Chapter four #3
Leaning forward, I reach for his hand and lock my gaze with his. “You have a lot to lose here too, Parker. I’m literally related to the man who will determine the future of your career. Do you honestly want to work for Seth Brown if my father chooses him?”
“You know about Seth?”
I nod. “Beth and I are close. I know a lot.”
In fact, I probably know more about the drama at Carrington Cove Animal Hospital than the townsfolk do—and I don’t even live here.
Well, I guess I do now, actually.
“If you come clean to him about our lie, he’d almost be forced to choose Seth. And I know you don’t want that.”
He swallows, his jaw clenching. “I’m fucked either way, Cashlynn, thanks to you.
” He pulls his hand from mine, and my stomach is immediately in knots again.
“You’re right. If I come clean now, I’ll lose your dad’s trust that I’ve worked hard to build.
But if I go along with this and he finds out later it was all a lie, he’ll be even more furious with me. ”
“No, he won’t,” I insist. “Because this is temporary. I promise.”
“It is?” He feigns surprise. “Thank God—I thought you planned on getting married for real!”
“Your sarcasm is a bit over the top, don’t you think?”
“We haven’t scratched the surface of my sarcasm, sweetheart.”
I blow out a breath, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. “Look, I just need some time to get my life together.”
He raises an eyebrow. “And how long is that gonna take? Because I gotta say, I’m not too confident in you and your current life choices.”
Shaking my head, I fight back the tears that are threatening to fall. I can’t cry. I don’t want him to see that his words affect me, but they do—because he’s right.
God, I’m a fucking mess.
“Look, I don’t expect you to understand.
You have a career you love, a picture-perfect family and life here, and I’m sure you’ve made very few mistakes in your life.
” His face falls a little. “But that hasn’t been my path, and for once in my life, I’m deciding to do something that I want.
I’m sorry that I dragged you into this, but I’m scared, Parker.
My entire life just went up in flames, and I’m standing here with a fire extinguisher that I don’t know how to use.
” One tear slides down my cheek, but I swipe it away.
“All I’m asking for is your help. I need time.
I need space to figure out if I can make my dreams a reality.
Haven’t you ever fallen on your ass and needed someone to help you back up? ”
He stares at me for so long that I’m sure he’s about to tell me that I have no one but myself to blame for where I’ve ended up. And he’d be partially right. But when he finally speaks, his words shock me.
“How long were you thinking?”
I blink at him slowly. “What?”
Clearing his throat, he reaches for his glass, takes a sip, and sets it back down. “How long do you need to figure things out?”
“Um, I don’t know… Three or four months?”
He nods. “So until June?”
“Yeah…that should probably work.” Honestly, I have no idea how long my plans might take, but if that’s what he’s willing to give me, I’ll make it work.
“Okay.”
My mouth falls open. “You’re…agreeing to this?”
He blows out a breath and shakes his head. “Apparently so.”
I jump up from my side of the booth and launch myself at him. “Oh my God, Parker! Thank you!”
His arms instinctively wrap around me as I lean against him, breathing in his scent that’s just as intoxicating as I remember from our night together. I immediately melt against him, sliding into the seat next to him.
When I lean back, Parker’s eyes are on my lips.
Oh my God. Is he going to kiss me?
More importantly, do I want him to?
Yes, Cashlynn. Do you remember how well this man kisses? Mount him, right here. No one’s around. Seal your fake engagement the old-fashioned way.
Neither of us moves. Parker’s eyes remain locked on my lips, and my chest rises and falls as I take shallow breaths. Can I really be fake-engaged to this man when I’ve already slept with him? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?
But then, just as quickly, he snaps out of it, releasing me and shifting down the booth, putting a few inches between us. “Look, it’s uh…no big deal.”
“Yes, it is, Parker. You’re a good man, and I owe you so much.”
“A foolish man, maybe,” he says with a chuckle. “But you seem like you could use a friend right now, and I’ve been there. Because, despite what you may think, my life isn’t perfect.”
“I’m sorry for saying that. I just…”
He holds up a hand. “I get it. But if we’re doing this, we need to set some ground rules.” His eyes dip back down to my lips, then to my breasts, and then he glances away, pushing a hand through his hair. “Maybe you should, uh, move back to your side of the booth.”
Even though my pulse is thrumming from our proximity, I return to my seat, fixing my hair and taking a sip of water. “Okay. Rules. What are you thinking?”
“Well, for starters, no one else can know that this is fake besides my brothers and Grady.”
I nod in agreement. “Okay.”
“And that’s only because they were there when you crashed our lunch.”
I wince. “Sorry again about that. I just wanted to explain.”
“I know.” He sighs. “But no one from the animal hospital can know, not even Beth.”
Nodding, I say, “Agreed.”
“Next, no more lying to me.” His words are sharp, but fair.
“You got it.” And then a thought comes to mind. “I guess that makes this a good time to tell you my father thinks I’ll be staying with you?”
His eyes bug out. “What?”
“I mean, wouldn’t it make sense for me to be staying with my fiancé?”
Parker closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Jesus. Yeah, I guess so.”
“I also didn’t tell him the truth about my job.”
His eyes snap back open. “Which is?”
“That I don’t have one. You said I’d be working remotely, which was kind of you—but I actually quit.”
