One Hundred Mistakes: An Aspen Cove Romance Book 16

by Kelly Collins

  “It’s because she liked you.” He folded his napkin in half and then in half again before unfolding and pressing it flat with his palm. “Maybe if you weren’t so likable, I wouldn’t be in this position.”

  “What position is that?”

  “I need another fake date.”

  Why did the thought of one more date with Merrick send her nerves aflutter?

  “You what?”

  “I’m asking you to come with me on a date. Only this time, it’s in Denver at my mother’s house.”

  “Here you go,” Maisey said as she dropped off the plates of pancakes and bacon. From her front pocket, she pulled a container of maple syrup. “You kids need anything else?”

  “Sanity?” Deanna said.

  “If we sell it, I’m sold out. Besides, nothing wrong with a little crazy in your life. Sane is equivalent to boring. Live on the edge. It’s more exciting.”

  “Yeah,” Merrick said, staring at Deanna. “Live on the edge.”

  Maisey was gone, and Deanna took in Merrick. There was that look of hope again on his face, it was a lift of his brow and a slight quirk of his mouth. Mostly it showed up in his rich, coffee-colored eyes. If eyes could beg, his were on their knees.

  “This is insane. You’re my fake boyfriend, and I’ve had better dates with you than the man I’m trying to attract. Hell, I’ve had more dates with you.” Why did I just tell him that? I mean, it is true, but that doesn’t mean anything, does it?

  “We’ve only had one.”

  She lifted her eyes and shook her head. “Exactly. What happened with Red wasn’t even a date. It was …”

  He picked up a piece of bacon. “What was it?” He took a bite and chewed.

  “I thought it was the beginning of something.”

  “If that was the beginning, Red has a slow starter.”

  “What the hell am I doing?”

  Merrick slathered his pancakes in butter and put a healthy pour of thick maple syrup on top. She watched it ooze from the middle to drip down the sides. That was how she was feeling right now, like syrup, with no direction but down.

  “You’re coming to Denver with me on Thursday for dinner.”

  With a piece of bacon in her hand, she nibbled the end and considered the offer. It wasn’t like she had a lot of weeknight options. Aspen Cove wasn’t the hot spot for singles on a Thursday night. Outside of flying into the Denver International Airport when she came here to purchase Samantha’s house, she hadn’t spent much time in the mile-high city.

  “What about Sherman?”

  He frowned. “Are you going to use the dog as your excuse?”

  She nodded. “Yes, and it’s not an excuse. He’s not used to being left alone. There’s no doggie day camp in town.”

  “You can bring him.”

  “You can’t say that. You haven’t even asked your mother.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t have to, but if it makes you feel better …” He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a text.

  A moment later, his phone chimed with an incoming message, and he turned it to show her.

  Tell her to bring Sherman. I can’t wait to see you both.

  Love, Mom

  “What do you say?” he asked.

  She didn’t have a reason to say no and every reason to say yes. Merrick was a nice guy, and he’d done his part to help her. And yes, she’d done her part to help him, but somehow it seemed weighted to his side because spending time with his mother wasn’t a hardship. If the truth is told, she rather enjoyed the day she cooked for them.

  Thoughts of their first date brought memories of his kisses. Kisses that could turn a caterpillar into a butterfly. Something about his lips charged her body and soul and made her want to sprout wings and fly.

  “Can we stop at Krispy Kreme on the way back?”

  “That’s your price for pretending to be my girlfriend?” He shook his head. “You have to value yourself more.”

  She forked a bite of pancakes. “That’s just the beginning of what it’s going to cost you. I might need a Costco run too.”

  His mouth dropped open in mock shock. “Not Costco … anything but Costco.”

  “And Trader Joes for some Two Buck Chuck.”

  He rubbed his beard. She’d never been a fan of facial hair, but on Merrick, it fit. When he kissed her, she expected it to be rough and scruffy, but it was soft, and he smelled good.

