Jaxson snapped his fingers. “And that’s my cue to leave.”
Lottie giggled.
He kissed her on the cheek and said something low that sounded like “I’ll miss you while I’m gone.”
Be still, my beating heart. That man was a romantic. No wonder he’d turned Lottie’s head. He was the whole package—good-looking, abs for days (yeah, I’d seen the team calendar), and he mooned over Lottie like she’d hung the stars. If only his teammate and my new employer had the same temperament. I’d seen the tabloids. I knew that Liam was going on girlfriend number one million and two.
Sigh. Men like Jaxson gave me a small flash of hope that there were still gentlemen out there. I’d have to tell my sister. We had an ongoing debate about book boyfriends versus real boyfriends. So far, book boyfriends were in the lead.
“Okay, don’t judge me for saying this, but I think you’d look amazing in this green dress.” She pulled the garment out of the closet and danced the hanger back and forth.
She had to be joking. The dress didn’t look like anything I currently owned.
Not wanting to offend her, I pretended to consider the cut like the fashion designers did in the latest episode of Project Runway. “I don’t think the lines are right for my body type.” Oooh, perfect. And it wasn’t a lie. Lottie was shorter than me and had a few more … assets.
She didn’t look convinced. “Just try it on. I won’t allow you to leave this room in something that doesn’t fit right.” She turned so her back was to me as if our conversation was over. “I’ll get the curl-enhancing cream I bought the other day. It did nothing for my hair, but it might work for you.” She darted into the bathroom before I could object.
I was beginning to wonder if all McKnights were this bossy. And here I’d thought it was just a Liam trait. And just like with Liam, there was no way I was going to get out of at least trying on the dress. Fine. I’d put it on, and she’d see that I was right. There was no harm in that.
I took the opportunity of an empty room to slip into the dress. Holding my breath, I turned and checked the mirror. Hmm. Surprisingly, not bad. The color made my red hair take on a deeper tone and actually gave me rosy cheeks. Why had I never worn this shade before?
Lottie popped back in without knocking—another McKnight trait. Someone should really talk to their mother about that. “Wow! You look amazing.” Her gaze roamed over me like I was her Frankenstein and she was my creator. She put her hands on her hips and nodded. “That does it. The dress is yours.” She reached over and pulled off the price tag—which I’d totally peeked at when I’d been putting the dress on. And it almost made me swallow my tongue. I mean, it cost the same as a month’s worth of rent.
“Oh no! I couldn’t—”
“You have to. Now that I’ve seen you wear it, I’d hate myself in it because I didn’t look like that.” She twisted the lid off a tub of goo. “And you want me to keep my mental health, right?” She gave me a knowing wink. She’d won this fight. Well played.
I ran my hand down the front of the dress and stared in the mirror. I wasn’t someone who hid my curves away, but I didn’t get dressed up often, so this was kind of my Cinderella moment. Except I didn’t have woodland creators and birds helping me. I had Lottie, who was currently dipping her hands in the tub and then rubbing her palms together.
“Can you flip your head over?” She did a mini demonstration.
I did as she asked—the woman had just given me a $1500 dress. The least I could do was let her slather my hair with this coconut-smelling concoction.
“So Jaxson told you why I was here?” I prompted as she scrunched my curls over and over again. The rhythm and the pressure of her tugging at my roots was relaxing.
Winnie and I did home-spa nights every now and again so she could dust off her cosmetology degree, but she never wanted to touch my hair—claimed she had no idea what to do with it because hers was stick straight. Same color, just easier to manage. Which left me abandoned and alone when it came to taming the mane. Which was okay. After all, my patients didn’t come in to see me because of my brilliantly good looks. And because it was so long and did whatever it wanted anyway, I rarely went in for haircuts, so I had no help in the hairstylist department.
Lottie didn’t seem to mind this mess. From the few glimpses I got of her, she looked to be in her element. “Yeah—so Liam is in trouble with the team owner. The guy thinks he’s a player.”
