Mistaken Gifts

by Elena Aitken

  He shrugged and went back to creating centerpieces. "It was just a thought."

  Eva walked around the room, slowly taking in the arrangement of the tables, the cloth Troy had draped along the walls, and the twinkling lights and snowflakes that were hung from the ceiling. There was still so much to do. She didn’t have time to be worrying about a guy. Her eyes landed on a piece of holly that had fallen to the ground. She bent to pick it up and smoothed her fingers along the glossy leaves. It didn’t matter if she didn’t have time, and that he wasn’t her type. She couldn’t get him out of her head.

  "I have a plan," she said to Troy.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  It had seemed like a good idea at the time, Eva thought. These types of things always did. But as she waited at the table for Jeff, she couldn’t help but have second thoughts about her plans. Troy had agreed to grab something to eat at the pub so she could be alone with Jeff and come clean to him about her fake date with Troy. She'd had enough deception in her relationships, and although whatever was happening with Jeff was far from a relationship, she was tired of playing games.

  Troy seemed to be fairly satisfied with eating alone in the pub, and Eva promised to text him later to fill him in on everything that happened with Jeff. Secretly, she hoped it would be much later. But if he didn't show up soon, her report to Troy would turn out a whole lot differently than she wanted it to.

  She looked down to her blue tank dress, which she hoped wasn’t too dressy for the occasion. It was the only thing she could find that would accommodate her bandaged arm and the sling. She’d done her best to get ready by herself, brushing her hair and trying to apply makeup, but in the end she’d opted for a more natural look than she usually wore, only because putting on eyeliner and mascara with one hand was quite a bit trickier than she ever would have thought.

  "Excuse me," she said to a passing waiter. "Could you tell me what time it is?" She could have checked her phone, and despite the fact that she’d asked the waiter twice already, she needed confirmation of what she already knew.

  "It’s 6:35," the waiter said. He gave her a knowing look, no doubt because he assumed she’d been stood up.

  But that’s exactly what had happened, wasn’t it? She must have really misread the signs Jeff had been throwing out. And she never misread signs from men. Never. Except…

  "Thank you,” Eva told the waiter, absentmindedly looking up. She took a sip of her water and focused on the empty seat in front of her. Almost forty minutes. It was official—she'd been stood up.

  Before she got up to leave, she looked around one last time still unable to process that he didn’t come.

  "It's probably for the best," she said to herself.

  "It usually is."

  Eva spun around and couldn't help but smile at the waiter, who was far more perceptive than she'd given him credit for.

  "It's his loss," the waiter said. "If he stood you up," he looked her up and down appreciatively, “he's not worth it."

  Eva smiled and flicked her hair over her shoulder, buoyed by the compliment.

  "Thanks, sweetie."

  His loss or not, it still stung, but not for the reasons Eva would have thought. Jeff not showing up had a lot less to do with her ego and a whole lot more to do with the deep ache of loss she was feeling inside.

  She should have followed her instincts and stuck with the fake date. Relationships were safer that way. She pulled her cell phone out and tapped out a quick text to Troy. Maybe he hadn't ordered yet.

  ~ ~

  She looked beautiful. Jeff stood and watched Eva for a moment before going into the restaurant. He'd wrestled with showing up at all. It would be torture to sit and watch her, this girl he couldn't help but fall for, with some other man's arm around her. He knew it would test every reserve of patience and self-control he had to sit so close to her and not close the distance between them, reach over and stroke the soft skin of her hand, or even better, kiss her.

  But ultimately, he knew what his choice would be and when he got out of the shower, he’d reached for a clean pair of jeans, and a crisp new button-up shirt that Morgan had given for him for Christmas. He couldn’t stay away.

  However, all his indecision had him running late and even when he’d arrived at the restaurant and had seen only Eva sitting at the table, something held him back from going in right away. Where was her boyfriend? Maybe she'd changed her mind about him because she, too, had felt what he had out in the woods? Maybe Troy was simply in the restroom or running late. Maybe…it didn't matter.

