“There, that’s better!” she exclaimed as she straightened the hem of my shirt, then ran her fingers over the wet spot that was now miraculously free of a coffee stain. She glanced up and her satisfied smile fell. Her cheeks began to redden, and she took a step back, running a hand over her forehead. “I can’t believe I just did that. I’m so sorry. You don’t even know me, and I’m touching you and all up in your space. I’m so sorry and so embarrassed. Can you please pretend like you never saw me?”
I pretended to think about it. “Hmm, nope. I don’t think I can.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, her long lashes brushing her cheeks. I didn’t think she had a stitch of makeup on, but she was still beautiful. “I’m so sorry. First, I scare you, then bump into you and spill coffee, then—”
“I kind of like the way we met. I mean, it’ll be a great story to tell everyone when we start dating.”
“What?” Her eyes popped open. “Are you asking me out?”
“Well, how else am I going to find out more about this limited-edition wallpaper?”
She smiled and her shoulders relaxed. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot. It’s not every day I get asked out by someone who tried to be my hero.”
Chapter Four
Fletcher
Present time
Thanks to the ongoing investigation, I still couldn’t tell Saidy what I did. We’d been dating for four solid months now, and I was still in the middle of the same investigation.
I hated lying to her—I was a horrible liar—which was why I hated undercover work.
Every time I told a lie, it felt like a rock dropped in the pit of my stomach. The longer I lied, the harder it became.
I still hadn’t been able to introduce her to my family. My dad was a police officer and knew better than to tell anyone, but the rest of the family would blow my cover in two seconds flat. My family was going to love her when they finally met her, though. Heck, my stepmom would be planning the wedding three minutes after laying eyes on her.
But since I’d blown my cover on my last undercover job, I was taking extra precautions with this one.
I had been lucky it wasn’t a serious operation. It turned out the guy was smuggling fireworks, not guns.
That wasn’t the case anymore. Sullivan was the real deal and was neck deep into selling black market goods, cleaning money, and even forging some on the side. Anything that carried a big price tag—he sold it. That was why I had been planted undercover as his new tech solutions guy—to shut down his prolific operation.
Now that we were getting closer to closing in on all of Sullivan’s contacts and partners, I was feeling dangerously impatient. I wanted to tell Saidy the truth. So stinking bad. But she was an even worse liar than me, and I knew Sullivan checked up on all of his employees. If Saidy mentioned me being an undercover cop to anyone else, it could easily get back to Sullivan and it would be the end of our operation and any hope of putting him behind bars.
I couldn’t ask that of her or put that type of pressure on her. She was everything that was good and right in the world, and I was going to protect her from this dark side no matter what.
Unfortunately, I felt like I was shutting her out, more and more. And with things heating up with Sullivan, I was spending more and more time working, which afforded me less time to spend with her.
I knew Saidy was mad at me, but I didn’t know how to fix it. I couldn’t just quit this job. It didn’t work that way. If I gave up on this undercover job, I’d be fired. And then I’d have to do something with myself, like actually start an IT company. Which sounded horrible. I’d been in a phase in high school where I decided I wanted to become a billionaire tech mogul. What wasn’t to love about that idea? I was a quick study on all things computer related and being a billionaire didn’t seem like too much of a hardship.
While that phase had passed, my love and understanding of technology had stayed, making for the perfect cover story when I began investigating Sullivan.
But I’d messed up. I knew I shouldn’t have asked Saidy out when I had. It was the worst possible time to start dating someone with my current work obligations.
I didn’t have time to eat or do my own laundry, much less start a relationship with someone.
But…Saidy wasn’t just some girl to pass the time with. She was the girl. Ever since she’d spilled that coffee on me, I knew she was something special.
I was going to do something to make up for what a lousy boyfriend I’d been lately…
And so, after working the day at Sullivan’s, I’d done a little bit of shopping. Esme, Sullivan’s housekeeper, had come with me.
