Romancing His Rival

by Jennifer Shirk

  He checked his watch. “But it’s seven o’clock. When do you get off?”

  “Nine tonight. As a result, I don’t have to go into work tomorrow until noon.”

  “Do you normally work those kind of hours?”

  “Not typically. But I volunteered to help Kinsley out this week.” She shrugged. “I’ve been working a lot of extra hours since my breakup with Scott. It helps to keep busy.”

  Not that she meant to share that particular information with him. Or anyone, for that matter.

  His forehead wrinkled in a frown. “You shouldn’t just be holed up in this hotel, Elena…”

  She held in a sigh. There Lucas went again, giving out more of his unasked-for advice about how she should be living her life. Little did he know that she hated going home every night to her empty apartment, hated that she had no life outside work, and hated, more than anything else, being alone.

  “There are cookies over there that Chef Rick made,” she said, pointing. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and start serving them to the guests?”

  He mock saluted her. “Aye aye, madam. And nice deflect, by the way.”

  She rolled her eyes then went over to the microphone she had already set up. “Hello and welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our third day of Christmas Trivia Night. I see a lot of return visitors from yesterday in our midst. Sorry to disappoint, but we don’t repeat questions here.”

  There was a groan from the audience.

  “I’m so glad you all could join us anyway,” she said brightly. “I see we have three teams even if they are a bit uneven. But if you’re okay with that then…”

  An older woman, Mrs. Hawthorne, if she remembered, raised her hand. “We’ll take him for our team.”

  Elena looked to where the woman was pointing and swallowed a giggle. Lucas stood frozen with a deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes.

  Oh, this should be good.

  “How about it, Lucas?” Elena said with grin. “You up for some trivia tonight?”

  Before Lucas could shake his head no, Mrs. Hawthorne was already up and out of her seat, pulling him to where her team was stationed. His searing gaze found hers from across the room and it pretty much emanated You-Owe-Me-Big-Time-For-This.

  But Elena wasn’t worried. She felt he was just about starting to try to make up for what he’d done to her, and they were still far from being even. “Great. The teams are more balanced now.” She took the sheet of trivia questions from her bag of supplies. “Let’s start with an easy one. What is the most popular item to put on top of a Christmas tree?”

  To her surprise, Lucas’s hand shot up first. “Um, okay, Mr. Albright, what’s your guess?”

  He waggled his eyebrows at Mrs. Hawthorne then answered. “Angel.”

  Elena looked at her answer sheet. Huh. He was right. She would have sworn the answer would be star. “Wow, that’s correct. Great job.” And lucky guess. “Team C, you’ve just gained a point.”

  Mrs. Hawthorne and the rest of her team clapped. “I knew he’d be a ringer!” she shouted with delight.

  And ringer Lucas indeed turned out to be.

  After forty-five minutes of questions, Team C was ahead by ten points thanks to one I-need-to-work-on-my-Christmas-spirit Lucas Albright. Who knew? Elena had thought for sure the New York City playboy would be knee-deep in holiday misery by now and ready to run back to his swanky city apartment, considering the reaction he had to the Christmas events he’d seen when he’d first checked in. Instead, Lucas appeared to be in his element and enjoying himself. He was even double fisting two hot chocolates. With extra whipped cream! Oh, now really…

  Elena glanced at the question sheet and found one that she was sure he’d have a tough time answering. Just to be fair to the other guests, of course. “Hey, everyone, since Team C is in the lead, how about we do one last question that will be worth ten whole points?”

  There was nodding and a few “awesomes” that came from the other two teams, so she felt she was good to go. She licked her lips and then read. “What was the most popular toy of 1984?”

  Elena couldn’t help it. Her gaze automatically landed on Lucas. His brow was furrowed, and he appeared to be thinking as his teammates looked to him for help in answering. He took a careful sip of his hot chocolate as if it might give him the answer. Ha! She had him. Finally.

  A young boy from Team B raised his hand. “Rubik’s Cube?” he answered.

