Chapter 1
Emily Best had all of her things arranged and her workspace decorated with fifteen minutes to spare. It was her first day to work in the accounting department of Gherring, Inc. When the owner of the company, Steven Gherring, was your new stepfather and you were only twenty-four years old, you had a lot to prove. She needed to get a head start on her work.
No one could argue she wasn’t intelligent, having already earned her master’s degree and her CPA. But she knew some employees were bound to question her hiring. Especially since her mom also worked at the company.
Her mind was engrossed in figures on an Excel spreadsheet when she heard a man’s voice beside her.
“Emily? I can’t believe it! What are you doing here?”
A smiling face peered over the top of her cubicle. It was him. He was the last person she wanted to see in New York City and one of the few she actually knew. She’d met Spencer Marshall at a rock-climbing gym while visiting her mom in the city in the fall. He was everything she wasn’t. He was an outgoing, adventurous, adrenaline junkie. He’d be a perfect match for her audacious sister, but instead, he’d chosen to pursue her. Calling. Texting. Skyping. Emailing. He was incredibly persistent, despite her discouraging hints. She hadn’t mentioned her move to the city, knowing he would be even more tenacious.
It’s not that he was unattractive. Merely looking at his face made her blood start pumping faster. He had deep penetrating brown eyes; he kept his dark brown hair cut short on the sides and a little longer on top. He smiled at her with even white teeth and dimples to boot. His strong jaw line and rugged look only added to his appeal, making him look older than his twenty-five years. And she knew from watching him climb he had an amazing body to go with it—tall, with broad shoulders and lean muscles.
No, the problem wasn’t with his looks. The problem was... The problem was... He was overwhelming. That’s what the problem was. After every encounter or conversation, her mind quit working, and she couldn’t think straight. He had a sort of aura or presence that interfered with the proper function of her brain. That simply wouldn’t do.
She’d jammed dating at the bottom of her extensive agenda for her new life in New York City. But if she ever decided to date again, she needed someone different. Someone calm. Stable. Conservative. Even-keeled. Unexcitable. She needed a rock she’d be able to anchor her life to. Not someone who was unpredictable and daring—even if he was heart-stoppingly handsome.
“I work here. And what are you doing here?”
“I work here, too. Your stepdad gave me an internship last week. This is great. We have the whole summer to get together... I mean, we could do some fun stuff. Would you like to go climbing again?”
“Maybe,” she mustered her most discouraging tone. “But I need to concentrate on getting settled—you know, moved in and unpacked and such.”
“Great. I’ll come help you unpack tonight. What time? And I need your address, too.”
Oops. That didn’t work like she thought it would. She tried again.
“I don’t know about tonight. I still need to stock my pantry. I don’t have any food yet. So tonight will mostly be grocery shopping. Nothing I really need help with, but thanks—“
“Even better. I’m a wiz at shopping and a great cook. I’ll get you set up.” He answered his vibrating cell phone. “Hi, Olivia... No, not tonight. I’ve got plans. Maybe Wednesday? Awesome—see you.”
Without blinking an eye, he turned back to Emily. “So tonight? I’ll come about six thirty? Sound okay?”
Emily shook her head in disbelief. She knew from her mom’s description he was popular with a lot of girls. But had he actually made a date with another girl on the phone while he was in the process of making a date with her? He was way too much of a player.
“Spencer, it sounds to me like you’ve got too much on your social calendar to squeeze me into it.” She poured on the sarcasm. “Maybe tonight’s not a good idea.”
“I’ll never have too much going on to squeeze you in. I’d tear up the whole calendar and throw it away to make room for you. See ya tonight.”
He turned on one heel and left her standing with her mouth agape. She was in big trouble.
* * *
Returning homefrom her first day at work, Emily felt bone-tired. She’d successfully negotiated the subway system, but her commute still took her about forty minutes. Of course, she’d been offered a ride home with her mom and stepdad, but she’d steadfastly refused. She had to prove she could do this on her own. Her stepfather had persuaded her to move into one of the apartments owned by Gherring Inc., but only until she could find a place on her own. Steven Gherring had explained the apartment was merely a part of the initial job offering rather than a special favor for a family member. But it felt like favoritism to her.
A merry tone sounded on her cell phone.
“Hey, Charlie.”
“Hey, Sister. How was your first day?”
“I’m pooped, but everything went pretty well. I crossed paths with Mom a couple of times, but she only embarrassed me a little bit. I managed to talk her out of introducing me to the entire office.”
“You’d sit in your cubicle and never meet a soul if you had your way about it. I’m glad Mom’s there to do my job for me.”