She was working on renewing her work visa and getting her Oregon driver’s license. Luckily it wouldn’t be too difficult since she had all the proper documentation, but all of the red tape took a long time. In the meantime, she didn’t want to get caught driving without a license and risk deportation, so I’d been driving her home the past week. We’d formed a sort of friendship. Esme reassured me I was doing the right thing with an apology present. We found the perfect I’m-sorry gift. A Magnolia catalog by her favorite designer couple, and a bag of her favorite tea from the local specialty tea shop. After that, I dropped Esme at her home.
I’d texted Saidy to see if she was home. She sent me a one-word reply of, “Yup.” Not exactly the most encouraging response, but I was going to make it up to her.
I knocked on her door.
I heard her footsteps as she came to the front door and unlocked it.
She opened the door and stood there in her favorite pair of “house pants” as she called them. They reminded me of curtains that her grandmother had in her house, but she still looked adorable in them.
Instead of saying anything, I held out the gift to her.
She narrowed her eyes at me, looked at the peace offering, and snatched it out of my hands. She was cute when she was mad. I’d also learned right away that it was really stupid to tell her that when she was angry. It was a great way for her to stay mad for an extra week.
“I’m sorry I’ve been letting you down lately. Really sorry. Work has become so consuming lately, and I want to make it up to you.”
She didn’t open the present. Okay. This was not going very well. I took a step closer. “Are you going to open it?”
Her frown slowly disappeared.
“It’s not a puppy,” I promised. She’d told me she never had a dog growing up, because of her mom’s allergies. She’d also had a run in with a mean dog at a park as a young child. The owner didn’t have it on a leash at a children’s park. It had charged over to the playground barking and snarling at the children. It eventually bit Saidy.
Some dogs were not kid dogs, and I blamed the owner for not being responsible with his dog ownership.
It had unfortunately left Saidy leery of any canine she met. I told her not all dogs were mean, and she’d reluctantly agreed with me on that point, but I was still trying to convince her owning a dog would be fun.
Her nose twitched. “No dogs.”
I guess I’d have to press my case for a dog at a later date. “I know I’ve been distracted with work, but after this next big project, I’ll be able to keep regular working hours.”
She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. “You? Work regular hours? I might die from the shock.”
I smiled. “You might. I know how you’re obsessed with schedules…”
I tipped my head toward the giant calendar she had plastered to the front of her fridge.
Her face finally cracked into a smile as she shook her head at me. “I’m not obsessed.”
“Hmm, you’re not? Could have fooled me,” I teased. “How does a seven o’clock reservation sound?”
Her eyes sparkled. “You know I love reservations.”
“I know. I’m pulling out all the stops tonight.”
She shook her head but was still smiling. There was hope.
She finally set the bag down on the entry tabl
e and pulled the white tissue paper off the top. “Did you wrap this yourself?”
“Yup.”
“I can tell.”
I’m a guy, and I was actually trying, but wrapping gifts was not my thing. I’d even tried to fluff the tissue paper just right but ended up ripping it instead…
She pulled the magazine from the bag, along with the canister of tea. She unscrewed the lid and sniffed the blend. Her eyes closed briefly, and a small smile graced her lips. “Thank you, Fletcher. This was so sweet and thoughtful.”
She turned toward me and leaned in to kiss—my cheek? Okay, I was hoping for a more enthusiastic response than that, but I knew relationships had to be repaired when broken, so baby steps.
“I’ll go get ready for dinner.” She smiled and hurried down the hall. “I just filled the teapot if you want some!”
She disappeared from sight, and I went to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of tea that I filled with sugar and a whole lotta milk. Because tea by itself was an uncommitted beverage. I’d never say that to Saidy because she was as equally obsessed with tea as she was coffee.
Fifteen minutes later, she came out wearing a pair of red pants and a cream sweater that showed off her shoulders. Big earrings drew my attention to the slender curve of her neck. She was stunning. “I’m ready!”
