Romeo for Hire

by Ali Parker

  There was nothing I loved more than making my daughter happy, but it seemed to happen less and less often these days. Nothing I did was good enough because, inevitably, I would just disappoint her again.

  While the popcorn popped, I ordered pizza and then stood behind the couch to watch my little girl. Her tiny legs dangled over the front of the couch, her hands waving wildly in the air as the movie progressed.

  After a few minutes, her excitement waned. She turned to me with a frown.

  “Where’s the snake?” she demanded.

  “It’s coming,” I said.

  “Do you promise?”

  “Yes.”

  Paisley held my gaze for a second longer, doubt filling her innocent eyes. I hated to see that look. I hated that she had so little faith in me, her father, the one person she was supposed to trust more than any other.

  The popcorn finished popping, and I hurried to dump it into a bowl. Settling in beside Paisley, I tried to push my guilt away. For now, everything was great. For now, Paisley was happy. She was just a kid, and I was just her dad. Romeo Rebound was nothing but a distant blip on my radar, something to think about only after Paisley fell asleep that night.

  Without my job, Paisley and I would have had nothing. I knew I couldn’t lose it, and yet, as Paisley’s eyes lit up with glee when the snake appeared on the screen, I found myself wishing I could say goodbye to it all.

  I didn’t want to lose my job, but I couldn’t lose my daughter.

  Like always, I forced everything away. I buried it deep beneath happiness and denial, determined not to uncover it until I found a solution. A way to reconcile my needs with my wants, my practical side with my emotional side. The only problem was, I didn’t know if that could ever happen.

  Chapter 10

  Candice

  My eight o’clock meeting lasted all morning. It was well past noon when I finally had my office all to myself. My assistant, Kendra, poked her head inside with a worried look on her face.

  “Come on in.” I waved her forward. “What’s wrong, Kendra? Don’t tell me there’s a problem with the new ad campaign. I don’t think I can take any bad news today.”

  “The campaign is fine,” Kendra reassured me. “Um, it’s actually your sister.”

  “Leslie?”

  Fear gripped my stomach. A thousand scenarios ran through my head, each more horrible than the last.

  “Did something happen?” I demanded. “Is she okay?”

  “Oh my gosh! She’s fine.” Kendra waved her arms quickly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Leslie’s okay. She’s just …”

  Kendra fell silent. Her eyes darted to the floor and then to the wall and then out the window. Holding my gaze became impossible for her. It wasn’t until I cleared my throat impatiently that she finally turned her face back to me.

  “Spit it out,” I demanded. “Whatever it is, Kendra, I can handle it.”

  “She just showed up about an hour ago,” Kendra finally said. “Heidi sent an email around nine this morning asking if Leslie was still joining them today. I guess she didn’t arrive until after eleven.”

  Closing my eyes, I inhaled sharply and held my breath. Of course, Leslie would be late on her first day.

  “Shit,” I whispered. Kendra had enough grace to pretend she didn’t hear. “Send her up here, would you?”

  “Of course.” Kendra nodded and slipped out of my office.

  She kept the door open, so I could hear her fingers tapping against her keyboard. I tried to keep my anger in check, but it was no use. By the time Leslie made it to my office thirty minutes later, I was livid.

  “What the hell?” I demanded the second I saw her face. “Three hours late, Leslie? On your first day?”

  “Unclench, Candice.” Leslie rolled her eyes. “It’s not the end of the world.”

  “I gave you a chance,” I hissed. “And you already screwed up.”

  Leslie glared at me and plopped down in her usual chair. She kicked her feet onto my desk. Without thinking, I shoved them to the floor.

  “What the hell is your problem?” she screamed.

  Hurrying across the room, I slammed my office door shut with a bang. Leslie jumped, but I didn’t care.

  “It’s one thing to screw around in your personal life,” I said, slowly walking back over to her. “But to do it here? At Dad’s company? Leslie, what were you thinking?”