  Elena snapped her fingers. “Oh, sorry, bud. Rubik’s Cube was popular in the 80’s, but that’s not the correct answer.”

  Then all of a sudden Lucas got a gleam in his eyes as he gazed up at her, and Elena’s stomach dropped. Oh, no. He couldn’t know the answer. Could he?

  He raised his hand, and she sighed. “Yes, Mr. Albright?”

  His lips shifted into a devilish grin and that’s when she knew he had won before he even opened his mouth. “The Cabbage Patch doll,” he answered.

  Elena had already peeked at the answer, so she didn’t need to glance down a second time. Instead, she nodded grimly, and Team C went wild just as Kinsley walked into the room.

  “Congratulations Team C.” Elena’s voice was a dry monotone. Sorry. But it was kind of hard to muster enthusiasm when she was witnessing Lucas getting congratulatory handshakes and pats on the back from the competing guests. “Just hang on a few more minutes and you’ll be able to claim your prizes,” she told the winning team.

  “Wow,” Kinsley said, walking up to her, eyeing the laughter. “Trivia Night seems especially lively tonight.”

  Elena stuffed the sheet of questions back into her bag. “Oh, yeah,” she muttered. “It’s been a real hoot and a half.” She then unceremoniously handed Kinsley the microphone and stormed over to Lucas.

  Lucas stood waiting for her to approach with a mocking grin, eyes glittering. “You,” he chided lightly, “were trying to get me and my team to lose.”

  Elena snorted. “I was not. I was—” Oh, heck with it. Why pretend otherwise? “Okay, just how did you know the answer to that last question?”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “I have a toy manufacturer as a client, and I recently needed to study trends going back fifty years.”

  Figures. “But what about all that other Christmas trivia you knew?”

  “Did I ever mention I’m a trivia buff?”

  She folded her arms and glared at him. “Funny, but no, you never mentioned that.”

  “Oh. Well, I am. I’m also highly competitive if you haven’t noticed,” he said, cracking his knuckles.

  She sighed. Why was she not surprised? Of course Mr. Know-It-All would have a fondness for trivia.

  He gave her a sheepish grin. “Are you mad at me for not telling you this before?”

  No. I’m mad at you for breaking up my engagement. She turned away, about to head to the refreshment table, but Lucas took hold of her arm.

  “We still need to talk,” he reminded her.

  Right. The real reason Lucas was even here at Trivia Night had completely slipped her mind. Might as well get it over with. The sooner Lucas got out whatever was on his mind, the sooner he’d be out of her hair and back in New York.

  She gestured to the sitting area across the hall. “Five minutes,” she told him firmly.

  He followed her and once she sat, he flopped down next to her, his long legs brushing hers. She didn’t like her space being invaded and shifted over, although there still wasn’t enough space between them for her comfort. Lucas was an imposing figure at well over six feet tall, and the heat she felt every time his body brushed up against hers was making her extra jittery. So she decided to stand and move to the chair farthest away from him.

  “So what’s this position you want to tell me about?” she asked.

  He scanned the hotel lobby then leaned in. “I saw one of your drawings. The Santa on the Jet Ski. It’s good.”

  A little thrill that he had complimented her work was soon doused with anger when she realized what that meant. �
��How dare you go through my things,” she seethed.

  “Easy does it.” He held up a hand. “I didn’t go through your belongings.”

  “Oh, really? Then how would you have seen that picture? X-ray vision, Superman?”

  “I found it on the floor back at the condo. It must have slipped out of your sketchbook. I’m sorry. I know it’s private, but you need to know you really do have talent.”

  Her cheeks were on fire, and she had to look away. Hearing Lucas Albright say such nice things about her sketches was weakening her resolve to dislike him. Just a little bit. After all, he didn’t have to share that with her. “Thanks, but that’s just your opinion.”

  “What if I told you that my boss happens to think you have talent as well?”

  Elena stared at Lucas.

  He cleared his throat. “And that we’d like to buy your drawings for an ad campaign we’re working on?”

  She saw his lips move. Even heard the words come out of them as clear as day. But they just wouldn’t translate into anything that made sense. “Wait. Your company wants to buy my artwork?”