  “How do they get away with that? It’s 2.99, so really, it’s Three Buck Chuck.”

  “Even at three dollars a bottle, it’s still a bargain.”

  “Funny for the girl who doesn’t drink wine.”

  Damn cop in him caught everything. “Oh, I drink it but not with men I’d like to … not in mixed company.”

  He tried to suppress a smile but failed. “So … is that a yes?”

  To prolong his agony, she took a few more bites of pancake and sips of coffee before she offered him a handshake to seal the deal.

  “It’s a deal.”

  “You aren’t a great negotiator. You could have roped me in for far more.”

  She pushed her plate away and patted her belly. “You could have gotten me to say yes for far less.”

  “I still think you don’t value yourself enough.”

  “So, you’ve said.” She looked at her silverware and lined them up from tallest to smallest. “But then again, you don’t know all that much about me.”

  He pulled out his wallet and tossed twenty dollars on the table. Maisey’s was cheap, so that twenty left her almost a ten-dollar tip.

  Deanna liked that Merrick saw the value of people and their service.

  “Let’s remedy that. We’ve got a three-hour drive to Denver, and I want to know everything about you.”

  “I’m not all that exciting to take up three hours.”

  “Again, you sell yourself short.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I already said yes, you don’t need to flatter me.”

  He leaned back into the booth. “I’m not accustomed to blowing smoke up anyone’s ass. What you see is what you get.”

  “Unless it’s your mother, right?”

  He exhaled a breath with the force of a storm. “I’m not proud of myself for the deceit.” He breathed in deeply and released a sigh. “I’ll come clean, but what I need now is time to adjust here in Aspen Cove without her meddling in my love life. When I’m ready to settle down, it will be with a woman I choose.”

  “You’re lucky she loves you enough to care.”

  He nodded. “You’re right, but I’m not sixteen, and I don’t need dating advice. Besides, generally speaking, she’s not a fan of who I choose.”

  “Meaning, she didn’t like Cassie.”

  “Didn’t like is putting it lightly. I’m pretty sure if Cassie was on fire and Mom was standing next to a bucket of water, she would have knocked it over and walked away.”

  Deanna let out a giggle that turned into a full laugh that ended with a snort. “I can see your mom doing that. She doesn’t seem to be one to put up with anyone’s crap.” She drank the final gulp of coffee and set her mug on the table with a thump. “Was she wrong about Cassie?”

  “No. She was right. Cassie was egocentric. I mean, she loved the Policeman’s Ball but hated the long hours. She enjoyed the perks of me knowing people when she got a ticket, but she hated the late-night calls. She loved the paycheck more than she loved me.”

  Deanna lifted her shoulder. “Sometimes that saying, ‘mother knows best’ is true.”

  “Meddling mothers are as dangerous as a hurricane.”

  “I bet your mother is a Cat 5 when she’s angry.”

  He chuckled. “There isn’t a category for my mother when she’s angry.”

  Deanna rose from the booth. “Then let’s not make her angry, love.” She bent over and kissed his cheek. “I have to go to work, but I’ll see you Thursday.” She took a step away. “Thanks for breakfast.”

  “Anything for you, babe.”

/>   She breathed in his kindness. “Why can’t you be real?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Merrick watched her exit her house with Sherman tucked under her arm. She got halfway down the walkway before she turned and headed back to the front door to recheck the lock. After two pulls on the handle, she spun around and moved toward him again.

  Today she walked with confidence. He found that appealing, or maybe it was the sway of her hips he paid attention to. Both coming and going, Deanna was an attractive woman. What made her doubly so was her quick wit and easygoing nature. I need to stop thinking about how perfect she is and start remembering this is an act.

  He jumped out of the truck and rushed around to open her door. “I put a blanket in the back seat for Sherman, but if you think he’ll be more comfortable in the front, I can move it.” He sounded like a high school boy trying to win over his first date. Bringing Deanna home to his mom made it seem real. But it isn’t real, this is just pretend.

