Her friend. Ugh. That was how he’d thought of her and she’d been stupid enough to think that there was something more there. So sure that she’d worked up the courage to confront him about it and in return?
He’d laughed.
In her face.
Oh, he’d apologized later, but the damage had been done.
Addison made a soft sound of sympathy, as if she knew the whole story without having to be told. “Is he why you’re so anxious about being back here?”
Vanessa grimaced. “He’s part of it.” A big part of it, perhaps, but not the whole reason. “It’s also just kind of weird to be back, you know? I’ve changed but no one seems to see it.”
Or maybe they were too aware of it. Either way, being back home was unsettling.
“Oh, somebody sees it all right,” Gina said, her voice low and cryptic. Before Vanessa could ask her what she meant, Gina added, “He’s single now, you know.”
Vanessa stared at her. “Who?”
“Chip.” Gina rolled her eyes.
“I thought he married—”
“Krissy Stevens. Yeah, he did,” Gina said. “But they got divorced last year.”
Vanessa stared. And then she stared some more as those words settled in. Chip was not only in town, but he was…single. Her heart did something painful. Like a horse taking off at a gallop without warning its rider, her head jerked back in surprise.
It wasn’t like she still wanted Chip. She didn’t. She’d gotten over that infatuation, and the heartache that had followed. But still, her heart was thumping. Maybe because he’d been her first love. Sure, Trent might have made her knees weak in that celebrity crush kind of way, but she wasn’t lying when she said she hadn’t had a thing for him. She’d always known that he was not for her. He’d been too handsome, too nice, too wealthy, too…everything. He might as well have been a Hollywood movie star because he lived in a different world.
But Chip had lived in the same run-down neighborhood, he’d hung out with the same group of outcasts and—let’s face it—losers. He hadn’t been crazy popular or a star athlete. With Chip, she’d thought there was a chance.
Gina cut into her reverie, leaning forward into Vanessa’s space to look at her laptop. “What are you working on?”
Vanessa pursed her lips as she glanced at her new makeshift website as well. It was more of a landing page, really. “Um, I’m trying to launch a new business?”
Gina’s pretty features crinkled in amusement. “Are you sure? Because you don’t sound so sure.”
She wasn’t sure. About any of this. What had seemed like an exciting new adventure on the plane ride back to Wyoming now just seemed like insanity.
Addison reached over and patted her hand. “She’s just a little nervous. It’s totally normal to have cold feet.”
Vanessa laughed. “I’m not getting married, just—”
“Making a huge commitment that will require a ton of time, energy, and work.” Addison shrugged. “So, you know…kind of like marriage.”
“Well, when you put it like that…” She stared at the site and pondered where on earth she’d gone off course. Probably when she’d quit her job. Or maybe when she’d boarded her plane in New York.
And telling Addison she was going to stay here in Cyrano and live in her previously unused apartment until she got her own marketing and PR company underway?
Yeah, that had definitely been the moment she’d officially lost her marbles.
But it was only temporary, she reminded herself. It wouldn’t be for long. Just as soon as she got her website done and a few clients booked, she’d come up with a new game plan. Maybe sell the downtown apartment and find something closer to a major city.
Or maybe she’d just cut and run as soon as humanly possible and get as far from this town as possible, the way she had right after graduation.
Yup.
That sounded way more likely.
4
Addison leaned forward, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Don’t look now, but the guy you don’t have a crush on just walked in the door.”
Vanessa stiffened, gripped the edge of the table and looked over. Her breath caught in her throat. Sure enough, Trent was walking straight toward them, Colton at his side.
Alone, each man was attractive. Together?
“They should be a freakin’ underwear ad.” She’d muttered it under her breath, but she heard Gina’s little snort of amusement before she excused herself to go refill some other patrons’ coffee.
Trent gave her his usual charming smile when he drew near, but Vanessa was only able to respond with a stare. Her capacity for falseness had never been high, and pretending not to mind her old nickname had just about tapped that well dry.
“Hey Vanessa,” Colton said, but his attention never wavered from his girlfriend. “Hello, beautiful.” Colton dropped a kiss on Addison’s head as he sank into the seat beside her. Since the two of them were thoroughly entrenched in the disgusting honeymoon period, Vanessa knew better than to interrupt their reunion.
Granted, Colton had joined them for breakfast just that morning, but still…
“Good to see you again, Vanessa,” Trent said.
Ugh. Did his voice have to be so low and sexy? She managed a polite, “You too.”
His smile was more like a smirk. Like he knew she didn’t mean it. She fidgeted uncomfortably under his watchful stare.
Back in New York, she’d never considered herself childish, or peevish, or immature, or self-conscious, or any of the other things she felt when this guy glanced at her.
He looked at her like he could see right through her. Like he knew what she was thinking.
Like he knew her.
She felt a smirk of her own creeping up, mirroring his. But really, it was rather funny. He looked at her like he knew her but the guy hadn’t even remembered her name without a prompt from Gina. And he still couldn’t place her, she had no doubt.
Trent broke the smirking contest first, asking all the polite questions one would expect of Prince Charming. How does it feel to be back? How was the move? Blah blah blah. She gave all the expected answers. Fine. Smooth. Blah blah blah.
