive,¡± Renee said, smiling.

    ¡°Oh. Yeah, I guess I could see that. I always hate it when someone calls me a waitress.¡±

    ¡°My bad. But now that I know, I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    ¡°You know.¡± April paused, looking behind her as though making sure no one had snuck in when they weren¡¯t looking. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s about the title itself. It¡¯s the fact that you called him that.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Renee feared, even as she asked the question, that she knew exactly what April meant. But she wanted to hear the words. She didn¡¯t want to want to hear the words, but she couldn¡¯t seem to help herself.

    April leaned closer, speaking lowly so only Renee could hear. ¡°I mean that he likes you. It¡¯s pretty obvious. The way he looks at you¡­ Well, let¡¯s just say I hope someone looks at me like that someday.¡±

    Despite her will to keep this professional, Renee found herself lighting up at the thought that Derek might be looking at her a certain way. But she couldn¡¯t let April know that.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that he cares what I think of him,¡± Renee said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s romantic, but I guess I can see a guy wanting the people working for him to know his status.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Whatever you have to tell yourself.¡± April smiled as she set the pan on top of the towel, then turned to face Renee. Suddenly, Renee felt like she was being watched-studied, even. Was that how she looked at Derek?

    If so, no wonder he wanted to escape to his movie theater.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the verdict?¡± April finally asked.

    Wetting a washrag and adding a little soap, Renee shut the faucet off before beginning to scrub down the counters. She remembered enough from her days working in a restaurant kitchen to know safe food practices.

    ¡°On what?¡± Renee asked. She really didn¡¯t want to discuss her love life right now. Maybe she should tell April she had a boyfriend back home or something.

    ¡°Are you taking the job?¡±

    Relieved this wasn¡¯t about Derek, Renee looked up at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Because if you are, we have to take a test and get a license and it¡¯s a whole thing. I thought maybe we could start studying. You know, in our free time after lunch every day.¡±

    Renee couldn¡¯t help but notice April wasn¡¯t offering up her evenings. Captain Jake slept in the morning and afternoon, which gave April plenty of spare time. If shemitted her after-dinner hours, though, she might be giving up some time she could spend following Jake around the boat.

    ¡°I¡¯m just not sure yet,¡± Renee admitted.

    Not that she wouldn¡¯t want to learn a little more about what someone had to go through to be a chef on a superyacht. She was actually a little curious about that. But researching something for a story and spending hours studying to prepare for a licensing exam were two totally different timemitments.

    And right now, her time had to bemitted to putting together a story on Derek Hughes, missing billionaire.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get Derek¡¯s dishes,¡± Renee announced suddenly, obviously catching April by surprise. Renee returned the dishcloth to the sink, neatly folded it across the ledge, then began walking toward the door.

    ¡°I would have done that,¡± April called out to Renee as she retreated.

    But this wasn¡¯t about the dishes. Derek could bring his own dishes back. If not, she could go retrieve them before dinner. It wasn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t a few hours to kill between now and then. But she wanted to kill those hours making progress on her story. Right now, she was at a loss about what to write.

    Thanks to the maps posted all around this ship, Renee quickly tracked down the cockpit. She expected to find the typical type of area where captains hung out, with a big wheel and a bunch of gadgets that looked like an oversized car dashboard. But instead, she saw a long bank ofputer monitors and no sign of a wheel, but that was through the ss behind where Derek sat. Once she was in the room, she saw that the wheel was down low, and he wasn¡¯t even touching it.

    ¡°Hi,¡± she said as the door clicked closed behind her. The goal was to keep from startling him, but he still jumped a little before turning his chair around to face her. She¡¯d braced herself for an expression of annoyance as he realized she was pestering him, but he didn¡¯t look bothered at all. In fact, he smiled.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    Well, that was a good sign. Maybe it meant she didn¡¯t have to apologize for whatever she¡¯d done that had him hiding out in here all day.

    ¡°We were starting to worry about you,¡± she said.

    That was the best way to test the waters. If something was bothering him, he¡¯d either say it outright or shut down again.

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± he asked.

    She hadn¡¯t expected that question. She just shrugged. ¡°You didn¡¯t show up for breakfast or dinner. I thought we might have to put out a missing person report on you.¡±

    That could have been the wrong thing to say. Again, she braced herself for a not-so-positive reaction. But again, he surprised her.

    Smiling, he gestured behind him. ¡°Have to keep an eye on things.¡±

    ¡°You sit here all day?¡±

    ¡°Why not? I enjoy it.¡±

    ¡°I thought sailboats sailed themselves.¡±

    ¡°They do, pretty much.¡± He turned and looked out the front window. Was it called a windshield on a boat? She had no idea. ¡°We have to watch for things. Other boats, debris-¡±

    ¡°Icebergs.¡±

    That was a joke. He seemed to get it, although he stalled for a second, looking around, before his smile returned.

    ¡°Icebergs. I suppose that would be an obstacle, yes.¡±

    ¡°I could keep an eye out for things if you need a break,¡± she offered.

    Even as she made the offer, though, she wasn¡¯t excited about the idea of sitting here, staring out a window. It seemed¡­extra dull. She wondered if she could bring her phone in here and work on her story while on lookout.

    ¡°There¡¯s radar. I can step away.¡± He pointed to a screen that had a bunch of text and a graphic of a boat on it. ¡°I just feel a little better keeping an eye out.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes. He was lying. She could tell. He had radar keeping an eye on things so he didn¡¯t have to sit here all day. He hadn¡¯te up here at all yesterday. Hadn¡¯t even seem stressed about what lurked in the water ahead. Whatever technology he had on this boat, it kept lookout for him.

    He just wanted to get away from her.

    ¡°I wanted to apologize forst night.¡±

    The apology wasn¡¯t nned, but she felt like she needed to clear the air. If calling him a salesperson bothered him that much, she wanted to get it out there that she really regretted it and it would never, ever happen again.

    But the expression on his face told her she was off base. This had nothing to do with what she¡¯d called him. He wasn¡¯t offended by that, and if he was staying away, it was for another reason altogether.

    She couldn¡¯t believe how foolish she¡¯d been. The moment they¡¯d shared in his theater-the almost-kiss-that had been what had spooked him. It should have urred to her before now. But maybe it wasn¡¯t the almostkiss. Maybe it was her abrupt exit, which had nothing to do with her own issues with the kiss. It had everything to do with the way the conversation had derailed to him bragging about how much money fake-him made as a sales executive.

    So, yeah. It was all just a big mess.

    ¡°Lunch was delicious,¡± Derekmented, and it was so out of ce, it took her a few seconds to catch up. She¡¯d served chicken sd with a side of cut-up fruit. Not exactly gourmet, but she¡¯d ented it with slivers of orange. With fine dining, it was all in the presentation. A good chef, she¡¯d learned from her research, could make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches look impressive.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Oh, wait. Was he dismissing her? He¡¯d resumed looking out the window, and his empty lunch te was sitting on the floor next to her feet. He¡¯d set it down there like he was in a hotel and a staff member would juste by and pick it up.

    To him, she was staff. That was it. She¡¯d felt a bond with him, maybe because they¡¯d met on the ind before she technically worked for him. But it was a stark reminder of her position.

    She¡¯d be offended, but she needed that reminder, as well. He was the subject of a story she nned to write. Writing that story required getting to know him until she figured out her angle. But getting close to him for personal reasons was a bad, bad idea.

    ¡°See you at dinner,¡± she said.

    Her tone was terse, professional, just as it should be. She picked up the tes and exited the room without another word.

 Chapter 89

    Derek smelled dinner shortly after he exited the cockpit. Being pent up in that rtively small room had done a number on him. Just leaving the area made him feel like he¡¯d stepped out of a confined space.

    ¡°Take these two. Please. Thank you.¡±

    Derek heard Renee¡¯s voice as he entered the kitchen area, along with the sounds of dishes being slid around on something. The familiar sound took him back to the many times he¡¯d been on yachts over the years. Colleagues and clients often invited him along on trips, primarily out of appreciation for him having sold the yacht to them.

    But this was different. It was dressed up as a work situation, but it was just the four of them, making it feel far closer to having someone cook for him because she wanted to. It felt that way, but he had to keep reminding himself that to Renee, this was a job. Nothing more, nothing less.

    ¡°Good evening,¡± Derek called out as he entered.

    April paused, a te in each hand. She smiled at Derek. ¡°He is alive!¡±

    Herment was silly, considering she¡¯d just seen him a few hours ago when she¡¯d brought him lunch. But he knew she was trying to keep things light and fun.

    ¡°I am. And starving. Something smells delicious.¡± ¡°Steak and squash,¡± Captain Jake called.

    Derek couldn¡¯t see the captain, but his voice came from the other side of the wall that divided the kitchen and the nearby seating area. The seating area had a big window looking out over the ocean. Derek decided he was better off there than standing near Renee.

    ¡°Beef filet and butternut squash,¡± Derek heard Renee call out as he exited the kitchen and headed to the seat next to the captain.

    Captain Jake sat at the table with a bottle of water in his hand. ¡°I figured

    I was better off staying out of the way.¡±

    ¡°Smart move. All¡¯s calm on the oceanfront.¡±

    Thatment was meant to exin the fact that Derek had been hiding away in the cockpit. If anyone asked in front of the captain, Derek was prepared to say that it was early on in the excursion and he felt the need to keep an eye on things until they were all a little morefortable. This yacht was, after all, fairly new, and he wasn¡¯t one hundred percent secure with the technology on it yet.

    Except he was. It was all just an excuse to keep his distance from Renee to maintain professionalism.

    ¡°She¡¯s pretty amazing.¡±

    Derek had just settled into his chair when Captain Jake made that statement. He looked over at a guy he¡¯d spent rtively little time with.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    It was a reasonable question. Captain Jake could have been referring to Renee, April, or the boat itself. Some dedicated ship crew people always referred to their vessels as ¡°she,¡± even giving them names. Maybe he should have assumed that the yacht was the ¡°she¡± Captain Jake meant.

    ¡°Renee, of course. Great one you found there.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really find her. We just met on the ind and she said she was between jobs. I thought this would be a great opportunity to help her until she figured out what her next professional move would be, while also giving us better food than we were eating before we stopped at the ind for the night.¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Captain Jake put his hands up in front of him. ¡°No need to get defensive. I was just saying she¡¯s a really good chef. I¡¯ve worked enough of these by now to have tried pretty much every type of cooking imaginable, including whatever you call the meals we made for ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Bachelor cuisine?¡± Derek smiled, hoping to lighten the mood a little. He supposed he had gotten a little¡­intense when he thought Captain Jake was hinting that there might be something romantic worth pursuing with Renee.

    ¡°It¡¯s ready!¡± April announced.

    Derek and Captain Jake exchanged a look. They appeared to have the same thought about that. If April was going to do this job long-term, someone might need to work with her to improve her guest rtions skills.

    ¡°How¡¯s the deckhand training going?¡± Derek asked as they headed toward the table.

    ¡°I think she¡¯s got what it takes, I¡¯ll be honest. She¡¯s a really hard worker.¡±

    Derek liked the idea of having someone onboard who could do a variety of tasks, but his goal was to beef up this team. If he really wanted to see out his n to travel the world, he needed more help with this monstrosity. It looked like it might be his only choice, considering he¡¯d gotten emails from someone in his hometown. It hade through thepany email address and his COO had forwarded it to him through the web email ount he¡¯d set up before he left. The email had been from a high school friend who wanted to meet up with him to discuss a business idea.

    It all just came together to remind him why he was out here on the water, using a fake email address tomunicate with his COO. He didn¡¯t want someone to use him for his sess or money, and he certainly didn¡¯t want his father tracking him down again. He just needed to get away from all that.

    ¡°Please have a seat.¡±

    There were three ce settings. There were only three of them out here, too. Derek hated to be the one to ask, but- ¡°Where¡¯s Renee?¡± Derek asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s not eating with us.¡± April pulled back her chair and took her seat.

    ¡°She said a true chef doesn¡¯t eat with the guests.¡± What was this all about? No. This was uneptable.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°She¡¯s eating with us,¡± Derek said. ¡°I¡¯m the guest, and I request she eat with us.¡±

    ¡°Trust me. I tried.¡± April shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s not budging.¡±

    No way could Derek enjoy his meal while Renee ate alone in the kitchen. Was she even indulging in the delicious food she¡¯d made? Or had she settled for one of the microwavable frozen pizza turnovers Captain Jake had shoved deep into the freezer before they had a professional chef on board?

    That thought alone made him stand and head straight to the kitchen. She may refuse him just as she¡¯d refused April, but he had to try.

    She was seated at the small table in the corner when he entered. At least she had a te with the same steak and vegetables on it they¡¯d been presented outside. Even when they had guests on board, the thought of her enjoying her meal in here, alone, made him sad, but he knew that was how chefs ate. They were lucky if they even got to grab a bite between courses. Often, they had to eat before dinnertime or well after dessert had been served.

    ¡°Captain Jake and I would like for you to join us,¡± he said. ¡°As you know, when a guest requests something, it¡¯s important toply.¡±

    She looked up at him, fork poised above her food. ¡°You and Captain Jake are guests now?¡±

    Thement made it clear she wasn¡¯t buying that. No surprise, considering how hard the two of them worked to keep this boat moving toward its destination twenty-four hours a day. But he figured it was his best chance of getting her to go along with it.

    ¡°We are. For tonight, we are. You made this delicious food, and we want to enjoy it, but we can¡¯t while you¡¯re in here alone. I know, I know- chefs eat alone, if you even get to eat. But until we have a full crew, I¡¯d love for you to enjoy your meals with us.¡±

    Having made his point, he waited. If she refused, what could he do?

    Shrugging, she picked up her te, stood, and walked around him and toward the table. He watched her go, finding it odd she hadn¡¯t even said a word. Was it some sort of act of defiance?

    He smiled. He¡¯d love to say it was because he¡¯d just scored a victory, but really, he was d she was joining them for dinner.

 Chapter 90

    ¡°We¡¯re going for a dip.¡±

    April¡¯s announcement came as they were clearing the  table, with Derek helping. Captain Jake had eaten quickly, then headed back to the cockpit. He was worried about the swaying of the boat, fearing they were heading into some rough waters. Renee didn¡¯t know if she should be concerned about that or not.

    ¡°Sorry?¡± Renee asked, feeling like she¡¯d missed something important here.

    ¡°The jacuzzi. The captain checked the heater earlier while you were making dinner. We¡¯re good to go.¡±

    ¡°We?¡± Renee asked, sure she must be misunderstanding. But if she was saying we, it had to include Renee since the captain was working and it was doubtful April would hang out in the hot tub alone with Derek.

    April paused near the entrance to the kitchen, turning to look at Renee.

    ¡°You do have a swimsuit.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Renee had brought three swimsuits, actually. Overkill, perhaps, but she¡¯d nned on hanging out on the ind all week. She¡¯d imagined heading to the beach area near the water, grabbing a lounge chair, and enjoying herself.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get this cleaned up and go change.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be in my theater if you need me,¡± Derek announced. Without waiting for a response, he set down the dishes he¡¯d brought in and left.

    Renee breathed a sigh of relief. The idea of wearing a bathing suit in front of Derek made her feel a little insecure. She¡¯d wear her coverup, of course, but when the coverup came off, she didn¡¯t want him anywhere around.

    After finishing cleanup, she changed and returned to the back of the ship. April was already in the hot tub when Renee arrived.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I could get used to this life,¡± April said as Renee climbed in.

    ¡°Yes, I could see that.¡±

    Renee smiled as she sank into the warm water. She hadn¡¯t realized until now just how hard she¡¯d pushed herself all day. Between lunch and dinner, she¡¯d inventoried everything in the kitchen area and nned out meals for fifteen days-adding a little padding in case this tripsted longer. She¡¯d made sure some meats were frozen to keep them from going bad before she could use them. She¡¯d also moved some meals forward. Anything that couldn¡¯t be frozen would be eaten in the next few days, before it could go bad.

    Both mentally and physically exhausted, Renee closed her eyes and savored the sensation of being fully immersed in warmth. It felt like a big, cozy nket had been wrapped around her.

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll let us do this once there¡¯s a full crew?¡±

    April¡¯s question drew Renee¡¯s eyes open. She couldn¡¯t miss the ¡°us¡± in that sentence. She hadn¡¯t made it clear that she didn¡¯t have a future on this boat, but she hated to keep disappointing April. Especially if she started to think of her as more of a friend than a coworker. When she exited this boat, it would be clear what she¡¯d been doing here soon enough, and April would feel betrayed. Maybe she should avoid getting close to her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Renee answered. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Derek using it. At worst, you¡¯ll havepetition from the rest of the crew.¡±

    There. She¡¯d said ¡°you¡¯ll¡± havepetition. Hopefully, that made it clear enough that she didn¡¯t include herself in the mix. Satisfied, Renee resumed her rxed position-eyes closed, the world slipping away¡­

    ¡°Do you sense something weird with David?¡±

    Once again, April¡¯s voice jerked Renee straight out of her attempt at rxing. This time, though, the words she¡¯d heard were pretty rming.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Renee asked, sure she must have misheard.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know-it just doesn¡¯t fit. I know he says he¡¯s a really sessful salesperson or whatever, but he has this air about him. And all his clothes are from Barney¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Barney¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Barney¡¯s New York, but the men¡¯s section. I worked there when I was in college.¡±

    April was onto Derek. Renee immediately felt the need to cover for him. She could me it on needing to keep this under wraps until her story went live, but that didn¡¯t even ur to her at first. Initially, her instinct was to help him keep his secret solely out of concern for him.

    Renee was almost afraid to ask. ¡°Do you think he¡¯s lying?¡±

    April considered that. ¡°I hate to say that about someone. I wouldn¡¯t say lying. Maybe just not beingpletely truthful. Do you really think apany would let a sales executive take a boat like this on such a dangerous journey alone?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not alone.¡±

    ¡°Right. He hired a crew. Aside from Captain Jake, he just picked up his crew on an ind at some inn. We¡¯re awesome, but we were random. We¡¯re in no way qualified-or licensed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand what you¡¯re implying. Do you think David is up to no good?¡±

    April shook her head. ¡°Not at all. I just don¡¯t think he¡¯s a salesperson. I think he¡¯s the guy who owns this yacht.¡±

    The confusion in Renee¡¯s expression was genuine. She really wasn¡¯t following April¡¯s logic. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he just say that if that was the case?¡± Renee finally asked.

    April lifted her hand to stare at her palm, probably checking to see if the water had puckered her skin yet. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s undercover. You know those dudes who go undercover on TV to see how their business runs when they aren¡¯t around?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no camera crew. And we¡¯re new employees. He just hired us.¡±

    ¡°But he doesn¡¯t want us to know who he is. He thinks we¡¯ll treat him like one of us if he¡¯s just a normal guy. You know?¡± April dropped her hand back into the water and looked at Renee. She seemed to be expecting some words of wisdom now. Renee had none.

    ¡°Aside from his clothes, what is it that makes you think he owns this thing?¡± Renee asked.

    The heat was starting to get to Renee at that point. She pushed herself up, ttening her hands on either side of her on the bench seat. She neversted long in a jacuzzi. The heat always started to make her feel suffocated. But she couldn¡¯t get out yet. She had to finish this conversation first.

    ¡°Just a feeling.¡± April, not seeming to be negatively impacted by the heat at all, leaned her head back against the ledge of the tub and closed her eyes. ¡°His aura indicates power and sess.¡±

    ¡°Aura?¡±

    Without opening her eyes, April nodded. ¡°I sense things about people. I can¡¯t exin it. I¡¯ve always had the skill. Sometimes it¡¯s a curse, being able to see things but not being able to prove them. So, take what you want from it, but operate under the assumption that you¡¯re working for the man who owns this boat. Probably owns a really bigpany, as well.¡±

    Renee opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. Her head felt a little fuzzy. Yes, she should definitely climb out of this thing. Her coverup was on the lounge chair not too far away. She could grab it and¡­

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    April¡¯s voice seemed far, far away, like it wasing from the other end of a really long tunnel. Renee focused on that sound as her vision filled with white dots. Those dots gotrger andrger until Renee couldn¡¯t do anything to fight it.

    Then the darkness overcame her.

 Chapter 91

    The emergency call came from Captain Jake. But it wasn¡¯t rted to a situation on the water ahead of them or a problem with the boat. The trouble was at the back of the boat, specifically in the jacuzzi.

    ¡°I¡¯m on my way,¡± Derek said, already out of the theater by the time the words left his mouth. He holstered the radio and ran, as fast as his long strides would carry him, toward the area where he assumed April and Renee had been rxing before the ¡°nine-one-one situation¡± Captain Jake had called. He didn¡¯t have any details-didn¡¯t even know whether it affected April or Renee. He just knew that someone was hurt.

    He didn¡¯t even make it to the end of the boat before he found out what was happening. In the area where the chairs were, just next to the kitchen, Renee was seated in a chair. Captain Jake was on his knees next to the left arm of the chair and April was on her knees next to the right arm. They both were looking up at Renee.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Renee said in a weak voice. ¡°I just overheated a little.¡±

    ¡°Could you get her some water? I think she¡¯s dehydrated,¡± Captain Jake directed at Derek.

    Derek quickly pivoted and rushed to the kitchen, where he grabbed a bottled water from the fridge. It seemed like the quickest way to help. Pouring water from the faucet into a cup would waste precious seconds.

    ¡°Hot tubs can do that,¡± Captain Jake was saying as Derek approached.

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to drink plenty of fluids.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t even drink with dinner.¡± April took the bottled water from Derek, unscrewed the top, and handed it to Renee. ¡°I noticed.¡±

    ¡°I forgot.¡±

    Renee¡¯s words reminded Derek why she¡¯d forgotten. She¡¯d been seated at the table in the kitchen with her meal when he¡¯d talked her intoing to eat with them. He couldn¡¯t remember if she¡¯d had a drink in the kitchen or not. If she had, he¡¯d me it on himself that he hadn¡¯t grabbed it when she picked up her te and headed out to the table.

    Renee sipped the water while April encouraged her to drink faster. She was having a hard time summoning the energy. For the first time, Derek felt panic. They were out in the middle of the ocean without a medic. All he had was a first aid kit and the basic medical training he and the captain were required to have to be licensed. What if something was really wrong? He wouldn¡¯t be able to get help for her.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m feeling better,¡± Renee said after drinking half of the water in the bottle. She held it up as if to show all of them. ¡°I really should just go to bed. Can you get my coverup?¡±

    Thatst sentence was whispered, but it drew Derek¡¯s attention to the fact that Renee wore only a one-piece bathing suit. He immediately averted his gaze as April rushed off to fulfill Renee¡¯s request.

    She tried to stand but dropped back down again. April held the coverup above her head, and she managed to get it on before both April and Derek stepped into ce. Taking her left hand while April took her right, the two of them pulled Renee to her feet.

    There wasn¡¯t even a discussion. Derek was the one who helped Renee to her room. He didn¡¯t want to make assumptions, but it definitely seemed like she gravitated toward him as both he and April each held out an arm to offer support. She threw one arm behind him, leaned into him, and began walking.

    What could a guy do?

    Trying not to enjoy the feel of her against him too much, he focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Her weight was on him as she walked, but she seemed to be getting around pretty well.

    ¡°Could you bring some more water?¡± he called back just before they got out of earshot. He looked back over his shoulder to see April rushing toward the kitchen.

    All he knew about dehydration came from childhood. During football training, they were pretty much swimming in sports drinks by the time every practice, scrimmage, or game was over. There were entire lectures dedicated to the importance of staying hydrated,plete with charts and graphs.

    They didn¡¯t have electrolytes on board, but he knew water was probably even better. He¡¯d have to do some research on his phone once he got her settled. Right now, getting her off her feet in afortable ce was probably best.

    She was sleeping on the bottom bunk, which made things easier on him. Although he certainly would have had no problem lifting her to ce her on the top bunk if that was what she¡¯d chosen as her sleeping space.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m better now,¡± she said once she was seated on her bed. She had to lean forward because the top bunk was too low for her to sit normally.

    ¡°April¡¯s bringing you more water, but-wait. What happened to the other water you had?¡±

    ¡°I think I left it. The nausea¡¯s gone. I just got a little overheated.¡±

    ¡°Did you pass out?¡±

    He¡¯d missed whatever had precipitated all this. He assumed someone had rescued her from the water and carried her to the seating area where she¡¯d been when he arrived.

    April¡¯s voice came from behind him, alerting him to the fact that the two of them weren¡¯t alone. ¡°She was feeling faint, so I helped her out of the hot tub.¡±

    ¡°You lifted her out?¡±

    Derek hated that he sounded so surprised, but April seemed so petite. He pictured her picking up Renee and hauling her out of the water like something out of a superhero movie.

    ¡°I used to be a lifeguard.¡± April gave a shrug. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised what I can do.¡±

    Whoa. This was news. Lifeguards were very valuable additions to yachting crews. In fact, this was a great time for him to learn this little detail since he¡¯d been worrying about handling a medical crisis out here in the middle of the water just minutes ago.

    ¡°Does Captain Jake know that?¡± Derek asked.

    April¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I told him, yes. Is it important?¡±

    Heughed. ¡°I¡¯ll say. Situations just like this one need someone like you. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but there are no emergency rooms out here.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t think about that.¡± April stepped back as Renee took a long swig of water. ¡°I just thought it would be valuable because I¡¯m super strong. You know, as a deckhand.¡±

    He was pretty sure Renee would be gone as soon as they hit drynd. He¡¯d even thought about surprising her with a ne ticket back, if only he knew where she nned to live. She¡¯d been evasive about answering that question. But it was nice to know he¡¯d found April at that inn. He knew the value of a really, really good employee after all these years of running a business.

    But Derek didn¡¯t have time to think about that right now. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    He knelt in front of Renee, mostly because leaning over was getting ufortable. She had downed the entire bottle of water and was now t on her back, head on her pillow, staring up at the top bunk.

    ¡°I think fine,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll need to get up for the bathroom pretty soon, but the room¡¯s no longer spinning.¡±

    ¡°Dehydration is noughing matter,¡± Aprilmented. ¡°I feel horrible that I didn¡¯t think about it. It was just so nice to rx-¡±

    Renee cut her off. ¡°I think I just need rest.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll check in on you in a little bit.¡± April backed out of the room.

    Derek stood, preparing to follow.

    ¡°Could you stay a few minutes?¡±

    That was not at all what he¡¯d expected. Derek froze, looking down at her. Maybe he should leave anyway. Rest was what was best for her right now, whether she believed it or not.

    ¡°I just-I¡¯m not really tired,¡± she added when he didn¡¯t respond right away. ¡°And I left my phone in the kitchen, so I¡¯d just be staring at the bottom of that bunk.¡±

    Derekughed. ¡°Nice to know I¡¯m an alternative to boredom.¡±

    ¡°I think you know I¡¯d never shy away from an opportunity to have a long talk with you.¡± She looked over at him, shing him a big smile. That, he assumed, was to let him know she was teasing him. But it was hard not to take it a little seriously, mostly because it had been bugging him all day. Every time they got into a somewhat intense discussion, he started to feel ufortable. And as much as he could me it on his need to remain undercover, he knew it went deeper than that.

    ¡°Your request is granted.¡± Derek looked around and found a short stool in the corner. There weren¡¯t exactly chairs around the ship that he could just drag in here.

    As soon as he was seated, though, Renee giggled. It was a full-on giggle, not augh, and somehow it made him like her a little more. ¡°That stool looks way too short for you. And notfortable at all.¡± Renee leaned over, then pointed toward the hallway. ¡°I think there¡¯s a better chair in April¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± He knew what was on this yacht-he¡¯d overseen all of it- and there was no better chair that would be easy to move in here. ¡°I can¡¯t stay long. I need to go check on Captain Jake.¡±

    ¡°You seem to always be running away.¡±

    That got his attention. He¡¯d been staring toward the door, indeed thinking about how he could escape from this room before things got too deep. It felt like she¡¯d seen right through him.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Just something I¡¯ve noticed. I guess I¡¯m a little nosy. I don¡¯t mean toe across that way. Mostly, I just want to get to know you a little better.¡±

    He stared at her. She was right. This overwhelming urge to run filled him. And he was on a yacht that he¡¯d climbed on a few days ago with the specific purpose of running. The fact that he wanted to run while on the run hammered home just how on point her words were.

    It was hard to keep denying it, even to himself.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Ask me anything,¡± he said, more to prove to himself that he wasn¡¯t afraid of getting closer to her. It was basically a dare. But the question was, who was he really daring here?

    ¡°Why boats?¡±

    Of all the questions she could have asked, that wasn¡¯t what he would have expected. He figured she¡¯d try to dive into his personal life again. Family, friends, romantic rtionships¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve always loved being on the water,¡± Derek said. ¡°No deep story there. I just feel at peace there.¡±

    ¡°So, you had a boat when you were a kid.¡±

    ¡°My dad did. He loved to fish. I¡¯d go with him and Dad bought me a kid-size fishing pole when I was about eight. It was our bonding time.¡±

    Okay, so maybe there was a deep story there. He thought about that a second. Renee didn¡¯t ask another question-just looked at him as though waiting for him to say more.

    So, that was exactly what he did.

    ¡°My father did his best. My mother¡­ Well, we don¡¯t really talk about her, but she took off soon after I was born, so it was just the two of us, and Dad wasn¡¯t all that stable. My grandparents pretty much raised me. They were great, but it¡¯s just not the same.¡±

    ¡°It made you grow up far faster than you should have,¡± Renee said quietly. She turned on her side and propped herself up, elbow on the bed, hand fisted against her the side of her head.

    ¡°I suppose it did. I started building boats when I was sixteen. I did it to impress my dad. I thought I¡¯d surprise him with a fishing boat when he came to see me. He never came. One boat led to two and soon, my grandfather decided I had something. He helped me start selling them¡­¡±

    He realized he was saying way too much here. He was a salesperson, not someone who had started a sessful business when he was a teenager.

    ¡°That¡¯s how I got into sales,¡± he said. ¡°I guess you could say I speak thenguage. Every time I talk to a new client, I go back to being that teenage boy, learning as much as I could about boats so I could bond with my dad.¡±

    ¡°He must be really proud of how much you¡¯ve achieved.¡±

    Those words immediately put him on the defensive. How much he¡¯d achieved? Did she know how much he¡¯d achieved?

    ¡°Being such a sessful sales executive in the industry and all,¡± Renee said.

    Oh. That. He had talked up how great a salesperson he was just twentyfour hours earlier. He¡¯d forgotten about that.

    ¡°We don¡¯t talk,¡± Derek said.

    Renee frowned. ¡°You and your father? Do you want to talk to him?¡±

    ¡°I did, once. Toote now.¡±

    That was as much as he could say about that and be truthful. His father hadn¡¯t taken a bit of interest in him until after his grandparents¡¯ death. Derek had floated him several hefty loans, only to have his fathere back for more a year or soter. He only called Derek when he needed money.

    Around the age of twenty-two, when he started hispany, he¡¯d decided enough was enough. That was when he began going by the name Derek Hughes. It followed a conversation where Derek told his father he couldn¡¯t enable his irresponsibility by continuing to loan him money. He needed to take responsibility for his life and get a job.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll let you get your rest.¡± Derek stood, stretching to work out the kinks that had formed in his lower back muscles. ¡°If you need anything, call me on the two-way. See you in the morning.¡±

    He exited, frowning over the urge he had to kiss her before he left.

 Chapter 92

    There was no way Renee could sleep. Just a short discussion with Derek had given her an angle on her article. But could she actually use it?

    She decided she had to at least look into it. There had to be a connection there. Maybe the reason he¡¯d gone missing was to keep his father from tracking him down. But that made no sense. She was pretty sure Derek Hughes was listed as head of hispany somewhere. One inte search and his father would have tracked him down years ago.

    There had to be more there.

    After staring up at the bottom of the bunk above her for a good half hour, Renee got out of bed and headed straight for her kitchen. She needed her phone. A little research and maybe she could get some sleep.

    Her phone was on the counter where she¡¯d left it when she¡¯d headed to her room to change for the hot tub. The boat was eerily quiet, even though it wasn¡¯t all thatte. She¡¯d noticed the door to April¡¯s cabin was shut, though, so she assumed she was studying to get her license. Captain Jake was on lookout and Derek¡­well, who knew where Derek was. Maybe in his theater or the cockpit with Captain Jake.

    Renee picked up her phone and unlocked it, checking the screen for any missed messages. Still, no one worried about her. No surprise. It just was a huge disappointment that nobody had stepped forward to ask how she was holding up after suddenly losing her job. Apparently, being fired was like being diagnosed with a highly contagious illness. Nobody wanted toe near you out of a fear they might catch it.

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be resting.¡±

    The voice startled Renee so much, she dropped her phone. She spun to find Derek standing there, wearing the same button-down shirt and khakis he¡¯d had on during dinner.

    ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±

    Renee took a deep breath and swooped down to pick up her phone. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I just¡­it¡¯s so quiet.¡±

    ¡°Is it okay?¡± He nodded at her left hand, now holding the phone, screen up.

    She looked down at it, examining it for any signs of cracks or scratches.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s fine. I have a good case on it.¡±

    Why she¡¯d said that, she had no idea. He didn¡¯t care about her case. She should just excuse herself and go back to her room.

    ¡°I came to get a snack,¡± he said. He gestured to indicate the pantry behind her. ¡°Any suggestions for good movie-watching food?¡±

    She smiled. ¡°Popcorn, of course.¡±

    Maybe she should offer to make some caramel-covered popcorn. It was something she and her mom had made on movie nights when she was a kid, but that had involved PJs and snuggling on the couch, not sitting in a movie theater on a superyacht.

    ¡°I think we have some microwave popcorn in there.¡± He gave her a sheepish look. ¡°I guess that¡¯s probably something I shouldn¡¯t bring up in front of a professional chef.¡±

    Guilt stabbed through her. It would be so nice just to dump the truth on him, but she couldn¡¯t. She had to keep her cover. The more she got to know him, though, the harder it became.

    ¡°I¡¯ll doctor it up for you.¡± She stepped toward the pantry, setting her phone on the counter again. She was still wearing her bathing suit and the coverup, which meant no pockets. She¡¯d just have to try to remember to grab her phone before she returned to her cabin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get it,¡± he said, going around the other side of the counter and beating her to the pantry. ¡°I have a trick I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    He started up the popcorn, then went straight to the fridge that had the cheese in it, immediately finding what he was looking for. She¡¯d rearranged some things, but she had left the cheese where it had been. She considered the fact that he¡¯d stocked all this on his own. She also pictured him throwing meals together for himself and Captain Jake before she and April had arrived. She wondered if that was the reason for the frozen meals she¡¯d found in the back of one of the freezers.

    ¡°Live alone long enough and you find ways to improvise,¡± he said, pulling the popcorn bag out of the microwave. The popping had slowed to a near-stop. She figured she couldn¡¯t admit to him that she had plenty of experience with microwave popcorn.

    ¡°You don¡¯t cook, I take it.¡± Renee watched as he pulled parmesan cheese from the bag and sprinkled it over the top of the bag. He reached for a cooking spoon and began mixing it inside the bag.

    ¡°Why cook when there¡¯s such good takeout?¡± He smiled at her. ¡°I consider it outsourcing. Besides, I work all the time. There¡¯s no time for cooking.¡±

    ¡°Especially when you¡¯re on the road.¡± She made eye contact with him as she said the words. If he were David, the sales executive, he¡¯d be away from home all the time. She wasn¡¯t sure how much Derek Hughes traveled, though. If not as much, she might have busted him a little.

    ¡°It¡¯s all the same.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Pull up an app, find the local restaurants delivering, have food brought to you. Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a hotel room or my own front door.¡±

    ¡°It does matter if it¡¯s a boat, though. Can¡¯t have food delivered here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to. I have one of the best chefs in the country. Do we have kosher salt?¡±

    Renee headed to the cab where the most often used spices were. ¡°I could have grated some fresh parmesan.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with my masterpiece. I¡¯m cooking for you right now.¡±

    Hmm. She thought he was making a snack to enjoy alone while watching a movie. This was for her, too? She felt a little touched. If he wasn¡¯t her boss-sh-source, she¡¯d even say it was romantic.

    ¡°Try it,¡± he said after salting and mixing the popcorn by shaking the bag. ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    She reached inside and pulled out several kernels. No matter how it tasted, she was sure it would be delicious, but she knew chefs consumed food differently than other people. She should have an appreciation for what she was tasting.

    As soon as the popcorn hit her tongue, she closed her eyes and savored. She took the time to fully appreciate the various vors and how they allbined, along with the textures.

    When she opened her eyes after swallowing, her intention was to make a detailed critique of what she¡¯d just tasted. It only used two vorings, so it wasn¡¯t like it was a gourmet meal, but it was exactly what a chef would do.

    But what she saw in his eyes stopped her from saying a word. He was looking at her with what she could only describe as pure desire.

    Before she could speak, he stepped toward her, putting his free hand under her chin and lifting her face toward his. He watched her for another few seconds, likely waiting to make sure she was okay with this, before beginning his slow descent toward her.

    The instant their lips touched, a shiver ran through her. She felt it from head to toe, and it was everything she¡¯d imagined.

    He stepped closer and she moved toward him, too. She lifted her hand to his shoulder to brace herself as she gave in to the kiss. In that moment, she let all her fears about this disappear and just focused on him. On the way he gently rubbed his thumb along her jawline as he deepened the kiss. On the sensation of his lips against hers. On the small groan that escaped him as the kiss deepened.

    By the time he pulled away, she wasn¡¯t sure she could breathe anymore. He looked down at her, and she braced herself for regret. But she didn¡¯t see that. Instead, he smiled down at her before stepping back and holding the bag of popcorn up between them.

    ¡°What¡¯s the verdict?¡± he asked.

    Was he serious? He wanted a verdict on the popcorn? She couldn¡¯t even catch her breath right now, and he wanted a food review?

    ¡°Pretty good.¡± She reached in and took a small handful. ¡°I think I can do better, though.¡±

    His eyes widened. He took a bite of his own and shook his head. He didn¡¯t think so.

    ¡°That sounds like a challenge to me.¡± He stepped back, turned, and pulled another bag of popcorn from the pantry, then slid it into the microwave.

    d to have something to take her mind off that kiss, Renee headed to the cab and began pulling out what she¡¯d need to make caramel popcorn. She fired up the stove, grabbed a small pan, and dropped a stick of butter into it.

    ¡°An entire stick?¡± he asked. He sat down in one of the chairs at the table nearby and let her do her thing.

    ¡°Just trust me.¡±

    ¡°What got you into cooking? Have you always wanted to be a chef?¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Derek¡¯s question threw her off. She didn¡¯t really have a good answer for that. She thought back to college.

    ¡°It started as a job at a restaurant in college. It was good money. There was something about the rush that came from working under pressure. Plus, what¡¯s better than being able to enjoy a delicious meal with those you love? I bring that to people.¡±

    That exnation was a jumbled mess, but she kind of rted to it. As exciting as journalism was, there was something truly gratifying about creating something that she could watch people enjoy, in real time. It wasn¡¯t all that different from the stories she put together while working in TV news, aside from being able to watch those who were enjoying her work.

    ¡°You¡¯re really good at it. Have you ever thought about opening your own restaurant?¡±

    Her head whipped around and she just stared at him. Wow. His question had brought up something she hadn¡¯t thought about in years.

    ¡°When I was a little girl, I used to pretend I owned my own restaurant,¡± she finally said. ¡°I¡¯d take my dad¡¯s order, and my mom and I would make the food. As I got older, she let me make dinner more and more often. It was something I really enjoyed.¡±

    Just as she¡¯d enjoyed cooking for the three people on this boat this week. She wasn¡¯t sure what to do with this information. As she poured her caramel and chocte syrup over the popcorn, though, she realized just how much this was taking her back to childhood¡­and making her realize that her dreams might be changing.

 Chapter 93

    Hawaii was getting closer by the day.

    Derek should be excited about that, but he found himself dreading arrival. It meant the end of the trip. It meant the end of his time with Renee.

    He wanted to believe she¡¯d stay for the next leg. But he didn¡¯t see her taking measures to be a more permanent part of the crew. When April wasn¡¯t cleaning or helping Captain Jake, she was studying for the licensure exam she¡¯d have to pass to be an official part of the team. Renee, on the other hand, was either cooking, prepping to cook, or tapping away on her smartphone. He wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing on her phone, but every time he came around, she quickly hit the button to make her screen go dark.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±

    Renee¡¯s voice jolted Derek from his thoughts. His fault. He¡¯d left the door to the cockpit open, knowing she¡¯d arrive at any moment with his lunch. This had be a routine for them. She helped April with all her chores in the morning after serving and cleaning up breakfast, finished lunch, then came to hang out with him for a couple of hours before stepping out to help April and prep dinner.

    ¡°Pretty good. Uneventful.¡±

    They were lucky in that sense. Storms were an unavoidable part of life on the water, and he¡¯d built this ship to handle it better than most. But there was always an element of danger to life out here and he wanted to protect Renee from that. That made him slightly grateful she was unlikely to continue with them after they arrived in Hawaii.

    She wouldn¡¯t be with him, but at least she¡¯d be safe.

    And then it hit him. This wasn¡¯t just an attraction. He cared about whether she was safe and happy, even if it meant he could never kiss her again. He cared about her.

    Maybe he was even falling in love with her.

    He tried to shake that thought off as she plopped into the other chair and looked out at the calm ocean ahead of them. He decided to distract himself by taking a big bite of his pita.

    It was just the distraction he needed. The vors he tasted refocused all his senses. He wasn¡¯t sure what seasonings she¡¯d used for the chicken, but as with all her food, this was better than any pita he¡¯d ever tasted.

    ¡°This is amazing,¡± he said around a mouthful of food. He realized how rude it was to do that, but he couldn¡¯t seem to help himself. The words just had toe out.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She seemed to be blushing. She had to be used to peopleplimenting her food by now, but every time he gushed over it, she seemed to light up. He hoped that was a sign that his opinion meant more than anyone else¡¯s had before him.

    ¡°This sucks,¡± Renee blurted out as he enjoyed his first bite of the roasted potato wedges she¡¯d made.

    He looked over, mid-chew, to find her staring out the window. ¡°What?¡± Gesturing to indicate the view in front of him, she looked over at him. ¡°You can see it, but you can¡¯t feel it. The best thing about being on the water is having the wind blowing all around you. This is the same as being in your living room, watching the water on TV.¡±

    Not really, but he wasn¡¯t going to argue with her. He set his te down on hisp, bracing it with his left hand, and reached over with his right to open the window. Immediately, a breeze drifted in. ¡°You have one on your side, too.¡±

    She just stared at him. ¡°You can have the windows open and you choose to stay cooped up in here?¡±

    ¡°I forget about it.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I just focus on keeping us safe.¡±

    Leaning back, Renee lowered the sunsses she¡¯d had propped on top of her head and looked out over the water. She was the very picture of rxed.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s why.¡± He turned back toward his pita, taking another bite. ¡°Why what?¡±

    ¡°Why I don¡¯t open the windows. It¡¯s too much like being on vacation. I need to be on alert. It¡¯s like being a lifeguard.¡±

    Silence. He figured Renee was processing that information.

    ¡°But all these gadgets help you, right?¡±

    Her question threw him off guard. He looked over at her. Yep, she still looked rxed. He assumed she was looking out the window again, but he couldn¡¯t see her eyes around the stem of her sunsses.

    ¡°There¡¯s a radar that will detect anything up ahead, yes. It¡¯s all new, though. This boat is new. The owner had it custom made.¡±

    Renee¡¯s head turned, leaving no doubt she was looking at him now. ¡°The owner? I thought this was a boat you were showing off. Someone had this built?¡±

    ¡°The owner of mypany,¡± he quickly corrected, congratting himself on his swift regrouping. He had to be more careful when talking about his business. ¡°This is thetest and greatest. But thetest and greatest can sometimes have bugs early on.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    As they sat in silence, he realized a couple of things. One, she was right. This was much better with the window open. Two, he couldn¡¯t remember a time in his life when he¡¯d been thisfortable sitting silently with a woman.

    It was exciting and scary at the same time. And it made him want to fill the silence.

    He set his now-empty te down on the floor and leaned back. Yes, this was enjoyable. She had a good point. If he was going to sit up here, he may as well enjoy it. He hadn¡¯t realized how stuffy it had been until now.

    ¡°Where to after this?¡±

    Derek looked over at her. She¡¯d said four words in a row, but he couldn¡¯t seem to put them together in a way that made sense.

    She must have noted his perplexed expression because she rified.

    ¡°After Hawaii. Where are you going? You¡¯re sailing the world?¡± ¡°Australia and New Zend, with some stops in between.¡±

    ¡°Fiji?¡±

    He looked over at her. There were so many inds, and he¡¯d love to visit them all. But he suddenly felt like they¡¯d be so much more enjoyable if she was with him during those visits.

    And he had no right to ask that she do that. This was her decision. Her future. If she wanted to fly home once they arrived in Hawaii, he couldn¡¯t- shouldn¡¯t-stop her. He needed to give her that freedom.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to visit the South Pacific,¡± she said wistfully, looking out ahead of her. ¡°I never thought much about traveling, to be honest. I was always so focused on my career. I guess that was all the adventure I needed.¡±

    ¡°Being confined to a restaurant kitchen forty hours a week probably would make you want to get out and explore,¡± hemented.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Silence. He wondered if he¡¯d said the wrong thing. Maybe she was just enjoying the moment. He remained silent, too, to give her the space she needed to think.

    Hopefully, what she was thinking about was the contrast between being stuck in a restaurant kitchen and traveling the world on a luxurious yacht. To him, one definitely sounded far better than the other, but he knew some people liked home, stability.

    ¡°There are benefits to being in one ce,¡± she finally said, straightening in her chair. ¡°Eventually, I want to get married and have at least one child.

    That doesn¡¯t exactly work with this lifestyle.¡±

    Normally, if a woman he was seeing mentioned having kids, his instinct to run would kick in. But they weren¡¯t seeing each other, officially, and Renee wasn¡¯t talking about having kids with him. She was bringing up a very legitimate reason that this lifestyle wouldn¡¯t work for many people.

