Chapter Nine
CHAPTER NINE
Stevie
I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon writing a paper for my business communication class and also studying for my upcoming macroeconomics test. I wasn’t one of those students that retained information easily, so it took immense concentration and time to truly comprehend what I was reading. I was more about learning from practical application, and there was no hands-on experience for macroeconomics. It was just dry, boring statistics that made my eyes glaze over.
I was down to my hardest college classes, and so close to obtaining my marketing degree so I could switch my internship at Dare PR for a full-time salaried position. As exhausting as it had been to juggle school, waitressing at The Back Door, and interning at Dare PR, there was definitely a light at the end of the tunnel and I couldn’t wait to get there. But first, I had to get through my final exams coming up, which meant more studying. Ugh.
My shift at the bar tonight started at five, and after texting Raven to see if I could talk to her beforehand, I wrapped up my studies and changed into my uniform—a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with The Back Door logo across the chest. I put my hair up into a ponytail, told Valerie I was heading out, and took the subway to the restaurant which was a much shorter ride from The Cortland than it took me from my old apartment.
I arrived with twenty minutes to spare before I had to clock in.
Admittedly, I was nervous about my upcoming conversation with Raven, for a few reasons. One, she was my best friend and I had to come clean about my night with her brother. Two, I had to explain how I’d become his fake girlfriend. And three, that I needed time off from work in order to fulfill that role.
My stomach twisted with anxiety as I walked into the bar from the back door—hence the name The Back Door—and headed toward where the office was located, which was where Raven usually was these days. She’d once worked the bar like me, but Remy preferred her doing the administrative part of the job now that they were married, and she seemed to enjoy it, as well.
Reaching the office, I knocked on the closed door, steeling myself for the discussion ahead.
“Go away,” I heard Remy say, his voice gruff and annoyed.
“Come in,” Raven said in a more breathless tone at the same time.
Since I’d asked for this meeting with Raven and figured she was expecting me, I followed her lead and opened the door. As I entered, I quickly realized why Remy hadn’t wanted any interruptions. He was sitting behind the desk, with Raven on his lap, his hands just beneath the hem of her T-shirt and her face a little flushed. I was grateful that I hadn’t walked in on something more risqué.
This wasn’t the first time I’d caught them in a near-compromising position considering they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and since I had a great relationship with both of them, I didn’t hesitate to lighten the moment.
“Oh, my God, you two. Get a room,” I teased.
Remy grinned unrepentantly at me, still keeping Raven on his lap, who was biting her lower lip in embarrassment. “Last time I checked, this was a room,” he retorted.
“Then next time, lock the damn door,” I shot back cheekily.
He chuckled. “Noted.” His gaze slid to the clock on the wall, then back to me. “Aren’t you early for your shift?”
I nodded. “Yes, but I texted Raven and told her I needed to talk to her before my shift started.”
“Uh, yes, she did,” Raven clarified, still flustered. She slid off his thighs, and Remy reluctantly let her go. “Obviously, I got a little distracted.”
“Doesn’t take much, sweetheart,” Remy said affectionately, and stood up.
I glanced away, not wanting to risk seeing just how much that distraction had affected him.
“We’ll pick this up later,” he said, and kissed Raven before heading out the door, closing it shut behind him.
“Good Lord, that man is so freaking full of himself,” she said, laughing as she straightened her T-shirt and smoothed a hand over her slightly disheveled hair. “I’m so sorry about that.”
I smiled. “The last thing you should apologize for is being married to a man who adores you.”
“I know, I know. Have a seat,” Raven said, indicating the chair in front of the desk as she settled into the one Remy had just vacated.
I did, and for the next few minutes we talked about Raven’s birthday party that weekend. How genuinely surprised she’d been, and how much fun everyone seemed to have—all the while I kept thinking, how the hell was I going to tell Raven about the predicament I’d gotten myself into?
“So, what’s up that you needed to come in early and talk to me?” she asked once that initial idle chitchat was over.
I exhaled a deep breath, trying not to squirm in my chair from sheer awkwardness. “There’s, umm, something important I need to tell you, and a request I need to make.”
“You can relax, Stevie,” she said, clearly seeing my discomfort. “I already know.”
I stared at my friend, trying to read her expression, trying to figure out what she was referring to. “You already know what?” I asked cautiously.
She leaned back in the leather chair and grimaced. “God, Caleb is going to kill me,” she said beneath her breath.
