Kelly Jamieson - Sweet Deal

“Myra!”

“You know what I’m saying. And you said this project could lead to a lot of attention from the big shots. Maybe a big promotion. Take advantage of it.”

Shelby frowned. “Yes, I want to hang on to my job. But not that way!”

“I get it, Shelby,” Riley said with a sympathetic smile. “You want to be judged on your work.”

“Yes! Exactly. I just want to do a good job.”

“And you don’t want people talking about you.”

“Yeah. Like at RBM. Apparently they used to make bets on how long it would take Mark to leave after I did every night.” Bitterness edged Shelby’s voice. Her fingers tightened on the chopsticks.

Riley reached out and covered Shelby’s hand, giving it a brief squeeze. Riley still worked at RBM Pharmaceuticals, which was where they’d met and become friends, so she knew all the ugly details of that debacle. “I understand why you don’t want people talking like that. And Mark’s an asshole. There are already rumors about him and the new girl.”

Shelby grimaced. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“We tried to tell you…” Kiara began.

Shelby groaned. “I don’t need another lecture about my pathetic love life.”

She knew they did it because they cared about her, but she’d heard enough of her friends’ analysis of all her romantic disasters, even as far back as high school when Myra had been her best friend. Myra, the analyzer. “And I can’t believe you’re telling me to take advantage of Andrew’s interest in me,” she said to Myra with growing heat. “What kind of friend are you? That’s exactly what I would have done in the past, all desperate for male attention!”

Riley intervened. “Shelby, you know you can’t take half the stuff that Myra says seriously.”

Myra sat back in her chair. “Yeah. You’re right. Sorry, Shelby. I wasn’t serious. I didn’t think you’d get so worked up about it.”

Maybe she was a little oversensitive about the issue. And she should know Myra didn’t always think about what she said. She was a great actuary, but not always so great with people, even though she had a good heart.

“Telling your boss you have a boyfriend was a great idea,” Kiara said, taking pity on Shelby, no doubt, and diverting the conversation. Shelby sent her a grateful smile, watching her friend sip her soda.

“It won’t work,” Myra stated.

Shelby lifted a brow. “Why not?”

“If he’s married, he’s a cheater. He’s not going to worry about you cheating on your boyfriend.”

Damn. She could have a point there.

“And the other problem is you don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Well, actually…I do.”

All three women gaped at her, mouths open wide enough to drive a truck in.

Shelby laughed. She loved when she could shock the unshockable Myra, who’d say and do just about anything.

“Shut the front door!” Myra said.

“Well. Not really.” Shelby had to relent and tell the truth. She related what had happened at the coffee shop earlier in the week with Jake.

“He offered to pretend to be your boyfriend?” Riley asked.

“Yes.”

A broad grin broke out on Myra’s face. “Wow. There’s a new pick-up line.”

Shelby still couldn’t believe she was doing something so ridiculous. She was sure she’d read a dozen romance novels where a man and woman pretended to be boyfriend and girlfriend, or even husband and wife for some crazy reason, but stuff like that didn’t happen in real life. Not with a freakin’ gorgeous guy like Jake.

“Maybe he was just kidding and he’s not going to show up.” And if he didn’t, that was probably just as well, because she had no idea if they were going to pull this off. They didn’t even know each other, for god’s sake!

“Why would he do that?” Riley asked.

“I have no idea.” Shelby grimaced.

“I’m telling you, he’s hot for you!” Myra grinned. “So what does this guy look like?”

“He’s really tall, and big.” Shelby licked her lips, warming inside just thinking about how Jake looked. “He has dark hair and eyes.”

“That doesn’t tell us much,” Myra said, with her usual let’s-just-get-to-the-point impatience. “Is he hot?”

“Yeah.” Shelby frowned. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“He’s kind of…scary.”

“Scary?”

She hitched one shoulder and looked down at her drink. “He’s really good-looking, but whenever I see him, he looks really serious. Intense.”

Myra looked disappointed.

“Wait. I thought you just met him,” Riley said.

“Er…well, we’ve seen each other before. Chatted a little in the coffee line-up. You know.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So he looks like a stick-in-the-mud,” Myra said.

“No, no! Not like stick-in-the-mud serious. Just like someone who’s maybe had some hard times. Maybe been hurt.”

“Ooh.” They all nodded, feminine interest piqued by that. “Interesting.”

“But he has a nice smile, and when we talked he was really listening. Not fake listening, you know? You can tell when people aren’t really paying attention. He’s always dressed to the nines. Expensive suits. Gorgeous ties.”

Myra lifted a brow. “Gay?”

“No!” Shelby would stake her life on that. “Not even metrosexual. Just very…well-groomed.”

“That is metro.”

Shelby had to laugh. “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t go for manicures and pedicures. Although, he might use styling products in his hair.”

“Well then, this is perfect!” Myra leaned forward.

“It’s not real, My,” Shelby reminded her. “He’s just doing me a favor.”

Her cell phone buzzed in her purse and she reached for it without thinking. She blinked at the call display. Jake. As if he were someone who actually belonged in her contacts list so his name popped up when he phoned.

“It’s him.” She looked up at her friends.

The other three women made little noises of surprise and pleasure. The phone buzzed again as she studied it. Was he calling to cancel?

“Answer it!” Riley urged her.

Taking a deep breath she answered the call. “Hello.”

“Hi. Shelby?”

“Yep, it’s me.”

“Jake here. From the coffee shop the other day.”

“I know.” She smiled. “How are you?”

“Good. Listen. I was thinking about tomorrow…”

He was canceling. And damned if a small wave of disappointment didn’t wash over her.

“And if we want to fool your boss into thinking we actually have a relationship, we might need to know a little more about each other. So I thought maybe we should get together for a drink.”

“Uh…when?” She sat up straight, her mind racing.

“Tonight. In an hour? Or is that too short notice?”

She looked at her friends around the table all watching expectantly. “I’m with my friends right now. We just finished dinner.”

“Oh.”

“Let me just check with them about any plans for tonight.” She lowered the cell phone down beside her chair and whispered, “He wants to meet for a drink. Tonight!”

“Go!” they all said in unison.

“We’re done here,” Riley added. “And we didn’t have anything else planned for tonight.”

“I’m just going home,” Kiara said, folding her hands over her six-months-pregnant belly. “Adam’s not feeling well tonight. So go!”

Shelby bit her lip, studied Kiara’s serene face, her soft, brown hair lying on her shoulders, and briefly worried about the mention of Kiara’s husband not being well. Seven months ago Adam had been diagnosed with cancer and given only a few months to live. Only thirty-three years old, it was tragic. He and Kiara had demonstrated amazing strength and determination and love since then. They’d made some difficult choices that Shelby and her other friends had questioned among themselves, though never to Kiara’s and Adam’s faces. They were living the rest of Adam’s life the way they wanted to, even though things were going to be difficult for Kiara.