Lisa Dyson - The Baby Arrangement

A collective “oh” came from her friends.

“See, Rox, all the more reason for you to give Pete a chance,” Amber told her.

Bree looked to Roxie. “You and Pete?”

Roxie shook her head vehemently. “No way.” She looked at Amber and addressed them all. “You know Jim and I are still together. Things may be a bit rocky, but there’s no way I’d cheat on him.”

The women had been a little relieved when Jim moved away, hoping that he and Roxie would eventually call it quits. It wasn’t that they didn’t like Jim—they just didn’t think his and Roxie’s relationship was one that would last. Jim was a nice guy, but he could be picky. There were restaurants he wouldn’t try because he was sure he wouldn’t like the cuisine. He hated horror movies and Roxie loved them. And, worst of all, he had a problem with her spending any free time with Bree, Hannah and Amber. He wanted her all to himself.

“We all know you’d never cheat on Jim. Maybe Pete just wants to be friends.” Bree picked up a piece of toast, even though she didn’t really want it, hoping it might soak up whatever was upsetting her stomach. She took a few bites and kept them down with difficulty. Thinking she might be able to drink the coffee now, Bree pulled it closer. But as soon as the aroma reached her, she pushed it away again.

If she tried to drink it, she’d never keep it down. So now, on top of a hangover, she’d probably have a caffeine headache, too.

“I don’t think friendship has anything to do with whatever Pete wants.” Roxie shook her head vehemently. “Even if Jim weren’t in the picture, Pete’s not my type.”

Bree came to her friend’s rescue and changed the subject. “I think I’ll take Roxie’s advice and go back to my cabin to rest,” Bree said. “Maybe I’ll feel better when I wake up.” She rose slowly, the room tipping slightly as she did. “Please promise me that you’ll never let me drink that much again.” She gave a little wave and slowly made her way out of the room.

* * *

WHILE NICK HEADED to the marina from Bree’s cabin, he wondered why he cared whether Bree wanted to spend more time with him or not. It wasn’t like he would ever see her after this. He didn’t even know where she lived.

There was a lot they didn’t know about each other. He realized that they hadn’t even shared last names.

“Hey, buddy,” his cousin said from the galley when Nick came aboard the boat. “You must have had a good night.” From the way Pete looked this morning, he had probably been just as drunk as Nick and Bree.

“I wish I could remember it,” Nick said as he helped himself to a cup of coffee. “I know we were doing shots here, but I don’t remember how I got to Bree’s cabin.”

“Ha! The girls walked both of you back to the lodge. Seemed like they were trying to get you two together.”

Well, they’d succeeded, hadn’t they? “And you weren’t part of that conspiracy?”

Pete put up a hand. “Hey, I’ve been telling you for months that you need a social life, but I can’t take credit for whatever happened between the two of you.” Pete cocked his head to the side. “So what did happen?”

“We woke up in bed together—”

Pete perked up.

“—fully clothed.”

Pete’s shoulders slumped. “Damn, I thought you were gonna say—”

“I know what you thought. But I’m telling you what happened.” At least part of it. For some reason, he wanted to keep his time with Bree to himself. For now. Possibly for always.

Besides, what difference did it make, since he’d probably never see her again?

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Nick said, remembering that Bree had been anything but disappointing. He sat down with his mug of coffee.

“You’re the one who should be disappointed,” Pete said.

“Why’s that?”

“She was supposed to be your first step to taking back your life.”

Nick leaned forward, his eyes open wide as he asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Getting Tracy out of your system.”

“Oh.” Pete had been saying the same thing for months. He’d never been a fan of Nick’s ex, and having her call off their wedding the week before the date hadn’t ingratiated her to Pete. “Doesn’t matter anyway. She’s really dedicated to her career and says she has no time for relationships.”

Pete nodded. “That’s right. I remember Roxie—who, by the way, is damn hot—telling me about what their company does. Helps women, lends them money and stuff.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Pete’s eyes widened. “Hey, I think I’ve got the answer to all your problems.”

“I doubt that.”

“Listen. Bree’s company lends money, so why shouldn’t she loan some to you to save your restaurant?”

Nick shook his head. “Did you miss the part about how she only loans money to women? That kinda leaves me out of the running.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Please tell me you’re not thinking I should sleep with her to make a good impression?” He was pretty sure he’d already lived up to her expectations.

“I wasn’t, but that’s not a terrible idea. Seriously, though, she’d probably lend you money if she got to know you better.”

Well, that wasn’t going to happen.

“And, there’s also the fact that while the restaurant isn’t completely female-owned, it is partially female-owned.”

“What do you mean? You and I own the restaurant.” What was Pete talking about?

“Okay, now don’t get mad, Nick. But you know how we needed help when things went south?”

“How can I forget?” After his ex, Tracy, dumped him, he’d gone into a funk, not paying enough attention to what was going on at The Fresh Pantry, the restaurant he’d opened three years ago. To make matters worse, at the same time, he’d found out an employee was stealing from him and his food supplier had been overcharging him. His world had imploded all at once, and now he was struggling to keep his restaurant afloat.

“So I went to Auntie Em,” Pete said, referring to Nick’s mom. “She was happy to help.”

“What money did she use?” Please don’t say she borrowed from her 401(k).

“She took a loan from her retirement account,” Pete said.

Nick slumped over. “I can’t believe you went behind my back—both you and my mom. Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“Because Auntie Em didn’t want you to know. But now you need to know so that you can hit up Bree for a loan. See how it’s all working out perfectly?” Pete looked hopeful.

How could he ever ask Bree for money now without her thinking he’d slept with her for just that reason? What a mess.

CHAPTER FOUR

NICK HAD BEEN home from the island almost two weeks, and every single day his cousin had asked him the same question.

As soon as he saw Pete enter the restaurant’s professional kitchen, Nick stopped chopping herbs for a new pork marinade he was trying out and waited for it.

“Have you called Bree about loaning the restaurant money yet?” Before they even left the island, Pete had looked up Bree’s company online and discovered that it was located in Northern Virginia, not too far from where Nick’s restaurant was located.

Pete had obviously come straight from his engineering consulting office because the top button of his pale green dress shirt was open and his navy-and-green tie was loosened and hung at an odd angle. Thanks to Pete’s hard work over the past several months, the company he worked for had been awarded a big government contract. But now that he didn’t have to put in so much overtime, Pete had more time to bug Nick about talking to Bree.

Nick sighed and began chopping garlic while he spoke. “For the last time, I’m not going to ask Bree for financial help.” He hadn’t told anyone, including his cousin, about sleeping with her, and he planned to keep it that way. The only problem with that plan was that Pete wasn’t buying Nick’s reason for not calling Bree.