Almost Jamie (The Jet City Kilt Series) (Volume 1)

by Gina Robinson

  He peered down into mine.

  My lips parted.

  His head tilted.

  Just as I threw caution to the wind and closed my eyes, I was blinded by a strong light. Someone with a light bar appeared next to us, shining it in my face. A cameraman was right with them.

  And so was Sheila, the PR person. "Perfect. Did you catch that?"

  She turned to the camera. "And the power of Jamie and Elinor's love story is igniting another love story right before our eyes."

  It took me a second to realize she was talking about Austin and me.

  Chapter 10

  Austin

  What the hell was going on? Why was Sheila up in our faces? She was ruining my moves. Which weren't that suave to begin with. I was doing my damnedest to get a deeper connection going with Blair before the day was over. And just being a helpful, good guy. First impressions—make them count. That was what Ashley coached.

  I wasn't being as patient as Ashley had warned me to be. But I wasn't a terrible student, either.

  I blinked, staring into a glare of lights and a camera.

  "And cut!" Sheila turned to the cameraman. "Get that posted to the Jamie site and out everywhere we can. ASAP. Give it top billing on the site. Make it the top story." She had her phone in her hand. "I'll call the firm and get them on it. We want this to go viral."

  She turned to us, studying me. She looked almost surprised as she muttered, "Bloody hell. You really do look like Connor. And you really are falling in love with her. Brilliant. I can work with this."

  She shook her head as if she might be dreaming and only imagining her good luck. And was afraid to wake up. "I can help you," she whispered to me.

  I couldn't very well deny anything with Blair standing so close to me. I hoped she hadn't heard Sheila.

  Sheila said to both of us, "Congratulations. You're going to be stars. Deflection, the better part of PR." She sounded cynical, but pleased with herself. "My mind is spinning with possibilities and campaigns. Brilliant. Simply brilliant! We'll be in touch soon. I have more opportunities in store for you."

  As she walked off, Connor took to the mic.

  "Ladies, fans, gentlemen!" he said, silencing the room. "Sam and I have an early flight out in the morning. Back to filming. If you want the next season of Jamie released on time, that is."

  The crowd applauded wildly, but they were still murmuring among themselves. A ripple of confusion and discontent was mixed with the applause.

  I caught a glimpse of a phone a woman nearby was holding, with a picture of Connor hugging a hot, bikini-clad blond. They were obviously a couple.

  Damn. So that's what this was all about.

  "Before we go, I want to let you all in on a scoop," he said with his characteristic grin. "I like to keep my private life, well, private. But since the cat's been let out of the bag by the paparazzi today, I may as well confess—I have a girlfriend." He nodded. "I know, that surprises you, right? I'm seeing a beautiful woman. It's been going on for a while now."

  Connor's face lit up. "And I'm in love with her. Madly. Making a fool about it, some might say. A lot like Jamie." He winked. "We were hoping to keep it quiet for a while. You know, keep the public pressure off it and give ourselves room for the relationship to bloom. Make an announcement when we were ready. Make a statement about our commitment to each other by showing up at a public award ceremony or the premier of the new season of Jamie. But…"

  Connor frowned and shrugged good-naturedly. "The paparazzi, being what they are, somehow found us out before we could make our own statement. And tell all of you, our dear fans, in our own way."

  The room went eerily silent. You could feel the fans perched on the edge of their chairs. Sympathy and compassion was replacing anger and a feeling of betrayal.

  He shot an apologetic look to Sam. "I know many of you wish Sam and I were in love. And the rumors have flown from the beginning that we are. It's a lovely fantasy, two stars falling in love on set like their characters. And it happens from time to time. But not to us. In truth, we're good friends."

  "Very good friends," Sam murmured.

  "And colleagues. But there's never been anything romantic between us." He smiled at her. "If I tried a move on her, I think she'd box me ears."

  There was laughter.

  "You think I'm joking," he said. "You don't know Sam as well as I do. She's strong. And has a hell of a right hook." He made a muscle. "She could do it. She could kick my arse, just like Elinor."