“He is—always has been.” I didn’t throw in there that he’d stood me up for prom and then taken someone else. If that wasn’t a player, then I didn’t know the definition. But I felt bad saying that to his sister, who obviously thought the world of him. If I remembered right, Lottie was a year behind us in school and she and Liam were tight growing up.
“I know. Honestly, he runs through dates like I do lip gloss.”
I chuckled at the analogy. At least Lottie had an honest view of Liam’s behavior. What made me love her all the more was that she accepted that about him without judgment. He was just her brother, and she would probably claw my eyes out to protect him. Not that she’d have to protect him from me. I wasn’t his type.
“Anyway, the owner’s worried about the team’s image and thinks Liam’s dating record reflects badly on them. He wants him to change his ways.”
“Wait.” I stepped back and flipped my hair over.
Lottie’s eyes widened as she took in my mane.
I pushed some of it over my shoulder and pointed at her. “You’re telling me that he wants me to make him relationship material?” I balked.
Lottie gathered more cream on her palms and worked the hair around my face. “No. You’re supposed to make him look like relationship material. Just until the owner cools off.”
“So it’s a farce.”
She wagged her head side to side. “No.” She paused and bit her lip. “Maybe a little. But I’d really like to see him settle down. You told my mom he was afraid of commitment—is that true?” The way her eyebrows lowered, you’d think she carried the weight of Liam’s fears on her shoulders.
I lifted a shoulder. “Now that he’s paying me—” More money for one week than I’d ever dreamed. “—I can’t divulge that information.” Did I think Liam was a commitment-phobe? Yes. But there was more to his issues with women than that. I had a few ideas, but I couldn’t share them with Lottie.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” She wiped her hands off on a towel and looked me over. “I can’t believe how well that worked.”
I spun to take a look in the mirror. My hair was big, like Dolly Parton big. But unlike Dolly’s, mine was kinky and curly and shiny and defined and pretty much amazing. “Wow.” I touched it, expecting a crackling noise. I’d only been able to get this kind of frizz control with gel that hardened and flaked by the end of the night. Instead of crispy, my hair was soft and touchable. I stared, transfixed by the transformation. “I’m impressed.”
Lottie giggled. “Let’s add a bit of color to your lips so the hair doesn’t overpower your features, and then I think you’re party ready.”
I smiled. “At this point, I’d let you dip me in slime if you wanted to—you’re a miracle worker.” I used my phone to take a picture of the tub of miracle cream so I could buy out the company’s supply. Not only because it made my hair look amazing, but suddenly, I felt like a rock star, ready to take on the world. Heck, with this look, I might even be confident enough to take on Liam.
My stomach fluttered at the thought. One could only hope.
Chapter Four
Liam
I stood next to Jaxson at the pool as he greeted guests. I said hello and thanks for coming while eyeing up a woman at the buffet table nibbling on a piece of cheese. She had on a hot-pink dress and straight black hair that went to her waist with enough makeup to paint a barn. Dang, she was hot.
“Could you pay attention for thirty seconds?” Jaxson muttered out of the side of his mouth.
“I would, but s
houldn’t Lottie be standing here instead of me?” Jaxson had grabbed me when Lottie hadn’t appeared at seven. “I have things to do tonight.” I winked at the dark-haired vixen. She slowly licked sauce off her spoon before winking back. Hot.
“She’ll be here any minute.” Jaxson moved so he blocked my view of the women.
I grunted. “She’s not the only female missing tonight. Heather should have been here by now.” I checked my watch, the one Dad had given me when I’d graduated. It was a simple gold face with a black leather band that I’d had to replace twice already due to wearing it so often. I could buy myself something more expensive, flashier, but this one meant something to me and I liked the reminder that Dad was proud of me.
“They’re together,” Jaxson said.
“What?” I grinned, thinking of Heather giving Lottie a last-minute pep talk. “Lottie getting cold feet?” I teased. There was no way my sister would back out of this wedding. Jaxson was the love of her life. If she questioned that now, the whole universe might fall apart.