She was almost starting to get comfortable with the small talk that was befitting an old acquaintance to whom she was basically a stranger.
But then it happened.
The front door opened and she glanced over and—was that Chip?
Her body acted on pure instinct and next thing she knew, she was…under the table.
Breathing heavily, heart in throat, she peeked up and…no. Not Chip.
Trent’s handsome face suddenly filled her view and it was filled with concern. “Vanessa? Are you all right?”
That was when humiliation swept in, replacing the swift and completely irrational surge of panic that was getting worse and worse the longer she went without running into Chip. She just wanted to get it over with already, was that too much to ask?
“I’m fine,” she managed, her voice too high and too tight as she met Trent’s gaze…under the table. “I, uh…” She glanced around like someone might come to her rescue. “I thought I dropped a contact lens.”
She sat back up quickly and Trent did the same, but now he was studying her in a whole new way. Scrutinizing her, really. “Did you always wear contacts or…”
Here it comes.
“You wore glasses.”
“And there it is,” she muttered under her breath. She’d braced herself for the recognition, but even so, the way his expression shifted ever so subtly when he made the connection—it made her heart pick up its pace and her hands grow clammy.
She hated this moment. The one when people stopped seeing the confident, bold, and attractive woman she’d become and started to see the old version. The nerd, the loser, the chubby kid with glasses and terrible hand-me-down clothes from Goodwill.
The one she’d happily left behind when she’d fled town and never looked back.
He recovered qu
ickly, she’d give him that. He didn’t do the wide-eyed, “oh my goodness, I didn’t even recognize you!” that so many townspeople had done when they’d made the same connection. The subtext, of course, was that they hadn’t recognized her because she looked so much better.
Which was what she’d been trying to prove, right? It should make her happy that people were so boggled by the change.
And yet, it rankled.
“You were my tutor,” he said slowly, and she saw the flicker of regret that he’d forgotten.
She just barely held back a sigh. It would be so much easier to not like this guy if he weren’t so darn nice all the time.
Regret turned to confusion as he tilted his head slightly like he was trying to make out a puzzle. “Why didn’t you…I mean, why—”
Why didn’t you say something? She figured that was what he was going to ask but he was mercifully cut short by Gina’s sudden arrival at his side. “What about you, Arnolds? You gonna order are you just here to make out with your girlfriend too?”
They all turned to see Colton sporting a shameless grin as Addison turned beet red. “We weren’t making out.” Her voice was little more than a squeak and they all ignored her.
“That’s Sheriff Arnolds to you, sis.” Colton arched his brows and pointed at his sister.
Gina rolled her eyes. “Acting Sheriff, and how long are you going to be lording that over us?” She moved around Vanessa so she could punch her brother in the shoulder. “Leave it to you to get a power trip off your best friend’s success.”
Addison snickered at Gina’s teasing and Colton shot her a wounded look that had Vanessa laughing too. The distraction was enough to bring her back to her more mature grown-up self and she turned to Trent with a polite smile. “Colton was telling us this morning about the sudden promotion. Congratulations.”
His lopsided grin was all warmth and aw-shucks down-home charm. “Thanks, but it’s really just—”
“It’s not going to be just ‘acting’ sheriff for long,” Colton interrupted. “I’m trying to convince Trent here to run.”
“What? That’s amazing!” Addison was already celebrating the fact as if it was a done deal.
“Really, Trent? That’s so cool,” Gina said.
“Well, I don’t know if I—”
“He’s a shoo-in,” Colton continued. “I mean, who wouldn’t vote for this guy?”
Vanessa studied Trent with an objective eye. Colton had a point. The guy looked like he was made to run for office. It didn’t take much imagination to see his face on posters and billboards. Heck, this guy could have a future in politics with that smile and those eyes and that jaw and those—
“What do you think, Vanessa? Would you vote for him?” Addison’s voice was teasing and Vanessa knew her friend was trying to draw her into the conversation, which was a total one-eighty from the norm. It was always Vanessa who was chatty and Addison who had to be drawn out.
Vanessa doubted anyone was as perturbed by her odd behavior since coming to Cyrano as Addison. For her friend’s sake, she donned her most enthusiastic smile. “Of course!”
Trent looked at her in surprise. “You don’t even know who the competition is.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Colton answered for her. “We all know you’ll win.”
“If I decide to run.” Trent shot Colton a weary look that spoke volumes. Clearly the two had been over this already. Probably multiple times. Colton wanted him to run, and Trent…
“What do you want?” Vanessa asked.
He looked at her in surprise again, but this time she got the feeling it wasn’t because of her tone but the question itself. Like it was the first time anyone had asked him that.
Like it was the first time he’d asked himself.
Her lips twitched with genuine amusement as she watched the myriad of emotions cross over his expression. Finally, he took a deep breath, looked her right in the eyes and said it. “I want to be sheriff.”
She nodded, oddly satisfied. Proud, even, which made no sense at all. “Then you will be.”
He grinned. “You sound awfully certain.”
