THE SMELL of coffee and espresso assaulted my nose as I pulled the door to Java House open and stepped inside. The morning rush was over, and there were only a few stragglers in line waiting to place their order. In the wee hours of the morning, the line was always out the door, so I was grateful for the lack of people.
The bell on the door chimed as it shut behind me. A man, wearing a beanie and sitting at a nearby table, turned to look at me for a moment before dropping his gaze back to his phone. I took in a deep breath as I hugged my purse to my chest and hurried to slip into an empty booth.
I had to talk myself into coming about twenty times before the rideshare driver dropped me off in front of this coffee house, and then I had nowhere else to go but inside. My bags were packed and waiting for me just inside my apartment door. When I finished up here, I was going to drown myself in chocolate and chick flicks before I packed the back of my car and left in the wee hours of the morning.
“Shelby?” a deep gravelly voice asked, startling me.
I yelped and turned to see a huge man standing just a foot away from me. His t-shirt was stretched to its limit over his bulging muscles. He was tan, and his very blond hair looked bleached against his skin. His smile was wide as he stuck out his gigantic hand.
“Titan?” I asked, my voice coming out a whisper. His parents named him accurately.
He nodded, and just as I began to raise my hand to meet his, he reached down and closed the gap. “Nice to meet you,” he said as his hand literally
engulfed mine and half my forearm. He dropped my hand and turned to slide into the bench across from me. “You’re cute,” he said as he leaned back against the booth and gave me a wink.
My mind was still trying to play catch up, and something that sounded like a giggle escaped before I clamped my hand over my mouth and stared, mortified, at him.
He quirked an eyebrow, smiled, and continued chewing the gum I could see rolling around his extremely white teeth.
Thankfully, I composed myself enough to remember why he was here and what I was going to ask him to do. “Thank you for meeting with me. I’m not sure how much Charity told you—”
“Is this a business meeting?” Titan interrupted me. I startled and stared up at him. “Um, what?”
He nodded toward my fingers, which were threaded through each other and both of my hands were resting on the table in front of me.
“It’s not a business meeting,” I said, pulling my hands apart and letting one fall on my lap.
He wrinkled his nose. “You just look like you’re about to ask me for money or something.” He leaned forward. “Which I don’t do anymore.”
I waved away his comment. “I’m not looking for money.” I took in a deep breath, although asking for a loan seemed infinitely less embarrassing than asking him to pretend to date me. “Did Charity say that I needed money?” I asked, panic taking over me.
He let out a laugh. It rumbled so loud that it startled the other coffee shop patrons. My cheeks burned, but I forced a smile as well. It was only a matter of time before someone realized that I was sitting with Titan Strom, linebacker for the New York Panthers. Hopefully, they would get nosy and start taking pictures. Rumors would spread, and I would have bought myself a few weeks to let the stories fly.
He shook his head once his laughter died down. “Nah, she didn’t say that.” He leaned forward and punched my shoulder. “I’m just kidding. I know why I’m here,” he said as he leaned back once more, his left leg dangling out from under the table.
Relief flooded my body. I was certain that my cheeks were pink, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from my goal. I needed a fake boyfriend.
“So, you’re okay going along with this?”
it?”
He studied me for a moment before he shrugged. “What will I get out of
His gaze flicked down to my mouth, and in that moment, I realized I’d
started chewing on my lower lip without realizing it. A response to stress that I’d picked up as a kid. I stopped and straightened, clearing my throat. “Er—well, what do you want?” I winced as I anticipated his response.
It probably wasn’t wise for me to leave the question so open ended. I’d read some articles recently about Titan, the linebacker player. But with one look at me, he had to know I wasn’t the kind of girl that participated in that.
I was far from the perfect blonde cheerleader that he normally dated.
Then I felt stupid. It didn’t matter if I wasn’t his type. We were here for one purpose and one purpose only—to save my career while I went to deal with my grandmother’s estate.
That was all.
“I could plan your future wedding,” I offered before he could respond.
He flicked his gaze over at me, his lips tipping up into a smile. “Ain’t no woman in this world going to tie this stallion down,” he said as he drummed his hands on the table.
Not sure how to respond, I just pinched my lips together and nodded. I had no money—at least not enough to tempt him. If he didn’t want my wedding services, what did he want?
He folded his arms across his chest and studied me, like he was sizing me up. I offered him a weak smile, not sure what he was going to say.
Suddenly he cleared his throat, glanced around, and leaned in. “I need a favor.”
My eyes widened. Here we go. This was the moment I’d been dreading. “Okay,” I whispered.
He studied me. “I need a date to my sister’s wedding.”
I startled. Why was he asking me when he could ask anyone in the world? “Um, okay.”
He nodded toward me. “You’re perfect. You’re not going to fall in love with me.” Then he stopped and leaned closer. “You’re not going to fall in love with me, right?”
My cheeks flushed as embarrassment coursed through me. Love was the last thing on my mind. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not interested in…” I let my words draw out but then waved them away. It was
just never going to happen. I was determined to die a single woman, alone and free from heartbreak.