“Or I’m going to kill him ,” I said through gritted teeth, suspecting that Caleb had already gotten to Raven before I had, which didn’t make me happy. “What do you already know?”
“Please don’t be mad at him,” she said quickly, trying to ward off my displeasure. “I know Caleb only had good intentions—”
“What do you already know?” I asked for the third time, more sternly now so she’d quit beating around the bush.
She exhaled a deep breath. “He called me earlier and explained what happened with Alyssa yesterday morning, and how you’re doing him a favor by being his pretend girlfriend for the next two months, until the custody case is over,” she said in a rush to get it all out in the open. Then, a small smile curved her lips. “But let’s be honest here…are things really fake between you two?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, not ready to admit to anything.
She arched a brow. “Clearly, you two hooked up Saturday night, in order for Alyssa to find you together the next morning. Which means you both finally gave in to the attraction you’ve been dancing around for the past year. There was nothing fake about that.”
“It was only supposed to be one night,” I said.
She laughed. “Caleb didn’t sound all that upset that your one night was extended to two months.”
“It’s…a job,” I argued, trying not to read too much into her comment. “He’s paying me to be his girlfriend.”
“As he should, since he roped you into it,” she said, then grew serious. “He asked that tonight be your last shift until your arrangement ends, which isn’t an issue if that’s what you want since I have other waitresses wanting to pick up extra shifts. But I told him that was a presumptuous request to make on his part and also not his choice, since you might need the money and want to work the night shift longer.”
“No,” I said, and sighed, appreciating the fact that Raven hadn’t automatically caved in to Caleb’s demands. “Your brother is paying me very…generously. And also putting me up in one of his apartments at The Cortland.”
Raven tapped her fingers on the desktop, her eyes gleaming with interest. “Well, that’s convenient.”
“Stop,” I told her, not wanting her to get fanciful ideas in her head about Caleb and me. “It’s not like that. He doesn’t like where I live and feels it’s safer for me, and Valerie, to be there for the time being.”
“He’s a really good guy, Stevie,” Raven said softly. “He’s also very…protective of those he cares about.”
Now it was Raven who was making assumptions, because while I did think that Caleb worried about where I’d lived, caring for me was much too intimate of a statement and not something I was willing to interpret too deeply.
“I never said he wasn’t a good guy,” I said, focusing on that comment instead.
“I know…he just got screwed over by Alyssa, before the divorce, and now, again, with her using Owen to fuck with his emotions,” she said, upset on his behalf. “Thank you for helping him out.”
I tipped my head and gave her a half grin. “You do realize that I wouldn’t be in this predicament if he hadn’t volunteered me as his girlfriend, right?”
She gave me a saucy look. “And you do realize that you wouldn’t be in this predicament if the two of you finally hadn’t done the deed and gotten caught, right?” she shot right back at me. “But you did, and I say just…open yourself up to the possibilities.”
That was easier said than done, because the last thing I wanted to do was set myself up for potential heartache. Raven got lucky with Remy, but rich, successful men like Caleb didn’t normally gravitate toward women like me. When it came down to brass tacks, Caleb and I were complete opposites, and I didn’t fit into his sophisticated, cultured world. Giving in to our sexual attraction was one thing, but I wasn’t about to disillusion myself into believing that this current situation of ours was anything more than a business deal, as Caleb, himself, had stated.
I stood up, ready to change the topic. “I need to get ready to start my shift. And thank you for being so flexible about the next two months’ leave. I appreciate it.”
Raven smiled. “Of course.”
I left the office, clocked in, and headed to the bar area to start work. Customers were already streaming in, and while Mondays in general weren’t as busy as the weekends, The Back Door always had a steady stream of customers every day of the week.
The next few hours passed quickly, and by nine I placed an order for a club sandwich then took my meal into the back room for my break. After eating a few bites, I pulled out my cellphone to make sure there weren’t any messages from Valerie, and found one from Caleb instead, sent a few hours ago.
I’m picking you up after your shift tonight.
I pursed my lips, because his message was very matter-of-fact and direct, and he clearly expected me to agree because he’d said so. I wasn’t a damsel, and I didn’t need a white knight. I quickly replied with, Thank you, but no, I’ll take the subway. Just like I always have.
I went back to eating my sandwich, expecting an argument from Caleb, but by the time my break was over and there was no reply from him, I assumed I’d made my point.