“I am.” She shrugged, her gaze darting away from his because the moment felt too intimate when he was looking directly at her like that. “I mean, who wouldn’t vote for the town’s favorite star quarterback, right?”
She’d meant it to sound teasing, but it fell flat and sounded more like an insult than a joke.
“You have the experience,” Addison added quickly.
“And everyone knows you’re trustworthy,” Gina said.
Trent scratched the back of his head in a surprisingly adorable show of nerves. “Thanks, you guys. But I don’t know the first thing about running a campaign like this and—”
“Vanessa can help you!” Addison interrupted loudly.
Vanessa’s jaw went slack with shock. All eyes turned to Addison, who blushed at the sudden attention.
“What?” Trent asked.
“What?” Vanessa echoed him loudly.
Addison blinked and bit her lip, her gaze darting between Vanessa and Trent, finally settling on Vanessa with a pleading look. “You’re so good at PR and marketing, surely you could help him put the word out there that he’d make the best sheriff.”
“Uh…” That was all Vanessa could manage as everyone looked to her. She tried to silently communicate with her best friend via BFF ESP, which was totally a thing…she was pretty sure. Are you nuts? I don’t want to help this guy!
Either their ESP was malfunctioning or Addison was purposefully ignoring her. She turned to Trent. “Vanessa is a genius when it comes to this stuff.”
“But—” Vanessa started.
“And you,” Addison interrupted pointedly, her eyes darting to her friend and boring into Vanessa like she too was practicing her telepathy. “You need a client for your new marketing business.”
Vanessa’s mouth was still open, ready to protest, but Addison’s words left her speechless. The girl had a point. She did need a client—preferably something noteworthy. Something that could garner attention.
Something like getting a new sheriff elected.
It wasn’t exactly a Fortune 500 campaign but it would be marketable and interesting and…
Oh shoot, Addison was onto something.
“You’d do that?” Trent asked.
Vanessa looked over at Trent and…no. She couldn’t possibly do that. He’d leaned in slightly and just that extra inch of proximity made her head spin and her pulse skyrocket. Her head might know that she didn’t have a thing for this guy, but try tell that to her traitorous body.
Work with this guy? No way. He was bad for her health.
She cleared her throat, trying to think of a tactful way of saying just that…without mentioning her visceral reactions or her inner teen’s swooning, obviously. She did have her pride. But before she could start, Colton leaned forward. “Uh oh. Competition incoming.”
Everyone turned to look at the door and—
Chip!
She did it again. Vanessa found herself under the table and this time her panic didn’t subside because she hadn’t imagined it. She’d seen Chip Rodman walking in.
He was here.
This was it.
“Did you lose another contact?” Trent had bent down and was looking at her at eye level. She was too panicked to hide the fact that she was panicking. Her eyes widened in a silent plea for help, but then—
“Nessie?”
She sat up so quickly she knocked her head on the underside of the table and set a coffee cup rattling in its saucer. She heard Addison’s hiss as she winced in sympathy and everyone else was staring at her. She was vaguely aware of them, but her main focus was on the guy striding toward her with a big smile on his face. The guy who looked so familiar and yet so…different.
“Ness? Is that really you?” Chip asked.
A second later, she was being crushed in a bear hug. “I heard you were back in town,” he said, pu
shing her away and holding her at arm’s length, his brows shooting up in undisguised appreciation as he looked her over. “Everyone’s been talking about how good you look, but, man, Nessie…they didn’t do you justice.”
Her insides went into a free fall. Her voice left her entirely. There were too many emotions to track as she felt simultaneously validated, insulted, and frustrated beyond belief. Chip’s gaze was appreciative, his smile intimate. Sexy, even. Once upon a time she would have killed to have that smile directed at her.
He still looked good. Not like Trent or Colton levels of hot, but he was handsome enough in a tall, wiry kind of way. His light brown hair was still cropped short and the only sign of his age was a few crow’s feet around his eyes. Other than that, he was still…cute. He still maintained a boyish look about him that was appealing.
Her tongue felt like it was tied in knots. Like no time had gone by at all and he was still the boy who she desperately wanted to impress. Panic set in.
What had he said? What was she supposed to say?
Her silence lasted too long and Addison was the one to break it. “She actually goes by Vanessa now.”
Man, she loved her best friend. Those words brought her back to herself and she made a mental note to give Addison the world’s biggest hug once they were alone. But for now…
She took a step back so Chip’s hands fell to his sides. “Chip,” she said, in a tone that was only slightly breathier than usual. “How nice to see you.”
That was a whopper of a lie. His eyes raked over her again before meeting hers directly and she felt nothing but ill. There was nothing pleasant here, no nostalgia, no remembered friendship. Just memories of tagging along wherever he wanted to go, of being treated like a sidekick at best and a joke at worst.
Bitterness filled her mouth as she remembered the way he’d talked to her like she was some annoying nuisance, the way he’d made jokes at her expense. Nausea swept through her at the memory of how she’d let him treat her like that because she hadn’t thought she deserved any better.
At how, despite the way he’d treated her, she’d still given him her heart.
Fake Dating the Hometown Deputy: A Sweet Standalone Romance (Fake Dates Book 2) Page 3
