The Accidental Boyfriend (9 page)

Holly watched him work for a minute. He was awfully cute when he was working.

But then, Jack was awfully cute all the time. That’s why she and half the women in America swooned over his pictures in gossip magazines. Her cheeks burned all over again at the memory of her big mouth that afternoon. He’d probably thought she was some kind of crazy groupie. She’d all but quoted that article
Vanity Fair
had run on him years ago….more embarrassing than that, she actually
could
quote parts of that article word for word, she’d read it so many times. She had been royally smitten with the sexy tech genius from the moment he’d begun gracing the tabloids. She’d read all the articles about his romantic exploits—articles which, for a time, featured her sister. Holly grinned as she watched him work. It was hard to believe that she had ever fallen for that story. Or that anyone had, for that matter. Just being in the same room as Ivy and Daniel, it was insanely obvious that they were in love.

To think, she had actually been jealous of her sister for a little while there. Not that she wanted Jack, of course. Her days of dating playboys were long gone. She was ready for the real deal. But still. Holly had a feeling she would be jealous of any woman who managed to tame the sexy playboy.

Could it be done? She thought back to the slew of photos and articles she’d read on him. Highly doubtful. Besides, there could only be one wild child per couple, everyone knew that. Not that she was thinking about trying. Because she wasn’t. She’d chosen her partner and he was perfect for her in every way.

Her smile faltered a bit when she thought of Benjamin. Or rather, how Benjamin would react to the news that she was in France. With Jack. He’d said he was fine with the pictures that the Oakdale Gazette had printed, and he
had
seemed to be fine with it. He was very rational like that. But it was just a matter of time before his sisters or mother showed him the
People
magazine picture and there’s no way he could be so nonchalant about that.

It wasn’t like she had set out to make him jealous but if it
worked
….maybe this trip to the wrong Paris wasn’t such a disaster after all.

Jack hopped to his feet with a wide grin that made her smile in return. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” she said. She snatched up a lightweight sweater she’d strewn onto the couch, grabbed her purse and led the way to the door.

“Where to first, my little sightseer?” he asked.

She spun around in the doorway and he nearly collided into her. God, he smelled great. Was that cologne or his soap? The debate was still on. Whatever it was, he should buy it and sell it. With his face on the front, obviously. It would be a hit.

Jack was watching her expectantly, waiting for her answer. Oh right. He’d asked her something. “Lunch,” she said. “I’m starving.”

He threw a hand over his heart and groaned. “You are a woman after my own heart.”

“You’re hungry, too?” she asked.

“Always.”

The brasserie was dimly lit and smelled amazing. It was crowded but Holly spotted a table in the back. “You go snag us a seat, I’ll tell the waitress we’re here,” Jack said. He lightly gripped her arm as he spoke and he leaned in so his mouth was next to her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

She nodded and headed toward the back. When she took her seat, she glanced up to see if Jack was behind her but instead she found him ensnared. That was the only word for it. A stunningly beautiful woman had her arms around him and was whispering in his ear, a charming smile on her annoyingly perfect face.

Holly sucked in a deep breath to squelch the instantaneous revulsion at the sight before her. She was not jealous, she told herself. That would be stupid. She was just…protective.

And Jack looked miserable, she realized with more than a little delight. He was standing at attention as though suddenly recruited to the army, and his usual charming grin was replaced by a forced, polite smile that screamed, “Help me.”

Holly scrambled to get out of the booth. After all, she’d made a promise to return the favor. If there was any doubt in her mind that this woman was one of the many spurned lovers he’d mentioned, it was erased by the possessive way the woman let her hand linger on his arm and the way she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

A surge of adrenaline had Holly practically running across the crowded restaurant. She didn’t stop to think, she just acted. After all, she’d made a promise.

“Sweetheart, what’s taking you so long?” she said as she cozied up beside Jack, slipping an arm around his waist and wiggling under his arm so it was wrapped around her shoulder. As the woman watched, she leaned in so close her lips were touching his ear. “Now we’re even,” she whispered.