    ¡°It could work.¡± He thought it through even as he brought it up. ¡°Say April and Jake fell in love and got married. They¡¯d be on the boat together, have their kids at sea. They could homeschool. It happens all the time.¡± Renee let out augh. ¡°Do you know something I don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°April and Jake.¡±

    ¡°No. Just a hypothetical. My experience with yachting crews isn¡¯t all that great, but I¡¯d bet there are people out there who have made this life work for them.¡±

    ¡°And the rest just retire once they¡¯re ready to have kids.¡±

    ¡°Or buy a small boat of their own and travel as a family.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°Maybe an RV instead. You could go from campsite to campsite. If someone, say, had wanderlust, that could work.¡±

    The funny thing was, he didn¡¯t even have wanderlust. He liked being settled in one ce. He just had this urge to run every time he started to feel like he was trapped in that one ce. He wondered how much of that had to do with the need he¡¯d felt to run from his father. If he could resolve things with him, would he still feel like he had to escape?

    Leaning forward, he squinted to get a better look at an object up ahead. ¡°Maybe I should get into the RV-selling business.¡±

    ¡°Not quite as luxurious as this.¡± She gestured to indicate their surroundings.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know-I¡¯ve seen some pretty impressive RVs. What is that?¡±

    Renee leaned forward to get a better look. ¡°Looks like a car tire.¡±

    Laughing, he shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it looks like. What¡¯s it doing out here?¡±

    ¡°Do we need to steer around it?¡±

    He did just that, d he could show off his navigating skills. Not that he had to do all that much to shift the boat slightly to the left, but at least it was more than just sitting in his chair, staring ahead.

    ¡°I need to go check on April.¡± Renee stood, kneeling down to pick up his empty te. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at dinner.¡±

    He told himself that he would be able to breathe easier once she was gone, but he was wrong. As he settled into his seat, feeling safe in the fact that he was alone again, he realized being alone wasn¡¯t as enjoyable as it had been just days ago.

 Chapter 94

    Renee set her phone down and immersed herself in making dinner. Interestingly, she found that cooking helped her think. And right now, what she needed to do was think.

    That morning, before breakfast, she¡¯d sat on her bed and written the beginning of her article on Derek Hughes, missing billionaire. It was based on the information he¡¯d given her about his father. She wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but she had a feeling the key to figuring out why he was missing was in that rtionship somehow.

    Halfway through writing the opening to the story, though, she realized she needed more. She needed to track down his father.

    And that was what rolled through her mind as she chopped onions and minced garlic. It wasn¡¯t easy to get information on someone, but she had resources. All professional journalists did. The problem was, she had to rely solely on Wi-Fi until they at least got closer tond since her phone wasn¡¯t working out here in the middle of nowhere. Not being able to make a phone call would get in the way a little.

    ¡°Need help?¡±

    Renee jumped, barely missing her thumb with the knife she was holding. Derek was standing just inches away. It wasn¡¯t that he¡¯d snuck in on her. It was that he¡¯d snuck in on her while she¡¯d been thinking about his very personal family rtionships.

    ¡°You want to help?¡± she asked, setting the knife down so she could catch her breath.

    ¡°You taught me how to make caramel-chocte popcornst night, so why not salmon and¡­what¡¯s that?¡± He pointed at the cutting board.

    She looked down, then up at him again. ¡°On-ions.¡± She enunciated the word slowly.

    That got the desired response-a heartyugh. He headed around her to the fridge, where he extracted a bottle of cold coffee.

    ¡°You want to see my trick for chopping onions?¡± Renee asked once he was standing next to her again.

    ¡°Go for it.¡±

    She scooped the existing pile of onions into the bowl and grabbed the section she hadn¡¯t touched yet. He took a swig of the coffee and stepped closer to watch.

    Maybe he shouldn¡¯t stand so close when she was working with a knife.

    Just feeling the warmth of his body next to her had her all shaken up.

    ¡°You don¡¯t cut the whole onion at once?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nope. Not with this technique.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t some professional chef thing. She¡¯d watched a video on it once. But the technique made perfectly diced onions quickly, so she figured it would impress him.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m definitely learning to cook from you,¡± hemented after she¡¯d finished. ¡°This is the kind of cooking lesson I like. ¡®How to do things easier.''¡±

    ¡°I used to cook for my dad like this,¡± she admitted as she melted butter in a pan to start the salmon. She honestly had no idea where that hade from. Suddenly, she felt this weird urge to open up to him.

    ¡°When you were a kid?¡±

    ¡°Starting as a child but continuing when I was a teenager. My mom was all about making things quickly and easily, but I was drawn to these cooking shows. You know, the ones where they spend twenty minutes showing you how to make something, then open the oven and there¡¯s one alreadypletely made inside?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Heughed. ¡°It always makes me wonder why they put all that work into it when one was already done.¡±

    ¡°So, I guess my technique is abination of my mom¡¯s hacks and what I learned from professionals over the years.¡±

    She realized, even as she spoke, that she was venturing dangerously close to t-out lying to him. She¡¯d learned the exact way to make every single item that was served at the restaurant she worked at in college. But beyond that, what she¡¯d learned from professionals had been on various cooking shows.

    ¡°That makes you unique.¡± He set a small dish filled with chopped parsley next to her at the stove before turning back to prep the next item she¡¯d assigned him. ¡°It¡¯s the same with me. I take bits and pieces of advice from mentors, books I¡¯ve read, things I¡¯ve seen on TV, conferences I¡¯ve attended¡­ It allbines.¡±

    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t even include what we learned in school that served as the foundation for everything,¡± she said. ¡°I guess it¡¯s that way for everyone.¡±

    She rolled it around in her head, realizing how bizarre this was. She was thinking of her skills in terms of being a chef when she was not a chef. She was a journalist. But she couldn¡¯t think of anything she¡¯d done in childhood or adolescence that indicated she¡¯d someday be a TV reporter. She¡¯d chosen it as a major in college because it sounded fun. While doing the various assignments for ss, she realized she had a talent for it.

    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t like being a journalist. Investigating a lead and tracking down the facts to support a story gave her a thrill. She loved stepping back and appreciating the news piece she¡¯d just created, just as she loved looking at the meals she¡¯d made. Each provided a simr rush.

    Only this thrill had her on a yacht, sailing to an exotic location she¡¯d always wanted to visit, with a man who made her feel alive for the first time in years. This skill was appreciated. She doubted she¡¯d be tossed aside for a perkier, prettier chef who happened to fit some vision the no doubt misogynist boat owner had for his kitchen.

    Maybe she had some issues she needed to deal with pretty soon.

    She smiled to herself at the thought as she flipped the salmon over and seasoned it. Although she was trying to appear like she knew what she was doing here, the truth was, she¡¯d memorized a recipe she¡¯d found online. She was just d she had the green beans and potatoes in the oven before he¡¯d arrived because she¡¯d checked the recipe on her smartphone four times before she got them in there.

    ¡°I kind of envy you.¡± Derek slid into ce beside her again, staring at the salmon. She just hoped she was cooking it correctly. She wasn¡¯t one hundred percent confident about that.

    ¡°Envy me?¡± Renee asked without looking up.

    ¡°You have a passion for what you¡¯re doing. It¡¯s easy to see. Plus, you¡¯re providing an important service.¡±

    Huh? ¡°What important service?¡± She looked over at him and their gazes held. It made her heart skip a beat.

    ¡°Everyone needs to eat, and delicious food makes life better,¡± he said. ¡°I sometimes wish I would have be an attorney or a doctor-someone who can really help people.¡±

    Renee frowned, carefully thinking through her words before proceeding. Thest thing she wanted to do was slip and mention something about him owning a hugely sessful business. The fact that he would envy her-a person who had been fired for not being perky enough -seemed absurd to her when his house was probably bigger than some castles in Europe.

    ¡°You help people.¡± Renee waved her hand to indicate the boat around them. ¡°Whoever buys this yacht is going to have some pretty darn good times, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bringing happiness to people¡¯s lives, then.¡± Renee shrugged. Not to mention, making really good money doing it. She couldn¡¯t add that part, though. ¡°Now, take these to the table and tell Captain Jake we¡¯re ready to eat.¡±

    ¡°What about April?¡±

    Renee looked at him, eyebrows arched. They both knew where they found Captain Jake, they¡¯d probably find April these days. Although it hadn¡¯t been stated, it was pretty clear there was a romance brewing there.

    ¡°April¡¯s here!¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    The voice appeared from out of nowhere, followed by April showing up in the kitchen, looking her morous best. She was dressed for a fancy dinner party, or so it appeared, with her hair in beach waves and her makeup two shades heavier than it typically was.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave you stranded.¡± She rushed over and grabbed the two tes Derek hadn¡¯t gotten his hands on yet. ¡°Sorry I wasn¡¯t here sooner.

    Getting ready took longer than I expected.¡±

    ¡°We can see.¡± Derek gave her a teasing smile. ¡°You¡¯re all fancy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s dinner on a ship. Aren¡¯t they usually formal?¡± April looked at Renee. Like she¡¯d know.

    ¡°Sounds right to me.¡± Renee shrugged. ¡°Someone, please let Captain Jake know dinner¡¯s served.¡±

    The two of them headed to the table with the tes, leaving Renee alone with her thoughts again. Tracking down Derek¡¯s father could be a good thing, she told herself. They had some differences to work out. Maybe, once he got over finding out that Renee had been working on an article on him all along, Derek would eventually forgive her.

    She could only hope.

 Chapter 95

    They were two full days from arriving in Hawaii, and Derek had it bad.

    He woke up every day, excited about seeing Renee again. He¡¯d

    get ready and head to the kitchen to help her finish breakfast, only to get to the cockpit and start the countdown to lunch.

    Time was running out. He wanted to kiss her again, maybe even explore whether or not she was interested in seeing him after this trip was over. He wouldn¡¯t pressure her to take the job, but maybe, if they could stay in touch, he coulde out of hiding and take her on a date at some point.

    Or maybe he¡¯d considering out of hiding altogether for her.

    It was something that had been weighing on him the past few days. As he and Renee grew closer, he began to question his decision to run from his problems. Yes, he¡¯d have to deal with his father, not to mention potentially other people from his pasting forward to ask him for money. But he could just go home, hope it all died down, and avoid his father¡¯s attempts to get in touch with him.

    That was the part of the thought process where he stalled. He knew how persistent his father was. It wouldn¡¯t just be a string of phone calls- eventually, he¡¯d show up on Derek¡¯s door,ying the guilt trip on him. He may even go to the press and try to tell his story about his ungrateful billionaire son. Not that the press would care. It wasn¡¯t like anyone beyond Silicon Valley besides his old friends and rtives even knew who Derek Hughes-let alone David Humphreys-was.

    But that wasn¡¯t why he was running. He could handle his father asking for money and turning him down. What he couldn¡¯t handle was the guilt he felt over it when he did.

    ¡°Lunch has arrived,¡± Renee announced from behind him, and his heart sped up a little.

    He wasn¡¯t sure when that had started, but it now happened every time he saw her after being away from her for a little while. If a woman had ever brought that reaction in him, he couldn¡¯t remember it.

    He spun around in his chair, hoping his face didn¡¯t show just how excited he was to see her. He searched her expression to determine if seeing him did anything to her. All he got was apletely neutral response.

    ¡°The windows are closed,¡± she said as she handed over his bottled water and te. A seasoned chicken breast with corn as a side. She¡¯d decorated it up as much as she could, but it wasn¡¯t quite as fancy as the earlier meals.

    ¡°Just a couple of days and we can restock the kitchen.¡± Holding the te in one hand and bottled water in the other, he spun around to face the front. ¡°I¡¯ll be d to have fresh vegetables again.¡±

    ¡°You and me both.¡± Plopping down in the chair, she pulled her sunsses down over her eyes. It was a cloudy day, so that wasn¡¯t really necessary, but it was the first cloudy day they¡¯d had since she¡¯d started joining him here.

    ¡°Supposed to stormter.¡± Hisment was short and abrupt, mostly because thest thing he wanted was to discuss the weather with her. He¡¯de to enjoy howfortable their conversations were.

    ¡°Should we be worried?¡± Renee asked.

    ¡°Nah. This boat can handle it. Besides, we have Captain Jake. We couldn¡¯t be in better hands.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure April would agree.¡± Renee shed him a smile. That had be an inside joke between the two of them-the romance between the captain and the deckhand-in-training.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    ¡°About that.¡± Derek shoved a bite of chicken in his mouth and chewed to give himself a little time to think through what he was about to say. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to navigate having a couple on board. I¡¯ll be adding some more deckhands to the crew soon. It can be a problem if you have one of their team dating the captain.¡±

    ¡°Like an employee having a rtionship with the boss?¡± Renee asked. ¡°Wait-is the captain the boss, or are you?¡±

    ¡°Jake will be in charge. I¡¯m like the owner, only without the perks.¡± ¡°Perks?¡± Renee turned her head. He felt her looking at him.

    ¡°You know, whatever perkse with owning a boat.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what those are.¡±

    ¡°Having a chef cook for you, rxing in the hot tub, enjoying- You know what you need?¡±

    Now he looked over at her, next bite of chicken poised in the air near his lips. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Someone to watch the cockpit so you can work. This isn¡¯t your job, is it?¡±

    He shook his head. He supposed, now that he thought about it, it probably seemed odd to her that he was doing this particr job. He was just the guy sailing this ship to the ind where he¡¯d try to sell it, right?

    That brought him to his big dilemma. If he wanted to keep Renee in his life after this trip, he¡¯d have to tell her the truth at some point. He¡¯d have to tell her that he wasn¡¯t a sales executive. He¡¯d have to reveal his true identity.

    He could blurt it out. Just say it now. But at this point, he worried she¡¯d be hurt that he hadn¡¯t told her yet. Technically, he¡¯d been deceiving her throughout this trip. He knew she was a chef between jobs, her name was Renee, and she was close to her parents. She knew plenty about his past but didn¡¯t know the real him.

    Or did she? Maybe David Humphreys was the real him. Maybe the Derek persona was the fake. David, a guy who had spent his days building boats from scratch and selling them one at a time, could very well be the real guy here.

    If that was the case, it meant Renee had been the first woman to meet the real him. She was definitely the first woman he¡¯d gotten to know without her being aware of his wealth. That meant if she did like him-he wasn¡¯t so sure about that-it was for him.

    ¡°I¡¯m working on getting help,¡± Derek said in response to her earlierment. ¡°I have some interviews lined up, including one with a potential chief steward.¡± ¡°All men?¡±

    Derek shook his head. ¡°The chief steward is a woman. Plus, I think

    April¡¯s our newest deckhand. It¡¯s all in flux right now.¡± ¡°You should have a woman co-captain.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to volunteer for that job?¡±

    He expected that to get a smile out of her, but she was still staring ahead, frowning. Something was off between them, and he couldn¡¯t put his finger on what it was. Maybe it was the stress of knowing they¡¯d be at their destination soon. They were losing that easy camaraderie they¡¯d developed over the past couple of weeks.

    ¡°I think I¡¯d better go check on April. Finished?¡± She stood, hand held toward him.

    It took him a second to realize she was indicating the now-empty te on hisp. He grasped his bottled water in his right hand, having finished his lunch several minutes earlier, and handed her the te, puzzling over what to do here.

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said.

    She didn¡¯t give him a chance to do anything. She spun and walked from the room, calling back, ¡°See you at dinner.¡±

 Chapter 96

    Renee pulled steaks from the freezer and began the thawing process. She wasn¡¯t even sure how chefs thawed meat. She was using her own personal thawing method, which involved setting it

    in a stic bag in a sink full of cold water. At this point, she wasn¡¯t sure she even cared if she was busted.

    She had a secret. A big secret. And it was doing a number on her.

    ¡°Allundered.¡±

    Those two words announced April¡¯s arrival with a handful of cloth napkins. Renee let out a long breath, feeling the pent-up tension dissipate. It was just nice to have a distraction from her thoughts right now.

    ¡°Thank you. Do you need help with theundry?¡±

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d help you,¡± April said. ¡°Let¡¯s make crab dip.¡±

    There was frozen crab meat in the freezer. Probably not ideal, but they were down to mostly frozen foods at this point, they¡¯d been on the water for so long. She and April had been talking about what they could make with that crab meat for four days.

    ¡°Perfect!¡± Renee pped her hands and started gathering ingredients to make the dip. She was grateful for something to keep her busy, whatever it was. But mostly she just wantedpany right now-someone else to distract her from her thoughts.

    ¡°I wish you weren¡¯t leaving us.¡± April sighed, busy unwrapping the cream cheese while Renee worked on defrosting the crab meat. Two types of meat to defrost at once. She definitely missed the earlier days of this trip, when she¡¯d been able to pull something out of the fridge and make it, rather than having to go through this extra defrost step.

    ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to miss you.¡± Renee smiled at her. ¡°We work well together.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not toote to change your mind. Just say the word and you¡¯re head chef on the next leg.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to some inds, huh? I¡¯m a little envious.¡±

    Renee tried to keep her tone lighthearted. Envious was an understatement. She¡¯d already started her story on Derek, and she was excited to turn it in. It reminded her why she was doing this. Also pushing her were thements people were tossing at her on social media. She¡¯d been tagged in dozens of discussions specting why she¡¯d been fired. It was like watching a train wreck. But after the initial few phone checks, where she¡¯d felt down on herself and sad after reading thements, they¡¯d begun to fire her up to prove them all wrong.

    There was no other choice. She had to finish the story, turn it in, and fly back home to start her job search.

    While the crab meat joined the steaks in the thawing process, Renee pulled the other ingredients out of the refrigerator. ¡°I¡¯m not really a traveler.

    I like to sleep in the same bed every night.¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You sleep in the same bed every night here.¡±

    Renee shed her a look. ¡°You know what I mean. How would you have a family? Don¡¯t you want kids?¡±

    ¡°Not really. Not right now. And if I do someday, why couldn¡¯t I have a family while still doing this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what Derek said. I don¡¯t know if he really thought it through.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Derek?¡±

    April¡¯s question caused Renee to pause, cream cheese half-unwrapped in her right hand. She backtracked to the words that had juste out of her mouth and wished she could stuff them back in. She¡¯d referred to Derek as Derek, not David. Big mistake.

    ¡°A friend of mine back home,¡± Renee said with a shrug. ¡°We were messaging about it. I told him you were nning to stay on.¡±

    There. That was a pretty decent cover. She just had to hope April didn¡¯t mention Renee¡¯s friend named Derek in front of Derek. He might not buy that she had a friend back home who just happened to have the name he was hiding from them.

    ¡°I may retire from the sea by then.¡± April grabbed the pita chips from the pantry and a big te, then started setting them around the decorative bowl that would eventually hold the crab dip. ¡°Maybe I¡¯lle work in your restaurant. When you franchise out, I could run one of your locations.¡±

    Guilt shot through Renee at the realization that she¡¯d totally deceived not only Derek but April, as well. And she really liked April. She liked Derek even more.

    ¡°That sounds fun.¡± Her voice caught in her throat a little as the words came out, and she just hoped April didn¡¯t pick up on it. It actually did sound fun. That was the weird part. She could see working alongside April just like this, day after day, creating delicious meals.

    ¡°I saw something in the seasoning cab that¡¯s perfect for this.¡± Renee grabbed the seafood spice container from the cab and set it next to the bowl.

    ¡°That¡¯s the sign of a good chef,¡± April said. ¡°You don¡¯t need recipes.

    You know instinctively what tastes good together.¡±

    At first, she nned to refute that, saying that she very much relied on recipes. But she realized something as she looked down at all the ingredients she¡¯did out. This time, she hadn¡¯t even nced at a recipe. She¡¯d thought about the crab dip she¡¯d enjoyed thest time she went to the beach and recreated the ingredients in her head.

    ¡°My mom said I had a talent for that,¡± Renee admitted while she worked. ¡°Kind of like musicians who can y by ear. From the time I was a teenager, I¡¯d taste something and name the ingredients that were in it. It was like a fun game I yed.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s how you knew you were born to be a chef.¡±

    Renee paused, staring at April. Again, she was reminded that growing up, she¡¯d had more of a love for cooking than writing or interrogating people. Weren¡¯t reporters naturally curious people or something? Shouldn¡¯t she have been like Harriet in Harriet the Spy, running around with a notepad, writing down people¡¯s secrets?

    No, instead, she¡¯d grown up to be a secret-exposing adult. She was, after all, currently on a yacht with the primary purpose of learning all of Derek¡¯s secrets and exposing them to the world. And there was no thrill at all in doing that. The only thrill she could summon was in being able to prove wrong all the people who said she was horrible at her reporting job.

    ¡°Cooking already?¡±

    Derek¡¯s voice cut into the silence, jerking Renee from her thoughts. Just as when she¡¯d taken him lunch earlier, guilt filled her at the sight of him. All she could think about was the secret she¡¯d learned online that morning after breakfast. Something she could not keep from him and live with herself.

    But telling him meant revealing she knew he really was David Humphreys¡­and Derek Hughes was a name he¡¯de up with. It wasn¡¯t even legally registered as his name. It was like he was working under a pseudonym for some reason.

    ¡°Just a little snack,¡± April said. ¡°We found this crab meat the other day, so Renee is working her magic.¡±

    Derek came around to stand between the two of them, looking down at what they were creating. All of a sudden, Renee felt self-conscious about her concoction.

    ¡°The crab¡¯s thawing.¡± Renee gestured toward the sink. Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t wonder if that was how experts thawed crab meat.

    ¡°We also found pita chips.¡± Aprilbined thatment with the box she¡¯d found in the pantry.

    ¡°Captain Jake requested those.¡± Derek took the box from April and looked at the back.

    April winced. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll mind that we broke into them?¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t care.¡± Derek set the box down. ¡°Two days and we¡¯re onnd.¡±

    ¡°We were just discussing that,¡± April said. ¡°You¡¯ve been around yacht owners for a while now. Can a crew member get married and have a family while sailing, or do they have to give that up?¡±

    Renee wondered if he¡¯d mention that he and Renee had already talked about that-as a hypothetical, of course, not specific to the two of them. But instead, he walked to the sink and turned the faucet on to work on thawing out the crab meat. He spoke while he worked, which was odd, considering he wasn¡¯t facing them.

    ¡°It could be done. But it wouldn¡¯t be easy. I know there are plenty of married couples who live and work on the water full-time. With kids, it¡¯s a little trickier. They can homeschool, but there are things they¡¯d miss.¡± ¡°Interaction with other kids, that sort of thing,¡± Renee added.

    ¡°But can you imagine how fun it would be to grow up traveling the world?¡± April¡¯s eyes lit up as she spoke. ¡°Visiting various inds, countries, seeing all the sights¡­¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been through a storm on this sucker yet.¡± Derek returned to them, handing the now-defrosted bag of crab to Renee. ¡°With children on board?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine. I wouldn¡¯t ever want my kids on a boat in some of the storms I¡¯ve seen.¡±

    ¡°You just go ashore, right?¡± April asked. ¡°That¡¯s what you were doing when you met us.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re close enough.¡± Derek pointed toward the window. ¡°Right now, we¡¯re two days out. If there were kids on board right now, I¡¯d be a little freaked out that a storm is about toe through.¡±

    Renee nodded. ¡°I could see that. Safe onnd is the only ce I¡¯d want to be if I had kids.¡±

    She was pretty sure it was the only ce she wanted to be right now, actually. She didn¡¯t like his mention of a storming through.

    April seemed to havetched onto that, as well. ¡°Is it going to be bad? The storm?¡±

    Seeing Renee struggling to open the bag of crab meat, Derek turned and grabbed the kitchen scissors for her. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but if it is, this boat is built for it. It¡¯s tough to n a long trip like this one since you can¡¯t predict the weather that far in advance. But I¡¯ve mapped out the next three legs of this journey based on the weather, so we should be good.¡±

    That was where Derek put his ruse at risk. Why was he mapping a journey if he was just going where his boss told him? Wouldn¡¯t his boss be the one in charge of where this boat went? Renee decided she¡¯d shift the subject in the hopes April wouldn¡¯t spend too much time on the words that had juste out of his mouth.

    ¡°Wait-you get to n your route?¡± April stopped setting chips out and stared at Derek.

    Whoops. Toote.

    Derek didn¡¯t answer at first. He was no doubt going back over what he¡¯d just said and having the same realization Renee had just had.

    ¡°I pretty much do my own thing these days,¡± Derek finally said. ¡°As long as I keep making sales, my boss leaves me alone.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± April set the chips down and ced both hands, palms down, on the table in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s like you get to y owner of whatever yacht you¡¯re on. What happens if you sell this one? Do you get another?¡±

    Oh. That was a really good question. Renee couldn¡¯t believe she hadn¡¯t thought of that loophole before. She looked over at Derek, wondering if he¡¯de up with an answer for all these questions ahead of time.

    Derek picked up a spoon and stirred the dip as Renee gradually dropped crab meat into it. ¡°I¡¯d fly back and pick up another. Hopefully, my crew will choose to stay with me. I think you¡¯ll find, the longer you¡¯re in this business, that many professionals go from one team to another. You¡¯ll change ships many times.¡±

    That answer probably wasn¡¯t getting the desired response from April. She was frowning now.

    ¡°You might want to stay with Captain Jake,¡± Renee jumped in to say. ¡°If David flies back home to pick up another ship-¡±

    ¡°And there might not be another ship for a couple of weeks,¡± Derek interrupted.

    Now April¡¯s frown had changed to a more thoughtful expression. She was still frowning but slowly nodding as though considering what he¡¯d just said. Renee knew what was going through her mind. April wasn¡¯t worried about staying with Derek, whose real name she didn¡¯t even know. She was worried about being split from Captain Jake at some point.

    That was when Renee realized Derek didn¡¯t have an April. He was, when all was said and done, alone out here on the water. Even he had said crew people would jump ship when a better opportunity came along. That kind of sucked for him.

    It also made Renee want to be that person who stayed by his side. But she was the one person withholding very important information from him. Telling him would expose her own secret. But not telling him meant she was hurting him, without him even knowing it, far more than losing a crew person ever would.

 Chapter 97

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Captain Jake¡¯s voice filled the cockpit, leading Derek to release the breath he¡¯d been holding. He¡¯d been grappling with whether to wake up the captain from his much-needed sleep for the past thirty minutes. They needed to shift the boat into storm mode, but Derek needed help for that. He knew all the features of this boat in and out, but it took an experienced seaman like Captain Jake to safely navigate a sailboat through a storm.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Captain Jake said.

    From there, it was on. The two of them went to the top deck and fired up the storm sails. Halfway through, Captain Jake realized they needed to change course slightly to avoid the worst of it and headed downstairs, leaving Derek out there, alone, being pummeled by rain and wind.

    Some people might find this exhrating. Derek didn¡¯t. The oddest thing about it, though, was that he¡¯d fully known this was part of his future if he chose to sail the world. He¡¯d even made sure the yacht he built was equipped to handle the toughest storms. He¡¯d tracked down the best captain he could find and even mentioned things like that in their initial meeting.

    Yet being out here, with the wind nearly knocking him over, brought it all into focus. He¡¯d never been on a ship before in severe weather-and he¡¯d spent quite a bit of time on the water. Always on vacation, though, or for short jaunts. Always with arge group of people. Never, ever with a woman he truly cared about.

    As Derek headed down the steps to make sure Renee and April were safe, he tried to shove that thought aside, but it wouldn¡¯t go away. He cared about her. He might even be falling in love with her, although that was a word he didn¡¯t use lightly. He hadn¡¯t told a woman he loved her since histe teens. No matter what he tried to tell himself to justify it, it came down to not having met a woman he felt anything resembling love for until now.

    Until Renee.

    And now they were on a sailboat, heading into a storm. He trusted Captain Jake¡¯s ability to get them through it, but that didn¡¯t keep him from worrying about his passengers.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to go to the lower deck,¡± Derek said as he entered the kitchen. Both Renee and April were there, prepping dinner like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

    Renee hesitated. ¡°But¡­¡±

    He could tell from the look on her face that Renee wasn¡¯t prepared to abandon everything, but that was the way it was going to have to be. Thest time they saw him, they¡¯d been happily munching on pita chips and crab dip-the best dip he¡¯d ever tasted, no less. He¡¯d noticed the darkening skies through the window in the kitchen and calmly announced he was heading up to check on things.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to get rough.¡± Derek didn¡¯t want to panic them, but it was important to get through to them that this was serious.

    Renee looked down at the half-cooked pork chops in the pan on the stove and shut off the burner. She stuck the pan in the oven, which was off, and shoved everything else into the refrigerator before following Derek and April out of the kitchen.

    ¡°There¡¯s a room on the bottom deck that¡¯s built to keep passengers safe,¡± Derek exined as they walked down the hallway that led into the center of the boat. ¡°It¡¯s a room the two of you are very familiar with.¡±

    He opened the door, but by then they¡¯d probably figured out where he was taking them. Their own bunks. The crew often slept in the very bottom of any yacht, which made it a handy ce for keeping them safe if there was a storm. But in this case, he¡¯d had the doors built so that they¡¯d seal up, keeping water out.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be safe in here,¡± he said, stepping back to usher them in.

    Neither of them moved. He should have known this wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    They stared at him like there was something important he¡¯d left out.

    ¡°What about you and Captain Jake?¡± April asked.

    He wished the question hade from Renee, but at least she was staring at him with the same wide eyes April had.

    ¡°We¡¯re navigating this sucker.¡± He tried to keep his tone lighthearted, even adding a smile at the end. ¡°Have to steer through it. Don¡¯t worry. Captain Jake is a pro at this. He¡¯s already up there taking us around the worst of it.¡±

    ¡°But-¡± Renee started.

    April squeezed past him and went into the bunk, but Renee continued to stand there.

    ¡°Jake has this,¡± April called out. ¡°Come on.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back to check on you as soon as I can,¡± he said to Renee.

    She stepped toward him and he had this weird feeling she was about to kiss him. If he didn¡¯t feel this mounting pressure to get back up there to help the captain, he¡¯d be all about kissing her again. But there was too much at stake right now.

    Perhaps sensing his dilemma, Renee nodded and squeezed around him, just as April had done a few seconds earlier. Only when Renee did it, it sent warmth through him. He decided that would help him get through the uing ordeal. He¡¯d need all the help he could get.

 Chapter 98

    The ship tipped at what seemed like impossible angles. Sitting on April¡¯s bunk, Renee and April held each other, eyes closed and near tears. At the worst of it, Renee was sure this was the end.

    They were all going to die without her telling Derek what she¡¯d learned.

    She had to tell him, she decided as the movement began to gradually subside. She pulled away from April.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s happening?¡± April¡¯s voice rang out in the pitch-dark room around them. There was still rain and thunder, but things had quieted down substantially from what it was a few minutes ago. It made her words sound much louder than they were.

    ¡°I need to do something.¡± Renee felt around for the door handle, only to find she was still in the middle of the room. She crept toward the door, hand out, desperately seeking an exit. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t go out there. It¡¯s not safe. Don¡¯t leave me here.¡±

    Door open, Renee spun to look back in the room. ¡°Stay here. It¡¯s safer.¡±

    She closed the door behind her, hoping that would be enough to keep April inside. It wasn¡¯t like she could lock her in there or anything.

    The boat did a quick dip to the right just as Renee reached the stairs. She grabbed onto the wall and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for it to pass. Maybe this wasn¡¯t such a good idea. But she had to see Derek again. She had to know he was safe. And she had to tell him what she¡¯d been hiding from him.

    Fortunately, the stairway had railings on either side. She grabbed one and began her climb. The closer she got to the top deck, the more she convinced herself this was a bad idea, but she couldn¡¯t turn back now. She was almost there.

    And then she was in the cockpit, staring right at him.

    ¡°Renee?¡±

    Captain Jake was at the wheel, with Derek standing next to him. They both were soaked from head to toe, and Derek looked frazzled, weary. It would be obvious to anyone that he¡¯d just been through something traumatic. She couldn¡¯t add to that.

    ¡°I had to tell you the truth!¡± she blurted out in one big burst, probably scaring both of them. It was hard to tell for sure, they were both already so frazzled.

    ¡°David,¡± Captain Jake said in a very sinct tone. ¡°The sails.¡±

    Renee stepped out of the way. Derek hesitated for a moment, then gestured for Renee to follow as he rushed through the door.

    What was she doing? The boat was no longer swooping back and forth, but it was clear the danger hadn¡¯t yet passed. This was clearly not the time.

    She was so caught up in her thoughts, she wasn¡¯t even thinking about where they were going until Derek came to an abrupt stop near the stairwell she¡¯d exited just a few minutes earlier.

    He turned, gesturing for her to go downstairs. ¡°Please. Go. Be safe. I¡¯lle and get you when things calm down up here.¡±

    The look on his face left no room for debate, but debate wasn¡¯t in her ns. She should just spit this out now. He could go do his thing with the sails and she could return to the safety of her cabin.

    But once the words were out, nothing would be the same.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± She nodded. She turned and started down the stairs. Her intention was to do exactly what he¡¯d said. This whole journey up here had been a mistake. She should wait until this was over.

    But then the ship hit a rough spot again, knocking her forward. She caught herself, barely avoiding toppling down the stairs, grabbing onto the railing and holding on. She squatted and then sat down on one of the steps, waiting for the danger to pass.

    Derek was up there, doing whatever sailors did to keep the boat on course. He was alone on deck. He could be tossed out onto the waves and nobody would even know. She couldn¡¯t leave him out there alone.

    Never one to shy away from an adventure, Renee turned and headed up the stairs. She couldn¡¯t help him, but at least she could keep an eye on him.

    Maybe there was an alcove she could hide in and watch. If he started to look like he was in danger, she could head back to the cockpit and get Captain Jake. He could go save Derek.

    When she arrived up top, the rain had calmed to a light drizzle. A sh of lightning lit up the darkening sky off in the distance, but the boat was barely moving back and forth. Derek was near the front of the boat, pulling on a rope. She crept back into the stairwell and waited.

    Going out there would be a mistake. He¡¯d just order her back downstairs again. If she waited here- ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    At the sound of Derek¡¯s voice, Renee spun around, realizing he was standing at the top of the steps, staring down at her. He had a pole in his hand. He was yelling, but she got the impression it was to be heard over the loud p of thunder that had just shaken the ship, not because he was angry.

    ¡°I was worried about you. You¡¯re alone up here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to keep you safe.¡± He looked around. ¡°I¡¯m finished up here. Let¡¯s go back down.¡±

    She nodded, realizing she should have suggested that. She just wasn¡¯t sure what was wrong with her. Being on a ship that had precariously tilted until she was sure it was on its side multiple times had spooked her. The secret she was hiding from Derek weighed on her heavily.

    ¡°Okay,¡± he said when the world was once again silent. ¡°What is it?¡± They¡¯d arrived in thending area just inside the door to the stairwell. One step out and they¡¯d be in view of Captain Jake, who was probably still in the cockpit. This would give them at least a little privacy.

    He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. ¡°You said you had to tell me the truth. About what?¡±

    She had to start at the beginning. That was the only choice. She couldn¡¯t tell him what she knew about his life without revealing why she knew it. She took a deep breath and plunged in.

    ¡°I¡¯m a reporter, not a chef. Well, I¡¯m a cook, but not professionally. I know you¡¯re Derek Hughes, but your real name is actually David Humphreys-and that everyone back in Silicon Valley is looking for you. And I¡¯ve been working on a story about you.¡±

    There it was. All of it. She could have fed him a little bit of that and not gotten in as much trouble with him, but it would alle out eventually anyway. May as welly it all out there.

    But as soon as she saw the expression on his face, she wanted to take it back. His features hardened, and his eyes seemed to darken. There was no doubt, from the clench of his jaw, that he was angry.

    Furious.

    She couldn¡¯t stop going now. She had to get it out there.

    ¡°But I have to tell you for a reason. I learned something about you-¡±

    ¡°Just stop. Now. I don¡¯t want to hear any more.¡±

    ¡°Derek¡­¡± Her voice was barely above a whisper as the full weight of what she¡¯d done hit her. She hadn¡¯t realized just how hard it would be to walk away from him-from what they¡¯d developed here over the past couple of weeks-until now. The weird thing about it was none of this mattered. She didn¡¯t care about her story or getting her career back on track. All she cared about was the information she had on him¡­information he didn¡¯t seem to want to let her share.

    ¡°It¡¯s your father,¡± she blurted before he could stop her again. ¡°I found him.¡±

    Over the past few hours, she¡¯d thought a lot about how he¡¯d react when she told him. There had been no way to prepare herself for the distance that suddenly seemed to exist between them. The trust was gone. That was the only way she could exin it. Whatever she was about to tell him, he was no longer there to hear.

    ¡°How did you find him? You¡¯re on a boat.¡±

    Renee closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This may have been a bad idea, but it was toote to turn back now. Besides, what would she have done if she hadn¡¯t told him now? Stepped off this boat and waited for him to read it on a website?This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Online. Doing research. You don¡¯t have to run from him anymore.

    There¡¯s no reason to hide, if that¡¯s why you¡¯re hiding. He can¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    Derek shook his head. ¡°What are you talking about? He didn¡¯t hurt me.¡±

    This wasn¡¯t some type of denial. He was serious. His father hadn¡¯t hurt him. So why was he in hiding?

    It hit her then. This wouldn¡¯t be a relief to him, what she¡¯d discovered about his father. She was about to deliver bad, bad news. The worst news a person could receive.

    ¡°Why are you researching my family? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    He no longer looked angry or hurt. He just looked confused. But the worst part of it all was that he was staring at her as though she was a stranger. And, to him, she was.

    ¡°I was digging into why you¡¯d gone missing,¡± she admitted, holding herself back from reaching out to him. ¡°It was part of the story I¡¯m writing. I needed background-¡±

    ¡°You needed background? Is that what all this has been about? You¡¯ve been getting to know me for a story?¡± His eyes shot daggers at her.

    She wanted to be anywhere but this boat right now. She wanted to take it all back. Not just what she¡¯d revealed to him, but the whole thing. The entire trip. She wanted to erase herself from his life and remove this hurt from his eyes.

    ¡°No, not for a story. That¡¯s how it started, but I grew to care about you. I didn¡¯t mean to, but that was how it went down.¡±

    It was a risk, opening her heart to him this way, but she was trying to get through that this wasn¡¯t just about the story. In fact, aside from wanting to know more about him and help him, she wasn¡¯t sure she cared about the story at all anymore.

    ¡°My father. What is it?¡± He leaned back against the wall behind him, putting as much distance between them as possible in this small space. His eyes were narrowed as he waited, the pole held at an angle in front of him as if to put an obstacle between them.

    Renee took a deep breath and plunged in. ¡°I tracked him down through records on you. Your real name is David Michael Humphreys, right?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Your father is Daniel Anthony Humphreys.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°He passed away two years ago. I had a hard time finding the cause, but I finally found his death certificate. It looks like cancer. I¡¯m sure you could find more information, but¡­¡± Her voice trailed off as he straightened and then headed up the stairs without another word to her.

    She had a sinking feeling he might never say another word to her again.

 Chapter 99

    Derek had never been so happy to seend in his life.

    Well, maybe happy wasn¡¯t the word for it. He hadn¡¯t been happy in a full day and a half, starting at the very moment Renee Forrester revealed she¡¯d been deceiving him all along.

    Renee Forrester, reporter for KSFT News. He wasn¡¯t much of a TV watcher, so it wasn¡¯t surprising to find her coverage area had included his home. He got all his news on his phone. She¡¯d been fired, and there was no shortage of spection online as to why. People were writing horrible things about her, and the most surprising thing to him, after all this, was that he felt this overwhelming urge to defend her. After all this, he still cared.

    That was why he was d to pull into Radio Bay and work alongside Captain Jake to dock the boat. If it was just him, he¡¯d be all for having a meal onnd and hopping right back on the boat to go to his next destination. But there were three people on this ship with them, and one needed to get to an airport to fly home, so the n was to dock, spend the night on the boat with his crew, and give Renee the freedom to leave and go on with her life.

    ¡°I¡¯m going ashore for a while,¡± he announced to Captain Jake before exiting the boat. ¡°Let Renee know the airport¡¯s nearby.¡±

    There were things to do in town, but he¡¯d have to grab a rideshare to get anywhere. That was fine by him. The more distance he could put between himself and Renee, the better.

    But he¡¯d barely stepped off the boat when he heard Renee calling after him. It was the first time she¡¯d spoken to him directly since their showdown in the stairwell. She¡¯d done her cooking thing and he¡¯d taken all his meals alone, brought to him by April.

    He thought about ignoring her, but he heard her footsteps approaching. Somehow, she¡¯d managed to catch up with him.

    She didn¡¯t have her luggage-no surprise, considering she couldn¡¯t drag that along without help, not with so many suitcases. But her purse was slung over her shoulder and she was wearing an oversized hat like she was on vacation.

    ¡°Pleasee to Kona with us.¡±

    ¡°Kona?¡±

    He knew what Kona was. It was the ce to be on this ind. The word just didn¡¯t seem to be sinking into his brain right now. His mind was one hundred percent focused on running away from this.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°April and I want a luau,¡± Renee exined, her face scrunched up in a pleading expression. He couldn¡¯t help but think how cute she looked right now. He had to help but think that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think-¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving at three,¡± she interrupted. ¡°Think about it. Please?¡±

    ¡°When are you flying home?¡±

    The question sounded cold. He didn¡¯t really intend it to, but that was the way it had to be now. He couldn¡¯t open up to her. He had to stay closed off for his own protection.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just don¡¯t know.¡±

    She looked down at the ground, and the expression on her face wasn¡¯t one he could quite define. The defeated look on her face crushed him. He wanted to harden his heart against her and tell her that if she thought she was hopping back on his boat, she was out of her mind. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say the words.

    Instead, he made an offer. ¡°If you need help, let me know. I got you out here. I should at least fly you back to where we started.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to California. I¡¯m flying home to my family. I need¡­some time away.¡±

    Of course, she did. She didn¡¯t have a job right now. She had to sell her story, then figure out a way to push herself to the next rung on the careerdder. He was no fool. Besides, she wasn¡¯t the only one who could research. He¡¯d logged some time on his phone, studying up on the typical career path of a TV reporter.

    ¡°No problem. Have April send me the information and I¡¯ll get you a ticket by tomorrow morning.¡±

    With that, he¡¯d said all he needed to say. This was awkward and ufortable, and the longer he stood here, the more disappointed he was that the connection he¡¯d thought they¡¯d shared wasn¡¯t a connection at all. It was all fake.

    ¡°Derek.¡±

    He¡¯d started to step away, but her voice lured him back. Looking at her hit him right where it hurt. She stared up at him withrge, soulful eyes, begging him to listen to her.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say any more,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve got it. You did what you had to do. You didn¡¯t know me when we met. You owed me nothing.¡±

    ¡°But things changed the longer I was on the boat. It wasn¡¯t about the story after a while. I started out researching to write about you, but I realized, once I learned what I did about your father-¡± ¡°When did you learn that? Right before the storm?¡±

    Her mouth mped shut at that question. That told him all he needed to hear, but he waited around anyway to see if she¡¯d try to spin her way out of this one.

    ¡°I knew for a day or so. I wanted to tell you, but-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I need to know.¡±

    He turned to leave, telling himself he wouldn¡¯t stop if she called out to him. He¡¯d just keep going until he was far enough away that he could request a car without worrying about her seeing him.

    She didn¡¯t call out after him this time, though. He wasn¡¯t sure whether to be disappointed or relieved.

 Chapter 100

    This was not how she¡¯d pictured a luau.

    ¡°This is so cool.¡±

    Apparently, though, it was the way April had pictured it. She

    was staring at the scene in front of them, her eyes lit up. Renee could imagine this would be amazing if everything in her life was normal. When things were so out of whack, the torches, delicious food, fun activities, and uing entertainment seemed way out of ce. She just wanted to go sit in her cabin on the boat and pout.

    They weren¡¯t staying on the boat tonight, though. Derek had texted Captain Jake to let them know there were rooms at a nearby hotel for the three of them. Three separate rooms. While she was relieved they wouldn¡¯t have to take the hour-plus-long drive back to the other side of the ind after this was all over, the longer she was here, the more she itched to just get away.

    ¡°Look who¡¯s here,¡± April whispered to Renee as they stood in a buffet line that didn¡¯t seem like it was ever going to move forward. She had a feeling half the people here would start fainting from low blood sugar before they got the first morsel of food.

    Renee followed April¡¯s stare to the other side of the outdoor dining area that had been set up around a stage. Most of the tables were empty since everyone was over here in line, but those who weren¡¯t here were seated. That made it easy to spot Derek. Or maybe she¡¯d just instantly pick him out of any crowd.

    Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. It was a reaction she didn¡¯t want to have, but there it was. And that was how she knew she couldn¡¯t just fly home and forget him.

    But she had no other choice.

    ¡°I guess he¡¯s been texting Jake.¡± April nodded in the direction of the table they¡¯d chosen. The captain had stayed there, saying he was saving their table.

    Sure enough, Derek was heading straight for Jake, big smile on his face. He looked carefree and happy-an expression Renee hadn¡¯t seen from him since the big revtion. She could only hope it wouldn¡¯tpletely vanish once she was nearby.

    ¡°I guess you guys are still fighting,¡± April said.

    ¡°Can you me him?¡±

    April knew Renee had lied to Derek, but she didn¡¯t know the truth about Derek. That would be a vition of Derek¡¯s privacy. She¡¯d hurt him enough. But it had been tough to deny the tension between Renee and Derek, and Jake probably had noticed it, too. In those long, tense final days on the boat, April and Jake had been inseparable aside from his sleep time. That was when April spent time with Renee, and they had their heart-toheart chats.

    ¡°Actually, I can.¡± Mouth set in a firm line, April red over in Derek¡¯s direction before continuing. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have predicted how you¡¯d feel about him once you really got to know him. Yeah, you may have hurt him

    with whatever you lied about, but you fell in love with him.¡±

    Eyes wide, Renee looked at her. ¡°Love? I don¡¯t know-¡±

    ¡°Oh,e on. Anyone can see it. He¡¯s in love with you, too. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been so mad at you. You didn¡¯t see him thatst day. He was devastated. It may show as anger to you, but it was hurt, sadness¡­ heartbreak. You broke his heart.¡±

    Renee looked over at Derek, running through April¡¯s words. He¡¯d taken a seat at the table and wasughing along with the captain. Devastated and heartbroken? She wouldn¡¯t say that about what she saw right now. But she couldn¡¯t exin his change in mood aside from the fact that he hadn¡¯t seen her all day.

    ¡°He thinks I¡¯m flying out tomorrow,¡± Renee told April. ¡°He even offered to buy me a ticket out of here. That¡¯s how much he wants me gone.¡± ¡°He wants you gone so he can start the process of getting over you. Don¡¯t let him.¡±

    The line started moving then, giving Renee an excuse not to respond. She wouldn¡¯t have known what to say to that. Her first instinct was to argue with April-to say he never had real feelings for her in the first ce. But if that was true, would he have been so hurt? So angry?

