Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“The barn is that way,” Everest said with a knowing grin as he pointed the golf cart in the opposite direction.
“Yeah, thanks kid.” I made my way towards the barn, taking my time to figure out how I would approach Bella. She was still wary as hell of me, and since that was on me, I decided I would do this the right way, make her feel the way I should have in high school.
I should have done a lot of things back then, but until I could rig up a time machine to go back and change things, all I could do now was try to change her opinion of me today.
I spotted Bella standing near the entrance of the barn, arms crossed as she nibbled on her bottom lip and looked on as the veterinarian did something to the sheep. “Hey. What’s going on?”
Bella turned to me with big brown eyes filled with worry. “Nothing. Just a pregnant sheep who shouldn’t be pregnant.”
“It wasn’t me, I swear.”
That joke earned me a small smile. “Did you need something?”
I stood in front of her to block her view of the vet working on her animal. “Hey, Dolly is going to be all right. Just let the doc do his job.” I took her arm and walked us a few steps back, just until we were outside the barn. “If it’s not pregnancy, what else could it be?”
“A tumor,” she sighed. “Or anything else that might cause me some money or risk her life. And her name isn’t Dolly, it’s Sheridan.”
“Sheridan? What the hell kind of name is that for a sheep?” I shook my head and laughed. “That’s the name of a guy who plays polo or lacrosse, not a fluffy sheep.”
This time Bella laughed outright, the sound was low and feminine. “Didn’t realize you were such an expert on appropriate names.”
I shrugged. “I’m a man of many talents, or haven’t you heard?”
She rolled her eyes and bumped my shoulder. “I may have heard a few things,” she drawled. “Something about you having a strong dislike for women, especially accomplished women.”
“Ouch.” I clutched my chest and staggered back dramatically. “You know how to hit where it hurts.”
“Don’t you forget it, rock star.”
I batted my eyelashes. “Aw, honey, are we already at the pet names stage of our relationship?”
“If so, then I need a better name for you than rock star.” She tapped her chin. “Something more accurate than rock star.”
I held up my hands. “Derek will do just fine. Or the favorite Gregory brother. Either of those are acceptable.”
This time she doubled over with laughter, and in that moment I really felt like a rock star. In that moment when she looked at me, I felt no different than when I took to the stage in front of tens of thousands of fans. Exactly the same. “That’s a great laugh, Bella. It’s contagious.”
Her cheeks turned a dark shade of pink. “Derek.”
“I’m serious, but you can sit on that one for a while. I want to take you out, on a date.”
“A date.” She sucked in a breath and released it slowly. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Great. Tomorrow?”
She nodded. “What do you have in mind? Please don’t say something outrageous like a flight to Rome.”
I laughed. “My agent said the same thing, except he said don’t fly you to Paris.”
Her eyes widened comically. “He knows you well, I take it?”
“Been my agent for years and years. I was thinking something a little simpler than flying to Europe. How does dinner and dancing sound?”
“Like a proper first date.” Her smile was sweet, and it hit me with the impact of an eighteen wheeler.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Does seven o’clock work?”
She nodded, her almost shy smile made me a little dizzy, but the sweet blush that stained her cheeks had me hurrying away before I embarrassed myself.
Chapter 15
Bella
Tonight was my date with Derek, and I didn’t know how to feel about the whole thing.
Before he’d made high school unbearable for me, I had wanted him to ask me out, more than anything, and now that it was finally happening I was nervous and ambivalent.
“Probably because this isn’t a real date,” I said out loud, just in case my silly heart started to believe otherwise.
This wasn’t a real date. This was our first public performance as a fictitious couple. Derek wasn’t on some mission to romance me, and this wasn’t the beginning of some great love story. It was an act. A show that would benefit us both, which meant I would do my best to play the role of the enamored paramour. I would smile and flirt and tell a few funny stories, and then I would come home and relax.
I hadn’t been on a date in longer than I wanted to admit, but I was a woman of a certain age, which meant I had a customary little black dress that showed off my curves and strong, toned arms while hiding my flaws. It was somewhat sexy with beaded spaghetti straps and a low scooped back, though it wasn’t my intention to be sexy tonight. But this dress gave me the boost of confidence I would need to get through a night on the arm of a famous musician. Nothing more.