by Ava Catori
“Dinner sounds nice. I probably shouldn’t say this, but I was kind of hoping you’d ask me out at the market,” she said with a smile.
“My mistake for not asking sooner,” he offered in apology.
Brooke stood up. “I’ve got to get back to work. It was nice seeing you again.”
“It won’t be the last time.” That was pathetic. What was I thinking? As she walked out of the café, Ross couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face. I’m going to marry that girl. He’d never been so driven and pulled toward a woman like that before.
Chapter 9
Kennedy couldn’t stop smiling. She’d forgotten how funny and charming Scott could be. She’d dwelled on the bad points for the last few years.
Scott’s phone rang through the car’s speaker. Clicking in on, he chimed out a cheerful hello.
“Did you land her yet? There’s no way you’re going to win this bet….” Click. Scott’s hand shot out to the button, ending the conversation.
Kennedy’s color fell from her face. Iced blood ran through her veins. She sneered through her teeth. “A bet? I’m a bet?”
“No, not at all, total misunderstanding,” he stammered. “It was about a horse race…”
“Oh quit the crap and just tell me the truth.” She stared at him in stone silence.
“I’m sorry. I got in over my head,” was all he could say. “It’s just on seeing you again, it brought up old feelings.”
“Turn the car around, take me home, and then stay the fuck out of my life. Don’t call me, don’t stop by, don’t send me gifts, and don’t think about me. We’re done here.” She shook her head, feeling like a fool. Everything inside of her trembled with anger. Kennedy bit the inside of her cheek. She needed to stop talking or tears of anger would start. She already felt her lip trembling.
“I know you won’t believe me, but something changed. I’m in it for real. When you walked into my office, I knew I was in trouble. Old feelings stirred up. You look so good, and seeing your face again, I couldn’t help but think about our past.” He begged for forgiveness. He didn’t mean to hurt her again.
“What was the bet for? What will you lose? I hope it’s massive. You deserve to lose big. You’re nothing but a lying douche, a big fat dick without a brain. I hope I never lay eyes on you again. Not after this. There is no forgiving. You made me a pawn in some silly game, and you thought nothing to play with my feelings. You’re an ass.” She was fuming. She wanted to keep her trap shut, but the words kept spilling out. Her eyes were wet, but she forced herself to hold back the tears that wanted to fall. “How dare you play with my heart; seriously, after everything you already put me through. What exactly did you have to do to win?”
He knew to keep his mouth shut. He had to. If he told her the truth, he’d never see her again, and that wasn’t an option. He wasn’t finished here. There was a spark, another chance, a possibility of a real relationship.
“What was the bet, Scott?” She glared at him, until he finally pulled over to the side of the road.
Scott turned to Kennedy. “I’m sorry. Truly, I am. I let my pride get the best of me. I was goaded into a bet. I got cocky and arrogant, but Kennedy, I swear to you that from the moment I saw you again, something happened. I want to give this another shot, you and me.”
“There is no you and me. What was the bet for, Scott? Tell me,” she demanded.
Scott sighed. What was the point of it all? He finally let the words slide from his mouth. “It was a million dollar bet. The goal was to get you to the altar.” He cringed and then finished. “…by the weekend.”
“What? Are you bat shit crazy?” She jumped out of the car and paced beside it. “Why on earth would you even take a bet like that? You dumped me twice, but now you were willing to marry me to win money?”
“We wouldn’t have actually been married. There was going to be a stand-in; a phony minister.” Shame washed through his veins.
“You are the sickest person I’ve ever met. You were willing to risk my heart that way? You don’t deserve a woman in your life. There’s no room next to your ego. You fucking bastard. You would have sucked me in, and then left me standing there if I’d agreed, crushing me once more. Just go. I can’t even get back in the car with you. I’ll call a cab. Please, just go. I don’t want to look at you. And to think I started to consider the possibilities.” Her entire body shuddered and shook as the tears finally broke free.