    ¡°I¡¯ve got your back. Don¡¯t worry,¡± April uttered with a wink, before turning and heading back to the table, full te in hand.

    Renee finished up her own te and headed back to the table, ready to pick up the conversation where they¡¯d left off.

    Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t get the chance. The captain and Derek were already at the end of the buffet line when Renee arrived at the table, but that wasn¡¯t why she couldn¡¯t speak. Without noticing, they¡¯d chosen a table next to one of therge speakers set up on stands on either side of the stage. That meant as the music started, there was no talking. Even if she shouted, she couldn¡¯t have been heard.

    Renee thought it would be a struggle to force down the food on her te. Nothing zapped her appetite like a heavy case of the jitters. But thebination of roasted pig, long rice, macaroni sd, and mango bread was just too much to resist. It could also be, as pretend professional chef for the past couple of weeks, she¡¯d gained an all-new appreciation for just how much work went into preparing a delicious meal like this.

    While she ate, she kept an eye on the buffet line, but somehow, Derek still managed to sneak up on her. She knew he¡¯d arrived when the chair next to her scooted back and a tended on the table next to her. Captain Jake came around the table, taking his seat next to April. All Renee could think was that she was d they couldn¡¯t talk right now.

    But that didn¡¯t make her any less aware of Derek¡¯s presence nearby. Just being close to him again feltforting somehow. Maybe it was because they couldn¡¯t talk. As they finished eating and leaned back in their chairs to watch the performance, it was easy to pretend he wasn¡¯t mad at her anymore, even though deep down she knew he was.

    ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡± the announcer said as the dancing wound down. ¡°We¡¯ll be taking pictures on the stage. Please line up over there.

    Meanwhile, enjoy dancing with our house band, the Coconuts.¡±

    April snorted. ¡°They shoulde out dressed as coconuts.¡±

    Instead, they wore tropical shirts and cargo shorts. It was a very beachyind vibe that went with the music they were ying. But there were no drums and the prevailing instrument was a ukulele, so it was still possible to speak to each other at the table and be heard.

    Renee¡¯s nervousness kicked into high gear as she realized she¡¯d have to face Derek for the first time since they¡¯d left the boat. Would he speak to her? Would he make it clear he wanted nothing more to do with her?

    ¡°I want to dance,¡± April announced suddenly.

    Sure enough, people had begun congregating on the small dance floor in front of the stage. Couples slow dancing. Renee had been so caught up in her own thoughts, she hadn¡¯t even noticed.

    Captain Jake shed Derek a look. ¡°What thedy wants, thedy gets.¡±

    Then they were gone, leaving Renee, Derek, and the heavy silence between them. She considered the various approaches-basically, she could pretend nothing had happened or she could just address it t out.

    ¡°When¡¯s your story going live? I¡¯d love some advance notice.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    That was the other option-wait to see what he would do. She had her answer. He¡¯d put her on the spot. Now was her opportunity to do something to fix this.

    ¡°I never sent it.¡±

    That was all she could say at this point. She wanted to drop the story altogether, but she was holding off. She¡¯d be darned if she¡¯d let him dump her and never speak to her again, then walk away without a story. If she was going to lose him, may as well do the very thing he dumped her for doing, right?

    She wasn¡¯t feeling so confident about that these days, though.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked.¡± He stared at her, his expression letting her know he was serious about this. Evasiveness wouldn¡¯t work. He needed an answer.

    ¡°I¡¯m having second thoughts.¡± She stared at the stage to avoid those deep brown eyes that seemed to look right through her. ¡°I¡¯ll write a profile on you if you want, but otherwise, I think I¡¯m done with this story.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡±

    His tone wasn¡¯t usatory, but she didn¡¯t like it. She was trying to work through this in her head. She was giving up her hopes of being published by her dream publication and maybe leveraging it into future career opportunities. She was also dealing with this weird feeling that she didn¡¯t care about any of that right now.

    She didn¡¯t even know what she wanted anymore.

    ¡°Is it too early for me to have a midlife crisis?¡±

    Theugh that came out of him in response to her question made her feel better than anything had in days. She realized then just how much it meant to her for things to be okay between them again.

    Derek let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not about the story. I don¡¯t care about the story. It¡¯s about the lie.¡±

    Renee nodded, tears welling in her eyes. ¡°If I could do it over again, I would have been honest from the start. But that would have been the end of it. I would never have gotten to know you because the second you found out

    I was a reporter, you would have shut me out.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡±

    His suggestion took her by surprise. He wanted to walk away from here with her¡­alone? That had to be a good sign, right?

    Unless he was going to use that walk to let her down easily. Maybe he wanted to cut all ties with her. Or he could be nning to issue an ultimatum-drop the article or he¡¯d never speak to her again.

    If she was honest, that would make it easier. Anger and distance led her to believe, whether it made sense or not, that everything she¡¯d ever felt for him had been one-sided. Pain, sadness, hurt¡­ All that made her think he cared.

    They walked in silence until they were on the big patch of sand between the stage and the waves. There were a few others out here, but most of them were either ying in the waves or seated. It was easy to find an area to keep to themselves. He chose a section of sand that was slightly raised and sat down. Without invitation, she sat down next to him.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t running from my father.¡±

    Renee was afraid to look at him now that he was opening up to her. At this point, she didn¡¯t even want to breathe. What if he started fearing anything he told her would be in the article?

    It wouldn¡¯t. She knew that much at this point. She would not break his trust, even if it meant never seeing him again.

    ¡°I run,¡± he said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s what I do. It has nothing to do with him asking for money. I just¡­run.¡±

    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his head lower. He began moving his foot around on the sand, leaving an interesting imprint, like he was drawing in the sand with the heel of his sneaker.

    ¡°My mom left when I was young and my dad didn¡¯t deal well,¡± he said, speaking so quietly that it was tough to hear him over the crash of the waves. ¡°Eventually, I went to live with my grandparents. I guess the whole

    thing made me a bit of a loner. Then I met you.¡±

    Those four words punched her in the stomach.

    ¡°I broke your trust,¡± Renee said, realizing for the first time the full extent of the hurt she¡¯d caused. ¡°It was the worst thing I could have done.¡±

    He looked over at her, and finally, she dared to return his stare. Yes, there was definitely hurt in his eyes, and it sent a sharp pain through her.

    ¡°I wish I could say it surprised me.¡± He looked down at his feet again. ¡°I¡¯ve spent all these years avoiding getting close to anyone. All my rtionships were surface. Same with friendships, business partnerships, everything. If I didn¡¯t have anyone close to me, nobody could let me down.¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s hard to keep distance when you¡¯re trapped on a boat with someone.¡± She nudged him with her shoulder to let him know she was teasing. Maybe it was too soon. She held her breath, waiting for him to brush off the attempt at a joke. Instead, she saw the corners of his mouth start to lift in a smile.

    ¡°You can write your story.¡±

    Of all the things she¡¯d expected him to say, that would be thest.

    ¡°Why? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready to stop running.¡± He looked out at the waves. ¡°I have no intention of returning home anytime soon, but there¡¯s no reason to keep hiding. I didn¡¯t even get to say goodbye to my father. I¡¯m tired of missing out on life out of fear.¡±

    ¡°I have a better idea.¡± Renee reached into her back pocket and pulled out her cell phone, holding it up. ¡°I¡¯m going to let you tell your story your way.¡±

 Chapter 101

    Derek stood in the airport, watching Renee move forward in line. With each step, she inched closer to the security scanner. Closer to walking out of his life for good. As she turned to take her shoes off to slip them into the bin, she looked over at him, gave him a half-wave, and smiled. He could see the sadness in her eyes from here. He felt sad, too, but it was the only option.

    Turning, he headed out of the airport, already pulling up the app to call a rideshare to take him back to the boat. It had been a calm, rxing evening, hanging out with April and Captain Jake by the hotel pool. He and Renee had been at peace, he figured, but it was tough to be so close to her without holding her hand or putting his arm around her.

    ¡°You okay?¡± April asked when he stepped on board a few minutester. She¡¯d been carrying in the groceries they¡¯d bought on the ind. Enough to get them to Tahiti, where they¡¯d be adding another deckhand and a head steward to the team. He¡¯d interviewed them by video chat once they arrived in Hawaii and he was d to finally have a somewhat full staff.

    Only problem was, they were short a chef. There was no one to cook for them. Derek and April had agreed they¡¯d do what they could to make sure Captain Jake was fed, which just left them to fend for themselves.

    It wasn¡¯t that Derek couldn¡¯t cook. He was a fairly decent chef when he put his mind to it. But he couldn¡¯t make anything like the meals Renee had prepared. It still seemed bizarre to him that she¡¯d only pretended to be a chef. He would have bet his bank bnce that she¡¯d been professionally trained at some top-rated culinary institute, as good as her meals tasted.

    ¡°All good,¡± Derek told April.

    He grabbed a few bags and following her onto the boat with them. They¡¯d set everything here on the dock when Derek had returned with the grocery order. It had been his only stop on the way back to the boat from the airport. Renee was on her way to her parents¡¯ house. She was going to take some time off, she¡¯d said.

    ¡°You should go see her.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Derek asked, sincerely confused as they entered the kitchen.

    April opened the fridge door. ¡°Taylor Swift. Who do you think I¡¯m talking about, silly? Renee.¡±

    This conversation was making him dizzy. ¡°Go see Renee? How would I do that?¡±

    April looked at him. ¡°Well, when we get to one of our stops, you book a flight, just like you did for her. Go see her, spend some time really getting to know her, and decide whether you want to continue.¡±

    Derek shook his head. ¡°It won¡¯t work. She doesn¡¯t want to stay on a boat. Her life is onnd. I can¡¯t live just anywhere.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± As if to illustrate her point, April looked around the kitchen. He assumed she was referring to the fact that they were on a boat that was about to head out into the middle of the ocean. He could run hispany while traveling the world on his boat, so why couldn¡¯t he run it from Middle of Nowhere, Iowa, or wherever Renee ended up?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be happy,¡± April said, grabbing one of the bags he was holding to start unloading it into the fridge.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    He wondered what April knew that he didn¡¯t already know. Renee had been very open with him about all the lies she¡¯d told. But his trust was still a bit shaky. He knew he had to work on keeping people at a distance to avoid being hurt, and that was more important than nobody ever letting him down again.

    April shook her head. ¡°It was obvious she felt at home here, on this boat. One word from you and she would have stayed with us. Or maybe it was just that she felt at home with you.¡±

    Those words hit him hard. Using the excuse that he needed to go help Captain Jake, he left her to put up the rest of the food. His mind was reeling, though. As absurd as it seemed initially, he had to admit that Renee had seemed truly happy when she was on this boat, especially in the kitchen. She also seemed to light up at thepliments she got on her creations.

    But then, he¡¯d also watched some clips of her from her work at the TV station. She was amazing in the job, certainly seeming to be a natural at it. When he¡¯d finally decided to stop running and announce he wasn¡¯t missing, he knew immediately he had to let Renee tell the story. He had to let her go back to the life she loved.

    But what if she didn¡¯t love it? What if her time on the boat had taught her that she wanted something else altogether? Didn¡¯t he owe it to her-to both of them-to find out?

    ¡°I think we¡¯re about ready to push away,¡± Captain Jake said when Derek finally tracked him down. ¡°Is everything ready downstairs?¡±

    Derek got on the two-way and made sure April had all the groceries from the dock. While he waited for confirmation, he looked out at thendscape in front of him. As much as he¡¯d always dreamed of seeing the world, he was starting to realize that this wasn¡¯t the way he¡¯d wanted it to happen. Now that he¡¯d had a taste of what it was like to feel something for someone, being out in the middle of the ocean seemed lonely.

    ¡°Do you ever get tired of being out here on the water all the time?¡± Derek asked Captain Jake as they did one final check to make sure all the lines were untied from the dock.

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    Derek fully expected that to be the end of it. It wasn¡¯t like he and Jake discussed anything all that deep, so he¡¯d assume the guy would keep things at a surface level. But then the captain surprised him.

    ¡°It¡¯s in my blood.¡± Jake straightened and looked out over the water. ¡°It¡¯s when I¡¯m onnd that I get restless. This feels natural to me. Onnd, I¡¯m just waiting until the next time I get out there again.¡±

    Derek rolled that around in his mind as they got going. Strange, but this suddenly didn¡¯t feel natural to him at all. His instinct was the opposite of what the captain had just said. He was on the water, but he felt like he was on his way to the next piece ofnd, not the other way around.

    Would he get used to it eventually? Possibly. But he also could picture himself, at the age of eighty, looking back over his life and wondering what he missed. A home, a family, time spent with good friends. He could have plenty of good times while traveling the world-and certainly, that would be a life well lived. But he wasn¡¯t sure it was the life he wanted to live.

    At least not alone, anyway.

    ¡°Something¡¯s going on with you,¡± April said as they made dinner that first night. He¡¯d been more pensive than usual as he stood in the kitchen where Renee had spent so much of her time on this boat. He missed her. He couldn¡¯t even have imagined the void her absence had left here.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been honest with you and the captain,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not who I said I am.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Her focus was mostly on the clove of garlic she was mincing, so he had a feeling she wasn¡¯t fully processing what he was about to reveal. He decided to start with the most shocking bit of news first.

    ¡°I own the biggest luxury yacht operations in the country. My name is Derek Hughes, not David Humphreys. I have a home in Silicon Valley, and I¡¯d nned to walk away from it all.¡±

    Still, she didn¡¯t look up. He¡¯d wondered, as he was talking, if he should catch her off guard while she was using a knife. That could be dangerous.

    But she didn¡¯t seem the slightest bit phased.

    ¡°And Renee was doing a story on you, undercover.¡±

    Derek stared at her. ¡°Renee told you.¡±

    Why hadn¡¯t he guessed that? He felt betrayed all over again. Renee had blown his cover to his employees. He¡¯d started to forget how hurt he felt over her betrayal, but now it all came back to him.

    ¡°No. She didn¡¯t say you were a billionaire. She said she was a reporter and that she told you a horrible lie, but nothing more than that. The rest of it doesn¡¯t really matter to me. Well, except for the fact that I¡¯ve been calling you by the wrong name.¡±

    ¡°Renee told you she lied to me?¡±

    April nodded. ¡°She was devastated. I¡¯m pretty sure she fell for you pretty hard. By the time she figured that out, it was toote to turn back.¡±

    Her words hit him pretty deep. He tried not to stop everything to interrogate her, instead focusing on getting the chicken breasts into the oven as nned. But his mind was spinning.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    ¡°That makes even more sense,¡± April said as she worked on prepping ingredients behind him. ¡°I couldn¡¯t figure out why she left. She wouldn¡¯t say, aside from just the fact that you two had some kind of falling out. She seemed like she was so happy here, but for some reason, she never quite settled in.¡±

    Derek didn¡¯t respond. He really didn¡¯t want to open up to April about this. It felt like he was talking to someone who was closer to Renee than him. If he stayed on this boat with her, though, that would change. They¡¯d all get distance from Renee and start to form their own work family. They¡¯d be traveling the world together, after all, along with the additional people he¡¯d hired.

    Suddenly, as he stood there staring down at browning chicken, things became much clearer to him. Just thinking about staying on this yacht, day after day, wondering what might have happened if he¡¯d seen things through with Renee, had him second-guessing every decision he¡¯d ever made.

    ¡°Question. Hand me a te.¡±

    April retrieved a stack of tes from the cabs and set them next to the stove. ¡°Did you say, ¡®Question?''¡±

    ¡°Yes. Question. If I lined you and Captain Jake up with another yacht, would you be fine sailing without me?¡±

    April stopped everything then and just stared at him. ¡°You¡¯re leaving us?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a hypothetical right now.¡± He turned to look at her as he scooped the first chicken breast onto one of the tes. Looking at her, he decided, once and for all, he¡¯d made up his mind. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m leaving this ship at the next port.¡±

 Chapter 102

    ¡°Thank you for meeting with us today.¡± Renee stared at theptop screen in front of her, which  was filled with four little squares, each containing a person. She upied one of those squares. Just when she¡¯d thought it was nice to be around human beings again, she wasmunicating with everyone by phone and email and video chat. She could have done all this on the boat.

    ¡°As you know, your essay caught our attention,¡± the marketing director, Tori, said as the other two people just stared straight at their own screens.

    ¡°Your journey was so fascinating.¡±

    ¡°We assume from the essay you¡¯re giving up your previous work?¡± the only dude on the call, whose name she¡¯d already forgotten, said.

    Renee didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°I¡¯m exploring all my options. I don¡¯t want to be tied down to one location, though. I¡¯d love the freedom to travel.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re looking for more features like that,¡± Tori said. ¡°Travel blogging, maybe some adventures. We loved the way you told the story of tracking down a missing billionaire through your own journey.¡±

    That was exactly what Renee had done, although she hadn¡¯t nned it when she sat down to write. She¡¯d actually stared at her screen for thirty minutes, reviewing the piece she¡¯d started that was all about Derek. She not only had his permission to write about him, but she had his quotes. None of it felt right.

    Derek was responsible for his own story. Sure, he wanted her to reveal that he was no longer missing, and people could get that from the story if they wanted. In fact, a few media outlets had jumped right on that part of the story, saying ¡°a San Francisco-area reporter¡± had tracked him down and he was traveling around on a yacht.

    ¡°I love telling stories in writing,¡± Renee said. ¡°But it¡¯s urred to me, over the past few weeks, that investigative reporting isn¡¯t really for me. I want to get out and explore the world, but I don¡¯t want to dig into people¡¯s secrets and expose them. That¡¯s just not how I want to live my life.¡±

    Tory nodded enthusiastically on her side of the screen. ¡°You¡¯ve probably looked through our site. We¡¯re missing something, and your essay had it.¡±

    Her essay had it, all right. Her dream publication had passed on it because it wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d promised. She got that. But within hours of starting her search for a good fit for this new piece, she had an offer with a pretty impressive dor amount attached. More than she¡¯d made in a day as a low-tier TV reporter, although that wasn¡¯t saying much. But within hours of going live, the article had gone viral.

    As she dealt with the attention she was getting online for what she¡¯d written-both good and bad-she came up with another idea for a story. It had to do with her love for cooking. A food publication had paid her an amount that was lower, but still equal, to about a half day¡¯s work in her previous position. She was hooked.

    Then came this offer, from a marketing firm that had a blog designed to entice people to buy ne tickets and make hotel reservations through them. They hadn¡¯t talked money yet, but she was thinking she¡¯dbine this opportunity with some other frence offers and make a living this way.

    ¡°We have an opportunity we wanted to float by you, but only if you¡¯re interested.¡±

    Tory¡¯s voice pulled Renee back to the conversation happening in front of her. Yes, she had to focus. Thest thing she needed was to be sitting there, staring off into space, when an important conversation was happening.

    ¡°One of our partners wants someone to write about their various properties. You¡¯d have all expenses covered, and of course, we¡¯d pay your per-article rate. It¡¯s a great chance to travel the world.¡±

    It was the opportunity of a lifetime. She¡¯d probably never have an offer like this again. She should be excited about it.

    But she wasn¡¯t.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    As Tory outlined what they were nning for this writer they contracted with, Renee couldn¡¯t breathe. The next four months would be packed with travel, she realized as Tory listed off location after location they wanted her to visit. They¡¯d fly her from ce to ce, put her up in a hotel, and pay for all her meals and other expenses.

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± The words spilled out of Renee¡¯s mouth before she could stop them. She couldn¡¯t. Here she sat, in her parents¡¯ house, with no obligations and nothing tying her anywhere. She¡¯d gotten out of her lease on her San Francisco apartment and had no ns to return. She didn¡¯t really fit anywhere right now. She had no reason to be in any specific ce.

    Yet she didn¡¯t want tomit to a four-month job traveling the world. Or even the country. She wanted freedom.

    Which was odd, considering this job would let her travel. Most people wouldn¡¯t think of that as hampering freedom. But home wasn¡¯t living out of hotel rooms,municating only with some faceless employer in

    California or New York City. Home was¡­ Home was with Derek.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the right fit for me,¡± Renee said. ¡°But thank you for thinking of me. Have a nice day.¡±

    It was probably rude, but she couldn¡¯t deal with the people on the other end of the line trying to sell her on working with them. Now that she knew what she didn¡¯t want, she had to figure out what she did want. That was something she needed to mull over on her own, without the interference of an outside party.

    Renee¡¯s phone dinged, and she looked down at the screen. April. She picked up the phone and read the text on the screen.

    Call me.

    She and April had exchanged cell numbers once they¡¯dnded in Hawaii and no longer had the two-way radio on the boat formunication. Seeing April¡¯s name on the screen made Renee immediately miss being with her work family.

    She tapped the message on her screen and pulled up April¡¯s information,unching a phone call. While the phone rang through, she stood and began pacing the length of her parents¡¯ guest bedroom. It had been a long few days staying here, but until she figured out where she was going next, it was the right move.

    ¡°Hey there!¡± April¡¯s voice boomed through the phone speaker. ¡°Guess where we are?¡±

    ¡°No telling,¡± Renee said. ¡°Close tond, I assume, since you have cell reception.¡±

    ¡°Very close. In fact, we¡¯re onnd. We¡¯re in Tahiti. Looks like we¡¯re going to be here a week or so.¡±

    Renee frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Even though she hadn¡¯t seen them in days, she immediately found herself worrying about her friends out on the ocean. Not to mention the man she couldn¡¯t seem to stop thinking about, no matter how hard she tried. What if they¡¯d been through another storm? What if they were stranded?

    ¡°The yacht¡¯s for sale,¡± April said. ¡°We¡¯re waiting to see what happens next. If it takes too long, we may return home.¡±

    Renee frowned. Wait a second. The yacht wasn¡¯t really for sale. That was all part of Derek¡¯s cover story. Why would he be selling it? She waspletely lost.

    ¡°Derek¡¯s working on selling it from where he is. But he¡¯s also working on something else.¡± April cleared her throat. ¡°So, I¡¯m here to help with that part of things.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t making any sense.¡± Renee flopped down on her bed, fell t on her back, and stared up at the ceiling. ¡°Why would the yacht be up for sale? Why wouldn¡¯t Derek be with you? How did you know his name is Derek?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to do this anymore. I¡¯m sure it has something to do with you. You guys can work that all out. The point is, Jake and I are transferring to a new team as soon as Derek can find a ce for us. It¡¯s just a challenge because we want to stay together, but there are a lot of openings right now.¡±

    Okay, so that cleared up about half of her questions. The other half was far more important to her now, though. What was going on with Derek?

    Thankfully, April quickly cleared it all up. ¡°Derek told me the truth about himself. But the yacht wasn¡¯t the same without you. He wants to be with you. One problem with that, though. Where the heck are you?¡±

    ¡°Arizona.¡± Renee couldn¡¯t quite process what she was hearing right now. She heard the words, but they weren¡¯t quite sinking in. ¡°Did you say he wants to be with me?¡±

    Aprilughed. ¡°You sound surprised. Meanwhile, Jake and I saw it pretty clearly. You were both head over heels in love. You can chase after whatever dream you want but trust me when I say everything¡¯s a little better when you have someone to share it with.¡±

    Squeezing her eyes shut, Renee took in what her friend was saying. Yes, she made good points. There was no denying that. But it was impossible for her to believe she hadn¡¯tpletely messed up any chance she ever had with Derek Hughes. If she ever had a chance in the first ce.

    ¡°Anyway.¡± April¡¯s sigh came through the phone. ¡°It¡¯ll make my life easier if Derek can track you down. If you want to see him, that is. You two can get the whole ¡®We¡¯re madly in love and are going to spend the rest of our lives together¡¯ thing out of the way.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re calling to find out my location?¡±

    Although she may have sounded calm, Renee¡¯s heart felt like it might pound right out of her chest. Derek was looking for her. He wanted to see her again. That was the best thing she¡¯d heard. Ever.

    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m in a rush.¡± Aprilughed. ¡°We¡¯ve been paid-and mine was more than I made in two months in my old job. I guess I¡¯m just a little anxious about what I¡¯ll be doing a week from now. But Jake¡¯s meeting with a charter yacht this afternoon on a video call.¡±

    ¡°Can I help?¡± Renee didn¡¯t know why she was offering. She had plenty to do to line up her own work. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like she knew anything about finding a job on a yacht crew. She was a little curious about it, though.

    ¡°Meet with Derek. Get things squared away. Then tell him to get to work helping us out.¡±

    Oh, yeah. That was why April had called in the first ce. Without hesitation, Renee blurted out her full address, including the offer to provide directions.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Derek can find it from that.¡± Aprilughed. ¡°I know Jake is pretty good at finding his way around.¡±

    ¡°Things are going well between the two of you?¡± Renee asked.

    ¡°So good.¡± April sighed again, but this time it was a good sigh. It was an in-love sigh. ¡°He¡¯s the real deal. That¡¯s why I hope we can stay on the same team. Maybe you can talk Derek into hopping back on that yacht and traveling the world. It would save him having to pay someone to bring that thing back to California if he doesn¡¯t sell it in the next few days. I¡¯d love to keep the four of us together.¡±

    As she listened to April¡¯s speech, Renee realized exactly why she¡¯d panicked at the thought ofmitting herself to thepany that wanted her to travel. It had nothing to do with wanting to stay in one ce. It had everything to do with being with people she loved.

    But as good as the thought of sailing the world with Derek, April, and Captain Jake sounded, it wasn¡¯t the right future for her. If Derek was giving up his yacht, did that mean he was okay with that? She was faced with a dilemma. If it came down to it, she might have to let Derek go. She couldn¡¯t let him give up the life he wanted on the water to be with her¡­and she couldn¡¯tmit to living on a boat when she wanted a home, a family.

    Unfortunately, she might have to let him go.

 Chapter 103

    The private nended at the airport in Arizona after flying over andscape that was far more beautiful than he¡¯d expected. Derek had admittedly never spent time in Arizona, but if this was where Renee called home, he¡¯d get used to it. He¡¯d even move here if it was what she wanted.

    A smiling face was waiting for him when hended. His chief operating officer had lined up a driver to pick him up in a limousine, then drive to track down Renee. He had no idea if she¡¯d be home or not, but the only way to truly n ast-minute romantic surprise was to go for it. If he could have called someone she knew to make sure she¡¯d be home, he definitely would have, but that wasn¡¯t an option.

    ¡°Good evening, Mr. Hughes,¡± the driver said. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s going to be a nice night for a romantic dinner.¡±

    ¡°Sure is. Thanks.¡±

    Derek climbed in, exhaustion finally catching up with him. When April had sent Renee¡¯s address, he¡¯d barely been back in Silicon Valley for a few hours. He¡¯d stayed up half the night, sending emails and waiting for the city to wake up so someone would get back to him.

    After the first phone call came in, everything fell into ce pretty quickly. His COO was d to have him back and had been all too happy to call in a few favors with some people he knew in Arizona. From there, it was just a matter of chartering a ne and answering a couple of messages about Captain Jake and April.

    Speaking of which¡­ his phone buzzed in his pocket as the limo started toward Renee¡¯s house. April¡¯s name popped up on the screen.

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± he said in lieu of a greeting, mostly because he knew what she was going to say. She¡¯d been tracking his progress with Renee since sending her location information to him. He had a feeling she¡¯d be over-themoon happy if he shot a video of their reunion and sent it to her.

    Yeah, that wasn¡¯t going to happen.

    ¡°She¡¯s home. I checked.¡±

    Derek frowned out the window. ¡°What do you mean you checked? You called her?¡±

    ¡°Texted. Just asked what she was up to. I told her my good news.¡±

    Hesitating, Derek searched his recent memory for something he might have missed. No, he couldn¡¯t recall any good news. Had he been so caught up in missing Renee that April had told him something and he hadn¡¯t heard?

    ¡°Are you still there?¡±

    April¡¯s question made him realize he¡¯d been quiet a little too long. He had to admit he had no idea what she was talking about.

    ¡°What good news?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I got a job. Well, Jake got the job, and it turned out they needed a deckhand. So, I guess I¡¯ll be jumping in with both feet.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great! What¡¯s the boat?¡±

    She recited a bunch of details about her uing gig, including the name of a yacht owner he¡¯d never heard of. He felt a little disappointed that he hadn¡¯t been the one toe through for her, but it was a weight off his shoulders that they¡¯d not only found work, but they got to stay together.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t be happier for you.¡±

    ¡°Right back at you,¡± April said. ¡°Are you there yet?¡±

    Derekughed. For someone who had set out with the goal of going missing, he¡¯d definitely settled back into answering for where he was again. Knowing his father was no longer around had left him feeling more unsettled than he¡¯d wanted to admit. He longed for a connection.

    He needed home. Family. Thefort of being with someone he loved. ¡°I think we¡¯re here. I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡±

    Derek looked out his window as the car slowed to a stop in front of a one-story ranch-style home. The house was the very picture of suburbia, surrounded by homes that looked very much like it. The lots were small, and the driveways were filled with cars despite each home having a garage.

    It was just like his own childhood neighborhood-the one he¡¯d lived in with his dad before he moved in with his grandparents.

    ording to April¡¯s earlier message, Renee was at her parents¡¯ house. It was a temporary setup while she decided what to do next. If his n worked out, he hoped they could make that decision together.

    He took a deep breath and reached for the car door. Before he could pull the handle, the door flew opened, chauffeur standing on the other side of it with a big smile on his face. Yes, he¡¯d forgotten about the driver. He¡¯d been on that boat way too long.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Derek said, stepping out and pulling on his suit jacket.

    The chauffeur returned to the driver¡¯s seat, leaving Derek to face his next step. He stared at the home in front of him. Renee was in there.

    As he started walking toward the front door, it suddenly opened, causing his heart to skip a beat. There stood Renee, in his line of sight for the first time in days. He hadn¡¯t realized just how much he¡¯d missed her until now.

    ¡°Derek.¡±

    For some reason, he¡¯d imagined she¡¯d be surprised to see him. She didn¡¯t seem surprised at all. She¡¯d said his name in a neutral voice, though, making it impossible to determine whether she was happy to see him or not.

    He started toward the front porch as she stepped out onto it, closing the front door behind her. ¡°April told you I wasing.¡±

    ¡°No, but she told me you were looking for me. I¡¯m not really dressed¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to take you to dinner,¡± he said.

    Renee stopped on the first step as he walked up the sidewalk. As he drew closer, he saw she was frowning. She looked amazing in a long T-shirt and leggings, but it wasn¡¯t quite a fit for the suit he wore, especially since she¡¯d never seen him wearing anything more formal than shorts and a button-up short-sleeved shirt. ¡°I can wait while you change.¡± ¡°Come in,¡± Renee said.

    A little of his tension dissipated as she turned and walked back toward the house. She hadn¡¯t sent him away with a rejection. That was a good sign, right?

    ¡°Do you want something to drink?¡± Renee asked. ¡°My parents are in Italy. I¡¯ve been watching the house while they¡¯re gone.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I thought-¡±

    She stopped at the kitchen table and turned to look at him. ¡°They were here when I first returned. They just left yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like fun.¡±

    An awkward silence fell between them. He knew why it was awkward, too. He wanted to wait for a more romantic environment to have his talk with her, but he also wanted to pour his heart out now. It felt wrong to wait.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get changed.¡±

    She solved the problem by turning on one heel and rushing off, leaving Derek alone in a strange kitchen. He wandered over to the fridge, which was covered in maic photo frames, most of which held photos of Renee at various ages. He smiled as he saw teenage Renee for the first time. There were photos of her in San Francisco, too, including one of her holding a microphone.

    Seeing that photo, he wondered if reporting was really what she loved. April almost had him convinced that Renee was at her happiest when she was creating culinary masterpieces, but she also looked happy in her San Francisco photos. He wouldn¡¯t want her to give up something that really meant something to her to be with him.

    If she wanted to be with him, he¡¯d support whatever she wanted to do.

    ¡°All ready.¡±

    Renee¡¯s voice made him step back from the fridge, turning to face her. He felt like he¡¯d been caught doing something he wasn¡¯t supposed to do. But that was forgotten when he saw her.

    ¡°Wow.¡± It was the only word he could makee out. He was, otherwise, speechless. Somehow, in a matter of a few minutes, she¡¯d managed to change into a long, flowy sundress and high-heeled sandals. She looked like she¡¯d spent at least half an hour on her hair and makeup.

    How she¡¯d put all that together so quickly, he had no idea.

    ¡°Is this okay? I have no idea where we¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Just dinner.¡±

    Maybe he shouldn¡¯t minimize it. He had, after all, put a lot of effort into nning all of this. But he didn¡¯t want to put a lot of pressure on her over it. The goal was to keep expectations low, then impress her. That was his strategy.

    ¡°Ready?¡± He started toward her.

    Renee looked toward the door. ¡°We¡¯re taking the limo?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been in a limo since prom.¡±

    Derekughed. ¡°I don¡¯t normally ride around in a limo. I¡¯d rather just call a car if I need a ride somewhere. But I wanted to make this special.¡±

    There. If that didn¡¯t make it clear that he was falling for her, he didn¡¯t know what would. He didn¡¯t want her to be impressed by him. He didn¡¯t care about that. What he did care about was that she saw his effort and realized how he felt about her. That was what tonight was all about.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Nobody¡¯s ever done anything like this for me before.¡±

    What he wanted to say was that she should get used to it. That there would be many years of him doing what he could to make every day a special asion. But saying something like that could freak her out. He didn¡¯t want to scare her. He needed to make sure she wanted him in her life beyond today.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± he said. ¡°But hopefully, tonight will help make up for that at least a little.¡± He made a sweeping gesture. ¡°Your chariot awaits.¡±

    Okay, so that was a cheesy thing to say. But she smiled at him as she passed him on her way toward the door. He decided that was a good sign.

    Now, if only he could get through the next few hours without his nervousness spoiling things.

 Chapter 104

    Renee¡¯s heart felt like it might pound right out of her chest.

    She practiced her deep, slow stomach breathing-a technique she¡¯d learned in broadcasting. Funny how she could go on camera in front of countless strangers, but just sitting in the back of a limo with Derek Hughes made her a nervous wreck.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she asked, staring out the window at passing restaurants and shops. They were heading toward a popr shopping area, but she hadn¡¯t exactly grown up in the big city. The suburbs were as good as it would get unless they wanted to take a long drive. There were no extremely fancy restaurants within a two-hundred-mile radius that she knew of. Not billionaire-level fancy, anyway.

    They pulled up in front of a warehouse she didn¡¯t even know existed. It was in an old, run-down business park, set far back from the main road. She assumed some sort of manufacturing operations happened out of here, but there was no signage, so she figured it had been abandoned.

    Now she was intrigued.

    ¡°Trust me,¡± Derek said, taking her hand once the chauffeur had helped them out and closed the car door behind them.

    Renee nodded. She trusted him fully. The question was, did he trust her?

    As they started toward the only entrance she could see, she realized how much her own legs were trembling. She was surprised those legs would even hold her up, let alone carry her forward. He¡¯d said he was taking her to dinner. In fact, ¡°just dinner¡± had been his exact words. Problem was, with this level of nervousness, she wasn¡¯t sure she could choke down a single bite.

    As they entered the building, it wasn¡¯t at all what she expected. Inside a massive warehouse, she¡¯d assume she¡¯d find a big, open space with nothing but concrete and fluorescent lights ring down on it all. Maybe some poles running from the floor to the ceiling and shelving that held inventory.

    The floors were concrete, to be sure, but there was no fluorescent lighting. Not any that was on, anyway. The only light was from the far end of the warehouse, and it flickered, letting her know it was candlelight.

    She looked over at Derek, eyes wide. He smiled and gestured ahead of them. She assumed that to mean start walking, and that was exactly what she did. She moved toward the light, with him following just behind her. As she drew closer, she saw it was a table, covered in a cloth and holding a big vase of flowers in the center. There were two silver domes, one on either side, and they looked like the type of silver covers you¡¯d see when you ordered room service in a hotel.

    There was also a chair on each side of the table. This, she realized as she continued walking, was the dinner he¡¯d promised.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± she asked, turning to look at him.

    ¡°My business associate¡¯s buddy bought the building. He¡¯s going to turn it into a distribution center. He said we could borrow it for the evening.¡±

    Who thought to do this? Most men would just make reservations at some fancy restaurant, even if it meant a long drive. Or maybe have the dinner at his hotel or even her own house. Derek had arranged all this.

    It said everything about his feelings for her.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s not nearly as good as anything you¡¯d make, but my colleague also helped me track down the best cooking in the area. This meal was created by a chef at one of the nicest hotels in town. If you were going to open a restaurant, this would be the location for it.¡±

    He held out her chair and she took a seat, then allowed him to push it forward. ¡°I¡¯m not really interested in running a restaurant,¡± she said. ¡°I think I want to cook for smaller groups.¡±

    ¡°Like on a ship?¡± He gave her a teasing smile as he sat down, but the question hit close to home.

    She took a deep breath and gave an answer. ¡°I want to travel, but not for work,¡± she blurted. ¡°I need a home base.¡±

    ¡°I do, too. I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong. I love being on the sea. But I realized over the two weeks I was out there that it¡¯s better when it¡¯s something you do short-term.¡±

    Reneeughed. ¡°Like being on vacation. It¡¯s great for a week or two, but after that, you just want to go home?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason it feels good returning home after vacation,¡± he agreed. ¡°I just need to work on making my house feel more like home. Ready?¡± He ced his hand on the little handle on top of the silver cover. She looked down and put her hand on her own handle. Time to reveal what was beneath the cover. ¡°I thought of all the meals you served on the boat and realized there was one thing we never had.¡± He looked at her, his eyes seeming to glimmer in the candlelight. ¡°Pasta.¡±

    It was a delicious chicken pasta dish in a creamy sauce. It had small tomatoes mixed in and parmesan cheese on top.

    ¡°Caprese chicken pasta,¡± he exined. ¡°We never had pasta on the boat because I forgot to buy noodles. I figured it was the one meal I could impress you with.¡±

    Renee glowed inside, and it wasn¡¯t from the food itself. It was from the way he kept using terms that indicated he was trying to impress her.

    ¡°I¡¯m duly impressed.¡± She reached for her fork and napkin, opening the napkin onto herp. ¡°How did you get all this food here? Are we alone?¡±

    ¡°It was dropped off about ten minutes ago, so I hope it¡¯s still warm. The chef assured me it would be.¡±

    Digging her fork in, Renee scooped up a generous forkful and slid it into her mouth. It was the perfect temperature-not so hot that it burned her mouth but not so lukewarm that it wasn¡¯t enjoyable. But she had a feeling even if it had been cold, it would have been one of the most delicious things she¡¯d ever tasted.

    She closed her eyes and savored the vors. Italian seasoning, garlic powder, some balsamic vinegar. She could definitely recreate a version of this at home, but it would never be this delicious.

    ¡°This is the type of chef I¡¯d love to learn to be someday,¡± she said. ¡°This is amazing.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you n to do? Or are you thinking about going back to journalism?¡±

    ¡°Maybe a little bit of both.¡± She went in for another bite, quickly speaking so she could enjoy another taste. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing some frence writing. I thought I could write about my journey into the culinary arts. Hopefully, someday I can travel and write about that, too. I just want to do it on my terms, not some TV station¡¯s or publication¡¯s.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like being your own boss. I¡¯ve never worked for a boss, though. I guess my customers are my bosses, but even that isn¡¯t easy sometimes. That part of escaping was nice.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    She watched him as he took a big bite and chewed. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she was afraid to hear the answer. She had to ask eventually, so she decided to plunge in.

    ¡°Where do you stand with that? Do you n to go back out on the water?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Maybe on vacations, but not permanently. I¡¯m back to running my business. I can do that from anywhere, including here. I¡¯ll be working out of my hotel room tomorrow, in fact.¡± ¡°But Silicon Valley¡¯s easier,¡± she said.

    She¡¯d thought about that quite a bit over the past few days. Her time in San Francisco had been okay, but she¡¯d never nned to settle there. Silicon Valley was not San Francisco, though. She¡¯d spent enough time in the town to know she liked it, but she wasn¡¯t sure about spending the rest of her life there.

    Not that he¡¯d asked.

    ¡°Not at all. My next move depends.¡±

    His words pulled Renee from his thoughts. His next move depended?

    ¡°On what?¡± she dared to ask.

    ¡°On you.¡±

    Suddenly, her appetite for this delicious mealpletely vanished. Her heart picked up its pace again, and she trembled all over. His next move depended on her. She could sit here and dissect it for hours, but she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d ever be able to process it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to make any assumptions.¡± He stared at her. ¡°But I want to be with you. Wherever that requires. If you want to be with me, I¡¯ll make it happen.¡±

    Her entire body froze. As much as she willed herself to speak, words wouldn¡¯te out. She didn¡¯t want him to mistake her hesitation for a rejection, though, so she forced out the first word that came to mind.

    ¡°I¡¯ll move.¡±

    He blinked in surprise, and for a terrifying second, she worried she¡¯d been the one who¡¯d made assumptions. He said he¡¯d make it happen, right? Was moving to be with him too forward?

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m moving to apletely different area,¡± she rushed to add. ¡°I lived in Northern California until just a few weeks ago. I can live anywhere.¡±

    ¡°We can live anywhere.¡±

    She breathed a little easier once he¡¯d spoken those words. He did want to be with her. She hadn¡¯t made assumptions.

    ¡°I just need to experience life.¡± She set her fork down, feeling overfull even after a few bites. She chalked it up to nerves. ¡°I need subject matter to write about. Sitting in my parents¡¯ house made me realize that I can¡¯t live somewhere like this and thrive as a writer. And chef.¡±

    ¡°I do know some really good chefs in the Bay Area.¡± He set his own fork down, but he¡¯d polished off the entire meal somehow in the time they¡¯d been talking. ¡°You could even take sses if you¡¯d like.¡±

    She¡¯d been looking up culinary school, but she wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to make that much of amitment. She¡¯d have to move somewhere since there was no culinary school near this town. She¡¯d been stalled on the idea, but the thought of moving to California, where there was no doubt plenty of options, suddenly seemed all too appealing.

    ¡°I¡¯ve fallen in love with you,¡± Derek blurted. ¡°It happened halfway through the trip. That¡¯s why I was so hurt when I found out you¡¯d lied. But

    life without you is miserable. I just miss you all the time.¡±

    Renee nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve felt the same. Like something was missing.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± He smiled, sitting back in his seat. ¡°Are you ready for what¡¯s next?¡±

    Frowning, Renee looked around. She wasn¡¯t sure if he meant overall in their rtionship or on this particr evening. She decided to go for a neutral answer and see where he took it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    She winced. Was that too casual? This was a serious moment. Thest thing she wanted to do was ruin this perfect moment.

    He pulled his phone from his suit jacket pocket and tapped around on the screen. What was he doing? It felt like he was arranging something.

    Suddenly, the sweet strains of a movie song came out of the speaker of his phone. It sounded better than she would have expected. She thought about making a teasingment about the fact that he¡¯d nned all this, but he didn¡¯t arrange to have Bluetooth speakers stationed around the room. She decided to keep that to herself.

    He stood and held out his hand. That was when she realized what he¡¯d meant by what was next. This was next. They were going to slow dance to this music.

    How long had it been since she¡¯d slow danced? She was pretty sure it was at a wedding at some point. But thest time she¡¯d slow danced with a man she cared about had probably been senior prom. Her legs felt a little wobbly again-or maybe they¡¯d never stopped shaking.

    As soon as he put his arms around her and pulled her toward him, the shaking stopped. She felt safe, protected. There was no reason to be scared here. She had him on her side.

    ¡°I love you, too,¡± she whispered as she looked up at him. ¡°I feel like my life began when you walked into that restaurant.¡±

    ¡°When you thought I was just another pain in the rear guest, and I turned out to be a missing billionaire?¡±

    Renee winced. ¡°You got me on that. If I hadn¡¯t met you, I would have continued on my path without ever questioning where I was going. Now I realize the possibilities are endless.¡±

    He pulled her closer so that her head was pressed against his chest, wrapping her in a tight embrace. ¡°You know what I realize? I realize that it doesn¡¯t matter what I do, as long as you¡¯re by my side.¡± He leaned back to look at her and smiled. ¡°Too cheesy?¡±

    Yes, it was, but somehow with him, cheesy was a good thing. ¡°You make cheesy cool.¡±

    ¡°I think maybe I¡¯m talking a little too much.¡±

    He demonstrated what he wanted to do instead, lowering his mouth to capture hers in a long, heartfelt kiss. Once again, her legs felt wobbly, but his arms around her let her know she was going to be just fine.

 Chapter 105

    EPILOGUE

    They may not be living on the water, but they sure were spending plenty of time there.

    Holding Renee¡¯s hand, Derek waved at the approaching sailboat

    carrying Jake and April to shore. He stepped forward and helped Jake navigate the boat to the dock, where they tied it up to hold it in ce while they came onnd.

    ¡°Nice boat!¡± Derek said.

    Captain Jakeughed. ¡°It¡¯s no superyacht, but it was built by the best.¡±

    This sailboat had been Derek¡¯s wedding gift to Jake and April a couple of weeks ago. Derek and Renee had flown to their wedding in Fiji. Their courtship had been unusual and fast, but it was clear they were madly in love.

    Of course, they could have said the same about Renee and Derek. Renee was staying with a friend in L. A. while in culinary school. She was also documenting every step of her journey toward bing a professional chef. She still wasn¡¯t sure whether she¡¯d pursue it full-time, but she liked having the option.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Derek called out to the two of them as they stepped onto the deck. They looked like they were on vacation-not at all like two people who had been working their butts off on a big yacht for the past couple of weeks.

    ¡°I hear you¡¯re going to show us what the Bay Area has to offer,¡± Jake said.

    April skipped slightly as the two of them sped ahead of Derek and

    Renee. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where they¡¯re going,¡± Derek said in a voice low enough that only Renee could hear. ¡°They don¡¯t even know which one of these cars is ours.¡±

    There was a fairlyrge number of cars in the small parking lot. You couldn¡¯t even see Derek¡¯s sportscar from here. Renee smiled over at him, and as always, his heart did a little jump as their gazes connected.

    It had been two months since she¡¯d left her parents¡¯ home for culinary school. Every weekend, she made the drive up the coast to spend a couple of days with Derek, only to turn around and go back again. He nned to spend a couple of weeks in L. A. soon, but her coursework was pretty intensive. He had a feeling he wouldn¡¯t see much of her.

    Jake and April finally figured out that they didn¡¯t know where they were going and turned to look at Derek and Renee.

    Derek pointed. ¡°The Lamborghini.¡±

    Renee wasn¡¯t into cars. She wasn¡¯t even sure what the difference was between a Lamborghini and the countless other sportscars on the market. If he¡¯d wanted to impress her with things, he¡¯d been sorely disappointed overall. Renee was not impressed with things.

