Chapter 6
HOLDEN
My little white ball soared across the driving range, a perfect line against the gray, early evening sky. I watched it land with a satisfying thwack on the far turf and smirked. “And that’s how it’s done.”
Jimmy whistled low between his teeth, hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the last bit of glare from the sun. “Show-off.”
I shrugged a shoulder and lined up another shot, breathing in the fresh air of the range and feeling good. It was freezing out here, but I enjoyed it. Mostly unobstructed skies. Green grass stretching as far as the eye could see no matter the time of year.
“Don’t hate me because I’m consistent,” I said a moment before I swung.
Jimmy snorted but once again watched my ball soar like it’d grown wings. “You’re not consistent. You’re obsessive.”
“Let’s not get hung up on the semantics of it all. Just tell me it was a good shot and let’s move on. I’ll even help you tighten up your own swing if you’ll let me.”
He grimaced. “I’d rather quit golf altogether.”
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen, surprised when I saw a text from her.
Ellora.
The girl who’d been occupying way too much of my mental real estate recently. I actually fucking smiled when I read it.
Thank God.
Jimmy caught it immediately. “What’s that smile all about? Did one of your enemies die or something?”
“Better.” I slipped the phone back into my pocket. “I’m happy to report that I took your advice and found myself a date for the wedding.”
He paused mid-swing and looked over at me, eyebrows shooting up high. “You found a what? Where? Who is she?”
Knowing he was going to turn this into a bigger deal than it was, I tried to get ahead of it. “I’m paying one of my students to pretend to be my girlfriend for a night.”
“Are you serious?” He stared at me, blinking hard before he shook his head. “You are serious, aren’t you?”
“I am. You told me that I needed a date and I agreed, so I went out and found myself one. We really don’t have to turn this into a thing. It’s not a thing. It’s nothing. A mutually beneficial arrangement at most.”
“Fucking billionaires,” he muttered. “You’re always doing weird shit.”
“It’s not weird,” I said as I adjusted my grip on my club. “It’s efficient.”
He barked out a laugh but shook his head so hard that he managed to ruffle his unrufflable dark hair. The guy used hair gel liberally and frequently, but apparently, this had been enough to make even the hair gel unable to keep him looking slick and unflappable.
“Efficient. Right. God forbid, you just ask someone out. You know, like a normal person might. You’re really paying someone to be your date?”
“I didn’t want to risk a real date getting the wrong idea. This way, it’s a clean transaction. No expectations and no drama.”
I swung again and the ball hooked left. Damn. Maybe he’s not the only one who’s usually unflappable, but is very much flapped right now.
Jimmy smirked. He watched my ball go wide before he brought his deep brown, all-seeing eyes back to mine. “You think money can solve all your problems.”
“That’s because it does.”
He chuckled. “You can’t buy love, my friend.”
I looked at him over my shoulder, narrowing my eyes into a glare that meant business. “Who the fuck said anything about love? I just need a date, so I bought myself one. Back off with that other shit. I’m serious.”
He shook his head—again—and laughed under his breath. Asshole. When I’d first met him, he’d been terrified of me, just as intimidated as he should’ve been. It looked like the effect had long since worn off, though.
“You’re out of your damn mind,” he said, giving it to me straight.
At least that part, I appreciated. There weren’t enough people who leveled with me the way he did.
“Why a student? Are you trying to get fired? Because you could just walk away from academia once and for all. You do have a whole empire waiting for you to get over this little phase you’re in.
You don’t need to see how far you can bend the rules before they force you to leave. ”
Something in me hardened. I’d explained to him time and again, but he wasn’t the only one who didn’t get it. When I’d first started teaching, the tabloids had just about lost their minds. No one would expect someone like me to give half of his time to a local college. I understood that.
What I’d done had been unconventional, unusual, and a shock to everyone. Hell, I’d even surprised myself when I’d signed up for it, but it had been five damn years. I figured he would have learned to accept it by now.
“It’s not a phase and she’s not really my student. Not in any way that matters, at least. It’s just a night class. There’s no power imbalance.”
He widened his eyes at me, a soft scoff coming out of him. “It still sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.”
