“Anything else?” she asked.
“Yeah, there is. Your mother said you’re never going to settle down and get married because you’re secretly in love with me.”
* * *
JACK HADN’T KNOWN how Larissa was going to react, but he’d guessed it would be a show. She didn’t disappoint. Her face went from red to white and back to red. Her mouth opened and closed. With her jaw tightly clenched, she muttered something like “I’m going to kill her,” but he couldn’t be sure.
Nancy Owens’s words had hit him like a linebacker. Larissa in love with him? Impossible. For one thing, she knew him better than anyone except Taryn and to know him was to understand he was all flash and no substance. For another, he needed her. Love meant a relationship and having a relationship meant she would eventually leave. No. There was no way Larissa could be in love with him.
But he’d been unable to shake the words and had realized he had to get the truth from the only person who actually knew.
Larissa drew in a breath. “I don’t love you. We’re friends. I like working for you, and the charity work is terrific, and I know you have my back, but I’m not in love with you.”
Relief eased the tension in Jack’s always aching right shoulder. He kept his expression neutral.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yes. Positive.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m pretty hot. I could understand you having a thing for me. You’ve seen me naked. Now that I think about it, your reaction is inevitable.” He sighed. “You love me. Admit it.”
Larissa’s mouth twitched. “Jack, you’re not all that.”
“But I am. Remember that fan who had my face tattooed on her breast? And the one who begged me to father her child? And the woman in Pittsburgh who wanted me to lick her—”
Larissa rested her arms on the desk and dropped her head to her arms. “Stop. You have to stop.”
“Stronger women than you have been unable to resist my charms.”
“In your dreams.”
“No. Apparently in yours.”
She looked at him then, her blue eyes wide, her mouth smiling. “I give.”
“In the end, they all do.”
The smile faded. “I’m sorry about my mother. She shouldn’t have said that. I swear I am not, nor will I ever be, in love with you. I love my job and you’re a big part of that. But we’re friends, right? That’s better. Besides, you have terrible taste in your ‘let’s end this now’ gifts.”
“Which is why I let you buy them.” He hesitated a second. “We’re good?”
“The best.” Her smile returned.
The last of his worry faded. This was the Larissa he knew. All funny and earnest. Hair pulled back in a ponytail and not a speck of makeup on her face. She wore yoga pants and T-shirts and always had some cause to discuss with him. She believed the world was worth saving and he didn’t mind if she used his money to try. They made a good team. He didn’t want to have to do without her and having her love him...Well, that would have changed everything.
* * *
JO’S BAR WAS the kind of place you’d only find in a quirky small town. From the outside, it looked perfectly normal, but the second you stepped inside, you knew that this was a bar unlike any other.
For one thing, it was well lit. There were no dark shadows, no questionable stains on the floor. The colors were girl-friendly mauve and yellow, the windows were uncovered and the big TVs were always tuned to the Style Network or Project Runway.
Larissa walked inside. She saw the countdown sign that pointed out the number of days until the new season of Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team started and grinned. Yup, life was different here and she liked it.
She glanced around and saw her friends in a booth by the windows. They looked up and waved her over.
When she’d first decided to leave Los Angeles for Fool’s Gold, she’d been nervous about starting over. What if she didn’t fit in? What if she couldn’t make friends? But those fears had been groundless, she thought as she waved back and crossed to the big table.
“I saved you a seat,” Isabel said, patting the empty space beside her. “You’re just in time to join the debate about whether we’re going to order nachos for the table and have margaritas and pretend we don’t have to get back to work or if we’re going to be good and order regular lunches and drink iced tea.”
Larissa settled in the chair. She glanced at Taryn and grinned. “My vote depends on my boss. If she’s drinking, I’m all in.”
Because right now, a drink sounded great.
What had her mother been thinking? The same question had circled in her brain for much of the morning. Talk about humiliating and inappropriate. As soon as she’d calmed down and could talk about it rationally, she was going to have a very long chat with her mother.
She was lucky that Jack had handled the situation with his usual easy charm, but jeez. What if he’d thought her mother was telling the truth? She didn’t want to think about it.