“Just because I’m not outgoing like you two doesn’t mean I can’t make friends on my own.”
“Sure you can, it just takes longer,” said Charlie. “You’ll probably have plenty of friends by the time you’re on social security.”
“Very funny. But you know for a fact Mom used to be pretty interfering, and I can tell it hasn’t gotten any better.”
“Why? What did she do?” Charlie asked.
“You remember meeting Samantha, right?” Emily continued without waiting for an answer. “She tried to talk me into letting mom set me up with a guy. Do you know how humiliating that would be?”
“I can’t wait to see who she picks for you.” Charlie chuckled.
“This isn’t funny. I’ve got enough man-trouble without Mom getting involved.”
“Man-trouble?”
“You won’t believe my bad luck. Spencer Marshall is working a few cubicles down from me.”
“That’s awesome. I didn’t know he worked at Gherring Inc.”
“It’s not awesome—he’s pushy and overbearing. He’s an intern for the summer, so I only have to make it for three months or so. Then he’ll be gone, and I can have my quiet, private life back.”
“He’s not going to mess up your life by working next to you. Think of it as a bonus. He’s improving the scenery at the office. You have to admit, he’s pretty hot.”
“He is messing up my life. He invited himself over here tonight to help me unpack and stock up on groceries.”
“Haven’t you already unpacked?” Charlie asked.
“Of course, I have. That”s the problem. I told a little white lie about it as an excuse for why we couldn’t get together.” Emily rubbed her forehead. “Now what am I going to do?”
The sound of Charlie’s giggles echoed over the phone.
“Stop it—it’s not funny.”
“You dug your own trap. Doesn’t sound like something my perfect sister would. That sounds more like me.”
“I know,” Emily said, glancing at the time on her phone.
“What haven’t you been telling me?” Charlie’s voice was full of suspicion. “Does Spencer like you?”
Emily had been skirting the truth about Spencer’s relentless pursuit since their meeting in the fall, neglecting to give details of how many phone calls and texts he’d sent her way. Both her mom and her sister had quizzed her about him repeatedly. But Emily didn’t want the complication of a relationship right now. And she certainly didn’t want the complication of a meddling family.
“Stop it. You’re my sister. You have to help me. What am I going to do?”
“Well, you could always tell the truth and admit you lied to keep him from coming over.”
“I can’t do that. It would hurt his feelings. Although... Maybe he deserves it. Do you know he made a date with another girl on the phone while he was making this date with me?”
“So we’re calling this a date?”
“No, it’s not a date. It’s a friend coming over to help a friend. It’s only a date if they spend money on you or kiss you. You know the dating rules. He’s not spending any money, and he’s definitely not gonna kiss me.”
“Whatever you say…”
“Charlie, help me.”
“Okay, okay... Knowing you, you’ve already completely unpacked and thrown away your boxes and decorated the entire space, right?”
“Of course. I did that the night I got here.”
“So, go get your suitcases out and take stuff off your shelves and put it in the suitcases.”
“What about the groceries?”
“Just tell him you were really hungry, so you went by the grocery store on the way home from work. Honestly, he’s a boy, so all you really need to do is feed him. If he smells food cooking when he gets there, he won’t ask any questions or be suspicious at all.”
“Right. Good idea.” Emily relaxed a little. “How is it you know so much about boys, but you don’t have one of your own?”
“There’s plenty of them hanging around all the time. I can ski and climb and raft and hike and bike with them without having one guy tied to me. They’re so needy. All the girls I know with boyfriends can’t ever do anything fun because they have to be with their guys all the time.”
“Awesome, Sis. Thanks for your advice. I hate to take my stuff off the shelves. But maybe if I’m really organized about it, it won’t be so bad.”
* * *
Emilyscurried to follow Charlie’s advice before Spencer’s arrival. She decided to make spaghetti because the aroma would be really strong. She chopped up half an onion and bell pepper and sautéed it, before adding ground turkey. The smell was working on her as well—she noticed her stomach gurgling.
Spencer knocked on the door at six thirty on the dot. “Wow—what smells so good?” He waltzed in the door and proceeded straight to the kitchen. “I thought you didn’t have groceries yet?”
“I stopped on the way home from work. I didn’t want to wait for a late dinner.”
“Terrific. Spaghetti? Want me to make garlic cheese bread? Let’s see what you’ve got.” He perused her totally stocked and well-organized kitchen and raised his eyebrows. “Wow, you’ve got everything, even the spices. I can’t believe you did all this after work.”