Scott got out of the car to comfort Kennedy and to apologize.
“Don’t touch me. Stay away from me…” she snapped, her mood spinning like the wind. “Go away. Just go away.”
He wanted to hold her, comfort her, tell her how sorry he was, and yet she wanted nothing to do with him. He stood, his feet frozen to the ground, unsure how to make it better. He didn’t care about the stupid bet, but seeing Kennedy broken on the side of the road was more than he could bear. “I’ll throw the bet, I don’t care about it. I’ll pay the million and happily lose. Please, just please get back in the car. I know you won’t believe anything coming out of my mouth, but I truly do want you back in my life.”
“I don’t want you in mine. You’re a shark, and nothing more.” She pulled her arms tighter around her body, taking in the fact that they were in the middle of a rural road that ran along the river. Taxi’s weren’t a dime a dozen around here. She lowered her voice. “Just take me home.”
She got back in the car and refused to say another word. On pulling up to her house, she slammed the car door and never looked back. Fuck, Scott Bishop. He was a snake oil salesman, lying to get the outcome he wanted. He couldn’t be trusted, not now, not in the past, and never again.
Scott sat in his car, unwilling to drive away. He had to fix this, but how? He didn’t care about the stupid bet anymore. He’d happily pay them their money. But seeing her walk away from him with such hatred jarred him in ways he wasn’t ready for. The pit of his stomach felt empty, as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. It was simply a reminder of the shitty person he’d been to make such a bet. And yet if he hadn’t, how would he know that he still had residual feelings, that a spark had re-ignited, and that he truly wanted to spend time with her again.
He waited ten, then fifteen minutes. Twisting his fingers together, fidgeting, trying to decide his next move, he drew a deep breath and got out of his car. He couldn’t win her back if he didn’t try. Up the walkway, he practiced the words he would say. On ringing the doorbell, nobody answered. He knocked on the wooden door, calling out her name. “Kennedy, please just talk to me.”
A neighbor going to her mailbox at the curb, turned to look at the man knocking. Trying not to be nosy, she let herself back inside, and then delicately and quietly opened her window a smidge, just in case something interesting happened.
“Kennedy, open the door.” Still nothing. Scott had things to do later, work to finish, but he hated leaving things this way. It’s not like he could force her to open the door or even make her listen to what he had to say. There was no point shouting. For all he knew she was on the other side of the house. It wasn’t until he turned to leave, that he saw her shadow in the long covered window by the door.
“Kennedy, please. Just listen to me. No excuses, no stories, just the truth, please…”
The door cracked a smidge open, but she kept the chain on so it wouldn’t open more than a few inches. “You don’t deserve a single second of my time. Do you know that singlehandedly, you’ve broken me over and over, and all I ever wanted to do was love you?”
“I’m sorry.” He sat on the small stoop of the door, his back to it. “I’m a child sometimes. An ass, but more than anything, I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“I just wanted my life to work out for once. Everything falls apart. Is it so wrong to want things to go my way once in a while? She sat on the floor on the other side of the chained door. “Scott, I’d never loved anyone more than you. When you left, I was crushed, but I moved on. Besides, I had my work, and then the commercial
s dried up. Starting over, sure I made a career for myself, but honestly…I hate it. I hate real estate, and I hate working with clients, and I hate the paperwork. I just can’t seem to get my shit together.”
The couple sat and talked through the door for another forty minutes. Scott finally stood. “I have a meeting,” he said, double checking his watch. “I hope you find your happiness.”
“Yeah, you too,” she said before closing the door.
Chapter 10
The idea hit him as he pulled up to the office building. He was running a little late, but the meeting wouldn’t start without him. What if he offered Kennedy the position next to Ross? She’d done commercials before. This could give her a fresh start, and maybe even make up for the crap he’d loaded on her. He’d have to think about it, but it was the least he could do.