    What she was impressed with? His support of her.

    He was happy to do that, too. He was surprised by how important it was for her to be happy. It made him happy to see her happy.

    ¡°Wow,¡± April said as they climbed in. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a car this expensive.¡±

    Jake tossed Derek an amused nce as he climbed into the back seat behind her. ¡°How expensive is it?¡±

    ¡°Ny bazillion dors?¡± April asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t even matter. It¡¯s just cool to ride around in something like this.¡±

    Renee looked from April to Derek, a frown on her face. He could almost read her thoughts. She was processing just how fancy this car was and wondering if she shouldn¡¯t be taking it for granted.

    ¡°It¡¯s things,¡± he said to Renee. ¡°I¡¯d be just as happy riding around in a five-hundred-dor car if Renee was by my side.¡± ¡°Aww,¡± April said.

    Jake wasn¡¯t quite as swoony about it. ¡°Yeah. Like you could find a car for five hundred dors. I doubt it would even run. Dude, have you shopped for a cartely?¡±

    Instead of answering that, Derek climbed in and started the car up. No, he didn¡¯t shop for cars. He got this one as a swap for a discount on a yacht for one of his clients, who owned a bunch of dealerships across California. His next car would probably be a simr setup.

    ¡°We¡¯re having dinner at my house,¡± Derek announced as he sped out of the parking lot. Renee reached over and pushed the button to open the sunroof. This wasn¡¯t a convertible, so that was as close as they could get to enjoying the beautiful day.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± April said. ¡°How¡¯s the chef thing going?¡±

    This was directed at Renee, who was staring straight ahead. ¡°Great. I¡¯m in culinary school. It¡¯s an expedited program, but it¡¯ll still take a few months.¡±

    ¡°And you guys are apart during all that.¡± In the rearview mirror, he saw April sit back, frowning. ¡°Sucks. Don¡¯t they have a culinary school here?¡± Renee twisted in her seat to see her friend. ¡°I¡¯m learning from the best. Mostly because it makes for better writing. I¡¯m doing a series for a food website.¡±

    ¡°April has been reading every word,¡± Jake broke in to say. ¡°I think she¡¯s your biggest fan.¡±

    Derek had to step in there. ¡°No, that would be me.¡±

    ¡°Derek has you on that one.¡± Reneeughed. ¡°He signs up for notifications and reads as soon as an article goes live, even if he¡¯s just woken up and hasn¡¯t had his coffee yet.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Derek said. ¡°We have to support our partners.¡±

    They pulled up to the gate outside Derek¡¯s home, and he punched in his ess code. He¡¯d had the cleaning crewe in the day before to deep clean the entire ce, mostly to make sure it was perfect for April and Jake, who would be staying there for the weekend.

    April and Jake didn¡¯t speak as they pulled up to the house. Derek was surprised by how self-conscious that made him feel. He¡¯d worked hard for everything he had, but he still didn¡¯t feel deserving. Would he ever? He didn¡¯t think so.

    ¡°Wee to my humble abode.¡±

    Derek¡¯s joke fell t, as he expected. The upants of the backseat were still quiet, both staring out the window, mouths agape, at the scenery in front of them.

    They held that same expression as he took them through a brief tour of the house. They gaped at their surroundings withoutment, only increasing his fears that he looked like one of those braggy types.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to clean all these rooms,¡± Aprilmented as they took their seats at the table, which overlooked the pool. As with his visit to Renee at her mom¡¯s house, Derek had made sure dinner was waiting on the table for them, still warm because it had been ced just minutes before his arrival.

    ¡°Derek doesn¡¯t clean this house.¡± Renee smiled at April.

    April nodded. ¡°Oh. Yes. That makes sense.¡±

    April looked embarrassed. He didn¡¯t want it to be like that. He wanted it to be like it was on the boat, when the four of them had been equals. How did he get back to that?

    He had an idea. ¡°I want to go on a trip. Just the four of us.¡±

    Derek lifted the cover on his te to make them feelfortable digging into their own food. This time it was steak and spinach-Captain Jake¡¯s favorite meal. Renee had put it together just a couple of hours ago, with an experienced chef helping her out. That chef had stuck around to make sure everything was on the table when they returned from picking up Jake and April.

    ¡°What kind of trip?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°A charter yacht. One of my own. We¡¯ll have a captain and full crew.

    This will just be for fun.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know-¡±

    ¡°You can help out the captain if you want.¡± Derek smiled. He knew his friend all too well. ¡°The point is, you can rx. You don¡¯t have to. Renee has already said she wants to help the chef out.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± April asked.

    ¡°To Hawaii. To get married.¡±

    Renee smiled as she took her first bite of steak. This was the first time they¡¯d shared their news outside of her parents. Derek felt like Jake was family after spending so much time around him. So, he took a deep breath and made his next announcement, leveling it at the captain.

    ¡°I want you to be my best man.¡±

    Jake stopped eating-stopped everything, actually. He just stared at

    Derek. ¡°You serious, man?¡±

    Derek nodded. ¡°Couldn¡¯t be more serious.¡±

    Jake looked like he might get a little emotional. Derek definitely didn¡¯t want that. Fortunately, Renee jumped in to save the moment. ¡°And I¡¯d love for you to be my maid of honor.¡±

    She said that to April, who immediately started to look emotional herself. There seemed to be no getting away from this.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a small wedding,¡± Derek jumped in to say. ¡°Just our closest friends and family. We¡¯re flying everyone over, but we¡¯ll go by water.¡±

    Renee reached over and took his hand, which was resting on the table next to his te. They looked at each other and shared a smile. It had been just a couple of weeks since he¡¯d proposed, in a romantic but private moment at her favorite botanical garden. He was learning more about her by the day, but one of the first things he¡¯d figured out was that she liked simple, quiet, private moments.

    He couldn¡¯t wait to spend the rest of his life learning everything else about her.

    ¡°We¡¯re in,¡± Jake said after he and April shared a look not all that different from the one Renee and Derek had exchanged. They were in love. Seeing that would never get old.

    After dinner, they retired to their room, saying they wanted to rest. Derek had a feeling they wanted to give him and Renee some alone time since she¡¯d just arrived from Los Angeles earlier that day. But Derek did nothing but walk her to her bedroom.

    ¡°Just a little longer,¡± he said. ¡°Once we¡¯re married¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll share a room,¡± she finished for him.

    They¡¯d had this discussion many times, and they both agreed that separate rooms and separate beds were best until marriage. They wanted their wedding night to be special. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like their wedding was years away. They just had to survive the rest of culinary school, then celebrate with a trip to Hawaii and the best wedding ever.

    ¡°Goodnight.¡± He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. He felt her shiver as he moved his hand to her shoulder.

    ¡°Goodnight,¡± she whispered, looking up at him, eyes wide.

    It wasn¡¯t easy, sleeping on the other side of the house from her, but knowing they¡¯d have the rest of their lives together made him happier than he¡¯d ever been.

 Chapter 106

    Title: Wedded To The Billionaire

    Charlie McLaughlin set down her mug of coffee and cup of yogurt, grabbing a tissue from the box so she wouldn¡¯t have to rest her spoon directly on her desk. She¡¯d wiped the desk down the day before, but she still felt better if her eating utensils were on top of something.

    With a sigh, she sat down in her desk chair and smiled. This was her favorite time of day. This half hour before everyone else arrived when she got a head start on her day. Her boss, Justin, teased her about getting to work early, but she just preferred the silence of the empty office.

    Charlie was reaching for her mouse, intending to scoot it to wake up herputer, when an unexpected noise shattered that prized silence. It sounded like¡­ A knock?

    After waiting a second for it to repeat, she decided to ignore it. If someone was at the door, they could wait until official office hours. She wasn¡¯t a receptionist. But then she remembered that the building had security, so anyone who came to the door was likely okay to be here.

    There it was again. A knock. Charlie looked down at her yogurt regretfully. She¡¯d have to dy her breakfast just a little longer. Sighing, she stood and walked in the direction of the lobby area. She had to get a little closer to turn the corner so she could see the front door. Since all the walls around here were pretty much ss, she could immediately see who was standing out there.

    A man. A tall, dark, and handsome man, as cheesy as it sounded. He looked like he¡¯d just stepped out of a catalog with his perfectly tailored suit jacket and button-down shirt. Like everyone else in Silicon Valley, though, he wore jeans. You had to dress down at least a little to fit the culture.

    Charlie walked to the door and stopped. ¡°May I help you?¡±

    His face scrunched up. He shook his head and pointed to his ear. He was saying he couldn¡¯t hear her?

    She¡¯d worked at TravTech for four years, three months, and ten days. But who was counting? In that time, she¡¯d never tried to talk to someone through the ss door that led to her office space. She¡¯d just assumed you could hear through it. Certainly, when she¡¯d had her own office with a door -before downsizing had her voluntarily give it to her boss-she¡¯d been able to hear people talking outside. Maybe this door was thicker.

    Charlie weighed her options. She could turn and go back to her desk and hope the guy went away. She could go get a notepad and write down a phone number for him to call, then speak to him that way. Or she could simply open the door and hope this guy wasn¡¯t a well-dressed serial killer.

    Gritting her teeth, she reached out and pulled the door open. The security device made a loud click in response, as it always did when it opened. She pulled the door only partway open, though-mostly because she wanted to make it clear that he needed to say what he wanted and be on his way. She didn¡¯t have time to chitchat with strangers.

    ¡°May I help you?¡± Charlie asked.

    The guy¡¯s neutral expression changed to an amused one. Amused. As though he thought she was cute or something.

    ¡°Charlene McLaughlin,¡± he said.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Charlie frowned. Nobody called her Charlene. Well, her mother had called her that when she was a kid and did something wrong. She¡¯d also add in Charlie¡¯s middle name. ¡°Charlene Michelle McLaughlin,¡± her mom would shriek. ¡°Get over here right now!¡±

    ¡°Charlie,¡± she corrected. Then she wondered why she¡¯d bothered to correct him. ¡°How do you know my name?¡±

    ¡°May Ie in?¡±

    Seriously? This guy had some nerve.

    ¡°No. Our office doesn¡¯t open until eight o¡¯clock. There¡¯s a cafe in the lobby if you¡¯d like to wait. They have greatttes.¡±

    Again, why was she saying all this? ¡°No¡± was a full sentence. That was what she¡¯d been learning from an audiobook on female empowerment she was reading.

    ¡°I¡¯m Nichs Shaw,¡± he announced like it meant something. Just dropped the two words and took a step back, sliding one hand into his back pocket. The stance emphasized his broad shoulders. He was tall and thin, but his arms and chest looked like he could make a woman feel safe just by wrapping her in a hug.

    Charlie shook her head as if to clear the clutter out of it. She could me it on the early hour, but she was already on her second cup of coffee. This was when she was usually at her best.

    ¡°I have no idea who Nichs Shaw is.¡± Charlie stepped back, preparing to close the door. She decided it would be rude to at least not say something. ¡°As I said, we open at eight. Come back then.¡±

    ¡°Justin is expecting me,¡± he called out as the door swung toward him.

    Charlie had let go of it, just letting it sail toward the closed position. His words had her rushing to grab the handle to pull it back open again.

    She squinted at him. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°We went to college together. Lived in the dorms, then an apartment.

    Had some wild times. I¡¯m here to see Justin.¡±

    Charlie¡¯s stomach flip-flopped. ¡°You¡¯re Nicky,¡± she said. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s mentioned you a few times.¡±

    Try a few thousand times. She¡¯d been rude to Nicky. This was not good.

    But Nichsughed. ¡°That¡¯s an old nickname. Justin loves to call me that. I don¡¯t even like Nick.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡± Charlie stepped back, letting the guy waltz right into the office. She felt a stab of disappointment that her morning solitude had just beenpletely snatched from her. Even if she could find a ce in the office for this guy to wait quietly, it wouldn¡¯t be the same. The biggest part of enjoying being here alone was, well, being here alone.

    ¡°Nice digs.¡± Nichs had stepped around her and was turning in circles, taking in the big, open space around him. They¡¯d crammed most of the staff in here after theyoffs, but so many people worked from home now, there was usually only a sprinkling of workers throughout the day.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said. ¡°Would you like a cup of coffee?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Just show me where it is. I can take it from there.¡±

    Charlie started toward the break room, feeling odd about walking in front of him. Was he assessing her backside? Why did she feel so selfconscious about it? Before theyoffs, she¡¯d headed up the entire human resources team-well, it had only consisted of two people, but it still took a lot of confidence to manage people. She remained the person everyone came to when they needed hiring help or wanted to update their retirement ns.

    Surely, she could handle walking her boss¡¯s college roommate to the break room without her knees getting all wobbly. She took a deep breath. Deep breaths helped with pretty much everything, she¡¯d found.

    ¡°You¡¯re the go-to person around here, I hear,¡± Nichsmented as they entered the break room. ¡°Justin has said great things about you.¡±

    Charlie turned to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m the go-to person when ites to HR. Brooke handles marketing, plus the app development team-that¡¯s the core of operations. We¡¯ve been pretty shorthanded since the downsizing, I¡¯m sure you know.¡±

    Maybe she shouldn¡¯t have brought that up. Had Justin mentioned the downsizing to his friend? What if he wanted to keep negative sorts of things from his buddy?

    And why was he talking about Charlie to outside people? It made no sense. She handled payroll and kept things running around here. She¡¯d even be a type of office manager and sometimes assistant since Justin had to fire his own trusted assistant during theyoffs. So, she supposed ¡°go-to person¡± was a good description of her role here, but it just seemed strange her boss would talk about it to his college roommate.

    ¡°There¡¯s the coffee.¡± She pointed toward the one-cup coffeemaker she¡¯d talked Justin into buying when business was thriving. ¡°Do you know how to work it?¡±

    There it was again. That smile of amusement. It was the way he¡¯d looked at her when she answered the door. She didn¡¯t like men looking at her like she was so adorable. It annoyed her to no end.

    ¡°I think I can manage it. So, tell me a little about yourself.¡± Somehow, he managed to sound like a therapist as he made that request. While he waited for her response, he stepped over to the coffeemaker and examined the selection of coffee pods in the holder.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been the HR person here for four years.¡± She stepped back a little, edging closer to the door. The n was to make a hasty exit as soon as it felt natural. ¡°It¡¯s the only job I¡¯ve ever had.¡±

    Pod poised above the slot in the machine, he turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised. She quickly reviewed what she¡¯d just said. Yeah, that probably did sound a little odd.

    ¡°I babysat as a teenager,¡± Charlie rushed to add. ¡°There was this family down the street who paid me every summer to watch their kids. Then they¡¯d go on vacation and I just stayed in the house to take care of the dogs. I kept that job through high school, so I never had to work in a restaurant or store. But caring for kids is hard work.¡±

    She felt like she was bbering. She probably was. She needed to just say a closing statement and get the heck out of there.

    ¡°Justin said you¡¯ve had your work cut out for you since the downsizing.¡± Nichs turned to the machine and dropped the pod in, closed the lid, and pressed the button for the strongest cup. ¡°I imagine keeping morale up after something like that is a challenge.¡±

    Charlie closed her eyes and nodded, letting out a big breath. ¡°Yes. It is.¡±

    Her days had been filled with meeting requests from random staff members who didn¡¯t reveal what they wanted until they were behind closed doors. It was almost always concerns rted to theyoffs. Questions about raises, worries about retirement ns-all the while secretly trying to get information out of her about possible future cutbacks.

    Surprise meetings were not Charlie¡¯s thing. But easing the concerns of the remaining staff members was definitely not her thing.

    ¡°You do seem like you¡¯d be a calming influence,¡± Nichs said, turning to face her while his coffee dropped into the cup in a steady stream. ¡°I guess that¡¯s an important personality trait in an HR person.¡±

    Great. That again. Charlie had been told that all her life. She had a soft voice and a calm, rxed demeanor that made people assume she meditated all the time. She¡¯d never meditated. She just looked calm. She didn¡¯t feel that way inside.

    ¡°Ites in handy.¡± She took another step toward the door. ¡°Well, I have to prepare for a meeting this morning. Just pick a desk anywhere out there if you¡¯d like to wait. We do hot-desking here, so most of the employees sit where they want.¡±

    ¡°Where do you sit?¡±

    ¡°I have a desk in the back, near one of the smaller conference rooms.¡±

    Why she was exining this, she had no idea. ¡°HR people have a lot of meetings and¡­privacy issues.¡±

    Coffee cup in hand, he turned to look at her, eyeing her over the top of it as he took the first sip. ¡°I imagine.¡±

    She felt the need to add more but resisted. For some reason, it seemed like he was inferring from what she¡¯d said that she was the one with privacy issues. There was no reason to think that whatsoever, aside from the fact that it was true.

    This man was infuriating. He was not only the most handsome man she¡¯d seen in a while, but he seemed to be able to see right through the facade she¡¯d so carefully crafted. Having someone around who could do that could be dangerous.

    Luckily, he wouldn¡¯t be in her life much longer.

 Chapter 107

    ¡°I Nichs plopped down in the guest chair in his best friend¡¯s see you met my HR director.¡±

    office, his second cup of coffee grasped in one hand. He might need a few more to get through what wasing up that morning.

    ¡°Charlie.¡± Nichs let the word hang out there a moment, savoring it a little. Fascinating woman. He¡¯d had a hard time taking his eyes off her, but it wasn¡¯t just thoserge, blue eyes and perfectly plump lips. It was her poise. Her calm. Just looking at her made him feel at peace, and he¡¯d always thought of himself as a pretty easygoing guy.

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know about you.¡± Justin sat forward in his chair as he dropped that bomb on Nichs. He shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. Charlie hardly acted like she knew who he was when she¡¯d let him in. If Justin had briefed her ahead of time, she would have at least understood why he knew her by name.

    ¡°So what does she think is happening?¡± Nichs had to ask.

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d surprise everyone with an expert speaker.¡± Justin looked out the ss wall behind Nichs briefly before responding. ¡°They should all be down there by now. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Nichs didn¡¯t join Justin in standing, though. ¡°Wait. Does Charlie think she¡¯s running this meeting?¡±

    That seemed to bring Justin to a stop. He looked around, seemingly confused. ¡°Yeah. I guess. I don¡¯t know.¡±

    That was Justin. He was a great guy, but he tended to be a bit on the allwork-and-no-y side of things. Nichs, on the other hand, had always been all about y. It annoyed Justin that Nichs had managed to build three sessful businesses and was now moving on to his fourth-all by histe twenties.

    Some called him a genius. He just called himself very, very lucky.

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to go over well,¡± Nichs muttered under his breath as he followed Justin toward the elevator. Although they¡¯d shrunk their staff down to this one area, Justin had exined they still were allowed to rent out the big conference room in the lobby whenever they needed it.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What?¡± Justin turned to look at Nichs as he pressed the down button on the elevator. He still looked legit confused.

    ¡°Charlie. Your HR director. She¡¯s prepared to lead this big meeting-¡± ¡°Staff retreat,¡± Justin interrupted.

    Biting back his annoyance at Justin¡¯s focus on semantics, Nichs trudged forward. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to juste in and take over.¡±

    The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped inside. Justin spoke while staring up at the indicator above them that disyed the floor they were passing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I told Charlie I was taking over after she did her part. She¡¯s doing her opening presentation right now.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m taking over for you, really.¡± Nichs breathed a sigh of relief at that. Even though he¡¯d just met her, the thought of upsetting this woman bugged him.

    ¡°Yep. Trust me. Charlie and I have done everything we can to boost morale around here since the downsizing. They¡¯re tired of hearing from us. You¡¯ll bring new energy. Besides,e on. You¡¯re a hero to most of the people on the development team, which is pretty much everyone in that conference room.¡±

    ¡°No pressure,¡± Nichsmented.

    If Justin heard that, he didn¡¯t acknowledge it. His attention was fully focused on his phone. Typical. Nichs estimated he got five minutes of his best friend¡¯s time, tops.

    The doors to the elevator opened, and Justin stepped out, staring down at his phone as he walked. How he avoided walking into walls doing that, Nichs had no idea. He seemed to have perfected it to an art, though.

    As they neared the conference room, Charlie¡¯s voice carried into the hallway. Nichs¡¯s heart skipped a beat. It slowed his walk for a couple of seconds as he realized it had been years since just the sound of a woman¡¯s voice had done that to him.

    Nichs allowed Justin to go in, standing outside the door, safely out of sight, as Justin had instructed. It was part of the surprise that Nichs wasn¡¯t all that excited about.

    ¡°Thank you, Charlie,¡± Justin said a few minutester, after Charlie had finished discussing all the praise they¡¯d gotten recently for theirtest software update. It all sounded great, but Nichs had been in this business long enough to know she was wasting her breath. At this point, it was just important to make it clear they¡¯d continue to receive a paycheck. Sure, the sess of thepany was a huge factor in that, but they needed something more personal. Something that would excite them individually.

    ¡°Many of you have been in this field for years,¡± Justin said. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the industry grow and change. There¡¯s one person who¡¯s been an innovator in this space. He came up with the framework we use every day, sold off thatpany, and now he¡¯s the head of the next big video streaming app-¡±

    ¡°Nichs Shaw!¡± Nichs heard someone call out.

    ¡°Exactly. You know him?¡±

    A series of murmurs followed, then someone said, ¡°He¡¯s my idol.¡±

    Nichs looked down at the floor, smiling to himself. He felt like he lived most of his life in a bubble. He went to work every day, surrounded by his team. He met with vendors and investors and spent his weekends at his condo in Lake Tahoe.

    But every now and then, something like this happened, reminding him that he¡¯d achieved a tiny, tiny level of fame as a tech entrepreneur. His name was all over the inte in articles about billionaires under thirty and Silicon Valley sess stories. He¡¯d even been included in some hot bachelor piece at a local TV station a few weeks earlier, along with a bunch of other guys.

    That had been the biggest nuisance of all. He didn¡¯t know anyone who honestly wanted to be on a list like that. It did nothing but get you teased by pretty much everyone you knew.

    ¡°Everyone, give a big TravTech wee to Nichs Shaw!¡±

    Justin¡¯s announcement was his cue to enter. But he didn¡¯t move right away. As the apuse started up, his nerves kicked in. It was his closestguarded secret that he was terrified of public speaking.

    Closing his eyes, Nichs took a deep breath and willed himself to move. ¡°Fake it until you make it.¡± That had always been his approach to conquering this particr fear. People told him they didn¡¯t have a single clue that he was nervous up there, but inside, he felt like a child, presenting a report to his ss without having prepared.

    This time, seeing the audience only made it worse. Sure, it was a small group, but that didn¡¯t help. The people gathered there were staring at him like they expected great things from him. That was the very type of pressure he didn¡¯t need.

    ¡°Good morning, everyone!¡±

    Did he sound as loud to everyone else as he did to himself? Maybe he should take it down a few notches.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    It was hard to make out those actual words in the chorus of responses from the audience. They weren¡¯t in sync, first of all, but they also were said in varying levels of enthusiasm. Some stared at him with wide eyes, but many more looked bored.

    And then there was Charlie. She sat next to Justin¡¯s girlfriend, Brooke, who was also the marketing person for TravTech. Justin sat way in the back of the room, staring down at hisp. Nichs would bet good money he was looking at his screen again.

    ¡°I built my first piece of software when I was twelve,¡± Nichs said, blurting out the words he¡¯d uttered so many times, he had them pretty muchmitted to memory. Everyone always seemed to want to hear his history. ¡°Do you know what software was like fifteen years ago?¡±

    Nods. Of course, they did. Many of these people were developers, so they¡¯d probably grown up aroundputers.

    ¡°There was no such thing as a smartphone, at least not at first. It wasn¡¯t like today. But many of us saw a way that software development could be made easier. That¡¯s the world I¡¯ve always envisioned. Do-it-yourself, dropand-drag editors, out-of-the-box software, configurable canned solutions¡­ You guys know the drill.¡±

    Nods again. They knew where he wasing from. Everyone wanted to be the innovator who developed the next big thing. They just didn¡¯t want to be the ones who were put out of work by that very thing.

    ¡°I realized something, though.¡± Nichs stepped around the podium, standing in front of the group. Podiums were too formal, too much like a speech. ¡°Thest thing we want to do is make a bunch of professionals obsolete. So I pivoted early on, changing my goal. I wanted to make things easier for you, not the customer.¡±

    No matter which way he directed his gaze, he couldn¡¯t stop staring at Charlie out of the corner of his eye. Was she judging him? Maybe deciding she didn¡¯t find him nearly as attractive as he found her?

    ¡°The work you¡¯re doing here is simr.¡± He paused, waiting for the confused looks, then added, ¡°You build apps that help students learn. But you aren¡¯t going directly to the students for that. Your work gives educators work. See how it¡¯s simr?¡±

    Some nods, although not enthusiastic ones. He was losing them. He¡¯d been brought here to inspire, not bore, them. He needed to step things up here.

    He knew what to do.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need some assistance with this next part.¡± He let his gaze slide slowly across the group as though carefully deliberating which person to choose. When his stare finallynded on Charlie, his eyes widened and he took a deep breath. ¡°Ms. McLaughlin, could you help me out up here?¡±

    Now it was her turn to widen her eyes. She looked legitimately surprised. After a quick nce at Brooke, she stood and came to the front of the room, taking her ce next to Nichs.

    Nichs had done this exercise many times before, but for some reason, this time, he felt nervous about it. Probably because he¡¯d just assigned himself to be Charlie¡¯s partner.

    ¡°Now I need you to pick someone from the audience.¡±

    Charlie frowned, a look that pushed her bottom lip out a little. It made her even more beautiful, if that was possible. She looked out at the crowd, then pointed at Justin. ¡°Justin.¡±

    The man whose head had been down the entire time Nichs had been up here suddenly looked up. His expression made it seem as though he¡¯d just been awoken from a nap. He had no idea what was going on.

    Nichs could hang him out to dry, but his college roommate had definitely saved Nichs¡¯s butt a few dozen times over the years. The least Nichs could do was return the favor.

    ¡°Join us, Justin. We¡¯re pairing up, so I¡¯m going to need you to pick your partner from the audience.¡±

    If he¡¯d put money on it, he would have bet Justin would pick Brooke. But he should have known his roommate better. Instead, Justin grabbed someone from the back of the room. Nichs assumed the guy was from the development team, mostly because Justin had told him every single employee aside from Charlie and Brooke was a developer. Everyone else had been let go.

    They continued like that, pairing people up and gathering at the front of the room until the chairs were all empty. And then the real fun began.

 Chapter 108

    Charlie had worked in human resources for four years. She¡¯d been to trainings and workshops and watched videos on how to motivate and inspire employees. So, when Nichs had everyone pair up, she was pretty sure this was going to be one of the many bonding exercises she¡¯d seen over the years.

    She was wrong.

    ¡°What annoys you most about your co-workers?¡±

    Charlie frowned. At this point, Nichs hadn¡¯t shared with her-or anyone else, for that matter-what they¡¯d be doing with the answers they were collecting. They just scribbled down words on the notepads Justin had instructed everyone to bring to the room. The questions were on a screen at the front of the room, thanks to Justin switching out Charlie¡¯sptop for his own.

    All soplicated¡­not to mention well coordinated. How long had Justin been working on this in secret, behind Charlie¡¯s back? Why hadn¡¯t he told her this wasing up? She was more than annoyed by it. She was a little resentful.

    ¡°They don¡¯tmunicate,¡± Charlie said. ¡°People just expect you to know things.¡±

    That included her boss. She wondered if she should have said that to his best friend. But she hadn¡¯t used Justin¡¯s name straight out. Would he piece it together?

    ¡°That¡¯s a huge thing to you, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Nichs¡¯s question threw Charlie off. She looked up at the screen. That question wasn¡¯t up there. Why was he going off script?

    ¡°You said to stick to the questions on the board,¡± she pointed out.

    ¡°I think you just made my point.¡± He smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t like surprises. You thrive on routine. Why is that?¡±

    The way he stared at her made her ufortable. She felt like she was being scrutinized. She did not like being scrutinized.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m stuffy or boring or anything,¡± she blurted out, realizing how defensive she sounded. All her life, she¡¯d been told she needed to ¡°lighten up¡± and ¡°smile more¡± and ¡°just go with the flow.¡± But the same people loved the part of her personality that ensured everything was always taken care of without them having to worry about it.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were. I just think maybe there¡¯s a story behind it.¡±

    He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Again with the scrutiny. She felt the need to jump up and start dancing around. That was the most unpredictable, unnned thing she could think to do in the current situation.

    But she didn¡¯t move from her seat.

    ¡°I believe this next question will be more to your liking.¡± Nichs didn¡¯t even look at the screen as he spoke. Instead, he leaned forward, putting his face closer to hers. ¡°Where do you see yourself in five years?¡±

    Charlie narrowed her eyes. That was a dig, wasn¡¯t it? Herck of unpredictability meant this question was perfect for her.

    ¡°Right here,¡± she answered without dy. ¡°I love my job.¡±

    Now his eyes narrowed. Maybe she¡¯d answered a little too honestly. She¡¯d given him even more proof of just how boring and unadventurous she was.

    ¡°What¡¯s the most dangerous thing you¡¯ve ever done?¡±

    Again, Nichs¡¯s question sent her gaze straight to the screen. Nope.

    Not a sign of that question up there.

    He spoke in a hushed, barely audible tone. ¡°Just go with it.¡± That sounded like a dare.

    It took a while for Charlie toe up with something, but finally she did. ¡°I ice skated as a kid. I even learned to skate backward. My best friend was a figure skater and she taught me.¡±

    Again, he narrowed his eyes at her. She wondered if she could institute a ban on eye narrowing.

    ¡°What exactly was the risk you faced there?¡± he asked.

    Was he kidding? ¡°Falling. Breaking my leg. Getting a concussion. Having permanent damage to some part of my body. Making a total fool of myself in front of the boy I had a crush on.¡±

    A smile joined the narrowed eyes. ¡°You put embarrassment on that list?¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°At fifteen, physical injury has nothing on embarrassing yourself in front of people your own age. Am I right?¡±

    He seemed to think about that for a second. ¡°You do make a good point. Okay, another question. What¡¯s the most dangerous thing you¡¯d agree to do?¡±

    Again, Charlie looked at the screen. This time, she also took in the people scattered around the room, all in pairs. Everyone else seemed to be going along just fine, although she couldn¡¯t tell if they were following the questions on the screen exactly. There would be no way to know that for sure.

    ¡°Go hiking, I guess.¡±

    That, for some reason, made his eyes light up. ¡°I think I can arrange that.¡±

    Wait¡­what? Arrange that? Charlie opened her mouth to tell him she didn¡¯t want him to arrange anything-they were speaking in hypotheticals.

    But before she could get a word out, he stood and addressed the room.

    ¡°Time,¡± Nichs called out.

    Gradually, the noise around the room subsided and people turned to face him. He called his first pair up-Justin and Tim from the development team. Tim was a notoriously outspoken developer. He was the guy, in every meeting, who let Justin know exactly what the development team was thinking. Justin loved that about the guy, and Charlie was one hundred percent sure that was why he¡¯d chosen him when Nichs told him to pick someone.

    Nichs gestured for Justin and Tim toe forward. ¡°We¡¯re going to go through the questions, in order, but we¡¯ll put a little spin on it. The audience will guess your answers to each question. Which of the two of you answered the questions?¡± ¡°Justin,¡± Tim said.

    Whoa. Charlie hadn¡¯t expected that. Looking around, she was pretty sure nobody else had expected that, either. The head person was the one who was supposed to ask the questions, not answer them. This should be interesting.

    ¡°First question!¡± Nichs paused, probably for dramatic effect, looking around the room. ¡°What inspires you?¡±

    Charlie hadn¡¯t been a fan of that particr question. She¡¯d answered making sure her employees were paid on time and had the resources necessary to do their work. Nichs had stared at her until she¡¯d started talking again. Eventually, she¡¯de out with something resembling ¡°employee happiness.¡± Point taken. A list of her daily duties was not an example of how she was inspired. She still wasn¡¯t sure how she was inspired.

    ¡°But I¡¯m not going to ask for Justin¡¯s answer to that,¡± Nichs said. Charlie¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to take guesses as to what his answer was. The three pairs who get the most answers right get a pizza party,pliments of Justin Travers. So let¡¯s go. What do you think inspires Justin?¡±

    Chaos. Charlie winced. Nichs had severely underestimated just how excited the development team got about pizza. She had a feeling Justin was in oning up with the prize, actually, since pizza had be amon lunch order around here.

    ¡°Money!¡±

    ¡°Sess!¡±

    ¡°Seeing us happy!¡±

    Thatst one got a round ofughs, including from Justin. Charlie raised her hand, even though Nichs was standing in front of her and couldn¡¯t see it. One of the developers pointed at her.

    Nichs spun to face her. ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t realize you had your hand up. No need to wait to be called on. Just shout out your answer.¡±

    Lowering her hand, Charlie cleared her throat before talking. ¡°That was actually what I was going to suggest. With raised hands, everyone gets a chance to speak.¡±

    Everyone stared at her, including Nichs. She felt self-conscious. Why did she have to sit up here in front? Because she was paired with Nichs and this was where he happened to be? She wondered if she could just get up and return to her original chair, even though everyone else had rearranged based on their pairings.

    ¡°This is where I¡¯m going to ask everyone to trust the process.¡± Nichs turned toward the audience to say that, but soon after, he turned back around to address Charlie. ¡°Did you have a guess about what inspires Justin?¡±

    Oh. She didn¡¯t. But now that everyone was staring at her, she felt pressured to say something.

    ¡°Students.¡± She looked out at the audience. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the way Justin lights up when he gets an email from a tutor or a parent telling him how much our app has helped a child.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Nichs turned to Tim. ¡°What was Justin¡¯s answer?¡± Eyes wide, Tim looked down at his notepad. ¡°Students inspire him.

    Hearing from a parent whose child has been helped by the app.¡±

    It was clear Tim was reading that verbatim. It didn¡¯t surprise Charlie, but the others in the room seemed pretty awed by the uracy of her guess.

    She was getting quite a few wide-eyed stares simr to Tim¡¯s expression. ¡°I¡¯m curious to hear how a few others answered that question.¡±

    Nichs went around the room, having each pair speak to what inspired them. Finally, he looked at his own notepad.

    ¡°What do you think inspires Charlie?¡± Nichs asked.

    ¡°Lists!¡± someone called out.

    ¡°Schedules!¡±

    ¡°Facts and figures.¡±

    Nichs turned, ncing back at Charlie. He gave her a half-smile before turning back to the group, holding up the notepad.

    ¡°She said you inspire her. The employees she helps every day. And that¡¯s something I want to talk about.¡±

    He walked over to the podium, setting the notepad down before heading back to the center of the room. Charlie could see his face from this angle, and she was struck, once again, by how good a speaker he was. All he had to do was stand there. His presence filled the room, making it tough to take her eyes off him.

    ¡°It¡¯s about people. People are what inspire other people. You can say all day that you¡¯re inspired by the thrill of fixing a piece of code that¡¯s just not working. Or the excitement of seeing your paycheck show up in your bank ount. But, when ites down to it, what really motivates people is the impact their work has on others.¡±

    Nichs began pacing, and Charlie was suddenly aware that she was still seated in front of everyone. Still on full disy.

    ¡°Let me ask you something.¡±

    This was directed at Justin, who had been staring down at his screen again. Justin looked up as though he¡¯d forgotten where he was. It was a little rude. Charlie knew all about her boss¡¯s strict ¡°no cell phones in meetings¡± policy, so she was surprised he was doing this to his good friend.

    ¡°How easy would it be to share those stories with your staff?¡±

    Justin frowned, sliding his cell phone into his front jeans pocket. ¡°Pretty easy.¡±

    ¡°Okay. We¡¯re going to take a break and gather that information. Everyone, be back here in fifteen. Charlie, do you want to help?¡±

 Chapter 109

    ¡°Long day, huh.¡± It was a statement, not a question, made to Charlie as they

    stood at the elevator. Nichs had hoped to have dinner with Justin since they hadn¡¯t spent time together in weeks-today didn¡¯t count because it was work. But, not surprisingly, Justin had ns with Brooke. Brooke, whom he actually saw every single day.

    Nichs knew he was jealous-not of Brooke taking his friend away, but of Justin having someone he was so into that he¡¯d rather spend time with her than anyone else. Nichs wanted that for himself.

    ¡°Yes. Thanks for all your hard work. I think it made a difference.¡±

    The elevator dinged, and the doors slowly slid open. Charlie stepped inside. As he followed, Nichs couldn¡¯t help but think, again, about how poised she was. Her confidence and grace were just¡­fascinating. It was hard to take his eyes off her.

    ¡°Usually it does.¡±

    As soon as the words were out, Nichs wanted to take them back. Just snatch them out of the air between them. Thest thing he wanted to do was sound arrogant. But the reason Justin called him here was that his workshops often got results. There was even a series of videos online. To the world, he appeared to know what he was doing up there, but inside, he always felt like he was an actor ying a role.

    ¡°So¡­got big ns for the evening?¡± he asked Charlie as the elevator began its descent.

    She looked at him. It was a look he couldn¡¯t quite interpret, and he usually was pretty good at reading bodynguage.

    ¡°Just the usual.¡± She faced forward again.

    Okay, he had to ask. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I take my dog for a walk, have some dinner, and watch a little TV. Then I read until it¡¯s time to go to sleep.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Nothing all that exciting.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t kidding there. Nothing even the slightest bit exciting. ¡°It¡¯s Friday night,¡± he said. Just in case she¡¯d forgotten.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t go out on weekend nights?¡±

    Maybe he shouldn¡¯t make her feel bad about that. He definitely didn¡¯t want to shame her. He¡¯d nned on grabbing some pizza from the hot-andready ce near his condo and heading home for a night of watching baseball until bedtime. He¡¯d actually be less ashamed to admit he was going home to watch TV and read. At least a book would be involved. He couldn¡¯t remember thest time he¡¯d read something that wasn¡¯t a website.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to dinner,¡± he blurted out before he could talk himself out of it. He certainly didn¡¯t expect her to say yes. But it was one hundred percent what he wanted to do. Just to be able to spend more time with her. Otherwise, they¡¯d go their separate ways and never see each other again.

    He didn¡¯t like the idea of that, even though he¡¯d known her less than twelve hours at this point.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    The rejection was clear in just that word, but for some reason, she didn¡¯t say more. She had a confused expression on her face as she stared ahead at the still-closed elevator doors. The elevator dinged again as it slowed to a stop. The doors slid open, and she stepped out.

    Would that be it? Just ¡°I¡± and she¡¯d take off, with no boration?

    Should he follow her out until she gave him an answer?

    No. He couldn¡¯t do that.

    But she stopped outside the elevator and turned to look at him. ¡°You know what? Let¡¯s do it. Let¡¯s go to dinner.¡±

    Had she suggested they fly off to Europe together and enjoy a long weekend, he wouldn¡¯t have been any more surprised. It just didn¡¯t fit what he¡¯d seen of her after a long day, stuck in a conference room, watching her demonstrate, over and over, that she did not like change. She thrived on routine. On knowing exactly what came next. On not taking any risks.

    Not that dinner with Nichs would be any type of risk. It was just dinner. Still, he felt this pressure to make it special. And if there was one thing Nichs could arrange, it was special.

    ¡°Have you ever been to Valore¡¯s?¡±

    Charlie looked around. The lobby was empty, although Nichs had a feeling there was a security guard sitting behind the desk around the corner. They¡¯d been working with Justin all day,ing up with ways to motivate the team over theing weeks using what they¡¯d learned earlier that day, and everyone in the office aside from Justin had emptied out a while ago.

    ¡°No,¡± Charlie said.

    He could tell, right then and there, she¡¯d never heard of it. How could he impress her with his ability to get them into the hottest new restaurant in town¡­when she didn¡¯t even know how hard it was to get into the hottest new restaurant in town?

    The options flew through his head. He immediately dismissed each of them. Telling her that there was a two-month wait for reservations, mentioning that he knew the owner, discussing that he¡¯d been part of the preview group who attended the restaurant¡¯s soft opening¡­ All sounded too much like bragging, and bragging would put her off. He¡¯d known her just long enough to realize that.

    ¡°Italian food,¡± he said instead. ¡°It¡¯s delicious. You in?¡±

    He made every effort to sound casual as he asked that. No big deal. Come to dinner with him or not. Either way, it was all good.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Her response surprised him, but he wasn¡¯t going to give her a chance to change her mind. ¡°I¡¯m parked right out front,¡± he said. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    She didn¡¯t move at first. He was halfway toward the door-and, yes, the security guard was seated behind the desk he¡¯d seen when he¡¯d entered- when he realized she wasn¡¯t right behind him.

    ¡°You got a parking space out front?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I was here pretty early.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    He hit the button to unlock his car, even though it would unlock automatically once it detected his key nearby. The n was to open Charlie¡¯s door for her, and he wasn¡¯t one hundred percent sure that side unlocked automatically. It had been a while since he¡¯d been on a date- mostly because he¡¯d been so busy. In fact, he couldn¡¯t remember if he¡¯d been on a date since he¡¯d traded for this car just a few months earlier.

    Wow. He definitely needed to stop working so hard and enjoy life a little more.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Her gaze scanned the length of his car, which was a Porsche 911. He was pretty darn proud of this car, but she seemed to be sizing it up -sizing him up via the type of car he drove. All of a sudden, he wished he¡¯d just grabbed a rideshare to the restaurant.

    Things didn¡¯t impress her. He could respect that. In fact, her own boss was a billionaire, and a bit showoff-y at times, if Nichs was honest about it. He¡¯d met more than a few women in the area who turned and ran the other way if a man started throwing around money. The type of woman who was impressed by the car he drove and the expensive dinners he bought was not the type he wanted to date.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t really in the mood for Italian, are you?¡± he asked.

    She looked over at him, then frowned. ¡°Not really.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    ¡°I know this ce. You up for an adventure?¡±

    He was running on instinct here. Charlie had been oddly agreeable to everything. It made no sense. Even though he¡¯d just met her, she¡¯d made it perfectly clear that she was not an adventurer.

    ¡°What did you have in mind, exactly?¡±

    There it was. The side of her that wanted to know what they were doing. He could see in her eyes that she was forcing herself to do this. She wasn¡¯t enjoying the spontaneity of it at all, and he didn¡¯t know if anything he did could change that.

    ¡°What¡¯s your favorite restaurant?¡± he asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s this taco stand near my apartment. They make the best street tacos. I sometimes indulge.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then. I¡¯d love to try out your favorite ce.¡±

    Out of the corner of her eye, he could see she looked horrified. ¡°I never eat there.¡±

    ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t they have seats?¡±

    She gave him a strange look. He saw that out of the corner of his eye, as well. ¡°Of course, they have seats. Why wouldn¡¯t they have seats?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just the way you said you never eat there, like the mere thought is horrifying.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­it¡¯s one of those to-go ces. It¡¯s not really set up for fine dining.¡±

    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m not in the mood for fine dining.¡±

    He thought they¡¯d established thatst part, but he probably hadn¡¯t made that clear. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was doing. Apparently, he had zero game. He decided to let the whole thing drop.

    Charlie gave him directions to her ce-which merely required he circle back to where they¡¯d just been and take a right turn, then go three blocks down. She lived within walking distance of work.

    ¡°I can walk to work most days,¡± she said, as though hearing his unspoken question about how she got to work every day. ¡°It¡¯s great

    exercise, and it saves me from having to buy a car.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a car?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Don¡¯t need one. I can grab a bus or rideshare if I¡¯m meeting up with friends. I visit my mom the first two weeks in July and at

    Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that¡¯s just a rideshare to the airport.¡±

    Nichs found a parking space just steps from the taco shop Charlie pointed out to him, ignoring her annoyed expression as shemented that he had ¡°parking space luck.¡± He supposed he did. His office building had its own parking lot, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about street parking or multistory garages.

    ¡°Where does your mother live?¡± he asked as he opened her car door and waited for her to step out. Even though it seemed like he might be just trying to make conversation, he actually was curious about her. He genuinely wanted to know where she was from, who she was.

    Cheesy. He needed to get that under control.

    ¡°Milwaukee,¡± she said. ¡°She married a guy she met online and moved up there a couple of years ago.¡±

    He¡¯de to a dead stop, staring after her as she started toward the building. She didn¡¯t seem to notice he wasn¡¯t following. He rushed to catch up.

    ¡°Your mom moved to Milwaukee to be with a man she¡¯d never met?¡±

    ¡°Yep. She¡¯s a bit¡­impulsive like that.¡±

    He worked to process this new information as he opened the door to the taco shop and waited for her to enter. Her mom was impulsive. Charlie was the opposite. He was no therapist, but he had a feeling there was a connection there.

    ¡°We have to get guac,¡± she said as she stepped inside. ¡°Their chips are amazing.¡±

    Amazing seemed a little dramatic for food, but he decided to let that one slide. He was liking this side of her. She seemed carefree. Maybe he¡¯dpletely misjudged Charlie McLaughlin.

    Why she¡¯d said this was a to-go ce, he had no idea. Sure, there was a to-go counter, but the ce was packed with tables, and half of them were upied. Also, hadn¡¯t she called this a taco stand? He¡¯d define it as a fullon restaurant.

    He watched Charlie interact with the person taking orders as though they¡¯d never seen each other before. Wasn¡¯t she a regr here? Maybe he¡¯d misunderstood. But there was no sign of recognition, no pleasantries. All business. Nichs stepped up to the counter, smiling at the man who was taking Charlie¡¯s order.

    ¡°I hear that I have to try your guacamole,¡± Nichs said as the guy punched Charlie¡¯s order into theputer.

    The guy¡¯s face immediately lit up. ¡°Best in town. I¡¯ll tell you what, I¡¯ll throw it in for free just for trying it out.¡±

    ¡°And an order of street tacos, steak.¡± Nichs slid his credit card out of his phone case. ¡°Two margaritas.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t drink.¡±

    Nichs¡¯s smile fell. Why didn¡¯t that surprise him? She was so orderly and in charge of her life. Of course, alcohol wouldn¡¯t be something that appealed to her.

    ¡°Do you have virgin margaritas?¡± Nichs asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re out of a machine.¡± Charlie pointed over to the right, where, indeed, arge machine advertised both lime and strawberry frozen varieties. ¡°I doubt they can take the alcohol out.¡±

    But the guy behind the counter was still smiling at them. ¡°No worries. I can whip one up for you.¡±

    ¡°Make it two virgin margaritas, then.¡± Noting Charlie¡¯s puzzled look,

    Nichs shrugged. ¡°Margaritas are part of the experience.¡±

    They took the number the guy handed them and headed over to a table next to the big window that overlooked the street. It wasn¡¯t the best view in town, but he had the best view seated across from him. She still looked troubled, but his goal was to do something about that.