He chuckled as he leaned back. “Which is what I’m looking for. The last thing I need is for some girl to agree to be my fake girlfriend and then sabotage my plans.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Plans?”
It was his turn to blush. He cleared his throat as he tugged at the collar of his shirt. “Yeah.” He sighed. “Long story, but my ex will be at the wedding.”
I suddenly had flashbacks of the Carson wedding where the groom’s ex showed up with his secret family. The amount of expensive champagne that was thrown that night would make anyone cry.
Of course, it had been my first solo job as a wedding planner, and I’d almost died of embarrassment. Patricia had not been happy, and I thought she would fire me on the spot. But she didn’t. Who knew that a year later I’d be here, jobless?
“Why is your sister inviting your ex to her wedding?”
Titan sighed. “It’s her best friend. She’ll be the maid of honor, and I’m the best man.”
I sucked in my breath. “Ouch.”
He shrugged. “But if I come with a date, I might make her jealous.” He motioned toward me. “Enter you.”
I drummed my fingers on the table as I chewed on his words. What was the worst that could happen? It would solidify the impression that Titan and I were together. Plus, I could do some recon work and see what the other planners were doing. There wasn’t any harm in checking out your competition. “So, if I agree to go to this wedding with you, we’ll be even?”
The smile that emerged was genuine, and it helped melt away some of my stress. He nodded and then shrugged. “It’s what I’m looking for; take it or leave it.”
It was actually perfect. We could get a few photos of us today, and then I would disappear for a few weeks. Then we’d show up at a wedding together, and that would feed the gossip train long enough for me to launch my business and remain in the tabloids.
I extended my hand across the table. “Deal.”
Titan engulfed my hand in his, and we shook on it. Suddenly, he shifted his hand and slipped my fingers between his thumb and forefinger as he
leaned forward to press his lips to the back of my hand. Heat permeated my body as I sat there, frozen.
It had been a long time since a man pressed his lips to any part of my body. I’d forgotten what that warmth felt like. My heart pounded in my chest, and I must have been staring at him, because when he pulled back, his eyes widened.
“Was that not okay?” he asked. Then he stopped and stared at me. “Someone has their phone pointed in our direction. If you’re planning on slapping me, can you do that once we are alone?” His lips tipped up into a smile that only made my warm body flush even more.
Not sure what to say, I nodded. Thankfully, that movement knocked me out of my stupor, and I was able to focus on the task at hand. I smiled and glanced down, using my embarrassment to my advantage. Hopefully, people would buy that I looked rosy from love and not from shock.
Thankfully, Titan knew how to work the cameras, and in one swift movement he was on my side of the booth, wrapping his arms around me. He smelled incredible and felt so alive as he sat next to me.
I didn’t realize until now how much I missed physical touch. Even though my mind was screaming with warning bells, I kept still as he whispered nonsense into my ear for our adoring crowd. I focused on my breathing and on acting the part.
Our session only lasted a few minutes before Titan slipped out of the booth and grabbed my hand. He led the way out of the shop and onto the sidewalk. I didn’t think, I just allowed him to guide me over to his convertible, where he held open the door, and I slipped onto the soft, leather seat.
By the time I officially snapped out of my trance, he was driving down the road, tapping his fingers to the music blaring from the radio.
“I think we did pretty good,” he yelled over the music and the sound of rushing wind.
I glanced over at him. “Really?”
He nodded. “Although, you’re going to have to be less standoffish when we go to the wedding. There’s no way Samantha is going to believe that you are completely in love with me.” He glanced over and gave me a wink.
“Well, you did kind of spring it on me,” I said as I hastily tucked the hair that was flying around my face behind my ears.
“You looked like a nun,” he said as he turned his attention back to the road.
I was grateful that his gaze didn’t linger. The last thing I needed was for him to keep digging. I didn’t want to dredge up my past. I was hours away from facing the very thing I’d run away from. I wanted just a few minutes where I didn’t have to think about Harmony, my past, or what my deceased grandmother was going to ask me to do.
I was headed off an emotional cliff whether I wanted to go or not. “What’s your address?” he asked as he waved toward the large screen
on the dash.
I punched in my address, and he kept his focus on driving me there. Once he pulled up in front of it, his eyes widened. “This is where you live?” he asked.
I nodded as I pulled open the door. “Yes.” Once I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I paused. I wasn’t sure what to say. Thanks? You’re awesome? I let out a sigh.
“Don’t worry, kid,” Titan said as he smiled at me. “Our plan will work.” He gave me a wink as he pushed the car into gear and merged into traffic.
I stood on the sidewalk, watching him go. Then I turned and faced my apartment, a small glimmer of hope igniting in my stomach. If I could find some peace in Harmony and come back to the future that Titan and Charity were confident was inevitable, then my future was looking brighter.
Although I would always be a cautiously optimistic person, I couldn’t help but feel excited.
I was mere weeks away from the freedom that I’d been craving for ten years. And the thought that there was a possibility I could have it…
It made me feel alive for the first time in a long time.
