An Inconvenient Plan (Happy Endings Book Club, Book 10)

by Kylie Gilmore

  “Josh!” Ethan exclaimed. “Never thought I’d see you in a place like this.”

  Josh gave his cheek a light slap. “You either, man.” Ethan was a tough hardass cop. “Now the professor over here is probably taking notes on the dance ritual in American culture.” Zach was a professor of anthropology. His brown hair was on the longish side with a full beard that made him look half mountain man, half professor.

  “Har-har,” Zach said. “Dance does play a significant role in the courtship ritual. If I were you, I’d get your ass out there.”

  Hailey hadn’t noticed him yet, still dancing in a tight circle with the prince, Carrie, and Ally. The prince’s focus was completely on Hailey in a clingy black dress that ended mid-thigh, her toned legs in black stilettos. Every sweet curve from breasts to ass was highlighted in that dress, all of them burned into his brain.

  Josh didn’t fast dance. He could pull off a damn good waltz, but that was the extent of his skills. And even that he’d learned solely for purposes of seduction. He’d already seduced Hailey. Now he just had to make her understand the way things were. As in they were a thing. A couple. Exclusively. It was so damn obvious he couldn’t believe she didn’t seem to know it. Unless she was keeping her options open because the prince could offer her everything Josh couldn’t. His hands formed fists.

  “What’s up with you two?” Ethan asked. “Ally said you made Hailey dinner. You together now?” Ally worked part-time for Hailey. It seemed Hailey had let some things slip. Fine. He’d deal with the fallout from his dad later.

  “Yeah,” he told Ethan.

  Ethan looked over at Hailey laughing at something the prince had said. “You sure she knows that?”

  He strode onto the dance floor and snagged Hailey by the wrist. She jumped and then smacked his arm. “Josh! You scared me, coming out of nowhere like that.”

  “Sorry.” He looked over her head at Phillip looking back at him. He turned to Hailey, guiding her farther away from the interloper. “I’m here.”

  She laughed. “I see that. Come on, let’s dance. I love this song.”

  “I only slow dance.”

  She lifted her arms in the air and danced in front of him, her hips undulating suggestively. He hauled her close by the hips and moved in a slow sway.

  “Josh! I want to move not sway. Come on, let’s go back and dance with the others.”

  “I’m here for you.”

  She turned and gestured to Carrie, Ally, and Phillip. Next thing he knew, they were all dancing around him. Ally kept gesturing for Ethan to join them and he shook her off. Zach jumped in enthusiastically.

  Phillip squared off with Hailey, not touching her, but moving suggestively, his hands moving up and down the space around her body.

  “Hailey.” Josh crooked his finger at her and made himself move. Hip move, arm move. I am dancing, dammit.

  Hailey danced her way over to him, moving sinuously in front of him. That was more like it.

  “Where’s Rose?” he asked.

  “Sitter! It’s too loud in here for her little ears.” She danced a circle around him. He turned so she wasn’t at his back. She ran her fingers through her hair, lifting the strands and letting them fall.

  Phillip took her hand and twirled her around. Josh tensed. Hailey spun and laughed and then took Carrie’s hand and spun her around.

  Phillip smirked at him.

  Josh went toe-to-toe with him and stared him down. Phillip sidestepped and danced some more, his eyes on Hailey’s curvy ass as she danced.

  Josh shifted, blocking the view of Hailey, his back to Phillip. The hair on the back of his neck rose signaling danger, and he quickly shifted again, moving Hailey in front of him and keeping Phillip to his side. Too many people here. Too close. Every nerve ending sparked awareness. Danger, danger, danger. He counted backward, reminding himself where he was and why.

  “Let’s get a drink,” he told Hailey, taking her hand and pulling her off the dance floor with him.

  “Josh, I want to dance.”

  Phillip appeared. “She says she wants to dance. Don’t drag her around against her will.”

  “It’s not against her will,” Josh spat. “Go away.”

  Phillip’s nostrils flared. “I will not. Hailey is a good friend of mine.”

