She nudged Addison’s foot with her own to try and draw her into the conversation. “Who knows, one day soon, Gina might be your actual sister, Addie.”
Addison’s cheeks turned scarlet but no one could have missed the happiness that made her eyes brighten and her lips curve up in a smile. “We just started dating.”
“I’m with Vanessa here,” Trent said. “I’ve never seen Colton lose his heart before and let me just say…thank you. It’s been highly entertaining.”
Vanessa smothered a little snort of amusement. Ugh. She didn’t want to find Trent amusing. It was bad enough with the dimples and the pretty eyes. He didn’t need to be funny, too.
“Happy to help,” Addison said so sweetly, Vanessa and Trent both laughed.
“Well…” Trent turned back to her and she felt the full force of that gorgeous stare. “Vanessa, it was good to see you again.”
“Mmhmm.” It was the best she could manage with her jaw clenched so tight. He didn’t remember her. She knew he didn’t. How did she know? He’d never been aware of her existence even when they went to the same school, even when she’d helped him ace a math test, even when she’d been in the same chemistry class.
Guys like Trent hadn’t noticed her then, and the fact that he did now made her want to scream. Too little, too late, mister.
She wished she could say that but instead she forced a tight smile as he said his goodbyes to Addison, promising to tell Colton she was here so he could swing by to say hello on his break at the sheriff’s office.
“Hope I see you around, Vanessa,” he said.
Her reply was little more than a grunt. Not if I can help it.
2
Well, that had…not gone as he’d expected.
“You all right, deputy?” Tina called when he entered the sheriff’s station with his newly acquired coffee and pastry. “You look like you just got bad news.”
Tina was in her eighties and had been a part of this office since the day it opened its doors. She was also a busybody, so he wasn’t about to spill his guts that he’d just seen the woman of his dreams and it had…not gone as well as he would have liked.
He gave her a wink as he passed and held out the bag. “The bad news is the diner was out of those bear claws you like so much.”
She scowled down into the bag. “I guess I’ll make do with a donut.”
“That’s awfully good of you, Tina.”
She let out a bark of a laugh. “You’re too sweet, you know that, right? Maybe that’s why you haven’t found Mrs. Right.”
He held back a groan. Tina had decided from day one that he’d be her ‘project,’ as she’d put it. Tina wasn’t just a gossip, she was a matchmaker, too. An overzealous one, at times.
“I don’t know about that,” he said in the sort of aw-shucks tone that Colton mocked him for.
Was it his fault he’d been raised to have good manners? Colton was probably just jealous because Tina never once tried to fix him up with the young, single women of Cyrano.
Not that Colton needed her help anymore. Nope. His fun-loving, never-gonna-settle best friend had gone and done the unthinkable. He’d fallen in love.
In his wildest dreams, Trent never would have suspected that Colton would be the first one to settle down of the two of them. Trent was the one who dated the serious women while Colton had never strayed from the land of one-night-stands. Colton had taken full advantage of the fact that they lived in a tourist town during ski season, while Trent had studiously made his way through the list of eligible ladies, each more perfect than the last.
So how on earth was it Colton with the goofy smile on his lips and the girl in his life who he couldn’t wait to marry?
Seriously. They’d only officially been dating for a couple weeks now and Colton was already asking him for tips on proposing.
As if he would know.
“You cheer up now, you hear?” Tina called after him as he headed back toward the main office where desks and deputies were scattered about in what had once been an organized fashion and now looked like the aftermath of a tornado.
It wasn’t that the deputies in this office weren’t professional, they were just overworked, understaffed, and run ragged by Sheriff Rodman. It didn’t help that not one of the deputies respected the sheriff—a loud, vulgar man who was too quick to temper and way too easy to be bought.
It was no secret that he’d won the last election because he’d had the funding of the elite who owned houses up on Redhook Hill. Most of those people weren’t here for more than a few weeks out of the year, but they still held all the cards since they had all the money. There were some year-round residents up on that hillside, but they might as well live in their own little world with their impenetrable gates and their vista views.