She cringed, but his face split in a sincere smile. “I just love a girl who’s smart and efficient.” He found the supplies needed for his bread and started working.
As relief flooded her body, she hurried to finish preparing dinner. Spencer chatted about his excitement at getting the internship at Gherring Inc. He expressed admiration for her accomplishments, never suggesting Steven Gherring had given her a job she didn’t deserve.
His manner was friendly and platonic. She began to wonder if she’d only imagined his forwardness. Maybe he was simply an extremely amicable person. Maybe he only wanted to be good friends. After all, he’d never actually said he wanted to date her. That would explain why he felt comfortable making a date with another girl while talking to her. Emily knew she wasn’t good at understanding guys. She’d probably misinterpreted his intentions from the start. Surprisingly, her heart gave a little pang at this thought. Not that she liked him or anything. But he was really cute, so she was flattered by his attention. Realizing he probably gave the same sort of attention to everyone, she was a little letdown.
Soon the sauce was stewing and the water boiling for pasta. Her own stomach growled again at the scent of Spencer’s garlic cheese bread in the broiler oven.
“I guess it’s a good thing we’re eating earlier.” He chuckled as he spooned a sample of the sauce.
“How’d you get to be good at cooking? Most guys I know can barely boil water.”
“The same’s true for most girls I know, as well. But I’ve been cooking since I was a kid. Momma and Papa both worked, so I helped out as much as I could. Grocery shopping and cooking became my job.”
“So you were the oldest?”
“Oldest of five. My youngest sister is seventeen. She’ll graduate from high school next year, and every one of us are going or have gone to college,” he said proudly. “That was their dream. Neither of my parents got to go when they were young, but they’ve both gone back to school and earned their degrees.”
He stopped to pull his bread from the oven. “Tell me about your family. I know you’ve got your sister, Charlie. When did you lose your dad?”
“I was eight years old, almost nine. But I’m glad Mom’s got someone now; she was alone for a long time.”
“Yeah, I have to admit those two look pretty happy together. It’s funny… I see them less since I’m working at Gherring Inc. instead of the restaurant next door.”
“The restaurant next door? Are you talking about Papa’s Place? The one Mom’s addicted to?”
“Yep, my Aunt May and Uncle George own it. I worked for them until I started this job. They’re great, and they really helped out raising the five of us.”
Emily was increasingly relaxed as dinner progressed. When Spencer got up and started washing the dishes, she took a moment to admire the view he presented from behind. She’d seen him in shorts before, when they’d gone climbing together, but she’d forgotten how nice his muscles were. His calves flexed even when he was simply standing at the sink. And she could see his shoulders straining against his t-shirt.
What was she doing? She shouldn’t be looking at him like that. Still, it was harmless—she was merely enjoying the show.
“... Hello? Emily?”
“I’m sorry. I was daydreaming. What did you say?”
“I said we should go for a walk. You could change into shorts.” Then he glanced at the suitcases. “Or did you want me to help you unpack?”
Her mind churned. Unpacking would mean close contact. Walking was safer.
“A walk sounds good. I’ll go change.”
Outside,they strolled at a fairly nice pace. Emily was glad. She hated walking slowly—it felt like a waste of time, even if you didn’t have any particular place to go. She was afraid Spencer would try to hold hands or put his arm around her or something dreadful like that, but he kept his hands to himself. He carried the conversation, explaining all the things the city had to offer in the summer.
But Emily thought this was her chance to be proactive. Her mom had gotten herself in trouble by not speaking clearly about what she was thinking. With Spencer being so... What was he? Assertive—that’s what he was. Since he was so assertive, she needed to be up-front about her intentions.
“You know, Spencer. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I really don’t want to date anyone right now. I want to concentrate on my career.”
“I totally agree. I don’t want to date anyone either. I don’t know why people think you have to date. Why can’t people just do things together as friends? Most girls think if you have dinner together, you’ve become a couple. It’s such a relief to meet someone who thinks like me. I really don’t have time to date right now.”
“Really? You don’t want to date? You don’t want to date anyone?”
“Not now.”
“But I thought you were sort of a player. I mean, Mom said there are girls hanging around you all the time.”
“I don’t know why she said that. I mean, I have a lot of friends, and some of them are girls. But I’m not dating anyone.” Red crept up his face as he spoke.
“It’s hard to believe you aren’t dating anyone. Do these ‘friends who are girls’ know you aren’t dating them?”
“Why would it be any harder to believe I’m not dating anyone than it is to believe you’re not dating anyone?”
