Catching Her Rival (Mills & Boon Superromance)

by Lisa Dyson

  Her only regret was that she hadn’t heard from Jack. Not a call, a text. Nothing.

  She’d replayed their time together over and over in her mind. Had she been too aggressive? A bad kisser? Not aggressive enough? Was he the kind of man who got upset because she’d stopped them from moving to her bedroom?

  He didn’t seem like a guy who took “no” poorly. But then, what did she know? Her last boyfriend was in federal prison.

  Besides, it was good that Jack hadn’t contacted her. She was off men. Even if that fact was nearly impossible to remember whenever he was around.

  Her phone rang. She was tempted not to pick up because caller ID showed it was her mother instead of a client. But the call would transfer to Penny’s desk, and she’d transfer it back to Allie’s phone anyway because Penny knew Allie was in her office.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hello, Allison. How are you?”

  The same as I was on Monday when you called. But instead she said, “I’m fine. What’s up?”

  “I’m planning a family get-together.”

  Oh, no. She’d need an excuse to get out of it. “When were you thinking you’d have it?”

  “This weekend at our house,” Mom said. “Scott and Emily will be back from their honeymoon. I’d like to get everyone together before they move to Texas at the end of next week.”

  Scott’s job as an engineer for an oil company was moving to their company headquarters outside Houston. He and Emily had planned a fall wedding until the company’s move was announced. Moving the wedding date up had worked Allie’s mother into an all-out frenzy to find a new venue for the rehearsal dinner, because the one she’d already booked wasn’t available for the new date.

  Allie would like to see Emily and Scott before they moved. Who knew when she’d see them next? She certainly didn’t have the money to travel right now. She didn’t have extra money to do anything, including buying gas for the weekend.

  “I’m not sure I can make it,” she said. “I got a dog this week, and I can’t leave him home alone—”

  “A dog? You got a dog?” Her mother didn’t need to sound quite so shocked.

  “Yes, I’m fostering a dog.”

  “Oh.”

  She’d gone and disappointed her mother again. Might as well take the opportunity to bring up another subject that her mother didn’t like. “But maybe if I can make it, we can find time to talk about my adoption.”

  Silence.

  What was her mother hiding? Why would she never speak about it? “What is it you don’t want to tell me, Mom?”

  There was a long pause before her mother spoke. “You need to understand, Allison. I buried my only biological child.” Another pause. “When you came into our lives, I was overjoyed.” Her voice cracked when she said, “Please forgive me for wanting to block out the idea that you were adopted and cling to the fantasy that you and your siblings are my biological children.”

  Allie had never before heard her mother speak like that about her children. “I get it, Mom. I’m sorry to bring it up.” That didn’t mean Allie would let the matter drop permanently.

  Her mother cleared her throat. “So, this weekend.” Mom’s demeanor was suddenly back to normal. “Why don’t you plan to get here by noon? And if you can pick up Emily and Scott at the Albany airport—they have a three-something flight—that would be a great help.”

  “I really don’t know if I can make it. Unless I can bring my dog with me.” That might be the answer. Her mother would never allow a dog in her house.

  “Isn’t there anyone who can take care of it?”

  “I don’t think so.” Allie’s friends were mostly singles with apartments that didn’t allow pets. “Besides, he’s getting neutered on Friday, and he’ll probably need extra care.” She really had to find out beforehand what she needed to do for him.

  “What about that man you danced with at the wedding? Emily’s cousin.”

  “Jack? I couldn’t ask him to watch Harvey.” Actually, she could, but only if he happened to contact her. Somehow after sharing those passionate kisses with him, they’d canceled out the idea that they were just friends.

  “That’s not what I meant,” her mom said. “He’s Emily’s cousin. What about including him this weekend? I could have Emily invite him. She’s also inviting their cousin Frank and his wife, as well as her sister, Patience. I’m sure she’d like to spend time with Jack before she moves. Then you can get to know him better, too.”