    His number one mission was to make her feel at ease with him. He had a feeling that wouldn¡¯t be an easy feat.

 Chapter 110

    What was she doing?

    This was not like Charlie. Not at all. But at some point during the day, she¡¯d grown to like this man she¡¯d just met. Which seemed absurd. Maybe she¡¯d even developed a bit of a crush on him, which was even more absurd. This wasn¡¯t high school, for heaven¡¯s sake.

    But it had been so long since she¡¯d dated, it was no surprise she¡¯d reverted to the way she¡¯d behaved toward the male species in high school.

    ¡°So what¡¯s your story?¡± Nichs asked just as soon as the owner, who apparently was Nichs¡¯s new best friend, had set the street tacos down on the table. They¡¯d been sipping alcohol-free margaritas and enjoying chips and guac while discussing her entire life story, pretty much. She had no idea what this particr question was about.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve told you everything about me.¡± Charlie looked down at her te, realizing she actually hadn¡¯t. Where she was from, her education, her hobbies-those weren¡¯t everything about her, and she knew it. But she didn¡¯t want him to dig any deeper.

    ¡°No, I mean your rtionship story.¡± He took a big bite of one of the tacos and chewed. She chose to dive into her own tacos in lieu of answering right away. Once Nichs had swallowed his first mouthful, he added, ¡°Justin says you¡¯re single, but that¡¯s new?¡±

    Suddenly, the food was hard to get past the lump in her throat. ¡°Justin knows about that?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s dating Brooke. People talk.¡±

    Couples talk. Yeah, she should have known that. She and Brooke had lunch together in the break room pretty much every day Brooke wasn¡¯t traveling or away at a meeting. They¡¯d had more than a few woman-towoman chats about Charlie¡¯s failed rtionship.

    It looked like she wasn¡¯t getting out of answering this one, so she decided to just minimize it. ¡°I was dating someone for four years. It didn¡¯t work out.¡±

    ¡°Four years, huh?¡± Nichs looked off to the side thoughtfully. He was thinking about her rtionship? That was how it appeared. She did not like that.

    Squirming in her seat slightly, Charlie rushed to add to what she¡¯d said. ¡°It feltfortable. Like an old pair of slippers you¡¯re afraid to rece, even though they¡¯re all worn out and dirty.¡±

    Nichs stared at her, eyes wide, holding the second taco he hadn¡¯t yet bitten into. She realized what she¡¯d just said. It was an analogy she¡¯de up with toward the end of her rtionship, when she exined to Brooke why she stayed with him even when she wasn¡¯t really into him anymore.

    ¡°You¡¯reparing your ex to an old slipper,¡± Nichsmented.

    Now he had a smirk on his face. It was annoying but somewhat adorable. Yeah, maybe she should stop making that kind of analogy.

    ¡°We had a routine,¡± Charlie said. She took a sip of her drink to think through how she was going to exin it, then continued. ¡°During the week, we didn¡¯t see each other, but he called me every night before bed-nhirty on the dot. Friday nights, we had sushi at his favorite ce. Saturday nights, we had dinner at one of three different restaurants, then went to the movies.¡±

    ¡°What about Sundays?¡± he asked, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

    ¡°Sundays were like weeknights. Had to get to bed early.¡±

    ¡°So¡­what? He couldn¡¯t see you during the day? Was he nocturnal or something?¡±

    ¡°He was very¡­organized.¡±

    That brought a slow nod from Nichs. An assessing nod. She could almost hear the gears in his head turning. Charlie, who had established herself as a creature of habit, had dated someone who, like her, was a creature of habit for four years, staying with him only because the setup wasfortable¡­like an old slipper. It didn¡¯t take a rocket scientist to figure out what Nichs was thinking right now.

    ¡°And that¡¯s why you ended it.¡±

    His statement caught her off guard. For a moment, she considered lying. The messy end to her rtionship with Brandon wasn¡¯t exactly her finest moment. But she¡¯d already said this much. May as well reveal the ugly truth.

    ¡°He ended it. Said I was too boring.¡±

    There. It was out. She waited for Nichs tough or express horror¡­ Anything. Instead, he just stared at her.

    ¡°Sounds like he was the boring one.¡± Nichs shrugged. ¡°Rtionships don¡¯t fail because of one person.¡±

    ¡°I was going to break up with him after my high school reunion.¡± She scooped up a generous heap of guacamole with a chip, punctuating her sentence by taking a bite.

    ¡°Your high school reunion.¡± He said the words as though trying to process them. ¡°Let me guess. You want to show some ex-boyfriend that you moved on without him.¡±

    Charlie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not about a guy. It¡¯s about Shellie

    Ashworth.¡±

    ¡°Shellie Ashworth.¡±

    Just hearing the name from a stranger made her realize how silly the whole thing was. She¡¯d been out of high school for ten years. Why did she care what Shellie Ashworth thought?

    ¡°It¡¯s not just Shellie,¡± Charlie rushed to amend. ¡°It¡¯s what Shellie stands for. She had a lot of friends. She was one of the most popr girls in school, actually. But she and another girl¡­well, they weren¡¯t very nice to me. Let¡¯s leave it at that.¡±

    Why was she telling him all this? She was immediately embarrassed at just how much she¡¯d opened up to this guy she¡¯d previously had the urge to impress. So much for that. He was sure to think less of her now.

    ¡°Girls can be mean,¡± Charlie added with a littleugh. She tossed her napkin on top of her now-empty te and sat back in her seat, crossing her legs in front of her. Maybe they should just call it a night.

    ¡°People can be mean.¡± He polished off thest taco and picked up his drink, also leaning back in his seat. ¡°The things that happen to us in school stay with us for life. I didn¡¯t go to my ten-year reunion, and I doubt I¡¯ll go to fifteen, either. Mostly because I don¡¯t ever want to see those guys again.¡± Charlie¡¯s heart softened toward him. There was a lot he wasn¡¯t saying. She could see it in his eyes. Despite all he¡¯d achieved, he was still missing something in his life. She wasn¡¯t sure what it was, but she sensed it in the trace of sadness she saw in his eyes.

    But Nichs was staring at her again. She could tell she wasn¡¯t getting out of this conversation easily.

    ¡°What did your rtionship with the boring guy have to do with Shellie Ashworth?¡± he asked.

    Oh, that. Yeah, good question. She supposed she hadn¡¯t really been clear there.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was just this silly fantasy I had of walking into my reunion with a well-known corporate attorney on my arm. It¡¯s sort of a ¡®take that¡¯ to the way they treated me. I¡¯m sure Shellie probably doesn¡¯t even remember who I am.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised. Your ex is a well-known corporate attorney?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Brandon Charlesworth.¡±

    ¡°Never heard of him.¡±

    ¡°Remember when social media sites were being sued over privacy? He was on the news every night here locally. He represented one of the biggest ones.¡±

    Nichs¡¯s expression told her he knew the case, but she was pretty sure he didn¡¯t have the image of her ex-boyfriend in his head. He¡¯d go home and look him up, though. At least that wasn¡¯t embarrassing. Her rtionship with him may have turned stale, but he was a good-looking, wellcredentialed attorney. On paper, he impressed.

    Which was why it had been so important for her to have him with her when she attended her ten-year reunion.

    ¡°So find someone else.¡±

    Nichs¡¯s suggestion pulled Charlie from her thoughts. ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Your high school reunion. Your attorney isn¡¯t the only guy with an impressive background. I¡¯ll bet you could find a good-looking, sessful guy who would be more than willing to spend an evening in yourpany to show Shellie what¡¯s-her-name what¡¯s up.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    As much as she liked that he¡¯d already forgotten Shellie¡¯sst name, thest thing she wanted was for Nichs to think she was hinting around for him to step in and be her pretend boyfriend. That hadn¡¯t even urred to her, although her heart did speed up a little at the mere thought of showing up with a billionaire as her date.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just one evening,¡± she rushed to rify. ¡°It¡¯s an entire weekend of fun and festivities.¡±

    Thatst part was quoted directly from the social media post that had invited everyone to the reunion. They hadn¡¯t even tagged her in the first, second, or third round. Someone who had been on the debate team with her senior year had tagged her after the invite had been up for four months. By then, the people organizing the reunion were begging and pleading for people to invite anyone they thought had been forgotten because they hadn¡¯t sold enough tickets to pay for the venue.

    ¡°I need to cancel my hotel room,¡± Charlie said, more to herself than to him. ¡°I¡¯ve been putting it off. I keep telling myself I¡¯ll go alone, but it¡¯s next weekend, so-¡±

    Nichs choked on the swig of margarita he¡¯d just taken. ¡°Next weekend?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Why?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just thought this was some faraway event. And this is in your hometown?¡±

    ¡°Sacramento, yeah. They¡¯re having it at the country club. Shellie¡¯s on the nningmittee, and she¡¯s a member, so she did us some sort of huge favor by getting us the ce for the night.¡±

    That was a lot of information Nichs probably didn¡¯t need, but it sure felt good to get it out. She was so wound up about the whole event, and she hadn¡¯t even realized it until now.

    ¡°Why go at all?¡± Nichs said. ¡°Sounds like you didn¡¯t really care for high school.¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­I don¡¯t know. FOMO, maybe?¡±

    Nichsughed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m all too familiar with that feeling. I guess you think the weekend of the reunion, you¡¯ll be sitting at home, wondering what you missed?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But the idea of walking in there alone gives me the shivers. So I guess I¡¯ll just stay home. There are enough events in life we dread without forcing ourselves to go to ones we don¡¯t have to, right?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure if that made sense. Looking at Nichs, it may very well not have. He was staring off to the side thoughtfully, probably trying to piece together what she¡¯d meant about events that people dread. Maybe she was the only person who felt that way.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a deal.¡± Nichs swung his gaze back to her, the thoughtful look gone from his eyes. The look in his eyes told her that he was alert now, focused on what he was about to say.

    She was almost afraid to ask. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I have an event I¡¯m dreading. It¡¯sing up in two weeks.¡±

    Charlie couldn¡¯t help but notice that when Nichs focused on something, his face took on an intensity that made him even better looking than he was otherwise. His deep brown eyes grew even darker, reaching a smoldering depth that made her one hundred percent unable to look away.

    ¡°My younger brother¡¯s getting married,¡± he said. ¡°My mom already has a wife picked out for me. She¡¯s going to be at the wedding.¡± What? Surely she¡¯d misheard.

    ¡°Did you just say your mother has picked out a wife for you? Like, an arranged marriage?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly. Well, sort of. She¡¯s constantly fixing me up with various people, but this time she¡¯s sure this one is the perfect woman for me.¡±

    ¡°And you think she isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I know she isn¡¯t. My mother has a very specific type. You fit the type, actually, which is why this is the perfect n.¡±

    Charlie shook her head. Was she suffering from some sort of food poisoning or something? The kind that went straight to her brain? This conversation suddenly made no sense to her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± she said.

    ¡°If I show up for the wedding with you, my mother will be off my back. But it won¡¯t be enough for me to say I¡¯m dating you. You have to show up as my soon-to-be wife.¡±

    It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. And it was a fairly big room, filled with other people. All around her, life went on as usual. Meanwhile, her own life had suddenly be something she didn¡¯t recognize.

    ¡°Here¡¯s what I¡¯m offering.¡± Nichs leaned forward, crossing his arms in front of him on the table and leveling his steely gaze at her. ¡°I¡¯ll pretend to be your boyfriend, fiance, husband-whatever-at your high school reunion next weekend. The weekend after that, you go with me to my brother¡¯s wedding and pretend to be my fiancee.¡±

    ¡°How will that solve anything with your mom?¡± Charlie asked when she finally found her voice again. ¡°You can¡¯t just bring a fiancee to a wedding, then not get married at some point.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out after that. Or maybe I¡¯ll tell her my engagement is none of her business. Whatever the case, it will put an end to her persistent matchmaking. That¡¯s all I want.¡±

    Charlie was one hundred percent sure his n was a faulty one. At some point, his mother would figure out he wasn¡¯t actually engaged- probably the first time he showed up for a holiday gathering without her in tow. All he was doing was dying the conversation he needed to have with her¡­which was that she needed to mind her own business.

    But Charlie was now excited about having a date for her high school reunion. A date who was a billionaire-a very, very handsome billionaire. The kind of billionaire who would make even Shellie Ashworth¡¯s life look ordinary.

 Chapter 111

    Nichs pulled up in front of the taco stand, a smile tugging at his lips the second he saw the now-familiar building. It was hard to believe it had been a full week since he¡¯d first met Charlie McLaughlin. Seven full days of texting back and forth about ns, with some of the texts even turning a little flirtatious.

    Okay, so the flirting had been mostly on his side of the text exchanges. Charlie was all business, tending to go mysteriously silent whenever he turned up the heat a little with a wink emoji or a subtle tease. He certainly didn¡¯t want to push things if she wasn¡¯t interested, but he found himself testing the waters a little, eager to see if she felt the same attraction to him as he did to her.

    It had also been almost seven days since he¡¯dstid eyes on her. When the door next to the taco stand opened and Charlie emerged, his entire nervous system went on immediate alert. He¡¯d already been wired all day, long after his morning cups of coffee had worn off. Just the thought of picking her up in front of her building after work had kept him on high alert. But now, knowing he would be in herpany for a full forty-eight hours had him reacting like a schoolboy with a crush.

    ¡°Hi,¡± she said, smiling at him as she met him at his trunk. He opened it without taking his eyes off her, then reached for the handle of the suitcase she¡¯d rolled over between them. It was so hard to take his eyes off her, but he forced his gaze to the suitcase to avoid making a fool of himself.

    ¡°Ready for the long drive?¡± He struggled to keep his tone light and casual as he arranged her suitcase neatly next to his. Normally, he would have just tossed the luggage into the trunk without much thought, but she was so poised andposed, he felt the need to match that.

    ¡°Only a couple of hours,¡± she said. ¡°We should get there just in time for the tail end of the cocktail party.¡±

    ¡°I hope there¡¯s food at this thing. I¡¯m starving.¡±

    Charlie seemed to take that as her cue. She pulled up the menu on her phone and, while he pulled away from the curb and started out of town, read it to him. It was an impressive selection of finger foods, but he said nothingplimentary about it. He had a feeling her nemesis was responsible for putting the menu together. The name of the game this weekend was winning this war against Shellie Ashworth.

    ¡°Thank you for doing this,¡± Charlie said. ¡°I know you probably have better things to do with your time than hang out at some stranger¡¯s high school reunion.¡±

    He smiled over at her. ¡°Are you kidding? I¡¯ve been looking forward to this all week. We have some time, so what¡¯s our story?¡±

    ¡°Story?¡±

    He nced over at her briefly before turning his attention back to the road ahead. ¡°For your friends at the reunion. Are we engaged, married, or just dating? How did we meet? How long have we been together? We have to get all that straight in case they ask us separately.¡±

    Silence from her side of the car. He hoped he hadn¡¯t pushed too far. But finally, she spoke.

    ¡°How¡¯s this? We met a year ago at a work event. You proposed on Valentine¡¯s Day, and we¡¯re nning a big wedding for next summer. I wanted a full year to get everything together. We¡¯re going to get married in the South of France, transporting the entire wedding party on your private ne.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a private ne.¡±

    Should he have pointed that out? Yes. He had to keep reminding himself that she wasn¡¯t interested in his belongings. She was just interested in what her former ssmates thought of his belongings. Somehow, that seemed worse.

    After another silence, she asked, ¡°But you can rent one, right?¡±

    ¡°Charter, yes. I can charter a private ne for our wedding.¡± He smiled as he said those words, teasing her by mentioning an event that would never happen. May as well get into the spirit of this if they were going to pull this pretend engagement off.

    ¡°But what are we going to tell your family next weekend?¡± She looked at him as she asked that, but he kept his gaze steadfastly focused on the road. He wished he could say he hadn¡¯t thought about it. But he¡¯d spent the week fixating on how he could possibly convince his mother that the special guest he¡¯d told her he was bringing to the wedding was his fiancee.

    ¡°We¡¯re engaged. I proposed in Vegas. No, she won¡¯t like that. Something fancier.¡±

    Laughing, Charlie settled deeper into her seat, resting her head against the headrest. ¡°We ran off to the South of France in a chartered private jet and you proposed in some fancy garden?¡±

    ¡°That sounds better. So we¡¯re engaged. Toote to do anything about it now. Perfect.¡±

    He felt Charlie looking at him again. ¡°What would she do about it if we weren¡¯t engaged?¡±

    ¡°Try to break us up, of course. Push whatever socialite she¡¯s picked out for me between us in the hopes you¡¯ll give up and go away. I told her I was bringing a date.¡±

    ¡°What did she say?¡±

    Nichs nced over at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I dropped it on her voicemail right before picking you up.¡±

    She blinked. ¡°You¡¯re kidding. She hasn¡¯t responded yet?¡±

    ¡°Beats me. I have my phone set not to disturb me right now.¡±

    ¡°Hiding out, huh?¡±

    ¡°No. I just want to focus on my drive.¡±

    But she was right. He was hiding out. He didn¡¯t even want to nce at his phone right now. If he had a missed call from her, he¡¯d be worried about her reaction. If she hadn¡¯t called at all, he¡¯d probably be even more worried.

    Better off escaping the whole thing.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure your mom just wants you to be happy,¡± Charlie said.

    ¡°My mom.¡± He sighed. ¡°She¡¯s always been more about what everyone thinks. My younger brother is in medical school. Did I mention that? His goal is to eventually be a heart surgeon. He¡¯s at UC Berkeley, getting his undergrad. Marrying the child of a society friend of my mom¡¯s. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll eventually have the perfect home in the perfect suburb near Mom.

    Maybe pop out a couple of perfect kids.¡±

    Had he said too much? He realized that hade across as a little bitter, but there you had it. His entire life summed up in one paragraph. No matter how much he aplished, his mother would always point out how much more his younger brother was doing.

    ¡°You¡¯ll eventually have to break it to your mom that you¡¯re not getting married, though.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Charlie¡¯s point was something Nichs had given plenty of thought to over the past few weeks. He knew the holidays woulde around quickly enough, and his mother would expect him to show up with his wife-to-be.

    ¡°I figure I¡¯ll just tell her it didn¡¯t work out.¡± He shrugged. ¡°The point, right now, is to get through my brother¡¯s wedding, and just showing up with someone I¡¯m dating won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    ¡°Because you want to show your mother that you don¡¯t need her to find a woman for you,¡± Charlie said.

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    But it went deeper than that. He wanted to show his mother that, like his brother, he had his life together. Not just the part where he was set for life and had a big, fancy house with a pool and jacuzzi that he only used when he had friends over. The part where he had been able to attract a woman and convince her to spend the rest of her life with him.

    The part he always seemed to mess up.

    ¡°So what type of woman do you need me to be to impress your mother?¡± Charlie asked.

    Nichs looked over at her. Was she serious? ¡°Exactly the type of woman you are. You¡¯re perfect.¡±

    Thosest two words might have been a little on the heavy-handed side. Charlie¡¯s eyes widened, but she didn¡¯t take her gaze off the windshield. Had he just called her perfect? She was, but he didn¡¯t mean it in a directpliment sort of way. He meant that she was perfect to parade in front of his mother and all his friends.

    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t tell her that.

    He decided to change the subject. ¡°The more pressing question is, what type of man do you need me to be to impress Shellie Ashworth and all her friends?¡±

    A long silence met that question. He waited patiently for her to answer, wondering if the dy meant she was having second thoughts about asking him to help out.

    ¡°Act like a billionaire.¡±

    He frowned, running those words through his mind before repeating them. ¡°Act like a billionaire.¡±

    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod. ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°Exactly how does a billionaire act?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Rich?¡±

    Nichs thought of all the billionaires he knew. There weren¡¯t that many, actually. There were quite a few millionaires in his circle of friends, though, and plenty more who werefortably settled in the six-figure zone. He knew exactly how they acted because he strove not to act that way. ¡°I think I have it,¡± Nichs said. ¡°Act like a total tool?¡±

    Charlie gasped. ¡°No!¡±

    Heughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t figure that would go over too well.¡±

    ¡°Just, you know, be poised and gentlemanly and¡­you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Be yourself. You¡¯re perfect just the way you are.¡±

    Hadn¡¯t that been exactly thepliment he¡¯d given her a few minutes earlier? And he¡¯d meant it in the context of the impression she was sure to make on his mother. He was fairly sure she¡¯d meant it in a simr context.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± Nichs said, turning to sh her a big smile before pressing down on the gas to speed past an SUV that was going ten miles below the speed limit.

 Chapter 112

    Charlie had been a bundle of nerves all day. By the time they stood at the registration desk, she wondered if someone could get so nervous, she passed out. That would be just her luck. She would faint right here in the lobby, and all her former ssmates would wander in and see it. That would be all anyone talked about the rest of the weekend- the dork from school who passed out upon arrival. ¡°Name?¡±

    The desk clerk was speaking to her, which meant she hadn¡¯t fainted. She¡¯d managed to stay upright, Nichs standing next to her in a mostly empty lobby. The few people who were scattered about weren¡¯t people she recognized. Not that she was sure she¡¯d even be able to recognize people she hadn¡¯t seen in ten years.

    ¡°Charlie McLaughlin,¡± she said. ¡°I called earlier this week and they said they¡¯d set us up in rooms next to each other.¡±

    It was the best resolution she could think of, considering she did not want to share a room with Nichs. But if her ssmates saw that she and her fiance weren¡¯t in the same room, they might have questions. It was just easier to be next to each other to reduce the risk that anyone would notice they weren¡¯t sharing a room.

    But the desk clerk frowned. That was not a good sign. Charlie¡¯s nervousness began to escte to panic as she contemted the possibility of trying to share a small hotel room with a billionaire. The best she could hope for, if that was the case, was that there were two beds in the room, but things like trying to shower or-gasp-use the bathroom with him in the same small space¡­ She didn¡¯t even want to think about it.

    ¡°I have you in the presidential suite,¡± the desk clerk said.

    ¡°Me?¡± Charlie looked over at Nichs. ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It is. I called. I upgraded us.¡± Nichs handed over his credit card, which Charlie couldn¡¯t help but notice was solid ck. Didn¡¯t a ck credit card mean something? She was pretty sure they were rare.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Shaw. You¡¯ll be on the top floor. I¡¯ll get your room key. We¡¯ll have your luggage up momentarily.¡±

    Charlie looked over at him. ¡°The presidential suite? How did you get it at suchte notice?¡±

    ¡°I have my ways.¡± He winked at her. ¡°There are two bedrooms and three full bathrooms. It¡¯s bigger than my college apartment¡­and far nicer. Thank you.¡±

    He said thatst part to the desk clerk, who had handed over one of those folded envelopes with a card key inside it. Then he gestured for Charlie to follow.

    ¡°This is just so weird,¡± she whispered as they headed toward the elevator. They passed a group of people who looked around Charlie¡¯s age, but like everyone else she¡¯d seen since arriving, she didn¡¯t recognize them. Either everyone had changed dramatically, or she didn¡¯t know her ssmates as well as she thought she did.

    ¡°Checking into a hotel? I do it all the time.¡± He pressed the button to call the elevator and stepped back to look at her. That put the pressure on her to respond, but she didn¡¯t know how to exin it.

    ¡°I¡¯m at my high school reunion with someone I barely know.¡±

    Did that sound rude? She didn¡¯t mean to sound rude. She was beyond grateful that he¡¯d agreed toe to this with her. He¡¯d paid to upgrade them to a suite. She had to at least appreciate that.

    ¡°It¡¯s just nerves,¡± she said. ¡°I guess I underestimated how scary this would be.¡±

    Nichs looked around, and Charlie realized how absurd that sounded. There was nothing scary about a mostly empty hotel lobby. But the cocktail party was somewhere in the events area on this floor, which meant the very people Charlie was nervous about seeing were probably not all that far away.

    ¡°Let me ask you something.¡±

    His statement made her forget her nerves for at least a few seconds.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she dared to ask.

    ¡°Why is this scary?¡±

    The elevator doors opened in front of them, and Charlie used it as an excuse to dy answering. She stepped into the elevator, thinking through her answer. She honestly had no idea.

    ¡°It all goes back to junior year.¡± Once the words were out, she felt emboldened to keep talking. It was something she¡¯d never shared with anyone. It was something she didn¡¯t even spend much time thinking about, actually. ¡°The summer before junior year, I was babysitting the kids I watched each summer. Their parents had a membership at the country club -the one where we¡¯ll be tomorrow night. That meant we could use the pool all summer. So every day, I¡¯d take the kids to the pool. Shellie and her best friend, Jamie, were regrs there. They pretty much lived in the lounge chairs near the lifeguard stand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to guess the lifeguard had something to do with this,¡± he said.

    ¡°Huh? No. Well, aside from the fact that they were constantly distracting him when he was supposed to be watching the kids.¡±

    The elevator door opened, and they stepped out onto the top floor. To the right was a huge window that overlooked the nearby restaurants and retail shops.

    He turned to face her rather than starting toward their room. ¡°Did something happen to the kids?¡±

    She stared at him a moment, confused. She wasn¡¯t articting herself very well today. Quickly, she shook her head to express a vehement no.

    Taking a deep breath, Charlie plunged in. ¡°All summer, day in, day out, they sat there with their sunsses on, talking to each other and watching us. I felt so self-conscious. Sometimes they¡¯d giggle. Sometimes they¡¯d make negativements that I could hear-usually when I walked around in my bathing suit. By the time school started up, the body-shaming was out of control. I had a nickname.¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    She was ashamed to say it, but how did she back out now? ¡°Bones.¡±

    ¡°Bones?¡±

    ¡°Bones. I was tall and thin, and my bones kind of protruded in ces. Elbows, knees¡­my granddad called me ¡®knobby-kneed.''¡±

    ¡°Adolescence is rough,¡± Nichsmented. ¡°I hit my growth spurtte, which meant I was shorter than pretty much everyone else in my ss.

    I had about seventy nicknames by the time I hit high school.¡± ¡°Body shaming.¡± Charlie shook her head.

    She turned and started toward their suite, mostly to keep herself from making somement about how he looked pretty darn good, no matter what height he was. As she walked, though, she was self-conscious about the fact that he was behind her. She wondered if he was suddenly assessing her frame, looking for signs of knobby knees or pointy elbows.

    ¡°The point is, we aren¡¯t those people anymore,¡± Nichs said. ¡°If you met any of your ssmates for the first time now, you¡¯d see them through different eyes.¡±

    Charlie slowed, but mostly to try to figure out the signs posted on the wall. He had the keycard. She looked over at Nichs, who also was staring at the signage. He pointed to the right.

    ¡°I know,¡± Charlie said. ¡°Logically, I know all that. But I don¡¯t think logic is going to be in charge when I walk into that reunion.¡±

    Nichs stepped forward and pushed the door open. ¡°Yes, but how many of your ssmates have a room as nice as this?¡±

    Charlie followed his gaze into the room, which already looked amazing, and this was just the entryway. Mouth gaping, she stepped inside, taking in the furnishings, the big, open window on the far side of the main room¡­ She¡¯d never seen anything like this.

    The main room had a big seating area with a table next to it. There was also a desk in the corner. No sign of a bed anywhere. Those were in the bedrooms, which were to the left, she assumed.

    ¡°My boss has me reserve suites for conferences and trade shows,¡± Charlie said as she spun around to take it all in. ¡°I never go, though. I just make all the arrangements. Usually, he has get-togethers in the suite. I always wondered how that worked, with him sleeping in the next room.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never stayed in a hotel suite?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t traveled much,¡± she admitted with some embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m kind of a homebody.¡±

    Kind of? Kind of? She couldn¡¯t have been more of a homebody. Even when she traveled, it was to her mom¡¯s house. Same trip, same packing list -they even ate at the same restaurants every time.

    ¡°When was thest time you swam in a hotel swimming pool?¡±

    Nichs¡¯s question threw her off guard. She stared at him, fully prepared to blurt out an answer. But then she realized she didn¡¯t have a good answer for that.

    ¡°I was in high school,¡± she said. ¡°It was the outdoor pool at the beach.

    Why?¡±

    ¡°I think we should go for a swim.¡±

    Charlie looked at him. He¡¯d texted her earlier that week to remember to bring her bathing suit. She¡¯d considered it ridiculous at the time, but she¡¯d tossed one into her suitcase at thest minute just in case. She always liked to be prepared.

    But as much as Charlie would love an excuse not to go to the cocktail party that was the kickoff event for the weekend, she needed to go for it. Before she could respond, though, there was a knock at the door. Nichs rushed off to meet the bellboy and get their luggage.

    ¡°I should change,¡± Charlie said, grabbing her suitcase as soon as Nichs had sent the guy away with a tip and a thank you.

    ¡°Into your swimsuit?¡± Nichs gave her a conspiratorial smile. She liked it. It made her feel like she was in on some inside joke, even though there wasn¡¯t one.

    ¡°Into my cocktail dress. We have just enough time to get down there for thest couple of hours. Make an appearance, that sort of thing.¡±

    Taking a deep breath, Nichs nodded. ¡°As long as there¡¯s food, I¡¯m in.¡±

    Charlie grabbed her suitcase and headed toward the bedroom on the right. She didn¡¯t know which one was supposed to be hers, but she assumed Nichs would stop her if she¡¯d chosen the wrong one. Instead, he called out to say something else entirely.

    ¡°Wear your swimsuit under your dress!¡±

 Chapter 113

    Nichs had attended a fair share of boring cocktail parties in his time. This one ranked up there with the absolute worst of the worst.

    They stood in the corner, holding a te of hors d¡¯oeuvres. Charlie hadn¡¯t touched hers after filling her te a full twenty minutes earlier. Nichs had devoured his, then tried to go back for more. Charlie had asked him to stay.

    ¡°Charlie McLaughlin!¡± A guy wearing sses and a bad suit walked up to Charlie, looking at her like she was a long-lost friend. One nce at Charlie, though, told him she had no idea who this guy was.

    ¡°Hi!¡± she said, her voice dripping with false enthusiasm. ¡°Bobby

    Johnson. I haven¡¯t seen you since graduation.¡±

    Heughed. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anyone since graduation.¡±

    Bobby¡¯s full name was written in ck marker on his name tag. It took Nichs a few seconds to realize that was how Charlie had ¡°remembered¡± the guy¡¯s name.

    ¡°Is this your husband?¡± Bobby asked, looking over at Nichs.

    ¡°Fiance,¡± Charlie said. ¡°Nichs.¡±

    ¡°Nichs. Nice to meet you. You have a good one here. We made some great memories.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Nichs stepped away. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    This was his chance to get more food. He gave it a millisecond, then, when Charlie didn¡¯t give him a pleading look, rushed off to the buffet table. It wasn¡¯t really a full buffet. It was a dessert and finger food buffet. He wasn¡¯t sure what the technical term for that would be. All he knew was that it was getting sote, nobody was really lining up for food anymore, which left it wide open for him to stack his te with everything he¡¯d wanted to try earlier.

    ¡°Chocte. You can¡¯t beat that.¡±

    The voice of a woman to his left pulled Nichs¡¯s attention from a tower of some sort of fudge concoction. It looked messy. The woman was eyeing him, not the food. The way she looked at him was simr to the way he¡¯d looked at the Swedish meatballs he¡¯d just plopped on his te.

    ¡°I¡¯m Jamie Quinn.¡± She held out her hand, giving him a big smile that emphasized the dimples on either side of her mouth.

    To shake her hand, Nichs had to shift his te to his left hand, which annoyed him. But he needed to be friendly. ¡°Nichs Shaw. I¡¯m here with Charlie McLaughlin.¡±

    The woman¡¯s smile faltered slightly as she shook his hand. She tilted her head slightly, dropped her hand to her side, and turned to face the food again. ¡°Well.¡±

    Nichs frowned. He had no idea what that meant. The head tilt was unreadable, too. Did she recognize the name or was she trying to ce Charlie McLaughlin?

    ¡°So you and Charlie¡­?¡±

    The question left it for him to fill in the nk. They could be married, dating, just friends, pretending to be married¡­ What it didn¡¯t do, though, was tell him whether she even knew who Charlie was.

    ¡°Engaged,¡± he said without looking away from the food he was loading onto the small te. He knew this conversation would be important to Charlie, but he hadn¡¯t eaten since lunch, and that had just been a quick sandwich he¡¯d choked down between video calls.

    ¡°Oh, wow. Congrattions. That¡¯s awesome! I didn¡¯t know Charlie was engaged.¡±

    Nichs turned and smiled at her. ¡°She¡¯s right over there if you¡¯d like to congratte her in person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do just that. Let me grab one of these pieces of fudge. They look delicious.¡±

    She reached around him and put her body fully against him, looking up at him as she did so. Nichs shed her an awkward smile and moved forward, grabbing an egg roll he didn¡¯t even want as an excuse to put some distance between the two of them.

    As she walked away, she gave him a flirtatious wave. ¡°See you over there.¡±

    The whole thing put Nichs in an awkward position. He didn¡¯t want to reject one of Charlie¡¯s ssmates and give them a reason to ostracize Charlie. But flirting back would be even more disastrous. Never mind the fact that he had no desire to flirt with anyone but Charlie at this point¡­

    Grabbing a fork and napkin, he headed back toward Charlie, shoving a meatball into his mouth. Halfway there, he realized he was supposed to be putting on the sessful billionaire act. No matter how much money he had, no matter how much he¡¯d achieved with his business or his investments-all that mattered this weekend was how it looked to her ssmates. She could have hired an actor and probably gotten better results.

    The good news was Charlie was surrounded by people when he approached. There was the guy who had been standing there when Nichs walked away-Bobby Johnson, Nichs finally recalled. Then there was the flirtatious woman from the buffet. But there were four other women and two men standing there, as well, and Charlie was smiling andughing.

    ¡°Nichs! Come and meet Shellie.¡±

    At Charlie¡¯s invitation, Nichs¡¯s eyes widened slightly. A woman stood next to her, but that couldn¡¯t be Charlie¡¯s rival. She wasn¡¯t even close to the morous, poised person he¡¯d pictured. In fact, she shrank inparison to Charlie.

    Nichs quickly swallowed the rest of the meatball, then dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. Thest thing he needed right now was a big gob of food on the side of his mouth. He just hoped he hadn¡¯t dropped anything on his suit.

    ¡°We met at the buffet line.¡± Jamie, who stood next to the woman Nichs had decided couldn¡¯t possibly be Shellie, beamed at Nichs.

    ¡°Yes. Hi, again.¡± Nichs nodded at Jamie, then looked at the woman, whose nametag did, indeed, read ¡°Shellie.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Charlie was just telling us you¡¯re getting married in the South of France.¡±

    There it was. That voice. Shellie spoke exactly as he would have pictured, even if she didn¡¯t look the part. Now that she¡¯d spoken, though, he saw the chill in her eyes as she assessed him, running her gaze over his suit.

    He would swear she was expecting to find that it came up short somehow, but he knew where he¡¯d gotten this suit and how much he¡¯d paid for it. If she thought this was substandard, she knew absolutely nothing about male designer fashion.

    ¡°We are nning that, yes.¡±

    Everyone turned their attention to him, making him feel incredibly selfconscious. Was this the point where he was supposed to brag about his private ne? That felt a bit on the tool side, and Charlie didn¡¯t want him toe across that way.

    ¡°Nichs is a pioneer in application development,¡± Charlie said. ¡°He¡¯s also head of Talkspar.¡±

    Nichs winced. At least people weren¡¯t looking at him anymore. They¡¯d turned back to Charlie.

    ¡°Talk Spar?¡± Shellie asked, dividing the brand name of hispany into two words. Somehow she made it sound tacky, like it was something amoner would say.

    ¡°We just had a meeting on that at work!¡± Bobby Johnson said, turning his starstruck stare from Charlie to Nichs. He squeezed through the crowd and stepped to the outside of the circle, making it clear he wanted this conversation to be one-on-one.

    Meanwhile, Shellie and Jamie took over the conversation in the group behind him. Shellie looked like just about every other woman he met when he visited the suburbs. She wore a ck dress with sequins and her hair was short and curly. Had she been anyone else, he wouldn¡¯t have scrutinized her, but knowing she¡¯d been mean to Charlie, he felt the need to find her ws.

    He needed to get over that. This wasn¡¯t his fight.

    As Bobby pounded him with questions, Nichs divided his attention between the overeager man in front of him and the conversation happening behind him. He heard Shellie hammer Charlie with questions. Wedding colors, caterers, honeymoon destinations. Charlie was surprisingly quick with her answers, which made Nichs wonder if she¡¯d rehearsed this in advance.

    Sounded like it.

    In fact, he liked the picture she was painting. A beautiful, but fairly small, wedding in the South of France, followed by a honeymoon on the French Riviera. The idea of spending a week at a waterfront resort with Charlie McLaughlin sounded far more appealing than anything he¡¯d done recently.

    ¡°-next conference. Would you be up for that?¡±

    Bobby¡¯s question snapped Nichs back to the conversation in front of him, making him realize he¡¯dpletely switched his attention to what was going on behind him. Problem was, he didn¡¯t want this guy to know he¡¯d tuned him out.

    ¡°Would I be up for your next conference?¡±

    It was a trick Justin had taught him back in college. If a teacher in ss called him out when Justin wasn¡¯t paying attention, he¡¯d just repeat as much as he could of what he¡¯d heard. It didn¡¯t work every time, but it was surprising how often it did work. Especially when you were talking to someone who wanted to believe you were paying attention.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot to ask,¡± Bobby rushed to add. ¡°And I¡¯ll certainly understand if you say no. No pressure. Just think about it. Here¡¯s my card.¡±

    Nichs was left, once again, trying to juggle his te of food-this time to take Bobby¡¯s outstretched business card and slide it into his jacket pocket. He had to hand it to the guy-he certainly was a quick draw with that business card. Nichs wasn¡¯t even sure how it had materialized so quickly.

    ¡°Certainly.¡± Nichs took a big bite of shrimp, doing his best to try to look like a billionaire while chewing, even though he had no idea what that meant. ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch.¡±

    With a polite nod meant to put an end to the conversation, Nichs turned back to face the group. His gaze immediatelynded on Charlie, who seemed to bemunicating help me with her eyes.

    ¡°Private ne, huh?¡± a man standing next to Shelliemented. ¡°What kind of ne do you own?¡±

    Like he knew that. He thought back to thest ne he¡¯d chartered.

    ¡°Cessna,¡± Nichs said.

    Silence followed. Nichs realized pretty much right away that the stranger had expected a little more detail. Was he supposed to be an expert in every inch of the ne he owned? If he wasn¡¯t the pilot, wouldn¡¯t he just leave it parked somewhere between uses?

    ¡°You¡¯re taking a Cessna to Europe? I don¡¯t know, man.¡±

    Shellie spoke up. ¡°What¡¯s the inside like? Does it have a shower?¡± Whatever was happening here, it was getting him out of this pop quiz this man next to Shellie seemed to be giving him. Nichs was fine with that.

    He definitely knew the answer to Shellie¡¯s question. ¡°The ne? Yes. It¡¯s only slightly better than thevatory on a regr ne, though.¡±

    ¡°I imagine.¡± Shellie looked over at the man standing next to her adoringly. ¡°We spent a weekend at a campground in our friend¡¯s RV. That shower was definitely not up to par.¡±

    ¡°The shower was nicer than the one in this hotel,¡± Pop Quiz Man said, shaking his head. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d love to talk nes. Maybe tomorrow at brunch. You areing to the brunch, I hope?¡±

    Nichs looked over at Charlie, who was staring at him. This was definitely up to her to answer, but for some reason, she seemed to be tossing it to him.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Charlie said. ¡°But I think we¡¯re going to make this an early night. Nichs was talking about trying out that pool. Ready?¡±

    After a quick nce down at his empty te, then a look around at the group now staring at Charlie, Nichs nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 114

    Charlie hadn¡¯t really thought this through. Specifically, she hadn¡¯t thought through the part of this that involved walking out of the restroom wearing nothing but her one-piece. It was her most

    modest swimsuit-she¡¯d worn it under her cocktail dress for that reason. But it still exposed more of her body than she wasfortable showing.

    But if she was worried about Nichs¡¯s prying eyes, she shouldn¡¯t have been. He was actively swimmingps when she emerged. She looked around, confirmed they were alone in the pool area, and quickly walked toward the water. The goal was to get in before his head emerged from the water.

    She almost made it. The water was up to her waist when Nichs came to a stop a few feet in front of her, wiping water from his eyes. She quickly moved down to the bottom step, but that put her too close to him. She couldnd on the floor of the pool, which would push the water just below her chest, but that would shrink the space between them to almost nothing.

    ¡°Hi,¡± he said.

    That word had never sounded so filled with heat. Itbined with the intensity in his gaze to create a zap of electricity between them. Charlie felt the urge to take a step back, but that would be even worse. She felt¡­ exposed. But mostly she was just scared of what she was feeling right now.

    So she took option number three. She couldn¡¯t go back or forward, so she went under.

    With a silent thanks to her mom for making her take swim lessons as a kid, Charlie sunk under the water and swam around Nichs, speeding toward the other end of the pool. Distance. Distance was exactly what she needed right now.

    When she finally emerged, she realized her feet could no longer touch the bottom. She grabbed the side of the pool while she blinked the water away and looked for Nichs. He was swimming again. Vigorousps.

    She worked her way around the edge until she could touch the bottom. Maybe she should get out and go to the hot tub. She could make it over there before he saw her walking, possibly. She needed to do it now, though, before he finished hisps.

    ¡°Woo-hoo!¡±

    The sound bounced off the walls, making it impossible to determine the direction. Charlie automatically turned to look at the door to the pool area, figuring that had to be the answer. Sure enough, a small group of five women stood there. Shellie was front and center.

    ¡°We heard this was where the party was!¡± Jamie yelled.

    Charlie immediately wanted to duck back underwater again. Yes, this was exactly what she didn¡¯t need. The two biggest body shamers in her life nearby while she was in a swimsuit. They were the very reason she felt selfconscious about her body to this day.

    Without asking to join, the five women descended on the pool, tossing towels onto the lounge chairs lined up along the length. Charlie edged her way back until the water covered her shoulders and part of her neck.

    ¡°Hey, Nick!¡± Jamie called out. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind that we joined you two lovebirds.¡±

    Resisting the urge to correct her on the shortening of his name, Nichs swam over next to Charlie on the wall. It was a move that somehow established them as a couple.

    ¡°We could go,¡± he said in a voice low enough so that only she could hear.

    Charlie shook her head. As much as she wanted out of here, the idea of emerging from this pool with these women watching horrified her. No, she¡¯d wait them out. Even if it meant sticking around here until the skin on her fingers puckered.

    ¡°What¡¯s the story on you two?¡± Shellie asked after she and Jamie had a quiet discussion between them whileing down the stairs into the pool.

    ¡°How did you meet?¡±

    Oh. They hadn¡¯t discussed that. Why hadn¡¯t theye up with a story? ¡°Nichs and my boss are best friends,¡± Charlie blurted out before Nichs could speak. The goal was to avoid him talking at the same time with a different story. Sticking to the truth was the safest bet, she figured, even if it wasn¡¯t morous.

    ¡°No, sweetie, tell them the real story.¡± Nichs moved closer, putting his arm up on the side of the pool so that his hand draped down onto her bare shoulder. ¡°We were at a party at Derek Hughes¡¯s house. You know, the guy who¡¯s been all over the newstely?¡±

    ¡°The missing billionaire dude?¡± Jamie asked.

    She and Shellie were gradually wading toward Charlie and Nichs. Charlie wanted to drop a big rope down the center of the pool to keep them on their side, but she knew that was unreasonable. They couldn¡¯t hurt her.

    Not physically, anyway.

    ¡°Who?¡± Shellie gave Jamie a confused look.

    Jamie turned to look at her friend. ¡°Derek Hughes. He¡¯s this guy who runs a huge yachtpany. He escaped to Hawaii when someone called him ¡®hot¡¯ on their website. Anyway, they tracked him down and he¡¯s fine, but he¡¯s¡­fine.¡±

    Charlie felt like she should know what Jamie was talking about, but she didn¡¯t really keep up with Silicon Valley gossip. She preferred reading a good book to scrolling social media feeds.

    ¡°You know him?¡± Jamie turned her attention to Nichs, giving him a starstruck look she hadn¡¯t had before. Before, her stares at him had seemed a bit on the predatory side.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Nichs shrugged. ¡°Silicon Valley¡¯s a pretty small town, especially with us all working in the same industry. Anyway, Charlie was there with her boss and his girlfriend. I saw her from across the room, and that was the end for me. I knew I¡¯d never look at another woman again.¡±

    ¡°Aww. That¡¯s so sweet,¡± one of the other women gushed, swimming over to tread water next to Shellie and Jamie. Neither Shellie nor Jamie shared simr sentiments. Instead, Shellie scrutinized Charlie and Nichs.

    ¡°Is your boss worried you¡¯ll quit?¡± Shellie asked, staying in ce as Jamie and the other woman swam off a little. They were discussing how long they could hold their breath underwater.

    ¡°Me?¡± Charlie asked. Shellie was looking at her, but the question seemed out of ce.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes. You know, when you marry his friend here. Is he worried you¡¯ll quit?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it.¡± Charlie shrugged. She tried to imagine what her boss would think if she really was marrying Nichs. ¡°He¡¯s happy for us. Besides, he knows how much I love my job.¡±

    ¡°And your job is¡­?¡±

    Still assessing. Charlie felt like she was interviewing for a position at a bigpany. It was a very ufortable feeling.

    ¡°I¡¯m head of HR for TravTech. It¡¯s an app developmentpany. They have the top tutoring app in the world.¡±

    ¡°HR. Is that¡­human resources?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlie answered the question very matter-of-factly, daring Shellie to say something negative about it. ¡°Payroll, benefits, that sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her fool you,¡± Nichs jumped in to say. ¡°She¡¯s Justin¡¯s right-hand person. Without her, that ce would not be able to run.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Shellie said. But she looked bored.

    Truth was, Shellie didn¡¯t really care what Charlie did for a living. Charlie wasn¡¯t even sure this assessment had anything to do with high school. It felt like they were trying to figure out how someone like her hadnded an amazing man like Nichs.