  He nodded. “You’d be paid well, too. This is a great opportunity for you, Elena. Who knows where it could lead? Maybe a full-time job with us. Plus, on a personal level, it would mean a lot to me if you’d say yes.”

  That last sentence snapped her back to reality. “Why would it mean a lot to you?”

  He shifted, clearing his throat a few times. “I’m working on the ad campaign that wants to use your work.”

  So, that’s why he was here in Cape Harmony. It had nothing to do with Christmas spirit. He needed her sketches. Fat chance.

  She tapped a finger against her lips. “Let me get this straight. You want me to sign over the rights to my drawings in order for you to complete your ad campaign?”

  He hesitated. “Well, yes, but I think it’s really the best thing you could do for your career and I—”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  He looked so taken aback she wanted to laugh. Good. He didn’t know her as well as he thought. “Lucas, listen to yourself. You don’t even sound remorseful that you violated my privacy by showing my pictures to your boss. You had no right to do that without my permission.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I know, but like I—”

  “And not only that, but this is another example of you presuming to know what is best for me, my career, and my life. Well, you were wrong about Scott and me, and you’re wrong about this. I don’t care how important it is to you or your company. I won’t do it.” She stood, desperate to end this conversation, desperate for air.

  He jumped up, too, his expression hardening. “Elena, you’re being stubborn. Besides, I helped you today, so how about helping me now? For old times’ sake. And helping yourself while you’re at it.”

  “Yeah, see, that’s the thing. I have no desire to help you. I barely like you.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’ve made that more than clear, and I’m sure my pride is somewhere and hasn’t been completely decimated. But this goes beyond what I want.” He leaned so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. Her skin prickled. “Elena, despite what you feel about me, don’t be afraid to take a chance on your talent.”

  “I—I’m not afraid.”

  But in truth…she was. His proposition scared her. She’d only known working at the hotel ever since she was in high school. It was safe. She felt in control. And it was comforting, like a favorite sweater. Although…every once in a while that sweater felt tight.

  “I have to go,” she said, finding it hard to take a breath.

  He reached out, brushed his hand over hers. “Think about it, Elena. This could be your future.”

  Future. She thought of Scott, her potential marriage to him, and the loneliness she’d been feeling ever since their breakup. The life she’d dreamed about didn’t involve hot shot ad campaigns in New York City. It involved staying in Cape Harmony—where she always felt secure and in control—so she ultimately shook her head. “I’m sorry, Lucas. It’s not the future I want.”

  Chapter Six

  “You seem anxious,” Scott told her that Friday night.

  “Me, anxious?” Elena picked up her glass of wine and gulped down a mouthful. “Wh-why do you say that?”

  Scott cocked his head and studied her a beat. “I don’t know. I just get the feeling your thoughts are elsewhere tonight.”

  “Huh? Oh, no, not at all,” she assured him.

  His eyes widened slightly when she finished off the rest of her wine in one swallow.

  Oops. Okay, maybe Scott had a small point. She was feeling a little…distracted. Here she was out to dinner in Atlantic City at one of her favorite restaurants with the love of her life, and all she kept worrying about was Lucas suddenly showing up and planting more ideas in Scott’s mind about what a bad couple they made. Her worry was ridiculous. They both had settled into a comfortable rapport and were having a lovely meal—as if no time at all had gone by. She’d missed the easiness of their relationship, like slipping on a pair of favorite wool socks. Plus, before she’d left, she had definitely made sure Lucas was back at the hotel, fully occupied with another rousing game of Christmas Trivia. There was no reason to suspect he’d be here, especially given the number of restaurants in the area.

  So why was she so preoccupied with thoughts of Lucas?

  Probably because he’d surprised her with that offer to buy her drawings. It was all so sudden. And all too ridiculous. She wasn’t an artist by any means.

  “It’s really good to see you, Elena. You look lovely tonight.”