  “No, Mom, please don’t play matchmaker.” Allie had already screwed up any friendship they might have had, if his silence was any indication.

  “I’ll get back to you with details,” her mother said as if Allie hadn’t spoken. “Meanwhile, you figure out something to do with that dog.”

  That dog. Allie looked at Harvey, his brown eyes watching her as if he knew what was happening on Friday—he wasn’t even appreciated by her mother. Poor doggie.

  Was she actually beginning to bond with the cute little guy?

  They disconnected, and Allie stared at the phone. Then she recalled how every year on her siblings’ birthdays, Allie’s mother would recount their adoption stories. Every one of her brothers and sisters got long, drawn-out stories. All Allie ever got was, “We chose you and brought you home to make us all one happy family.”

  She’d never cared about any of it until now. She hadn’t wanted to know about her birth parents, what their situation was that led to giving her up.

  But it wasn’t like she ever had to stop her mother from reciting the tale, either.

  What was it about Allie’s story that her mother didn’t want to talk about? And did it have anything to do with Charlotte?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THURSDAY MORNING DAWNED sunny and bright with a slight chill in the air. Jack drank his coffee at his kitchen table and opened his personal email on his tablet.

  Nothing from Allie. He hadn’t heard from her since Monday night at her apartment.

  How were she and Harvey getting along? Jack wanted to contact her, but he also didn’t want her getting the wrong idea. He really did want a friendship, preferably with benefits, but definitely not a relationship.

  He chuckled when he saw an email from his cousin Emily. Even on her honeymoon, she couldn’t stay away from her devices. She wanted to know if he could join them in upstate New York for a going-away party this weekend at her new in-laws’ home. As young children, he and Emily had been pretty close. At least until his mother died and his dad left him with his grandfather. This sounded like a great way for them to reconnect.

  Of course, little did Emily know that he’d met and befriended her new sister-in-law. Would Allie be there, or would she find an excuse not to attend? The party was at her parents’ home. Maybe she wouldn’t even want him to attend.

  Regardless, he’d wait to reply to Emily until after he visited Granddad at the hospital. Depending on the state of his health, Jack would decide whether or not going out of town was a good idea.

  He worked for a while from home, putting finishing touches on a new idea he had for a current client. After showering, he headed to see his grandfather.

  “Jack!” Granddad greeted him with a huge smile as Jack entered the hospital room. He folded the newspaper he’d been reading and set it aside. “So good to see you. Tell me about the pet-food account.”

  Jack smiled at Granddad’s automatic shift into business. “Hello to you, too.” They hugged, and Jack pulled a chair closer to the bed. “There’s nothing to tell. The owner hasn’t rescheduled.”

  “Maybe you should call her,” Granddad suggested. “Give her a push in the right direction. Show her you’re a go-getter and that you’ll hustle to do a good job for her.”

  Jack didn’t think pushing Monica Everly was a good idea, but he nodded to please his grandfather. “How are you doing?” He’d already spoken to Granddad’s nurse and found out he was scheduled to be transferred to a rehab facility.

  “I want to go home.
”

  Not what Jack was hoping to hear.

  “They don’t think you’re ready to go home just yet,” Jack said gently. “But they do have a bed waiting for you at Saint Agnes.”

  Granddad crossed his arms and pouted like a five-year-old. “I’m not going to any nursing home. I’m going back to my apartment, even if I have to walk there myself.”

  Great. There was little chance of changing Granddad’s mind whenever he got like this. Stubborn could have been his middle name.

  Jack kept his tone calm. “You can’t live alone until you can take care of yourself.”

  “I’ve always taken care of myself.” Granddad’s eyes narrowed as if challenging Jack to disagree.

  “I’ll speak to your doctor.” At least he would warn the doctor that Granddad wasn’t about to go to the rehab center quietly.

  Granddad visibly relaxed, thinking he’d gotten his way. “Good idea.”

  Not that anything would change, except that someone else could argue with Granddad about whether he could live alone or not.

