Just Pretend (Just… #1)

5. Hallie

CHAPTER 5

HALLIE

Throwing myself into work is the only way I get through the day. If I find my thoughts slipping towards James or the promotion, I quickly pick up the phone and call one of my existing customers to check in, talk about the new blend, and to see if they want to place another order before the holidays. It works every time, keeping me distracted not only for the length of the call, but for however long it takes me to place an order, request a case to be sent out for sampling, or even just make a record of the conversation. By keeping my head down and focusing on work, I manage to make it to the end of the day.

I don’t usually rush out the door, but today I grab my things and make a run for it, knowing that putting in extra hours is not in the cards for me right now. My sleepless nights are starting to catch up with me and I just want to get back to my apartment and turn in early so I can get some rest and start over tomorrow. I need to put this whole day behind me.

It’s not until I make it to the main entrance that I remember my Vespa is still at the apartment and I have to call an Uber to get home. I wish I had thought of that while I was still in my office since it usually takes twenty or thirty minutes for anyone to get out here. With a deep inhalation, trying to keep my cool, I pull out my phone and bring up the Uber app just as I notice the familiar blue pickup truck sitting in the parking lot.

“What the hell is he doing here?” I mutter under my breath, lowering my phone and staring at James, leaning against the side of the truck.

I’m so stunned that when he lifts his hand and waves to me, I actually wave back without thinking. Confused and a little annoyed, I start to cross the parking lot towards him, but as I get closer, I realize I’m not the only person who noticed James in the office parking lot. Chase is parked just a few cars down and as soon as he recognizes James from this morning, he shuts his car door and starts to head over.

“No, no, no,” I whisper, knowing this could be very bad.

Picking up my pace, I hurry over, hoping to intercept before Chase can say anything to James, but it’s too late.

“So, I hear you’re Hallie’s boyfriend,” Chase says, extending his hand cordially to shake James’s. “I’m Chase Andrews, Hallie’s coworker.”

“Oh, um, nice to meet you,” James says, glancing at me as I rush over. “Did you say…?”

“I didn’t even know Hallie had a boyfriend,” Chase continues, talking over James.

My heart starts to hammer inside my chest as the panic sets in. I don’t know what to say or do, so I just stare at James blankly. I’m about to be outed as a liar and there’s nothing I can do about it. I don’t think this day could possibly get any worse.

“What’s everyone doing out here? Did I miss the meeting memo?”

I spin around at the sound of Scott Winter’s voice, startled to find him coming up behind me with a warm smile on his face.

“No, of course not,” Chase says, grinning deviously like the Cheshire Cat. “I was just saying hello to Hallie’s boyfriend. Did you know she was seeing someone?”

Scott is first surprised, but then pleased by Chase’s revelation. He turns to me with a look of genuine excitement on his face.

“No, I had no idea,” he says. “Are you holding out on us, Hallie?”

I can’t even look at James. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but I’m absolutely mortified, and I don’t want to see his reaction. I can picture my whole life going up in smoke while my work enemy and playboy neighbor watch with glee.

“So how long have you been together?” Chase asks James, clearly suspicious that my relationship is bullshit and delighting in making things worse for me.

My stomach drops as I brace myself for James's reply, ready for him to set the record straight. Once he tells Scott that we’re just neighbors, my boss is going to want to know why I lied and then I’m done for. With nothing left to do, I finally look up at James and hold my breath, praying for a miracle. He looks back at me, his dark brown eyes gazing into mine, and instead of confusion or annoyance, what I see is amusement, and maybe even a little compassion.

“How long has it been, babe?” he asks, stepping closer and slipping his arm around my waist. “I’ve lost track of time.”

I stiffen for a moment, my whole body freezing up at his touch, but something stirs inside of me as he tucks his thumb under the waist of my pants and casually strokes the skin of my lower back as if it were something he’s done a thousand times. I want to swat his hand away and get five feet away from him, but I know I can’t budge or risk admitting to my lie. I swallow, my stomach tightening, my pulse racing. James Cole just threw me a lifeline but all I can think about is how good it feels to be touched.

“Oh… you know…” I stammer, trying to collect myself. “Several months, right?”

Chase eyes both of us carefully, looking for the lie, anticipating it already.

“Don’t under sell it, honey,” James laughs, looking back at Chase and Scott. “We're close to our one-year anniversary and we couldn’t be happier.”

James slides his whole hand up my side, his palm pressed to my ribs under my shirt, and he leans down to kiss the side of my head. He’s messing with me and saving my ass at the same time, and I would hate him even more than I already did if I wasn’t so grateful to him for playing along.

“Wow, is it almost a year already?” I laugh nervously. “I guess time flies when you’re in love.”

With his eyebrows raised, Chase looks back and forth between us skeptically.

