Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Dakota
I ’ve never dreaded the weekend more than I do right now.
Sitting at the desk in my office, I stare blankly at the computer screen in front of me, just like I have been for the last hour. It’s been two days, and I still can’t get my dinner with Chance out of my mind. In terms of our arrangement, it had been a success. The word is spreading around town of us being a couple. So much so, I can’t go anywhere without being stopped and asked about my relationship with the one and only Chance Declan.
“You and Chance, huh? You’ll have to give me all the details,” Tessa, the barista at The Rustic Cow Cafe gushed as she made me my morning latte.
“Are you sure you want to be seen with that man, dear?” Millie Thompson asked, patting me on the hand while I stopped in at the town’s only grocery store after work. “He doesn’t have the best reputation, and you’re such a nice girl.”
“You and Declan, huh?” Mike Walters asks, leaning against my door frame. As a Senior Lawyer at Hamilton Law, Mike took it upon himself to be a mentor to me when I first started. He allowed me to get hands-on experience in areas I normally wouldn’t have been able to as a junior. I appreciate and respect him for that, but not so much for his sudden interest in my love life.
“Not you, too?” I groan, looking up from my screen.
“If you didn’t want the town knowing about who you’re dating, you should have picked someone with a lower social profile.” He enters the room and takes a seat across from me. “So what gives? I never pictured you with someone like Chance Declan.”
I don’t want to lie to Mike. He’s been so good to me since I started three years ago, but I don’t have any other choice. I can’t admit to him that I’m only dating Chance for show. While not completely unethical, it won’t be good for business if a lawyer is found to be outright lying, either.
“I guess you could say my previous track record with men wasn’t glowing, either.” I say as I lean back in my chair.
“That’s true. Chadwick was always an asshole.”
“He was?” I ask, sitting up straighter. “Why didn’t you say anything to me before?”
“Because he was your boyfriend, Dakota. I couldn’t very well tell you that you were wasting your time with him.” He holds my gaze, studying me.
“But you’re willing to tell me now?” I raise my eyebrow at him, biting back a smile.
“This is different. Chance Declan is a different league. While Chadwick is an ass, the breakup wasn’t as widespread across the town. Being involved with Chance means that everyone in Whiskey Falls and the surrounding area is going to be watching your every move.”
I hold his gaze for a moment longer, taking in his words. That is another aspect of the deal I hadn’t thought out. Sure, in the back of my mind I knew that being with Chance meant that people would notice; that was the point, but I didn’t think of the magnitude of it. This wasn’t just going to be the talk of the board of the rodeo, or just the town. Mike was right, this would be spread to the surrounding towns, and everyone involved in the rodeo. This is as much paparazzi as small town BC gets.
“But in terms of levels of asshole-ness, I guess you are doing better with Chance than Laughlin. I mean, as far as I know, Chance just breaks hearts, not laws.”
I groan, putting my hands on my face.
He had to bring it up.
“You have to stop beating yourself up about what happened, you know.”
I let out another groan, lowering my head—and hands—to my desk. “Can we not talk about this?”
“You mean how he broke into your locked desk to steal records from you?” I drop my hands and look up to see Mike run a hand through his short, greying hair. “You did everything you were supposed to do, Dakota. How were you to know that the bastard would go to such lengths for that information?”
“Because it happened on my time and in my house, Mike. Our case was compromised because I let him into my home.”
“Dammit, Dakota,” Mike exclaims, rubbing his face with his hands. “We all take our work home with us. We all have a level of expectation that something like this could happen. It’s not like you willingly handed them over. In any case, what’s done is done.”
I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. We’ve had this exact same conversation at least a handful of times since my breakup with Laughlin, and each time, I feel just as bad as the last.
“My point is, I just hope you aren’t jumping into anything with Declan. He might not be the same type of snake as Chadwick, but he’s still a snake.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. He’s not a rebound or some fling. Plus, we’re taking it slow.”
“Uh, huh.” Mike narrows his eyes at me. “And you’re totally fine with the women he has been seeing up until he was spotted with you?”
My heart stops. I knew these types of questions were going to happen. I had prepared for it. Discussed it with Chance. It still doesn’t make me feel any better having it actually asked of me.
“It was nothing. I wasn’t ready to go public with him yet, and they were just friends of his.” I don’t meet his eyes. Instead, I find a speck of lint on my sleeve more interesting than this conversation.
