She had an awful vision of Jake leaving her at Christmas to spend it in New York with his father. No, she couldn’t, under any circumstances, let him take her baby. Jake meant everything in the world to her.
Having Jake had changed everything for Grace, but it was for the better. Gone was the slightly superficial, naive college party girl with dreams of becoming a New York City hotshot, replaced by a responsible, dedicated mother. Jake brought her back down to earth and forced her to grow up and realize the things that really mattered, like family and love, and sticking by the people who stood by you.
Jamie had cut her out of his life when things got too real for him, and when her son was born she swore to herself that she would never do that to anyone. She was going to be the best mother, daughter and sister she could be, and she would never turn her back on the people she loved.
Jamie may have broken her heart in two, but Jake had repaired it. She still had the scars, but the pain had finally dulled enough for her to find happiness again.
She couldn’t let Jamie take that away.
She put her son’s photograph in her drawer where no one could see it and felt a little better. Jamie wouldn’t find out about Jake because he was going to walk right back out of her life when this day was over. Maybe he was working with Bradden Communications, but that didn’t mean he was working with her. Not if she had anything to say about it.
Resolved, she amended the contract to suit Jamie’s brewery and printed it out for him to sign. Instead of bringing it into the conference room herself, she asked Charlie’s new assistant to do it. The woman looked a little too eager to help, and Grace got the feeling that she wasn’t the only one who had noticed how great Jamie looked.
Well, she could have him then.
Grace went back to her desk and tried to take her mind off of Jamie by sinking herself into her work. She glanced at the office door every few minutes, hoping she would see him exit.
“Grace.”
The sound of her name sent a shiver of longing down her spine, and she knew immediately who was standing behind her. She spun around in her chair to face Jamie and was infinitely glad she had hidden the photograph of Jake.
“Oh, hi,” was all she could think to say.
“Hi.” He was smiling down at her, all height and sex appeal. “I’m so glad we ran into each other like this. You look amazing. You’re somehow even more beautiful than I remember.”
She felt herself blush. “Thank you. You look great, too. Congratulations on the brewery. I’m so glad it all worked out for you.”
Something flashed across his face that she couldn’t quite name, taking his smile with it. “Thank you, I appreciate that.”
In the beat of silence that followed, something passed between them. She suddenly felt foolish, like they were playing a game of pretend. She couldn’t believe she was making small talk with Jamie after all they had been through.
“Will you be heading back to New York now?” she asked as nonchalantly as she could.
“Oh, no.”
“No?”
“I’m staying at the Marriott about two miles from here,” he said. “I’m planning to stick around for awhile and see this marketing plan through.”
Her mouth dropped open for the second time that day. “But what about the brewery?”
“My partners will take care of it. They know this is very important to me.”
“Oh.”
So he was staying. Well, that certainly complicated things.
He took a step toward her, and she craned her neck to look up at him. Jamie was about a foot taller than her, and she couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t one of the tallest men in the room.
She used to find his height sexy, but now she felt like he was taking up the room she needed to breathe.
His leg brushed against her exposed knee, and she gasped.
He grinned. “Since I’m going to be sticking around, we may as well take advantage of it. Let me take you to dinner tonight. You can show me around the area and fill me in on everything I’ve missed these past few years.”
Like your son? She chewed nervously at her bottom lip, unsure of how to turn him down without being rude or raising questions. This needed to be nipped in the bud right now.
Then she remembered she had Charlie, the perfect excuse. Not that she usually thought of him as an excuse, but the situation called for every weapon she had.
“I can’t,” she said, smiling awkwardly. “Charlie wouldn’t like it. I’m sorry.”
“Your boss?”
“We’re dating.”
“I see.”
She couldn’t help but notice the way the muscle in his jaw twitched, just a little.
“How long have you two been together?”
“Not long,” she said with a small shrug of her shoulders. “But we’ve known each other almost two years, since I started working here.”
“And he’s your boss?”
She didn’t like his tone. “Yes, Jamie. He is my boss.”
The muscle twitched again. “He asked you out?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
“What’s that? What does ‘hmm’ mean?”
“Nothing.”
“If you have something to say, say it. Don’t hold back on my account.”
“It’s not my place.”
“I never knew that to stop you.”
“Okay then, I’ll say it. Don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate? He holds a position of authority over you. Him hitting on you in the first place is sexual harassment.”
She felt her cheeks burn with something that felt an awful lot like shame and that made her mad. Why should she feel guilty? She could date whomever she wanted to.
“The only thing that is inappropriate is you speaking to me like this,” she told him. “I won’t be lectured by you or anyone about my personal life.”
“You’re right. It’s none of my business,” he said coldly.
“That’s right.”
The silence that followed was tense, so she spun away from him to face her computer, hoping he would take the hint and leave. She just couldn’t handle this. She didn’t know how she was supposed to feel or how she was supposed to act, and a big part of her wanted to hit him.