  “Hailey is mine,” he snapped.

  “Josh!” Hailey exclaimed.

  “How refreshingly Neanderthal,” Phillip said. “Big caveman bone for you. Come on, Hailey.”

  “Hailey, let’s go,” Josh ordered.

  Hailey threw her hands up and went back to her friends.

  Phillip glared at him. “Let’s take this outside.”

  “After you.”

  Phillip headed for the stairs and Josh followed behind, looking forward to punching the guy right in his too pretty face. Two security guards appeared, flanking Phillip, and Josh halted. Three on one, especially when he didn’t know what the guards carried in the way of weapons, was not a fair fight.

  He returned to the dance floor. A few minutes later, Phillip joined him. The prince was loose, dancing like he did this all night, every night. Josh was tight, pissed off but refusing to yield the floor when his woman was dancing, being her sexy stunning self. It became like a fight all on its own.

  Dance. Glare.

  Hip check. Fuck you.

  Dance, glower, dance.

  This went on for so long Josh actually got tired from fight dancing.

  That was when he realized Hailey had left. Dammit!

  ~ ~ ~

  Hailey woke Sunday morning to the sound of Rose barking. She opened her bedroom door and Rose ran to the outside door. She must need to go out. She got the leash, clipped it to Rose’s collar, and opened the door. A huge bouquet of roses lay at her feet. Oh, wow! After that crazy male posturing on the dance floor last night—she swore Josh and Phillip looked like peacocks out there doing some kind of ritualized battle—Josh came through with an apology. She’d been so over the meeting of the gonads that she’d left early with Mad, who’d agreed both men were acting ridiculous.

  She scooped up the roses and walked Rose up the stairs to the backyard. Rose sniffed around, looking for the perfect spot. Hailey spotted a small card tucked into the bouquet. Please let it say something romantic. She really didn’t want to be mad at Josh anymore. He must care about her to scare other men away; he just didn’t know how to show it. Maybe he’d talked to Jake or some of his more enlightened guy friends and finally got the message.

  As soon as she got Rose back inside, Hailey set the roses on the coffee table and plucked the card out of its plastic holder. Slowly, she opened the envelope, a shiver of excitement running through her.

  For a lovely woman,

  Sorry things got out of hand last night.

  Phillip

  Nothing from Josh. Her eyes got hot. She shook her head at herself, scooped up the flowers and arranged them in a vase, setting them on her small kitchen table. Phillip had never visited her home, but she had pointed it out just off Main Street on one of their walks through town. The flowers were a thoughtful gesture. She pushed Josh from her mind, got ready for her day, and went to her morning appointment at Ludbury House. She often took weekend morning appointments for potential clients.

  She returned home that afternoon, made herself lunch, and ate it in front of her beautiful roses. She read the card again. For a lovely woman. An apology too. It only served to make her angry at Josh. Where was his apology? He acted like he owned her. He didn’t even want to dance with her; he just didn’t want Phillip to dance with her. Where was he? It was Sunday afternoon, so he was probably home.

  She’d walk there. The twenty-minute walk would give Rose exercise and help Hailey clear her head for a rational conversation.

  By the time she got there, she knew exactly what she wanted to say. She rang the bell on the outdoor intercom system. He buzzed her in a minute later.

  She arrived in the foyer, and he stood casually in the open do
orway of his apartment, barefoot in jeans and a black T-shirt, dark hair rumpled like he’d just rolled out of bed, stubble pronounced on his square jaw. Why she found his unkempt appearance sexy was beyond her. He didn’t step back to invite her in, and she could feel the tension radiating off him despite his casual stance. His jaw was tight, his expression hard.

  “Where’d you go last night?” he asked with a casualness that didn’t fool her for a minute.

  “I got an apology from Phillip for his behavior with you last night.” And where’s your apology?

  “Good. He was an ass.”

  She pressed her lips tightly together, really trying to hold onto her temper. “The two of you looked like a peacock fight about to happen.”

  “Cock fight.”

