19. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
Madison
M y meeting with the architect came and went and Parker didn’t say a word. I haven’t seen him or heard from him for three days. I had no idea what he did with the dog while he worked, because he never actually sought me out for help. But I noticed that every night he roamed the gardens like a madman. I had seen him do that before, but a few nights in a row? Never. Was it because of the changes in the gardens? And what was his problem with those gardens? There had to be something I didn’t know.
So on day four of his game of ignoring me and the garden project, I decided to pay him a visit in his office.
His assistant Katie stood up when she saw me approaching.
I spared her the back and forth of niceties and marched forward. “ Is he alone?”
“Yes,” she rounded her desk. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”
“No need,” I waved her off.
I didn’t want to give Parker a chance to hide behind his office door.
“But that’s my job,” Katie stuttered.
“It’s fine, Katie,” I grabbed the door handle. “Parker and I are besties now.”
That was an overstatement, but since he felt comfortable to come to my villa at night without asking, I could certainly invade his office without an appointment, right?
I knocked.
“Come in,” I heard him say from the other side of the door.
I found him with his head between his hands, hair disheveled.
“What is it, Katie?” He asked without looking up from his desk.
Closing the door behind me, I teased. “Calling your girlfriend the wrong name, Wilson?”
He dropped his hands down and glared at me. His eyes were dark and sunken, with heavy bags underneath. His face was pale and drawn, showing signs of exhaustion. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. It was clear that he was mentally and physically drained from whatever was weighing on him.
“Are you sick?” I asked and the concern knotting my belly surprised me. “You look awful.”
“You know how to make a man feel good about himself, don’t you?”
“Someone’s extra grumpy today.”
“Someone’s extra tired today.”
I approached his desk and sat down, even though I didn’t receive an invitation. “What’s happening?”
“That little furry shit keeps me up every night,” he pointed at the corner behind him. The dog slept peacefully in his round bed .
“Why haven’t you dropped him off with me?”
Parker opened his mouth but then closed it. When he opened it again and started talking, I knew that wasn’t what he started saying. “I’m used to functioning without a lot of sleep.”
“Do you have insomnia?” I asked without thinking. “I’d seen you walking around at night and…”
“Do you need anything, Madison? I’m sorry to spoil your fun, but I really don’t have the energy to deal with you today.”
His voice lacked his usual bite. Was he depressed or something? I had never before seen him like that. Like he didn’t even want to fight with me.
Could he be mad at me about something? I was unusually nice to him lately. I hadn’t bit his head off for the way he kissed me at my sister’s bakery. The first kiss was necessary and he kept it as brief and as friendly as it could be. But the second one? That was a real kiss. I had every right to forbid him from ever touching me that way again and yet I didn’t.
“I need your confirmation about the project I’m in charge of.”
I didn’t quite dare to say it directly. He looked so miserable, I didn’t want to push him.
“Confirmation about what? I already told you. Do whatever you see fit.”
“I will have to cancel some reservations.”
“So? Cancel them. Katie will help you.”
“What about the staff?”
“Paid leave.”
“Okay,” I felt my hands sweaty all of a sudden. “We should talk about the budget then.”
“I don’t care about the budget. Just do it as quickly as possible. Whatever the cost. ”
Before I could think better of it, I reached out and covered his fisted hand with mine. “Would you like to go somewhere else while the crew is working?”
He slipped his hand under mine and I saw a glimpse of the fire that usually blazed in his eyes whenever I was annoying him.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You don’t have to stay if it hurts you so much.”
“I don’t know where this is coming from, but let me remind you that all we have in common is business. A deal about five weddings. A deal about a fake relationship during the time you plan those five weddings. Nothing more.”
Nothing more? That wasn’t true. Not with the way he kissed me. But he wasn’t in the right state of mind and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to start that conversation, so I shot up from the chair and pointed at the dog.
“I will take him for a few nights. You can catch up on sleep.”
He snorted out a laugh, looking up at me.
“What?” I asked, offended. He helped me with my mother, defended me in front of my family. I could take care of the freaking dog for him.
“And why would you do that, Madison? You’re not exactly the type to inconvenience yourself.”
Is that what he really thought about me? That I was a spoiled brat that couldn’t handle anything beyond my comfort zone.
“You helped on numerous occasions. I get that you’re tired and I get that you have some emotional issues right now, but don’t insult me. I’m taking the dog.” I was going to show him that I was reliable even if that meant cleaning dog poop .
We stared at each other silently for a beat, then his eyes dropped down to my mouth and stayed there. A tingling sensation spread down my entire body. Was he thinking about that second kiss?
