“Anna,” Jake said, and she blinked, not realizing that he’d sidled up to her and had taken her hand. He leaned down to her ear and whispered. “Do I want to know what you’re thinking about?”
She smiled up at him. “I’m not thinking anything, really. Everything is good. Is everything good with you? Is all of this okay? I mean, I know it’s not your—”
“Everything is great, sweetheart,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze, then leaning over to whisper in her ear. “And in less than five hours, you’re going to be all mine.”
Chapter 10
Jake eased his bike off the nondescript state route and onto a chipped-gravel access road. A small sign announcing The Southern Belle told him he was at the right location, but he couldn’t see anything more than trees dotting the vast parklike acreage. He cut his speed down to an easy cruise, noting how smoothly the bike purred beneath him. He’d remembered it as being a sweet ride, with just a little hitch in its acceleration until he’d worked on it a few summers ago. Now his friend’s “scooter,” as he liked to call it, had mellowed out nicely. It wasn’t performing its best at the highest speeds, but a few tweaks and maybe some upgraded parts and it’d be revving to go.
Sort of like he’d been all afternoon.
Kristen, the bride-to-be, had done her level best to keep Jake and Anna apart, whisking her off to the church for a rehearsal that apparently took the better part of the early evening. He didn’t mind that so much. He knew women needed time to … do whatever they did. Gossip, shop, whatever. He’d taken the time to tinker with his buddy’s ride, then cruise mile after mile of Southern back roads, as much of it along the water as he could find. When he’d finally stopped, he’d checked his phone to see that Anna’d texted him a few times. He’d replied, but he wasn’t much for texting. She’d seemed a little stressed, but he was getting used to that with her. Whether it was work or the wedding or all the people, something had her wound a little too tightly for what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend. He wondered if she was always like that, and mentally shrugged. Even if she was, it was no big deal. She wasn’t his girlfriend, just his date.
The Todd guy she’d been so worried about looked harmless enough—definitely couldn’t hold his own in a fight, from what Jake could tell. It did suck that she had to work with the douche bag, but Anna was her own person, and she’d said she wasn’t interested in the guy, even though he was clearly sniffing around her again. Still, he didn’t look like he was anything she had to worry about, at least not so far. He was apparently in the wedding as well, so he’d gone to the church with all of the girls. Again, annoying. But if Jake had been reading Anna correctly, Todd wasn’t going to pose a problem to them, and he didn’t think the guy would be enough of a dick to require any action.
Anna, on the other hand, could probably use a little action right about now.
At this point, the dinner would be in full swing, which was to his favor. He’d be able to stay just long enough to demonstrate that he gave a shit about something other than Anna, and then they were out. He didn’t care what Anna was wearing, she was going on the back of his motorcycle and they were getting the hell away from this plantation or whatever it was at the first opportunity.
He turned a slight corner, watching the trees in the center of the park. Easily a hundred oaks waved elegantly in the broad space, but there was something decidedly creepy about the Spanish moss hanging off of them. Long gray tendrils were draped over nearly every branch, and the thick curtains of moss looked like something out of a ghost story. The trailing plants swayed in the wind, making the trees appear to be crawling with life. It was cool—and weird. Like the property was out of place in the modern world.
Then Jake turned the final corner and his eyes widened a fraction.
Holy shit. The South had risen again.
The Southern Belle plantation house sat like a castle at the end of the roadway, where the trees gave way to manicured lawns and orderly garden patches. The building was huge, a redbrick and white-columned structure that dominated its surroundings without taking away from the beauty of the landscape. Flaming bamboo torches now lined the road, providing needed light. Jake glanced beyond the torches to the waiting oaks, with their clutching moss fingers, and narrowed his gaze again. Something about those trees bugged him—they’d seen too much, knew too much. He parked the bike and stowed his helmet on the bars, not bothering to lock it down. Anna’s was locked down, and that was the important one. He’d just as soon ride without a helmet, but he wanted to set a good example. There was no way in hell was he going to let Anna risk that beautiful head of hers on the open road.
The rehearsal dinner was set in a building that apparently had once been used as a loading dock for cotton. A tidal creek lapped lazily against the wide deck of weathered planks, and for the briefest of moments Jake could have sworn he heard the whisper of history rustling through the tall grass, speaking of days gone by. Pretty damn cool, if you forgot the part about them using slaves to pick all that cotton and get it sold.
He walked up the short stairs into the old building, smiling and nodding at the curious faces, none of whom, of course, he knew. He never much cared for crowds, but somewhere in this mess of people was Anna, and the sooner he found her, the better. After all, he didn’t much know Anna, either. Yet.
Casing the place room by room, he accepted a drink from a uniformed bartender and sipped it, frowning down. Watered-down something or other, similar to a rum punch, but with a kick of bourbon. He wondered if Anna was throwing back drinks to hide her nerves. Something about her friends really jacked her up, and he couldn’t figure out why. They seemed like a nice enough bunch, but nice could hide a raft of sins. Jake came around the corner, and paused in the doorway to the main dancing area. His eyes focused on a couple in the corner, and the old, familiar rush washed over him, causing his fists to clench.