  She waved that away. “Whatever.” She wouldn’t let him distract her with sex again. “The point is, you both behaved badly, which was why I left early with Mad. It was embarrassing.” She looked at him expectantly.

  His eyelids lowered, his expression neutral, which meant he was hiding something. “If you’re looking for an apology, you won’t find it here. I told you it was him or me. I also told you he wanted you; otherwise, why would he tangle with me? Why would he keep showing up with flimsy excuses to see you?”

  She marched over to him, furious that he was acting like this was on her. Again! And he didn’t even have the decency to invite her in! “You instigated that fight. You were dying to go after him.”

  “Not true. I protect what’s mine.”

  She saw red. “First of all, I’m not yours. Second of all, there’s nothing to protect me from. Phillip is a friend.”

  “Then what’re we?”

  “I don’t know!”

  “Let me know when you figure it out.” He shut the door in her face.

  She smacked the door. “Cad!” she hollered. Rose barked ferociously too.

  She turned on her heel and left. Jealous yet he offered her nothing. Not common decency, not an apology. Nothing.

  ~ ~ ~

  Josh’s nothing grew to a gaping maw of nothing as Phillip sent her a huge bouquet of roses every morning for a week. No note. Just roses, roses, roses. Obviously the prince was begging her forgiveness, even though she’d already thanked him and told him everything was fine. Maybe she’d sounded so despondent he hadn’t believed her. Because the truth was, even with all the lovely attention from Phillip, her heart hurt. She couldn’t keep doing this thing with Josh when she got nothing in return. Maybe this was the natural end to their relationship. They’d burned bright and hot, and then they burned out.

  She drooped through Friday, relieved to finally be done slogging through work. She put her laptop away and sighed. The chime for the front door of Ludbury House rang. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Was it possible Josh was finally showing up with a peace offering?

  She left Rose in her office and rushed to the front door. Her stomach dropped the moment she opened the door. “Mom! Is everything okay?”

  Her mom was dressed in the clothes she only wore when she was ill—a ratty pink cotton shirt with gray sweatpants. A blue kerchief covered her hair, and she wore large sunglasses. “I need to get out of here,” her mom said urgently. “My wedding’s only two weeks away and I just can’t. Tell Joe I’m visiting my sick aunt Jane or something, okay?” There was no Aunt Jane.

  Her mom turned to go.

  Hailey ran out on the porch. “Mom, wait!”

  Her mom kept walking.

  Dammit! She knew this would happen. Her mom was flaking on Joe just like Hailey had predicted all along. She raced down the steps and grabbed her mom’s arm. “Cold feet are perfectly normal. It doesn’t mean you’re not meant to be. I know you’ll have a long and happy life with Joe.”

  Her mom stared at the ground. “Just tell him about Aunt Jill, okay?” There was no Aunt Jill either. Her mom was an only child just like Hailey.

  “It’s Aunt Jane. Keep your story straight. When will you be back?”

  “I don’t know.” She pulled out of Hailey’s grasp and quickly walked toward her car parked crookedly in the driveway. It was still running, the driver’s side door wide open.

  “Mom, don’t do this to him. Please. He’s going to worry.”

  Her mom ignored her, got in her car, and drove away.

  Hailey considered her options. She didn’t want to get in the middle of this mess, and she definitely didn’t want to have to face Joe and explain her mom was a flake. How could her mom not see what she had? It was so obvious Joe loved her. The look in his eyes was so warm and tender. He called her sweetheart. If Hailey had what her mom had…

  She swallowed hard and went back inside. Maybe her mom would come to her senses. Or maybe Joe would go after her, except Hailey didn’t know where her mom was going. She shivered. It was bad enough she’d gotten all tangled up with Josh against Joe’s wishes, but if her mom didn’t come back to Joe, the entire Campbell family would turn on her. She covered her mom’s tracks in the only way she could think of—she texted Josh. He always worked Friday and Saturday nights. Well, except when he had to show up a prince on a dance floor.

  Hailey: Family emergency. My mom had to fly out to see my aunt Jane. Can you tell your dad? I don’t want him to worry. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear the latest.