  “It was one day, Candice.” Leslie’s eyes flashed with fear. She’d never seen me so angry with her. “Just one day, all right? It won’t happen again.”

  “You can’t do this here,” I snapped. “Do you understand? You’re my sister, and I love you, but I will fire you.”

  Leslie’s eyes flashed again, but she nodded slowly. “I get it. I’m sorry.”

  “Good.” I jerked my head to the door. “Now, get out of here. I have work to do, and you need to start making things up to Heidi.”

  “Heidi doesn’t care,” Leslie mumbled on her way out. “Maybe if you got laid every once in a while, you wouldn’t either.”

  With that, she disappeared down the hall without another word.

  A few seconds later, Kendra poked her head inside again.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” I nodded and forced a weak smile on my face. “Just family drama. You know how it is.”

  Kendra chuckled darkly. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “Totally.”

  She left me alone to brood. As much as I wanted to work, I couldn’t get Leslie’s snide comment out of my head.

  I hated to admit it, even to myself, but she was right. Getting laid would’ve been great, and it definitely would’ve loosened me up a bit. God, I couldn’t even remember the last time I had an orgasm that wasn’t from something plastic.

  Tilting my head back, I stared up at the ceiling.

  My little sister knew me too well, though I would never tell her that. I had a stick shoved so far up my ass, I could barely see straight. All I had in my life was work, stress, and more work. Everyone needed a break sometimes, and I hadn’t had one in years.

  Before I could dwell any more on my shortcomings, my office door creaked open one more time.

  “Candice?” Kendra asked hesitantly. “Your mother is here to see you.”

  “That’s fucking great,” I breathed. “Send her in.”

  Mom breezed through the door like a goddamn supermodel. Her long brown hair was curled perfectly, lying in beautiful strands against her back. She smiled easily as she leaned over my desk to place a gentle kiss on my cheek.

  “What are you doing here, Mom?” I asked, afraid to hear her answer.

  “Oh, I was in the neighborhood.” She waved her hand casually. “Wanted to stop by and see my girls at work.”

  She held out the ‘s’ on “girls” a little too long. Suddenly, I realized exactly why she’d stopped by, and it definitely had nothing to do with being in the neighborhood.

  “How much did she tell you?” I demanded.

  Mom blinked innocently. “Who?”

  “Don’t act stupid,” I snapped. “I know Leslie called you to complain about me, so just go ahead and yell. Get it over with it.”

  “Leslie didn’t call me.”

  That was a shock. Closing my mouth with a snap, I leaned back with a frown. Mom’s face was unreadable, setting me even further on edge.

  “Then, why are you here?” I finally asked. “I have a lot of work to do.”

  “I am here about your sister,” Mom admitted. “Though she didn’t call me. Not even to tell me about her new job.”

  There it was. We’d finally circled around to the truth.

  “Ah.” I nodded. “I get it now. You’re upset that I hired her.”

  “Not upset.” Mom shrugged. “Just curious. It’s not like Leslie to get involved in something so …”

  She searched in vain for the right word.

  “Boring?” I offered. “Ordinary? Beneath her?”

  “Leslie
is a free spirit,” Mom said. “I would hate to see her lose that quality being stuck behind a desk for forty hours a week.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” I grinned. “Most of the marketing team works at least fifty.”

  Mom’s eyes narrowed dangerously. I dropped my own to my desk, catching a glimpse of the clock on my phone.

  “Oh, shit.” I grabbed my phone and jumped to my feet. “It’s already two-thirty.”

  “Candice Deborah Smart, where are you going?”

  “I have a meeting,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry, Mom, but I’m late. I’ll call you later, and you can continue bitching me out, okay?”

  I ran out of my office and down the hall, jumping onto the elevator and slamming my whole palm against the button for the ground floor. Tapping my foot impatiently, I waited for the elevator doors to open. Once they did, I sprinted across the lobby, the click of my heels echoing across the marble floor.