Don’t think about that kiss.
He nodded. “I see. Is that why you are so concerned about me? You feel guilty?”
I turned my back to him and walked to the door. I couldn’t stand the emptiness in his eyes.
He let out an unamused chuckle. “Look at us. We’re like a bitter divorced couple, trying to make the co-parenting thing work.”
“You’re insufferable. I’m leaving.” Then when I was almost out the door, I remembered about the dog. I turned and walked towards it. I crouched down to take him. A moment later Parker joined me. He patted the dog’s head to wake him. I didn’t know why but I felt my pulse in every vein and artery I had in my body.
I grabbed the entire bed, the dog still in it.
“He will probably pee in the next thirty seconds,” Parker warned.
“Then I should get out of here fast.”
He walked me to the door and opened in for me. Just as I was stepping over the threshold, his hand snaked around my elbow. “Thank you,” he whispered and his warm breath tickled my ear. “For helping with the dog.” I didn’t say a word and he released me from his grip. “I’ll come get him tomorrow evening. Is that okay?”
I graced him a nod and left his office.
***
“You could leave him with me one more night,” I protested as Parker came to pick up the dog the next evening .
One more thing my fake boyfriend turned out to be right about? The puppy was fun on top of being the cutest dog to walk this earth, with his blue eyes and his adorable face. And he was so energetic and lovable. Maybe not at two in the morning when he wanted to play and I wanted to sleep, but overall.
“You haven’t slept,” he traced the skin under my eyes with his index finger and I sucked in a breath. His gaze followed the sound and he focused on my mouth. The way he couldn’t tear his eyes away from my lips made my skin hot. Everywhere. But then he dropped his hand down from my face. “I know how attached you are to the concept of perfection. I assume getting dark circles is the equivalent of natural disaster for you.”
I knew it was meant to be a tease, but it hurt me anyway. How shallow did he think I was?
“Besides,” he continued. “I slept twelve hours last night and I’m up for some fun.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I couldn’t stop the images of a specific type of fun the two of us could have.
The more time passed, the more I craved another kiss and I assumed he felt the same way. We were alone in my villa. No one from my family was here, so he didn’t have to touch me. Yet he did. Which only made me think that he couldn’t really stop himself. If it was any other man, I would have acted. I wasn’t the shy type that waited for the man to make the first move. But he was my boss. Temporary or not, at that moment in time, he was my boss. We had to keep our relationship professional with the occasional peck on the lips here and there in the presence of my family.
Parker tilted his head to the side and took a step closer. “Tell me what you’re thinking about.”
I shook my head .
“Madison,” he breathed out, his voice low and husky and oh so seductive. I could swear he knew exactly what I was thinking about.
It was so maddening, the way he constantly shifted between hating me and… what? Being nice to me? Trying to be friends? Wanting me?
I swallowed hard, trying to push down the rising desire that threatened to consume me. “I’m just thinking about the project that shall not be named.”
That did the trick. All heat disappeared from his eyes and he took a step back.
“Yeah. Have you canceled any reservations yet?”
“No. I’m waiting for confirmation about the date the crew can start.”
“Okay. If you need any help, call Katie.”
“Sure.”
We stood in the middle of the kitchen area of my villa like two statues, the silence growing more uncomfortable with every second that passed.
Parker cleared his throat. “What are you doing tonight?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Do you want to have dinner with me? You were right yesterday. I should at least know how much I’m paying for whatever we are building, right?”
“You definitely should. It’s a lot.”
He chuckled. “And maybe you could show me the project. Walk me through the time frame.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. It’s stupid to leave all of these decisions to someone who hates my guts.” His charming grin made me smile back at him.
“It really is. ”
We ordered room service and I explained the details of the time of construction and the money it would cost him while we ate. He was mostly silent but seemed calm. Like he was coming to terms with something.
“The gazebo looks good,” he said as he scrolled through the images that the architect had sent me.
“I love it. I could see Annie Foster in a haute couture wedding gown saying her vows there.”
Then Parker stopped scrolling and focused on an image of the dance floor and I felt the need to explain.
“The dance floor’s proximity to the gazebo ensures a seamless transition from ceremony to celebration. And those pergolas?” I pointed at the picture. “Imagine them supporting a canopy of sheer, white fabric, gently fluttering in the evening breeze. Tables and chairs underneath. And it would be easy to tear it all down if you decide you don’t ever want to have another wedding here.”
“Why would I decide that after all this trouble?”
“I don’t know.”
