Shaking my head, I try not to laugh. “You had this all planned, didn’t you?”
She looks at me smugly. “Uh-huh.”
Three
ASHLEY
An hour later we pull into the parking lot of the restaurant where Nick and Jonathan are meeting us. That was one concession I’d managed to wrangle out of Emily—we would meet the guys there.
Emily turns off the engine and looks at me. “Jonathan recently got out of a relationship, so go easy on him.”
I roll my eyes, something I find myself doing a lot with Emily. “Now you tell me.”
She laughs and opens her door. “Come on, Ash. It’ll be fun.”
“For you, maybe,” I mutter under my breath as I climb out of her car. We walk into the restaurant, then stop as she looks around for her boyfriend.
“There they are,” she says.
Her voice is laced with excitement, but I’m dreading this blind date. That is, until I see the two men sitting at the table watching us approach. I have no idea which one is my date—Jonathan—but they’re both plenty cute.
“Nick,” Emily practically squeals.
One of the men stands up. “Hey, Em,” he says.
Okay, now that I know who is who, I take a closer look at my date. He’s sitting, so I can’t tell how tall he is, but I can see his deep blue eyes from where I stand. Those eyes are appraising me, but I can’t tell what he thinks. His short blonde hair sticks up in all the right places, and I find myself not thinking about Drake for a change.
“This is my best friend Ashley,” Emily says as she drags me to the table.
It doesn’t take a lot of encouragement for me to go with her.
“Ash, this is Jonathan.”
I smile at him.
“Hey,” he says as he stands, his expression not divulging his thoughts at all.
I remember he recently came out of a relationship. Great.
“Hi,” I say. Now that he’s standing I can see he’s much taller than me, maybe six feet. Not as tall as Drake though. I hold back a frown, irritated with myself for using Drake as a measuring stick.
Emily gestures to her boyfriend. “This is Nick.”
“Hi there,” he says. “Em’s been so excited for you to move here.”
“Me too,” I say as I slide into the empty seat next to Jonathan. Em sits too, and the men follow suit.
“I understand you’re from Vegas,” Nick says, evidently trying to get the conversation going.
“Yeah,” I say, “and I’m already wondering if I’m going to be able to get used to this cold weather.”
He laughs. “Yeah, it’s a big change from the heat you’re used to, I’m sure.”
I smile, then glance at Jonathan out of the corner of my eye and wonder if Nick dragged him on this date too. I can hear their conversation in my head.
Nick: Come on, dude. It’ll be good for you to get out for a change.
Jonathan: What kind of troll are you setting me up with now?
Nick: Emily promised she’s not ugly.
Jonathan: Yeah, right.
Feeling rejected already, I frown.
“What do you want to eat?” Emily asks me, yanking me out of my thoughts.
“Uh.” I pick up the menu and quickly scan the choices. “I guess a hamburger and fries.” Then I remember that I had a burger the other night. With Drake. I sigh softly, not happy that I’m doing exactly what I knew I would do—obsessing over a man who has lost interest in me.
“What made you decide to move up to Reno?” Jonathan asks, startling me.
I’d kind of forgotten he was there, but now that he’s trying to engage me in a conversation, I decide I should try as well. After all, he probably doesn’t want to be here anymore than I do. I turn and smile at him. “It’s Emily’s fault. She talked me into it.”
He laughs. “At least you can blame her if it doesn’t work out, right?”
“Yeah.” His smile is dazzling, almost as dazzling as Drake’s. Stop it, Ash. Move on already. “Are you from Reno?”
“Born and bred.”
“So you like the cold?”
He half-smiles. “Not really. But I like the snow.”
“Oh. Are you a skier?”
He laughs, like this is the most ridiculous question ever. “No. I like to snowboard.”
“Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” I glance across the table and see that Nick and Emily are in their own little world. I’m on my own.
“You ever been?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Not much snow in Vegas.”
We order our food and a short time later the waitress sets our plates in front of us.
“Emily says you just graduated,” Nick says as he lifts a forkful of food to his mouth.
I nod as I take a sip of water.
“What’d you major in?” Jonathan asks.
“Marketing.” I smile. “Do you know anyone who wants to hire an inexperienced marketing major?”
“Nope, sorry,” he says.
I look at Nick and Emily expectantly, but they both shake their heads.
“Great,” I say. “Guess I’ll have to find a job the old-fashioned way. Search online.”
We’re all quiet as we eat, then Emily says, “We should do something fun after this.”
“What’d you have in mind?” Nick asks.
“Can’t,” Jonathan says at the same time.
My eyes cut in his direction and I feel like I’ve failed. I hadn’t even wanted to go on this stupid date in the first place, but now that I’m here, and now that I’ve met Jonathan, I kind of want to make a good impression. Clearly, the feeling isn’t mutual, and I feel like an idiot.
“I have an early meeting I have to prepare for,” Jonathan says by way of explanation. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” I quickly say for a reason known to no one. Why do I feel like I need to assuage any guilt he feels for turning down Emily’s suggestion? I don’t even know the guy.
“Maybe we can get together another time,” he says as he looks at me.