“Uh huh,” he says, obviously not buying what I’m telling him. “And why wouldn’t you want to go public with him when you’re dating?”
Leave it up to the lawyer to not leave this alone. He’s like a dog with a bone.
“You know, we had that big Wilson case.” I continue to pick at imaginary lint on my sleeve.
“Dakota,” Mike’s voice is stern, causing me to look up and meet his gaze. I’ve always seen him as more of a friend than an authority figure, but at this moment, I feel like I’m about to be reprimanded by the school principal.
“What? It’s nothing. They’re nothing.”
“It’s like you’re not even trying to get me to believe you. What’s really going on?”
I purse my lips, trying to come up with anything that would be believable to Mike. Then I remember something Chance had said to me in passing. “It’s nothing. I just know Todd has been trying to get the ranch as a client, and I didn’t want to interfere if our relationship wasn’t going anywhere.”
“And is it going somewhere?”
I take a deep breath. Here it is. More lies. I’m going to have to navigate this without stretching the truth too far. Not to Mike.
“I’m going with him to the Whiskey Falls Rodeo Gala tomorrow.”
“That’s a bold move. He usually goes to those alone.” Mike relaxes back into his chair, resting an ankle on his opposite knee.
“How do you know so much about Chance?”
“Who do you think looked into him for Todd? We needed to learn everything about the man when he took over the ranch. While his father was a tough, but fair, businessman, Chance was, and still is, a loose cannon. Wouldn’t you agree? Surely as his girlfriend you would know this.”
Well, fuck.
“Like I said, it’s newer and we are taking it slow. We don’t talk a lot about work.”
“Right.”
A crushing weight presses against my chest as we stare at each other. The silence in the room is deafening. I know Mike’s not believing this. He’s too good of a lawyer and judge of character to believe me, but there’s nothing I can do other than pray he drops it.
A flash of light from my desk draws my attention away from my building anxiety. My heart rate picks up, thumping in my ears so loud I’m sure Mike can hear it, too. This time, it’s not from his line of questioning, but from the words on my cell phone screen.
Chance
The limo will be by at five tomorrow.
I use every ounce of willpower I have to resist rolling my eyes as I pick up my phone.
I miss you, too, baby. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I’ll be waiting with bated breath to see you again.
Lose the attitude. Does 5pm work for you?
No attitude. Just telling you how I feel, love.
Drop it, Dakota.
Make me, Chance.
I smirk, loving how much I can get under Chance’s skin.
“Loverboy?” Mike asks with a wide smile on his face.
“If you mean Chance, then yes.” I place my phone back on my desk, face down. “He’s letting me know what time he’s picking me up for the gala tomorrow.”
My phone dings again, but I don’t rush to answer it. Mike looks between me and the phone, raising an eyebrow as he looks at me expectantly. I won’t give him, or Chance, the satisfaction of seeing just how much I’m dying to see what Chance’s reaction to my text is. How much I hope he’s just as frustrated as I am.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.” Mike stands and walks to the door, turning at the last moment. “Just be careful, alright? I’m not saying that from a business perspective, even though it is a thin line with how hard Todd has been working on signing him as a client. I meant that for you. You’ve been through a lot these last few months, Dakota. I don’t want to see you hurt again.”
Tears well in my eyes as emotion rises in my throat. I’m not a crier. I hate crying. But having Mike care for me like this means a lot.
“Thanks, Mike,” I croak, swallowing down the rising lump in my throat.
With a nod, he leaves, closing the door behind him. I sit staring at the closed door for a moment, afraid to let out the breath in my lungs. That was too close. Too many lies. My stomach is in knots knowing that I did that, but what other choice did I have? I can’t tell Mike the truth, that it’s all a show for me to save face and for Chance to lie to his investors.
It’s all getting to be too much. This isn’t who I am.
Buzzing from my desk makes me jump. Placing my hand over my heart, the speedy thumping matches the ringing in my ears. Taking a deep breath, I berate myself for being so on edge before picking up my phone, not even looking at the screen before swiping and putting it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Dakota,” Chance’s deep growl rumbles through the speaker. That voice. My body trembles, adding to my already emotionally ridden high. “Do not ignore me.”