The confusion was expected, but her anger surprised her. She was still angry with him for breaking up with her in college, after all these years.
She was pathetic.
“Grace.”
“What?”
“Have dinner with me tonight.”
She turned to look at him, surprised he was trying this again. “Jamie, I already told you-”
He put a finger to her lips, stopping her thought in its tracks. “Grace. I haven’t seen you in years, and I want to catch up since we’re going to be working together. Surely your boss can understand that.”
She smacked his hand away. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
He grinned at her. “I promise I won’t try anything.”
She knew that look, and she didn’t believe him for a second. “No. I can’t.”
“Why? Give me a real reason.”
I have to get home to feed our son dinner.
“Because I’m not interested in starting a relationship with you again, of any kind.” She felt bad as soon as the words came out of her mouth and she saw his disappointment, but it had to be said or he would never leave her alone. “I’m sorry. A lot of things have changed since we were together. I’m not the same girl you used to know.”
“Evidently.”
He was hurt, and she felt the distance between them as clearly as if he had put up a wall.
“You should go,” she said quietly, shutting her eyes for a brief moment to clear her head.
“Grace...” There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t name, and it scared her.
“Please, Jamie. Just go.”
When she opened her eyes, he was halfway out the door.
JAMIE SAT AT the Clean Whistle Bar drinking a beer the bartender had recommended for him, thinking about Grace.
Their first meeting hadn’t gone as well as he had hoped it would. Years of daydreams had made him too optimistic. He had hoped she would be happy to see him and ready to pick up where they had left off. He had never imagined she would have such an adverse reaction to him. When he had walked into the room, she looked like she had seen a ghost.
Grace clearly wanted nothing to do with him, and all he could think since he saw her again was that he wanted everything to do with her. She was even more beautiful than he remembered her being somehow, and he still thought everything about her was adorable.
Most of her was just as he remembered, like her high cheekbones and her huge brown eyes with thick, dark lashes that made her look more innocent than she ever deserved. Her hair was longer than it was when they had dated but she still wore it in loose waves down her back, the way it dried naturally.
It was her figure that had changed most. She had been wearing a skirt and buttoned blouse, and he had noticed that her petite frame had gotten curvier in all the right places. It had been hard for him to be in the same room as her, unable to touch her. He wanted to slowly peel off her clothes and explore every inch of her body, learning it all over again.
He wondered if she still wore the little lacy bras she used to wear when they spent the night together and if she would still make that little noise when he kissed the hollow of her neck.
Then he thought of her with Charles Bradden and felt as if someone had punched him in the chest.
It had driven him crazy for years, thinking of her with someone else, but it was worse to have a real man’s name and face in his mind. What was she doing, dating her boss? He could guess Charlie’s type—a powerful man looking for a trophy wife. Grace was exceptionally beautiful, and obviously her boss had noticed.
He tried hard to hide his animosity when the door of the bar swung open and Charlie walked in. He was wearing a fancy coat and had his hair slicked back, and Jamie couldn’t help but dislike him even more.
To be fair, Charlie could be the best man in the world, and he still wouldn’t be good enough for Grace. Hell, Jamie wasn’t even good enough for Grace. But he was going to spend the rest of his life trying to be the man she deserved, and that had to count for something.
For better or for worse, Grace was the love of his life. He wasn’t about to let her walk away on some other man’s arm.
It was time to put a stop to this.
“Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice,” Jamie said, gesturing for Charlie to sit down beside him.
“Oh, it’s not a problem.” Charlie slid into the seat across from Jamie and opened his briefcase, pulling out a paper. “I’ve brought the contract, if you’re ready to sign it.”
Jamie had not signed the contract earlier that day, because he didn’t want to lose his leverage where Grace was concerned. It had turned out to be a good idea, since Grace didn’t seem to want to work with him.
If he had to play dirty for her heart, he would happily do it.
“I am ready to sign, but I do have a condition,” Jamie said.
Charlie smiled but looked uncomfortable. “Name it. I’ll do whatever I can to make this work.”
“I want Grace to take the lead on this. I want her to be my go-to person for this campaign.”
Charlie didn’t look surprised, just annoyed. “May I ask why?”
“Because I trust her,” Jamie said. “I’ve known her a long time. I know how talented she is, and I know she will give this project the dedication it deserves. If I sign this contract, I’m signing to work with Grace.”
They stared each other down for a moment, but Charlie looked away first.
“There is something I feel I should let you know,” Charlie finally said.
“Yes?”
“Grace and I are together. We are a couple.”
Jamie didn’t say anything.
“I want you to know...” Charlie folded his hands together and seemed to change his thought. “I want to make that very clear, Castleton.”