  * * *

  CHARLOTTE’S ART SHOW was barely three weeks away, and she still didn’t have enough inventory to make the trip to New York City worthwhile.

  She went through the charcoal sketches she’d done since her mother’s death. They weren’t necessarily depressing views of Newport’s historic sites, but they were far from uplifting like the pastels of the Boston area she’d done before Mom’s diagnosis. The majority of the pastels had sold at her last show. That had been good at the time, but now she wished she had more.

  Her cell phone rang, and she pulled it from her back jeans pocket. Caller ID showed Jack’s name. “Hey, Jack. What’s up?”

  “You got a minute?” There was noise in the background.

  “Sure. Where are you? It’s kind of loud.”

  “At the hospital,” he said, then quickly added, “visiting my grandfather.”

  Charlotte’s heart settled into a more normal pace—she’d thought for a minute Jack had been hurt. “Oh. How is he?”

  “As cantankerous as ever. I’m waiting to talk to his doctor.” Jack explained that his grandfather was scheduled for transfer to a rehab facility. “The reason I called was to ask if you’ve talked to Allie recently.”

  “Sure, we talk every night.” She and Allie had gotten close in a very short time.

  “Has she mentioned the party at her parents’ this weekend?”

  “That must be the one she was trying to get out of,” Charlotte said. “How’d you know about it? Did she talk to you about it, too?” Jack’s name had been brought into their conversations more times than Charlotte could count.

  “No. I haven’t spoken to her. I wanted her to know that I can pass on my invitation if she wants me to.”

  “You were invited to Allie’s parents’?” How odd.

  “Don’t sound so surprised. My cousin married Allie’s brother, and the party’s for the newlyweds. They’re moving out of state and I guess this is sort of a goodbye party.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I forgot your connection. Well, why don’t you just tell Allie yourself?”

  “I’m not sure she wants to hear from me,” he said.

  “Really? I didn’t get that impression from her.” What was going on with these two? “Did something happen between you guys?”

  There was a long pause. “Not really.”

  His answer made her even more curious.

  The background noise on his end grew louder. “Listen, Charlotte, I’ve gotta go. The doctor is free to talk to me now.”

  Before she could ask any of the burning questions that came to mind, he disconnected.

  * * *

  JACK WAS ABOUT to leave the small waiting room where he had discussed his grandfather’s medical status with the doctor when he got a call from his potential client.

  “Hello, Ms. Everly,” he greeted her. News that Jack had heard from her might placate Granddad, soften the blow of the rehab facility. “How are you and Daisy doing?”

  “That’s what I’m calling about.” Her tone was brusque. “Daisy is much better, and I’d like to schedule a meeting for this afternoon.”

  “This afternoon?” He mentally reviewed his schedule for the rest of the day.

  “Yes, I’d like to do a combination meeting with you and the other two advertising firms competing for the account. I need to get this settled quickly. Does three o’clock work for you?”

  He hesitated a few seconds as he contemplated the ramifications of all three companies being brought in together and said, “I’ll be there.” They needed the account, and if this was how he had to win it, fine—he would do whatever was necessary.

  The next few hours had him scrambling to make sure his presentation was perfect. He was ten minutes early and was surprised to see that Allie was already there. She and Harvey sat in the reception area of the corporate offices of Naturally Healthy Animal Food. She’d actually done it—brought Harvey to pretend she was a dog owner.

  She looked up from her phone and smiled confidently when he walked in. His body temperature rose dramatically, thanks to a number of issues that included her proximity to him as well as his building irritation over her business methods.

  As soon as Harvey saw Jack, he sprinted over to say hello, his tail wagging furiously and his leash dragging behind. Thankfully, the distraction gave Jack the opportunity to pull himself together.

  Waiting for Harvey to settle down before petting him, Jack asked Allie, “How are you doing with him?”

  “Pretty good.” She got up and grabbed the leash. “Harvey, come back here.” She guided the dog back to where she’d been sitting.