  Bursting outside, I didn’t slow down until I was feet from the coffee shop. I knew my face was flushed, and I was certain my hair was a mess, but I didn’t care. I yanked open the door and hurried inside, scanning the room for a sign of Ryan.

  He wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere.

  With a sigh, I sat down at the nearest table and put my head in my hands. As the adrenaline drained from my body, I realized how ridiculous my behavior was.

  Running two blocks just to see a guy I barely knew? What the hell was I thinking?

  Before I had time to chastise myself any further, I got to my feet and walked slowly to the counter. Bobby was working today. He smiled at me and held up one finger to ask me to wait.

  “Take your time,” I said. “I’m not in a hurry today.”

  “Thanks, Candice!”

  Bobby finished making a few drinks and then skipped over to take my order. We chatted for a few minutes while he made my cappuccino, and I tried to keep my eyes from roaming around the coffee shop.

  Ryan still wasn’t there. I couldn’t blame him. I was forty-five minutes later than usual.

  “Thanks, Bobby.” I held up my cappuccino. “See you on Monday.”

  Bobby waved as I pushed open the door and stepped outside. I ran straight into a man’s chest and almost fell over backward with a yelp.

  “Whoa!” A pair of strong arms darted out to catch me. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” Looking up, I saw a familiar pair of green eyes staring down at me. “Ryan.”

  Ryan grinned. “Hi.”

  “You’re actually here.” I didn’t bother hiding my surprise.

  “We had a deal, remember?”

  Ryan held up two cups of coffee and jerked his head to the side. I was still too surprised to argue, so I followed him and sat down without a word.

  “I was waiting for you,” he said. “But you ran right past me. I just assumed you really needed some coffee.”

  Ryan’s smile held too much understanding. I ducked my head to hide my embarrassment. The last thing I needed was for him to know how much I’d been looking forward to our run-ins.

  “Sorry about that.” I cleared my throat, sitting up straighter to regain my confidence. “My morning was hell. I was desperate for a caffeine jolt.”

  “I can see that.” Ryan glanced at the cappuccino in my hand. “I guess you won’t need this one, then?”

  “Oh, I’ll take it.” I reached over and grabbed the cup.

  “Morning was that bad, huh?” Ryan’s forehead creased with concern.

  “My little sister started today.” I sighed. “And I knew hiring her was a mistake, but I did it anyway.”

  Ryan leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. “Why was it a mistake?”

  “Well, she was three hours late.”

  “Whoa.” Ryan whistled. “That’s bad.”

  “Yup.”

  “Well,” he said, sitting back. “What if I can make your day a little better?”

  I held up the second cappuccino. “You already did.”

  Ryan laughed and nodded. “Touché,” he said. “But I was thinking dinner. Tonight.”

  “Tonight?” I blinked.

  “We had a deal, remember?”

  Ryan’s green eyes held my gaze like magnets. I couldn’t tear myself away. Clearing my throat, I shifted in the chair and tried my best to regain my composure.

  “I believe the deal was you could ask me,” I said boldly. “Not that I would say yes.”

  “Fair enough.” Ryan fixed me with a polite, determined stare. “Candice Smart, would you please do me the absolute honor of accompanying me to dinner this evening?”

  “Smooth.” I laughed.

  “Right?” Ryan teased. “I mean, how can you say no to that?”

  “I guess, I can’t.”

  Ryan shook his head playfully. “No,” he said. “You really can’t.”

  “Ugh! Fine.” I pretended to be annoyed as I pulled a business card out of my purse and slapped it on the table. “Here. Call me later.”

  “Oh, I definitely will.”

  Ryan grinned as I picked up both cappuccinos and got to my feet. His eyes flicked down my body and then back to my face. Fighting my own smile, I turned to walk away, but Ryan called after me before I could.

  “Candice,” he said softly.

  Looking over my shoulder I asked, “Yes?”

  “This doesn’t mean our little coffee dates have to end, does it?”

  “Hmm.” I pursed my lips and pretended to consider it. “That depends.”