“Naw, they were having girl talk. I don’t know, man, I busted out of there when they started talking about dresses and junk.” Jaxson ran a hand through his hair.
I bobbed my head in understanding. “I’m going in for a drink. Want me to bring you something?”
“I’m good.” Jaxson smiled wide for the mayor and his wife, who were making their way over to him. “If you see Lottie, tell her she owes me one.”
Just inside the living room, I ran into Carter and his new girlfriend, Ellise. We chatted for a moment about how Ellise was doing with her new job with the midwife company.
Movement on the staircase caught my eye, and my gaze glued to the red-haired goddess gliding toward us. “Since when did she have that body?” I muttered as I stared unabashedly at Heather wearing a green dress that hugged every curve in all the best places. Something primal clicked on inside of me, and I had the urge to carry her off in the sunset. Dang. That hair in the sunlight would be incredible. The red was darker somehow, and it looked soft enough to fall asleep next to.
“Is that Heather?” asked Carter.
I nodded, struck mute by the transformation.
Ellise nodded too. “She looks like a model.”
I shook himself. I’d dated plenty of models—I should know what they looked like. The models had something Heather didn’t. I stretched to put my finger on what it was. Ah! She was too shy. The models I’d dated were all about flaunting themselves, but Heather kept glancing around as if she didn’t want people to see her. I had the urge to stand in front of her and shield her from the dozens of men eyeing her up like a steak cooked medium rare. “Come on, guys. This is Heather. The girl who spent our whole junior year in love with Harry Potter.” And spoke about the books at length during our peer tutor sessions.
Carter shook his head as if disappointed in me. “Come on, Ellise. Let’s get some dinner.”
Lottie came down a few steps after Heather. She brushed past me and whispered, “You’re welcome.”
I would have tugged her pigtails if she still wore them. But my baby sister was all grown up and getting married. That was a depressing thought.
I rubbed the back of my neck, not sure why it was all of a sudden a hundred degrees. “Did you do something with your hair?” I asked like a man who didn’t have a clue about how women did these things. Unfortunately, I knew better than most men because my dates loved to talk about hair care. She probably used a curl cream. Gag! Why did I have to know that?
She ran her hand down the curls hanging over her shoulder and nodded. The scent of coconuts lifted into the air between us, beckoning like a tropical beach getaway. I breathed shallowly so I didn’t get ideas about playing in the surf with my therapist.
Rubbing my palms together, I said, “Okay, this is how the night’s going to go. I’m going to do what I always do. You can observe from afar or stand there and listen in; I don’t care. But when the party’s over, you have a plan ready to get rid of my bad-boy image.”
“You want me to follow you around and spy on you?”
“I figured we’d get a baseline tonight and go from there. In a workout, we always figure out what we’re capable of and then build on that.” I flexed my pecs to accentuate my words.
Heather’s bright green eyes rounded slightly, and I felt a surge of pride. “A baseline for what, exactly? And please be specific, using as many words as you can.” She pinched the bridge of her nose.
“For how I interact with women, date, get my groove on, romance. Whatever you want to call it.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe I signed up for this crazy.”
“Hey, you’re a professional. I didn’t think you were allowed to use the word crazy.”
She smirked and walked away. I watched, enjoying the view of the deep V in the back of the dress. Her skin was milky white, and there were freckles even back there. Made me wonder if she had freckles all over. I mentally smacked myself for going there. As I’d told my brother, this was Heather.
I shook out my shoulders to loosen up. It was time to make my move, and I knew just who I was going to get close to first. There was a brunette calling my name. With a saunter in my step, I headed back outside to find her. She wasn’t hard to spot in that dress. I considered her skin, comparing it to Heather’s, and found an orange tint. Oh. She bottle tanned. I hadn’t noticed that earlier.
Keeping my eye on the food, I purposely ignored her. Women hated it when I did that. They hated it and then ran straight for me to make me take notice.