Like it or not, this town was divided by the haves and the have-nots. Or, at least, the have-not-as-much. His own family had fallen somewhere in the middle. His father was a doctor and while they didn’t live amongst the touristy ski villas, he and his family were better off than most of the families he’d gone to school with.
Still, that hadn’t stopped him from being friends with everyone in school.
He stopped beside his desk and frowned down at the mountain of paperwork waiting for him.
He’d been friends with everyone…right? So, why couldn’t he place Vanessa Shea?
The name sounded familiar—it had ever since Gina told him her name when he’d spotted her at Java Lava’s last week. Vanessa Shea. He squinted at his desk as if that would help jog his memory.
Nope. All he could remember was the name. Seeing her today up close hadn’t helped. He’d had to resist the urge to study her closer, trying to find something about her that would remind him how he knew the name and how he might have known her.
They hadn’t been close friends, obviously, and according to Gina she’d been one grade below him at Cyrano High…but their school had been small so everyone knew everyone.
So it stood to reason that he had to have known her.
“Easy there, pretty boy, if you keep staring like that, the paperwork might burst into flames.” Colton dropped into the seat across the narrow aisle from Trent’s. They’d been desk buddies since the day Colton had started when he’d arrived home from the military. They’d been more rivals than friends back in high school—Colton had been the bad seed and had lived to give Trent a hard time, especially after the Cindy debacle of sophomore year.
Long story short? Cindy had been Trent’s girlfriend until she left him for Colton. That was the first and last time their love lives had intersected. Not only did they have different tastes in women, but they tended to attract very different types as well.
Maybe Vanessa wanted a guy like Colton. Was he her type?
“Seriously, dude, what did that report ever do to you?” Colton’s happiness was irritating. He’d grown used to Colton being the gruff, laid-back one. This friendship would never survive if suddenly Colton was Mr. Upright and Optimistic. The whole balance would be thrown.
When Trent didn’t immediately respond, Colton shifted, making the old rolling seat squeak noisily. “Look, man, if this is about the money for our business—”
“It’s not.” Trent shut him down quickly because they’d been over this multiple times. Yes, Colton had given up the money they were hoping to use to start up a private security business, but Trent had encouraged him to do it.
Taking the money would have meant destroying what Colton had with Addison. When it came down to love or money, the choice was a no-brainer as far as Trent was concerned.
For Colton, it was the decision that had changed his life and turned him into this weirdly upbeat, constantly smiling, bizarro version of Trent’s best friend.
Trent would probably never say it aloud, but he was actually pretty proud of his friend. It had been a sign of how much he’d matured—not to mention how much he cared about Addison—to walk away from a payday like that.
A payday that wo
uld have meant saying hasta la vista to Sheriff Rodman, who was the bane of Colton’s existence. Colton wasn’t one to do well with authority figures in the first place, but give him a man he couldn’t respect and it was basically a cruel and unusual form of torture.
Not that Trent was a fan of Rodman’s, either. He wasn’t. But unlike Colton, Trent managed to get through most days without confronting the shady old sheriff.
“If it’s not the money, what’s the issue?” Colton asked. “You’re normally in a good mood on pastry day.”
Pastry day was Tuesday. Every Tuesday Trent went to the Grizzly Diner to get everyone their favorite sugary treats. The fact that he’d gone a little earlier than usual today? Yeah, that had everything to do with the fact that he’d spotted Vanessa and Addison walking into the diner when he’d pulled up to the office.
“We’ll get the money soon enough,” Colton was saying. “And even if it takes a couple more years—”
“Hey, loser.” Trent used the old oddly-affectionate nickname to get Colton’s attention. “I promise I’m not bent out of shape about the money, okay? You did what you had to do. You did the right thing. All this means is we’re back to the original timeline to get this business off the ground.”
