So did the Lewis she knew. “That was when he was drinking,” Susan said. “He’s not the same person now.”
“Only, I’m not sure sobriety translates into acting skills. If he were really a one-woman man we wouldn’t be doing this crap.”
The man made a very good, albeit harsh, point. One that settled hard in the pit of her stomach.
“You needn’t worry. Lewis knows how to put on a show when he has to.”
“Good.” The agent started to stand, only to sit back down. “Hey, do yourself a favor, will you? Don’t get too sucked in by our boy.”
“Don’t worry,” Susan replied. “I’m not stupid. I know exactly where I stand with Lewis.”
Besides, his warning was too little, too late. She was already irreparably sucked in.
* * *
When Lewis was a kid and played his first game in net, he had been on top of the world. Sure, it was only a street game, but he remembered how it had felt like he’d won the World Cup. He’d succeeded and the neighborhood kids liked him. Over the years, he’d had many moments of victory, but as amazing as they were, none had the pureness of that first game.
Until today.
He lay prone on the turf, the smell of rubber backing tickling his nose. “That’s it,” he said. “I’m done.”
Thirty-six kids faced off with him. Thirty-six kids beat him and scored. Lewis had to work harder than he’d ever worked to make sure each ball just missed his outstretched hands. By the tenth or eleventh goal, the kids knew he was letting them win, but they didn’t care. If the laughter was any indication, they were having too much fun. So was Lewis.
Pushing himself to his knees, he blew the whistle around his neck. “All right. Fun as it’s been, we’ve got to pack it up.” A loud moan filled the facility, pumping him even higher. “What’s with the booing? You’re going to a Christmas party! With cake.”
That got them moving to the sidelines quickly.
A girl, who looked to be around nine years old, approached him. “Mr. Matolo? Can I take a selfie with you?”
“Sure. Give it over and we’ll take a proper one,” he said. How much things had changed. When he was nine, he barely knew what a cell phone was let alone had one stashed in his equipment bag. And when he was playing, he’d been too arrogant to give fans the proper time.
He stayed on his knees so the two of them would be the same height. Of course, as soon as the others saw what was happening, more came running over with their phones to do the same. Not all though. Several of the kids looked over and went back to their bags. Lewis noticed a couple pulling out scraps of paper including one who tore off part of his lunch bag. Some things hadn’t changed after all. There were still kids going without.
An idea came to him. Cupping his hands into a megaphone, he called into the stands. “Hey, Susie! Come here for a moment, and bring your phone.” He smiled as she got up and started toward the stairs. Susan didn’t know it, but she’d been his good luck charm. Knowing she was in the stands, believing in him, gave him the courage to tell his story. He loved the way she believed in him. Every time he looked in her direction, an empowering warmth spread through his insides. Different from the heat of attraction, it made him want to prove her trust wasn’t misplaced.
“Mr. Matolo? Can I have your autograph?” It was the kid with the torn lunch bag bringing him back to the moment at hand.
“Hold on for one minute,” Lewis told him. “I need to make a quick announcement.”
He cupped his hands once again. “If anyone wants to take a picture, but doesn’t have a camera, come get in line. My friend will take the pictures and have Mr. Redmayne send you a copy.” Surely the director wouldn’t mind doing a little extra to make sure the kids were happy.
While waiting for Susan, he signed paper scraps and several of the kids’ T-shirts. He was in the middle of writing on one kid’s shoulder when he noticed a shadow fall across the crowd.
“I owe you an apology,” Graham Montclark said. “I came by because Chris was a nervous wreck over hiring you. You never mentioned you were a motivational speaker when you made your offer the other night.”
“I’m not,” Lewis replied. “I simply told these kids the truth. If it stops one of them from making the same mistakes I made, all the better.”
The other man digested his words. Lewis hoped they’d come out as sincerely as intended. A word from Graham Montclark would be the in he needed.
“Do you have any idea how many stairs there are between the stands and this playing field?” A slightly out-of-breath Susan came walking toward them. From her adorably flushed cheeks, he guessed she’d run the entire way. “Not to mention security guards. I almost had to cheat on you in order to gain access. Hello, Mr. Montclark. Nice to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you as well, Ms. Collier. I was just telling Lewis here that he should consider a career as a motivational speaker.”
“He was inspiring, wasn’t he?” The way she beamed in his direction made Lewis’s insides turn end over end.
“While I appreciate the compliments, all I did was give the kids some straight talk and attention. Nothing special about that.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Susan replied. “Perhaps you should consider doing events on the side.”
“On the side of what?” Montclark asked. “You’re retired aren’t you?”
Bless her. Once again, she’d opened the door for him. When they got home, he was going to kiss every ivory inch of her. “My agent has been talking with a few outlets about my being involved with the media side of the sport. In fact, I think one of the stations might be yours.”
“Is that so?” Montclark replied. “I hope they’re treating you right.”