As predictable as the watch on my arm, the brunette sidled up beside me and reached across my body for a lettuce wrap. “Excuse me,” she said, her lashes lowered.
I shifted so my stomach brushed against her. “Oh no, excuse me,” I said, lowering my voice. “Can I get you something?” I spread my arm out, indicating the food in front of us but implying so much more.
She shook her head and pretended to brush some hair behind her ear, though nothing moved. I’d seen women do that before, and it bugged me. “I have exactly what I want, right in front of me.” She bit into the lettuce wrap while watching me, sending the double meaning my way with force.
“That makes two of us.” I lifted one side of my mouth into a cocky grin and got the giggle I was going for. Once a girl giggled for me, I knew I had her in the net. “Do you want to blow out of here and get a drink?” Sure, I was the best man, but this girl was smokin’, and she was so into me that it wouldn’t even be a challenge.
“I’d love to.”
I felt a tug on my elbow and glanced over, expecting to see Jaxson ready to scold me for neglecting my best man duties. Instead, I found Heather. Her smile was sweet, but it had a punch lined up behind it. I instinctively braced my gut for impact. “I’m in the middle of something,” I said through my teeth.
Heather turned to the woman. “Trust me when I tell you I’m saving you. You can do way better than this guy.”
The brunette scoffed. “Better than Liam McKnight? I don’t think so.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder.
I expected Heather to narrow her eyes and say something sarcastic. That was what women did to protect their turf. Instead, her eyes softened and she reached a hand out to touch the girl’s arm. “You are a beautiful, strong woman. You have goals and dreams and hopes of finding a man who will protect your heart. This is not that guy.”
I’d been mesmerized by Heather’s soothing voice, and I startled when I realized what she’d just said. “Wait a second.”
She held up her hand to stop me and continued, looking deep into the brunette’s eyes. “You deserve a man who will put a ring on your finger and treat you like Jaxson treats Lottie.”
We turned as one to stare at the happily engaged couple. Jaxson leaned down and kissed Lottie’s neck, making her blush and giggle at the same time. She turned to him with such love in her eyes that even I was jealous. I’d never had a look that spoke of love before. Lust, yep. Infatu
ation, of course. Interest, sure. Even caring. But not the deep-down kind of love with matching rocking chairs and great-grandchildren. And for a brief moment, I kind of wanted it.
The brunette rubbed her pink lips together. “I do. I want that.” She tipped her head their way and then looked me up and down. “And you’re right. He’s a good-time guy, but not the one who will stick around when times are hard.” She scoffed, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and strutted out of my life forever.
I folded my arms and pinned Heather with my I’m-the-quarterback glare. “What’s your play, Campbell? You ruined my shot for a date to the team event and insulted me in the same blow.”
She cocked a hip. “I’m impressed you took that as an insult. I thought for sure you’d see it as a compliment.”
I deepened my glare. The one that scared 350-pound men on the field.
Of course, she didn’t flinch. I was beginning to learn that my charms were impenetrable to the great Heather Campbell’s defenses. “I’m doing what you hired me to do.” She turned to face me head-on.
“I told you to get a baseline.” I pointed at the floor to emphasize my point. “To observe from a distance.” I waved my arms as if playing a game of charades.
“I have all the information I need.”
That drew me up short. “You do?”
She nodded, grabbing her elbow with her other hand and glancing around as if she’d rather be anywhere but here.
“What’s the diagnosis, Doc?”
Her head came around so fast the room had to spin for her.
I smirked. I might stick with that nickname—as long as it got a reaction out of her.
The startled reaction only lasted for a moment before her bossy expression was back. “Your first problem is that you always pick the same woman—or a variation of her.”
“Always? How do you know always?” I lifted an eyebrow. “I talked to one lady tonight.”
She placed her hand over my eyes. Her fingers were cold, but her palm was warm. The contrast intrigued me—how does that happen? “What color were her eyes?” she asked.
His Romance Coach (A McKnight Family Romance Book 5) Page 3