  Her gaze shifted back to Scott’s handsome face, and she smiled. His words were as soothing as they were reassuring that everything was good between them again—or soon would be—and that there was still reason to hope for a future together. She glanced with fondness at the small bouquet of flowers on the table. She was touched Scott had even remembered how her father would bring flowers to her mom on Fridays. “Thank you. It’s wonderful to see you, too. I was afraid you wouldn’t even want to be friends with me after everything Lucas had said.”

  Ugh. There she went, mentioning Lucas. She could just kick herself.

  Scott shrugged. “I would always want you to be a part of my life in some way, Elena. You’re very special to me. Lucas is, too, so don’t blame him for what happened.”

  Too late, she thought sullenly and reached for more wine.

  “It wasn’t all his fault,” he continued. “Our breakup, I mean.”

  Elena stilled then put down her glass. “What do you mean?”

  “To be honest, some of the things Lucas mentioned about his marriage were already in the back of my mind. Then I got to thinking about my career. Other girlfriends and wives of some of the guys in the office have careers in the city. I kept hoping you would, too. It would make things easier on both of us. You’d have more in common with everyone.”

  “I wish you would have discussed this with me sooner. Because I think I’m a pretty good conversationalist. I don’t think it would have been an issue.”

  Scott’s face was taut as he swirled the wine in his glass. “Maybe. But don’t you have ambition in your life?”

  Yes, of course I do. She had looked ahead to loving each other, getting married, starting a family and having a lovely life together, all while she kept working at the Harbor Light. Those were pretty ambitious plans to her. But instead, she said, “Kinsley has me taking on more responsibility in the hotel, which I’m happy to do.”

  Scott shook his head. “Elena, honey, you’re never going to get anywhere working for Kinsley the rest of your life.”

  “Where do I want to go?”

  He laughed, but she was serious, and his reaction was like nails running down a chalkboard to her. “I can’t tell you that. But I had hoped that wherever it was, it would be with me. I don’t think we’re quite on the same page. I envisioned us being a power couple. I though
t you knew that, wanted that, too.”

  “I do.” Kind of. She bit her lip, her vision blurring with unshed tears. This conversation wasn’t exactly going where she’d hoped, and Scott seemed to be drifting away from her. She knew he was career driven and wanted to make something of himself, but she didn’t think he wanted her to be the exact same way.

  “Lucas said he and Catherine began to drift apart because they had nothing to say to each other after a while. No commonalities. It started me thinking. What do we have in common?”

  “You know we both enjoy reading.”

  “Yeah.” He didn’t sound convinced.

  “We both want a big family and enjoy skiing.” Sort of enjoy skiing. She liked to go skiing, mainly because it involved warm comfy cabins and hot chocolate in front of the fire with a good book while Scott was the one who actually skied.

  “I’ve been doing yoga on Sundays. Do you like that?” he asked.

  Ugh. Yoga. Elena suppressed a shudder. “Oh, I’ve done it a few times.” She knew it was part of fitness and pop culture, but her body was not meant for those Bavarian pretzel twist poses. Then she thought about what Lucas had said about not keeping secrets in their relationship. Maybe it was time Scott knew what she really enjoyed. She supposed it wasn’t really such a big deal.

  “Actually, I prefer to, um, draw on Sundays,” she murmured.

  “Draw?” Scott smiled. “That’s so cool. Everyone should have a hobby of some kind.”

  “Yeah, I sketch in my free time. I have for years whenever I get stressed.”

  “Really? For years? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  She shrugged. “Honestly, I never thought too much about it. Until now. In fact, get this: Lucas’s company is actually interested in using some of my artwork for an ad campaign he’s working on.” Her smile was hesitant. “Isn’t that crazy?”

  Scott’s eyes narrowed. “Wait. Bold Mine Advertising is interested in your artwork?”

  Elena tried not to take offense at Scott’s tone. But sheesh, he didn’t have to sound so shocked. Even if she had sort of downplayed it herself for some reason. “Um, yeah, at least that’s what Lucas told me. But who knows if he really meant it. He might have only been trying to make up for being so mean. Don’t worry, I’m not—”