  Regardless, it was his chance. She was alone and he was sick of the games. He wasn't going to let one more opportunity go by before telling Eva how he felt. Even if he couldn't quite figure it out himself. He took a deep breath, straightened his shirt and…

  "Well, don't you look handsome," a silky voice purred behind him.

  He knew exactly who was standing behind him before he turned around. "Marianne. What are you doing here?"

  The raven-haired beauty threw herself into his arms, leaving Jeff no choice but to accept her embrace. He instinctively took two steps to the side to keep her out of view in case Eva looked up.

  He peeled her off his front and stepped back, needing space between them.

  "Sugar, when you didn't answer my emails and weren't returning my calls, you didn't leave me much choice, did you?" she said, her voice washing over him exactly in the way it was intended. Marianne was a master of getting what she wanted.

  "When did you get here?" Jeff glanced backwards. Eva was talking to the waiter, a beautiful smile on her face. She didn't seem too bothered that he was late, but that would change if he took too much time with Marianne. Eva didn't seem like the type of woman who would respond well to being stood up.

  "Does it matter when I got here, sugar? The fact is, I'm here now." She ran a finger down his chest, pausing on each button. "You're sure looking good." She raised her eyes to meet his, but he quickly looked away. Whatever fleeting relationship, if you could call it that, they'd had during filming, Marianne clearly wanted to pick up where they'd left off.

  He grabbed her hand and gently held it in his own, lowering it before letting go. He took another step back, trying to create a bit more distance.

  "I have a…a…" He glanced back towards the restaurant.

  "A date?" Marianne tried for a playful tone, but Jeff wasn't an idiot. He knew she wouldn't be happy.

  "Not a date," he said quickly. He forced himself not to look back at Eva. "But I do have to go. This isn't really a great time to talk. Can I catch up with you tomorrow?"

  "Tomorrow?" Marianne stuck her lip out in a first-class pout. "I drove all this way to see you and this is the reception I get?"

  He still hadn't made a decision about the job. Not really. And he knew enough about women like Marianne to know that the decision would be made for him if he wasn't careful. There really wasn’t a choice. "Okay," Jeff said. "But I'm really in the mood for beer and a burger from the pub. I know that's not really your style, but—"

  "I love burgers," she purred. Jeff knew it was a lie, but he let it go.

  "Great." He pasted a smile on his face. "You go on ahead and get us a table. There's just a quick thing I need to take care of, and I'll meet you there in five minutes."

  "Five minutes?" She lowered her eyelashes and fluttered them in a way that was likely supposed to be alluring, but Jeff found incredibly irritating. Next to Eva, he couldn’t be sure what he ever saw in Marianne. Both city girls, Marianne’s beauty couldn't even come close to what Eva had.

  "I promise." He gave her a smile he knew was sexy. Whatever it took to get her out of there before Eva saw the way she was throwing herself at him. It was bad enough he was late, and he’d have to come up with some reason he couldn’t stay for dinner, but he did not want to miss his window of opportunity to speak to Eva alone. He was running out of time and he knew it.

  "Five minutes, sugar." She closed the space between them, took his face betwee
n her hands and kissed him hard before he had a chance to react.

  Her perfume filled his senses, threatening to choke him, and her tongue invaded his mouth in a way he was certain would have worked on him two weeks earlier but now simply felt offensive. Without wanting to provoke her, Jeff carefully broke away from the kiss and managed a smile. He looked up from Marianne, his eyes going directly to Eva. She hadn’t seen him, but that was probably only because Troy had his arm around her, and was greeting her with a kiss of his own. Only his was on the cheek.

  A flare of jealousy flashed through him. If Eva was his, he certainly wouldn’t be wasting any opportunity to show her how he felt, especially with a chaste kiss on the cheek.

  "Jeff?"

  He’d forgotten about Marianne.

  "Are you coming?"

  He watched for a minute as Troy slid into the seat across from Eva and her face transformed into a smile. Jealousy burned inside, but there was also something else. Resignation. He’d missed his opportunity, and it no longer mattered. The other man made her happy. Eva was smiling and laughing, and no matter how he felt about her, Jeff didn’t do that for her. He let out a sigh and turned around.

