twenty-seven and had been living on my own since I’d left for college, my mother treated me like an incapable child. It was only bearable because she was states away and too busy to pry into my life on a daily basis.
But when she found the opportunity, whew, did she dig in.
She’d booked a phone call with me during my lunch hour. Being written into my mother’s calendar wasn’t unusual and had stopped bothering me a decade ago.
She was who she was, and I strove to be the polar opposite—which was why I was sitting on the patio of a café, picking at my sandwich, responding to her questions in the manner I knew would satisfy her. That was the easiest way to handle my mother.
“How is Elise?” she asked.
“Really great. She loves her job at Andes, and of course, I don’t know how I survived without her in Denver all these years.”
My mother huffed. I could practically hear her indignation through the phone. “It isn’t as if you’ve been in Denver all this time. You were traveling more than you were home.”
“You know me. If I’m in one place too long, I get antsy.”
“All fine and good, Saoirse, but you’re getting too old to play the part of a hostel-staying, broke backpacker. It isn’t cute anymore.”
I rolled my eyes. My mother had no idea where I stayed when I traveled or what I did. She had an image in her mind, and she couldn’t let go of it.
“I don’t have any travel plans right now,” I told her, which was strictly true. But I wasn’t much of a planner, so that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be traveling in the near future.
“Good. Then you should be looking for a permanent position. With your experience, there isn’t a reason to continue temping. It’s beneath you, but aside from that, you’re taking positions from people who truly need them. I know that isn’t something you would willingly do.”
Oof. That one actually got me good. I was overqualified for most of the positions I took, that was true, but my work history wasn’t exactly glowing to potential long-term employers. The longest I’d stuck to a job was six months, and I’d been crawling out of my skin by the end.
“I’m looking, Mom. But I won’t settle. Besides, I’m enjoying working at Rossi, and my contract has been extended another month.”
I wasn’t looking for another job, but as long as I told her I was, she normally laid off until the next phone call. And it wasn’t that she was stupid and actually believed me, but my promises assuaged her “mom worries” enough to drop the subject and not think about it until we spoke again.
“A motorcycle company, Saoirse? I don’t see you staying there long term. What about the marketing firm Peter told you about?”
“I’ll look into it.”
I wouldn’t, and we both knew it. We were dancing the dance we always did.
She sighed her tired, put-upon sigh I knew all too well. My poor mother had been blessed with two children who were nothing like her, and it would forever rankle her. Fortunately, she had Peter, her right-hand man and protégé, who allowed her to shape him like he was a lump of clay.
“Let’s talk about brighter subjects. Tell me what you’ve been up to in your downtime.”
This was code for, Who are you dating? I wasn’t really in the mood to disappoint her yet again.
“I’ve been helping a friend with her new business in Boulder. It’s consuming a lot of my time right now. Other than that, you know me, I’m a sun junkie. I’m outside whenever I’m not in the office. The farmers’ market—”
“And are you spending time outside with anyone special? If you’re not, Peter has a college friend who recently moved to Denver. He went to Yale, skis like you do…I know you’d get along, and he could use a tour guide for all the hidden local spots.”
I closed my eyes, cringing hard. I’d let her set me up on dates before and smiled my way through them to make her happy, but Peter was such a tool. Anyone he was friends with had to be equally awful.
“I’m seeing someone,” I blurted out.
“Oh.” She went so quiet I could hear a pin drop. “Is this new?”
“It’s—we’ve been friends for a while, but now, it’s more, and it’s serious.” Why were these words coming out of my mouth? What was I even saying? She was going to have questions, and I had no answers. I was the worst liar who’d ever lived.
“Is it…not Elliot Levy?”
“No, why would you think that?” I almost gagged at the idea. Elliot was sexless to me. He might as well have been a Ken doll. Sure, he was hot in his own buttoned-up way, but in my eyes, he had no dick.
“You mentioned you were friends, and I’m not really aware of you having other male friends. Unless—”
“No, I’m not a lesbian.”
“It would be fine if you were, Saoirse.”
“I know, but I’m not. The person I’m seeing is very much a guy.”
“Won’t you tell me who he is?”
I scrambled for an acceptable answer. If I made someone up out of thin air, she’d know because she’d sic Peter on the name the second we hung up. Probably before, if she could swing it.
Puffing up my cheeks, I slowly exhaled. “Luca. I’m seeing Elliot and Weston’s friend, Luca.”
She paused. “Rossi?”
“Yes,” I pushed out, hating myself for lying to my own mother.
“And it’s serious?”
“We’re committed. He’s my boyfriend.”
“Is he committed?”
“Yes, Mom. I wouldn’t be with him if he wasn’t.”
“Of course you wouldn’t. You’re smarter than that.”
Was I? I was feeling pretty freaking stupid right now.
She peppered me with a few more questions that I shut down as well as I could, then, at exactly twelve thirty, she let me go. It must’ve been time for her next appointment.
With a groan, I let my head drop into my hands. I’d have to make up some spectacular breakup story before our next scheduled call. At least I could tell her I was too heartbroken to date and buy myself some leeway.