Jack looked down at her with eyes wide with shock and his mouth open as though to speak but no words immediately came out so she continued to avoid an awkward silence.

She turned a huge smile to the woman before her whose look of surprise matched Jack’s. The supermodel recovered quickly and held out a perfectly manicured hand and said in a thick, French accent, “How do you do, I’m Miranda.”

“Holly,” she responded quickly, shaking the other woman’s hand with a bit more force than necessary.

Miranda looked from Holly to Jack and then back again. Holly could see the confusion on her face. Still wasn’t clear? Perhaps she should spell it out.

“I’m Jack’s girlfriend,” she said.

She heard a strangling noise come from Jack and looked up to see him alternating between shock, amusement and…horror.
Uh oh.

Miranda crossed her arms and took a step back to survey the happy couple. “Is that right?”

Holly was sure the other woman would twirl around on her expensive high heels and storm out, but to her amazement, the woman grinned at them both in sheer joy. “How wonderful!”

Holly looked up to Jack and gave him a questioning look.

Jack cleared his throat. “Holly…honey…allow me to properly introduce you to Miranda
Everett
, my sister-in-law.”

Holly’s stomach took a nosedive and her heart rate kicked up a notch.
Oh crap.
She looked up at Jack, trying to gauge his reaction. His mouth was twitching but it was impossible to tell if he was smothering a laugh or a curse. Maybe it wasn’t too late to clear the air. She looked to the woman across from her and gave her best smile.

“I, uh, I should probably explain. You see, Jack and I aren’t—”

“No need to explain, my dear.” Miranda was smiling at her with such joy that Holly swallowed the rest of her explanation. “I’m so glad to see that Jack is happy again.”

Holly gave Jack a quick sidelong glance, hoping to get some signal as to how she should proceed. But he was useless. He still looked shell-shocked.

To Holly’s surprise, Miranda reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a little squeeze. “You two must come to our apartment tonight. We’re hosting a party—something small, just a little gathering of close friends. Please tell me you’ll come.”

Again Holly glanced up at Jack but he was no help. He had clamped his mouth shut and his lips were thinned into a tight line. He looked unusually…un-charming.

“Well, um, I’m not sure,” Holly stammered. Now she was looking at Jack with wide, panicked eyes, trying to telepathically beg him for some assistance. It wasn’t working.

“Oh, please,” Miranda pleaded. Now she reached out another hand so she was holding both Jack’s and Holly’s hands in hers and they looked like they were about to burst in “Kumbaya” in the middle of the busy brasserie.

Apparently getting the same lack of reaction from Jack, she turned her attention to Holly. “Please, do come. It would mean the world to Jack’s brother.”

The gorgeous woman’s big brown eyes were pitifully pleading and Holly crumbled. “Of course, we’d love to go.”

The woman let out an exclamation of joy before kissing both her cheeks and then Jack’s before hurrying out of the restaurant, leaving Holly and Jack standing there alone in a crowd in heavy silence.

When she finally hedged a look at Jack, she found him staring down at her with a grim look but he remained frighteningly silent.

“So,” she said with a forced cheeriness. She was at a loss as to how to finish that sentence.
So, I just declared myself your girlfriend to your family. So, you were incredibly awkward around that woman. So, we’re going to a party—why do you look like it’s your funeral?

When she didn’t finish speaking, he cocked an eyebrow. “So,” he repeated. Somehow his “so” sounded far less pleasant.

“So…that happened,” she ended lamely.

He turned away from her with an exasperated groan and led the way back to their table, where he slumped into a chair with a defeated air. Holly was more than a little alarmed to see Jack—cheerful, devil-may-care, Jack—wearing a worried scowl.

“I’m sorry,” Holly said, sliding into the booth across from him.

To her relief, Jack gave her a wry smile. “It’s okay, you were just trying to help.”

“So that was your sister-in-law, huh?” she said. “She’s awfully pretty.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “That’s an understatement.”

“And she seemed nice,” Holly continued, shamelessly digging for information.

“Mmm,” Jack agreed. He had turned his attention to the menu a waitress had left on their table.

“So why were you such a weirdo?”