Love Jack? She had flaws but being an idiot wasn’t one of them. Besides, they were a great team. She would never mess with that.
“You okay?” Taryn asked quietly.
“Yeah. Great.”
Because faking it was much easier than telling the truth.
Taryn, ever stylish in a designer suit that probably cost more than half a year’s rent on Larissa’s apartment, tossed her menu onto the table. “What the hell. Let’s be wild.”
Dellina, a local party planner and Sam’s fiancée, tossed her menu down, as well. “I don’t have any client meetings this afternoon.”
Isabel laughed. “I have a store to run. I’d better be careful or I’ll accidentally put the new merchandise on sale.”
“I love being bad,” Taryn announced. “I just love it.”
“You’ve always been bad,” Dellina told her. “You’re the type. I can tell about these things.”
Larissa leaned back in the booth and prepared to listen. She enjoyed being around these women. They were smart, successful and yet so very different. Taryn was one of the partners at Score. While all four partners were equal owners, the three guys would admit that Taryn was just a little more equal than the rest of them. She was good at keeping her “boys” in line.
Larissa had always admired her. Taryn dressed in beautiful clothes, walked around in five-inch heels and had a handbag collection that belonged in a museum. Better than that, Taryn was a good friend.
Dellina handled events of all kinds in town. Birthday parties, weddings. A couple of months ago she’d planned and managed a big weekend event for Score’s biggest clients. She was also recently engaged to Sam.
Isabel owned Paper Moon. On one side, a clothing store, on the other, wedding gowns. All three women were professionally dressed in suits or dresses. Larissa glanced down at her yoga pants. Maybe in her next life she would inherit the fashion gene, she thought wistfully. Until then, she was going to dress for comfort and practicality.
Jo, the owner of the bar, came over and took their order. Taryn ordered nachos for the table and a pitcher of margaritas. Jo raised her eyebrows.
“Not planning to work this afternoon?” she asked.
“We’re going to see how it goes,” Taryn told her.
“I’ve heard that before.”
“She doesn’t think we’re behaving responsibly,” Dellina murmured when Jo had left.
“Then my work here is done,” Taryn said. “So what’s new with everyone?”
“I’m busy with fall clothes.” Isabel smiled. “You have to come in and see what’s new. There are some beautiful things.” She turned to Taryn. “There’s a suede jacket you’ll love.”
“I’ll come see it when we’re done here.”
Dellina sh
ook her head. “No way I’m stopping by,” she told her friend. “You tempt me with gorgeous clothes.”
Isabel laughed. “That’s the point.”
“I’m saving my pennies.”
“For a wedding?” Larissa asked, her gaze settling on Dellina’s shiny new engagement ring.
“No. I’m going to be moving into an office. Sam’s house is great and he’s mentioned that I can set up my office there, but I think it’s time I joined the real world and had an actual office.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m kind of getting to the point where I need to hire an assistant. That means more space.”
“Wow! Good for you.” Isabel leaned over and hugged her friend. “That’s a big step. Congratulations.”
“Yes, congratulations,” Larissa said, pleased her friend was doing so well.
“You’re a tycoon,” Taryn teased. “Impressive.”
“I’m no tycoon, but I’m doing well. So what’s going on with everyone else?”
Taryn mentioned a new account Score had just signed, then all eyes turned to Larissa. She froze, painfully aware that her life wasn’t like theirs. She didn’t own her own business. In fact, there was a sameness to her days that was kind of sad. The newest thing in her life was her mother’s talk with Jack and there was no way she was mentioning that.
“I adopted a cat,” she said instead. “A lady died. She was ninety-three. Her kids couldn’t take in her cat, so I did. Her name is Dyna. She’s a Ragdoll cat. Really beautiful.”
She pulled out her phone and showed them a couple of pictures.
Dellina’s eyes widened when she saw the photograph. “She’s stunning.” Her mouth twitched. “Taryn, if she were human, she’d give you a run for your money in the fashion department.”