Hitting the button on the elevator, he waited for the doors to open. As the lift brought him to his office, Ross met him in the hallway. “Perfect, I was just coming to look for you. You’re late. And hey, good news, I think I found the right girl for the commercial slot. She’s gorgeous, charismatic, and has a great smile.”
“Oh,” Scott said. “I think I might have filled the position already.”
“Wait, what? There wasn’t even an audition.” Ross shook his head. “No, you’ve got to see this girl.”
“Kennedy would be perfect. She’s done commercial work,” Scott answered.
“Whoa, wait. Kennedy? Come on, of all people? Seriously, you need to see the girl I’m talking about. It’s only right that we audition them and take a vote on it. You can’t just pick somebody like that.” It was like he thought he was the lead partner, but all three of them were equals in this business.
Scott sighed. “Fine, we’ll do an audition. Is your girl an actress?”
“Well, no. But she’s natural, and would be perfect.”
“Let me guess, your future bride?” Scott glared at his friend.
“Better my future bride than yours. And sorry about the call earlier, I didn’t realize you’d be with her. I took the hint loud and clear when you hung up on me.”
“You cost me a lot. I have no idea how I’m going to undo all of this,” Scott admitted.
“Let me guess, a spot on our commercial was what you’re thinking.” Ross groaned. Brooke would have been perfect.
“Yeah, I guess I thought if I could offer her something big, she’d forgive me. I think I’m feeling things, like for real.” He shook his head with not much more to say.
Ross matched his stride as they entered the meeting room. “Not sure what to tell you, bro, maybe give it time.”
“I don’t have time.” Scott turned to face the others in the room. “I’m sorry that I’m late. I ran into some trouble. So what’s on the agenda today, other than the usual?”
Hawk chimed in. “We lost the property this afternoon. The other company outbid us.”
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. “Do you have any other options lined up? That was a perfect location.”
“There’s an old building I was checking out, but this would have to be a different kind of lay-out. It’s on a corner, but there are some restrictions we’d face for variances. That’s why I skipped it last time,” Hawk answered. “Here’s the thing, with greasing the right hands, we can probably knock it down and start clean. As is, it doesn’t do us as much good.”
“And what do you think the likelihood of getting the go ahead to knock down the older building would be?” Scott watched Hawk as he pulled out a sheet of paper.
“I’ve been scribbling around some, and then punched some numbers into our program, and we might come in just above normal cost, but here’s the thing. There’s currently a petition to make it a historic building, which means, no changes to the outside appearance. Not good for our brand recognition.”
“Then back to the drawing board,” Scott said. “I’m not giving up brand recognition, it’s too important.” He turned to his assistant who was quickly typing up the notes. “Find out what the other company paid for the piece we wanted, and see how far away we were from an actual deal. Either we’re underbidding or they’re overpaying.”
A couple of other matters were mentioned, and after a solid hour most things had been covered. There was still one last topic that he’d take up with Ross first. Kennedy was made for the commercial position, and while his girl might be okay, he needed to make things right. He’d wronged Kennedy one too many times. It was time to change things and fix them for once. She deserved at least that.
As the room emptied out, Scott asked Ross to stay. “You owe me one. You totally screwed up my plan when she heard about the bet.”
Ross shook his head. “You know any other time I’d just go with it. Not this time. I’m telling you, Brooke could very well be the new face of Modern Market. She has a girl next door look going for her, and we have good chemistry together already. You know Kennedy and I…well, we haven’t always seen eye to eye. I can’t see working with her day in and day out. And before this bet, you wanted nothing to do with her. Now you’re risking this?”
Scott conceded. “You’re right. Kennedy wasn’t part of my life before this. I think I’m grasping at straws just trying to make it right.”
“Tell her how you feel. Don’t game her. I’m sorry about the bet and all, but if you’re really digging her again, open your heart.” It was the best advice he could offer.
Scott laughed. “I’m getting romance advice from you, who’d figure?”