“I’m not ignoring you, Chance. I’m working. Some of us can’t just live off family wealth.” I regret the words as soon as I say them. I know that’s not fair to him. I also know how hard he works on his farm. His silence lets me know the comment also didn’t go unnoticed by him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. What can I do for you, Chance?”
“What’s wrong?” he whispers so low I think I might have made the question up in my mind. There’s no way he’s expressing any level of concern for me.
“What makes you think anything’s wrong?” I try to act nonchalant, as if the sound of his voice isn’t causing butterflies in my stomach and a blush on my cheeks. I place my free hand on my heated face, trying to cool it down before rolling my eyes and shuffling around the few papers on my desk. I don’t know why I’m so affected by him. He means nothing to me, and I mean nothing to him.
“Your voice sounds different. Have you been crying?”
My hand shoots back to my face, checking for tears, relieved to find none have slipped out. I’m holding it together better than I thought I would. Between Mike’s concern, and now Chance’s it’s getting to be too much. If Chance keeps being nice to me the way he is, I’m going to absolutely fall apart.
“No, of course not. I’m just…tired.”
“Right,” he answers, but doesn’t sound convinced. “Will you be ready by five tomorrow night?”
“Yes, Chance, I think I can be ready on time.” I don’t bother hiding my sarcasm.
He lets out a frustrated sigh. “Are you going to be like this the whole time.”
“Like what, darling? Waiting on your ever word? Jumping every time you ask something of me? I’m not that girl, Chance. You should have looked to one of your buckle bunnies if you wanted someone that was going to follow you around like a lost puppy.”
“ You found me , remember?” He curses under his breath. “Look, we just have to make this work until the rodeo, alright? Do you think you can do that? After that, we can go back to not knowing each other, okay?”
The logical part of my brain knows that’s what the plan has been all along. My treacherous heart, though, hurts at the thought of going back to a time when I didn’t know Chance Declan existed. Or more, knew what his deep, gravelly voice felt whispered in my ear. To have his piercing blue eyes peer into my soul. Mostly, it hurts to think of never having his hard, toned body pressed up against mine.
I take a few steadying breaths, remembering why I’m doing this, and it has nothing to do with his body. “Fine. A few more weeks of playing lovey-dovey and then back to real life.”
He’s silent for a moment. Long enough to make me wonder if I’ve pushed him too far.
Which leads me to wonder why I care.
“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I don’t like this situation any more than you do.” He grumbles before diving into silence again. “I had a nice time the other night.”
“That’s your definition of a nice night? You almost made the poor waitress cry!”
“You’re right.” He hesitates, as if he doesn’t want to continue with his confession. “I remembered after I dropped you off that I did spend the night with her last year. Nice girl, but she was looking for more than I could give her. She wanted forever. I’m not a forever kind of guy.”
‘ Not a forever kind of guy. ’ I’d do well to remember that.
“Right. Well, I’m glad you remembered. Even if it was too late.” I can’t imagine living a life where I didn’t know all the people I’ve slept with. I’ve never understood hook up culture. While I wouldn’t ever judge someone based on how they live their life—mostly—I never saw the appeal of it for myself.
The silence that passes between us is thick with tension. I don’t know what to say. I don’t have words to placate him or make him feel better about his forgotten transgression. I also don’t have the words to ease my own feelings about what’s happening between us.
Surely my feelings toward Chance are only because Laughlin hurt me so badly. It has to be because I’m so desperate to feel something—anything—other than heartbreaking embarrassment when it comes to the man I thought I might marry.
Whatever my feelings are, I need to put them aside to get through my time with Chance.
“Look, why don’t we look at tomorrow as a fresh start? Forget about Laughlin and Hayley. We could use the time we need to be seen as a couple and convince people we are madly in love.” I close my eyes, hoping I believe my own words.
“In love,” Chance scoffs.
“Like? Tolerate? Not want to kill?” I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a dull headache start.
“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” Chance rewards me with a laugh as he hangs up.
“Ugh!” I slam the phone down, surprised the screen doesn’t shatter at the force. How the fuck am I going to get through the next few weeks pretending to be in love with this infuriating asshole?
I lean my head back on the chair and close my eyes. The dull headache is rapidly turning into a migraine the more I think about having to spend my free time with Chance fucking Declan.
This is going to end horribly.