    After a long, weighty silence, Nichs spoke up suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little tired. Plus, I could use some alone time with Charlie. You ready to go back to the room, sweetie?¡±

    Normally, she¡¯d be all too eager to get away from Shellie, but that meant stepping from the safety of the water. She looked over at Nichs, who was giving her a questioning look.

    Somehow, he figured out exactly what was bothering her. ¡°I¡¯ll go grab us some towels.¡±

    Nichs turned, managing to lift himself out of the water while making it look like it was as easy as walking. Charlie noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that even Shellie was watching him. In fact, all sshing seemed to subside as he crossed the room to the shelves where extra towels had been stacked for guests.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Charlie said.

    She swam for the steps, knowing that there would be no other way to get out while also keeping her body covered. She waited while Nichs carried the towel to her, then she used that towel to cover herself as much as possible as she climbed the steps to leave the pool. It looked awkward, and part of the towel got wet in the process, but it kept her mostly covered, and right now, that was all that mattered.

    ¡°See you in the morning!¡± she heard Jamie call out as Charlie collected her dress and followed Nichs from the pool area.

 Chapter 115

    ¡°I can¡¯t do this.¡±

    They stood in the entryway to the banquet hall, staring into a

    room filled with people eating. Some carried tes from the buffet to their tables, while the rest sat, chatting and enjoying the food. Nichs saw no sign of anyone he¡¯d metst night, but there were so many people, the whole scene somehow merged into a sea of faces.

    ¡°Of course, you can.¡± Nichs looked around. ¡°It¡¯s just breakfast.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s the whole thing. I just¡­I don¡¯t like these people.¡±

    He frowned. They¡¯d driven from Silicon Valley for this, and he¡¯d thought everything had been going well. When he¡¯d said goodnight to her and headed into his roomst night, she¡¯d been quiet and pensive, sure, but this morning, she¡¯d seemed ready to tackle the challenges of the day.

    ¡°We could just go home,¡± he said.

    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I want to go to the reunion tonight. I just¡­ don¡¯t want to do this.¡±

    He didn¡¯t see the difference, but he liked the idea of not spending the morning around her friends. Specifically, he liked the idea of not spending the morning around the friends he¡¯d metst night. Who weren¡¯t really friends.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    With those two words, he spun and headed toward the lobby. He didn¡¯t exin where he was taking her. The real surprise was that she didn¡¯t ask any questions, not even after they climbed in his car and he took off.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have my purse or my phone,¡± she gasped as they sped out of the parking lot.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need either. Who¡¯s going to call you?¡±

    Sheughed. ¡°Certainly not any of my ssmates. You know the problem?¡±

    He nced over at her as they waited at the traffic light in front of the hotel. ¡°What?¡¯

    ¡°None of my friends are here. These aren¡¯t my friends. My friends aren¡¯t interested in reunions.¡±

    ¡°You knew this ahead of time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I felt like¡­ like I had something to prove. The friends I reached out to didn¡¯t feel that way. They hated high school and had no interest in going back.¡±

    Nichs nodded and pressed the gas pedal as the light turned green. ¡°That¡¯s exactly how I felt. What¡¯s the point? I have one thing inmon with those people-we shared a building for a few years when we were young. The ones I want to see again? I¡¯d rather just meet up with them at a coffee shop when I¡¯m in town.¡±

    ¡°Most of my friends moved away for college and never returned.¡± Charlie sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guessst night made me realize how much

    I let those people get to me. The whole bones thing-¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even realize how beautiful you are, do you?¡±

    It took some courage to say that, but it had been exactly what he¡¯d wanted to sayst night. Anyone would have noticed Charlie¡¯s hesitation about letting those women see her in her bathing suit, which was the most absurd thing he could imagine. He¡¯d barely gotten a glimpse of her as she rushed to cover up with that towel, but he¡¯d seen enough to know that she looked amazing. If anyone had body-shamed her over the way she looked now, he¡¯d chalk it up to one thing and one thing only: jealousy.

    But hispliment hung in the air between them. It had made things awkward. Had it been inappropriate?

    ¡°Where are we going, exactly?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Lunch.¡±

    Nichs had spent a little time in Sacramento, and he knew just the ce to take her. He¡¯d actually thought, while dining there with a business client, that it would be the perfect spot for a date. Very romantic. He just hoped they were open this early.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like much from the outside but trust me.¡± Nichs pulled into the parking lot, grabbing one of the avable spots near the front door. There were a couple of other cars here, so he took that as a good sign they were open. ¡°Lunch on the water. Can¡¯t beat it.¡±

    ¡°I love the water.¡±

    Nichs smiled. It had been a shot in the dark, but something had told him Charlie would enjoy being on the water. Who didn¡¯t? The beach would be more romantic, but he wasn¡¯t sure romantic was the vibe they needed right now. Enjoyable would do just fine.

    Upon request, the hostess led them to a table on the dock, which was pretty much where everyone sat unless the weather was bad. It was the perfect Sacramento day, though. Not too hot and not too cold.

    ¡°I always wanted to try this ce,¡± Charlie said once they were seated, menus in front of them.

    Oh, yeah. She was from here. How could he possibly have forgotten?

    ¡°I grew up in the suburbs, about thirty minutes from here,¡± she exined without him even having to ask. ¡°We didn¡¯te downtown all that much, except for senior prom. Really, that was the only time, now that I think about it. We had everything we needed in town.¡±

    Nichs nodded. ¡°I grew up in Pacific Heights. We were in the middle of everything.¡±

    Her eyebrows arched, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. Pacific Heights. Anyone who had spent any time at all in San Francisco knew Pacific Heights was the uppity neighborhood in the city. Yes, he had advantages. He was well aware of that. But he also put significant time and resources into charitable work to try to pay it forward as much as he could.

    He was eager to change the subject. ¡°Well, d I could introduce you to a new ce to visit when youe to town.¡±

    Charlie wrinkled her nose in an obvious signal of distaste. ¡°I don¡¯te back to Sacramento, and certainly not to my hometown. My mom¡¯s in

    Milwaukee, as I said. No reason toe back here.¡± ¡°Except for reunions,¡± hemented.

    ¡°I think this will be thest one of those for me.¡±

    ¡°You needed closure.¡±

    The server came to take their order, interrupting them. Once she was headed toward the kitchen, Nichs resumed waiting for Charlie¡¯s response to his statement. He soon realized she either hadn¡¯t heard him or had no intention of replying.

    So he repeated it. ¡°Closure. That¡¯s why you came back, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Still silence. He realized, as she looked out over the water, she was thinking about it. Thinking through what he¡¯d just presented.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why. Why would I care what they think of me?¡±

    As she asked the question, she turned her gaze on him, intense emotion in her expression. This wasn¡¯t something she took lightly. It wasn¡¯t like his reunion, which he¡¯d simply avoided because it had felt like a nuisance. For her, this was a huge deal.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it has anything to do with Shellie or any of her friends. It¡¯s about your own personal growth.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed. She tilted her head just slightly in a look that clearly conveyed curiosity. She wanted to hear more.

    ¡°Last night-the towel. You wouldn¡¯t get out of the pool until you were covered. Why?¡±

    Her eyes widened, and for a scary second, he worried he¡¯d gone a step too far. What made him think even if he was right about the towel, she¡¯d want to talk to him about it?

    When she finally spoke, she said, ¡°It¡¯s not just Shellie. Jamie¡¯s just as guilty.¡±

    ¡°Jamie? The one who was talking to me at the buffet?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s been Shellie¡¯s best friend since kindergarten. Heck, maybe before. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were next to each other in the hospital nursery hours after birth. Jamie was the one at the pool with Shellie that day when I was babysitting. They were the two girls I was telling you about.¡±

    Wow. Nichs hadn¡¯t pieced that together. He was sure she¡¯d mentioned the second girl by name, but he hadn¡¯t connected the name when he¡¯d met Jamiest night. Now he understood even more why she¡¯d felt self-conscious at the pool.

    ¡°I wish I could say it¡¯s just Shellie and Jamie. I¡¯m just¡­I like being covered.¡± She looked down at her body, which was, indeed, covered from neck to ankle. She even wore a long-sleeved blouse. It seemed a bit much for daytime in Sacramento, especially as hot as it was, but it had made much more sense for breakfast in the hotel. It didn¡¯t make as much sense eating outdoors on a dock on the river.

    ¡°Which is why this weekend can help you. If you let it.¡±

    He was no therapist. He was winging it here. But those two sentences popped out before he¡¯d really thought them through. Once he stopped to think about them, though, he realized they made total sense.

    ¡°Closure,¡± she said.

    Nichs smiled. She was getting it now. That was exactly what she needed.

    ¡°So what?¡± Sheughed. ¡°Show up for the reunion tonight in my bathing suit?¡±

    Now heughed. ¡°That might do it. But I¡¯m thinking confront it headon.¡±

    The server set down their drinks, giving them a brief break in the conversation. When she walked away, Charlie had that contemtive look on her face again.

    ¡°It¡¯s my only chance, isn¡¯t it?¡± Charlie lifted her gaze to meet his. ¡°I should say something.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Just walk up to them and speak your mind.¡± Nichs shrugged and took a generous sip of his water. ¡°No big deal.¡±

    ¡°Right. No big deal. Only confronting all my demons in one evening.¡±

    ¡°I can do it for you if you¡¯d like. I¡¯d love to say something that wipes that smug smile off Shellie¡¯s face.¡±

    Jamie would probably be a better target. He had a feeling she¡¯d be more receptive to whatever he had to say. He could even warm up by pretending he wanted to talk to her about something else, then spring the conversation about Charlie on her.

    ¡°No, this is something I need to do. But what do I say?¡±

    Nichs sat back in his seat, thinking it through. ¡°Start by making sure Shellie and Jamie are standing next to each other. Then walk up and tell them how hurtful their words were. Point out that despite their efforts, you became a confident, sessful, beautiful person. Then say you hope they find some inner peace because tearing down others is just rotting them from the inside.¡±

    Too far? From the look on Charlie¡¯s face, he thought maybe so. Her eyes widened and her perfectly pouty lips seemed frozen in a puzzled frown.

    ¡°Wow,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s intense.¡±

    But her mouth broke out in a smile. She liked it, but only in a theoretical sense, he figured. She¡¯d never say something like that.

    ¡°That¡¯s how I see it,¡± Nichs said. ¡°The way she treated you says far more about her than you.¡±

    ¡°Is this where you¡¯re going to say she was jealous because that¡¯s not the case at all-¡±

    ¡°No. Just that people like that, well, I feel sorry for them. They sit around looking at others, talking about them, because they don¡¯t have enough going on in their own lives. Do you gossip about other people?¡±

    Again, Charlie stopped to think. It was an instinct, and he hoped he was right. Mostly because he wanted to be able to make this point.

    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t, really. Brooke and I talk about her rtionship, shows we like. Wait-do celebrities count?¡±

    He thought about that for a second. ¡°No. Celebrities don¡¯t count.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they should. If your point is gossiping is bad for us, gossiping about celebrities is the same. I¡¯d be a far more productive, useful person if I channeled that energy elsewhere.¡±

    Nichs nodded. He could see that. He never spent time gossiping. It just wasn¡¯t his thing. Even as a teenager, he¡¯d been a little too focused on his own life to worry about what other people were doing.

    ¡°You can see, though, that Shellie might have her own issues, which was why she picked on you,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yes. I see it. Jamie, too. You know how sometimes the rational part of you says something, but you don¡¯t listen to that rational part? That¡¯s how it is the second I see the two of them.¡±

    ¡°Which is exactly why I don¡¯t go to my high school reunions. It¡¯s like you slip right back into those dynamics. You¡¯re a teenager again, with all the insecurities. Except for the people who loved high school. I guess they go right back to whatever they felt at that age.¡±

    Charlie studied him while he talked. Was it his imagination, or had her expression changed? It was in her eyes. There had been a shift, but it was a shift back to the cool confidence he¡¯d seen when he first met her, back at her office.

    ¡°Closure,¡± she said with an assertive nod as their sandwiches were set down in front of them. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to get.¡±

 Chapter 116

    When Charlie had heard the reunion was being held at the country club, she¡¯d immediately pictured the big dining room where members ate dinner every night. She had not even

    thought about the pool where the incident happened more than a full decade earlier.

    ¡°This is the pool, isn¡¯t it?¡± Nichs asked as they stood near the bar, holding the sses of diet soda they¡¯d gotten just seconds ago.

    Diet soda. Charlie had felt the pressure to order a drink at the bar, but she didn¡¯t want to stand around holding a bottle of water. A soda would at least help her look like she fit in. What had surprised her, though, was that Nichs had ordered the exact same thing. It was like he wanted to show support, and that was the way he did it.

    It made her smile.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°This is the pool.¡±

    She could hear the nervousness in her voice, although she still felt that boost of confidence she¡¯d gotten at lunch. Still, it sucked to be back here after the incredible day they¡¯d had. They¡¯d toured her old hometown and enjoyed a mid-afternoon ice cream at one of her favorite childhood restaurants. It had, without a doubt, been the best day she¡¯d had in as long as she could remember, just rxing and enjoying a day off with a man who made herugh and smile.

    ¡°Closure,¡± she said on an exhale, doing her best to pep herself up.

    Shellie, Jamie, and the small cluster of people who seemed to stick with them everywhere they went were standing at the far end of the pool. They might as well have been on the other side of the world.

    ¡°Maybe I should just go ahead and get this over with,¡± she said, speaking mostly to herself.

    ¡°Sure. Do you want me toe with you? I can hold your drink if you guys start throwing punches.¡±

    She smiled, then shook her head. ¡°Not with that group of people around.

    I need to get Jamie and Shellie off to themselves.¡±

    ¡°Done.¡±

    Without exnation, Nichs headed across the pool area, weaving his way around the groups of people gathered from one end to the other. Charlie considered running after him, but thest thing she wanted to do was make a scene while trying to stop Nichs from making a scene.

    But he didn¡¯t do that. He walked up to the group gathered with Shellie, said something, then turned, with Shellie and Jamie both obediently following. Charlie¡¯s heart doubled its rate, and she took deep, cleansing breaths to calm down.

    ¡°Hi!¡± Shellie said in a very enthusiastic voice.

    She didn¡¯t say Charlie¡¯s name, which was odd. She seemed awkward about it, too, like she was tiptoeing around something.

    ¡°Hi, Shellie,¡± Charlie said with the confidence she¡¯d beenckingst night. It emboldened her. Even though she felt like her heart might pound right out of her chest, she realized she still could present herself as though she was in charge of this entire interaction.

    ¡°You look amazing,¡± Jamie gushed. ¡°I love that dress.¡±

    Charlie looked down at the long,ce cocktail dress she¡¯d bought after shopping for three weeks for the perfect thing to wear to this. Her instinct was to thank Jamie for thepliment, but then she remembered what she¡¯d thought as she¡¯d stood in front of that fitting room mirror, trying on dress after dress and scrutinizing each one to determine if it would have them whispering her nickname behind her back.

    ¡°You called me bones.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    The words came out before Charlie had time to really even think them through. They just spilled out, like her body couldn¡¯t contain them anymore. When she dared to look up, she found both Shellie and Jamie staring at her. Shellie looked over at Jamie, who returned the look with a frozen smile. There was confusion vaguely detectable in Shellie¡¯s eyes, but Jamie just looked stunned.

    ¡°Here, at the pool, when we were teenagers,¡± Charlie exined. ¡°You were sitting over there-well, there was a lounge chair next to a lifeguard stand back then. It¡¯s different now. I was doing my summer babysitting job, and you were over there loudly talking about me.¡±

    Shellie¡¯s smile had fallen, but Jamie was looking at Shellie again.

    Charlie couldn¡¯t tell if they even knew what she was talking about.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Shellie said. ¡°That¡¯s horrible. Are you sure it was us?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like us,¡± Jamie said, not sounding very convincing. There was a slight hesitation in her voice, and Charlie would bet she was thinking that it did sound like them. Because it did. Charlie watched as they bullied ssmates numerous times over the years. They¡¯d only left her alone most of the time because they never paid attention to her.

    Until they encountered her at the pool, where there was no one else to pick on.

    They never paid attention to her.

    It hit her then, as Shellie and Jamie gave her nk, but apologetic looks. They were confused, and it was understandable now.

    ¡°You have no idea who I am, do you?¡± Charlie asked.

    The confused expressions were disced by difort. Shellie¡¯s smile had returned, and it looked just as stered on as ever. Jamie¡¯s attention was on Nichs, who had moved to stand next to Charlie. It felt like a bit of a protective maneuver as though he sensed that she needed him and stepped up to help.

    ¡°Sure¡­you¡¯re Charlie,¡± Jamie said. ¡°You¡¯re in HR in Silicon Valley.¡±

    Charlie grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m talking about in school. We all were in the same elementary school ss in fifth grade. We passed each other in the hall every day from middle school on. Aside from the day you body-shamed me here at the pool, neither of you even noticed me.¡±

    She stopped talking before she could give too much away. She couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d let these two dimwits take up space in her head all those years. And now, at the reunion, they had one hundred percent only spoken to her because Shellie was making the roundsst night and Jamie¡­ Jamie had her sights set on Nichs.

    That was still the case, obviously, judging by the way Jamie¡¯s gaze kept subtly sliding over to Nichs. She also had straightened as Nichs came around to face them, thrusting her chest out to emphasize her curves.

    Yeah. Disgusting.

    ¡°We had a pretty big ss,¡± Shellie said. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s been ten years. I¡¯m sure I knew who you were back then, but I¡¯ve had a lot of sleep since then.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s important is that we¡¯re getting to know each other now.¡± Jamie stepped forward a little, inching closer to Nichs. ¡°Listen, if we said something horrible to you back when we were kids, I¡¯m so sorry. You look amazing. I¡¯m sure I was just jealous.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Shellie jumped in to say. ¡°I was totally insecure. Let¡¯s just let loose and forget all that. Look-we¡¯re being called inside.¡±

    Shellie and Jamie took off, joining a big crowd of ssmates who were cramming through the doorway together. Charlie looked over at Nichs, gauging his reaction to what had just happened.

    ¡°Closure?¡± Nichs asked.

    The look on his face was so adorably cautious, Charlie couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I ced so much importance on what those two thought. They¡¯re kind of-¡±

    ¡°Shallow? Self-absorbed? Immature?¡±

    ¡°All of the above.¡±

    ¡°I say we go in and find someonepletely different to sit with. Someone who knows how to carry on an intelligent conversation.¡±

    They spotted Bobby Johnson within seconds of entering and Charlie made a beeline for his table. Bobby had been in several sses with her throughout middle and high school, although she wouldn¡¯t have called them the best of friends. Still, she liked that his table seemed to be filled with people who not only remembered her but were excited to see her.

    This was what a high school reunion was supposed to be about.

    ¡°You never missed Charlie walking into a room,¡± Marianna Bullock said. Marianna was someone Charlie had hung out with for a couple of years in middle school, before they¡¯d split into different friend groups freshman year. ¡°All the guys had crushes on her.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Bobby held his hands up in an exaggerated shrug when everyone turned to look at him. ¡°Hey, everyone knew it.¡±

    ¡°Except me.¡± Charlie shook her head. ¡°I just assumed everyone saw me as bones.¡±

    ¡°Bones?¡± Bobby asked.

    ¡°Inside joke.¡± Charlie looked over at Nichs, smiling at him.

    ¡°I think we should dance,¡± Nichs announced as the party music switched to a slow song, leading the group gathered on the dance floor to thin out significantly. Turned out people weren¡¯t as excited about a slow dance as they were about jumping up and down to a song they¡¯d all loved a full decade ago.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Charlie responded, pushing her chair back and standing. She led the way to the dance floor, moving between the tables with her head held high.

    Along the way, she couldn¡¯t help but nce in Shellie¡¯s direction. She was standing near the podium, talking to the woman who seemed to be in charge of making sure everyone was fed and happy.

    ¡°Thank you for doing this,¡± Charlie said as she turned to face Nichs, putting a hand awkwardly on each shoulder.

    With simr awkwardness, he put a hand on each side of her waist. Why did this oddly feel like a school dance? This entire experience had been so surreal.

    ¡°My pleasure.¡±

    He smiled at her, and their gazes locked for a long moment. Everything seemed to melt into the background as they stared at each other, gently swaying to a melodramatic love song from the past.

    ¡°Do you regret being here?¡± he asked without taking his eyes off her face.

    Charlie shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do it again, but I¡¯m actually having fun tonight.¡± She gestured vaguely to indicate Shellie and Jamie. ¡°Once I stopped worrying about them, I finally could enjoy myself. I forgot about that part.¡±

    His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

    ¡°That part of high school,¡± she rified. ¡°All you remember when you look back is sitting on the sidelines while other people make the cheerleading squad and cluster around the popr table at lunch. You don¡¯t realize that most of the time, you didn¡¯t even pay attention to that. It was all about hanging out with friends and having fun in your own little circle.¡±

    ¡°And horrible tests and homework and worrying about grades?¡±

    Charlieughed. ¡°Okay, yeah, that¡¯s a good point. I definitely forgot about all that.¡±

    Nichs shook his head. ¡°You couldn¡¯t pay me enough to go back.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need the money anyway,¡± she pointed out.

    Seriously. Why would a billionaire need to take money to do something he didn¡¯t want to do? It was absurd. But she got his point.

    His hands moved around to the small of her back and he tugged her toward him. She rested her head t against his chest and closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She dreaded the end of the song, but as it drifted to an end, another slow song started up. This wasn¡¯t over yet.

    In an effort to reposition, Charlie inadvertently brushed her fingers against the back of his neck, and he tightened his grip. She held her breath, worried he thought she wasing onto him somehow. What if he wasn¡¯t interested in her in that way? What if she¡¯d misinterpreted the way he looked at her? And really, he was still just doing this so she¡¯d help him out with his wedding next weekend.

    He pulled back, looking down at her. At the same time, the music swelled. It felt like something straight out of a romantic movie. Their gazes locked and all the breath went out of her, making her d he had his arms around her. At least he could catch her if her legs gave out from under her.

    As he lowered his mouth to hers, she found herself holding back, mostly out of this seemingly unbreakable fear that she¡¯d misunderstood. That he¡¯d say he wasn¡¯t attracted to her. But then she felt the intensity in his kiss as he

    pulled her even closer to him and she knew¡­ This was the real thing.

    When Charlie gave into the kiss, it seemed to push it to the next level. They stopped swaying to the music and just focused on each other. She rose up on tiptoe, even though the heels she wore put them almost even in height. It just made her feel closer to him.

    And then the song came to an abrupt halt. Not at the end of the song, but right in the middle. The sounds ring through the speaker stopped and they were surrounded by the crowd noise that had been going on all along, unheard under the music.

    Nichs and Charlie sprung apart like they¡¯d been caught¡­well, making out on the dance floor at her high school reunion. But when she looked around, they weren¡¯t surrounded by a crowd and nobody even seemed to be paying attention to them. Instead, everyone was looking at Shellie, who was holding the microphone and smiling out at the crowd.

    Upstaged once again, but Charlie didn¡¯t care. She¡¯d just had the most amazing kiss of her life.

 Chapter 117

    That kiss.

    It had been a full five days since he¡¯d dropped Charlie off at the door of her apartment, helping her unload her trunk and giving her one more quick kiss before she¡¯d headed inside. The agreement had been that he¡¯d pick her up Friday after work-same time asst week-and they¡¯d head to his brother¡¯s rehearsal dinner.

    Staying away from her had been the toughest part. He¡¯d texted her, but she¡¯d been a little standoffish. He always sensed her pulling back, even when he was being outwardly flirtatious. Heck, even when he¡¯d kissed her, he¡¯d felt like she was holding back.

    Did that mean she wasn¡¯t all that into him?

    The thought was seriously stressing him out. And stress was thest thing he needed right now. He should be excited about spending another weekend with Charlie, but instead, he was a giant ball of anxiety as he dealt with his family¡¯s constant group texts about wedding details. Did he have his tux? Could he make sure Aunt Nancy didn¡¯t sneak away for a drink at the hotel before the wedding? Could someone call and check reservations for the brunch on Sunday morning-the one literally nobody wanted to attend but his mom, who thought it was a great way to bring everyone together onest time after the bride and groom were gone?

    By the time Nichs pulled up in front of Charlie¡¯s buildingte Friday afternoon, his mind wasn¡¯t on seeing her again. He was too busy bracing himself for dealing with his mother. Even though she lived just a ten-minute drive from his ce in the city, he usually only saw her a few times a year.

    She didn¡¯t mind. She was busy with tennis and her gardening club and serving on whatever froofymittee she¡¯d joined this year to impress her friends.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    But one look at Charlie and all that vanished. He¡¯d gotten out of his car to stand next to his open trunk so he could load her suitcase in. Same stuff, different week. He just wished he could pick her up here every Friday night and spend the weekend with her. No, scratch that. If he were getting a wish, he¡¯d want to see her more often than every weekend.

    ¡°Hi,¡± she said.

    Was it his imagination, or did she seem shy? Considering they¡¯d parted with a soft kiss just five days ago, that was a surprise. But it wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d defined what was going on between them. Maybe he should kiss her right away and establish thatst weekend wasn¡¯t just a fluke.

    But he lost his nerve. Turned out, when it came to Charlie McLaughlin, he was pretty shy himself. He suddenly felt like a teenager on his first date with a girl he liked.

    Then his phone buzzed in his back pocket, reminding him this was far from that. But even if it was, his mom would probably have her nose stuck in it.

    ¡°Justin said hi.¡± Charlie fastened her seatbelt as Nichs started toward the fancy hotel where tonight¡¯s dinner and tomorrow night¡¯s reception were both being held.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to reach him all week.¡± Nichs frowned in annoyance.

    Not that he had the energy to worry about that right now. His best friend¡¯s ongoing unreachability had been bugging him for weeks. But he¡¯d deal with that after all this drama was over.

    ¡°He¡¯s been busy. I think he¡¯s nning something big for Brooke¡¯s birthday. But he¡¯s going to be at the wedding, so you can catch up with him then.¡±

    Nichs nodded. In fact, thest response he¡¯d gotten to his texts had been promising to catch up with him Saturday. Since the wedding was a five-hour affair, between traipsing all over town from the hotel to the chapel, he had a feeling he and his friend would at least be able to catch a few minutes to hang out. Maybe.

    ¡°Sucks.¡±

    Nichs nced over at her, not sure he¡¯d heard her correctly. ¡°Sorry?¡±

    Shaking her head, Charlie smiled. ¡°When your friend starts dating someone and totally blows you off. It sucks, is all. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Brooke and I worked together, I¡¯d have zero friends left in the city. Everyone just gets married and ghosts. So annoying.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you need couple friends. Once you¡¯re in a couple, anyway.¡±

    Had he said that out loud? Was it a mistake? He¡¯d been thinking, as she spoke, that if they were a couple, they could hang out with Justin and Brooke, but he wasn¡¯t even sure she¡¯d want to socialize with her boss outside of work. And all of that assumed they would be a couple. He definitely couldn¡¯t assume that, as much as he wanted it to be the case.

    ¡°So tell me about the wedding. What do I need to know?¡±

    Nichs breathed a sigh of relief at her change of subject. He wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d processed what he¡¯d said, but either way, he was off the hook. For now.

    ¡°My mother has been trying to fix me up with one socialite after another for as long as I can remember,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re putting an end to that.¡±

    ¡°As your bride-to-be. You¡¯ve told her?¡±

    ¡°No. I told her I was bringing someone, but we¡¯re making the big announcement tonight.¡±

    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie wince. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s such a good idea.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Making an announcement about your engagement at your brother¡¯s pre-wedding dinner. Tonight¡¯s supposed to be all about him.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, it is all about him.¡± Nichs shook his head. ¡°Nobody¡¯s even asked about you.¡±

    ¡°No surprise. But wait-I thought you were bringing a date to keep your mom from setting you up with someone.¡±

    ¡°One of the bridesmaids,¡± Nichs said. ¡°Caroline. Her mom is some higher-up at an Ivy League college.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a littlete for you to be trying to date your way into a good school,¡± Charlie joked.

    ¡°Haha. Not funny. But this is more than showing up with a date. You¡¯re my fiancee, remember?¡±

    ¡°Of course. And after this, you¡¯re going to find a way to exin why it didn¡¯t work out, which probably means you need to find a more permanent solution to this problem.¡±

    ¡°Any ideas?¡±

    Charlie was quiet for a moment. Thinking again. He wondered if she wasing up with some grand scheme. Maybe she could create some sort of scandal at the wedding that would make his mother theughingstock of themunity, ensuring nobody would even let their daughters date him. That would put an end to the matchmaking, for sure.

    ¡°Honesty.¡±

    Nichs couldn¡¯t say anything to that. She was right. He should have been honest with his mother years ago. Charlie would probably see when she met Donna Baker Shaw exactly why that wasn¡¯t the easiest thing to do.

    They pulled up to the valet and Nichs slipped the guy a generous tip to take care of both parking the car and getting their bags up to their rooms. They just needed to check in and go to their separate rooms-on separate floors, thanks to the fact that he¡¯d added her at thest minute.

    But they¡¯d barely had time for their eyes to adjust from the brightness outside to the rtively dim lighting of the lobby before they were surrounded. His eyes weren¡¯t the only thing that needed time to adjust. His mind was a few steps behind what was happening here.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°You must be Charlie.¡±

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    ¡°Give me a hug.¡±

    It came from every direction. There was his brother, who gave Charlie a hug like they were long-lost friends. Then there were his brother¡¯s friends, including his best friend. The bride-to-be, Elizabeth, stood next to Caroline, along with assorted other women he recognized as the bridal party.

    ¡°You¡¯re all checked in,¡± his brother, Nate, announced as Nichs started toward the main desk. The words stopped Nichs in his tracks. ¡°What? How?¡±

    ¡°Mom took care of it all. We have a block of rooms.¡± Nate shrugged.

    ¡°She just didn¡¯t want the wedding party to have to deal with things like that.

    We¡¯re going to the outdoor patio for a drink before dinner. Come on.¡±

    Nichs looked over at Charlie. She didn¡¯t drink. He didn¡¯t want her to be in a position that made her ufortable. But she smiled over at Nichs and nodded, and in that short exchange, they seemed tomunicate that they were going along with this.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Nichs nodded.

    Somehow, Charlie ended up being absorbed into the group of bridesmaids, while Nichs found himself walking alongside his brother. ¡°New girlfriend?¡±

    For some reason, Nate¡¯s question annoyed Nichs. Probably because they¡¯d always had a bit of apetition, even if it wasn¡¯t direct. It just had always seemed like if Nate did well in a sport or got good grades or even had a girlfriend, Nichs felt pressured to one-up him. He had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the way his mom always pointed out to him how sessful his younger brother was in pretty much every area.

    ¡°Fiancee.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t nned to break it to his brother that way, of course. The word had just spilled out. He even felt bad about it, especially since Charlie had mentioned she wasn¡¯t sure he should bring it up this weekend. But telling people individually was preferable to making a big-deal announcement at dinner, he now realized.

    ¡°You¡¯re engaged? Man! Does Mom know?¡±

    Nichs shook his head. ¡°Nobody does. Well, nobody here, anyway.¡±

    Everyone here was either close to the bride or the groom. That meant there was a connection back to his brother or mom from arge chunk of those who would be at that dinner. Nichs didn¡¯t feel as though he was a part of that. This was his brother¡¯s life. He wanted to make it clear he had his own life that waspletely separate from this, and in that life, he was engaged to an amazing woman.

    Only, that wasn¡¯t true. In that life, he was engaged to no one.

    Nichs was surprised how relieved he felt to be seated next to Charlie at the table. He¡¯d feared they¡¯d be split up, just as they had been on the walk out here. Suddenly, he knew how she¡¯d felt the previous weekend at her reunion. She was his life raft in a very turbulent sea.

    ¡°My brother has some good news. He¡¯s getting married!¡± Nate announced after everyone was seated. He hadn¡¯t even asked Nichs if it was okay. Typical Nate behavior. He wasn¡¯t all that different from their mom.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Nichs whispered to Charlie as Nate ordered a round of drinks to celebrate his brother¡¯s engagement. ¡°It just came out.¡±

    Charlie smiled at him, reaching over to slip her hand into his. It was a move meant to be reassuring, he was pretty sure, but she had no idea just howforting it was. He squeezed her hand, then took a deep breath to face the group.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just take some of your fruit tea,¡± Charlie told the server who was rifying the order. ¡°I hear it¡¯s really good.¡±

    How Charlie had known to order fruit tea, Nichs wasn¡¯t sure. They hadn¡¯t even gotten a menu at this point. He imagined her going online to check out the menu to n out what she might order just in case they found themselves in the hotel bar.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have one of those, too.¡± Nichs sat back in his seat, ignoring the look his brother shed him. He braced himself for a snarkyment, but his brother said nothing.

    ¡°When¡¯s the wedding?¡± Elizabeth asked, the question directed at Charlie.

    Charlie¡¯s gaze went straight to Nichs. ¡°We aren¡¯t sure.¡±

    The uncertainty in her voice made Nichs want to jump in and help her. He thought back to what they¡¯d discussed at the reunion.

    ¡°We¡¯re keeping it small.¡± He casually draped his arm across the back of Charlie¡¯s chair as though it was natural instinct. ¡°We¡¯re thinking a destination wedding.¡±

    ¡°I wish we¡¯d done that.¡± Elizabeth sighed. ¡°Just us and a few family members. It¡¯s just too stressful, nning all this.¡± ¡°And expensive,¡± Nate added.

    ¡°We all know Nate doesn¡¯t like to spend money,¡± Nichs said. It had slipped out before he could stop it. He hoped it hade across as teasing.

    Sure enough, the jokended. Nate¡¯s groomsmen joined in on teasing Nate about his frugality, despite the fact he¡¯d always had ess to all the money he could ever need. In fact, their mom wasn¡¯t really on the hook for that much of the expense of all this. The bride¡¯s parents were loaded-and they were paying for most of it.

    ¡°I have a great wedding nner,¡± Elizabeth said to Charlie, leaning over to say it directly to her while all the guys joked in the background. Again, Charlie nced over at Nichs.

    ¡°There¡¯s this wedding venue near the beach,¡± Nichs jumped in to say. ¡°Everything¡¯s nned for you. The more I listen to everyone talk about putting together this wedding, the better that sounds.¡±

    The server delivered the drinks and Nichs settled back in his seat, enjoying his tea. But mostly, he enjoyed simply being next to Charlie. In fact, this weekend might not be bad at all with her by his side.

 Chapter 118

    Donna Baker Shaw liked her.

    That much was clear from the instant Nichs introduced the two of them. They were standing next to the table in the private dining area of the hotel¡¯s restaurant. People circted all around, reminding Charlie that this was a high-society group. It felt like she was a teenager again, venturing into the country club with the children she¡¯d been tasked with watching.

    The good news was she¡¯d never had a hard time fitting in with these types. Her mother had instilled etiquette in her from a young age, havinge from a strict country club-style upbringing herself. If Charlie had her preference, these would be thest people she¡¯d surround herself with, but if it meant being with Nichs, she¡¯d do it every day of the week.

    ¡°Charlie?¡± Nichs¡¯s mother asked after giving her a limp handshake. ¡°Is that a nickname? Charlene?¡±

    Charlie nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the name on my birth certificate, but I¡¯ve always just been Charlie.¡±

    Donna nodded. Was that disapproval in her eyes? Probably not. Charlie figured she was being overly sensitive right now, mostly because she wanted this woman to like her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go take our seat,¡± Nichs said, grabbing Charlie by the hand and tugging her along. Charlie smiled at Donna, then allowed Nichs to pull her away.

    ¡°Do you think she knows?¡± Charlie whispered to Nichs as they took their seat next to his brother and the bride-to-be. As best man, Nichs was assigned to sit next to Nate, while Elizabeth¡¯s maid of honor-a woman whose name Charlie couldn¡¯t recall, even though she seemed nice enough -sat on the other side of Elizabeth. The mothers of both the bride and groom sat at the head and foot of the table.

    ¡°Knows what?¡± Nichs straightened his silverware, then picked up the ss of ice water to take a generous sip. He genuinely looked confused.

    ¡°About us. The South of France.¡±

    Nichs¡¯s mom was way at the end of the table, but Charlie still felt the need to whisper those words and speak in code. She didn¡¯t want word to make its way down there if his mother didn¡¯t know.

    Shaking his head, Nichs returned his ss to its original spot. ¡°Not yet. Unless someone has told her, but I doubt it. I figured I¡¯d just let the rumor spread.¡±

    Although she tried not to stare at him, she couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°You¡¯re going to let her hear from someone else?¡±

    Nichs shrugged. ¡°Why not? I don¡¯t want to make a big deal out of it. This isn¡¯t my weekend, remember?¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should announce it at the brunch Sunday. The wedding will be over.¡±

    Laughing, Nichs shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t know my family very well. We¡¯ll be lucky to make it through the first course before she knows.¡±

    The first course, a sd, was already in front of them, so that was fairly quick. Charlie didn¡¯t like the idea of his mother hearing they were engaged through the rumor mill, but she also didn¡¯t like the idea of making some huge announcement that would upstage the bride and groom at this dinner. What was she thinking?

    They weren¡¯t engaged. It was fake. She shouldn¡¯t care if his mother ever heard they were fake engaged. In fact, it would be better if she never learned about it and they could just squeak through this weekend without any drama. Then maybe Nichs could handle his mom drama on his own.

    But, whether she meant to or not, she cared. She was getting a little too caught up in the fantasy of being Nichs¡¯s actual fiancee, and also of being epted by his family. She had to ground herself in reality because once this weekend was over, she had every reason to expect that she¡¯d never hear from Nichs Shaw again. ¡°So how did you two meet?¡±

    This question came from Caroline, who was the very bridesmaid Nichs¡¯s mom had been trying to matchmake with her son. Charlie had singled her out earlier, but she¡¯d decided that Caroline had no idea about his mother¡¯s ns. Chances were, she wouldn¡¯t even have yed into the matchmaking if Donna Baker Shaw had been able to give it a try. Charlie knew the feeling. The older people in her life had tried to y matchmaker for her a few times, and those had been thest men she would have been interested in. It was just human nature.

    ¡°My boss is his best friend.¡±

    Again, Charlie decided honesty was the best policy. She liked the romantic spin Nichs had put on it at her reunion. Maybe she shoulde up with something like that herself, especially if Nichs¡¯s brother asked. She¡¯d want to make Nichs look good to return the favor he¡¯d done for her the previous weekend.

    ¡°We met at a party,¡± Charlie said, devising a romantic story on the fly. ¡°I saw him from across the room and it was like everyone else disappeared. We¡¯ve spent every minute we can together since.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t imagine my life without her.¡± Nichs leaned forward, put his hand on her arm, and pulled her toward him, startling her. Charlie hadn¡¯t realized he was listening.

    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet.¡± Caroline wore a huge smile. ¡°I love hearing romantic stories like that.¡±

    ¡°So do I,¡± Nichs said. ¡°It took me years to find my soul mate, and here she was all along, right under my nose. My best friend even talked about her, and I had no idea she was the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with.¡±

    ¡°You two, you¡¯re going to give us cavities with all this nonsense,¡± Nate said, apparently listening, too. And suddenly, everyone was looking at the two of them. Charlie wanted to sink down in her chair-maybe even hide under the table. Anything to avoid this scrutiny.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bet you¡¯re excited, Ms. Shaw.¡± Caroline turned to look at Donna, who was sipping something from a mug. Charlie assumed it was coffee or hot tea. Whatever it was, she made it look regal.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Donna said, setting the mug down. ¡°It¡¯s not every day your son gets married.¡±

    ¡°Twice in one year is pretty rare, though,¡± the maid of honor said. ¡°How many people can say both their sons got married the same year?¡±

    Someone else made ament and everyoneughed. But Donna¡¯s eyes were wide as she looked around. There was confusion there, but that quickly shifted as she realized people here knew something she didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Both of my sons got married?¡± Donna asked.

    The murmuring andughter gradually quieted until everyone was staring at Donna. She remained impressivelyposed, though. It was tough to even read what she was thinking with her neutral expression.

    It wasn¡¯t toote to turn back. Charlie could tell everyone that she and Nichs weren¡¯t really a couple at all. Or she could simply say they weren¡¯t engaged-that it was all a prank they¡¯d yed on his brother. That would save Donna from being disappointedter when she realized no wedding would be taking ce.

    ¡°This is Nate¡¯s night,¡± Nichs said as attention gradually turned to him. ¡°Mom and I will talk about thister.¡±

    Nate spoke up then. ¡°I¡¯m tired of all the attention being on us.¡±

    ¡°Me, too.¡± Elizabeth smiled, looking over at Nichs and Charlie. She held up her water ss. ¡°To Nichs and Charlie.¡±

    ¡°To Nichs and Charlie!¡± someone else called out.

    And then everyone toasted them with sses of water. Everyone, that was, but Nichs¡¯s mom, who watched all of it with pursed lips.

    She wasn¡¯t happy. That much was clear. Maybe Charlie had been wrong about her. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t be disappointed to hear her son wasn¡¯t engaged, after all. She might be relieved.

    ¡°Well,¡± Donna finally said. ¡°I have to say this is quite a surprise. When did this happen?¡±

    ¡°Just a few days ago,¡± Charlie blurted out without ncing in Nichs¡¯s direction. She had to say it. She had to make this situation at least a little better for Nichs¡¯s mom.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to tell you.¡±

    Thank goodness. Nichs was going along with what she was saying to lessen the damage here. Maybe he, too, sensed that this was what his mother needed right now.

    ¡°Well,¡± Donna said simply. Just that one word.

    Charlie looked down at her sd, her appetite having vanished at some point. But she picked up her fork and started eating, telling herself it didn¡¯t matter. None of this mattered. She was just here for the weekend. After the wedding, she¡¯d go back to her life and Nichs would clean up whatever damage they¡¯d done.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Nichs whispered, nudging her. She¡¯d just set her fork down after taking a shot at eating some of her sd. He looked over at her, smiling while holding his own fork. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    The concern in his voice made it tough for her not to answer. She thought about shrugging the whole thing off, maybe giving him a reassuring smile. But no. She didn¡¯t want to pile more lies on top of the ones already circting here.

    ¡°No. I just don¡¯t feel right about all this. Your mom seems genuinely hurt.¡±

    At that, Nichs lifted his gaze from Charlie¡¯s face to his mother. Following that shift, Charlie looked over at his mother, who was eating her sd and smiling at something the grandmother of the bride was saying to her. She certainly didn¡¯t look hurt right now.

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her after this,¡± Nichs said.

    Charlie turned to look at him. ¡°I know you want to put an end to your mom¡¯s behavior¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s moreplicated than that.¡±

    Charlie nodded. Certainly. She could respect that. She even felt bad for intruding here, but then she remembered that he¡¯d pulled her into this. When things went sideways, as they most certainly would, his mother would me her along with him.

    But by then she¡¯d be long gone. That had to be his thinking on it, anyway. If he had even thought for a second about keeping her in his life after this weekend, he wouldn¡¯t want to turn his mom against her.

    That realization was a stab to her heart. She¡¯d grown to like this guy, whether she wanted to or not. She could even see herself eventually falling in love with him, provided they set aside this fake-engagement nonsense and took a legitimate shot at dating. But he very obviously only had her around to keep his mother from trying to push him toward the elegant, lovelydy seated next to Charlie, who probably would have been a very suitable date for him.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Charlie said, nodding to herself. ¡°It¡¯splicated. I¡¯ll stay out of it.¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean-¡±

    But whatever Nichs was about to say was drowned out by the groom, who had stood to make a short speech thanking his family for being here. When that was over, Charlie immediatelyunched into a conversation with Caroline and the woman on the other side of her. Anything to avoid continuing the discussion with Nichs. She just didn¡¯t want to ept that he wasn¡¯t as interested in her as she was in him. She didn¡¯t want to face the fact that he was just using her.

 Chapter 119

    Nichs squinted at the clock next to his bed. Six twenty-two a. m. Why was he awake?

    It wasn¡¯t because he¡¯d turned in early, that was for sure. The

    bachelor party had gone until well after one a. m. Maybeter. Nichs had headed to bed around the time one of the groomsmen suggested leaving Nate¡¯s suite to hit the town. He figured the rest of the wedding party would be sleeping until at least ten.

    But Nichs was definitely up.

    After a quick shower, Nichs got dressed and headed down to the lobby. He told himself he was just grabbing some coffee, maybe a muffin. But, deep down, he was hoping to run into Charlie.

    Sure enough, she was seated at a table in the dining area next to the breakfast buffet, sipping from a paper cup and staring down at her phone. There was no denying he¡¯de down here to see her at that point. His heart rate immediately sped up at the sight of her.

    But first-coffee.

    She didn¡¯t even look up as he veered left and grabbed a cup from the stack next to the coffee dispenser. He quickly loaded sweetener and creamer into it, grabbed a lid, and headed straight for Charlie¡¯s table. It didn¡¯t ur to him until he stood over her that maybe he shouldn¡¯t assume she¡¯d want him to sit with her.

    ¡°Hi,¡± he said as she looked up at him.

    They hadn¡¯t spokenst night after things had gotten weird between them. He¡¯d admittedly been a little too defensive over her mention that maybe he should talk to his mom about everything. It was something he immediately regretted when he saw her expression harden slightly and felt an imaginary wall go up between them.

    ¡°May I sit down?¡± he asked with as much humility as he could muster. At the same time, he gauged her expression, looking for signs that she was mad at him. She was one hundred percent unreadable.

    ¡°Sure.¡± She shrugged and returned her attention to her phone. She lifted her coffee cup and sipped.

    He pulled his chair back, took a deep breath, and started speaking as he took his seat. ¡°I wanted to apologize. I was rude. I guess I just get a little¡­ weird where my mother is concerned. I know I have some issues I need to address. You¡¯re right about that.¡±

    Now that he¡¯d blurted all that out in one big burst, he decided it was time to be quiet and let her speak. He found himself holding his breath while waiting for her response.

    Weird how much it bothered him to think she might be mad at him.

    She set her phone down and looked at him. ¡°I get it. I was upset about high school friends, remember? That was sillypared to this. This is family.¡±

    Taking a deep breath, Nichs nodded. He¡¯d been pretty hard on himself over this, but he loved his mother. Thest thing he wanted to do was hurt her, despite the fact that her behavior continually hurt him.

    ¡°She means well,¡± Nichs finally said after taking a long sip of his coffee. He needed caffeine for this. ¡°My parents divorced when I was in middle school. It was kind of a cliche.¡± Heughed. ¡°My dad was having an affair with one of his co-workers-a woman who had befriended my mom. The whole thing was ugly, but my mom got a pretty hefty divorce settlement out of it. She turned the pressure on us.¡±

    ¡°Pressure?¡± Charlie tilted her head, eyeing him curiously.