What? Is he interested now? Confused, I murmur, “Sure.” Maybe he actually does have a meeting to get ready for. “What do you do?” I say. “For your job, I mean.”
“I’m a project manager.”
That sounds impressive, and I nod. “Do you like it?”
“Most of the time. It can be stressful though.” He picks up a french fry and dips it in a dollop of catsup before placing it in his mouth.
I watch his full lips and wonder what it would feel like to have them pressed against mine. What are you doing, Ash? Looking to have your heart broken again? You barely said good-bye to Drake this morning, and you’re already looking for someone new?
Why does everything always have to circle back to Drake? As I think about Drake, Jonathan’s appeal seems to dim. No one can compare to Drake. Not to me.
When it’s time to go, the guys walk us out to Emily’s car. Jonathan and I stand next to my door and wait for Nick and Em to finish kissing good-night.
“Good luck with your meeting,” I say.
He smiles. “Thanks. Good luck with your job search.”
I laugh. “Yeah. That should be fun.”
“I’m sure you’ll find something.” He glances towards Nick and Emily. “You about done over there?” Then he smiles at me.
I smile back, and a moment later Nick and Emily separate.
“Ready, Ash?” Emily says, as if she’s been waiting on me.
I look at her with a smirk. “Yeah.” Then I look at Jonathan. “It was nice meeting you.”
He smiles at me and his deep blue eyes twinkle. “You too.”
A few moments later Emily and I are driving back to our apartment.
“I think he likes you,” she says.
I look at her like she’s crazy. “What makes you say that? We hardly spoke.”
“I saw him looking at you when you weren’t paying attention.”
The thought brightens m
y mood. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“Of course not.”
My eyes narrow. “How did you even notice that? You seemed pretty focused on Nick.”
She laughs. “You’re right.”
Her acknowledgement deflates me. He’s not interested in me at all.
“But I still noticed,” she says.
I’m not sure I can believe her. It doesn’t matter anyway because I’m not looking for a boyfriend. Right now I need to concentrate on finding a job—and not thinking about Colton Drake. Then it occurs to me—maybe focusing on Jonathan will help me forget about Drake.
Four
ASHLEY
As I lay in the unfamiliar bed that night, my thoughts go to Drake. Is he in town yet? Is he with Rachel? Did she forgive him for sleeping with me? Would I if I were her?
The next morning I wake when I hear Emily getting ready. I find I have no trouble getting up as I’m excited to begin my job hunt. My hopes are high that I’ll find a great job where I can use all the information I learned in school. I shower, then go into the kitchen.
“Morning,” Emily says as she pours us each a mug of hot coffee.
“Hi.” I slide into one of the two seats at the tiny table and pour cream into my cup.
“What are you going to do today?” she asks.
“Job hunt.”
She smiles. “You should meet me for lunch.”
Now that my real life has begun, I need to be careful with my money—I don’t want my small reserves to run out before I get a job. “I don’t think that will work today.”
Emily frowns, but doesn’t push me.
After she leaves, I take out my laptop, get on her wi-fi, and begin my search. Half an hour into it, I find myself Googling Colton Drake. It doesn’t take long to find his home address and I jot it down for later reference. I’m not about to show up at his place just yet—not until I at least have the money to pay him back. But I like knowing where he lives.
During my search I’ve come across some other interesting information about Colton Drake. Evidently he’s a business consultant with his own firm. When I consider that he’s not much older than me, yet has a place in Reno and the cabin where we stayed, I realize he must be very successful. That’s good to know, but I’m glad I got to know him before I knew that about him. I wouldn’t want that information coloring my attraction to him.
I like him for him. Not because he’s a good businessman—although that just adds to the appeal. No, I’m drawn to him for many other reasons. Besides the fact that he’s super hot, I like how he’s so confident and sure of himself. I like how he likes to have fun with me, and I like his take-charge personality.
Now his bossy personality makes so much more sense. When I spent time with him I got the distinct impression that he was used to having his demands met, and now I know why. He runs his own business, and he probably has several employees who jump to do his bidding.
A thought occurs to me, and I find his company’s website. I go to the open jobs page and find an opening for an administrative assistant. It’s not in my field of marketing, but what the heck? I fill out the online application, then hesitate over the Submit button. Taking a deep breath, I press Submit. My breath comes out in a rush as giddiness pumps through me. I just applied for a job at Drake’s company.
Trying to push Drake out of my mind and stay focused on what I need to be doing, I pull up a job search site and get to work. By the time Emily comes home that afternoon I’ve applied for several jobs in my field, although quite a few are more administrative in nature. Even if they don’t require a degree, the admin jobs could be a way for me to get my foot in the door.
Emily and I work together to fix a simple dinner.
“Tomorrow’s Friday,” she says as we sit down to eat. “Nick and I want you and Jonathan to go out with us again.”
I stare at her. “Why?”
She laughs. “What do you mean, ‘why’? Because we’d have a blast, that’s why.”