The chair across from me scraped on the stone patio. I looked up, shocked to find Luca Rossi settling across from me, a devious smirk playing on his lush lips.
“Hello, Saoirse.” My name slipped from his tongue like rich, smooth cream.
“Hi, Luca.”
He leaned back in his chair, draping his long arm across the back of the one beside it.
“We’re dating, are we?”
My nose crinkled. “Did you really have to hear that?”
He chuckled, low and silky. “I don’t know if I had to, but I did.”
“I’m not crazy,” I told him.
“I find sane people don’t have to tell others they’re not crazy.”
“Well, maybe I am crazy, but I’m not delusional. I know we’re not dating. I was speaking to my mother, and she was threatening to set me up on yet another date, so I told her I had a boyfriend, and your name was the first that popped into my head.”
His brow winged. “Why is that? Have you been thinking about me?”
“It’s hard not to when your last name is all over the building I’ve been going to the last three weeks.”
He hummed, his eyes raking over me. “Why does your mother want you to date so badly you feel the need to lie to her?”
I lifted a shoulder, not wanting to reveal the inner workings of the Kelly family, but since I’d dragged him into it, I guessed I owed Luca.
“If you can imagine someone who is the polar opposite of me, that’s my mom. She’s known what she was going to do and who she was going to be her entire life.”
“And what’s that?”
“She’s a California state senator. Her father held the position before her, his father before him.”
He dropped his arm onto the table and leaned forward. “Interesting. You’re clearly not on that path.”
“No.” I snorted a laugh. “No one would elect me to make political decisions. I’m not that person, which my mother recognized long ago, to her great disappointment.”
His brows dropped heavily over his narrowed eyes. He seemed like he was going to say something but shook his head and pressed his mouth into a flat line.
I flicked my hand, aiming for airy, but I had a feeling I came off as manic. “Sometimes it’s tiring to constantly disappoint her, and that phone call was dripping with it. So, I lied when she asked about who I was seeing, and for once, she didn’t end the call telling me how worried she was about me. I’ll have to set her straight when we speak again, but it’ll be a few weeks. I am sorry I dragged you into it, though.”
He rapped on the table with his knuckles. “Apology accepted. I hope our breakup isn’t too painful.”
I grinned. “It’ll be your fault. You’re going to break my heart.”
That earned me lowered lids and a soft curve of his mouth. “I would never, bella.”
I tipped my head to the side. “Bella, huh? No more ‘pretty girl?’ I get lumped in with all the others?”
He chuckled, and some of his wayward hair flopped onto his forehead, giving him a roguish quality that suited him immensely.
“Is this the beginning of the end of our fake relationship?” he quipped, ignoring my question. Which was fine. I didn’t really want to know why I’d been downgraded to bella.
“We were doomed from the start.”
He turned his head, still smiling slightly. “I have to get back.”
“Me too.”
He rose to his feet, and that was when I noticed he had a cup of coffee. It surprised me that he’d been out fetching his own, but maybe he’d needed a break from the office too.
I gathered my things, and we strolled back to the Rossi building together. As we approached the entrance, two men with professional cameras came out of nowhere and started snapping pictures.
Luca immediately tensed. His arm banded around my shoulders, pulling me so tight into his side I was almost behind him.
“Who’s that, Mr. Rossi? Are you on a date?”
“Is this your girlfriend, Luca? What’s her name?”
“Is she a model? Does she know about your reputation?”
“How do you feel about the low stock prices?”
“Are you going to be replaced as CEO?”
“Is your father dying?”
That last question thrown at us by the two men caused Luca to stop walking. His hand tightened on my shoulder, and every muscle in his body went rigid.
I circled my arm behind him, rubbing the center of his back. “Come on, Luca. Let’s go inside,” I murmured. “We need to get in the building.”
When I pressed on his back, he finally began walking again, steering me into the lobby, away from the intrusive shouts of the photographers.
“Wow, that was intense and really invasive.”
Luca’s sharp jaw ticced. “Just another day.”
Without another word, Luca walked away from me into his executive elevator, where I couldn’t follow even if I wanted to.
An email appeared in my inbox at the end of the workday. Since it was from my boss, I decided not to ignore it.
From: [email protected]
Saoirse,
Please come to my office first thing in the morning. Security will have an elevator card for you.
Yours,
Luca
What the hell could this be about? I couldn’t even begin to fathom why he’d need to summon me to his office so formally. It was annoying he was making me wait until tomorrow to find out.
From: [email protected]
Luca,
I’d call you the king of edging, but that wouldn’t be accurate since I know you’re into immediate gratification.
I’ll be there in the morning, sir. Bells will cost you extra.
Sincerely,
Your Inconvenient Hookup, Saoirse
A minute later, another email popped into my inbox.
From: [email protected]
Saoirse,
It would be most appreciated if you stopped referring to yourself that way, especially through company email.
To your first point, I’m a man who is flexible in the way I get things done. Sometimes, it’s slow and deliberate. Other times, it’s fast and repeated.
We can discuss all this in the morning.
Yours,
Luca