“I’m more impressed you committed to an animal,” Taryn told Larissa.
Isabel frowned. “I don’t get it. Larissa is always jumping into causes. That cat rescue last month was fantastic.”
Larissa squirmed in her seat. “Taryn means that I tend to give in big gestures. Saving forty cats, not adopting one.”
Jo appeared with a very large pitcher of margaritas and four glasses. She poured and said the nachos would be out shortly.
Isabel raised her glass. “To the women I adore. Thank you for getting drunk with me. One day very soon Ford and I are going to be getting pregnant and then I’ll be on a drinking hiatus.”
“Anytime,” Larissa said. She was going to add something else when Taryn slapped her hands down on the table.
“Okay,” her friend said. “Here goes. I’m getting married.”
Larissa looked at both Isabel and Dellina. They seemed equally confused by the statement.
“You’re engaged,” Larissa pointed out gently. “You have a really big ring. We all noticed.”
“Yes, but I’ve decided on a wedding. Angel and I are going to have a real wedding.”
Larissa nodded slowly. “That will be nice.”
“I’m happy to help you plan it,” Dellina added, sounding equally cautious.
“I have some gorgeous dresses I want you to come see,” Isabel told her. “Designer stuff that will make you look like a sexy fairy princess. Or a slutty one, depending on what you want.”
Taryn squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. “Really? You think it’s okay?”
Then Larissa got it. Taryn and Angel weren’t young kids. They’d both been married before. Taryn wanted the fabulous dress and traditional service, but she wasn’t sure she deserved it. Because everybody had their weak spots. Some were just better at hiding them than others.
She reached across the table and touched her friend’s hand. “You should have the biggest wedding ever. In a dress so beautiful, it will make us cry.”
Taryn’s mouth quivered. She squeezed Larissa’s fingers then shook off the emotion and reached for her margarita. “Thanks.”
Dellina reached for her bag and pulled out an appointment book. “I’ll call you in a couple of days and we’ll talk.”
Isabel turned to Larissa. “I nearly forgot. Your mom was in yesterday. She bought a dress and a handbag. She’s my new favorite person. Did you two have a nice visit?”
Larissa grabbed her margarita and took a big gulp.
“Uh-oh,” Taryn murmured. “That’s not good. I thought the visit went fine. That’s what you said this morning.”
If only, Larissa thought. “That was before I found out what my mom did.”
Her three friends stared at her. “And that would be?” Isabel prodded.
These women loved her, Larissa reminded herself. They wouldn’t laugh and point. Or if they did, it would be when she wasn’t in the room, which was almost the same thing.
“My mom went to see Jack. She asked him to fire me so I’d move back to L.A. and get married and give her grandchildren.”
Dellina frowned. “Okay, that’s not great, but it’s not horrible, either.”
“There’s more,” Larissa admitted. “She said the reason I had to leave Fool’s Gold was that I was secretly in love with Jack.”
She paused, waiting for the hysterical laughter. Or any laughter. Instead, the three women exchanged a look.
Larissa felt herself start to blush. “I’m not in love with Jack,” she insisted. “I’m not. I work for him. He’s great. But there’s nothing between us.”
“If you say so,” Isabel said knowingly.
“If Felicia were with us, she would say that the boss-secretary romance is a classic archetype,” Dellina said.
“I’m not his secretary.”
“Close enough,” Taryn told her, then picked up her drink. “If you say you’re not in love with him, then I believe you.”
Just then, Jo appeared with the nachos and the subject got dropped. Larissa reached for a chip, but found that she wasn’t the least bit hungry all of a sudden.
This was all her mother’s fault, she thought grimly. She’d opened a can of worms. Larissa was going to have to find every last one of them and put them back where they belonged.
Copyright © 2014 by Susan Macias Redmond
ISBN-13: 9781460330418
The Christmas Wedding Ring
This is the revised text of a work first published as
The Wedding Ring Promise.
Copyright © 1998 as The Wedding Ring Promise
by Susan W. Macias
Copyright © 2014 as The Christmas Wedding Ring
by Susan Mallery Inc.
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