I grinned and opened the front door for her, even though I didn’t feel like sharing her with the rest of the world. She stepped onto the porch and I locked the door behind us.
She didn’t hold my hand for the walk to the car like she normally did, though. I still had a ways to go to get out of the doghouse, that much was obvious.
I opened the door to my SUV for her and she climbed in. It was nice to not have to drive my service van all the time. Although, I did miss my motorcycle… Unfortunately, it didn’t fit with the timid undercover IT impression I was trying to pass off. The one where I wore blue light-blocking glasses seventy percent of the time. I didn’t need Sullivan looking into me too closely. And the bike might give away the connection between me and an undercover cop named Johnny—Johnny being my undercover name from my previous investigation.
I took a deep breath in and out. I didn’t want to be obsessing over work, or my cover story tonight. I wanted to enjoy time with Saidy and remind her that I did care about her and want to be with her. More than anything else in the world, for that matter.
She slowly warmed up to me in the car on the drive and she told me about her afternoon consultation with a man who was surprising his wife with an interior design. She was still talking about the new project when I parked the car and walked around to open her door.
“And the budget he’s giving me to work with! Fletcher, it’s amazing. I mean, either this guy is the greatest husband, or he messed up big time and is trying to fix it.”
I cringed thinking about the fact that I was the one who messed up big time and was trying to fix it right now. Obviously on a much smaller scale than a complete interior reno.
“Sorry we had to park so far away. Do you want me to drive back around and drop you at the entrance?” The restaurant was downtown and didn’t offer much in the way of parking. It had a valet service, but I had trust issues when it came to my cars and handing off the keys to the castle to just anyone.
“No, I’d rather walk with you.” She didn’t even question the fact that I didn’t use the valet service. She knew I was skeptical. I didn’t want my car stolen. What easier way than to pass your keys to a stranger?
I grasped her hand, trying to close the distance growing between us, and we walked down the street toward the restaurant. The streetlights lit the way, casting our path in a romantic glow.
“Are you warm enough?”
Saidy sighed and nodded. “You know, Fletcher, I was starting to get worried about us. But tonight—knowing you want to be here with me, making the effort to make this special, makes me feel so much—”
She was interrupted when a loud voice called, “Fletcher!”
I turned to look and spotted Jenkins, Sullivan’s ‘acquaintance’ for lack of a better word. He was around Sullivan’s place more and more lately, and it had to do with the big deal coming up. And hang it all, he was the last person on Earth I wanted Saidy to meet.
He handed a ticket to the valet and sauntered over to stand next to us. I was taller than him by a couple inches, but he was definitely broader. I shifted my body to be in front of Saidy.
“Is this your old lady?” Jenkins asked with a chuckle.
“Old lady?” Saidy asked sharply.
Not good. She’s about to blow.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I didn’t want him to know Saidy was my girlfriend. I couldn’t. This guy was…bad news. While we’d never been able to tie anything to Sullivan, Jenkins was another thing. He’d already served time for assault and battery. There were a couple dead bodies that had connections with him as well, though he hadn’t been charged due to lack of physical evidence. No. I couldn’t have her connected with him in any way.
He was a fixer. If there was a chance they found out I was a cop, and that she was my girlfriend, they’d take care of any loose ends. Taking care of me would be expected; taking out my girlfriend would only be a bonus in their eyes.
“Your girlfriend?” He prompted as he stared at her. “If I’d known you had a girlfriend this pretty, I would have made a point to get acquainted much sooner.”
I squeezed Saidy’s hand tight, hoping she wouldn’t speak out. “I’m too young to tie myself down with an old lady. There’s too many to see. I get tired pretty easy.” My stomach churned at the lie. Dinner didn’t sound so great anymore.
Jenkins grinned and peered over my shoulder to look at Saidy. I held tight to Saidy’s hand, keeping her behind me.