I could feel his gaze on my face, waiting for me to look at him. I didn’t so he gently pressed the pillow of his index finger under my chin and turned my face towards him.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
That was the second time he ordered it in the span of an hour, but the honest answer at that time seemed appropriate, so I gave it to him.
“You’re my boss. And I know you have a hard time with these weddings and I… I don’t know. I guess I want it to be perfect.”
He frowned. “Perfection is a shitty goal.”
“Perfection is what makes you stand out amidst the mediocrity.”
“Perfection is a shitty goal,” he repeated. “You stand out in so many ways, Madison. You don’t need to be perfect.”
“That’s not my truth.”
“I don’t think you know what your truth is.” He paused as if he was making a decision whether to say something or not. Then he continued. “Are you ready to tell me what happened in New York now?”
“Does it really matter?”
“To me? No. Not anymore at least.”
“So why ask then?”
“To prove a point. Come on. Tell me.”
“It’s…I don’t want to.”
“Of course you don’t want to. The stories you don’t want to tell are always the ones worth telling.”
“Fine,” I said and he removed his finger from my chin. Turning my head, I stared ahead of me and exhaled loudly. “I was unemployed when Annie’s assistant called. Happy now?”
“Happiness is something I gave up on a long time ago,” he said quietly. I wanted to ask what he meant, but then he probed. “Elaborate on the unemployed part, please.”
“There was this article coming out in a bridal magazine. About one of the weddings I had planned. The bride talked about me so much that they decided to call me and ask for an interview. I accepted, of course. My boss hadn’t been so involved in the day to day parts of the business for a long time, so I decided to use this interview to force her to make me a partner. I was doing all the work anyway. She is a huge name in the wedding business but people have been coming to us because of me too lately. She was excited for the interview too. I thought she was going to promote me without me even having to ask. But then we met for lunch a few days after the article came out and I found out what she had planned to surprise me with.”
I paused and looked at Parker. He just nodded for me to continue .
“The interview in a frame she bought from IKEA. I wanted to become a partner and she offered me a framed piece of paper. I know it’s a thoughtful gift. But I felt so disappointed and unappreciated. I told her I deserved to become a partner. She said she didn’t want a partner. I couldn’t swallow the humiliation, so I walked and lost everything I had been working for the last ten years. And then Annie called. I don’t believe in fate, but the timing was perfect.”
Parker offered me a kind smile. “Jess always says that everything in life happens for a reason.”
“Jess?” I asked. “As Ryan’s mother?”
Parker nodded.
“Are you two…involved?”
“What?” He scoffed. “No. Why would you say that?”
“You were out on a date. Without Ryan. She eyed me in a weird way.” I started explaining, but stopped because of the disgust written all over his face. Disgust mixed with something else. Sadness? Pain?
“Jess and I shared a traumatic experience. We formed a strong bond. An unhealthy one, according to Ryan. And he is probably right. But I’m not sleeping with her. I never had. She’s like a second mother to me.”
I opened my mouth to ask what had happened between them, but he recognized my curiosity and stopped me. “I’m not ready to talk about that.”
“Okay.”
He took a deep breath. “God, I can’t believe you thought I fucked Jessica Montgomery. That’s disgusting.”
“Hey, she looked amazing. And there are a lot of couples with big age gaps.”
“Her physical appearance is not what makes it gross. Neither is her age. Back to you and your boss now. So Jess always says that everything in life happens for a reason. I never really believed that. But you lost your job, then Annie Foster hired you to plan her wedding. At The Gem. The only place we could be forced to interact. And here we are. Fake dating to get rid of your mother.”
We both laughed.
“I don’t think fate would go through all that trouble just so we could fake date each other.”
The moment I said that, I realized how it sounded but it was already too late. I couldn’t take it back.
“Maybe we’re not there yet.”
“Where?”
“Where fate wants us to be.”
We both leaned in closer to each other but the dog started barking. I stood up from my chair at the kitchen table and sat down on the ground. Parker looked at us playing for a while before he joined us. I laughed when the dog tried to tug at his sock.
Neither one of us tried to define what we were doing spending time together like that. We just sat there on the floor playing with the puppy, talking about everything and nothing at the same time.
As the night wore on, and it grew late, he stood up. “I should take him for a walk.”
“Oh, sure,” I said and stood with him, not wanting the evening to end so abruptly. I walked with them to the door, but Parker didn’t invite me to join them for their walk.
“Good night, cupcake.”
I rolled my eyes. “No one in my family would believe I enjoy that nickname. You should come up with a better one.”
“Maybe I will.” He put the puppy down. It ran into the gardens and Parker followed.