Back. The fuck. Down. At least until you know what’s going on.
Anna stood up against the wall, looking trapped by one very intent Todd Moreland. She appeared just on the edge of desperate, but Jake forced himself to take it easy, to catalog the whole scene. Anna seemed to be emotional, listening and biting her lip, but that could go either way.
He drew in a deep breath, trying to control his rising anger. What the hell was his problem? Again, Anna wasn’t his girlfriend, and she wasn’t his sister or someone in need of his protection. She could take care of herself. The only claim Jake had to her was eyeballing her sexy ass as she walked by his garage most days … and think about that, too. She worked in some high-rise craphole downtown, while he worked in a garage. He wouldn’t change places with her for the world, but she clearly got off on status, money, the whole nine yards. What would he be able to offer her? His life was awesome, but it was a solo ride. He could live anywhere, work anywhere. Someone needed his ride blinged up or tricked out, Jake was one of the mechanics who was called. Or maybe a guy just wanted a whole new bike built with factory parts and a few mods. Whatever it was, Jake did it, and loved it. And made pretty good money at it along the way. Of course, his needs were basic, too. A couple of big contracts a year, and he was set.
But set for him probably meant something a hell of a lot different than set for Anna. What did he know about her? Nothing. Erin had said she cared about money, but that she hardly spent a dime. Not for stuff, and not even for travel, since she was always on a job. Was that all because her dad had passed away too early? Or was there more to that story?
And why did he give a shit, anyway?
Then Anna flinched back as Todd lifted a hand to her cheek, and Jake set his glass on a table, irritation cutting through him both hot and cold. He may not know a lot about Anna, but he could see that Todd was crossing the line between being persistent and being an asshole.
That’d happened faster than he’d expected, but it didn’t change the outcome.
“Todd, seriously. There’s nothing more to talk about.”
“You’ve been
avoiding me all night,” Todd argued back, his teasing smile making her feel like she was doing something wrong. “You can’t tell me that rough motorcycle monkey is your boyfriend. I’m not buying it. I know you, Anna. I know you really well.”
“If you know me so well, then you should know that I don’t want to have any sort of conversation about the past. We tried a relationship once, remember? It was too much of a ‘distraction.’ ”
“Hey, hey, hey. I know I made a mistake, and I know what I lost. I want it back.” Todd’s grin looked too confident. Probably just too many drinks … like the guy needed any help with his bravado. “And I’m going to get another chance to win you over, too. You wanna know how?”
“Excuse me, I think I just found my date.”
Anna nearly jumped out of her skin as Jake appeared at her side, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek like she wasn’t currently being cornered in the middle of an awkward social event by an ex-boyfriend who clearly didn’t want to be an ex anymore.
“Jake!” she said, with far more urgency than she knew she should betray. But she didn’t care: Jake was here, and she was safe, at least for a little while longer. Safe from matchmaking Kristen, with her two other fix-ups waiting patiently on deck; safe from Todd. She turned in to Jake’s body and kissed him full on the lips, the shock that passed between them leaving her with a single, startling thought. But was she safe from him?
“Jake.” Todd was all smiles, and he lounged back against the wall. “But hey, you’re not drinking anything. Shouldn’t we get the party started?”
“Just soda for me,” Jake shrugged and looked over at Anna. “You can have a few more, as long as you’ve eaten.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you, her dad?” Todd was joking, but even Anna looked at Jake with surprise. Since when did he dictate what she ate or drink, or how much of either? Should she say something? Assert herself? Surely it didn’t matter because he was only hers for the weekend, but even during a weekend there ought to be rules and guidelines, and—
“I brought the bike,” Jake said, effectively cutting her thought process short. “Figured we might take a ride under the stars later, and it’ll be your first time.”
“First time?” Todd pounced on the words. “I thought you guys have been dating for the past six months.”
“First time on that motorcycle,” Anna said smoothly, not missing the look Jake leveled at Todd. She didn’t want them squaring off with each other. She had never had that happen, and she didn’t know what to do with it. It made her feel … odd. Uncomfortable. As if this whole evening wasn’t uncomfortable enough already. Kristen had cornered her almost immediately when they’d left for the church, and when she hadn’t been regaling Anna with story after story of the preparations for the wedding of the century, she’d been grilling her about Jake. Despite Kristen’s smooth, Southern good manners, she didn’t approve of Anna hanging out with a guy so “earthy.” Anna, never one to argue, still couldn’t assuage her friend’s fears completely without blowing her own cover. And she found she didn’t want to blow her cover, anyway. Dating someone earthy was new for her … new, and exciting.
Now she looked up at her earthy date and smiled. “And a ride under the stars sounds absolutely perfect.”
“You’re going to go out riding, at night, in a dress.” Todd’s words clearly conveyed his disbelief, and something in them rankled Anna at a bone-deep level. Sure, she was having the same concerns. She was wearing her version of a little red dress—only it was from a vintage shop she favored, a style from the forties with a narrow waist and fluttery skirt, her bare feet shod in nothing more substantial than high-heeled sandals. She remembered Jake’s concern about her sandals before, but she’d figure something out. It’d be no hardship to be on the back of a bike, as long as Jake was in front of her. Though she’d been a little freaked-out riding through the streets of Boston, she’d found herself liking motorcycle transport more and more on today’s short ride over to the guesthouse. But Todd was shaking his head, and though his smile remained fixed, there was definitely a set of worry lines between his eyes. “These are a lot of surprises, Anna, in a very short time.”