“I’ll see you later,” I said through gritted teeth as Saidy pinched the skin behind my elbow.
I dragged Saidy after me toward the restaurant entrance. We paused there and watched as Jenkins climbed into a car brought over by the valet. Tugging Saidy into my chest, I bent down to kiss her when Jenkins turned to look at us.
“If you put those filthy, lying lips on mine, I’ll bite them,” Saidy ground out.
I wisely pulled back. No empty threats on this one.
I risked taking my eyes off of her for a moment to make sure that Jenkins really had pulled away. His car was gone, thankfully.
“What other women are there?” she demanded as she adjusted the strap of her giant purse hanging over her shoulder.
I opened my mouth to explain, but she cut me off. “You know what? I’m not someone to toy with. I thought we meant something to each other, but apparently not anymore. You enjoy this dinner by yourself. This old lady is going home.”
“No—you mean the world to me. You have to believe me.”
She didn’t look like she believed me.
“You were talking about me to that man like I was gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe!”
“I don’t like the guy.”
“Well, I’d hate to know what you say about me to your friends then!” she exclaimed.
“It’s not like that! I just wanted him to leave you alone! Didn’t he creep you out at all?” I thought about throwing myself on my knees and praying that she’d had one of her infamous gut feelings about Jenkins.
Her eyes flickered back and forth from my face to where Jenkins’s car had been.
“Fine, yes, he gave me a bad feeling,” she admitted begrudgingly.
Prayers did get answered even if you weren’t on your knees.
“But I’m still mad at you.” She poked my chest with her index finger before she slipped past me and started to walk away. I snagged her elbow before she could get too far. “I’ll drive you home.” Because what could I say? Not the truth. Definitely not that.
“I don’t want to look at you.” She ground out as she jerked her arm away.
“All right. Don’t look at me, or even talk to me. Whatever you want. But please just let
me drive you safely home.”
She narrowed her eyes at me and then gave a jerky nod. She stomped back in the direction of the car.
Then slammed the door when she climbed in.
It was a silent, chilly ride to her house. And I knew I’d really stepped in it this time. If only I could dig my way out of this one. But I wasn’t sure how.
Chapter Five
Saidy
After my non-dinner with Fletcher, I went home and immediately began pairing paint swatches with wood tones for a kitchen I would be doing a low-budget kitchen redesign on. The couple scheduled me out in advance to ensure they got the cheapest rate. Those were the people who always ended up spending more in the long run, because they were sure they could drive to Portland and get the supplies for ten dollars cheaper, never taking the cost of fuel and their time into account. They’d spend fifty dollars to save ten. But as long as they paid me, I didn’t care. I truly enjoyed kitchen renovations.
I sat down at my bar and laid the paint chips on the white countertop, arranging them next to my sample pieces of wood stains. I opened my laptop and scrolled through the pictures I had of the old kitchen.
First, I would strip the wood, then re-stain it. While, of course, painting an accent cabinet with a stenciled design on the space between the countertop and overhead cabinets. I found the perfect sink to replace the already existing one that would set off the whole room. I loved the low-set farm sinks, but this one would be at the right height for their counters so there wouldn’t need to be any additional carpentry work.
I obsessed over different options and worked well into the night. Eventually, I made my way to the living room where I ordered fabric for valances before I fell asleep in my favorite chair.
At six a.m., my alarm went off and I popped my back and tried to stretch my neck. It wasn’t easy standing up out of a papasan chair, but somehow I managed it.
The rest of my day was scheduled to be packed. I double-checked to make sure that I didn’t have even one minute to spare until six that evening. My plan was to get an Uber to the mechanic’s shop before work and pick up my car. They’d taken a couple days to go through everything thoroughly, but all they found was some loose wiring that could have possibly caused my car to quit. They tightened things up and told me it was good as new.
World's Worst Boyfriend: A Romantic Comedy Adventure (Fake It Book 3) Page 4