  Ryan raised his eyebrows. “On?” he asked.

  “On how tonight goes.”

  “Oh, don’t worry.” Ryan’s eyes glinted mischievously. “If that’s the deciding factor, then our coffee dates are perfectly safe.”

  He winked just as I whipped my head around flirtatiously, my hair flying out around me. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away, growing more excited by the second.

  Chapter 11

  Ryan

  Dropping Paisley off at Max’s was becoming nothing short of torturous. Every time I pulled into my brother’s driveway, a wave of guilt washed over me. As I watched Paisley climb out of the car and make her way toward the front door, I was certain I was failing her as a father.

  Paisley was halfway to the door when I finally caught up with her. She glanced at me but didn’t say anything. Instead, she reached out her hand to ring the bell and stared straight ahead.

  “Hey,” I said, tapping her gently on the shoulder. “Have fun tonight, okay?”

  Paisley just nodded. She didn’t look at me as Max opened the door with a bright smile. He held out his arms for a hug, but Paisley stepped around him and disappeared inside.

  Handing him Paisley’s overnight bag, I grimaced and turned to leave.

  “Hey, wait up.” Max stepped outside.

  Turning around, I held my breath and waited for his judgment to rain down around me.

  “What was that about?” he asked pointedly.

  “She’s upset,” I said. “Tonight is usually movie night.”

  “I thought you did that last night,” Max said. “To make it up to her.”

  “Apparently, it wasn’t good enough.”

  Max sighed and twisted around. He peered inside. Whatever he saw made his eyes fill with pity. He turned back to me and shook his head sadly.

  “Do you want me to talk to her?” he asked, making sure to keep his voice down.

  I couldn’t hide my surprise. Scoffing, I shook my head and turned away from him. It wasn’t like Max to be nice or even civil to me. I didn’t know what spawned his unusual concern, but whatever it was, I wasn’t interested.

  “Ryan,” he said. “I’m serious, man. I just want to help.”

  “Since when?” I rounded on him. “You’ve done nothing but judge me for years, Max. Don’t stop now.”

  “It’s not for you,” Max snapped. “It’s for her.”

  Anger bubbled up inside me. The only thing I hated more than Max judging my care
er was him questioning my parenting. No matter what I did for Paisley, Max could always do more. Be more.

  Staring at him, I took a deep breath and forced myself to remember how much he loved Paisley. Our issues were ours. I couldn’t punish my daughter for my problems with Max.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I would appreciate it if you could. She needs to talk to someone, even if it’s not me.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Thanks,” I said again.

  “Yeah.” Max shrugged. “Sure.”

  “Hey, Pea!” I called out, leaning around Max to look inside. Paisley was already sitting on the couch with her feet tucked under her. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay? I love you.”

  Paisley waved her hand over her head without turning her head

  “I love you,” I said again.

  Still nothing.

  “Paisley,” Max said.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said quickly.

  Paisley glanced at me. “Love you too.”

  Smiling, I sighed and went back to my car. When I pulled out of the driveway, the front door was already closed. I stared at it in my rearview mirror as I drove down the street, wondering if all of this was just one huge mistake.

  ***

  Back at home, I put on my typical dating clothes. A nice pair of pants that highlighted my ass the way all women loved. A fitted button-up that hugged my abs and biceps. Staring in the mirror, I fixed my hair and made sure my facial hair wasn’t running amok. Scruffy, not messy. That was the goal.

  Working as a Romeo Rebound was an art form, one that took focus and skill that I did not currently have. My thoughts were still wrapped around Paisley’s new attitude. She was only four, and already, I felt like I was seconds away from losing her.

  I tried to screw my head on straight as I drove to Candice’s place. It was on the east side of town, just a few blocks from the Smart Cosmetics building. Pulling up to the guard, I rolled down my window and plastered a confident smile on my face.

  “I’m here for Candice Smart,” I said, nodding toward the entrance.

  The guard checked a list and looked back up. “Name?”