  Sam smiled back, nodded, and hugged him. "You know I love you like a brother." She ruffled his hair, leaned her head on his shoulder, and patted his arm.

  "You're sweet, Sam," he said. "I love you back…like a sister."

  She winked at him and then addressed the crowd. "I hope you all will be as happy for Connor as I am. Finding true love is a difficult, a rare, a beautiful thing." She hugged him again.

  He took her hand. "Speaking of beautiful—you've been beautiful, Seattle! We love you." He blew a kiss to the crowd.

  They went collectively weak in the knees.

  "Invite us back and we'll gladly come. Right, Sam?" Connor took her hand.

  "In a heartbeat!" she said.

  They waved at the crowd and walked out of the room, hand in hand, whispering to each other.

  Sheri appeared at our elbows. "Isn't that beautiful? And disappointing." She made a pout, which slid smoothly into happiness and glee. Sheri was quite the actress. "Thankfully, we have our own Jamie and Elinor love story right here between locals Blair and Austin. They'll be on the show on Monday…"

  I looked at Blair. She was still shocked by Connor's news and trying to process it.

  She glanced at Sheri and then at me.

  "I'll set her straight about you and me," I said to Blair, trying to be gallant. And hating myself for that honest streak that ran through me.

  Blair put a gentle, but firm, hand on my arm. She was still staring at the spot where Sam and Connor had disappeared from a moment earlier. "What harm can it do to pretend for a few days?" It was almost as if she was talking to herself as she nodded toward the crowd of fans. "There's nothing wrong with a fantasy, is there? If it helps Connor…"

  "Softie. Flaming romantic," I said, thinking fate had smiled on me. And at least given me a shot with this woman who made my pulse race and my dick do headstands.

  Blair

  Even a day later, I couldn't say what had made me decide to play along with the ruse. Maybe I got caught up in the fantasy of the day. Maybe my compassionate side longed to make itself known. Maybe I was just a sappy romantic at heart and wanted to give Connor and his ladylove a real shot. While exalting romance onscreen, in real life Hollywood seemed to kill too many epic romances.

  I didn't dare admit that Austin was the root and cause of my decision. He intrigued me. More than that, the thought of him tantalized me. Even our first meeting was the stuff of romance novels—the heroine, me, setting his finger, nursing him, healing him. If he could return the favor and heal my bruised heart, wouldn't that be something?

  I wanted to get to know him better. That much was true. But my day with him had been too much like a vacation romance. One that might fade when the reality of everyday life hit it. And we'd both been in costume, playing roles. Had that spilled over into the romance of the moment? Had I immediately been drawn to Jamie, a hero I knew well, not Austin?

  I was afraid to put too much stock in the relationship with Austin going anywhere, afraid to get burned again by passion that burned so brightly so quickly, but faded with time and distance. I wanted a real romance. A soul mate. I wanted my Jamie. I wanted him to fight for me. To hold me dear. To want me with every fiber of his being.

  I wanted a man that, in all likelihood, didn't exist. A unicorn. A romance hero. And right now, burned, jaded, disillusioned by love, maybe I was setting myself up for failure.

  I refused to settle for less again. So if I set myself up to live in a fantasy world for a few days, as long
as I realized what I was doing, where was the harm?

  I was sure some of my psychiatrist colleagues would have loved to get hold of me and this perverse need of mine for a hero. I laughed inwardly at the thought. I'd always had a vivid imagination. What was wrong with using it?

  And then there was Nigel. As a physician, I told my patients it took a good six weeks to heal from almost any surgery. During that time, get plenty of rest and don't lift anything heavy. But after doing a rotation through psych in med school, I saw firsthand that the emotional side could take much longer, ambling toward recovery in fits and starts, with setbacks, and sometimes surprising leaps forward. Sometimes it never healed at all.

  I didn't want Austin to be my rebound guy. I wasn't a rebound type of person. Studious, scientific me didn't throw caution to the wind in that way. And Austin didn't appear to be the wild, party-boy kind of man a rebound guy should be. He seemed too ready to have his own heart broken. And I wouldn't be that woman.