“That’s interesting,” he said, sipping his beer. “How long has this been going on?”
“Long enough,” Charlie said. “I care about her.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, in that case, you should know that I care about her, too.”
Charlie frowned. “In what way?”
“In every way,” he said. “Is that going to be a problem?”
Charlie glanced at the contract, and Jamie thought he could see the dollar signs in the other man’s eyes. “Not if you don’t let it become a problem.”
“I can’t make any promises,” Jamie said.
“Well, that’s very frank, Castleton.”
Jamie shrugged and took a sip of his drink. “What do you say to my proposal?”
“You are agreeing to a retainer of $5,000 a month?”
“Yes.”
Charlie took a moment to consider and finally nodded, sliding the contract to Jamie. “I accept.”
Jamie was even more annoyed. If he were in Charlie’s position, he never would have agreed to let Grace work with her ex. Obviously, Charlie cared more about money than he did about keeping his girlfriend.
“When I sign this, Grace will work for me.” He wanted to drive the point home, so there could be no doubt that Charlie knew exactly what his intentions were.
“Technically she is working for me,” Charlie said, narrowing his gray eyes. “But yes, you will be her client.”
Jamie signed the paper and slid it back across the table, feeling a lot better than he had when he had sat down.
Grace said she didn’t want a relationship with him, but now she had no choice.
Chapter 4
Grace had just turned 19 years old, and she went out to a bar with two of her girlfriends to celebrate.
The bar was grimy and wonderfully collegiate. She had gotten past the bouncer easily with a penciled I.D. and was already on her third rum and coke, feeling a little bit buzzed and a little bit sexy.
She was wearing a tight red dress, her highest heels and a plastic crown declaring her a 21-year-old birthday girl. This was going to be her night.
The D.J. was playing techno music. Grace let her friends lead her to the dance floor, which was already packed with people who had found their nightly hookup. She looked around for any promising guys but didn’t find any.
Whatever. She was over the hookup thing anyway. She was getting bored of making out with guys she met at bars, and she didn’t want to take things any further with a guy she didn’t really know. She had taken a human sexuality course in her senior year of high school and was really grossed out by the thought of all the STDs out there, waiting to be picked up.
She didn’t trust any of these guys. Most of them were frat boys who were collecting girls just to brag about them to their friends.
Then again, it was her birthday. She knew she looked good. She had barely eaten all week to fit into her dress, her roommate had curled her hair and done her makeup, and the silly crown was attracting her a lot of attention. She was definitely in the mood for some flirting.
Grace danced with her friends for about an hour. Different guys came up to her, grabbing her hips and dancing with her. Some were better dancers than others, but none of them really interested her. One of them grabbed her ass, and she smacked him away. What ever happened to chivalry?
When her rum and coke was empty, Grace yelled over the music to her friends to tell them she was going to get a refill. She wasn’t sure if they heard her, but they nodded anyway.
“A rum and coke, please,” she told the bartender. She waited for her drink patiently, and when she got it, she spun back around toward the dance floor.
Someone bumped into her, dumping beer all over her new dress.
“What the hell!”
“I am so, so sorry.”
&nb
sp; She looked up and found herself looking into the bluest eyes she had ever seen on the face of the hottest guy she had ever seen. Really. He was that good looking. Insanely tall, broad shouldered and blonde, he looked like he had walked right out of a J. Crew catalogue.
“It’s okay,” she said with a smile, thinking that her night had just gotten a lot more interesting.
“I ruined your dress.” He gestured to get the attention of the bartender and got some paper towels for her.
“It’s really okay,” she said. “It’s so dark in here that no one will be able to tell anyway.”
“I’m usually not that clumsy,” he said with a small smile. “I saw you, and I got distracted.”
Oh, now this was more like it. He was clearly flirting with her.
She looked up at him, making her eyes wide and innocent. “Me?”
“Yes.”
“So was spilling beer on me some sort of elaborate plan to talk to me, then?”
He laughed, and she liked the sound. Low and deep. “I wish I were that clever.”
“You may as well take the credit for it, because it’s working for you.”
“Oh yeah?”
She nodded, taking a sip of her rum and coke so she didn’t lose her liquid courage. She was a much better flirt with alcohol in her system.
“Happy birthday.” He tapped the top of her plastic crown. “21, huh?”
She winked deliberately at him. “Yep. I bet I’m the youngest 21-year-old you’ve ever met.”
He laughed again. “I’m guessing you’re 18.”
“19. A sophomore.”
“Oh yeah? Me too. Is it really your birthday?”
“That it is.” She gestured to her outfit. “When it’s not my birthday, I don’t usually dress up this much. Or wear crowns.”
“Good to know.”
They smiled at each other for what must have been a full minute. She didn’t want to stop looking at him. He was so handsome, and he was flirting with her.
Irresistible Lies Page 3
