“The flight leaves on Sunday.”
“Okay,” she said, dropping down into the chair and turning her attention to the computer screen a few feet away.
“Okay?”
She didn’t move or say anything for such a long time, I thought maybe she wouldn’t say a damn thing. “What do you want me to say, Chase? You want me to be excited for you? Fine. This is so exciting for you, Chase! Congratulations!” Her words were fake and hollow, as sincere as a three dollar bill.
“What are you so angry about? I came here to tell you myself.”
“Instead of just leaving in the middle of the night? Well I guess I should thank god for small favors.” She shook her head, bitter and upset. “It never occurred to you to talk to me before you took this assignment that no one else in the world can do but you?”
I frowned. “Why would I check with you, Kenz? You’re not my girlfriend.”
She reared back as though I slapped her. “I guess I’m not your friend either, because we had a deal. I help you and you help me. But you got what you wanted so who gives a damn about anyone else, right?”
“What? No!”
She stood and walked across the room, yanking the door open and stomping out without another word. I felt the room start to spin and I couldn’t understand what in the hell had just happened. “Enjoy your trip!” Her words echoed down the hall seconds before those damn wooden chimes sounded again.
“Kenzi, wait!” I ran after her but the little raven haired woman blocked my path. “Move, please.” She shook her head, laughed and stepped aside but I swear I heard her call me a dipshit as I rushed out onto the street in search of the angry woman running away from me. “Kenzi!”
She didn’t stop or look over her shoulder, just marched ahead as though the conversation was over. It wasn’t fucking over.
“Dammit, Kenzi. What is your problem? You’re acting like a jealous, clingy girlfriend.”
This time she didn’t stop and she didn’t react. “It’s a good thing we’re nothing to each other then. I expect you’ll move your shit out before you leave?”
“If that’s what you want.”
She laughed bitterly. “Don’t pretend this is about what I want. What I needed, was for you to keep your end of the bargain and, I don’t know, maybe ask if the days you were gone weren’t important to me somehow.”
Shit. “That Farmer Fred deal?”
The look she sent me could have killed me on sight. “Don’t worry about it, Chase. It was stupid of me to think I could rely on you. Try not to get trampled by the bulls, or whatever.”
I stood, frozen on the sidewalk as she stomped away, angry and hurt and disappointed. I was an asshole. She’d gone above and beyond for me and like a selfish prick, I didn’t even think about what she needed.
“Shit!”
“Well I guess I can give up hope that you two finally realized how perfect you are for one another. How disappointing.”
I looked over and found my Mom glaring at me with a disappointed shake of her head. “Yeah well, take a number, Mom.”
Kenzi
I spent the weekend cleaning my house from top to bottom, baking cookies and trying out new cocktails. Okay, so I really spent the weekend cleaning, baking and drinking, all in no particular order. Drowning my sorrows, really, which was ridiculous because there were no sorrows to drown. We were bedmates and fair-weather friends, nothing more, and any glimmering feelings I may have been developing were just a product of being mesmerized by the dick.
Which is exactly why I scrubbed away every trace of Chase Donovan the minute he and all his crap were out of my house. I had a few cocktails and called him some really awful and creative names, and woke up Monday ready to take on the world. Well, ready to tackle the meeting with Frank. Maybe.
Hopefully.
I spent the long drive into the city trying to figure out what I would say to Frank to explain why I showed up without my husband to be. Frank Phillips was as traditional as they came, holding fast to his beliefs—even in the fact of contradicting evidence—that women and men couldn’t do business together without their spouses present. He believed it tamped down on unnecessary temptation, but really, it was a way to make sure the old guard always had a seat at the table. At least in my cynical belief. It was old school, but it was what he believed. Not me.
I had to be honest with him even though it would torpedo the deal before I even got a chance to convince him we would make a good team. Or I could tell him that my fiancé and I were having problems because he’d taken another trip without consulting me. It was kind of the truth, anyway. And I would have tried it, if I thought it would soothe Frank’s sense of propriety to do business with a couple so unstable they were headed to divorce court before the wedding.
Either way, I was totally screwed.
But I gave myself until I arrived in Denver to make a final decision, letting the scenery calm my nerves. The snow capped peaks and flat green lands did nothing to ease my mind. The idea of missing out on this opportunity stung, but not as much as knowing I’d made the same exact mistake with the same man. Einstein had it right, I was completely insane, which is why I had to do the sane thing now.
I called Mr. Phillips’ assistant. “This is Kenzi O’Brien and I’m scheduled to meet Mr. Phillips at the Rodeo Steakhouse but I won’t be able to make it. Will you-,”
“Please hold.” Her voice was sharp and abrupt.
“Ms. O’Brien, what’s this I hear about you cancelling our meeting today?”
“To be honest Mr. Phillips, my fiancé and I are having problems and I need to reconsider how I’ll move my business forward.” I don’t know where that came from, but I realized it was the truth. Did I want to keep perpetuating the bullshit with men like him? Dictating their morals to the rest of us? “Thank you for taking time to speak with me.”
“I see. And that’s your decision?”