“That’s right, you’re a lawyer. Your dad always talks about how proud he is of his lawyer daughter.” He shakes his head. “Not a teacher like I assumed.”
I nod. “Right.”
“Then what was with the blue paint under your fingernails?”
The details of his memory take me by surprise. “You remember the color of the paint under my nails?”
He shrugs, looking away. “Well, yeah. You don’t see blue paint under people’s nails every day.”
“Huh.” I lean back and fold my arms over my chest.
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Can I ask you a question…without you getting mad?”
His brow furrows. “I can’t promise that.”
“Well, do your best for me then, will you?”
He blows out a breath, his irritation building again. “What is it, Cashlynn?”
Swallowing down my nerves, I uncross my arms, biting my bottom lip as I glance down at Parker’s mouth—the same mouth that did magical things between my legs. “Do you…have you…ever thought about that night?”
His entire body goes still, his jaw tightening as his eyes darken slightly. Then, after a beat, he licks his lips and replies in a low, measured voice, “No.”
“Liar,” I retort, fighting my grin as heat floods my cheeks. And there it is—memories of that night, the way we’d moved together, each kiss and touch like wildfire. I clench my thighs as desire hums through me.
We just sit there, silent, staring across the table at one another. My pulse thrums in my ears, a soft ache building inside me.
“Rule number three,” Parker finally says, breaking the silence.
“We’re numbering them now?”
“Rules are always numbered.”
“Only if you’re a rule-follower,” I counter.
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as if I’m exhausting him. “Are you going to argue with me about everything?”
“I’m sorry,” I say, even though I feel like my point is valid. “Continue.”
He locks eyes with me again and says, “Rule number three. No bringing up that night.”
I swallow roughly. “Why?”
“Because if we’re going to do this, we need to keep it platonic. No kissing, no touching…”
“But we’re fake-engaged. Wouldn’t it be weird if we weren’t affectionate with each other?”
He closes his eyes, takes in a deep breath, and then opens them again. “Only when necessary, and only in front of other people, okay?”
Disappointment settles heavily in my chest, but I push it aside. I know he’s right—this has to be strictly business. But the effect he has on me makes it hard to accept. Today has been crazy, overwhelming, and a whirlwind. I’m not thinking straight, so at least someone is.
Parker’s right. I need to focus on my goals and not him and his body, and that scar above his eyebrow that I never asked him about, or why he wears glasses and not contacts, or…
“Cashlynn?” Parker says, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes.” I force a smile, but it probably comes off strained.
His eyebrows draw together. “Are you sure? You look like you zoned out there for a moment.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just…been a long day,” I say, stifling a yawn.
“Yeah, and a wild one.”
“It has, but I can’t thank you enough, Parker. Truly.”
He nods once. “Just don’t make me regret this, okay?”
“The only one who can control that is you.”
“Excuse me?”
I trace small circles on the table, thinking back to my last memory of my mother. “Regret is a choice, Parker. You choose whether you live with it or not.”
He studies me for a moment. “Is that what this is about for you? Not living with regrets?”
“Yes.” I look him straight in the eyes. “The last thing I want in my life is to look back and wonder ‘what if’. My mother lived by that, and it’s one of the few things I still remember about her.”
His face softens. “Your dad never talks about her.”
I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
He studies me again, his look intense. “I feel like I know you, but that you’re a complete stranger at the same time. It’s fucking weird.”
I chuckle. “I feel the same way. Maybe over the next four months, we can actually get to know each other…”
Something flickers across Parker’s face, but it’s gone before I can fully register it. His gaze leaves mine as he says, “I just want you to do what you need to do, Cashlynn, so I can move on with my life, all right?”
I swallow, a dull ache settling in my chest, and force my voice to stay steady. “And what exactly are you moving on to?”
I can’t figure this man out. He’s so hot and cold from one second to the next. He’s hiding something, or there’s something that I’m missing. Maybe living with him will give me the chance to discover more of the real Parker Sheppard, not just the man he portrayed to me a year ago.
Standing, he drains the rest of his drink and sets the glass down. “Text me tomorrow and we can make arrangements for you to bring your stuff over.”
I rise from the booth as well, reaching out and catching his arm before he can walk away. “I told my dad we would have dinner with him soon so he can drill us about our relationship.”
“Fuck,” he grumbles, but nods. “We can talk about that tomorrow too. I need to get home, Cashlynn. It’s been a hell of a day and I’m beat. I think I’ve handled all I can for now.”
Releasing his arm, I flash him a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you again, Parker. I’ll be in touch.”
With a curt nod, he leaves, slipping out of the restaurant’s back room as I stand there, watching him go. I slowly let out the breath I feel like I’ve been holding since I arrived in Carrington Cove.
Tonight could have gone much worse. Parker could have told me to kick rocks and come clean to my father right this instant. But instead, he showed me compassion, which is one of the most vulnerable things you can do for another human.
Now that I know we’re on the same page, tomorrow we can come up with a story to convince my father we’re the real deal.
And as for Parker’s rule about no more lies, that’s a promise I plan to keep.
But my father? Well, he doesn’t get the entire truth yet. Not until I can make sure that I’m moving my life and career in the direction I want.
I just hope he can see past the hurt in the end—because if there’s one thing my father has never gotten over, it’s losing my mother, and what I want to do with my life involves every part of her she gave to me—talents and all.