“That’s right,” Colton said, reaching over to snag the chocolate-covered pastry he always got. “Two years…three tops.”
“We can survive Rodman until then,” Trent said.
Hathaway, one of the newer deputies, walked up to grab a donut and joined in on the conversation. “The issue isn’t whether we’ll survive Rodman.” The young redhead arched his brows. “It’s whether Rodman will survive. Period.”
Trent and Colton stared up at the other man. “Dude, what are you talking about?” Colton finally said.
“Didn’t you see the email?”
In unison, Trent and Colton turned on their laptops and…there it was. An urgent announcement from the county supervisor’s office announcing that Rodman had been hospitalized for a heart attack. He’d survive but was forced to resign his position to rest and recuperate.
“Holy…” Colton muttered beside him.
“I can’t believe it,” Trent said.
“There’s going to be a special election in thirty days,” Colton said, as if Trent wasn’t reading the exact same thing.
“And until then…” Colton turned to face him. “Dude. You’re in charge.”
Trent’s brows shot up as he reached the same part in the email. As deputy sheriff, he was in charge until the election.
Huh.
The jolt of sheer excitement that shot through him was hard to explain, even to himself. Being sheriff wasn’t his lifelong dream or anything, but right now, knowing that for a brief period of time, it was within his power to actually make some much needed changes around here?
It felt good.
He almost forgot how down he’d been after the cold reception he’d gotten from Vanessa. Oh sure, she’d covered it well with some teasing and a polite enough dismissal, but there was no denying that her initial response had been cold as ice.
Had she really not recognized him?
He wasn’t so egotistical as to think that he couldn’t be forgotten, but there’d been something in her eyes. A flare of anger, a show of temper that had made it seem like her response was planned. Like she’d been trying to get a rise out of him.
But why?
Ugh, this not remembering was killing him.
Colton smacked his arm. “Hey, pretty boy, why aren’t you happy about this? We should go party it up.”
Trent was happy about this but he gave his friend a sidelong look at the ‘pretty boy’ comment. It was basically a term of endearment, just like ‘loser.’ “It’s nine in the morning,” he reminded his friend.
“So? We should get coffees or something. This deserves to be celebrated.”
“We’ll celebrate later,” Trent said, pointedly looking at the wall clock. “At say, six o’clock when we’re both off duty. But for now…?” He looked at Colton’s tower of paperwork which was even bigger than his own. “Get to work.”
“Yes, boss,” Colton grumbled. But when Trent looked over? Colton was wearing that same goofy smile.
3
Two days passed and Vanessa couldn’t forget about Trent.
Well, she might have been able to if anyone would let her.
“Just admit it,” Addison wheedled, not for the first time. More like for the millionth.
“I won’t.” She stared down at her laptop. “Don’t you have graphic design projects to be working on?”
Addison laughed, but she did look at her laptop and Vanessa thought that maybe the topic would finally be dropped.
“You won’t admit what?” Gina asked, coming over to their table at Java Lava’s with a fresh pot of coffee in hand.
“Vanessa here won’t admit that she had a crush on Trent,” Addison said.
“That’s because I didn’t,” Vanessa said with a sigh.
“Oh, come on.” Gina groaned as she nudged Vanessa’s shoulder with her elbow. “You can’t deny it. Everyone had a crush on Trent in high school. Even me, for a half second there.” She leaned over and dropped her voice theatrically. “Don’t tell Colton I said that or he’d never let me live it down.” She gave an exaggerated shudder. “Trent’s become so much like a brother I can’t even think of him like that.”
“Yes, well, I don’t think of him like that either,” Vanessa said.
Addison leaned forward, like a dog with a bone. “Fine, maybe you don’t think of him like that now. But don’t tell me you didn’t have a crush on him back in the day.”
“Just because he’s handsome—” Vanessa started, the word handsome coming out as an insult.