Okay, perhaps that was not the most diplomatic question she’d ever posed but still, she wasn’t sure she deserved the gaping look of horror he was sending her way.

“I was not a
weirdo
,” he sputtered.

Holly raised a brow in disbelief. “Uh, yeah, you kinda were.”

He snapped his mouth shut and made a show of reading the menu. Now it was her turn to stare in disbelief. He was ignoring her? “What are you doing?” she snapped.

He didn’t look up. “Reading the menu, what does it look like I’m doing?”

“Moping.”

He looked up at that and for a moment, Holly barely recognized him. She was so used to seeing the easygoing, laid-back charmer, this serious man across from her looked like a stranger. His guarded demeanor shattered her defensive anger.

“What happened back there?” she asked, her tone far less accusatory.

Jack tossed the menu down with a sigh and leaned back in his booth. “That’s the first time I’ve seen Miranda since their wedding. That was three years ago.”

Holly found herself holding her breath, waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, she asked quietly, “Is that the last time you saw your brother, too?”

Jack gave a quick nod. His jaw was clenched so tight she thought he might chip a tooth.

“What happened?”

For a second she thought he was going to ignore her but after a moment of silence he let out a humorless laugh. “What always happens,” he said. “Someone trusts me and then they live to regret it.”

Holly’s heart ached at the bitterness in his voice. “I’m sure that’s not true,” she murmured. Even as she spoke the words, she knew how useless they were. She knew better than anyone what it felt like to let down the people around you, to be the flaky unreliable mess that had to be cleaned up after.

She studied him for a moment in silence. Her heart was aching at the sadness she saw there but if there was one thing she knew, it was what he did not need right now—pity.

Leaning back in the booth she picked up the discarded menu and focused on reading as she said, “Well, if you’re the family failure, I can’t wait to meet your brother.”

He looked up in surprise. No doubt he’d been expecting her to deny what a mess up he was. One side of his mouth twitched up. It was a bare hint of a smile but it was a start. “Oh yeah?”

“Mmm,” she said, reaching for some bread in the basket on their table. “I mean, if the bad seed in your family is a billionaire genius, what on earth are his other siblings like?”

Jack leaned back in the booth, the hint of a cocky grin making her heart do a little flip flop as her breath caught in her throat. “Well there are only two of us, so I guess you’ll see for yourself tonight.”

Holly’s hand froze in mid-air as she reached for the butter. “We’re going?”

He picked up a piece of bread and slathered it with some butter before shoving it in his mouth. “Have you ever said no to a party?” he asked with his mouth full.

Holly couldn’t help the loud laugh that had the patrons at surrounding tables staring. “No,” she said. “I don’t believe I have.”

He rewarded her with a sexy grin that made his eyes do the squinty thing she loved. “Nether have I.”

They ate their bread in silence for a moment, sharing a silly grin. Then Holly leaned over the table. “You do know you’re going to have to tell me what happened between you two eventually, right?”

Jack ignored the question, pointing instead to the piece of bread in his hand. “The bread here is
really
good, isn’t it?”

Holly rolled her eyes but let the topic drop—for the moment at least. She’d get it out of him eventually.

Jack toyed with the cuff on his jacket and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was studiously ignoring the anxious pit in his stomach, as if by refusing to acknowledge it, the knot would dissipate.

It wasn’t working. It had been two years since he’d talked to his brother and that had been when his parents had tricked him into calling the house while Robert was there. Had they really thought that a couple of stilted words on the phone were going to dispel the years of bitterness and resentment between them?

He hadn’t actually
seen
his brother since the wedding and even that had been a stilted, awkward affair as both brothers made a show of putting aside their feud for the sake of their parents and Miranda.

He’d known Miranda as long as Robert had, since junior high—that’s when his father had been stationed in France and the two boys had both fallen for the girl next door.

His hand froze for a moment while straightening his tie. He couldn’t believe Miranda, of all people, had actually bought Holly’s act. She knew better than anyone that Jack didn’t have “girlfriends”. He had “friends”, many of whom happened to be women but none of whom were ever called “girlfriend.”