  Josh: Sure. Everything okay? Are you going too?

  Hailey: Just her. I don’t know this aunt very well. She’s in California.

  And the lies just keep coming. She hated that her mom had put her in this position. There were three dots like Josh was typing and she waited. The dots disappeared.

  She put her phone down, sat at her desk, and dropped her head in her hands. She and Josh were at an impasse, it seemed. Maybe they were too alike. They were two strong-willed strategic warriors circling each other, neither willing to give an inch. But, no, that wasn’t exactly right. She’d given much more than an inch. She’d tried to connect with him in every way she knew how. Why was this so difficult? Why was Josh so difficult?

  Agitated, she scooped up Rose from her little bed, where she was napping, and settled back at her desk, stroking Rose gently. A few minutes later, the chime for the front door rang and her heart thumped hard in anticipation. Maybe Josh had decided to forgo texting in favor of seeing her face-to-face. She’d forgive everything if he met her halfway.

  She answered the door with Rose in her arms, instantly deflating as Phillip’s smiling face came into view. She opened the door. “Hi, Phillip.” He was dressed formally in a black suit that looked like a custom fit with a red tie. His two guards stood unobtrusively to the side.

  “Hello,” he said warmly and gestured behind him.

  A line of people approached from the side of Ludbury House, climbing the porch steps to her. A woman gave her a bouquet of roses, three men playing violins followed behind, and a woman with a camera joined them. Was this part of the press Phillip needed to restore his reputation?

  “Hailey.”

  She glanced down to find Phillip on one knee, holding a huge glittering diamond solitaire ring up to her. Holy crap!

  “Would you do me the honor of being my bride?”

  She stared at him in shock. The violins played on, the camera clicked away, all eyes on her.

  “You would make a divine princess of Villroy,” Phillip said. “And you’d be integral to our new foray into tourism. In so many ways, you’re exactly what Villroy needs. What I need too. Come back with me and fall in love with Villroy Island, with who you can be there. You could be the key to revitalizing our economy, keeping the young workforce there, keeping the country alive. You could do so much not just for me but for an entire country.”

  Her knees went weak. Whoa. A princess? Helping an entire kingdom to flourish through her skills as a businesswoman? A dreamy state came over her, imagining castles and ball gowns, flower gardens, parties, weddings, economic summits.

  She finally found her voice, took note of all the witnesses, and said cordially, “Phillip,
this is so sudden. Can I think about it?”

  He rose to his feet in one fluid motion and motioned the photographer away. “I need an answer before I return to Villroy in five days. I need to make arrangements. There’s a lot of official appearances coming up, and I’d really like to have you at my side as my intended.”

  “Okay, thank you for understanding.”

  He kissed both her cheeks, smiled tenderly, turned, and left.

  She rushed back inside, trembling in the aftermath of the bizarre scene. Her first-ever proposal shocked the hell out of her. She hurried to the sanctuary of her office, shut the door, and set Rose on the floor. The roses fell from her hands as she stood there, staring at nothing. She hadn’t even kissed Phillip. Why had he proposed? Was he just using her for the good press? Would he lock her away in his castle while he took on a mistress?

  Why were men so damn confusing?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Josh was in a foul mood. It had been almost a week since he’d told Hailey to let him know when she figured out which guy was for her—me, dammit—and he hadn’t heard a peep out of her until today. And it was about her mom! What the hell kind of relationship was this? Was he supposed to keep dating her like everything was normal while she kept throwing the playboy prince in his face? He believed her when she said they were just friends, as in they hadn’t hooked up, but he also thought the prince was turning her head with his glamorous jet-setting life. Josh didn’t want to be in a competition, especially when he couldn’t possibly match the lifestyle the prince could offer. He wanted her to choose him definitively once and for all. Speak of the devil.

  Hailey walked into Garner’s, talking to Rose earnestly, holding the dog against her chest like a baby. She looked like a crazy woman, confiding in her dog as if she might get an answer. Maybe she was crazy. That would explain a lot.