I acknowledged that I probably aggravated the hell out of Caleb with my independent streak, but growing up I’d learned that relying on anyone but myself outside of Valerie usually led to disappointment. I understood that Caleb was trying to make my life easier because he could, but I didn’t want to get used to depending on him for anything more than what he’d already provided.
After living in New York City for three years, I knew how to watch out for myself. Was traveling on the subway at night unnerving at times? Absolutely. But I didn’t expect Caleb to upend his life and his own routine for me.
The bar closed at eleven, and after those long hours on my feet I was exhausted. I spent another half an hour on cleanup and closing duties before I clocked out. I gathered my things from my locker and shrugged into my jacket as I walked back out into the dining area to find Caleb talking to Remy.
Of course he was here.
Remy saw me first. “Hey, looks like your ride is here,” he said jovially.
Caleb had the nerve to grin at me, and it so wasn’t fair that he looked so sexy in a pair of dark wash jeans and a lightweight sweater that showcased his wide shoulders and chest. While I knew I looked like a hot mess with strands of hair falling out of my ponytail and splotches on my T-shirt from spilled drinks, and I probably smelled like greasy burgers and French fries.
“I didn’t order a rideshare,” I said, squaring my shoulders and looking Caleb in the eye.
He shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood and figured I might as well offer you a ride back to the apartment since I was heading in that direction anyway.”
A blatant lie at this hour, clearly, and I almost laughed at how believable he made it sound. “Oh, now you’re offering ?” I asked, arching a brow. “Not demanding?”
His expression turned serious, when I’d expected him to make light of the situation. “The tone of your last text came through loud and clear, so yes, this is me offering, and not demanding.”
“Remy! Can you help me with this keg of beer?” Raven called out from the liquor room in the back.
“Coming,” he said, heading in that direction and leaving me alone with Caleb.
Once Remy was gone, Caleb strolled toward me. “There is something I do want to say, so listen up, sweetheart,” he said, coming to a stop in front of me. Touching his warm fingers beneath my chin, he tipped my head back so I was looking into his gorgeous blue eyes. “Two months is going to be a long time if we keep butting heads, which is the last thing I want to do. But if something happened to you on my watch, I’d never forgive myself. So, as stubborn and self-reliant as you are, which I definitely admire, try and cut me a little slack for wanting to make sure you get home safely, okay?”
The last of my annoyance deflated out of me. For one thing, I was too tired to be upset. And another, I couldn’t deny that there was something sweet about Caleb’s insistence when I’d never had anyone so concerned about my welfare. But I also hated disrupting his evening, especially when I knew it was his week with Owen…which made me wonder where his son was.
“Where is Owen?” I asked curiously.
“At home. In bed,” Caleb said, gently brushing back a stray strand of my hair from my face. “Cara is there right now. She’s mostly a night owl and I told her I wouldn’t be long.”
I offered him a smile as a truce. “Well, then let’s get going.”
I followed him out back to where his car was parked. Once we were buckled inside, he navigated his way through the city while I let my weary body sink into the plush leather seat. Begrudgingly, I had to admit that his car was much more comfortable, and safer, than the subway, and I relaxed and let myself enjoy the ride.
After a short while, I turned my head to look at Caleb, his handsome profile illuminated by the city lights outside his window. “You’ll be happy to know that tonight is my last night at The Back Door until our arrangement is over, but I would appreciate you not making any assumptions on my behalf going forward.”
He was quiet for a moment, then gave a nod and glanced my way. “You’re right. And I’m sorry.”
Well…that was easy. No excuses, but an apology. Which went a long way in soothing my pride. Caleb might have overprotective, caveman tendencies, but as Raven had stated earlier, he was a man with good intentions.
He parked his car in his designated spot in the underground garage, then walked with me to the elevators. I swiped my key card and pressed the number for my floor. As we headed upward, I realized that this particular elevator didn’t have access to the penthouse level, so I was surprised when we arrived on my floor and Caleb didn’t step out of the lift with me.
I stopped and glanced back at him, and he merely smiled at me.
“Have a good day at work tomorrow,” he said.
I nodded. “You, too.”
And that was it. The doors closed and I walked toward my apartment, realizing that he’d taken the time to really make sure I’d gotten home safely, out of respect and kindness. There were no expectations other than that, despite the money he was paying me, and the luxurious apartment he’d set me and Valerie up in for the next two months.
I couldn’t deny the light fluttering sensation in my chest, or the realization that not falling for Caleb Kane was going to be more difficult than I’d imagined.