Anna smiled, and now she did cling maybe just a little to the warm solidity of Jake. She liked being someone different in Todd’s eyes—in all of their eyes. She liked the idea of redefining herself. She hadn’t thought enough about that possibility when packing for the trip, but maybe she should have. There was nothing to say that she couldn’t use this experience to transform herself into a different person, even if Jake would only be with her for a weekend. Her future was her own to create, after all. “Well, I prefer to think of this as the new and improved version,” she said, and her smile and words rang so true that even she felt a little nervous. The conversation about her had gone on far too long, and she turned to look up at Jake, still taller than her despite her heels. “But hey, seriously, have you eaten yet? There are stations set up all over the place. Kristen didn’t want people to have to deal with a fussy sit-down dinner.” She tilted her head, assessing him. “And you’ve already missed the obligatory toasts, so the tough part of the evening is over with.”
Jake smiled, shrugged. “I’ll get something a little later.”
“So, Jake, was it hard getting time off for the weekend? I know we’re all insanely busy.” Todd drew their attention back to him, his smile still easy and his manner still loose. If Anna didn’t know him, she would say that he was asking an innocent question. “Kristen mentioned you were in finance. That has to be a bit of a drain on your riding time.”
“I always manage to make time for riding,” Jake said. “Life is too short to spend it working all the time.”
“Oh, sure.” Todd chuckled, very mano a mano. “And yet you’re dating Anna, the queen of workaholism? That must be an interesting match.”
Anna tensed up. She’d known this was coming—had known it for months really, long before she’d had her actual date in mind. Someone would challenge her gambit, ask a few questions, and it all would come tumbling down. She’d even suspected it would be Todd. He had considered going into law before he’d decided corporate consulting paid more for a lot less time in school. He always loved cross-examining people, though, and now he was quite clearly lining Jake up in his sights.
“Um, I think I’m a little hungry, actually,” she said, trying to lead Jake away.
“No, really,” Todd pressed. “What accounts are you working on these days? I just got reassigned myself, managing a transition of a major international client from one team to another, though Anna might have told you about that since we’re working so closely together.”
Beside her, Jake tensed up just a notch. She sensed he was keeping himself firmly under control. “We generally find better things to talk about than work.”
“Really,” Todd said, skepticism heavy in the word. “And yet it’s such a critical part of her life—”
“I’m right here,” Anna said. “And still hungry, as it happens.”
Todd kept his eyes trained on Jake. “Well, I just know how hard it is to balance work and pleasure. You have a lot of demands on your time at your company … and where was that again?”
Okay, enough was enough. Now Anna was getting pissed. “Todd, I didn’t come all the way to South Carolina to talk work—”
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Jake said. He dropped a light kiss on her temple, then turned to Todd. “I’m a consultant with McKinsey,” he said, sticking to their prearranged script. But then he went completely off the reservation, speaking with such a calm assurance that Anna had to struggle to keep from gaping at him.
“I do most of my work with CEOs or government groups, actually, so I don’t know a lot about working in teams, but I keep busy. This latest job has been a little insane, development project for a planned community in the Southwest. I can’t say exactly where. We’ve got to take into account multiple local-government groups and I’m sure you know how complicated that is.” He pau
sed, looking at Todd, who could only nod. “Yeah. We look at not only the impact on the target city, but also the costs and revenues of the county, township, the local parks and schools, the water-sewage system, even the state government. Kind of a pain in the ass, but it’s necessary to figure the long-term impact on the community or region so that the whole thing doesn’t go up in smoke a few years down the line. The revenue projections alone require round-the-clock work, taking into account parks, libraries, roads, the whole bit. And don’t even get me started on the specialized service impact projections we have to put together to obtain some additional grant funding. It’s absolutely mind-numbing.” He smiled, and Anna tried to stuff her eyeballs back into her head. What in God’s name was he talking about? “But smarter people than I am are working through it while I’m here, so I can’t complain.”
Todd frowned, looking genuinely perplexed. “That’s what you’re working on right now?” he asked at last.
Jake shook his head. “Nope. Right now, I’m just working on getting Anna some food. If you’ll excuse us?”
They’d almost succeeded at turning away when Todd recovered. “Anna, that Japan call has kicked up a couple of notches in importance. You’ll be back in Boston by then, I assume, and you’ll have done all of the preparation for it, right? We’re counting on you.”
Anna felt a cold rush of dread seep through her. Todd knew something she didn’t about the Yokomata deal, and she should be figuring out what. She’d brought her laptop with her, of course, and had fully intended to spend part of tomorrow and most of Sunday preparing for the stupid meeting, but right now that seemed like the least fun way to be spending her time. Especially with Jake’s hand warm and large on hers, tightening with intensity.
“Yes, Todd, I remember the Japan call. I won’t let you down.”
Fake It Page 9