They weren’t treating him at all. “They’re being fair.” To his surprise, he found he meant it. “After all, as you know, I come with some past baggage.”
“I don’t usually get involved in day-to-day operations myself, but if anyone gives you trouble, let me know. You’ve more than impressed me today.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the vote of confidence.” His eyes caught Susan’s. Unbelievable. Was it possible this whole crazy plan was actually going to work? Was he actually going to rebuild his reputation and return to the spotlight? If so, it was all because of the woman he’d picked for a partner. She really was his good luck charm.
His stomach immediately sank. What was he going to do when their arrangement ended?
Nothing. He didn’t know why he kept asking himself the question.
“Mr. Matolo, will you take our pictures now?” one of the children asked.
“Absolutely! We’ve wasted enough time.” He turned his attention back to the task at hand. “Miss Susan, snap away. We’ve got a Christmas party to attend.”
He could dwell on end dates another time.
* * *
Susan had to hand it to her brother. He didn’t do things halfway. Thus it was no surprise when she walked into the annual Collier’s holiday party to discover Christmas had arrived early. The ballroom was a winter wonderland of crystal and white like the ice castle in Maddie’s favorite animated film. In fact, there was an ice castle. A giant sculpture in the middle of the room, around which were tables laden with hors d’oeuvres. Behind her, outside the ballroom, there was a staircase decked with white poinsettias. She hadn’t gone upstairs yet, but she’d been told it led to a rooftop bar where people could sit around a fire pit and sip hot chocolate.
It was magnificent, and she was standing in the doorway alone.
Only for a moment. “Who takes home the castle?” Linus asked, joining her. Susan breathed a sigh of relief. As substitute host and hostess, she and Linus were expected to arrive early in order to greet all the guests. After his flakeout over Maria’s wedding, she’d been worried he’d leave her to the wolves again. She looked him up and down. �
�You made it,” she said.
“Thomas would have killed me if I hadn’t, same as you,” he replied. “I wasn’t in the mood to court death this holiday.”
“Good call.” If Thomas hadn’t killed him, she would have. “Let’s hope next year he doesn’t decide to have another baby so we can hand the job back to him.”
“Sounds good to me.” He looked around the room, then back to her. “Where’s your boyfriend?”
“He had some business to take care of.” That was exactly how Lewis put it too. Business to take care of. “He’ll be here soon,” she replied.
Her answer came out more defensively than she meant. Of course he would be there. He’d promised.
She adjusted the neckline of her dress again. The red-and-silver brocade was flashier than her usual style. Knee-length and classically draped in the front, it had a plunging back. The minute she saw it, visions of Lewis kissing her exposed back danced in her head. She couldn’t wait for him to see her in it.
At the current moment, she’d settle for just seeing him come through the door. “Where’s your date?” she asked Linus. “Or are you going solo again this year?”
Her brother shoved his hands in his pockets. “What do you think?” he asked.
Single then. If Lewis didn’t show, then she’d at least have a dance partner.
Honestly, why was she worrying about Lewis? He’d promised. Maybe it was because the holidays were drawing closer. After this, Lewis had no obligations to her. She thought after Graham Montclark’s comment the other day that he might discuss their future, and whether he thought they should continue their faux romance past New Year’s. Instead, he’d said nothing. When they were together, it was easy to pretend they didn’t have an arrangement; other times Susan felt like she was in a holding pattern. One ruled by nights of incredible wonder.
“You’re making that face again,” Linus said.
Susan frowned. “What face?”
“The one you’ve been making all week. Where your eyes glaze over and you get this dreamy smile. Somebody’s in love.” He nudged her with his shoulder.
“Stop being an ass,” Susan replied as her cheeks warmed. “I’m not in love.”
“Could have fooled me. Little Miss Dreamy Eyes.”
Oh, brother. Please don’t tell her she was going to be stuck listening to his stupid nicknames. Linus loved his stupid nicknames. “Lewis and I are enjoying each other’s company, that is all,” she told him.
“Uh-huh.”
“We are. I’m not in love with Lewis Matolo.”
Aren’t you? After days of being ignored, the question slammed into her brain. How long was she going to pretend the man hadn’t gotten under skin?
Easy, she answered back. For as long as it took. Fake it till you make it, as the saying went.
Since she was having the conversation in her head, however, Linus felt comfortable continuing. “He certainly seems to care about you. Nearly took my head off in the hospital elevator the day Noel was born.”
“What? What did you do?” Besides mentioning the wedding. She knew something had happened that afternoon.
“Why are you assuming I did anything?”
“Because I’ve known you since birth,” Susan told him. “You always do something.”
Linus was insistent. “I swear I did nothing. At least not on purpose. All I said was that we needed to buy extra cookies because you love them so much. He suggested I stop picking on you.”
Warmth seeped through her veins. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had defended her honor.
“I’m not surprised. Lewis likes to look out for the underdog,” she told her brother.
Linus gave her a look. “You’re an underdog?”