“A whole year?” he asks James. “I’m surprised we haven’t met yet. She hasn’t even mentioned you.”

“I’m not surprised—you know Hallie,” James replies without missing a beat. “She likes to keep her personal life private.”

While Chase is still trying to poke a hole in the story, Scott simply smiles warmly, reaching out to shake James’s hand.

“Well, it’s a real pleasure to meet you,” he says. “I’m Scott Winter, one of the owners of the vineyard.”

“Of course, I know who you are, Mr. Winter,” James replies, shaking my boss’s hand. “Hallie loves working here and she’s told me all about you and your wonderful family.”

“We love having Hallie here,” Scott says, his grin expanding as he eats up James’s words. “I hope you’ll be joining us in Wyoming at the retreat. We’d all love to get to know you better.”

“We certainly would,” Chase says pointedly. “That is, if you can get that time off work.”

“I told Chase how busy you are,” I say to James, sending a silent but pointed message.

“Yes, I’m a small business owner and getting away can be challenging,” James nods.

I let out a slow breath as Chase and Scott eventually say goodnight and head off, hoping this situation wasn’t as catastrophic as I thought it might be. When we’re alone, I nervously look up at James, unsure how he is going to react to this. He raises an eyebrow, looking back at me.

“So… babe ,” he says. “You want to tell me what the hell that was all about?”

“I’m not sure where to start,” I admit with a sigh as James opens the truck door for me and I climb inside.

While he pulls out of the Winter Vineyard driveway onto the road, my mind races, trying to come up with an explanation of how James Cole became my pretend boyfriend today.

“No matter how I put it, I’m going to sound like a complete idiot,” I add.

“Give it your best shot,” James says with a light laugh, glancing over at me. “Babe.”

“Please stop calling me that,” I groan in response. I wouldn’t care for the term even if James were my boyfriend. “I’ve made such a mess of things.”

With a deep breath in and long exhale out, I start from the beginning, filling James in on the promotion, how I’m up against Chase for the job, and the idea that the Winter brothers might be more inclined to promote someone who reflected their “family first” values.

“Your boss did seem weirdly excited to find out you had a boyfriend,” James nods. “Are you the office cat lady or something?”

“Something like that,” I groan. “Scott’s a great boss and the Winters have always been good to me. Maybe it’s just bullshit —Chase has been trying to get under my skin since they first announced the job opening—but it kind of makes sense. I think the Winter family is just of the mindset that people who are settled with a spouse and kids are more likely to stay in one place for a long time.”

“That’s ridiculous,” James scoffs.

“It has nothing to do with my personal work ethic, but I guess on a larger scale there could also be some truth to it,” I shrug.

“And what’s the deal with Wyoming?” James asks.

“There’s an annual retreat,” I tell him, seeing no point in holding back now. “Everyone brings their spouses and partners and I’ve always gone solo. Scott told me and Chase yesterday that he and his brothers are waiting until after the retreat to decide on the promotion.”

“And Chase told you that it’s because they’re looking for someone who is family-oriented and they want to see you both with your partners?” James asks.

“Exactly,” I groan. “And when I show up alone—again—I’ll be handing the promotion to Chase on a platter.

I lean my head back, feeling at an all-time low. Not only is my professional life falling apart, but I’m spilling my sob story to someone I truly can’t stand to be around. Still, it feels good to get my fears off my chest to someone other than Jasmine.

“So, at what point did I become your boyfriend?” James asks, the corner of his mouth tilted up with enjoyment.

“When Chase saw us together this morning, he assumed it was a one-night stand,” I tell him. “That felt like a total dealbreaker with my bosses, so I told him you were my boyfriend. I let myself get sucked into his stupid games and now I’m going to lose the promotion because I lied about having a boyfriend, which is definitely worse than not having a boyfriend at all. I’ve worked so hard for the last four years and in one lie, I’ve thrown it all away. And on top of that…”

I trail off, sniffing back tears and turning to look out the window.

“On top of that?” James gently prompts me.

“Never mind,” I shake my head. “This situation is pathetic enough without you knowing all about it. I’m sorry I pulled you in as far as I have. I thought I could undo the lie without it blowing up like this, but then you showed up at my office…”

I turn back to him, eyebrows lifted.

“Why did you come to pick me up anyway?” I ask. “I told you I didn’t need a ride.”

“Then why did you text me?” James replies, sounding confused.

“I didn’t text you.”

“Yes, you did,” James insists. He reaches for his phone and opens his texts. “Look. I’m not making it up.”

As he hands me his phone, I read the text that he pulled up.

“I told you so,” James says.

“I didn’t send this,” I tell him.

“Then who did?”

I only have to look at the Seattle area code on the phone number to figure out what is going on.