  When I was ready, and had truly moved on from Nigel, I would throw myself full force into a relationship. In the meantime, I could enjoy Austin's company and friendship. And maybe even flirt casually with him without pressure.

  Though, if I was being honest, I was still shaken from that almost-kiss. And left wondering and thinking about it. Would it have been a kiss that changed my destiny? Would it have rocked me to my core?

  I found myself imagining the feel of his lips on mine. Wondering what he tasted like. Wondering whether he kissed as good as he looked.

  I was a one-man woman. Loyal and steadfast to Nigel through years and years apart. While it was true I hadn't had much time for men in med school, that didn't take away from my loyalty. I'd had plenty of opportunity. Plenty of men hitting on me—patients, other doctors, fellow students. A casual hookup would have been easy. And who would have known? But I hadn't so much as kissed another guy since Nigel and I had decided to be exclusive.

  And not since our breakup, either.

  The strange thing was, I wasn't one of those vindictive women who wanted to get back at Nigel. I was the one who'd ended things. Not because I no longer loved him. Mostly because, with the old fire between us fading, and that horrible distance between us and no solution in sight, I couldn't see what benefit there was to hanging on. How do you win a no-win scenario?

  Unfortunately, I couldn't let go of loving the man I'd fallen for in college. Of loving who I'd been with that man. Who we'd been together. Jumping right in with another guy was…frightening.

  But pretending? That was something else altogether. That was acting. That was living in a fantasy. Taking dress-up, you might say cosplay, though since when had I been into that, to the next level. That was helping out a really sweet guy—Connor. And being a part of my favorite show.

  And giving myself a chance to get to know Austin better. What could go wrong with that?

  Besides everything.

  Between my undergraduate work, med school, and my residency, I'd been away from my hometown of Seattle for a decade, kept informed of what was happening here only by Beth and brief visits home. I'd been back in town less than a month, living with Beth until she got stronger and I found my own place. So you couldn't blame me for not knowing who Austin was, or that he had a modicum of local fame.

  Unable to sleep last night, I found myself stalking him online. And was, frankly, blown away by what I discovered. He was one-fourth of Seattle's Hottest Bachelor, as claimed, along with Cam, Jeremy, and Dylan. He was good friends with billionaire Lazer Grayson. The app he'd developed with Lazer and his other college buddies was much more successful than he let on. He currently worked for a top cybersecurity firm and was well regarded as an expert. There was only one blight on his record that I could find anywhere: a mention of a failure in a piece of his code that had allowed a breach into a database or something. It was technical. I didn't understand it. It was a long time ago. Years. His reputation had seemingly recovered. For the most part, anyway.

  Everything he told me about himself appeared to be true. If anything, he'd undersold himself. He may have felt geeky at one time, but now there were no shortage of women who'd be happy to date him. Why would he want to hang around with me?

  In fact, I realized that I was even a few years older than he was. Which shouldn't matter, but still did to some people.

  These thoughts were bouncing around in my mind as I went into the kitchen to scavenge some breakfast. Beth was already sitting at the table working on a piece of toast and reading the morning news on her phone.

  I looked at her with love and relief. I hoped it wasn't just my optimism and deep desire for her to improve, but I thought she looked a little better today. A little stronger. A bit less pale.

  By the time Beth had picked me up at the end of my day at Comicon yesterday, I barely needed to fill her in. She'd pieced my day together pretty well from following Connor's tweets and the Comicon feed. I was certain, though, that she'd press for more details this morning.

  "You've found yourself a Jamie!" she said. She was still floating on a cloud of romantic dreams, with Austin and me in the center. "I knew fate was sending you to Comicon. I knew it."

  I grabbed a cup of coffee. I had to go to work at the clinic later in the day. Cancer didn't stop for the weekend. I had patients to check on. I shook my head at her. "Stop putting the cart before the horse. As I told you, this relationship isn't real. Just like Connor and Sam, we're pretending. Acting. I don't know much about Austin other than that he can sew almost as well as you can." I gave her a playfully stern look.