I sat up straight in my seat, suddenly alert and awake. “The truth is, Mr. Phillips, I would love to have my products in Farmer Frank stores around the country, but on the merit of my products and sales, not my personal life.”
“I’ll be in touch, Ms. O’Brien.” He ended the call, but instead of feeling low, I felt…fine.
He might have the upper hand in this transaction, but I still had a choice. I needed to choose better. Since I was already in the city, I chose to stay and get lost among the crowds. Walking around where no one cared why I looked so sad, why I was on the brink of tears. Where no one would ask me what I was thinking counting on a guy like that. After losing myself in a mall for a few hours, only stopping to enjoy a pretzel before walking through a craft festival.
I could almost forget that my heart was breaking. That I’d fallen for Chase all over again. That he left me hanging. Again.
Almost.
Retail therapy hadn’t helped, but it hadn’t hurt either and by the time I returned to my car too late in the evening to drive back, I was ready to stop feeling sorry for myself. And as soon as my heart got the memo, I would forget the past couple months had even happened.
Chase Donovan would be little more than a memory.
And my neighbor.
Until one of us died.
Chase
I’m an ass.
I realized that fact somewhere over the Caribbean but it was too late to turn back. Too late to undo the one thing I promised I wouldn’t do again. Walk away. Kenzi didn’t deserve it and I didn’t deserve her.
I knew that, but somewhere between thousands of tomatoes being tossed around Sutamarchán and testing out local cuisine, I realized that I didn’t give a damn. I wanted Kenzi. I loved her and I didn’t deserve her. But I was prepared to be the kind of man who did deserve her, and the moment I landed in Colorado I started making plans.
It wouldn’t be easy, getting Kenzi to forgive me. She was a strong, independent woman who was happy to be alone if the alternative was being with the wrong person. Showing up with flowers and jewelry wou
ldn’t soften her, wouldn’t earn her forgiveness. She needed more.
Two days. That’s how long it took me to find her, or how long it took her to stop avoiding me. “Stop asking about me!”
I grinned down at her, legs crossed at the ankles in her doorway. “It’s still mostly a free country, I can ask about whomever I please.” Her nostrils flared and she gripped the door close to her. “Can we talk?”
“About what,” she sighed, looking exhausted. Sad.
“I owe you an apology.”
“You don’t owe me a thing, Chase. You had every right to leave and help out an old friend. Just…don’t even worry about it.” She stepped back to slam the door but I shot a hand out to stop her.
“But I am worried about it, Kenz. We had a deal.”
Her icy glare almost dropped me to my knees. “Deal’s off, Chase. Goodbye.” That time I didn’t stop her from shutting the door in my face because I knew just what I was up against.
She’d given up already.
It hurt like hell. But too bad for her, I refused to give up.
I showed up again a few days later, this time I caught her in the backyard, hands buried in the dirt. “Now that’s a sight a man could get used to.”
She froze on her hands and knees, glaring at me over her shoulder but all I could see was that round, heart-shaped ass. “Don’t get too used to it, you won’t be seeing much of it.”
We’d see about that. “I have a surprise for you, Kenzi baby.”
“No thanks,” she called out, back to ignoring me. “Don’t you have a business to get up and running or something?”
“This is more important,” I told her honestly even though the way she whirled around, jumped to her feet and glared at me said that was the last thing she wanted to hear.
“Will you stop? Please!” Swiping dirty hands against her hips to clean them, Kenzi growled in frustration. “I don’t need or want to hear your useless words, Chase. It’s done. You got what you wanted so please, just stop!”
The viciousness of her words brought me up short. I’d been operating under the assumption that she was angry, that her feelings were hurt. Not that she outright hated me.
“You want me to leave you alone?”
“That’s what you do best, Chase. Why are you even here, anyway?”
I had no right to be angry or frustrated, but I felt both anyway. “You are the most stubborn woman alive! Just come out to the front porch and then we can talk.” She opened her mouth to argue once again and I pressed my fingers to her lips to stop her. “Just go out there!”
Arms crossed, she took a long moment to glare at me before stomping through the house and out onto the front porch where she stopped short at the hipster in cuffed jeans, suspenders and red eyeglasses.
“Who are you?”
He flashed a look at me and then back to Kenzi. “I’m Ashby Collins, editor of The Happy Hempist. I heard you have quite the selection of organic skin and body care products.” Ashby was in his element, slowly pulling answers from an at first weary Kenzi, but then she grew animated and charming as she talked about her passion.
“I have some things in the house if you want a quick treatment?” She finally realized what she must look like. “I was tending to my herb garden and berry bushes.”
“You grow them at home too?”
She laughed. “Of course, it’s where inspiration often strikes. Now you have that whole pale English rose thing going on with your skin so we’ll do a deep moisture treatment.”
She was so beautiful when she was in her element, smiling and chatty, friendly and bubbly. Ashby was putty in her hands, glowing as she complimented his skin while making sure to double back and answer his questions. It was hard to believe a man could be so blind to what was right in front of him. But I’d been so blind, so stupid and there was still a good chance she wouldn’t forgive me.