“Someone who has clearly lost their mind,” I sigh, handing the phone back to him.

James considers this for a moment before glancing back over at me.

“Or someone who was doing you a favor,” he says with that cocky smile that makes me want to vomit.

“You’re insufferable,” I murmur, propping my elbow against the door of the truck and resting my head on my hand.

“But you like it. Admit it,” James continues to prod at me.

“Never.”

We drive in silence for a minute before James glances over again, the shit-eating grin gone from his face.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I guess I just have to admit defeat,” I reply. “I’m going to have to find a way to come clean. At best, I lose the promotion.”

“And at worst?” James asks.

“I lose my job.”

I can feel his gaze on me and bite my lip, restraining myself from telling him to keep his eyes on the road.

“What?” I finally snarl at him.

“I’m just surprised,” he says.

“What do you mean?” I ask, looking at him out of the corners of my eyes.

“You didn’t seem like a quitter.”

James looks back at the road, slowing down for a red light.

“I’m not a quitter,” I say defensively. “But I know when I’ve gotten myself into something I can’t get out of. I need to try to hold on to some of what’s left of my dignity.”

“Or…”

“Or what?” I spit back at him, turning my body to face him.

“Or you can beat Chase at his own game,” he says, his eyes dancing with mischief.

“How do I do that?” I ask, curious to see what’s brewing inside his head.

He grins at me suggestively as the light turns green and he eases the truck forward.

“Oh…no,” I shake my head, realizing what he’s thinking. “No way. I’m not bringing you on the retreat. This is as far as this goes. I’m not getting any deeper into this lie than I already am.”

“Fine,” James shrugs. “It’s your career not mine.”

He reaches for the radio, turning the volume up and bobbing his head to the music.

“No way,” I mutter again. “There is just no way.”

Jasmine reaches for the bottle of wine on my coffee table, refilling my glass without me asking her to. When I texted her 911, she showed up at my door fifteen minutes later with three bottles of Winter Vineyard wine, including a vintage cabernet that she had been saving.

“I’m sorry!” she says for the third time as I continue to rant at her for texting James.

“Seriously, do you have any idea how much worse you’ve made things?” I ask, taking a long chug of wine.

“I thought I was helping,” Jasmine shrugs as she settles back down on the couch. “Can you please take a break from scolding me and tell me what happened to get you all riled up?”

“Chase and Scott both saw James picking me up and now Scott thinks he’s my boyfriend, too,” I tell her, practically yelling the words. I stop and glance at the wall I share with James's apartment, praying he’s not home. “It was one thing when I was only lying to Chase, but now Scott is involved as well. I don’t know what to do. I can’t keep lying, but I can’t come clean either.”

“Oh Hallie,” Jas cringed, looking mortified. “I am so sorry. I had no idea…”

“I know,” I sigh, trying to breathe. “You didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“You’re not mad?” she asks.

“I’m angry at myself for getting into this situation in the first place,” I tell her. “But I know you thought you were doing the right thing. Plus, you brought me good wine. It’s impossible to stay mad at you.”

“But this is still really bad,” Jasmine unnecessarily points out.

“You think?” I huff. “I made one impulsive mistake and now I’ve played right into Chase’s hand. I wish I had never kissed James this morning. It was so stupid.”

“How was the kiss anyway?” Jasmine asks. “I’ve been dying to know! He’s so hot; I have to believe he’s a good kisser.”

The thought of the kiss makes my lips tingle. James’s warm body close to mine, his mouth, his hands…without even trying, it was a pretty great kiss.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I shake my head. “I just want to figure out how to get out of this crazy situation without losing my job.”

“That’s going to be tricky,” Jasmine nods. “You’d have to admit to one of our bosses that you flat out lied to him. How do you think that will go over?”

Grabbing one of the throw pillows, I hold it up to my face and scream into it with frustration.

“Exactly,” Jas sighs.

“But continuing the lie will only make it worse,” I moan. “One lie will turn into a whole web of lies. I mean, I saw how much it escalated just from this morning. Letting it continue could be catastrophic.”

“I see your point.”

“God, I thought I was going to die when I saw Chase walking over to James,” I tell Jasmine, reliving the horror. “I thought it was all over then.”

“But James covered for you,” Jasmine points out, smiling just enough to annoy me. “That’s kinda hot in a knight-in-shining-armor way.”

“I don’t need a knight in shining armor,” I snap at her. “I need to find a way out of this.”

“You could always say you broke up,” Jasmine suggests.

“Then Chase will know I was lying,” I shake my head. “He is already skeptical. He’ll just keep rubbing it in my face. You know how he is.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jasmine groans. She sits up, placing her wine glass down on the coffee table. “Look, I’ll be honest; I’m not sure you have a lot of options here. I think the best way out of this is to bring James on the retreat, pretend to be a happy couple, then once you get the promotion you can slowly phase him out of your life. It’s just a week of pretending. And who knows? It might even be fun.”

