Chapter 3
Eve scanned the crowd of people huddled around the edges of the baggage claim. Except for having to sprint to make her connection in Dallas, the flight from New York to Aspen had been mercifully uneventful, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because she honestly couldn’t handle one more thing going wrong so close to what were sure to be a hellish handful of days, but it was also a curse because it left her plenty of time to think. And wonder.
And worry.
It was one thing to drag Michael into this snake pit—he knew her parents and had acted as her plus-one on at least a half-dozen occasions in the past—but it was honestly a little cruel to subject someone she didn’t even know to the whole thing. If Aspen was anything like his cousin, he would be charismatic and handsome and everything her parents would approve of, which meant that Nolan, who hated to lose, would undoubtedly be a colossal dick to the poor guy.
Nolan had his good qualities, too, but he was also the epitome of the Washington DC elite, and he wielded his position as the youngest person to make partner at Morrison & Young like a cudgel to get what he wanted. From tables at booked out restaurants, to tickets to events, and to pretty former coeds who were seduced by his snakelike tongue and devilish smile, there wasn’t much of anything he couldn’t get his hands on.
And, okay, she might still be a little bitter, but most of those observations were thanks to time, distance, and hard-earned perspective. She hadn’t necessarily been happy with Nolan, but she’d been content, and her parents had approved of him. Which was more than they’d approved of anything else she’d done in her life—from declining her admission as a fifth-generation legacy student at Harvard, to eschewing any career they deemed appropriate as she followed her passion, instead. To them, photography was a hobby, not an artform, much less a career. She’d hoped her professional success would prove them wrong—she’d won several awards for her work and headlined gallery exhibitions in New York, Chicago, London, and Paris—but it hadn’t happened yet.
Eve’s heart skipped a beat before thudding heavily into the base of her throat when she noticed a someone standing amongst the crowd holding a piece of white cardstock with her name inked on it in bold, black letters.
Shit. Okay. Here we go, she gave herself a little pep-talk as she wound her way through the crowd.
She wouldn’t say the floor at the Aspen airport had issues, but she absolutely blamed the smooth tile for the way she tripped over her own feet and stumbled into a poor, unsuspecting family with two small children when she was finally able to see the person holding the sign.
She’d just assumed Michael’s cousin that he’d called-in to take his spot was a guy because of his comment about Aspen knowing how to wear a suit. And the glaring absence of feminine pronouns when he told her about his cousin.
But Aspen wasn’t a man.
She was a woman.
A tall, fit, incredibly handsome woman with dark hair that was short on the sides and left long on top to fall rakishly over her forehead. Beneath that lay regal cheekbones that hinted at Native American heritage, a jawline to die for, and full, pink lips. Even from this distance Eve could tell that Aspen’s deep brown eyes shone with an almost secretive playfulness as she leaned against a pillar, her left booted foot crossed casually over her right as she idly scanned the crowd pouring into baggage claim from arrivals. Her dark wash jeans must have been tailored to perfectly hug her powerful thighs, and she wore a slimming mock-neck black cable knit sweater with the sleeves pushed up to reveal a large aviator’s watch with a thick black band and an impressive amount of ink on her right forearm.
She was fucking gorgeous.
But while Eve appreciated the view, she knew that her parents most certainly would not. For as much as they’d disapproved of her choice of college and career, that disapproval had nothing on the absolute disdain they held for her bisexuality.
“Jesus, Michael. What were you thinking?” she muttered as she hooked a thumb under the strap of her backpack that held her camera, iPad, and other miscellaneous items she’d carried on the plane as she made her way over to Aspen.
Still, there was no denying the thrill that ran down her spine when Aspen’s gaze locked onto hers, or the butterflies that rather unhelpfully erupted in her stomach when she drew to a stop in front of her. Have I ever met anyone this gorgeous? She considered it a small mercy that her voice didn’t tremble as she inquired, “Aspen Collier?”
“Collier-West,” Aspen corrected in a low, melodious burr, with a smile that was at once roguish and charming. “You must be Eve?” Her inflection made it sound like it was a question, but there was a knowing glint in her eyes as they slid slowly over Eve’s body that belied the affect.
Eve’s breath caught when Aspen’s gaze drifted back to her own, and she could only nod in response as she silently cursed Michael again. Pretty butches had always been her kryptonite, and he fucking knew it.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Aspen drawled, dipping her shoulders in a short bow. “So,” she said as she straightened, “Michael filled me in on the broad details of the plan, but I guess what I need to know from you is: how do you want to play this? Am I just a friend, or am I, like, a friend -friend?”
Eve chuckled at the way Aspen waggled her eyebrows suggestively. The playfulness put some of her nerves at ease, and she smiled sheepishly as she confessed, “I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead.”
“Well…” Aspen bobbed her head. “Michael told me that this whole thing was going to be a bit, shall we say, uncomfortable for you, so what would make your life easier?”
Eve’s stomach fluttered at the implications of Aspen pretending to be her girlfriend for the week. It would drive Nolan crazy, which was, in and of itself, enough of a reason for her to say yes. Better yet, having Aspen on her arm would also stop her parents from thrusting potential suitors in her face the whole time—and, as an added bonus, she’d get to watch them squirm as they pretended to be accepting of their queer daughter for all of their friends. Still, while putting them on the spot in front of their esteemed guests would be entertaining, she knew their feigned acceptance would turn into subtle, unwelcoming, biting digs the moment they were alone.
She might be used to it, but Aspen didn’t deserve to suffer their vitriol just because she was reluctant to face her family without backup. “My parents can be…difficult.”
Aspen pursed her lips. “What kind of difficult are we talking?”