  "Yes," he said to Marianne. "I’m coming."

  CHAPTER NINE

  Eva needed coffee. Lots of coffee. After a long night with more tossing and turning than actual sleeping, she was going to need mega doses of caffeine to keep herself going and the in-room coffee maker wasn’t going to cut it. Especially since she’d finished off those packets hours earlier when she’d finally given up on the idea of getting any sleep at all.

  It didn’t matter what she did; every thought was haunted by Jeff and how terribly wrong she’d read the situation with him. She probably should have trusted her first instinct, she thought not for the first time. Everything about him was wrong for her. He liked horses; she was pretty sure they were going to attack her. He was big and muscly; she preferred her men svelte and slim. He was rough around the edges; she’d always gone for a highly polished man. He…made her feel something inside she’d never thought possible.

  She grabbed her portfolio full of her to-do lists and left her room behind in search of more coffee. After pushing the elevator button for the lobby, she leaned her head against the wall and slowly counted to ten. She had to get him out of her head. It didn’t matter what he made her feel; he didn’t feel the same way. That was made clear the night before when he couldn’t even be bothered to show up for dinner.

  The elevator was mercifully empty, allowing Eva a few more moments of peace. Facing anyone without an appropriate amount of caffeine was a recipe for disaster, especially when her emotions were so jagged.

  "I'm glad I found you," Carmen said to her the moment she stepped into the lobby. And then to herself, "I feel like I say that all the time." She shook her head and Eva laughed.

  "I know the feeling," Eva said. "What's up?"

  Carmen grabbed Eva by the crook of the arm and led her through the room. "I think something’s wrong with Andi."

  Eva's internal alarm went off but she let the other woman continue.

  "She's not eating and she’s actually complaining about the food, sending things back, even. She never does that and Bruno is not pleased."

  Eva groaned. She'd forgotten all about the issue over the wedding menu. She flipped her clipboard open and put an asterisk next to that item on her list. She'd go talk to Bruno right away.

  "Bruno did say something about that," Eva said. "I'll talk to her and get it sorted out."

  "It's not just the food, Eva. She's crying all the time and freaking out over the smallest things. I've never seen her like this. Not even when she's here planning the biggest events."

  Eva stopped and gave Carmen her biggest, most reassuring smile. "You've also never seen Andi preparing for her own wedding," she said. "All while dealing with her family, which can be challenging, to say the least." Carmen nodded in agreement. "And without Colin," Eva added. "Has he arrived yet?"

  Carmen smiled and nodded. "Yes. Thank goodness. He got here last night and I thought Andi might explode with emotion."

  "Let me guess," Eva said. "She cried?"

  Carmen raised her eyebrow. "You probably think I'm crazy," she said. "But I just have a feeling that something isn't right, and I think of you girls as more than just guests or business partners. You're friends. And I hate to see my friends unhappy."

  "I get it," Eva said. And she did. Was Andi really unhappy? Sure, she'd seemed to be stressed out and maybe a bit more emotional than Eva had ever seen her. But unhappy? The thought hit her hard. She'd been so caught up in her own drama with Jeff that she hadn't been paying proper attention to her friend. What kind of best friend was she?

  "I'll go see her right now," Eva promised. "And I know Andi would appreciate your concern. Honestly, we both do. You are a good friend, Carmen."

  For a moment, Eva thought Carmen herself might break into tears, so she pulled her into an impromptu hug. When she released her, Eva took a long look at her friend, and said, "How about you, Carmen? When was the last time you had a break?"

  Carmen waved away Eva's concern. "I don't need a break," she said. "All I have to do to recharge is look at the windows. Besides, this place would fall apart without me."

  True enough, Eva thought as she left Carmen at the front desk. And Andi was going to fall apart if Eva didn't figure out what was going on with her.

  ~ ~

  Grateful for the distraction of the horses, Jeff pulled himself out of bed early and headed for the stables. It's not like he'd slept much anyway. After Marianne had kept him out all night, trying every trick she could think of to get him in bed, he'd managed to fake a headache and get away from her.