“He was defending me against a comment you made. What do you think?”
“Either way, he’s not what I expected,” Linus said.
“I told you but you and Thomas refused to believe me. Thomas still doesn’t believe me.”
“Meh.” Linus waved off her complaint. “You know Thomas. Anything that could remotely impact the company gets him uptight.”
Susan looked away. He would really hate if he knew the truth then.
“If it will make you feel better, I’ll talk to him,” Linus said. “Let him know Lewis passes my sniff test.”
“Thank you. I’d appreciate that. And for the record... I hate when you make jokes about my sweet tooth.”
Linus leaned back in surprise. “We’ve been making those jokes since we were kids.”
“I know. Thanks to my mother.” Belinda used to love to point out how calories weren’t Susan’s friend and never missed an opportunity to remind her with a subtle jab. “Might as well just say you think I’m fat.”
“We don’t think that.” Linus continued to look shocked. “We just know you like cookies.”
“Well, it feels like you think so. Especially since that’s how Belinda meant it.”
“Belinda was a piece of work. None of us should take anything she said seriously.”
Easy for him to say; Linus and Thomas weren’t her children. “Still, I would appreciate if you stopped making the joke. Especially around my... Lewis.”
“No need to worry there,” Linus said. “He didn’t find the comment funny either. In fact, he pretty much said the same thing as you did. About you feeling like we were calling you fat.”
Because Lewis understood her. Susan couldn’t help her smile or the fullness in her heart. She’d always wondered what it would be like, having someone in her life who knew what she was thinking or feeling without her having to say a word. To be able to look across a crowd and know she wasn’t alone.
“You’re getting that dreamy look again,” Linus said. “You really like this guy, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do.” More than liked, to be honest.
“I can tell. How come you didn’t invite him to Thomas’s vow renewal then?”
The question caught her by surprise. “Because it’s a family thing.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t include your boyfriend. You brought him to the hospital.”
“That was different. He was with me when you called. The ceremony on Christmas Eve is going to be intimate.”
“And gathered ’round Rosalind’s hospital bed eating cookies and letting Maddie climb on him wasn’t?” He frowned. “You’re afraid we’re going to give him a hard time, aren’t you?”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“Absolutely, but in the best-natured way possible. That’s what big brothers do. Tell you what,” he said. “If you’re worried, the five of us can go out beforehand and bond with him properly.”
Oh, yeah, she could see Lewis jumping at the opportunity to have a “bonding” dinner with the Collier clan. She could picture the scene now. The three of them eating curry and peppering Lewis with questions. Her temporary relationship was going to be short enough; she didn’t need their curiosity ending the arrangement prematurely.
“That isn’t necessary,” she told him.
“Sure it is. You said yourself, we weren’t being fair to him. This will be our way of letting him know we approve of his dating our sister and we welcome him to the family.”
“Really, you don’t have to,” Susan said.
“Why are you fighting the idea. You just asked me to be nice. If the guy’s going to be around for a while...”
“He’s not.”
Her brother’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you two are on the outs already? Is that why he’s not here tonight?”
“No, no. I told you, Lewis will be here.”
“Then what gives? Why so certain you two will be done? You’ve got to have a little more faith than that, Susie.”
“Maybe I would if I didn’t have an exit date.”
“I beg your pardon.”
Susan sighed. If she’d known they were going to start suggesting family get-togethers, she would have told them the truth from the start. But since when did her brothers bond with anyone? Let alone someone connected with her? “We aren’t really dating.” Briefly she explained their arrangement.
“You’re kidding,” Linus said when she was finished. Susan was stunned by his stunned expression. Maybe she and Lewis had done a better job pretending than she thought. “Why would you do something like that?”
“I told you, Lewis needs...”
“I mean you. Champagne Lewis I get, but why would you get involved in something like this?”
She shrugged. “Maybe I wanted an image makeover too.”
“Unbelievable. Thomas is going to have a cow, you know.”
A big mad cow too, which was why she kept silent in the first place. But only if Thomas found out. Which didn’t have to happen. “Then don’t tell him,” she said. “The whole affair will be over before Thomas gets back from paternity leave. There’s no reason for him to get involved.”
“Except for the whole Collier’s thing. You know how he is about the company reputation.”
“All the more reason to not spoil his time with the new baby. There’s no need to trigger him unnecessarily.”
“True.” Her brother let out a long, frustrated breath, a sign he was seriously considering the suggestion. “We’ll have to talk about this later,” he said. “People are starting to arrive.”
And the last thing they needed was someone to overhear. “I’m going to go check my hair,” she said. “The bun feels loose.”
“I’m going to go make sure everything is in order, or whatever it is Thomas expects us to do.” He headed toward the back of the room where the event coordinators were congregated.
“Oh, hey,” he said, stopping and speaking over his shoulder. “About that other thing we were talking about. You know, the cookies?”
Her Convenient Christmas Date Page 11