“The politically motivated, social-climbing kind. They’ll be nice enough to you when people are around, but when there aren’t—”
“Ah,” Aspen hummed. “So, like, the underhanded, backstabby kind of difficult.”
While Eve wasn’t sure if Aspen’s deduction was based off her pathetic attempt to explain, or if Michael had done a better job clueing Aspen in to the thing than he had her, she confirmed, “Pretty much.”
“Homophobic?”
Eve’s stomach twisted as she inclined her head and lifted her left shoulder in a small, lopsided shrug in a way that conveyed both yes and no at the same time. “Only toward me,” she murmured. “Well, I mean, that’s mostly my mother, if I’m being honest. My father’s more bothered by my other life choices.”
“Only toward…” Aspen’s voice trailed off into a quiet curse that Eve couldn’t quite catch. “Are you serious?” When Eve just pulled a face, she said, “Fuck that. I’m totally in to be your girlfriend for the weekend if you are.”
Eve wanted to say yes, that she’d love to have Aspen be her pretend girlfriend for the week, but… No. She couldn’t. She should just call this whole thing off, thank Aspen for being willing to help, and then suffer through it all on her own. That would be the honorable thing to do. But Aspen had offered, and it’d be so nice to not be alone…
“Eve?” Aspen prompted.
Eve shrugged helplessly as conflicting emotions welled in her throat.
Aspen’s expression softened. “I’m seriously cool either way, Eve. You won’t hurt my feelings if you’re not comfortable with it. I just want to help.”
Eve sighed and lifted her eyes to the ceiling. It was easier to think without Aspen’s eyes on her, and, she had to admit, that the weekend would be a million times more bearable with someone at her side. “You really wouldn’t mind?” she whispered.
“Not at all.” Aspen shook her head. “It would be my honor.”
When Eve looked back at Aspen to gauge the sincerity of her words, her breath caught at the gentleness in Aspen’s eyes that she only now noticed were streaked with bronze and gold. Jesus, I can’t believe I’m doing this, but— “Okay.”
“Okay,” Aspen echoed with a slow, pleased smile. “Well then…” She hiked her chin toward the luggage carousels behind Eve. “It looks like the luggage from your flight is being deplaned. We can head out as soon as we get your suitcase.”
Eve mentally face palmed. She’d been so focused on the fact that Michael wouldn’t be joining her that she hadn’t considered the implications of what it meant for Aspen to meet her at the airport. “Shit. I totally forgot to cancel the car I’d booked, and—” She cut herself off when Aspen nodded and pulled her phone out of her back pocket.
“Who’s the reservation with?”
“Enterprise, but—”
“Gotcha.” Aspen tapped at her screen and then lifted the phone to her ear. “Hey. Can I speak to Pat, please?”
“What are you—”
“Canceling your reservation.” Aspen grinned. “If I’m your girlfriend for the next few days, we should probably travel together, yeah?”
Eve pursed her lips. Aspen was right, but she really hated to take advantage of her kindness more than she already was. “Are you sure you want to drive me everywhere?”
“Of course. It’s all part of the Aspen Collier-West plus-one service,” Aspen replied with a thoroughly charming wink. “And, I mean, come on. There’s no reason for you to waste money on a rental when I’ve got a perfectly good SUV out front.”
Eve prayed Aspen didn't notice the blush she felt warming her cheeks as she murmured, “If you’re sure…”
“Totally sure.” Aspen held up a finger to indicate her call had been picked up as she said, “Hey, Patty. I need you to delete a booking from your system.” She laughed huskily at the other person’s response. “Whatever, man. Just help me out here, huh? Should be under the name Eve Morrison.” After a beat, she said, “Cool. Thanks.” She smiled as she pocketed the phone. “All set. Let’s get your bag and get out of here, hey?”
Eve nodded and took two steps after Aspen before she jerked to a halt as her thoughts latched onto another wrinkle to this haphazard plan. “Oh no.”
Aspen turned to her with a frown. “Hm?”
Eve’s pulse picked up. “Michael and I were supposed to stay at my parents’ house,” she explained in a rush. “Well, I mean, house might be selling it short, it’s more like a manor, so we won’t be, like, bumping into them all the time or anything,” she rambled, “but…”
Aspen nodded as she connected the dots. “Okay. So I’ll stay with you.”
“Yeah, but, it’s just one room. The rest of the guest suites have been given to people from their VIP list. Michael and I were just going to share the bed since we do it all the time when we crash at each other’s places anyway.”
“That’s fine.”
“Really?”
To her credit, Aspen didn’t even hesitate. “Sure. We’ll just need to swing by my place so I can pack a bag.”
Eve gaped at her. “You’re seriously okay with this?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Aspen affected a comically thoughtful expression. “You don’t, like, kick in your sleep or anything, do you?”
“No, but—”
“Do you snore like a freight train? Gonna try to smother me in my sleep?”
“What? No!”
Aspen smirked. “I was just kidding. But I do need to sleep on the right side of the bed.”
“That’s fine. I prefer the left, but—”
“Eve.” Aspen placed a light hand on her wrist, and her expression was kind as she asked, “I promise that I’m cool with this—but are you? Seriously, if you’re not, we can totally come up with some other story to explain my attendance.”
Eve knew that she should say no, but as she stared into Aspen’s warm brown eyes, she found herself selfishly desperate for the support that shone in their variegated depths. “Okay.”
“Okay…we’re pretend dating? Or, okay, we’ll come up with something else?”
Eve drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Holy shit, she was really going to do this. “Dating.”
Aspen grinned and held out her arm. “Okay. Cool.”