“So, when will you see Alex again—wait, don’t do that—Trevor! Billy’s climbing the—Katy, gotta go.”
“Okay, bye,” she said into the phone, but Anna had already hung up.
From the picture window Katy watched the Seattle-Bainbridge ferries pass each other on the Sound. She loved the view from up here and understood why Alex had chosen this location. It was peaceful and quiet, the opposite of her apartment right now, and exactly what she needed after three long days of work.
The front door burst open and voices drifted through the condo. Startled, Katy spun around, bumping a glass trophy and grabbing it before it hit the ground. Her first instinct was to hide, but that would be ridiculous since Alex had invited her to use his place.
“Wow, this is awesome,” a female voice said.
“Wait until you see the view.” Alex escorted a tall redhead into the living room and froze when he saw Katy.
“Sorry, sorry,” Katy said.
“Katy, hi,” he said, his voice softer than when he’d spoken to his date.
“Wait, you have a roommate?” the redhead said.
“No, this is my personal chef. Zoe this is Katy; Katy, Zoe.”
Still clinging to the trophy, Katy reached out to shake her hand. Zoe wrinkled her nose as she assessed Katy from head to toe, probably assuming she was the competition.
“A chef? Where’s your white hat?” Zoe said.
“At the cleaners.”
Alex burst out laughing which got a wicked look from Zoe.
“Sorry, I thought you were in Hong Kong,” Katy said.
“It’s fine,” Alex said. “I had to cancel my trip.”
“Lucky for me.” Zoe squeezed Alex’s arm and looked lovingly into his eyes.
Sheesh, Zoe was laying it on thick. Why had he picked this ditz as his potential no-love wife? She didn’t seem very sophisticated or smart.
“The kale salad was delicious,” Alex offered.
“Glad you liked it.”
“Is she staying all night?” Zoe asked in a whiny voice.
“Right, sorry. You guys want privacy.” Katy set the glass trophy on the end table, grabbed her bag and made for the door. “I don’t need this anymore.” She placed the key on the kitchen counter because she surely didn’t want a repeat of tonight.
“Hey, do you know if there’s whipped cream in the fridge?” Zoe asked.
Katy turned to them. “I doubt it. I don’t encourage a lot of sweets like pie or ice cream so—”
“Oh, we’re not using it on pie.” Zoe flared her eyes at Alex.
Alex’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“Okay, well you kids have fun.” Katy darted into the hall and practically sprinted to the elevator. She didn’t need that image emblazoned in her brain: the image of Alex licking whipped cream off of that bimbo’s naked body.
It wasn’t that it grossed her out, but Alex could do so much better, even for a pretend wife-fiancée-girlfriend. He was a smart and witty guy. How could he be satisfied spending hours with the flaky Zoe? Then again you didn’t have to be smart and witty to have sex.
“Katy, wait,” Alex said, rushing down the hall. “My business partner is lining up dates for me and this was tonight’s girl. What do you think?”
“Um…” The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside. “I’m not the one marrying her.”
“Neither am I, am I?” He shook his head in confusion. “Come on, you’ve got good instincts.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” She pressed the button to the ground floor wishing the doors would close.
Alex leaned into the elevator and heat flushed her cheeks. “I’ve got seven days to find the perfect woman and could really use your help.”
“Why’s this such a big deal?”
He pressed the stop button on the elevator and eyed her, his expression serious. “This deal with Winslow could make us or break us.”
“You mean…?”
“If we don’t sign him we’ll probably have to let people go, and our reputation will take a major hit.”
Yikes. This was bigger than just finding a business wife for a client meeting. People’s lives would be negatively impacted, including Alex’s. Katy knew what it felt like to almost have your life’s work ripped out from under you. Tony had done everything in his power to blackball Katy from getting work in Seattle.
Alex studied her, his expression hopeful.
She couldn’t help but feel sympathetic for the guy whose only crime was being socially awkward.
“Sure, I’ll help you find the perfect girl,” she said.
Chapter Three
The next morning Katy was summoned by a cryptic text: Emergency summit @ 10. My place. I’ll provide the food.
Alex was providing the food? She wasn’t sure if she should be appreciative or worried. Sure, she had instructed him how to boil eggs yet he’d still managed to decorate his kitchen ceiling with exploded eggs from time to time. Focusing on anything but software design was a true challenge for Alex.
Luckily she hadn’t scheduled any clients today. It was Saturday, and she wanted a day to herself. Working all the time was as unhealthy as eating fried food three times a day.
“We still on for the Market today?” Katy asked her roomie.
“Sure, when?”
“How about later this afternoon?”
“Perfect. I need a morning nap anyway.”
Katy eyed the wall mirror and finger-combed her pixie cut hair in place. “Okay, I’m off to help out a client.”
“I thought it was your day off?” Caroline said, sipping an anti-hangover Nutella-banana-coconut milkshake.
“He’s a friend-client, actually my friend Anna’s little brother, Alex.”
“You mean Wonder Boy with the sexy blue eyes?” She leaned against the counter wanting more details. “What kind of help?”