As I’m getting ready for bed, hoping to fall into a deep, uninterrupted sleep, my phone starts to ring, and I hurry to see who’s calling.

“Mom?” I answer right away. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is fine,” she assures me. “We just haven’t talked in a couple of days, and I wanted to check in. I know you tend to work late, so I waited until I was sure you’d be home.”

“Yeah, work has been a little hectic,” I tell her. “I’m sorry I haven’t called. Did you and Dad have your meeting with the accountant yet?”

“Yesterday,” Mom replies. She then pauses, making my stomach twist into a knot.

“So?” I ask. “How did it go?”

“Oh, about how we expected,” she says vaguely.

“Come on, Mom,” I coax her gently. “This is me. You can tell me.”

“The meeting didn’t go well,” she finally admits. “Profits on the camp are down, and unless we come up with some kind of miracle, we aren’t going to be able to buy back the other half of the property.”

“Damn,” I whisper, disappointed even though I knew this was coming. “Can you get another extension on the lease? Could you reach out to?—”

“Don’t even say his name,” Mom interrupts, still rightfully bitter about what happened with Rupert Sinclair. “But yes, Dad had his lawyers try to negotiate an extension. Cost him an arm and a leg.”

I take a slow breath in, knowing how desperate my father had to have been to do such a thing. I know the dissolution of their partnership was not amicable and that my father is still holding onto a lot of pain from the fall out.

“What did he say?” I ask, suspecting the call didn’t go well.

“He wouldn’t agree to the extension,” Mom confirms. “And he’s firm about the deadline. We either pay him fully for his share of the land at current market value or we have to sell him our half.”

I sink down onto my bed, feeling sick to my stomach as I think of all the kids who have benefited from the camp no longer having a safe, supportive, even life changing place to spend the summer.

“There has to be a way,” I say softly.

“I don’t know what it is,” Mom replies before changing the subject. “How are you otherwise? Work is busy?”

“Yeah, but nothing I can’t handle,” I assure her. “Mom, I’m going to do whatever it takes to help out, okay? I’ll send more money when I can.”

“This isn’t your problem, Hallie,” my mother objects.

“That camp means the world to me, too,” I remind her. “I’m going to figure this out, I promise.”

“I love you,” Mom says, sounding resigned.

“I love you, too.”

As we hang up and I get in bed, all I can think about is finding a way to help my family hold on to the camp.

Parking the Vespa at work, I’m consumed by two conflicting emotions—gratitude that James fixed it for me last night, and disgust that he told me he fixed it after I ran into him leaving his apartment this morning with a woman who was clearly wearing the same dress she had on the night before. I don’t know why I’m surprised, except that I can’t quite figure this guy out. One minute he’s offering to help me, and the next he’s back to being a playboy. I appreciate having my mode of transportation back, but I can’t believe I ever entertained Jasmine’s idea to invite James to Wyoming. What a train wreck that would be.

I say a quick hello to the tasting room staff, getting ready for a busy day, and then I head upstairs to the offices, passing the break room on my way.

“Hallie!” I hear someone call me as I walk by and I double back to find Scott with his brothers, Lucas and Clay, in the kitchen.

“I was going to stop by to talk to you,” Lucas says. “I was reviewing the sales numbers last night and I’m impressed by what you’ve been doing in the European market. I think it’s the best we’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, I’m so glad,” I reply with a smile, feeling bolstered. Without a sales director, Lucas has been keeping tabs on the department and if anyone is going to put my work performance above my personal life when making the promotion decision, it’s him.

“Keep up the good work,” he says with an affirming nod of approval.

“I intend to,” I reply.

With a deep breath, I glance over at Scott, knowing I need to talk to him later. I have to come clean about James. Even if it puts my promotion at risk, I can’t keep lying to my boss.

“Are you excited about the retreat?” Clay asks, taking a bite from his bagel.

Clay and his assistant have taken on the bulk of the planning this year, and I know the dude ranch was his idea.

“Absolutely,” I nod. “I can’t wait.”

“Oh! That reminds me,” Scott exclaims. “I met Hallie’s boyfriend yesterday.”

“Boyfriend?” Lucas asks, his eyebrows raised.

“He seems great,” Scott confirms. “I think he’ll fit right in with the rest of the group on the trip.”

“That’s great,” Clay grins. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

“Oh, I’m not sure—” I begin, but Scott interrupts before I can make up an excuse about James not coming on the retreat.

“We are all looking forward to James becoming part of the family here at Winter Brother Vineyards,” he says.

Forcing a smile, I nod in silent agreement, realizing there is very little chance of getting out of this lie.