winner in their endless Valentine’s Day debate just so he could avoid going to this extreme. But that meant throwing in the towel, and Drew never quit competing until the last play of the game. Now he just needed to alter his game plan. He needed more time. More access to Rachel. He needed a reason to keep her in his life.
He needed...a roommate.
6
Send me no flowers,
it just Isn’t done.
It’s perfectly clear
I’ve already won.
TWO DAYS LATER Rachel lay on the tweed sofa in her office while her best friend played therapist. “So do you think I’m paranoid?” she asked, staring up at the ceiling. She saw a dead bug in the fluorescent light fixture and vaguely wondered if she should give it to Russell for his birthday.
Or maybe a bug zapper. A gift that kept on giving.
Gina sat in the armchair, thumbing through a mercenary magazine in her search for the perfect hit man. “Paranoid? Just because your date asked your fiancé to move in? Of course not.”
“My ex-fiancé,” Rachel amended. “Although, I never gave him the ring back.”
“How could you? He left the continent.”
“Exactly. So we never officially broke it off.” She rested her arms behind her head. “Isn’t there some sort of statute of limitations on disappearing fiancés?” Gina shrugged. “According to my research, a missing person can be legally declared dead after seven years. But I don’t know about missing fiancés. Do you want me to look into it?”
“No,” Rachel replied. “I want you to help me figure out the motive behind Drew’s suspiciously generous offer. Why would he offer a room in his house to a complete stranger?”
“Loneliness?”
Rachel grimaced at Gina. “Please. The man needs a revolving door on his house to keep his girlfriends from bumping into each other. No, I think he’s up to something.”
“But what? You told me he didn’t even like Russell.
“Well, he certainly didn’t act like it. Making snide remarks when Russell was telling his story. He even stepped on Russell’s knapsack.”
“Sounds like jealousy to me.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “That’s ridiculous. We can’t agree on anything. And he thinks I’m a kook.”
“But what about that kiss?”
Rachel gazed at her friend in astonishment. “How did you find out? I never told you Drew kissed me last night.”
“Ve fake therapists have vays of making you talk.” Gina slurred, in an atrocious German accent. “Besides, you did tell me. Just now. I was referring to that kiss in the television parking lot.”
“Oh,” Rachel replied, her cheeks growing warm.
Gina tapped her finger against the magazine. “Out with it, Rach. What happened between you and the mayor last night? I want details. Lots of details. Since my love life’s in the toilet, I have to live vicariously through you.”
“There’s not much to tell,” Rachel began, wondering how to describe a nuclear meltdown in her living room. “We kissed, Russell rang the doorbell and the date went downhill from there. Then they left together, leaving me alone in the apartment.”
Gina arched a dark brow. “So which one did you want to stay?”
Rachel bit her lip, wishing she knew the answer. “Neither one, I suppose. Although I still have a lot of questions for Russell.”
“You have to admit his lost in the bush story sounds a tad farfetched. How many entomologists do you know who disappear in search of the elusive dung beetle? For six months, no less.”
Rachel stifled a giggle that she feared was closer to hysteria than humor. “I know. But Professor Simmons called me this morning and backed up everything Russell told me. He really was missing from the camp for six months. They finally found him in that village three weeks ago. Professor Simmons even saw the piles of tree bark love letters he’d written me.”
“Wow. That’s incredible. So is Russell still a hunk?”
Rachel nodded. “Yes. In a disheveled, scholarly, rough-around-the-edges kind of
He needed...a roommate.
6
Send me no flowers,
it just Isn’t done.
It’s perfectly clear
I’ve already won.
TWO DAYS LATER Rachel lay on the tweed sofa in her office while her best friend played therapist. “So do you think I’m paranoid?” she asked, staring up at the ceiling. She saw a dead bug in the fluorescent light fixture and vaguely wondered if she should give it to Russell for his birthday.
Or maybe a bug zapper. A gift that kept on giving.
Gina sat in the armchair, thumbing through a mercenary magazine in her search for the perfect hit man. “Paranoid? Just because your date asked your fiancé to move in? Of course not.”
“My ex-fiancé,” Rachel amended. “Although, I never gave him the ring back.”
“How could you? He left the continent.”
“Exactly. So we never officially broke it off.” She rested her arms behind her head. “Isn’t there some sort of statute of limitations on disappearing fiancés?” Gina shrugged. “According to my research, a missing person can be legally declared dead after seven years. But I don’t know about missing fiancés. Do you want me to look into it?”
“No,” Rachel replied. “I want you to help me figure out the motive behind Drew’s suspiciously generous offer. Why would he offer a room in his house to a complete stranger?”
“Loneliness?”
Rachel grimaced at Gina. “Please. The man needs a revolving door on his house to keep his girlfriends from bumping into each other. No, I think he’s up to something.”
“But what? You told me he didn’t even like Russell.
“Well, he certainly didn’t act like it. Making snide remarks when Russell was telling his story. He even stepped on Russell’s knapsack.”
“Sounds like jealousy to me.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “That’s ridiculous. We can’t agree on anything. And he thinks I’m a kook.”
“But what about that kiss?”
Rachel gazed at her friend in astonishment. “How did you find out? I never told you Drew kissed me last night.”
“Ve fake therapists have vays of making you talk.” Gina slurred, in an atrocious German accent. “Besides, you did tell me. Just now. I was referring to that kiss in the television parking lot.”
“Oh,” Rachel replied, her cheeks growing warm.
Gina tapped her finger against the magazine. “Out with it, Rach. What happened between you and the mayor last night? I want details. Lots of details. Since my love life’s in the toilet, I have to live vicariously through you.”
“There’s not much to tell,” Rachel began, wondering how to describe a nuclear meltdown in her living room. “We kissed, Russell rang the doorbell and the date went downhill from there. Then they left together, leaving me alone in the apartment.”
Gina arched a dark brow. “So which one did you want to stay?”
Rachel bit her lip, wishing she knew the answer. “Neither one, I suppose. Although I still have a lot of questions for Russell.”
“You have to admit his lost in the bush story sounds a tad farfetched. How many entomologists do you know who disappear in search of the elusive dung beetle? For six months, no less.”
Rachel stifled a giggle that she feared was closer to hysteria than humor. “I know. But Professor Simmons called me this morning and backed up everything Russell told me. He really was missing from the camp for six months. They finally found him in that village three weeks ago. Professor Simmons even saw the piles of tree bark love letters he’d written me.”
“Wow. That’s incredible. So is Russell still a hunk?”
Rachel nodded. “Yes. In a disheveled, scholarly, rough-around-the-edges kind of
Similar Books