  Jack was about to bring up the party at her parents’ when Monica Everly came into the reception area from the back offices. He stood to greet her.

  “Thanks to both of you for making time in your schedules to come here this afternoon.” She looked to Allie and smiled. “Is this your dog?”

  Allie had also risen. “Yes, it is. This is Harvey. I hope you don’t mind him joining us.”

  Monica patted Harvey on the head and said, “Glad to meet you, buddy.” She straightened and spoke to both Allie and Jack. “The third company wasn’t able to join us today, so let’s get started. Why don’t all of you follow me back into the conference room?” She said to Allie, “I’m sure Harvey and Daisy will get along splendidly.”

  Once they were seated on opposite sides of the long conference table with Monica at the head, she said, “Ladies first, if that’s okay with you, Jack?”

  “Fine by me.” He glanced at Allie. She was trying to get Harvey to stop barking at Daisy, who couldn’t have cared less.

  As much as he wanted a friendship or more with Allie, he wasn’t about to hand her this client without a fight. He could have taken control of Harvey and allowed Allie to begin her presentation, but the fate of his grandfather’s company was at stake.

  He was ready to open his mouth and suggest he go first if Allie preferred, but Monica spoke up. “Don’t worry about a little barking, dear. Just start your presentation.” Monica sat back in her rolling armchair. “Is this your first dog?”

  Allie immediately said, “Oh, no. I’ve had dogs my entire life. Harvey’s just a little excited, is all.” She avoided looking at Jack.

  Now she was telling an out-and-out lie to get the account.

  After Allie completed her presentation, with Harvey at her side, and answered Monica’s questions, it was Jack’s turn. He was impressed by Allie’s animated presentation and thought her concept, which focused on humanizing pets as if they were eating at a dinner table, was great, but that didn’t diminish the fact that she’d lied.

  His presentation focused more on branding with a new logo, as well as a bigger web presence and a television spot that included all the animals—from those on farms to pets—that would benefit from eating the animal food.

  “Thank you very much to both of you. I’d like the weekend to consider your p
resentations,” Monica said when Jack finished. “I’ll let you know my decision on Monday.”

  Allie and Jack shook hands with Monica and left in silence until they got outside. “You lied in there,” Jack whispered loudly. “You’ve never had a dog before this week.”

  Allie shrugged, seemingly nonplussed. “You know how this business is, Jack. Sometimes you need to stretch the truth.”

  “Are you kidding me?” He was appalled. “You haven’t even had Harvey a week. That’s a little more than stretching the truth.”

  “You’re really that upset about a little white lie?” She looked both ways in the parking lot on the way to her car.

  Instead of going to his own car, he followed her. His pulse sped up, and this time it wasn’t because of his attraction to her. “You have obvious talent, Allie. Why do you feel the need to lie to get what you want?”

  “I told you, that’s how you survive in this business. Are you saying you always tell the truth, no matter what?”

  “I try to.”

  “And how do I know that isn’t a lie?”

  Her question caught him by surprise. “Because I’m telling you the truth. I’ve never lied to you, Allie.” They were getting nowhere. They obviously had different views on how to do business.

  “If you say so.” They reached her car, and she loaded Harvey into his crate in the backseat. She turned to Jack and abruptly changed the subject. “Did you get invited to my parents’ this weekend? My mother was pushing for you to come.”

  “Yes.” His answer came out harsher than he intended. “I was going to talk to you before I replied.” He tried to read her expression but couldn’t. “If you don’t want me to go, I don’t have to.”

  She looked at the pavement instead of at him. “Do what you want. I don’t care either way.”

  “Hey.” His anger dissipated, and he brought her chin up with his index finger until their eyes met. “What’s wrong? Don’t be mad at me because I don’t agree with your business tactics. I’m just being honest.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s the party. My mother really wants me to go, but I can’t leave Harvey. He’s getting neutered tomorrow, and I don’t want to leave him with just anybody.”