“I’m sorry… Fine. So you’re in a non-dating phase. If you say so, I believe you.”
“Here, let’s get a gelato. I love this place.” He led her across the street.
Emily reached into her pocket for money, but Spencer objected. “I’ll get it. It was my idea.”
“No! You can’t buy me anything.”
“Why not? Not even an ice cream?”
“No. If you pay for something, it’s a date.”
“Says who?”
“It’s our rules—me and my sister and my mom—the Best Dating Rules. It’s an official date if the guy pays for something for you or if he...” Her voice trailed off and she felt her face flushing.
“If he what?”
“Nothing. But you can’t buy me anything. Okay?”
“Whatever you say. So... Let’s go hike the AT this weekend. There’s a group going; it’s an intermediate hike, about thirteen miles.”
“Uhmm—“
He grinned as he opened the door to the gelato shop. “Okay. So we’re officially not dating. Fantastic.”
“Yeah, great.” What had just happened? It seemed they were in an official relationship, albeit non-dating.
* * *
Spencer strolled downthe corridor toward the break room to grab a cup of water. As he passed Emily’s desk, he watched from the corner of his eye, but she never even glanced his direction. His shoulders slumped. He’d employed every possible excuse to walk past her cubicle, but she remained intent on her work. He was so full of water and coffee he was about to bust.
Leave it to him to fall for a workaholic. But really, it was better this way. She thought he was a player—what a joke. She’d be shocked to know he’d never even kissed a girl, though not for lack of opportunity. But he had this weird thing about wanting his first kiss to be special, and no one had seemed special enough.
He had a lot of female friends, but he’d always made sure he was never alone with them. He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten his reputation as a playboy of sorts, but all the girls seemed to believe it. They made suggestive comments and dressed in low cut shirts and flirted audaciously. For his part, he appreciated the scenery, but he’d had no trouble turning down what was offered. Until he met Emily.
She was different from all the other girls. She was beautiful, no doubt. She was taller than most girls, and she had long sleek muscles. She didn’t look as if she starved herself to be thin. Her hair was dark brown and shiny, always in a long neat braid. And her eyes—they were the most beautiful he’d ever seen, blue with little gold flecks in them. Her skin was amazing, and the most incredible thing was he didn’t think she wore a speck of makeup. She was naturally beautiful without any adornment.
But it wasn’t her looks that captured his attention. It was... It was... What was it? Her brains? Her wit? Her accomplishments? No, it was her smile. The first time he’d spoken to her and she’d rewarded him with that genuine smile, he’d melted inside. He knew he’d do anything to make it happen again. He could happily spend the rest of his life simply making her smile. Not that he was in love or anything. He merely liked her. Well… He liked her a lot.
It’s a good thing she doesn’t want to date. If she ever kissed me she’d be disappointed. She thinks I’m an experienced lover. Ha! What a joke. It would probably be the worst kiss of her life. But what can I do about it now. I read one time you could practice on a coke bottle—maybe I can try that. But I guess it doesn’t matter anyway, since I can’t even get her to notice me when I walk by.
He finally gave up on his waiting game, stopping to peek over her cubicle wall.
“Hi, Emily.”
She glanced up, rather dazed.
“Hi, Spencer. I was having trouble with my computer.”
“Want me to take a look?”
“Sure, I guess. It’s probably me. I’m sure I’m doing something wrong.”
Spencer leaned over her to examine her work. He reached out to access the keyboard and brushed against her shoulder. She jumped as if he’d burned her, and his heart fell. She didn’t even want him to touch her. He’d thought she at least liked him a little. No wonder she’d ignored him. He might as well give up on ever dating Emily Best.
“Look, you’re just in the wrong entry mode.” He tapped on her keyboard. “That should fix it. All you have to do is choose this option.”
“Thanks. I didn’t want to ask anyone because I’m supposed to know what I’m doing. But, I’ve been wasting the whole morning trying to make this work.”
She smiled.
His heart lurched. There it was—that smile. And it was only for him.
“No problem. Any time. I’ve worked with this program before.”
“I was wondering… Do you want to go to lunch at Papa’s? I’m going with Mom and Steven.”
He tried to hide his surprise. Why was she asking him to go with her? He thought she wanted to avoid him.
She looked down as color rose to her cheeks. “You don’t have to go. I mean... If you have other plans...”
“No, I don’t have plans—I’d love to go.”
“Okay.” She lifted her huge blue sparkling eyes, peering through her lashes. “And, thank you.”
She smiled again, and his heart turned a flip inside his chest. He was in big trouble.