“It’s good seeing you.”
Ryan turned away and headed toward the pool. After a few moments, Maddie sighed. “Why do I feel the need to be polite? It was not good seeing him. It was torturous. I hope I can avoid him the rest of the night.”
“Maybe he’ll trip and fall into the pool.”
“Ryan can’t swim.”
“Then I’ll push him into the pool.”
She let out a laugh, but when she looked up at him, her expression slowly turned serious. “Um, about that kiss… Just curious, but was that for business or for pleasure?”
“Purely pleasure on my end.”
“Oh. Um, perhaps we should just keep those things on the business side from now on.”
“Things? What things? You mean kisses?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t want this arrangement to get mucky, especially since I’m paying you. Don’t you agree?”
No . He damn well didn’t agree.
But Trent didn’t dare voice that thought because only a short week ago he would have completely agreed with her. Part of him even had to wonder if her sudden let’s-not-complicate-things talk had anything to do with seeing Ryan again. “Sure. No sense complicating things.”
She bit her lip. “Okay then, let’s go meet the rest of the family.”
He nodded and threaded his hand through hers. She gave him a look but said nothing as they walked along the stone path to the house. Good , he thought crossly. Because if she was paying him to be her wedding date, that’s what wedding dates did: held hands. And quite frankly, they probably kissed, too. Frequently. And maybe even…
Oh hell.
The shock of discovery hit him with full force. He was completely wrong about Maddie and completely wrong about that one simple kiss. Because she was not out of his system and he was not satisfied.
Not by a long shot.
Chapter Seven
M addie had to hand it to Trent. When he wanted to turn on the charm, he really knew how to do it up right. Her aunt Lois and aunt Marie were laughing and hanging on to his every word. Practically eating right out of the palm of his hand. Not that she should be surprised. He certainly charmed enough young girls back in the day. It was only natural that a couple of sixty-year-old women wouldn’t be immune.
A cursed thirty-year-old woman wouldn’t be immune, for that matter.
Why did Trent have to look so good? Couldn’t he have stayed the full-of-himself-jock stereotype? He was nothing like he was in high school. Worse yet, he didn’t really fit into the image she had of him being a paid escort. She didn’t know what to think anymore. Then again, it was hard to think at all after he’d kissed her the way he had twenty minutes ago.
Despite the whole situation and how he treated her years ago, she liked him. She really liked him. God-help-her liked him. However, she refused to entertain the idea that Trent was interested in her. The man could have any woman he wanted—and probably did—and she was just… cursed . Even on the rarest of rare chances he was interested, so what? It’s not like he was looking for a relationship. The man bounced around women in his line of work all the time. Well, she wanted a guy who stuck. She didn’t need a fling. She’d had plenty of those. A real relationship and a job on the other hand continued to elude her, as her cousin constantly reminded her.
A hand landed on her shoulder, startling her out of her doldrums. “How could someone with such a charming and off-the-scale-hot boyfriend look as if she just heard Ben & Jerry’s was going out of business?”
Maddie shot her sister a horrified look. “It isn’t, is it?”
Louise chuckled. “Rest assured New York Super Fudge Chunk is safe and sound for the foreseeable future.”
“Whew. You had me concerned there for a second.”
“Don’t evade the question.” Her sister’s face clouded with concern. “Is everything okay between you and Trent?”
Maddie swallowed hard, becoming increasingly uneasy under her sister’s scrutiny. “Nothing could be
Ryan turned away and headed toward the pool. After a few moments, Maddie sighed. “Why do I feel the need to be polite? It was not good seeing him. It was torturous. I hope I can avoid him the rest of the night.”
“Maybe he’ll trip and fall into the pool.”
“Ryan can’t swim.”
“Then I’ll push him into the pool.”
She let out a laugh, but when she looked up at him, her expression slowly turned serious. “Um, about that kiss… Just curious, but was that for business or for pleasure?”
“Purely pleasure on my end.”
“Oh. Um, perhaps we should just keep those things on the business side from now on.”
“Things? What things? You mean kisses?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t want this arrangement to get mucky, especially since I’m paying you. Don’t you agree?”
No . He damn well didn’t agree.
But Trent didn’t dare voice that thought because only a short week ago he would have completely agreed with her. Part of him even had to wonder if her sudden let’s-not-complicate-things talk had anything to do with seeing Ryan again. “Sure. No sense complicating things.”
She bit her lip. “Okay then, let’s go meet the rest of the family.”
He nodded and threaded his hand through hers. She gave him a look but said nothing as they walked along the stone path to the house. Good , he thought crossly. Because if she was paying him to be her wedding date, that’s what wedding dates did: held hands. And quite frankly, they probably kissed, too. Frequently. And maybe even…
Oh hell.
The shock of discovery hit him with full force. He was completely wrong about Maddie and completely wrong about that one simple kiss. Because she was not out of his system and he was not satisfied.
Not by a long shot.
Chapter Seven
M addie had to hand it to Trent. When he wanted to turn on the charm, he really knew how to do it up right. Her aunt Lois and aunt Marie were laughing and hanging on to his every word. Practically eating right out of the palm of his hand. Not that she should be surprised. He certainly charmed enough young girls back in the day. It was only natural that a couple of sixty-year-old women wouldn’t be immune.
A cursed thirty-year-old woman wouldn’t be immune, for that matter.
Why did Trent have to look so good? Couldn’t he have stayed the full-of-himself-jock stereotype? He was nothing like he was in high school. Worse yet, he didn’t really fit into the image she had of him being a paid escort. She didn’t know what to think anymore. Then again, it was hard to think at all after he’d kissed her the way he had twenty minutes ago.
Despite the whole situation and how he treated her years ago, she liked him. She really liked him. God-help-her liked him. However, she refused to entertain the idea that Trent was interested in her. The man could have any woman he wanted—and probably did—and she was just… cursed . Even on the rarest of rare chances he was interested, so what? It’s not like he was looking for a relationship. The man bounced around women in his line of work all the time. Well, she wanted a guy who stuck. She didn’t need a fling. She’d had plenty of those. A real relationship and a job on the other hand continued to elude her, as her cousin constantly reminded her.
A hand landed on her shoulder, startling her out of her doldrums. “How could someone with such a charming and off-the-scale-hot boyfriend look as if she just heard Ben & Jerry’s was going out of business?”
Maddie shot her sister a horrified look. “It isn’t, is it?”
Louise chuckled. “Rest assured New York Super Fudge Chunk is safe and sound for the foreseeable future.”
“Whew. You had me concerned there for a second.”
“Don’t evade the question.” Her sister’s face clouded with concern. “Is everything okay between you and Trent?”
Maddie swallowed hard, becoming increasingly uneasy under her sister’s scrutiny. “Nothing could be
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