I left the new friends and took a seat on the glider, scanning the very familiar neighborhood that had gone through a few cosmetic changes over the years. Kenzi’s place was lived in, homey and mine was, well there was a dirty bike on the porch and a planter half full with dried dirt. Maybe it was something Kenzi and I could do together.
“Thank you, Chase.”
The deep note in her voice pulled me from my thoughts and my gaze immediately found hers. “It was my pleasure, Kenz.” She stared at me like she was trying to figure me out. “I’m sorry, Kenzi. You were right. I should have talked to you first and my only excuse is that I’ve grown too used to only worrying about myself.”
“You are a single man, that’s your right.” She stood taller, breaking the warm bubble of intimacy we had going, putting more distance between us. “Anyway, thanks for that. See you around.”
“Wait. Have dinner with me. Friday night. I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty.”
I thought I saw hope flare in her green eyes but it was gone too quick to be sure as she took another step back.
“Fine, Chase. See you then,” she said, gifting me a sad, resigned smile as the door slowly closed between us.
It wasn’t an enthusiastic acceptance, but it was acceptance. And I had the perfect plan to turn that into something more.
Kenzi
What on earth was I thinking, agreeing to another date with Chase Donovan? I mean, it’s not like he hasn’t shown me exactly who he is, twice. I couldn’t be so shallow that it was just about that sexy wavy chestnut hair or those light blue eyes that reminded me of the perfect summer day. I just couldn’t get enough of him, that was sad and desperate and true.
I loved the idiot. That was the only excuse for why I’d spent an hour getting ready, buffing and moisturizing, contouring and scrunching my hair in to soft touchable curls. I slipped into a deep pink silk dress that hugged my curves and hid my flaws, and stepped into nude stilettos that lessened the height disparity between us. I looked good, which was good because I wanted to look good. I wanted Chase to regret walking away from me so easily.
I wanted him to want me. I wanted to have him and I wanted it not to hurt when he walked away in the morning. Because no matter what gestures he pulled out of his back pocket—interviews, podcasts and my favorite meals—I knew those gestures were little more than payback. He felt bad for leaving me hanging, that’s all.
“Whatever happens, happens,” I told my reflection, but neither of us believed that crap. Not tonight.
When Chase’s knock sounded at the door, I took three deep breaths and went to greet him with a smile that felt wooden and fake. “Chase. You look nice. Come on in.”
“You look stunning, Kenzi. That color on your lips,” he licked his own lips in response. A purely physical, purely male response.
“Thanks.” I grabbed a wrap and my bag, and then I was trapped inside a locked car with the sexy, masculine scent of Chase. “So, where are we going?”
“To dinner. Did you create anything new today?”
I blinked at his quick change of topic. “No. I added inventory to the online store.” It wasn’t my favorite part of the business, but I was learning to love it.
“I brought you something.” He nodded to the box in the back seat, grinning wide when I bent over the seat to grab it. “I hope you love it.”
That little thread of emotion in his voice told me I would love it, and not just because I loved him. Sucking in a shaky breath, I opened the box and gasped. “There were tons of Colombian seeds for everything from flowers to fruits and plants. “This is…just perfect, Chase.” It was more than perfect. It spoke of a man who knew me, who paid attention to the details. The same man who’d left three orchids on my stoop instead of roses. A man who brought me seeds instead of trinkets. How could those actions not be love?
“Good perfect, right?”
“Yeah, good.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the question. It really was perfect. But it didn’t make sense, especially compared to his other actions. Which actions were his true self? It was impossible to know, but I had to know. If nothi
ng came of tonight, that would be it. My Chase dreams would be over.
“You okay?”
I looked up and found Chase’s worried face standing beside me with the door open. “Fine. I guess I spaced out for a bit.”
“Oh. Well, come on. I’m starved.”
He reached for my hand but I pulled back, stopping him. “Why did you really leave?”
“To prove to myself that I could, that my feelings for you wouldn’t hold me back.”
“I never-,”
“I know,” he stopped me. “It was about me. My feelings for you were mixed up with my feelings about basically retiring from traveling. I fucked up, but I’m hoping it’s not too late.” He grabbed both of my hands between his, gaze rested on the pile in my lap. “It’s not too late, is it?”
I swallowed at the raw intensity of that simple question. It would probably never be too late, but how could I trust him to stick around again? “I don’t want it to be, Chase. But you do have a tendency to run.”
His gaze darkened and he stepped closer, trapping me against the seat as his hands slid up my thighs. “You’re right, but there’s something different this time.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“I was miserable in Colombia without you, so I can run but only with you. It turns out, I can’t live without you.”
“You mean that?” Not that my heart cared, she was already soaring, bouncing around in there trying to leap into his large, capable hands.
“I do. I mean it with all my heart.” He took my mouth in a slow, hot kiss that melted my whole heart. Except it ended much too soon. “Let’s go eat.” He pulled me across the parking lot and into the vibrant colored Indian restaurant with the most delicious aromas wafting around.
“This place smells divine!”
He laughed and pressed a kiss to my head. “I can’t wait to eat,” he whispered in my ear, making me shiver.
“Me either. You can tell me all about your travels in India over dinner.”
Fake Fiancé Next Door_A Small Town Romance Page 10