“I’ve got NDAs,” I said dryly. “Besides, I did ask her out before I pitched it as a business proposition. She turned me down, but accepted the deal. See? Efficient.”
He paused, a confused frown furrowing his brow. “She turned you down?”
“Yep.”
“And now she’s your date?”
I shrugged and pumped my eyebrows at him before I hit another ball. “I guess money really does solve all problems.”
Jimmy let out a laugh like he was admitting defeat. “Just be careful, man. That’s all I’m saying. You start mixing real life and the classroom, who knows what happens?”
“Relax,” I said, drawing out the word. “It’s one night. Then she goes back to being my student and I go back to teaching about quarterly projections. Clean. Easy. And—”
“Efficient,” he finished for me, finally turning his attention back to his club again. “Sure, man. That’s definitely how this ends. If you want to be your most optimistic self, be my guest.”
I ignored him, focusing on my next swing rather than the jackass beside me, but even as I lined it up I could feel the ghost of a smile tugging at my mouth. Because for reasons I didn’t care to examine too closely, I was actually excited about this.
Jimmy teed up another ball and sent it slicing into the distance. “So, have you signed off on the plans for the Renewal Initiative yet?”
“Done and dusted.” I wiped a bit of turf off my club. “Have we started making offers to the shopkeepers?”
“Not yet,” he said. “We still need to meet with the board first. Get their approval. There’s no sense in spending money until we get the green light.”
“Have you set it up?” I asked. “We need to get that meeting on the books. Like, yesterday.”
“I called Veronica and blocked a slot for next week. Just don’t let this wedding shit distract you.”
I glanced over at him. “Distract me how?”
He gave me a pointed look. “You know what I mean. This project? It’s your legacy, man.
You’ve been talking about it for years. The renewal is supposed to be your mark on the city.
The thing people remember you for. I know you’re worried about your ex, but don’t let her fuck up the next stage of your life too. ”
I swung again, harder than I needed to, and the ball rocketed downrange. “She won’t. Trust me. I’m fine.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow when he met my gaze again, a knowing gleam in his eyes that made my stomach twist. “Yeah? Are you sure about that?”
I leaned on the club and watched the ball vanish into the sky to avoid looking at him any longer. “Absolutely. Shannon doesn’t get to take up space in my head anymore.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he let it go. “Good, because if this board meeting goes well, we’ll be breaking ground by the summer.”
I nodded, but my mind was already drifting. Ellora had said yes and it was hard not to feel triumphant about it. The girl was gorgeous. Curvy, sparkling blue eyes, and a rack I would love to bury my face in. She was worth every penny.
Shannon was going to hate her, and while I had zero interest in rekindling things with my ex, I was very interested in making sure she knew I had moved on to better things. I took another swing and muttered under my breath, “I’m totally fine. Absolutely, completely fine.”
Jimmy glanced at me and I pretended not to notice. I knew he was worried about me and it was sweet, but I didn’t need a fucking babysitter.
The Renewal Initiative was my priority. Always. The fake-date bullshit was just another necessary step along the way—attend the wedding of the guy who heads the construction company we’d be using without my ex thinking she was winning the breakup.
Jimmy and I whacked a few more balls, but soon the sun started setting and the chill was really sinking in, so we called it a day. I headed home and peeled off my damp clothes before I stepped into the shower.
The hot water washed away the sweat from the range but not the thoughts crowding my mind. While I should’ve been mentally running through budgets and reviewing floor plans, I kept thinking about Ellora.
The way she’d carried herself into that last class like she was on top of the world when she very clearly was not, the tilt of her chin when she argued back, and the fire in her eyes. It all played on a loop in my mind.
By the time I got out, toweled off, and slipped into a pair of sweats, I gave up trying to force myself to focus on anything else. Instead, I grabbed my phone.
Me: You’re going dress shopping. On me. I’ll send the details.
I hesitated for only a second before hitting send. My thumb hovered as I imagined her reaction, but it turned out I didn’t have to wonder about it for very long. Her reply came through almost immediately.
Ellora Porter: Yes.
I stared at the message, and for just a second, I let myself grin like a complete fool. I even shook my head at myself and laughed. Quietly. Just a little.
Yeah. I’m definitely happier than I should be. And I might be way too invested in this fake-date shit already.