The Fake Engagement

“Opportunities. I’m very much aware of what kind of investment opportunities are in my own town, Preston Boone. It would be easier, wouldn’t it? Turn everyone away. Tell them all no, they are on their own. They can’t stay afloat and money doesn’t grow on trees. So they sell up their land to a let’s say a property investor. One by one, they all fall, and it won’t be long until Westcliffe Heights is nothing more than a stomping ground to mall activity. I’ve seen what happens, and that kind of life isn’t welcome in this town. We’re a community that takes care of each other. Not some statistic men look over to see how much additional money they would make.”

Their arguments had continued for years.

They never talked about his company or what he did.

Preston couldn’t help but wonder if his father would be happy with him or ashamed. The city life was great for so many reasons, but it wasn’t home.

Why was he starting to realize that?

Chapter Six

“You eat chocolate chips in your pancakes?” Preston asked.

“You have yours with a banana mashed into it. Believe me, yours is gross, mine is delicious.” She lifted her forkful of fluffy chocolate chip pancakes and took a bite. She closed her eyes. “So good.”

They were eating breakfast. Preston was dressed in a suit, while she’d entered his kitchen in pajamas. Her hair wasn’t done. She’d washed her face and brushed her teeth, but hunger had struck.

She’d been mixing up the batter for her pancakes when Preston joined, requesting a mashed-up banana.

Now they had their coffees and were enjoying breakfast at his long dining table. She sat next to him while he was at the head of the table. She didn’t know when he’d gotten his newspaper.

It was a Sunday morning.

No work, but he was dressed for work.

“Are you heading into the office today?” she asked.

“No, I’m not.”

“So why are you dressed so … worky?”

“Worky? That’s not a word.”

“It is now, and I said it.” She put another piece of pancake into her mouth.

“This is how I dress.”

“You never just hang out, and I don’t know, enjoy yourself?” she asked.

“I do.”

“What do you normally do on a Sunday?”

His eye twitched.

“You do, don’t you?” she asked. “You work on a Sunday.”

“I catch up on some emails and do some research.”

“Do you not know how to have fun at all?”

“I’m eating pancakes with you.”

She rolled her eyes.

“What do you usually do?” he asked.

“Hang out with my friends. We sometimes watch movies. Cook. Mackenzie isn’t allowed to cook though. She cannot cook if her life depended on it. If it’s nice out, we take a picnic out to the local park. It’s always busy, but it’s fun.” She shrugged. “We do whatever we fancy, unless my demanding boss requires me to send him files. Sunday is a slob day.” She pointed at her pajamas.

When she saw him enter the kitchen, her first instinct was to run and change into her suit, but she’d squashed it. Preston needed to get used to her in pajamas.

“The pancakes are good.”

“Come on, go get changed out of your suit,” she said. “You’ve got to be uncomfortable being in that thing. It’s so hot outside.”

The sun was already up. She’d found his AC unit and turned it on.

He glanced down at himself. “There’s nothing wrong with the way I’m dressed.”

“I didn’t say there was anything wrong, and there isn’t, but come on. You are not working today.”

“I’m about to be away from my company for the next month.”

“Mr. Boone, I already have everything in place and ready. We are on constant call, and I’ll have the necessary means of hooking you up in case of an emergency meeting. I will not fail you. I have never failed you, but you need to go get changed into something. I’m going to take you out, and you’re going to learn to live a little.”

She pulled him to his feet and moved him toward his bedroom. Her hands were on his back, and she was not staring at his tight ass. Nope. Nor was she paying attention to how firm he felt beneath her hands.

Touching Preston was a strange experience. She’d been working with him for three years, and in all that time, she had failed to ever touch him.

How was that possible? To never touch someone you worked closely with?

“Get dressed. I will meet you out here in five minutes,” she said.

“You’re telling me it is only going to take you five minutes to get dressed?” he asked.

“Yep.”

“I doubt that.”

“Are you making a bet?” she asked, hands on hips.

He folded his arms. “I am.”

“Okay, fine. If I’m ready in five minutes, you hang out with me the whole day as Preston, not my boss. If you win, and I take longer, then we can do work ’til your heart’s content.”