I’m not certain I’m up to another tortuous evening with a man who probably doesn’t want to be there any more than I do. Not only that, my thoughts are on Drake and what he’s doing. He probably won’t go back to his cabin this weekend, not after all the time he just spent there. Will he be going out with Rachel? Or maybe another woman? He told me he wasn’t dating Rachel exclusively. That means he probably has stables of women lined up to date him. Now that I know he has his own company, not to mention his innate hotness, I’m even more certain that women are eager to go out with him.
Would he go out with me? I feel small and insignificant next to the beautiful and successful women I imagine he usually dates. I didn’t like Rachel, but I have to admit that she’s gorgeous. I feel small and plain next to her now, and I remember Drake calling me hobbit-like. I know he meant it as a joke because I’m at least a foot shorter than he is, but the memory doesn’t do good things for my confidence.
What is your problem, Ash? If he wanted to see you again he would have gotten your number. He didn’t. So forget him already.
I don’t like what my internal voice is telling me—it hurts—but I know it’s right. I think about Nick’s friend Jonathan. He was plenty hot too. Not Colton Drake hot, but hot nonetheless. I hold back a grimace at the way my mind refuses to forget about Drake, and I think about Jonathan. Though he hadn’t seemed particularly interested in me, at least he hadn’t seemed revolted by me. He’d even been kind of friendly. That was something.
“Well?” Emily asks, staring at me pointedly. “Will you go?”
I remember how I’d thought Jonathan would be a good distraction from Drake. I need to be distracted from thoughts of Drake. “Okay,” I finally say. “If Jonathan wants to, then I guess I’ll go too.”
“Yay!”
I try to use her enthusiasm to make myself excited, and it kind of works. “Where are we going to go?”
“I don’t know. I’ll tell Nick that they’d better come up with something fabulous.”
This could be fun, I realize, and I actually begin to look forward to my date with Jonathan.
Five
DRAKE
I can’t get the memory of Ashley out of my mind. Ever since I dropped her off at the car repair shop, her face keeps popping into my head at the most inconvenient moments—like when I’m in the middle of an important meeting, or when I’m trying to fall asleep.
I haven’t heard from Rachel since she stormed away from my cabin, and I’m glad. Though it had been unpleasant—to say the least—now the decision that I’d been putting off making has been made. Rachel and I are done.
And I’m alone.
Frowning as I sit in my office and stare at the screen of my laptop, I try to push thoughts of Ashley out of my head.
If only they would stay out.
ASHLEY
On Friday morning, as I finish eating breakfast, thoughts of Drake fill my mind—the intimacy we shared, the fun we had, the connection I felt. I miss him. I want to be with him. I need to see him.
A wild idea flashes into my head.
I’ll drive to his house. I won’t stop or anything, but just see where he lives.
I pause as I think about this idea.
Are you going to become a stalker now, Ashley-girl?
I frown at the thought. I have no intention of stalking Drake. I just want to see where he lives. I’m curious, that’s all. Besides, he’s probably not even at home right now. The man has a job after all—unlike you.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I put his address into the GPS app on my phone, then walk out to my car. When I approach the final turn to his street, my heart begins to pound. What if he’s home and he sees me? What if he hates me for finding him? But what if he’s happy to see me? That last thought is what pushes me to overcome my trepidation, and I drive on.
The houses on his street look nice, though nothing too extravagant—nothing that says I’m a success. My gaze goes to the numbers attached to each house
as I search for his, and I slow as the numbers tell me I’m almost there.
A small car is parked in his driveway. Logos on the side tell me it’s a cleaning service. A crazy thought enters my head, and on impulse I pull up to the curb. Before I can think it through, I climb out of my car and walk up the driveway.
What are you doing, Ashley?
My hands start to sweat, but I keep going. Most likely Drake isn’t even home, and I just want to get a peek inside. I’m curious about the man I’ve spent so much time with recently. What does his “real life” house look like?
When I see that the front door is open a few inches, then I hear a vacuum running, I gently push against the door. It swings open like an invitation—an invitation I know I should turn down, but my thoughts have been too heavily on Drake and I have to go inside.
A moment later I’m standing in the entry. My gaze sweeps the living room—I don’t see the cleaning ladies yet—and my eye is drawn to the magnificent view through the floor to ceiling glass walls.
Drake sure likes his views.
The vacuum shuts off and panic shoots up my spine as I know I’m about to be caught. My heart races as I quickly back out the door, then turn and dash to my car. I jam my key in the ignition, throw the car into gear, and tear away from the curb.
When I’m several blocks away a wide smile plays across my mouth at my bold behavior, but after a moment my legs begin to shake as the adrenaline recedes from my veins. And then the reality of my impulsiveness settles into my mind.
What if Drake had been home? What if he’d caught me walking into his house? What if he’d called the cops on me?
Fear flows over me, cold and dark, trickling down the back of my neck like sweat. My smile vanishes and my hands become clammy.
What was I thinking?
I drive back to my apartment, focused on arriving there without getting lost. Once I’m safely inside, I lock the door behind me and sink onto the couch and berate myself anew. That was idiotic, Ashley. One of the dumber things you’ve done.
Drake and Ashley: The Complete Story Page 15
