How to Spot a Fake by Rachelle Paige Campbell

Author:Rachelle Paige Campbell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Published: 2023-06-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

In the SUV, John powered up the onscreen navigation, then steered toward town. Quite literally, he had held his future when the phone started shaking. He frowned at the name on the screen. Why was Henry texting him? The message was even more perplexing.

Henry: Meet me in town at the coffee shop.

Luckily, Love hadn’t pressed him for an explanation. John wanted to tell her the truth, but her joke about another woman threw him off balance. The drive didn’t dislodge the odd exchange from his thoughts. Didn’t most jokes have a basis in fact? What if she returned his affection? The job could get complicated very fast.

Could he work for her if he had feelings?

At the end of First Street, he maneuvered the large vehicle close to the curb.

Parallel parking was out of his realm of expertise. Maybe she’d been right to question his driving skills. He rubbed a hand along his jaw. A born and bred urbanite, he never cared about cars. Henry had insisted on teaching John, ignoring John’s protestations that the knowledge was superfluous. An invisible hand reached out and squeezed his throat.

Every memory tied into his bond with the closest person in his life. What did the morning’s text signify? The end of something precious as he began a new life?

Glancing in the side mirrors, he placed the SUV roughly ten inches too far into traffic. It was his best attempt. He cut the engine. With any luck, he would resolve his business in a matter of minutes and the position of the car wouldn’t impact anyone in town.

Pocketing the keys, he glanced outside. A several foot-high man-made snow mountain on the sidewalk looked impassable. Another unwanted obstacle to his day.

In the cupholder, the cellphone vibrated, and he accepted the incoming call. “Hello? Rick?”

“Hey, man,” Rick said. “Sorry. Hope I’m not calling too early?”

“No, no. I’m on my way to get a coffee.” John stared out the windshield at the quiet street. He didn’t spot Henry but, knowing his friend, he waited inside. Stewing for a few minutes wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to John today. “What’s going on?”

“Listen, this is sort of awkward. I’m ripping off the bandage—so to speak—and saying what you need to know.”

Silence stretched over the line.

John frowned. Was he supposed to respond? “You hired someone else.”

“I wasn’t calling about… I mean… Nothing is official yet.”

Inside his chest, John’s heart shriveled. He was heading in the opposite direction of the Christmas cartoon character. She offered me a job. I’m fine. Disappointment and feelings disobeyed reason and logic. He was excited for his future but also frustrated his hard work hadn’t resulted in anything at his internship. Had Rick treated him as a serious candidate?

“What I have to say is a little more delicate,” Rick said. “Are you seeing Charles Pettigrew’s daughter?”

Shutting his eyes, John lowered his chin. He hadn’t anticipated this turn in the conversation. Should he announce his new job or wait? “I have been spending time with her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.