“Are you guys heading to the club later?” Hawk stuck his head back into the room. “I’ve think I’ve found the perfect girl for our new commercial campaign.”
Ross groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What?” Hawk shrugged being unaware of their earlier conversation.
Chapter 11
When Brooke showed up for the audition, she brought her best friend with her for support. A guy she’d met offered her a possible position in a commercial. She wasn’t sure what it was for, but she was more than willing to find out.
Pulling up to the familiar building, Kennedy panicked. “No. Not here.”
“What? This is the address Ross gave me.”
“Ross? Wait a minute. Is this guy named Ross Weber?” Her jaw dropped. This couldn’t be happening. What were the odds?
“Yeah, that’s weird. Do you know him?” She paid their cab fare and stepped out of the cab. “Come on.”
“I can’t go in there.” Kennedy panicked. Everything inside of her, every muscle seized up. “Ross Weber is partners with Scott Bishop and Hawk Smith.”
“As in your Scott, the one you told me about from college? I never put two and two together. Wow, talk about a small world.”
“Yes, as in that very Scott, the one that I saw earlier this week. I haven’t had a chance to tell you what happened yet, but if you knew…” She cut off. “He’s just a real jerk. Anyway, they share a floor with Scott’s father’s company. He’s worked here since after college.”
“Okay, well if you want to stay down in the lobby, I’ll go up without you. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” Brooke apologized. “I really want to find out about this opportunity. You’re not mad are you?”
How could she know? Kennedy hadn’t been willing to tell anybody how foolish she felt. She wasn’t interested in parading her stupid mistakes in front of everyone. “Go ahead, good luck. There’s no reason my past should stop you from advancing your future.”
Brooke headed to the elevators, while Kennedy paced in the lobby. She finally settled into the seating area to wait. There were some non-descript black leather chairs and small round tables between them with magazines to page through. She watched as Brooke got onto one of the elevators. As the doors closed, another elevator opened next to it.
Scott walked out of the other elevator, talking on a phone headset tucked against his ear, his eyes scanning the room. Kennedy quickly turned her back, hoping he didn’t notice her. Thankfully, he see
med distracted as he walked toward the front doors of the building. Going through the large glass turnstile door, he did a complete turn in it and walked back inside, realizing who he’d just seen.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said into the headset. He looked at the woman who trying to blend into her surroundings. “Kennedy? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here with a friend,” she said, not interested in saying more. “Ross apparently picked out my best friend for an audition. I’m not really sure how that happened.”
“Brooke?” He shook his head. “Wait a minute, you know Brooke?”
“Did you miss the part about how she’s my best friend?” She tried to tone down the sarcasm that wanted to spill out. “We met a few years after college, not that it matters.”
“Huh, imagine that. Anyway, I need to run. I hope we can talk later, but I need to get to my mother. She fell and hurt herself.”
“Your mom? How is she?” She always liked Scott’s mom. She’d been through so much, and was always so gracious and kind to Kennedy.
“Not well.” He was flustered. “There’s a car waiting for me. I really need to go.”
She nodded. As angry as she was at Scott for his game, she hoped his mother was okay.
About forty minutes later, Brooke came down from her meeting. “It wasn’t as much of an audition as it was a ‘get to know you’ situation. He thinks I’d be a nice fill-in for a campaign they’re doing. I asked him if it was because he was interested in me. He admitted it was, but he truly thought we’d have good chemistry on screen. It would be a trial basis, do a commercial with him, and if it the advert does well, they might consider me as the female face of Modern Markets. I’m kind of blown away. I mean, it landed in my lap in the weirdest way. It would be a big improvement to the crappy job I have now.”
“I don’t mean to sound like a skeptic, but you don’t think they set you up, do you? I mean, Scott…” She caught her breath, realizing that she hadn’t told Brooke about what happened yet. “Never mind, I’m sorry. That’s great.”