“You think his eyes are sexy?”
“Does he need a date? I’d go out with him.”
“He needs more than a date.” She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. “Long story.”
“You can tell me about it when we go to the Market.” Caroline was practically salivating.
“See you later.”
Katy left the apartment and walked to the bus stop, thinking about Caroline’s ‘sexy eyes’ comment. Katy hadn’t thought of Alex as sexy—not like Channing Tatum sexy—but he was attractive with his sky blue eyes, square jaw and killer smile.
So why did he have such a hard time finding the perfect woman to fill the role of charming wife? Probably because most women wanted a real relationship, they wanted love—something that didn’t interest Alex.
She took the elevator to Alex’s condo and was about to knock when it swung open and a tall brunette with pouty lips sauntered past Katy.
“Good luck,” the brunette said. “He’s brutal.”
Katy’s jaw dropped as the brunette disappeared into the elevator. Brutal? Alex?
“Hello?” Katy called, as she entered the condo.
“In the living room,” Alex answered.
She eyed the bagels and fresh fruit on the dining room table as she passed, an improvement from the donuts and corn chips he used to eat for breakfast. She wandered into the living room and spotted a blond man about Alex’s age, and a younger woman with long brown hair sitting on the couch.
“Good morning,” Katy said.
Alex stood to make introductions. “Katy, this is my partner Matthew and our admin, Lanie.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lanie said.
“Thanks, you too,” Katy said.
“Wow, this is your personal chef?” Matthew stood and extended his hand to Katy. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Instead of shaking her hand, he kissed it.
“What are you doing?” Alex said.
“It’s a romantic gesture. You should take notes,” Matthew said, holding onto her hand a little longer than necessary.
“You’re kidding.” Alex glanced at Katy. “Do you recommend hand kissing?”
“Depends on the occasion, I guess. Who was the pouty brunette? She said you guys were brutal?”
Matthew glanced at Lanie. “I told you we shouldn’t have asked her to name the state capital.”
“Olympia. It isn’t that hard,” Lanie said.
“Why was she pouting?” Alex said. “She got a call back.”
“A call back?” Katy dropped her purse on the floor next to a chair and sat down.
“We’re screening for the wife position,” Lanie said. “Not that she should have made the call back list.”
“Why not?” Matthew challenged.
“She was a downer,” Lanie said. “Mr. Remington needs someone upbeat and energetic.”
“How about this one?” Alex asked, offering his tablet to Matthew.
“What is it with you and these girl-next-door types?” Matthew handed it back. “Go for broke; go for glamorous.”
The doorbell rang. “There’s number four,” Matthew said. “I’ll get it.”
“Four? How long have you been at this?” Katy said.
“Almost two hours,” Alex said. “Matthew and Lanie put an ad on a dating website, plus we’ve been researching eligible single women in Seattle.”
“What qualifies someone as eligible?” Katy asked.
“The guys have come up with a whole list of criteria,” Lanie said.
“Oh, they have, have they?” Katy teased.
“If a woman meets fifty percent on the list, she gets an interview,” Lanie said.
“Wow, tough list.”
“Tops on the list is ‘personable,’” Alex said. “You know, the type that can charm a room full of strangers.”
“Alex, I’d like to introduce Melinda,” Matthew said, escorting a short blonde into the room.
“Hi Alex.” Melinda threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hug.
Katy narrowed her eyes. That was a little forward, wasn’t it?
They spent the next twenty minutes grilling Melinda and the next few hours interviewing more potential ‘wives’ for Alex. Somewhere in the midst of it all Katy whipped up chicken vegetable soup for lunch. She got to know Matthew and Lanie a little better, although Lanie had to leave early. They obviously cared about Alex and not just because he was the brainchild of a thriving business.
Matthew handed Alex the list of the top three candidates from today’s auditions. “You’ve got dates set up for tomorrow brunch, Monday lunch and Tuesday dinner. From there you can figure out which one to bring to the Winslow dinner on Valentine’s Day.”
“Yeah, okay, thanks.” Alex walked Matthew to the door, while Katy cleaned up the kitchen.
It all seemed surreal, interviewing potential girlfriends for Alex, judging them more by their ability to put everyone at ease than their looks or intelligence. Katy liked Eden from Mt. Vernon. She seemed down-to-earth and polished.
Katy’s phone vibrated with a text that her roomie was cancelling their trip to the Market because an old boyfriend had come to town. With Caroline it was always guys first, friends later. Katy wondered if she should stay away from the apartment to avoid walking in on something sordid. For half a second she felt like everyone was getting a little lovin’ but her. That’s when she made herself a promise she would not spend another Valentine’s Day alone.
“What’d you think?” Alex asked, leaning against the kitchen counter beside her.
“I thought Eden was nice,” Katy said.
“Cool. I liked her, too. Matthew liked Vivianna and Beth.”
“Right, the long-legged hotties with the model looks.” Katy put away the last of the lunch plates. “Who did Lanie like?”
“You.”
“Ha, ha.” She didn’t risk looking at him.