  “He’s fine back there. The blanket is a nice touch. I’m sure he appreciates it.”

  He opened the King Cab door, and she placed Sherman on the blanket. The dog looked at it skeptically before plopping in the middle and looking at them with an expression that said, home James.

  “Does he travel well, or will we need to stop often?”

  She giggled. “He’s been more places than the average human. I’ve carted him on planes and cruise ships. I even tucked him in a backpack and took him hiking in the Andes. He wasn’t a fan of that trip.” She took her place in the front seat and pulled a bag of kibble from her purse. “I normally bring a doggy bag, but he associates that with the hike and hides. I guess it’s kind of like PTSD for pets.”

  He stood at her open door and took in the domestic scene. If he let his mind wander, he could imagine being with her and Sherman being their pet. If he allowed his mind to reach further, he could even see a couple of kids sitting in the King Cab.

  He shook his head and closed the door. As he rounded the pickup, he reminded himself what this was, a mutual agreement.

  Once inside, he started the engine. As he pulled out of her driveway, a fancy sports car edged in front of the house, and Red got out.

  “Just wave goodbye,” Merrick said.

  He slowed down to a crawl so the asshole could get a good glimpse of the one who got away and the man who was driving her in a different direction. Right then, he knew this was going very differently than planned.

  “Should I open my window and say something?” She glanced at Merrick. “He’s standing there with his mouth hanging open.”

  Merrick stopped the truck and opened the passenger window with the push of a button. “Hey, Red,” he said. “Did you need something?”

  Red’s mouth snapped shut, and he stood there for a moment. “I wanted to talk to Deanna.”

  “Sorry, man. We’re on our way to dinner with my mother.” He reached over and took her hand. “You ready, babe?” He held her hand firmly in his. “She’ll be back to work on Monday. Can it wait until then?”

  Red’s face changed colors. “This isn’t about wor—.”

  Merrick raised the window and backed out of the driveway.

  “Oh my God, what the hell was that about?” Deanna asked.

  “That was the look of a man who knows he made a mistake, and right now, he’s trying to figure out how to rectify the situation.”

  They turned from Daisy to Main Street and headed south toward Denver.

  “What if he only wants me because he can’t have me?”

  Merrick had let her hand go to drive, but he covered it again with his. He loved how it fit entirely in his palm. “At least he’s thinking about things, and that’s good, right?”

  “I guess, but I’d rather he was pursuing me because he liked me, not because he’s playing tug of war with another dog, and I’m the rope.”

  “If that were the case, I’d win. I’m a Rottweiler when it comes to what’s mine. I’m fiercely loyal and protective. If this were an actual game, he’d never win. I’m a formidable opponent.”

  She turned her head and stared out the side window. “I’ll never understand men.”

  He squeezed her hand before letting it go and placing it back on the steering wheel.

  “We’re simple. That’s the problem. Most women think we’re more complicated than we appear to be. Not so. We’ve barely evolved past our Neanderthal ancestors.”

  “Where do you keep your club?”

  A laugh that started deep in his gut bubbled up and burst forth. “You want to talk about my club?” His club was tucked inside his jeans. Just the mention of it gave it a rise. He silently talked it down.

  A glance at Deanna told him the comment left her on the heated side, too, if the red in her cheeks was any indication.

  “Yep,” she said. “You’re all alike. It would serve me well not to romanticize. Men survive off of basic instinct. All they need is sex and food. I’ve found that for most, clothing is optional.”

  “Don’t forget a big-screen TV and Sunday football.”

  “And beer,” she added.

  “More of a wine guy myself.”

  “That reminds me.” She stuck her hand back in her bag and pulled out a bottle of wine. “I brought this. I was also taught never to come empty-handed.”

  “What else is in that purse?” It wasn’t a huge bag, but it held a lot. “Dead body? Weapon?”

  “It holds a lot despite its size.” She turned the label so he could see it.

  He glanced at the bottle. “19 Crimes?”