  "Is that all you know?" She flashed the same look back at me. "Don't be coy or play simpleton with me. Unless you've changed your spots, you've already gotten a full dossier on him. Researched him online until you know everything there is to find out about him.

  "And, if you aren't any better a judge of character than that, then I did something wrong raising you. You spent an entire day in his company. You met his friends." She threw up her hands. "You were attacked by his enemy, for goodness' sake. You have friends you've had for years that you don't know half as well."

  I laughed, but didn't concede the points. Even though she made good ones.

  "Don't…" She paused as if choosing her words carefully. "Don't toss this guy away lightly, Blairest."

  "I'm not tossing anything away." I got out a bowl for some cereal and took a sip of coffee. "Fate, right? That's what you always say. Let fate take its course. I like Austin." The thought of him made my breath catch. I more than liked him. "But the timing may not be right. Nothing I can do about that."

  "Bah! You can't hide behind fate here." She opened her mouth, took a deep breath, shook her head, and narrowed her eyes in a calculating way.

  I could almost see the wheels spinning in her mind. How hard did she push this? She'd raised me. She knew how stubborn I was.

  Her expression turned to a smile. "I take that back. I'm right. Like I always am. Let fate take its course. Run with this, Blairest, darling. Pretend and have fun. See where this takes you."

  I nodded. "I will."

  I ate breakfast and showered without checking any news source. I wanted to stay in what I call the weekend bubble. You know, as if nothing bad can happen on the worldwide stage on a weekend, so why bother with the news? Anything newsworthy can wait until Monday.

  When I got out of the shower, I had a text. From Austin.

  Connor texted me this morning, thanking me for covering for him. You and I have his undying gratitude. He owes us one ;-) Should we need any acting advice on how to play Jamie and Elinor type lovers, he's always available. Something to put in your scrapbook.

  Will keep you posted about the outcome of the costume competition vote. The winner is announced tonight at the professional cosplay competition. Word on the street is that we have vicious competition from a zombie and a couple of supervillains. Time for a hero to win this one.

  As I looked up from my phone, I caught my reflection in the mirror over my dres
ser. Okay, that was a perfectly ridiculous grin on my face.

  Austin

  I called Ashley before heading out to Comicon on Saturday. I thought it was only fair to tell my matchmaker what was going on. I needed to let her know not to make any matches for me for a while. At least until this thing played itself through. Or I got my woman. Big caveman pose. Yeah. Get my woman.

  "You moved fast," Ashley said to me without saying hello. "What happened to patience and Blair needing time to get over that long-term relationship? Suddenly you're everywhere in the news? That kiss! Wow. Hot. Can you hear me fanning myself?"

  "That kiss?" I said. "Oh. That kiss wasn't a kiss. I was getting an eyelash out of her eye. Camera angle is everything."

  "Could have fooled me," she said, sounding puzzled. "Did fool me, in fact. Well, I amend that, then—that was the hottest digging of an eyelash out of an eye that I've ever seen. There must be a story there somewhere?"

  I laughed nervously. "Oh, yeah."

  "I should hope so."

  "Yeah. That's actually what I'm calling about. I need you to put any matches you have planned for me on hold." I filled her in on everything that had happened.

  "Wow," she said. "And here I thought I'd seen everything in the matchmaking biz. Let me get this straight—you're even more interested in Blair than when we spoke yesterday. And you sense, even more strongly, that she returns your interest. Or could, given just a little more time.

  "You have that impression especially since you offered to set the record straight and she suggested you play along. Now the two of you are publically 'dating,' at least when you go on Sheri's show on Monday. And you're doing all this to help out Connor Reid and his girlfriend. Did I get that right?"

  "Yeah," I said. "Have you finished pounding your head against the wall yet?"

  She laughed. "You and the guys never cease to amaze me."

  "Damn," I said. "And I was trying so hard."

  "Hate to disappoint you," she said, "but it's not completely uncharted territory. I've had clients, mostly women, who wanted me to find guys who would pretend to be their boyfriends for a weekend or whatever. For show. To shut up prying family members at important family occasions like weddings."