Alex’s phone beeped with a text. “Whoa, Lanie had to move Monday’s girl to tonight.”
“Which girl?”
“Vivianna. But Lanie couldn’t get me a reservation so she asked if—never mind.”
“What?”
“She asked if you could cook dinner for us here. Stupid idea. Forget it.”
“No, it’s fine. But don’t expect anything fancy on such short notice.”
Alex dropped to one knee and clasped his hands together. “Peanut butter and jelly with kale chips, tofu dogs with sauerkraut—whatever you make will be perfect.”
“Get up goofball.” She stepped around him and headed for the door. “What time?”
“Seven.”
“I’ll be back at five-thirty to prep.”
Katy returned as promised and worked on the meal: salmon with vegetables, spinach salad with pomegranate and goat cheese, and flourless brownies with coconut ice cream for dessert. Alex’s date would be here in ten minutes and Katy wanted everything to be perfect.
Although her role was to play cook and servant, Alex said Katy’s most important job was to eavesdrop so she could give an honest assessment of Vivianna.
“Why am I nervous? I shouldn’t be nervous,” Alex said wandering into the kitchen.
She rinsed the greens under cool water and turned to him. He stood at the kitchen island, tablet in hand, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.
“Alex,” she scolded and turned back to the greens.
“What? I should be nervous?”
“No, but you should be dressed. She’s coming in ten minutes.”
“I’m a fast dresser, like Superman.”
The man was referring to a comic book hero, as he stood there bare-chested, looking like he could audition for that very role.
He walked up beside her and opened a cabinet door. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the dark hair that dusted across his muscled chest, and the flex of his bicep as he reached for a glass.
She closed her eyes and listed the many reasons why she shouldn’t be lusting after him. Unfortunately, every point had a counterpoint.
He’s your best friend’s little brother! Who’s a grown man of thirty-two.
I’ll lose a good friendship if our relationship goes physical. Yeah, but what a way to go.
He’s my best client and I don’t want to lose the business. You’re overworked as it is.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Sure, I’m thinking.”
“Oh, so that’s how you do it,” he said, still standing too close.
His aftershave tickled her nostrils, a delicious spiced scent that made her mouth water.
“Do what?” she said.
“You focus better when you close your eyes,” he said. “I’ll have to try that.”
She opened her eyes. “Eight minutes until your date arrives, Mr. Remington.”
“You worry too much.”
The buzzer went off.
He froze, his eyes widening with panic.
“Go,” she ordered, drying her hands on a towel.
“What should I wear?” he asked, heading for the bedroom.
“Dress shirt and jeans.” She couldn’t take her eyes off his broad shoulders.
“Not a suit?”
“Overkill.”
“What shirt?”
“The burgundy one.”
“Could you offer her a glass of wine?” he called.
“Sure thing, Superman.”
His bedroom door closed with a click. Katy pressed the button giving Vivanna access to the elevator. A few minutes later, Katy welcomed Vivianna and motioned her
into the living room. The tall woman was wearing a tailored suit jacket over a silk blouse, skinny jeans and four hundred dollar boots. She’d gone a little heavy on the eye make-up for Katy’s taste.
“Mr. Remington will be with you shortly,” Katy said. “Would you like a glass of white or red wine while you wait?”
“Got any whisky?”
“I’ll check.” It was going to be a long night.
Katy acted the perfect cook and server, but by the time she served dessert her patience was wearing thin. All Vivianna wanted to do was talk about herself and her jewelry business. Alex got a word in every ten or fifteen minutes, yet he didn’t seem to mind. He gazed at her like a fifth grader with a crush on his teacher. Ugh.
“Why did you pick this building? It’s not on the water,” Vivianna said.
“It’s close to work,” he said. “Where do you live?”
“Madison Park, in a gated community.”
“That must be nice.”
Vivianna glanced across the condo. “My minor in college was interior design.”
Katy clenched her jaw against a retort. Vivianna obviously didn’t approve of the simple way Alex had decorated his place, whereas Katy liked the uncluttered feel of his condo.
Katy finished loading the dishwasher and glanced at the couple.
Vivanna fingered Alex’s shirt collar in a flirtatious move. “And my major was fashion design.”
That did it.
“Mr. Remington,” Katy said, about to drag him into another room and tell him to dump this idiot.
He glanced at Katy with an absent expression like he’d been yanked out of intense thought. More like adoration. She couldn’t bear to ruin his evening.
“I’m through here, Mr. Remington,” Katy said. “Good night.”
She booked outta there and caught a bus home, grateful that her roomie and old boyfriend were still out on the town. Katy flopped down on her bed and glanced at the clock. It was only nine. And it was a Saturday night. It was definitely time she did something about her non-existent social life.
She wondered how Alex was getting along with the self-absorbed Vivianna. No, she shouldn’t wonder since it was none of her business. Yet when he called her tomorrow asking for her opinion Katy would share it, without reservation or censorship. Alex trusted her to be honest.
Valentine Romance- The Best Short Valentine Romances of 2014 Page 2