  It was a good thing he’d stuck to only a few beers or he'd be feeling a whole lot worse than he already was.

  And he was feeling like crap. But not because of what little alcohol he may have drunk. No matter what he might try to tell himself, he knew exactly what had his stomach churning and his chest aching. Eva.

  For a split second the night before, he'd let himself get his hopes up and think that she wasn't with Troy, that maybe whatever they'd shared together was real. It sure as hell felt real to him. But Marianne had screwed up whatever chance he might have had to tell Eva how he really felt, and even if he'd had the chance, Eva had a boyfriend. It was a little detail he couldn't ignore. No matter how much he wanted to.

  The horses greeted him with a chorus of whinnies and snorts, indicating their pleasure.

  "Well, at least you're happy to see me," he said and patted Clover on the nose.

  "I'm happy, too." He turned at the tiny voice, but he already knew who it belonged to.

  "Ella!" He opened his arms just as the little girl crashed into him. "What are you doing here so early?"

  "She insisted," Bo said.

  Jeff looked up to see his best friend watching them with a smile on his face. Jeff unwound the little girl’s arms, took her hand and walked towards Bo.

  "And what brings you here so early?"

  "I promised Andi's father I'd take his family for a trail ride." He held up his hands, warding off Jeff's protests. "Don't worry, you don't have to come. I know you're busy with other things. Including…" Bo wiggled his eyebrows.

  Jeff handed Ella a carrot and said, "Why don't you give this to Clover? I think she deserves a little treat."

  Ella grabbed the carrot and skipped through the stable to find Clover's stall. When she was out of hearing range, Bo tried again. "What have you been busy with, Jeff? I heard you took Eva out into the woods yesterday. What was that all about?"

  Jeff shot him a look, grabbed a pitchfork propped up against the wall and started shoveling fresh hay into a nearby stall. "I was doing her a favor," he said. "You weren’t around."

  “Yeah, I was leading a snowshoe expedition with the kids," Bo said. He grabbed a piece of hay and started chewing on the end.

  Jeff didn’t like the way Bo was staring at him,
like he knew exactly what he was thinking, which was probably pretty true, since Bo knew Jeff better than anyone. But it didn’t mean he liked it. Jeff jammed the pitchfork deeper into the pile of hay and doubled his efforts. "Well, it doesn’t matter. I was just doing her a favor. She needed something for the wedding and there’s no way I was going to let her go out into the woods alone."

  "Especially not when you were handy to keep her warm. Right, buddy?"

  "Dammit." Jeff tossed the pitchfork against the wall. "It’s not like that with us."

  "Whoa." Bo held up his hands and took a step back. "I didn’t mean to hit a nerve."

  Jeff took a breath and looked at his friend. "I’m sorry, Bo. I—"

  "All good."

  "She has a boyfriend." Jeff spoke the words simply, but there was nothing simple about it. He couldn’t get the kiss they’d shared out of his head. It was running on repeat, and every time he thought about it, the urge to re-live it was strong. But it kept coming back to the fact that she’d chosen another man. It didn’t matter what he wanted.

  "What? I’m sure Andi and Colin didn’t say anything about Eva having a boyfriend."

  Jeff’s heart lifted slightly, but then crashed down when he remembered reality. "It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m not in a situation to start a relationship with anyone, even if I wanted to."

  "And you want to?" Bo eyed him with a smirk on his face and Jeff could practically read his mind. Jeff had never wanted a relationship with anyone, ever. He’d always run screaming in the opposite direction, so the very fact he’d used the word probably had Bo’s head spinning.

  "Like I said.” Jeff reached for the pitchfork again and busied himself cleaning out a vacant stall. "It doesn’t matter. I took the job." The silence in the stables was suffocating as what he’d just said sunk in.

  "You did?" Bo said after a moment. "I think it’s great."

  "You do?" Jeff turned to look at his friend.

  "Well, yeah. I mean, you know I’m going to miss you, but the opportunity is amazing. You’d be crazy to turn it down. Besides that, there’s nothing for you here. Not really."