  “I thought it was funny, and the guy at the liquor store said it was good.” She twisted in her seat to face him. “There’s also an app, and if you point your phone’s camera at the bottle, the character on the front will animate and tell you his story.” She tucked the bottle back into her bag. “I thought your mom might find it entertaining.”

  “Speaking of Mom. We should probably shore up our story. How about you start? Where were you born?”

  “San Francisco, but I was raised in Los Angeles. I went to school at UCLA and got my degree in entertainment management.”

  “How long have you worked for Samantha?”

  She touched her chin and tapped her fingers several times as if she were calculating the years. “I was with her when she started. I was a new graduate, and I was cheap. She was the new kid on the block and broke, so it was a match made in heaven. She’s my longest relationship. We’ve been together for about eight years. What about you? Why a cop?”

  He rocked his head from side to side. There were a lot of reasons he became a cop. His mother thought it was because he was born to serve and protect, and that might have some truth to it. Mostly, he wanted to make sure the good people stayed good, and the bad people remained behind bars. There was one event that changed the trajectory of his life.

  “When I was about fourteen, I witnessed something that changed everything. We lived in downtown Denver. Not a bad area, but there were a lot of transients. Mom worked at the public library, and I used to pick my sister up at school and bring her there where we’d do our homework and wait for my mom to get off work.”

  When he blinked, he could almost see the day unfold as if it were happening again.

  “One day, when I got there, Mom was at the door guiding people outside. Her face was ashen and panic-stricken. Worse so when she saw we had arrived. She kept pacing the steps and yelling, ‘Where are they?’”

  “What happened?”

  “Turns out, a homeless man, or maybe a hopeless man, locked himself in one of the study rooms and was threatening to commit suicide. Mom had called the police twenty minutes before, but they hadn’t shown up. She told me to take my sister home, but I only walked far enough to get out of her sight. From behind a tree, I watched it all unfold. The police showed up about five minutes later. They went inside, but it was too late. At the time, the Denver force was understaffed, or that’s what they told Mom, but I wasn’t sure that was t
he case. Maybe a homeless man wasn’t as important to them. I always wondered if they’d gotten there quicker, could they have saved him? Right then, I knew I wanted to help people.”

  “But you moved.”

  That was always something that pricked his conscience. “I did. Sometimes you have to serve yourself to serve others. As the years went by, I did my best to help my community, but that close call was a wake up for me. There are a lot of ways to serve and protect. Ways I don’t need to be in the line of fire to do.”

  This time, it was her hand that reached forward to grab his. She pulled it to her lips and kissed his knuckles before dropping her hand to the bench but not letting go. And for the next hour, she held on to him.

  The drive from Aspen Cove to Aurora, a suburb of Denver, went by quickly, and he was disappointed their time alone was over.

  By the time they arrived at his mother’s, he knew her favorite flower and candy. Knew that she wasn’t a fan of olives but loved tomatoes. Her favorite fruit was a peach, but the ones with white flesh because they were sweeter. She liked chocolate but preferred milk to dark. She loved to dress up and go out but didn’t have much occasion to do so. There was a fabulous pair of heels in her closet that had been waiting for a date.

  “Are you ready for this?” He pulled into the driveway and killed the engine.

  “Actually, I am. I like your mother. Not only is she funny, but she’s engaging and kind. Besides, I bet I could talk her into showing me some embarrassing pictures of you.”

  “She probably has the photo albums on the coffee table waiting for you.”

  “Are you ready for this?”

  In truth, he was. Somehow he lucked out. If he had to be in a relationship with anyone, fake or real, Deanna was a good choice.

  “Let’s go, and make Mom swoon, babe.”

  She unbuckled her seat belt. “I’m all yours, love.”

  He exited the truck and worked his way around to open her door. Too bad that isn’t true.

  With Sherman in Deanna’s arms and his hand at the small of her back, he guided her toward the front door.

  It burst open, and out came his sister, Beth.