    ¡°She¡¯d set up this image of us as the perfect family. We lived in the perfect house in the perfect gatedmunity and her marriage was, of course, perfect. When all that fell apart, some of her friends wanted nothing more to do with her. To try to win them back, and make new friends, she put her focus on her perfect kids. Only we weren¡¯t perfect. Still aren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You seem pretty perfect to me.¡± When he didn¡¯t respond right away, she seemed embarrassed by what she¡¯d just said. She looked down at her coffee cup and tried again. ¡°I just meant that you seem to have plenty for your mom to be proud of, right? Sessfulpany, perfect house and belongings, and all that. I¡¯d be proud of you if you were my son.¡±

    It was just a sentence, but he felt the impact throughout his body. He couldn¡¯t have imagined just how powerful such a simple statement could be, actually.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He coughed to cover up the emotion that hade through in his voice. ¡°Anyway, I know I need to confront her on this, but I think getting through this weekend is top priority. Then I can have a talk with her about her meddling.¡±

    Charlie nodded slowly while listening to him talk. It felt like she was assessing him, maybe even seeing him in an all-new light. He could respect that. Afterst weekend, he¡¯d seen her differently, too. Instead of merely being the cool, well-put-together, stoic professional he¡¯d met in Justin¡¯s office, she¡¯d shown herself to be vulnerable.

    And it was that vulnerable side that had deepened his feelings for her.

    Maybe showing his vulnerable side would deepen her feelings for him.

    ¡°Nicky!¡±

    Nichs winced at the sound of the voice behind him. Only his family called him Nicky, mostly because they were the only ones to keep calling him that when he¡¯d asked, repeatedly, for them not to. In this case, though, the voice was soon-to-be-family. It was the bride, Elizabeth, and when he turned to look in her direction, he saw she had three of her bridesmaids with her.

    ¡°Your brother isn¡¯t anywhere around here, is he?¡± Elizabeth asked as she neared the table. Two of the bridesmaids headed off for coffee, but Caroline, the one his mother had said was his ¡°perfect mate,¡± stayed by Elizabeth¡¯s side.

    ¡°He¡¯s sleeping in, I¡¯m sure. Late night.¡±

    Nichs picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, even though there was barely any liquid left in it. He hoped she¡¯d get the idea to go grab her own coffee and leave him and Charlie alone here.

    ¡°I hope you made him behave.¡± Elizabeth gave him a teasing smile, but he knew she was more serious than she¡¯d show.

    ¡°I did my best. It was pretty much a boring night.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    That wasn¡¯t one hundred percent true. Not if they were referring specifically to Nate. Nichs had been bored, sure, but she wasn¡¯t all that concerned about what Nichs had donest night. Elizabeth wanted to know about her fiance.

    The image running through his mind was of Nate flirting with some woman they¡¯d met at the hotel bar. The woman had somehow ended up in Nate¡¯sp, at which point Nichs and the other groomsmen had gently pulled her away. Nate had been drinking. Otherwise, Nichs was sure he wouldn¡¯t have been nearly that flirtatious. He was starting to think Charlie had the right idea in avoiding alcohol.

    ¡°Good.¡± Elizabeth nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not like we can see each other anyway. We just came down to get some coffee. We¡¯re getting our makeup done if you want toe hang out, Charlie.¡±

    Nichs looked over at Charlie, hiding the amusement tugging at the corners of his mouth. He could hang her out to dry here, but he wouldn¡¯t do that. Instead, he¡¯d help her out.

    ¡°She wanted to see Danielle Steel¡¯s house,¡± he blurted.

    Charlie¡¯s eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t tell from it whether she saw that as a good or bad thing.

    ¡°The author?¡± Elizabeth asked.

    ¡°Yes. I figured I¡¯d take her through Billionaire¡¯s Row,¡± Nichs said without taking his eyes off Charlie. She seemed to be fighting back a smile.

    ¡°You¡¯ll love it!¡± Caroline gushed. ¡°My mom¡¯s best friend lives on Lyon Street in one of those gigantic mansions. I would love to live there.¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Elizabeth told her. ¡°You¡¯re going to marry a tech billionaire and be right there with Larry Ellison and¡­well, Danielle Steel, apparently.¡±

    ¡°If you want to see a thirty-five-million-dor house, I have you covered,¡± Nichs said. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡±

    Charlie¡¯s eyes widened even more. ¡°Now?¡±

    ¡°I have to be at the church at noon. I figure that will give us time to get back here and change before we go.¡±

    He realized he was making it sound as though changing was something they would do together. Not a stretch if they really were engaged, although his future sister-inw may be well aware that the two of them were staying in separate rooms. He wasn¡¯t sure. But it couldn¡¯t hurt to make them sound coupled up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Charlie pushed her chair back and stood, grabbing her phone and coffee cup. ¡°I¡¯m going to get a refill. I¡¯ll catch up with you in a second.¡±

    Elizabeth waited until Charlie was out of earshot to step closer and whisper, ¡°We like her.¡±

    By then, the other bridesmaids had joined them, and two nodded in agreement. The other looked bored. Caroline just stared at him, seemingly studying his reaction. He wondered if she suspected that he and Charlie weren¡¯t really a couple for some reason.

    Nah. There was no way. He was just being paranoid.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Nichs said as he stepped away from them to follow

    Charlie out the door. ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys at the altar.¡±

    Caroline still stood there, watching them, as Elizabeth called out her goodbyes and the group turned to head back to the elevator. Weird.

    ¡°Did you notice something about that Caroline person?¡± Nichs asked while they waited for the valet to pull his car around.

    ¡°The one your mom wants to fix you up with, you mean?¡± Charlie added a teasing smile to that question, which lessened the impact a little. He smiled in response. ¡°She stares at us. I noticed.¡±

    ¡°Weird, huh? It¡¯s almost as if she¡¯s onto us.¡±

    Charlie stared at him, her lips parted slightly, as though she was preparing to say something. But before she could speak, his car appeared in front of them, interrupting the conversation.

    That was fine with Nichs. Thest thing he wanted was to talk about Caroline, his mom, the wedding, or anything else. He was here to enjoy spending time with Charlie while he could.

 Chapter 120

    Charlie was getting a workout. And that was the understatement of the year.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re trying to kill me,¡± she said to Nichs as she

    stepped halfway up the second set of stairs.

    The Lyon Street Steps was supposedly the ¡°best show in town.¡± That was how Nichs had sold it, anyway. They¡¯d parked at the bottom and begun the long walk up to the top. She wasn¡¯t sure how many steps there were, but the staircase was so steep, she bet no less than ny thousand.

    The problem was, Nichs seemed to have no problem tackling these stairs. It even seemed like he slowed his pace to let Charlie keep up. This was kicking her butt.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Nichs said. ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Just a dozen or so steps farther.¡±

    ¡°A dozen or so steps¡± was way underying it. Charlie didn¡¯t count them, but she¡¯d guess there were at least thirty before they reached the top. The closer they got to the top, the more they had to make way for the runners who were heading down.

    She supposed she¡¯d asked for that. The first day she met Nichs, when asked what was the most dangerous thing she¡¯d agreed to do, she¡¯d answered ¡°hiking.¡± As he¡¯d parked and told her what they were about to do, he told her this was the closest they could get to hiking right now. They were ¡°hiking¡± up stairs in the middle of one of the most populous cities in the country.

    ¡°This is the best part. Come over here.¡±

    Charlie¡¯s foot had just left the top step when Nichs gestured for her to join him. He was standing there, looking toward the staircase they¡¯d just exited.

    As she turned and took in the scene in front of them, her breath caught for apletely different reason. Wow. She immediately saw why he¡¯d called this the best view in town.

    ¡°This is why I do the run up first,¡± he admitted. ¡°The walk down is something else entirely. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Already? Charlie needed to catch her breath.

    ¡°Water.¡± Charlie uncapped the bottled water-they¡¯d stopped to buy one for each of them on the drive here-and took a long swig. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to help get her energy back, though.

    ¡°We can rest up a minute,¡± Nichs offered, seeming to get what was happening here. ¡°I n to take it easy on the way down. Just a little bit at a time. It¡¯s all about the view.¡±

    Charlie nodded, but she was still worried she couldn¡¯t keep going. What if she passed out or something? Sure, it would be great to be rescued by Nichs, especially if it meant mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but it would also be embarrassing.

    ¡°We can walk,¡± Charlie said after taking a deep breath, her heart rate slowing just a smidge. The tiniest of smidges, actually. Straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin, she did what she¡¯d done from a young age. She put one foot in front of the other and gave every appearance of having it all together, even when she didn¡¯t.

    Nichs fell into step beside her. ¡°I can see why everyone likes you so much.¡±

    Charlie nced over at him. ¡°Everyone likes me?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Of course. Elizabeth said you¡¯re a hit.¡±

    Charlie didn¡¯t want to admit how happy that made her. She was a hit. His family liked her. That shouldn¡¯t have been a big deal to her, but it was.

    ¡°That was nice of her.¡± Charlie kept her focus on her feet, worried about slipping on a step. She was so tired, it wouldn¡¯t be all that difficult.

    ¡°I had a feeling my mom would take to you. You¡¯re so graceful. Like a princess. If she¡¯d met you in another environment, she definitely would have tried to set us up.¡±

    Despite her efforts, Charlie almost slipped at that revtion. She wanted to look over at him, to see if he was serious. But she was afraid to find out he was.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why you chose me,¡± she muttered under her breath.

    ¡°What was that?¡± he asked, leaning closer.

    Charlie shook her head. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want him to know how much this news upset her. It upset her because she actually had feelings for him. Now she was learning that he¡¯d asked her to join him this weekend because he¡¯d ¡°had a feeling¡± his mom would like her.

    ¡°d I coulde through.¡±

    Charlie heard the anger in her own voice and decided she needed to get that in check. If he detected it and asked what was wrong, she wasn¡¯t prepared with an answer. There was no way to justify being mad at him over this without revealing she¡¯d fallen for him. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t ask.

    ¡°Stop here. Look at this.¡±

    They came to anding that offered a view of the area. Nichs pointed out the San Francisco Bay, the forest, and all the mansions. It was breathtaking, but most of all, it was invigorating. Standing here, she felt like she was more powerful than all the buildings and people below them. It was all an illusion, of course, but she liked the feeling.

    ¡°If we had time, I¡¯d take you to the Golden Gate Bridge. We could even tour a couple of museums. We¡¯ll have toe back here.¡±

    He dropped that bomb, then looked over at her, a half-smile on his face. All that did was confuse her. If he was just using her to get his mother off his back, why would he look at her like that? And why would he mention spending time together after this weekend?

    Was that part of the ruse, too?

    ¡°When do you n to let your mom in on all this?¡±

    Her voice sounded much calmer to her own ears than she felt. She wasn¡¯t angry as much as hurt-heartbroken, actually. If he nned to ghost her once the weekend was over, she was better off knowing now so she could keep her distance.

    But his smile faded. He studied her face. Did he sense she had feelings for him? She¡¯d be mortified if this led to the ¡°I¡¯m not ready to date¡± conversation.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked.

    People were milling around, posing for pictures, stopping to enjoy the view. It felt like this moment should be carried out alone, but it wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d have the opportunity again. As soon as they returned to the hotel, they¡¯d split up, and the rest of the day would be her watching the wedding as a spectator while he stood alongside his brother.

    ¡°You said you were going to tell her the truth after the wedding. Are you nning to do it next week or wait for the next time there¡¯s a big gettogether to drop the news on her?¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t tell her. Maybe we¡¯ll just see where this goes.¡±

    For a moment, that threw Charlie off. But then she reminded herself that they had to get through this weekend. Thest thing he needed was to dump her right now, then have to exin to his mother that his fiancee had fled the scene. He had to string her along at least through tomorrow.

    Charlie shook her head. ¡°You have to tell her. No matter what. You have to tell her that this was all a ruse.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right.¡± He stared ahead thoughtfully for a long time, letting out a long breath.

    Charlie wanted to jump in and offer help, but that was the part of her she had to hold back. The part that cared about him more than she could allow herself.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    That sudden announcement surprised her, but even more surprising was the fact that he took off at a quick pace, not even waiting to see if she¡¯d keep up. What had just happened here? Was he mad at her?

    And if he was, as someone who was just pretending to care about her, did it matter?

 Chapter 121

    ¡°What¡¯s up with you, man?¡±

    Nichs looked up at his brother, who was staring at

    him as though he were the one about to make one of the biggestmitments of his life. Nate was cool as a cucumber. Instead, Nichs was the one who was distracted and had been since he arrived.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Nichs shook his head, telling himself to get back in the game. ¡°Just a little tired, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Nateughed. ¡°You checked out at, like, midnight, dude. You don¡¯t even know tired.¡±

    ¡°We walked the Lyon Street Steps this morning. Probably a bad idea, but it usually doesn¡¯t wear me out like that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you get old.¡±

    Nichs red at Nate, but it was all in good fun. They teased each other. It was just what they did.

    ¡°This is about Charlie, I¡¯m guessing.¡± Nate sat down next to him.

    They were waiting in a roped-off area in the church where the wedding would take ce in just under half an hour. People were starting to drift in, and the groomsmen were at the back of the church, greeting people and hanging out.

    ¡°Just a little argument, no big deal.¡±

    That was the understatement of the year. Nichs looked down at his feet, leaning forward with an arm on each leg. Mostly he just wanted to stretch out his back, but it also helped keep his brother from seeing his face. ¡°Lover¡¯s spat,¡± Nate said with a nod. ¡°We¡¯ve had our fair share of those. It¡¯s a sign your rtionship is on the right track. That¡¯s what the counselor says, anyway.¡±

    Nichs straightened and looked at his brother. ¡°The counselor?¡±

    ¡°Marriage counselor. It was required to get married here. It¡¯s been a total game-changer. Totally rmend it for you and your fiancee.¡±

    The idea of going to a counselor to discuss his issues with Charlie was almostughable. The issue was that he was pretending to be with her to get his mom off his case, but somewhere along the way, he¡¯d developed feelings for her. Just when he¡¯d begun to believe she felt the same, she¡¯d taken the wind out of his sails with her mention of telling his mom the truth. She seemed to be more on his mother¡¯s side-but, most notably, she seemed to be more on the side of this rtionship being fake when he was starting to feel that it was all too real.

    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± Nichs asked his brother.

    Nate, who was watching a group of women gather around their mother at the back of the church, pulled his attention off the situation and looked at

    Nichs. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Did Mom try to matchmake you?¡±

    Nate stared at him for a long moment without answering. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± he finally asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I thought you knew. She introduced me to Elizabeth. Her mother is in some club with our mom. I don¡¯t know what club it is, but it involves getting together and talking about their money or something.¡±

    That made Nichsugh. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much what I figure all her clubs are. So Mom set you up? And you liked her?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I was dragged into it kicking and screaming. But

    Mom had this surprise dinner at her house, and when I showed up, Elizabeth was there, just as annoyed as I was about all of it. We hit it off, and the rest is history.¡±

    ¡°I thought she just did that stuff to me. She¡¯s alwaysparing me to you, telling me how sessful and perfect you are at everything. I guess it makes sense that she¡¯d want to set me up with someone since it worked for you.¡±

    ¡°Hold up.¡± Nate slid forward on the pew, swiveling to face Nichs. ¡°First of all, Mom was trying to fix you up with someone? While you¡¯re engaged?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t know I was engaged. She was trying to set me up with that Caroline woman. Until about two weeks ago, everything I said to her led back to some fun fact about Caroline. I could probably tell you everything about her, and we¡¯ve never even had a real conversation.¡±

    ¡°Whoa. She does the same thing to me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Nichs shook his head. He wasn¡¯t following. ¡°Who does what to you?¡±

    ¡°Mom. She¡¯s always talking about you and how sessful you are and how amazing your house and car and boat and ne are.¡±

    Nichs frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have a boat or a ne.¡±

    Nate cocked a brow. ¡°Tell her that. Your business is the most sessful anything anywhere. I should start my own business. Working for someone else will never help me get my own boat, ne, and million-dor house and car. Even if I¡¯m working as a doctor.¡±

    All of this blew Nichs¡¯s mind. ¡°So when she¡¯s talking to me, she¡¯sparing me to you and vice versa when she¡¯s talking to you?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much. I suspected that. You know people do that. They never tell you to your face how great you are. They just talk about you behind your back.¡±

    ¡°Mom¡¯s proud of me, I guess.¡± Nichs looked over at his mother, who just happened to be pointing to the two of them at that very moment. She, indeed, had a look of pride on her face. ¡°Mom¡¯s proud of both of us. Who would have thought?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you deal with that. I need to go mingle. See you in a few.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    With a p on Nichs¡¯s shoulder, Nate stood and headed down the aisle toward their mom. She held out her arms, hands extended, in a true mom-in-social-mode gesture. As Nate approached, they joined hands, then his mom pivoted to the right slightly to brag about Nate to her friends.

    How was it possible that Nichs hadn¡¯t seen any of this until now? Of course, his mother bragged to her friends about the two of them. He¡¯d seen her do it countless times growing up. Why would he think she wouldn¡¯t y up Nate when she was talking to Nichs? It fit perfectly.

    While Nichs stared at his mother, Charlie slipped in behind the group gathered at the back of the church. She said something to one of the groomsmen, who pointed toward the front. As Charlie followed the guy¡¯s directions, her gaze happened tond on Nichs. His heart sped up briefly, then sank as he remembered she didn¡¯t have feelings for him. She was just returning a favor.

    ¡°Charlene!¡± his mom called out after Charlie long after she¡¯d stepped past her. She used Charlie¡¯s formal name-the name Charlie had clearly said she didn¡¯t use. Nichs took a deep breath. Yep. That was the name his mother would insist on using for the rest of the time she knew Charlie.

    Which, sadly, wouldn¡¯t be much longer.

    Charlie nced at Nichs with an uh-oh expression before pivoting to return to where Nichs¡¯s mother stood. He smiled at the nce, briefly caught up in the fact that they¡¯d shared a moment. Then he remembered that this was all just an act for her. She wanted him to tell his mother the truth as soon as possible, rather than pursuing where this might go after the wedding.

    Still, despite his feelings, he needed to help Charlie out here. He¡¯d gotten her into all this. He needed to stay by her side throughout it.

    He stood and walked to where the group was gathered. His mother had her hand on Charlie¡¯s arm and was introducing her as Charlene to all her friends.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be joining our family very soon,¡± his mother gushed. ¡°She works for Nichs¡¯s best friend. He¡¯s a billionaire, too.¡±

    Nichs grimaced. He didn¡¯t like that word, even when his mom said it in the context of being proud of him. The part of him that liked hearing his mother was proud of him didn¡¯t like the fact that she used this to impress her friends. He wished she¡¯d live her life for herself rather than what everyone else thought of her, but he knew that would never change.

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Charlie said.

    ¡°I can escort you to your seat.¡± Nichs stepped up next to Charlie. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re about to get started.¡±

    In very fortunate timing, he saw one of the groomsmen standing next to the bride¡¯s grandmother, ready to walk her to her seat. He knew from the rehearsal that this kicked off the entire ceremony.

    Nichs¡¯s mom gasped. ¡°Oh, my. Yes. I didn¡¯t realize it was thatte. I¡¯ll catch up with you all at the reception.¡±

    Eager to get away from the entire scene, Nichs turned and held out his arm to Charlie, offering to officially escort her. She took the offer, snuggling up next to him as they began the walk. The music just happened to start when they were halfway up the aisle.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re supposed to be doing this,¡± Charlie leaned over to whisper. ¡°People think we¡¯re an official part of the whole seating thing.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll get over it.¡± Nichs smiled at the one woman staring at them. Everyone else was either talking to the people around them or facing forward. ¡°I try not to worry about what people think.¡±

    Charlie looked over at him, a puzzled look on her face. He was sending a clear message. His mother was obsessed with impressing all these people. He was not. Never would be. His goal over the past few years had been to take the opposite approach of his mother.

    ¡°This is your seat.¡±

    Arriving at the front pew, he gestured for Charlie to slide on in. She was sharing a pew with Justin and Brooke, along with his cousin¡¯s family. Third row back. Not quite immediate family, but close enough.

    Nichs¡¯s job was to turn and head to the back of the church for the next person he was assigned to escort. That person was his mother. She¡¯d taken her spot in line, just behind the bride¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Did you see Betsy Eadby?¡± his mother asked as he stepped into ce beside her. ¡°She¡¯s green with envy.¡±

    Although he knew exactly what his mother was getting at, Nichs turned a confused look on her anyway. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Her daughter is in her thirties and still hasn¡¯t married. Her son still lives at home. He¡¯s twenty-eight.¡± She whispered thatst part. The sad thing was, she was one hundred percent serious. Arge portion of the hard work she¡¯d done nning this wedding had been to impress these people. It was beyond a hobby for his mother. It was her life.

    ¡°I have a feeling she thinks far less about you than you think. People are weird that way. They tend to be more worried about their own lives.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s silly. We allpare ourselves to others. It¡¯s how we know we¡¯re doing well.¡±

    The couple in front of them reached the pew, which was Nichs¡¯s cue to start moving. As he walked his mom to her seat, he thought about what she¡¯d said. Yes,parison was human nature. He was guilty of it himself. How often did he look around at all the other founders in Silicon Valley to see how they were doing? He spent plenty of time monitoring valuations and acquisitions to keep an eye on everyone else in town. And he and Justin had been in directpetition for years.

    No, he wasn¡¯t all that different from his mother. She just put pressure on him and Nate to make her look good. She also measured people¡¯s sess by whether their children checked off items on a list that existed in her mind. Get engaged-check. Have an borate, society-approved wedding -check. Live in a nice house with expensive belongings-check. No doubt next up would be having a set number of grandchildren that she could then brag about to her friends.

    It was an exhausting merry-go-round ride, and Nichs wanted off.

 Chapter 122

    Nichs stood in front of the mirror, scrutinizing his appearance. It was thest morning with Charlie. After brunch-followed by dropping her off at her ce-he would have no reason to spend time with her again. He could drop by Justin¡¯s office, sure, but if she didn¡¯t want to see him after this, he certainly wasn¡¯t going to push it.

    His phone buzzed. He didn¡¯t even have to pull it out of his pocket to know that it was his mom again, this time reminding him they were waiting for him. He wanted to reply that they should get started without him. It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t order his brunch when he arrived.

    But his mother wouldn¡¯t start without him. He had to be there so she could show him off to whomever would be at this brunch. That was what it was all about, anyway.

    Sighing, Nichs grabbed his hotel room key and headed for the door to his room. He supposed if he was really pressured to talk about it, he¡¯d have to admit he was dying because he didn¡¯t want this morning to end. He wanted to prolong his time under the same roof with Charlie as long as possible.

    They were all in the dining room and seated around a ridiculously long table when he entered. His mother had rented the same room they¡¯d had for the dinner Friday night, so it felt like it was a repeat, only the wedding was over now. A couple more hours and they¡¯d be free and clear.

    Nichs tried not to think about that as he sat down next to Charlie. She was deep in conversation with one of his mother¡¯s friends. Betsy or Bitsy or Mitzi-he couldn¡¯t remember the woman¡¯s name. Didn¡¯t matter anyway. ¡°You will have to join us. I know it sounds like something only older people do, but if you start now, you¡¯ll be positioned for a leadership role by the time you¡¯re in your fifties.¡±

    He realized then that Charlie wasn¡¯t deep in conversation with the woman. She was having her ear talked off. In fact, she turned to look at him and widened her eyes so briefly it was barely noticeable, as if to say help me!

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte,¡± Nichs said loudly, hoping that would stop the conversation next to him. It didn¡¯t. In fact, conversation continued all around the table, making him wonder if anyone had even noticed his absence.

    He sat down, eyeing the coffee cup in front of his te. He¡¯d used the one-cup coffeemaker in the room to get his caffeine fix that morning, but it had been far from satisfactory. Right now, if he could just get some coffee in his system, he could tackle any challenge this table would bring.

    ¡°Good morning, everyone,¡± his mother, apparently noticing at some point that Nichs had arrived, called out as she stood to address the group.

    Nichs groaned inwardly. Still no coffee. He looked around and saw, sure enough, other people had their coffee cups filled. What were the odds they¡¯dpletely skipped him?

    The odds increased as a group of servers arrived with tes full of food. They began setting them in front of people as Nichs¡¯s mom began her typical ¡°Thanks foring this weekend¡± speech. Nichs didn¡¯t want to interrupt, but coffee was pretty important. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like she was saying anything all that urgent.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he whispered to the woman who sat a te filled with scrambled eggs, fruit, and a croissant in front of him. No meat. If he couldn¡¯t have caffeine, he at least needed some bacon or sausage.

    Whether she hadn¡¯t heard him or chose to ignore him, he wasn¡¯t sure. But the server turned and headed back out the door. Shifting to one of the other servers, he tried to make eye contact, even lifting his hand slightly as she passed. It wasn¡¯t easy to g someone down when you couldn¡¯t even speak.

    ¡°Excuse me!¡± he said much louder as a third server raced past him without noting his mostly quiet attempts to get attention. If he didn¡¯t speak up now, he may not get coffee until well into his meal. He wasn¡¯t even sure the servers would check back then.

    But the two words seemed to fill the room, bouncing off the walls and making it impossible not to notice. Nichs winced. He hadn¡¯t meant to be that loud.

    ¡°Could I get some coffee?¡± he whispered to the server who had doubled back and leaned over to see his face. Whispering now would make it all better, wouldn¡¯t it?

    The server nodded and rushed out the door. He realized then, even after doing that, there was no guarantee she¡¯d return with a pot of coffee. It was his fault. He shouldn¡¯t have beente.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Donna, frown on her face, waited until all eyes returned to her again, then continued. ¡°I learned this weekend that my other son, Nichs, will be getting married very soon. I¡¯ll be nning yet another wedding. Can you believe it?¡±

    Attention turned to Nichs. That was thest thing he wanted. He looked over at Charlie, hoping to divert some of that attention to her.

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Caroline asked, seated halfway between Nichs and his mother. He got his wish at that point. All eyes turned to Caroline. But he had a feeling whatever was about to happen was far worse than people watching him.

 Chapter 123

    ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡± Donna asked Caroline. Donna immediately sat down and picked up her fork, holding it in ce as she stared down the woman with a semi-polite smile.

    ¡°I spent some time with Justin and Brooke yesterday.¡± Caroline spoke directly to Donna, then scanned the group as she said the rest. ¡°Justin is Nichs¡¯s best friend and Charlie¡¯s boss, as you all know. Justin slipped up and revealed that Charlie and Nichs just met. They aren¡¯t even engaged.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Donna looked at her son. ¡°Is that the case?¡±

    He could lie. He could tell his mother that it wasn¡¯t the case-that Caroline must have misunderstood. But something snapped in him as he viewed his mother¡¯s indignant expression. That something tied directly back

    to the conversation he¡¯d had with his brother just before the wedding-the one where he¡¯d learned that his mother threw each brother¡¯s aplishments in the other one¡¯s face to make thempete with each other.

    It was horrible, despicable behavior.

    ¡°That is the case,¡± he said. ¡°You kept pushing various women on me, including Caroline here. No offense, Caroline, but I know my type. I can choose my own dates. I just want to be left alone to live my life the way I think is best.¡±

    In the long silence that followed Nichs¡¯s announcement, he worried he¡¯d been too harsh. He didn¡¯t want to hurt his mother. He just wanted his message to get across. But nobody seemed to be able to make eye contact with either Nichs or his mother, and Donna was staring off to the side and taking deep breaths, probably to calm herself down.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Charlie¡¯s voice, as Nichs¡¯s had earlier, cut into the silence abruptly. Attention turned to her as she took a deep breath. That breath was to gather courage, though, he was pretty sure-not at all like Donna¡¯s.

    ¡°Your fault?¡± Donna asked.

    ¡°I needed someone to go to my high school reunion with me. We agreed to a swap. If he hadn¡¯t yed my fiance at my reunion, he wouldn¡¯t owe me the favor and I wouldn¡¯t be here right now.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯d be seated next to Caroline right now,¡± the Betsy-BitsyMitzi woman said with a big smile on her face.

    Nichs had to speak up. ¡°First of all, no. I proposed the entire thing after I heard she needed a date for a reunion. And even if Charlie hadn¡¯t agreed, I¡¯d be sitting right here this morning. Yes, Mom¡¯s matchmaking worked with Nate¡¯s wife. You know why? Because they both immediately bonded over the fact that they did not want to be fixed up. There¡¯s a reason for that.¡±

    ¡°People do not like fix-ups.¡±

    This, surprisingly, came from Caroline, who seemed to be off her bustthe-happy-couple mission and was now on Nichs¡¯s side? He didn¡¯t know. What he did know was that the server returned with his coffee, and he¡¯d never been so happy to see a beverage in his life.

    ¡°I had no idea,¡± Caroline said to Nichs, who was enjoying his first sip. ¡°Nobody cleared this matchmaking attempt with me. I don¡¯t appreciate that.¡±

    At that, she turned a re on Donna, who looked properly chastised. She stared down at her te, her fork still poised above it. He felt immediate guilt, despite the fact that this conversation was long overdue. It just was a conversation he¡¯d hoped to have with her privately.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t as though I nned this well in advance,¡± Donna said. ¡°I just thought-¡±

    ¡°Thought what, Mom?¡± Nichs took a deep breath, telling himself this was not the time to lose his temper. ¡°You thought maybe you knew the woman I need to spend the rest of my life with better than I did? And what about Nate? Do you feel that you matched him with someone who will provide the prettiest babies? Or just the person who looks best on the society pages of the newspaper?¡±

    Yes, he was on a roll now. Maybe it was the jolt of caffeine pumping through his veins, but it felt as though he was suddenly free to unleash all the pent-up anger and frustration he had.

    ¡°Well,¡± Donna said on a sigh. ¡°Maybe this is a conversation we should table for another day. Today¡¯s brunch is supposed to be a celebration of family and togetherness.¡±

    Nichs looked around. ¡°Family? The only family at this table is you and me. These are your friends from the tennis club and church and your neighborhood. Aside from the wedding party, which is mostly made up of daughters and sons of your friends, there¡¯s no family here at all. That¡¯s my point.¡±

    Nichs took another sip of coffee. Maybe he hadn¡¯t clearly stated his point. He had a lot to say today, and he really didn¡¯t want to say it in front of all of these people.

    ¡°I only wanted what was best for you and Nate.¡± Donna¡¯s voice broke a little as her eyes filled with tears. ¡°After your father left, I did the best I could to raise the two of you. It wasn¡¯t easy.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°And you did a great job, Mom. But we¡¯re grown now. There¡¯s no need to meddle in our lives or tell Nate all the things I¡¯m doing right that he¡¯s not. And vice versa. Yes, wepared notes. Putting us inpetition with each other aplishes nothing.¡±

    Silence. His mother¡¯s tears were starting to flow freely now, and he realized what a jerk he wasing across to all her friends. He was basically bullying his crying mother at a table full of people. Not a good look.

    ¡°Well, I think I¡¯ve done enough damage here. Mom, we¡¯ll get together and discuss things. I¡¯m sorry for any distress I¡¯ve caused. I¡¯ll be going.¡±

    He only realized once he was halfway to his room that he didn¡¯t get a chance to say goodbye to Charlie.

 Chapter 124

    Nichs had left without even saying goodbye.

    Not only had he stranded her at the hotel without a ride, but she hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to see him onest time. The ride was no big deal. She just called for a rideshare. San Francisco had no shortage of those. But not being able to have that final moment with him was a problem.

    And now she had to face Brooke.

    ¡°So?¡±

    Charlie winced. She¡¯d expected Brooke to wait at least half an hour after arriving to pounce. Instead, she¡¯d plopped down in Charlie¡¯s guest chair-the one intended for employees to discuss their benefits and workce issues.

    ¡°So?¡± Charlie repeated. Obviously, dying was the tactic she was going with here.

    ¡°Did you talk to him?¡±

    Charlie shook her head. ¡°Apparently Justin slipped up while he was talking to Caroline. Nichs had to confess everything. Then he stomped out, leaving me there with a roomful of people who were suddenly very ufortable with me there. I left.¡±

    Shrugging, Charlie returned her attention to the numbers she¡¯d been double-checking on her screen. It wasn¡¯t that this work was all that urgent.

    She just wanted a way out of this conversation.

    ¡°Oh. Oh, my. I¡¯ll have a talk with Justin. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯d do that.¡± Charlie shook her head, not taking her eyes off the screen. ¡°No need. It¡¯s all over now. I¡¯m ready to move on.¡±

    One good thing about everything that had happened-no way would Donna show up for their lunch date. She truly could move forward without having to worry about the Shaw family being in her life. Things had gone back to the simple predictability she preferred.

    That was what she told herself, anyway.

    ¡°That¡¯s rough. I can have Justin talk to him for you.¡±

    Charlie turned, giving Brooke a half-smile. It was the best she could do at this point. It felt like all the energy had been sucked out of her. Time would fix that, she figured.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather just forget about it.¡± Charlie turned back to her screen. ¡°Thanks, though.¡±

    Seeming to get the hint, Brooke hopped up to make a phone call. They had a staff meeting that morning, so they all had things to do. Charlie had to get these numbers together to show her boss how much they were spending on payroll. It kept her busy, which helped upy her mind. That was what she needed now.

    What she didn¡¯t count on, though, was that Justin would remind her so much of Nichs. Not that they were all that much alike, either in looks or personality. But he knew Nichs better than most people did. They¡¯d been friends for a long time. She couldn¡¯t help but think of that when she looked at him. She only hoped that would go away over time since she definitely didn¡¯t want to switch jobs right now.

    As they exited the conference room, she got an even more direct reminder of Nichs Shaw. A text from his mother.

    I¡¯m out here.

    What? Charlie came to a dead stop outside the conference room, nearly causing a collision with the development team streaming out behind her. Donna was out there? Outside the building? She searched her mind for anything else that could have meant and came up with nothing.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± Charlie said to nobody in particr, slipping the phone in pocket of her suit jacket as she rushed toward the door. She didn¡¯t need her purse or sunsses. She wasn¡¯t going anywhere with this woman if she was, in fact, waiting outside the front door of the building. Charlie had no need to go to lunch with Donna Baker Shaw now that things were over with her son, but even if she did, thest thing Nichs would want was for his mother to meddle again.

    The passenger-side window stayed rolled up as Charlie approached. She waited for it to roll down. It didn¡¯t, so she knocked on it.

    A millisecondter, the window lowered with a gentle whir. It stopped when there was about a few-inch opening for Charlie to peer through.

    ¡°Get in!¡± Donna ordered.

    Wow. This was a side of Nichs¡¯s mom that Charlie hadn¡¯t seen. Physically, she looked like the same Donna that Charlie had experienced all along,plete with her hair pinned up in something straight out of the neen-fifties. There was something interesting about thismanding, direct Donna, especially whenpared to the loud-but-syrupy-sweet Donna she¡¯d been all weekend.

    A couple of factorsbined to convince Charlie to hop in. One, she didn¡¯t want to stand out here on the sidewalk, having a discussion with a woman in an overpriced luxury vehicle. Two, she was curious to see what would happen if she got in the car.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my purse,¡± Charlie said once she was seated, door closed, seatbelt fastened.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need it.¡± Donna sped away from the curb, driving much faster than Charlie would have imagined. She seemed like the type who drove with her hands in the proper positions, focused heavily on the road ahead of her. Instead, she had one hand on the wheel and a rxed posture.

    Charlie decided she may as well take this opportunity to say what she wanted to say. ¡°Look, I want to apologize to you. Tricking you was the wrong thing to do. I just liked hanging out with your son and wanted to get to know his family. I didn¡¯t think about how it might hurt people until I met all of you.¡±

    ¡°So you like hanging out with Nichs.¡±

    Charlie winced. She hadn¡¯t meant to reveal that. She definitely didn¡¯t want to inspire Donna to y matchmaker for her son again. ¡°We had fun. It was nice of him to help me. That¡¯s all.¡±

    Hopefully, that would be enough to throw Donna off the trail. If she was on a trail, that was. They pulled up to a valet stand in front of a fancy new French restaurant near the office and Charlie¡¯s jaw dropped. She¡¯d heard Justin talk about how hard it was to get a reservation here. They were booked months in advance.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°How did you get in on such short notice?¡± Charlie asked as the valet rushed around the front of the vehicle to open Donna¡¯s door.

    Donna didn¡¯t answer, just looked at Charlie as though that was the most absurd question ever asked. She then climbed out of the car without answering. Charlie couldn¡¯t wait to share all this with Brooke. She¡¯d appreciate the absurdity of someone being able to just show up at one of the town¡¯s most exclusive restaurants without notice¡­especially since Donna lived a good hour away from here.

    Sure enough, there wasn¡¯t even a discussion as they entered. The maitre d¡¯ escorted them to a table near the back of the restaurant in a room that seemed reserved for VIPs. They were the only two back there, for one, while the rest of the restaurant seemed packed. Also, in fancy restaurants like this, menus weren¡¯t even handed to you when you were seated, apparently. Charlie wondered if she was supposed to know what food they served.

    ¡°I rmend the salmon sd.¡±

    At Donna¡¯s rmendation, Charlie thought about just going along with it, even though she hated fish. But no. The Charlie she was after the events of the past couple of weeks did not worry what other people thought. She was determined toe out of her experiences having lost her peoplepleasing instincts.

    ¡°Do they have a grilled chicken sd?¡±

    Just as Charlie asked the question, a server arrived with two menus. She could look for herself.

    ¡°Yes, but it isn¡¯t very good. The salmon is better. Trust me.¡± Donna held up her hand to stave off the offer of a menu. ¡°We¡¯ll both have the salmon sd.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to look at the menu first.¡±

    Maybe it wasn¡¯t fancy. Maybe it wasn¡¯t bourgeois enough for a restaurant of this caliber, but Charlie didn¡¯t care. She wasn¡¯t going to force down salmon sd to fit in here.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just need a few extra minutes.¡± Donna shed an apologetic look before the server spun and headed back to the kitchen.

    Proving she wasn¡¯t rattled by all this, Charlie opened the menu and scanned it. In a matter of a couple of minutes, she¡¯d found the exact sd she wanted and closed the menu.

    Charlie leveled a serious look at Donna. ¡°You wanted to talk to me about something?¡±

    It was a guess. Donna had, after all, suggested they get together for lunch despite the mess of the previous day¡¯s brunch. The fact that she was here had to mean she wanted to have a talk, right?

 Chapter 125

    Donna opened her mouth to speak but before she got a word out, the server returned. Just a few extra minutes as Donna had requested. They both ced their orders, and once the server was gone again, Donna gave speaking another shot.

    ¡°I was out of line. I realize that now. I n to apologize to Nichs, but first I wanted to clear things up with you.¡±

    Charlie shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s really not necessary. As long as you and Nichs get everything squared away, I¡¯m good.¡±

    But Donna shook her head, her mouth set in a firm line. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Nichs like that.¡±

    Charlie braced herself. This was the lecture she probably would have expected if she¡¯d stopped to think about what might happen at this lunch meeting. A stern reprimand about the way Nichs had treated her at the brunch the previous day-in front of all her friends, no less. Charlie supposed she deserved that, but if she was walking away from this family, she really didn¡¯t need to deal with this.

    ¡°He¡¯s in love. I can¡¯t interfere, because it¡¯s obvious he doesn¡¯t want me to, but I also sense that you aren¡¯t aware that he¡¯s in love with you.¡±

    A long silence passed as Charlie struggled to process what she¡¯d just heard. It had beenpletely unexpected-so unexpected, in fact, she was sure she¡¯d imagined it. Had Nichs¡¯s mother just said Nichs was in love¡­with Charlie?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true,¡± Charlie finally managed to force out. ¡°He¡¯s a really good actor, but it was all just an act. He made that clear.¡±

    Narrowing her eyes, Donna tilted her head slightly. ¡°Did he? How so?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t even say goodbye, for one thing.¡± Charlie gestured toward her phone, which was still snug in the pocket of her suit jacket. ¡°He hasn¡¯t tried to call or text, either.¡±

    ¡°My guess is that he thinks you don¡¯t return his feelings.¡± Donna paused as the server set their drinks down, then picked right up once the server disappeared. ¡°I know my son. I know his insecurities. He seems like he¡¯s got it all together, but he doesn¡¯t realize how amazing he is.¡±

    Charlie nodded. She supposed she could see that. But that brought her to her next point. ¡°Do you think maybe you contribute to that?¡±

    It was a risky question to ask. Donna could respond bypletely shutting down, maybe even ordering her to leave this restaurant now. How dare Charlie question her parenting? She was so sure that would be the reaction, she was actually surprised when it wasn¡¯t.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°I think I do.¡± Donna nodded, staring down at her te briefly before lifting her gaze to Charlie¡¯s face again. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about how much of my attention has focused on what people think of me, rather than who I actually am as a person.¡±

    Charlie remained silent. She¡¯d actually made that same observation, based both on Donna¡¯s actions and what her son had said. But no way would she reveal that.

    ¡°It¡¯s something I n to work on.¡± Donna rearranged her silverware and drink ss. Tidying seemed to help her somehow. ¡°Me, too,¡± Charlie finally said after a long silence.

    Thest thing she wanted to do was make this about her. It wasn¡¯t about her. But instinct told her opening up about her own issues might help Donna realize she wasn¡¯t alone.

    ¡°In fact, the whole reason your son and I made the agreement in the first ce was that I wanted to show off for my high school reunion. There were a couple of women who were mean to me ten years ago, and I never let it go. Do you know what I learned from the experience?¡±

    Donna stared at her, eyes wide, confirming Charlie had been right to mention her own issues with it. She decided to continue.

    ¡°We¡¯re all guilty of it. Even Nichs.¡±

    Donna¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He¡¯s pretty self-assured.¡±

    ¡°Hepetes. His brother, his best friend, pretty much everyone in Silicon Valley. They all do. It¡¯s like a race to the top around here. I think measuring ourselves against others is human nature, and that¡¯s all you¡¯re doing. The problem is, when you do it, you put the pressure on your sons as well as yourself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you realized at your reunion?¡± Donna asked.

    The server brought a basket of bread. Donna ignored it, which immediately made Charlie think about doing the same. But then she remembered her new mission to do what she wanted, regardless of what other people thought.

    Charlie dug a dinner roll out of the basket. ¡°No. I realized that people don¡¯t really care all that much about what we¡¯re doing. They¡¯re not impressed because, newssh, they¡¯re too busy beefing their own lives up so that they can impress everyone else.¡±

    After a long, thoughtful moment, Donna nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. None of my friends seemed all that blown away by the wedding. All that work and they just shrugged it off. In fact, my friend Annabelle spent most of yesterday morning talking about the wedding she was going to have for her own children when they got married-and they¡¯re not even engaged.¡±

    ¡°Did your friends even call to check on you after what happened at the brunch?¡±

    Charlie would have bet money they hadn¡¯t, but Donna nodded. ¡°They actually were great. They came together and nned a big get-togetherst night for dinner. They knew I was upset and didn¡¯t want me to be alone.¡± ¡°Sounds like some pretty good friends,¡± Charliemented.

    She thought of her own friendships, including Brooke. Charlie tended to get stuck in her routine, only getting together with friends when it was nned in advance. Even then, things seemed pretty superficial. She was guilty of not being there for other people, and it was something she needed to work on.

    ¡°They are,¡± Donna said. ¡°They say I need to have a heart to heart with

    Nichs. But I want you to do me a favor.¡±

    Charlie was almost afraid to ask. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Talk to my son. If you have feelings for him, let him know. Give him a chance to at least decide.¡±

    Charlie opened her mouth to argue but immediately closed it again. Donna was making the same point Brooke had, in essence. By not telling Nichs how she felt, she wasn¡¯t giving him a chance to reject her. But she wasn¡¯t giving him a chance to tell her he felt the same, either. And if she held back out of fear, she¡¯d never know.

    ¡°You know what? I think I¡¯ll have some bread. Why not?¡±

    Smiling at Charlie, Donna reached into the breadbasket and pulled out the biggest roll of all.

 Chapter 126

    ¡°Come on in,¡± Nichs said as he stood in his foyer, greeting his mother who had just  sarcastically, but he was smiling as

    waltzed right into his home. He¡¯d unlocked the door as soon as she buzzed in at the gate, but people typically knocked or rang the doorbell once they were on his front porch.

    ¡°You cooked?¡± Donna asked, looking shocked. It made him wish he could say yes, he¡¯d spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen rather than on the phone with his distributors, working out an issue. But he couldn¡¯t say that.

    ¡°I had it catered,¡± he answered instead.

    That was thenguage his mom spoke. She wouldn¡¯t rte to him saying he¡¯d ordered up food using an app one of his favorite colleagues developed and had it delivered to his front door.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    She followed him into his dining room, which he rarely used these days. He was too busy working, not to mention attending weddings and high school reunions.

    ¡°Smells delicious.¡± Donna eyed the table setup as she walked to the ce setting all the way at the end of the table. It wasn¡¯t that long a table, but he¡¯d made sure to put the two settings at either end to keep some distance between them.

    One problem with that. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to do this like a buffet,¡± Nichsmented, looking at the food he¡¯d set in the center of the table.

    It would be unreachable to either of them.

    ¡°I have a great live-in housekeeper.¡±

    ¡°Patrice. I know. I¡¯ve met her.¡±

    Donna picked up her te and headed to the center of the table. Meanwhile, Nichs stood back, slightly amused at the sight of his mother spooning green beans onto her te. She looked like a mismatch for the scene, with her designer pink silk skirt suit and ornate jewelry.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she could rmend someone who could help out around here.¡±

    There his mom went again, meddling.

    ¡°I have someone whoes in every day,¡± he said, hoping to put a quick end to it. ¡°She takes care of everything while I¡¯m at work. I wouldn¡¯t want someone living here with me. That¡¯s just¡­¡±

    He started to say creepy but stopped himself. If that was how his mom preferred things, who was he to make her feel bad about it? Instead, he stepped forward and started filling his te while his mother moved to take her seat.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°I owe you a huge apology,¡± he said as soon as his butt hit the chair, te full of food. There was no point in making small talk for the next half hour or so while he waited for the right time to have a serious discussion. Maybe they could talk about this and get it out of the way, then go on to better things.