“No, no,” Addison said, full on grinning now. “I’m not talking about how attractive he is—or was. Whatever…” She shook her head. “I’m talking about the way you reacted to him yesterday.”
Vanessa stiffened. She hated that Trent still had an effect on her. She hated that the mere thought of running into Chip still made her stomach churn. She hated that the nickname Nessie made her cringe every single time. Why on earth had she quit her old job to come back here?
“I’ve never seen you like that,” Addison said, her tone laced with awe.
“Like what?” Vanessa said, her tone defensive.
Addison shrugged. “Flustered.”
“I wasn’t flustered, I was just…” Flustered. “Annoyed.”
Both ladies looked at her in disbelief.
“What? It’s true. Ever since I’ve come back I’ve either been recognized as Nessie, the nerdy loser who never fit in, or I haven’t been recognized at all.”
Addison’s sympathetic wince made her inwardly cringe. She didn’t want pity, or even sympathy. She was Vanessa freakin’ Shea now. She was successful, she was beautiful, she was driven.
She was not the girl people pitied.
Gina hitched her lips to the side as she considered this, sympathy clear as day in her eyes. “And Trent…didn’t recognize you?”
Vanessa leveled her with a look. “He did, but only because you told him my name. It was clear he didn’t remember me, though. He clearly couldn’t place me.”
She hated the bitterness that had slipped out in her voice.
Gina bit her lip, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile. “Sorry I spilled the beans, Ness—I mean, Vanessa. But you should have seen the guy when he first saw you. He was dumbstruck.” She used her the dishtowel in her hand to smack Vanessa’s arm. “And trust me, I don’t use the word dumbstruck lightly. The guy was practically drooling when you walked in here last week.”
Vanessa sniffed, trying not to show how much the words went to her head.
Trent Arnolds noticed me!
Oh hush. She brutally shushed the voice of teenage giddiness. That was a thing of her past. She was a grown woman now—
“Did you see him when you were here last week?” Addison asked, all innoce
nce.
“No,” she lied.
Vanessa held back a sigh at their matching looks of disbelief. Fine. She was a grown woman who’d pretended not to see the hottest guy in town.
The two women were now staring at her as if she’d just sprouted horns. “What? What are you looking at?”
Addison held her hands up. “Nothing, it’s just…I’ve never seen you like this.”
If Vanessa had a nickel for how many times Addison had said something to that effect these past two weeks she could probably buy out this coffee shop from Gina’s boyfriend.
Gina, for her part, just shook her head. “Girl, you two deserve each other. You’re both nuts.”
She opened her mouth to protest but Addison interrupted. “So, if you’re not harboring some old crush on Trent, why are you acting all jumpy every time someone walks through the door?”
Vanessa huffed. Addison might have been quiet, but she was also persistent. She’d keep asking until Vanessa spilled. This was the way of their relationship. Vanessa had always pushed Addison to come out of her shell, and in return Addison refused to let Vanessa close herself off. The girl was relentless.
And now she had an ally in Gina, who was watching her expectantly as well.
“Okay, fine, there is someone in town I have a history with....” She pointed a finger at Addison. “But for the record, I don’t still have feelings.”
“Duly noted,” Addison said with a nod.
“I’m totally over him.” Sort of. Just not the fact that he’d broken her heart.
“It’s Chip Rodman, isn’t it?” Gina said, her tone so bland, Vanessa slumped back in her seat at the anticlimacticness of it all.
“How did you know?”
Gina rolled her eyes. “You were only a couple grades older than me. I always thought you were cool, so, you know…I paid attention.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You thought I was cool?” She shook her head, as another realization sank in. “You saw that I had a thing for Chip?”
Gina’s smile was soft and teasing. “Of course. It was obvious—to me, at least—that you had a thing for your friend.”
Fake Dating the Hometown Deputy: A Sweet Standalone Romance (Fake Dates Book 2) Page 2