    Nichs picked up his fork and prepared to dig in. ¡°I should never have said those things to you. I shouldn¡¯t have lied to you in the first ce. I was way, way out of line. I love you. That¡¯s all that matters.¡±

    Donna shook her head. ¡°No. I was the one who was out of line. I¡¯ve realized that I waste time worrying about what other people think, and worse, I put the pressure on you and Nate to make me look good. Instead, I should focus my energy on spending time with you and Nate and the women in your lives.¡±

    Nichs forced a bite of roasted potatoes down his throat. There was no woman in his life. Should he point that out?

    Obviously, Donna quickly realized her mistake. ¡°The women you choose to be in your life. I trust you to find the right person when you¡¯re ready.¡±

    She stared at him as though she was eagerly awaiting his response. She wouldn¡¯t meddle, but he knew she had questions about Charlie.

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d found that person.¡± He took a deep breath. Why was he sharing this? More importantly, why did it feel so good to say the words out loud? Nichs shrugged, boiling all his issues down to one sentence. ¡°She wasn¡¯t that into me.¡±

    He¡¯d give his mom credit. She didn¡¯t respond. He could tell by the way her eyes narrowed that a war raged inside that head of hers. She wanted to say something. She was dying to interfere. But she wouldn¡¯t.

    And that gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, her meddling was over.

    ¡°Did I ever tell you the story about how I knew your father was cheating?¡±

    What in the world? Of all the things he expected his mother to say right then, that was thest of them. But he was curious where she was going with this.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± he dared to say. He went through the motions of eating, but he felt like his entire system had frozen as he waited for her to say more.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t see me anymore.¡± She set her fork down and patted her mouth with her napkin. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just that he didn¡¯t look at me with love in his eyes. He looked right through me like I wasn¡¯t even there.¡±

    ¡°We noticed.¡±

    Maybe Nichs shouldn¡¯t have admitted that, but it was true. He and his brother had noticed how distant his father had been in the months leading up to suddenly moving out. That was why it wasn¡¯t a surprise that he decided to walk out and never get in touch with Nichs or Nate ever again. He¡¯d sent his child support payment as ordered by the court, and they¡¯d stayed in the house without him, but he¡¯d checked out of the family long, long before he moved out.

    ¡°I was hoping you didn¡¯t,¡± Donna admitted. ¡°I tried to keep things as stable as possible for you and your brother.¡±

    ¡°We noticed that, too. I can¡¯t speak for Nate, but I definitely saw all you did to keep our routines the same and make up for Dad being gone. I don¡¯t think we ever told you how much we appreciated that.¡±

    His mother had tears in her eyes, and he wondered if he should maybe push the conversation back to small talk. He definitely didn¡¯t want to make the mood any heavier than it had to be.

    ¡°Thank you for saying that.¡± She sighed and resumed eating. ¡°I think I got off track there. My point was, there¡¯s a way you and Charlie look at each other that¡­ well, let¡¯s just say I miss that feeling. It makes me long for the days when I was young and in love.¡±

    As much as he¡¯d been d his mom had stopped meddling, he couldn¡¯t help buttch onto what his mother had just said. Charlie looked at him a certain way? Sure, he¡¯d thought that was exactly what he¡¯d seen, but the fact that someone else was pointing it out¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t let fear keep you from falling in love.¡± His mother spoke those words fairly quietly, in a voice he barely heard. It was as if she wanted to convey advice without meddling, so that cryptic sentence was all she¡¯d give.

    ¡°I could say the same for you, Mom.¡± Nichs stopped eating for a moment and stared at his mom. She looked up, stopping mid-chew, her brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°You haven¡¯t dated since Dad left. That was a long time ago. It¡¯s long overdue.¡±

    ¡°How do you know I haven¡¯t dated? I have a life you don¡¯t even know about.¡±

    Okay, now things were getting interesting. ¡°You¡¯ve been dating? Are you seeing someone now?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I love my life just the way it is. I have a full schedule filled with social events and plenty of friends. You couldn¡¯t pay me enough to get in another rtionship.¡±

    ¡°So when did you date?¡±

    ¡°I was in a few rtionships when you were in college and the years soon after. I decided it wasn¡¯t for me. I like my freedom.¡±

    Nichs had to say he was pretty impressed. He¡¯d always thought of his mom as this person who lived for her children and her social standing. It turned out she was an independent woman who had made a good life for herself. She¡¯d managed to create stability for Nichs and his brother while also keeping her obligations and taking a job as an office manager. He hadn¡¯t given his mother nearly enough credit.

    ¡°But that¡¯s not to say I would trade my marriage to your father for anything. I loved having a partner to share my life with, and it brought me two amazing sons. To be able to do that with someone you truly love, who willmit to you for life and not stray, well, that¡¯s the dream, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Nichs couldn¡¯t believe it, but his mom¡¯s meddling was actually helping this time. She made a good point. He¡¯d felt a connection with Charlie that he couldn¡¯t remember ever feeling before. There was something there. If he didn¡¯t at least check to see if Charlie felt the same, he could be walking away from something real. Something amazing.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Nichs set his fork down and looked his mom in the eye as he said those two words. No matter their differences recently, he really did love his mother and he wanted her to know. His gratitude wasn¡¯t just about the words she¡¯d said to him tonight. It was about everything she¡¯d done for him, all the sacrifices she¡¯d made. It was a thank you that was long overdue.

    She smiled. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

 Chapter 127

    Charlie nced at her phone, smiling at the text on her screen. Things were on the right track. After work tonight, she was meeting a group of friends for dinner-a girls¡¯ night she¡¯d begged

    out of multiple times because she didn¡¯t go out on work nights. This was her first step toward moving out of herfort zone and experiencing life.

    It was a wee change. It took her mind off Nichs. She woke up every morning saddened that things hadn¡¯t worked out between them. She kept waiting for it to get easier, but it hadn¡¯t yet.

    So she¡¯d reached out to her friend group to see if they were still doing ¡°Hump Day Dinner,¡± as they called it. It was the same group she sometimes met for dinner on weekends, only slightly smaller because it was a work night.

    Turned out she wasn¡¯t the only one who loved her routine.

    Charlie nced at the clock on herputer screen. Just a couple more hours until lunch. It was around the time of morning when things calmed down long enough for her to get some work done, but she never knew when someone mighte walking up the small hallway that led to her semiprivate corner of the office, ready to ask some question or request paperwork. That meant she had to power through her to-do list while she had the chance.

    ¡°She¡¯s right over here. We¡¯ll just check in with her.¡±

    The sound of her boss¡¯s voice made Charlie groan inwardly. An interruption. Hopefully, it would just be brief.

    But when she looked up, she saw it wasn¡¯t just Justining toward her. Nichs was right behind him.

    Charlie¡¯s heart shifted into double-time as she stared at the men walking in her direction. She knew she should look away. Staring at Nichs wouldn¡¯t do anything to hide her feelings for him. She needed to remain cool,posed,pletely indifferent¡­

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    The greeting slipped out of her. She wasn¡¯t even sure where it hade from. She pulled her gaze away from the two of them and stood, turning to face them with a stiff, perfectly straight posture.

    ¡°Hi,¡± Nichs returned, seeming oddly nervous. He wiped at his forehead, then stopped behind Justin, who was standing just inside the low wall that set the boundaries of Charlie¡¯s office.

    ¡°We were wondering if you could help us with something.¡± Justin nced back at Nichs before continuing. ¡°We¡¯re nning a surprise bonding trip for the staff, and we need your help.¡±

    Charlie frowned. This was not a coincidence. Justin and Brooke were up to no good here, and she really should do something about it. If Nichs didn¡¯t want to be with her, thest thing she wanted was for him to be forced into it. Besides, if she was around him all the time, how would she ever get over him?

    Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t be all the time.

    ¡°What exactly is the trip?¡± she asked.

    Justin smiled, the left side of his mouth curving upward more than the right. ¡°It¡¯s for this weekend. I know you¡¯re not a big fan of spontaneity, but this needs to be a surprise.¡±

    ¡°Like the surprise a couple of weeks ago?¡±

    Even as Charlie asked the question, she mentally calcted whether it had been two, three, or four weeks ago. It seemed like she¡¯d known Nichs for years. How was it possible that a month ago at this time, she hadn¡¯t even been aware of his existence?

    Could she go back to that time? It certainly would make it easier to get over him.

    ¡°Oh. I guess we did just do this wholest-minute surprise thing.¡± Justin gave Nichs another nce before continuing. ¡°Anyway, Nichs has a ce in Lake Tahoe, and he was able to pull some strings and get us some rental cabins.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the off-season,¡± Nichs jumped in to exin. ¡°They were sitting empty.¡±

    It took Charlie a second to realize what was going on with that, but she quickly figured out he was trying to be humble about things. Someone had a bunch of rental cabins that could be loaned out to the team at thest minute. Nichs didn¡¯t want to sound pretentious. She got it. It was one of the qualities she loved most about him.

    Loved?

    The thought shook Charlie up. Since when had the L-word entered the picture? Sure, Brooke had said it, but Charlie had refused to go there. Until now.

    It couldn¡¯t be a mistake that it went through her mind while she was standing near him, trying not to look at him. Seeing him again had stirred up emotions in her, whether she wanted it to or not.

    She shook off the thought and pushed forward, forcing the words out. ¡°So you need my help arranging payment?¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Nichs is taking care of that.¡± Justin stepped back, which prompted Nichs to take a step back, too. It seemed to be a signal they were about to exit. ¡°There will be other guests staying in a couple of the cabins, but we¡¯ll have most of them to ourselves. There¡¯s a view of theke, too.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlie hated to be rude, but they still hadn¡¯t answered her questions. ¡°How can I help?¡±

    Justin gestured toward herputer. ¡°We need you to put together a presentation. Three separate presentations, an hour each. I¡¯ll take care of everything else. I¡¯m going to break the news to the staff now.¡±

    Charlie bit her lip to keep herself from speaking what was on her mind. No, she didn¡¯t like spontaneity, but even the employees who did may not be avable to give up an entire weekend at thest minute. People had ns, spouses, roommates, friends, kids¡­ There were things that had to be rearranged to make something like this happen.

    That wasn¡¯t her argument to make, though. If her boss said they were going to a cabin for the weekend, she would do her part to make sure she was prepared. Her co-workers could figure things out on their own.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving Friday morning, so it¡¯s a free day off.¡±

    At Justin¡¯sment, Nichsughed. ¡°A free day sitting in a van for a four-hour drive.¡±

    ¡°That reminds me. I have to go find a bus big enough for all of us.¡±

    With that, Justin exited Charlie¡¯s office, rushing off in the direction from which he¡¯de. He seemed to have forgotten about Nichs. That left Charlie and Nichs alone, with an awkward silence hanging in the air between them.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll be spending the weekend together,¡± Nichs said.

    That pulled Charlie¡¯s gaze from the wall behind him to his face. Her eyes widened. ¡°How far are the cabins from your ce?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°Few miles. But I don¡¯t feel like driving back and forth, so I¡¯ll be staying in the cabin with Justin.¡±

    ¡°Justin and Brooke aren¡¯t sharing?¡±

    Nichs shook his head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be appropriate, he said. It sounds like Brooke will be sharing a cabin with you. They¡¯re two-bedroom cabins, along with a few three- and four-bedrooms. The developers have to group up.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll love that.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t meant sarcastically at all. The development team got along pretty well, for the most part. She imagined they wouldn¡¯t be able to wait to get back to the cabin to close the door and y video games. That seemed to be all they talked about.

    Charlie was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn¡¯t realize Nichs was staring at her until she nced over at him again. He not only looked like he wanted to say something, but his lips were parted as if the words were on the verge of spilling from his mouth.

    Before he could say anything, though, his phone¡¯s ringtone began ring.

    He winced. ¡°Sorry. Forgot to silence it this morning.¡±

    She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could get a word out, Nichs turned and started walking away.

    Only when he was several steps away did Nichs seem to remember she was still standing there. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡±

    Then he walked off, leaving her standing there, staring after him. That gave her all the answer she needed. The entire interaction told her that he definitely wasn¡¯t interested in her. Knowing that, she could go on with her life.

    She just had to get through one final weekend with him.

 Chapter 128

    This would be the third weekend in a row Nichs would spend with Charlie, and once again, he found himself excited about it.

    He felt a little bad about taking Justin up on his offer to do a

    retreat for all the employees. Maybe he should have said no and approached Charlie on his own. But he had the feeling both Justin and Brooke were doing this to y matchmaker. Who was he to stop them?

    Nichs arrived at the cabins a few hours ahead of the TravTech group. He¡¯d actuallye up the night before, spending Thursday night at his condo so he¡¯d be rested and nearby when it was time to get started. But he¡¯d been too anxious to just hang out at home, waiting for the team¡¯s midafternoon arrival, so he¡¯d headed to the clubhouse to pace the lobby area until the caterer arrived.

    What he didn¡¯t expect was that Charlie would show up ahead of everyone.

    ¡°You¡¯re early,¡± she said as she stepped through the big doors that led into the building. No doubt she¡¯d seen his car parked outside.

    ¡°Just waiting for the caterer.¡±

    Charlie lifted her right hand, which clutched her smartphone, and looked at the screen. Yeah, he knew what she was thinking. The caterers weren¡¯t scheduled to arrive for at least another hour. But she was nice enough not to speak those thoughts out loud.

    ¡°There¡¯s water,¡± he said.

    It was an absurd thing to say, but an awkwardness surrounded them. He wanted to find a way back to the ease they¡¯d had before the wedding. Yes, it had still been a little awkward, mostly because he¡¯d been on his best behavior so he didn¡¯t scare her off, but now it felt like there was a barrier between them.

    Charlie stared at him with a quizzical expression. ¡°Someone dropped off water?¡±

    He supposed his words hadn¡¯t been very clear. He gestured to indicate the big area with couches, chairs, and a firece. She hadn¡¯t seen it yet, so she would have no idea what he was referring to.

    ¡°It¡¯s always there.¡± He cleared his throat, which sounded scratchy and hoarse all of a sudden. ¡°It¡¯s an amenity provided to the guests staying in the cabins. I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    He could have just pointed her in the general direction of the water cooler. That would free him up to stand here and continue his pacing. But he wanted to be near her, even with this awkwardness between them. Maybe if he spent enough time around her, he could break down that barrier.

    ¡°Wow,¡± she said as they entered the room.

    With that word, he expected she¡¯d be looking around the big room, admiring the firece and fancy furnishings. That¡¯s what he had noticed right off the bat, anyway. It was fairly upscale for a rental cabin clubhouse. Instead, she was looking at the water cooler.

    ¡°It has fruit!¡± She looked over at him, eyes wide, a big smile on her face. Something about a giant ss container filled with water and fruit brought out her childlike glee.

    He found himself falling even deeper in love with her.

    It was strange, the way that worked. With all the time they¡¯d spent together, seeing her reaction to fruity water was what made him realize he¡¯d gone over the ledge. He¡¯d fallen for her, despite his resolve to hold his feelings back until he was sure she felt the same.

    ¡°Do they cut fresh fruit for this every day?¡± she asked as she walked over to pour a cup of water for herself. At least he thought it was for herself. Instead, she set it aside and reached for another cup, filled it as well, then brought both over to hand him one.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t really thirsty, but he was so touched by the gesture, he took a drink anyway. The fruit definitely made a difference in the taste. He wouldn¡¯t exactly get excited about fruit-vored water, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel a lift in his mood due to Charlie¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Thanks for arranging all this.¡± She took another sip and looked around. ¡°I think the team will really love this ce.¡±

    Nichs took a deep breath. Was this the time? They had a while before the caterer was scheduled to arrive. They¡¯d be alone until then. But as he thought about it, he also considered that she might reject him. If that happened, not only would he be devastated, but he¡¯d be stuck hanging out around her for the rest of the weekend.

    No. He should wait untilter.

    Shaking that off, he decided to go in a different direction entirely. ¡°Tell me about your presentation.¡±

    He headed over to the seating area, hoping she¡¯d follow. She did. She didn¡¯t quite follow him as far as he¡¯d wanted, though, choosing the chair on the far side of the sofa rather than the chair next to him or, even better, the empty cushion beside him on the sofa.

    ¡°My presentation is on retirement,¡± Charlie said once she¡¯d settled in her chair. ¡°Boring, I know, but I did my best to make it fun. I¡¯m focusing on all the things employees can do to retire as early as possible.¡±

    Nichsughed. ¡°If they all leave, you guys will be in a pinch.¡±

    ¡°When I say ¡®early,¡¯ I don¡¯t mean this year. I¡¯m talking about fifty or sixty instead of seventy or eighty.¡±

    ¡°I can see that.¡± Nichs set the drink on the table next to him before turning back to face her. ¡°I hope to retire pretty early myself. That¡¯s why I¡¯m focusing more on property investments rather than buying businesses. Real estate appreciates.¡±

    Although Charlie nodded along with what he was saying, Nichs worried that he was boring her. Nobody wanted to talk about investment property.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that myself.¡± Charlie shifted in her seat, repositioning the cup of water, which was clutched in her hands in the center of herp. ¡°Not at your level, of course. Maybe a small vacation rental like the ones here. I could enjoy it when it¡¯s not upied and make some money on it the rest of the time.¡±

    Interesting. Just when Nichs thought he knew her, he learned something new.

    ¡°I can help you with that. I pursued it for a while, but decided it was too much workpared to buying upnd and owning properties that I just resaleter.¡±

    Now she looked at him with an interested expression. Was it possible she was developing a new appreciation for him? Or was she just interested in learning about buying property?

    ¡°I assume you already have a retirement n set up,¡± he said after a long silence.

    Her eyes narrowed and he immediately realized he¡¯d made a mistake. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    The defensiveness in her tone had him skipping back, reviewing what he might have said to offend her. Could he redirect it somehow? The problem was, the longer he hesitated, the more time she¡¯d have to start working up some anger.

    ¡°You just seem very organized, like the type of person who would make sure she was taken care of in the future.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if those words would help. Chances were they¡¯d only make matters worse. ¡°It¡¯s one of the things I admire most about you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. I¡¯m a nner. I¡¯m organized. Ick all spontaneity. I seem to be reminded of that at every turn these days.¡±

    Nichs¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You say that as though it¡¯s a bad thing. All of those qualities are positive.¡±

    ¡°All of those qualities make me sound like a total bore.¡±

    She was anything but boring, but how did he tell her that? He wasn¡¯t yet ready to bare his soul here, so it was tricky. There had to be a way he could make her realize how fascinating she was without confessing he was in love with her.

    ¡°Being interesting isn¡¯t about being spontaneous. It¡¯s about being able to hold a conversation and enjoy what¡¯s happening now. You walked up those steps in San Francisco without fear. Even when you were exhausted, you kept going. Would someone who was a total bore do something like that?¡±

    It was a stretch. Someone who was boring could do all kinds of things, he supposed. All he knew was that this particr woman was theplete opposite of boring to him.

    ¡°Do you think so?¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    The look on her face told him that his words hadnded. Instead of that tense set of her jaw she¡¯d had a couple of minutes earlier, her expression was rxed. She¡¯d even sat back in her seat when, before, her posture had been stiff and upright.

    ¡°I know so.¡±

    He wanted to say more but now wasn¡¯t the time. As he struggled for a way to get the conversation on a more casual track, they heard a male voiceing from the direction of the entry.

    ¡°Hello, hello!¡±

    Wait. He knew that voice. That was the voice of Justin.

    ¡°Justin and Brooke drove separately,¡± Charlie exined, likely noting Nichs¡¯s frown. ¡°They didn¡¯t want to pack into the van with everyone else.¡±

    ¡°So much for trying to look like they¡¯re not a couple,¡± Nichsmented, mostly to himself, as he stood and headed in the direction of the voice.

    They didn¡¯t have to walk all the way to the front door. Justin and Brooke came rushing in, and Brooke had a huge smile on her face. ¡°You guys beat us here.¡±

    Brooke said that as though they¡¯d traveled here together, even though she knew otherwise. But that didn¡¯t surprise Nichs. After all, Justin had been the one who had reached out to him about putting this weekend together, and from the first call, Nichs knew it was all aplicated matchmaking scheme. Nichs had been all too happy to go along with it, but he was no fool. He knew what was up here.

    ¡°No caterer still.¡± Charlie held up the mostly empty cup of water.

    ¡°There¡¯s fruit water, though. It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    The fruit water didn¡¯t impress Brooke nearly as much as it had Charlie. She nced over at it, then looked around. ¡°Where can I set this down?¡±

    Brooke was carrying an overstuffed tote bag. Charlie led her into the other room, leaving Nichs standing there with Justin.

    ¡°Thanks for arranging this, man,¡± Justin said. ¡°This ce is dope.¡±

    Dope. A word Nichs had never used. But Justin was always trying to fit in with the younger people moving into the Valley after college graduation.

    ¡°My friend gets all the credit for that. I just sent a few texts. Thanks foring up with the idea.¡±

    Nichs didn¡¯t know why he was thanking Justin. This was mostly for Justin¡¯s own benefit and the benefit of his team. He was hoping to inject a little morale boost into his staff by bringing them all here. The mood had beengging since theyoffs, and the meeting in the conference room had briefly helped. If Nichs could work his magic again, maybe they could find a way to improve things permanently.

    Doubtful, but Nichs was game for helping out.

    He pped Justin¡¯s upper arm and turned toward the room where the women had gone. ¡°I know we don¡¯t get to hang out as much as we used to, but I¡¯m always here for you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going to change,¡± Justin said.

    Nichs¡¯s eyes widened. He hoped Justin wasn¡¯t about to reveal the reason for that change was that things weren¡¯t going to work out with Brooke. They certainly seemed happier than ever.

    ¡°I miss doing stuff.¡± Justin shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s pick a night every week and get together for drinks or dinner, like the old days.¡±

    ¡°The old days as in, like, two months ago?¡± Nichsughed.

    Justinughed, too. ¡°Good point. Seems like a lifetime. So how about Wednesday nights? No excuses, unless we¡¯re out of town for work. We¡¯ll treat it like we would a client meeting-unchangeable.¡±

    Nichs liked the sound of that. He knew how easy it was to bump casual get-togethers when even the smallest things happened. The noexcuses approach was the only way to go.

    ¡°Deal.¡± Nichs nodded.

    They would have shaken on it, but there was a knock on the door behind Justin. The caterers had arrived.

 Chapter 129

    ¡°Could you take this outside to Nichs?¡± Brooke¡¯s request was so obvious, she may as well have  just said, ¡°Go outside and hang out with Nichs.¡± Instead, though, she¡¯d handed Charlie a sheet of paper. Charlie didn¡¯t look to see what was on it.

    It was an hour into the wee reception, and Charlie was restless. She couldn¡¯t put words to why she felt that way. She just knew she wanted to be somewhere else, no matter where she stood in the building. As soon as Brooke asked her to go outside, she identified what was happening here.

    She wanted to be outside.

    But, more specifically, she wanted to be with Nichs.

    It wasn¡¯t a feeling she was proud of herself for having. She needed to have the willpower to stay away from him right now. It was the best thing to do. But when her entire body seemed drawn to his side, how could she stop it?

    As soon as she stepped outside, though, she realized this was much better than being inside the building anyway. It was beautiful out here. She¡¯d toured the area with Brooke while the caterers set up, but it had still been daylight at that time. Now that it was dark, thebination of torch lights and theke off in the distance made the entire patio area breathtaking.

    Nichs wasn¡¯t alone out here, but he sat by himself, looking out at the water. Clusters of people were scattered around, all engaged in conversation. A couple of them waved at Charlie as she made her way toward where Nichs sat.

    Surprisingly, her heart rate sped up as she drew closer to him. Still? She would have thought that would have died down by now.

    Charlie stopped directly in front of him, holding out the sheet of paper.

    ¡°Brooke said you needed this.¡±

    He looked down at it briefly before lifting his gaze to meet hers. She noticed he was holding one of the cups they¡¯d set out for the after-dinner coffee they were serving.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.

    Shrugging, Charlie looked down at it. ¡°Paper.¡±

    Shaking his head, Nichsughed. ¡°What is on that paper?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d vite your privacy like that? What if it¡¯s something Brooke didn¡¯t want me to see?¡±

    Nichs held out his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at it.¡±

    Getting light on it so he could read it wasn¡¯t easy. The closest torch light emitted a subtle glow over the area-hardly a decent reading light. Finally, he gave up and picked up his phone, which had been on the armrest, activating the shlight and shining it on the page.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. This is top secret. It¡¯s the itinerary for tomorrow. I¡¯m sure they would hate for you to see this.¡±

    Charlie frowned. ¡°They printed out the itinerary on a piece of paper and had me bring it to you? Didn¡¯t you get the email?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Nichs shut off the shlight and returned his phone to its original position. ¡°I think I¡¯ve gotten every version of it, from the first draft to now. I have no idea why they thought I needed a printed copy. They didn¡¯t say?¡±

    Sighing and rolling her eyes, Charlie moved to sit down on the chair next to Nichs. He hadn¡¯t invited her, but her feet were tired, and it felt so good to rest them for a minute.

    ¡°I think she wanted me toe out here and hang out with you,¡± Charlie said.

    It took some courage for her to say that directly to him. But it suddenly felt like the best possible idea. Maybe his response would tell her, once and for all, that he was not and never would be interested in her.

    ¡°She felt bad that I was all alone out here? Makes sense.¡±

    He looked out at the water again, and Charlie moved her gaze there, as well. It gave her something to look at that wasn¡¯t his face. Thest thing she wanted to do right now was stare at him.

    ¡°I think it was more that she¡¯s ying matchmaker,¡± Charlie said, her heart rate speeding up again. It had finally calmed down a little. She just hoped her nervousness didn¡¯t show. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed that or not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed.¡±

    Silence followed. So much for getting an idea of how he really felt from this. He was being as vague as absolutely possible.

    Charlie decided to push further. ¡°I can have a talk with her if you want.¡±

    Nichs looked over at her. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s kind of funny. Do you?¡± Charlie shook her head. ¡°No.¡± See? She could be vague, too.

    After looking out at the water a while longer, he spoke again. ¡°I was just thinking-this is the third weekend in a row we¡¯re spending together. I¡¯m going to have a hard time concocting a reason to spend next weekend with you.¡±

    All the air went out of her. She tried to remember how to breathe as she searched her mind for a lighthearted, still-vague response. He was just teasing. It didn¡¯t mean he actually wanted to spend next weekend with her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a bar mitzvah or birthday party we could crash.¡± Charlie shed him a smile to emphasize the fact that this was just a casual, fun conversation. Nothing serious. ¡°Or we could just figure out where your mom¡¯s going to be and show up there.¡±

    The mood seemed to shift with that statement, making her immediately regret it. He was still looking out at the water, but she felt a tension in the air that wasn¡¯t there before.

    ¡°Things are all squared away with my mother now,¡± he finally said. ¡°Thanks inrge part to you.¡±

    Uh-oh. Charlie chewed her lip nervously. Had he found out that she¡¯d had lunch with his mother? How much of their conversation did he know about?

    Nichs continued. ¡°After the wedding, I had dinner with her and made it clear that I can handle my own life. She understands now that if she wants to impress her friends, she needs to do it on her own merits, not mine and Nate¡¯s.¡±

    Again, keeping things light, Charlie smiled. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t really me her. You give her plenty of reasons to be proud.¡±

    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn to look at her. She felt suddenly self-conscious under his scrutiny.

    ¡°Why is that?¡± he asked.

    Charlie frowned. Just how much should she say here? She didn¡¯t want to bare her soul, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to tell him how awesome he was, could it?

    ¡°Look at all you¡¯ve achieved.¡± She gestured as if in doing so, she was indicating everything that surrounded him at all times. ¡°You¡¯re pretty much the definition of sess.¡±

    ¡°Whose definition, though? Because not everyone considers sess the same thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not necessarily talking about your money. You¡¯re doing what you love and making a good living at it. You¡¯re one of the most sessful entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley-in the country, actually. People list what you¡¯ve achieved as what they dream of being someday. All that.¡±

    Silence again. She wondered if that meant he was considering what she¡¯d just said. Maybe it was scaring him somehow. She didn¡¯t want him to think she was ready to set up a fan page for him on social media or hang pictures of him on her wall. She just wanted him to see himself through the eyes of others.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Sess, to me, is about being surrounded by people who love you. A partner to share everything with, maybe even to marry. At least one or two kids, some friends¡­all of those things are what I define as sess.¡±

    Charlie gulped around the lump that had formed in her throat. Yeah, she could see how all that would matter to him. It mattered to her, for sure. She wanted more out of her life than to just show up at work every day and go home to an empty house.

    Suddenly, Charlie realized something. ¡°Work-life bnce. That¡¯s the session you¡¯re doing tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, just after lunch. Everyone will be nice and full and sleepy while I¡¯m presenting. I¡¯ll have to keep things lively somehow. What about you?¡±

    The question was so sudden, it took Charlie a second to figure out what he was asking. What were they discussing? People being sleepy after eating lunch. That couldn¡¯t be what he was asking.

    Nichs, correctly taking her silence for confusion, rified. ¡°What¡¯s your definition of sess?¡±

    Charlie took a deep breath, thinking the question through. There was the real answer, and there was the answer she¡¯d give someone else when asked. Especially someone like Nichs, whom she seemed to always want to impress. But it was pretty clear this was the end of the road for them. Telling him her ns for the future was one sure way to put a nail in the coffin of this not-so-real rtionship.

    ¡°Marriage, maybe one or two kids, continuing to work at TravTech.¡±

    Charlie shrugged. ¡°The usual.¡±

    ¡°What do you know? We want the exact same things in life.¡±

    Ignoring the flip in her stomach, Charlie tried to keep her response light. ¡°You want to continue working at TravTech?¡±

    Heughed. ¡°It might be a nice break, but only if you don¡¯t tell all my colleagues where I am.¡±

    ¡°Like that billionaire who hid out on a yacht,¡± Charliemented. ¡°You could just hide out in our offices.¡±

    She liked this banter between them. It wasn¡¯t as scary as the serious conversation they¡¯d been having a few minutes earlier. She just had to get through this weekend without having any serious discussions, and then she could forget about him.

    Otherwise, she risked getting the ¡°I don¡¯t feel that way about you¡± speech. She could definitely do without that.

 Chapter 130

    Nichs stood at the front of the room behind the podium, looking out at the groups gathered around all the tables. He hated to be stuck behind a podium, but he¡¯d forgotten his clicker at his condo,

    and by the time he realized it, it had been toote to drive over there to get it.

    So here he stood, pressing a button on hisptop each time he had to advance to a new slide. It worked okay for the first half of the presentation -the slideshow was the star of that part of things. All eyes focused on the screen several feet to the left of him.

    But then came the interactive part of the presentation. For that, he needed to be able to get a little closer to the audience. So he scooted just far enough to be able to rush back over and press a button every few minutes.

    ¡°I can do that for you,¡± Charlie offered, standing and starting toward the podium. He breathed a sigh of relief at the offer. He wouldn¡¯t have asked anyone here to do anything like that, but now that it had been offered, he dly handed over the reins.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he mouthed as he stepped back toward the first table, which was a good twelve feet from where he currently stood. Then he turned to the group and continued.

    ¡°Now?¡± she asked when he nodded over to her. He almostughed but held it in. They obviously hadn¡¯t had time to coordinate this, so he¡¯d have to work this out in front of everyone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll signal like this when it¡¯s time to move forward one.¡± He held up a finger and pressed it down quickly. Then he turned back and continued talking.

    ¡°Uh,¡± one of the developers mumbled at the front table. Nichs didn¡¯t know anyone¡¯s name. He supposed he should get to know a few of them if they¡¯d be spending the weekend together, but his brain seemed to scramble whenever Charlie was around.

    Speaking of scrambled brains¡­

    He turned in the direction the programmer-guy was pointing, which was the screen. It was still on the previous slide. He realized he¡¯d never answered Charlie¡¯s question. He gave her the gesture, and she promptly advanced to the next slide.

    ¡°This was me just a few weeks ago.¡±

    It was a picture of a cat, hair standing straight in the air, weary look on his face. The word ¡°Stressed¡± was printed across the bottom of the picture, just in case it wasn¡¯t obvious enough. A small trickle ofughter spread across the room.

    ¡°This is me now.¡±

    He gestured and Charlie moved to the next slide, which featured a cat doing yoga. Another round of half-heartedughter.

    ¡°What¡¯s changed in my life?¡±

    He moved his gaze across the audience,nding on Justin. Justin merely smiled and looked up at the screen. At least this time he wasn¡¯t staring down at his phone.

    Justin knew what had changed. So did Brooke. It was the reason they¡¯d worked so hard to make sure Nichs and Charlie spent time together. But neither Justin nor Brooke would speak up here.

    Or so he thought.

    ¡°You¡¯ve realized what¡¯s important in life,¡± Brooke said, seated at the table where Charlie had been sitting near the back. He was surprised to see Brooke wasn¡¯t at the same table as her boyfriend, who was all the way on the other side of the room. Brooke and Justin were experts at keeping a professional distance from each other even though their co-workers seemed to constantly refer to them as a couple.

    Nichs pointed at Brooke. ¡°Exactly. We¡¯re all working hard to achieve some career goal we¡¯ve set for ourselves, right? But one day you wake up and you realize it¡¯s just not enough. Youe home to an empty ce-if you¡¯re lucky, you have a dog or cat.¡±

    He pointed at the screen, where the cat was still in a yoga pose. He quickly gestured to Charlie, who advanced to the next slide, which depicted a group of cats kicked back in beach chairs, wearing big floppy hats and sunsses.

    ¡°And one day you look back and try to remember thest time you¡¯ve taken a vacation. Not a guys¡¯ trip to the slopes or a visit to see family or a weekend retreat like this one, but a real vacation. That¡¯s when you realize your work-life bnce is off.¡±

    Nichs stepped even closer to the first table, which allowed him to make more direct eye contact with the people gathered around the various tables. Some were still eating their slices of pie, while others were reclined in their seats, arms crossed over their chests, the area in front of them empty.

    ¡°How many of you go on an actual vacation every year?¡± Nichs pointed back toward the screen. ¡°The kind of vacation depicted here.¡±

    A few hands went up around the room, including Justin¡¯s. That didn¡¯t surprise him. Although Justin was super smart, he¡¯d also always had a love for the finer things in life. He¡¯d take every chance to surround himself with beautiful scenery while enjoying the best food and drink money could buy.

    Nichs walked back toward the screen, then headed to the side of the room where Brooke sat. ¡°The problem is you don¡¯t really miss it at first. One day turns into two and soon, months have passed and all you¡¯ve done is work. Does it matter? I think it does.¡±

    Someone in the back coughed. A few people shifted. One of the developers yawned. The message was clear. Nichs was losing them.

    Time to turn up the energy. ¡°We love what we do, right?¡± he said in his peppiest voice. ¡°When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life, or whatever the saying is.¡±

    He probably should have included a slide with that full quote on it. If he was being honest, he¡¯d kind of thrown the presentation together. He¡¯d been inspired at thest minute to talk about work-life bnce and had to act quickly.

    ¡°But burnout is a real thing. You don¡¯t even know that¡¯s what it is. You say you¡¯re annoyed with a co-worker or your boss or the work itself. You start to say you¡¯re sick of things. And, in actuality, you are because you¡¯re putting everything into your job.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Now he saw a few people nodding. One guy sat up straighter. Even Justin seemed more alert as he looked around, probably noting the interested expressions of his employees.

    Nichs was getting through to them.

    ¡°How much vacation time do you get?¡±

    Nichs realized toote that was a risky question to ask. What if it differed from person to person? He could end up making matters worse.

    ¡°Two weeks!¡± someone called out.

    That was echoed by a few others, then by Justin, who nodded, as well.

    Good. Sounded pretty solid.

    ¡°How many of you have taken the full two weeks this year?¡±

    Not a single hand went up. Nichs was relieved to see it. It easily could have gone the other way, which would have gotten in the way of making his point.

    ¡°How many have taken one week?¡±

    Some hands went up on that one. More than half the room, actually.

    ¡°What aboutst year? Did anyone take the full two weeks?¡±

    A few hands went up, but after asking the one-week question, he safely concluded that one week was what the majority of employees took each year. He nodded.

    The reaction when he asked how many had taken a vacation like the one the cats were enjoying in his presentation was even moreckluster. People weren¡¯t taking vacations for fun. They were using all their vacation time to travel to see their parents in the summertime or have an extended holiday at Christmastime.

    ¡°I want you all to do me a favor.¡± Nichs cast a quick nce in Justin¡¯s direction. He probably should have cleared it with his friend first, but it was toote for that now. ¡°I want you to take a vacation. One week where you go somewhere you enjoy and staypletely offline. Work with your HR department so that you aren¡¯t all taking the same week off, of course.¡±

    He nced over at Charlie, whose eyes widened slightly in response. Clearly, Justin wasn¡¯t the only one worth getting approval from on something like this. Thest thing he wanted to do was make trouble for Charlie.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do anything I wouldn¡¯t do myself.¡± Nichs crossed his arms over his chest, mimicking the stance of so many of the people seated in front of him. ¡°I will be taking a full week off to do nothing but hang out here in Lake Tahoe, enjoying the outdoors and ignoring my emails. We aren¡¯t alone. Even Justin can take a week or two off because he has all of you. You will work hard to make sure his business is still in good shape when he returns, right?¡±

    Nods. At least the bored expressions had left faces in front of him. Brooke raised her hand, though. He was nervous, unsure what she was about to say.

    ¡°Yes, Brooke?¡± he dared to ask.

    She dropped her arm, folding her hands on the table in front of her. ¡°Will you be enjoying that week alone?¡±

    There was no missing the mischievous smile on her face. Make no mistake about it. She was up to no good.

    ¡°I hope not.¡±

    That was the best answer he could give right now. He could throw a look in Charlie¡¯s direction, but he wasn¡¯t ready to put himself out there yet. Or maybe he was. There were a few hours of sessions remaining, then dinner, then tomorrow¡­ He didn¡¯t want to spill everything to her right before she climbed into her car to head home.

    ¡°There¡¯s a certain someone I¡¯ve met recently,¡± he said, his body tensing a little more with each word he spoke. ¡°She¡¯s changed my perspective on everything. I¡¯m hoping she¡¯ll agree to take a week with me. I may have to wait a couple of months until we¡¯re more serious, though.¡±

    Nichs didn¡¯t miss the looks that were exchanged across the room. He was pretty sure there was no mystery here. Everyone but Charlie was well aware at this point that the woman who had changed Nichs¡¯s life was her.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re out of time,¡± Nichs said, giving himself a mental pat on the back for managing to drag things out to thest minute. Nobody else could ask questions now. There was no time. ¡°We¡¯ll split off for the first afternoon session after a brief break.¡±

 Chapter 131

    ¡°You look¡­amazing.¡±

    Charlie¡¯s cheeks grew warm. When was thest time

    she¡¯d blushed? She couldn¡¯t remember. But Nichs was staring at her with that look in his eyes again. She could only describe it as desire, but could that be right?

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She lowered her head, suddenly taking an interest in her shoes. The post-lunch presentation had shaken her up a little. She wasn¡¯t sure what to make of Nichs¡¯s speech about having met someone who had changed everything. At first, she¡¯d tried to justify that maybe he¡¯d met someone when he wasn¡¯t with her. They¡¯d been together only on weekends. Then she¡¯d told herself that they¡¯d really only known each other a couple of weeks, so he could easily have met someone before her.

    And then Brooke had confronted her.

    She was being ridiculous, ording to Brooke. Of course, Nichs was into her. It was obvious to everyone but her. And now, as Charlie lifted her gaze to meet his, she saw it. She saw what everyone else noticed.

    Suddenly, she found herself agreeing with Brooke. In the words of her friend, what was wrong with her?

    ¡°It looks like we¡¯re the first ones to arrive again,¡± Brookemented, looking around the empty room.

    It was the same room where they¡¯d had lunch earlier that day-where

    Nichs had given his presentation. Charlie had shown up a little early to check on things, but the servers who had been hired to handle everything seemed to be on top of it all.

    ¡°Good. We can spend some time together.¡±

    She resisted the almost overwhelming urge to look away as Nichs stared at her. Instead, she smiled and nodded, suddenly unable to get any words out.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go for a walk?¡±

    The suggestion caught Charlie off guard. It wasn¡¯t just what he¡¯d asked, but the look on his face as he¡¯d asked it. Was he¡­?

    Nervous?

    ¡°Sure,¡± she said, trying to look casual as she walked toward the door that led to the outdoor patio. No big deal. Just a casual walk.

    ¡°I checked this out this afternoon while all the sessions were going on.¡± He held the door open for her, then followed her out onto the patio. ¡°There¡¯s a pretty cool little walkway over here.¡±

    Charlie smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard a walkway called cool before. I¡¯m intrigued.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to set expectations too high.¡±

    He settled his hand in the small of her back to guide her toward the walkway. Just the small gesture, which seemed to be a gentlemanly protective sort of measure, spread warmth through her body.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cool.¡± Charlie smiled over at him as they started down the path that led to theke. The mountains were off in the distance, and it was still just light enough to see them clearly. The way everything reflected off the water made it even more breathtaking.

    ¡°When I saw it, I knew I had to bring you out here.¡±

    Charlie held her breath, waiting for what he might say next. But in the silence that followed, she realized something. It had to do with what Brooke had said about her fear of putting herself out there. If Nichs was about to say he had feelings for her, she¡¯d only be able to reciprocate. If she spoke now, she took the very real risk of him saying he didn¡¯t feel the same. In other words, she¡¯d be putting herself out there.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    Oops. She hadn¡¯t meant to shout that. Judging by Nichs¡¯s wide eyes and ck jaw, she¡¯d startled him with the one-wordmand.

    She winced as she turned to stand in front of him on the pathway. ¡°Sorry. I just¡­I have to say something before I lose my nerve.¡±

    That shifted his expression, his brows furrowing in confusion. No surprise there. She figured she was being pretty confusing right now.

    She took a deep breath and plunged in. ¡°I¡¯m in love with you. I didn¡¯t mean to fall in love. My goal was actually to be single for a while and figure out who I am. But I¡¯ve never felt this connection with someone before, and I¡¯m sorry if you don¡¯t feel the same way, but I had to tell you before this weekend was over.¡±

    There. It was out. She took a deep breath and then exhaled, feeling exponentially better. But then she saw him taking his own breath, preparing to speak, and she realized she needed to be bracing herself right now.

    But his expression immediately softened, and she knew this was going to be good news. ¡°I¡¯m in love with you, too. Have been for a while now. I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t ready for it. I think you came into my life at exactly the right time. I¡¯ve been feeling like something was¡­missing for a while now. And then I met you and that feeling disappeared.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    He stepped forward, taking each of her hands in his and looking into her eyes. It felt as though nothing existed outside of this small space they upied. Everything else had melted away.

    Smiling, he lowered his head to brush her lips with his. They shared a long, slow, lingering kiss that told her everything she needed to know about how he felt about her. Once it was over, he stepped back to look down at her again.

    ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t have toe up with an excuse to see you next weekend.¡±

    Charlie shook her head. ¡°No excuses necessary, but if you need me to help you fool someone into thinking we¡¯re a couple, I¡¯m game.¡±

    ¡°Or we could just be a couple for real.¡±

    Smiling up at him, Charlie nodded. ¡°I like that idea. Now, kiss me again.¡±

    ¡°My pleasure.¡±

    He lowered his mouth to hers, looping his arm around her back to pull her toward him in a deep, lingering kiss that took her breath away.

    EPILOGUE

    The bride wore green.

    In this case, the bride was Brooke, and she¡¯d chosen a far from traditional wedding dress. Not that Brooke was all that traditional to start with. In fact, the light green strapless dress with its long, flowy skirt worked on her.

    Nichs nced over at Justin, who was beaming as he watched his bride walk up the aisle toward him. The wedding had been far sooner than Nichs had expected. In fact, the time from engagement to wedding day was exactly seven weeks. Just enough time to send an online invite to everyone, special order a dress that looked good on Brooke, who was a redhead, and get a date at one of the many all-inclusive wedding chapels in the area.

    The wedding went smoothly, which was surprising, considering how quickly it was all thrown together. Nichs was impressed with the chapel. In fact, maybe he should consider something like this when he married Charlie, which was likely to be sooner rather thanter.

    Or maybe they could just fly off to the South of France and get married on the beach, as they¡¯d pretended they were going to do.

    In their final duty as matchmakers, Justin and Brooke had made sure Nichs and Charlie were lined up in the wedding party to walk in and out of the chapel together. Justin¡¯s childhood best friend had been the best man, putting Nichs as one of the groomsmen. That was fine with him. Less responsibility during the reception, which freed him up to spend the evening by Charlie¡¯s side.

    As Nichs came face to face with his girlfriend, though, he noticed traces of moisture in her eyshes. ¡°Have you been crying?¡± he teased as they followed the best man and maid of honor toward the main door of the chapel.

    ¡°I cry at weddings.¡± The defensiveness in her voice was very clear.

    ¡°Plus, it was a beautiful ceremony.¡±

    ¡°Ready to do all this yourself?¡±

    This time he wasn¡¯t teasing. He looked over at her to let her know how serious he was. By then, they¡¯d stepped out into the sunlight and off to the side to let the next couplee through.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± she asked.

    He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not proposing. I¡¯ll make it much more romantic when I do that. Just¡­gauging your interest.¡±

    ¡°In marrying you.¡±

    ¡°In getting married.¡± He decided, no, he wasn¡¯t going to y it safe this time. ¡°To me. Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m beyond interested. Let¡¯s do it. But¡­¡± His breath caught. But?

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need a better ring than Brooke. We have to one-up my coworker.¡±

    ¡°And my best friend,¡± he added. ¡°So a nice ring. Is that all?¡±

    She thought about that for a second. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t even need the ring. Just you.¡±

    ¡°Still want to get married in the South of France?¡± he asked.

    From her expression, he could tell right away that was a no. ¡°I want to get married surrounded by our friends and family, so that¡¯s probably going to be here. Or in Pacific Heights. Can we get married on the Lyon Street

    Steps?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±

    He immediately scratched any idea of proposing to her there. He wanted it to be a surprise. Maybe he¡¯d fly her to the South of France and propose to her on the beach. That would bring things full circle.

    ¡°Okay, everyone,¡± the wedding coordinator shouted. ¡°Pictures and then we¡¯ll head next door for the reception.¡±

    The bride and groom were still chatting away to her parents as the photographer waited for the wedding coordinator to corral everyone. This was not going to be easy.

    Nichs didn¡¯t mind, though. He stepped closer to Charlie, putting his arm around her and pulling her toward him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,¡± he whispered.

    Charlie leaned toward him, putting her head on his shoulder as they watched the bride and groom pose for pictures. Nichs knew, without a doubt, he was exactly where he was meant to be.

    THE END.

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!