Modern Girl's Guide to Friends With Benefits (2 page)

"It's a party. Honestly, Megan, one afternoon won't kill you. Your father doesn't ask much of you, and you know he'll appreciate it."

"Sure he doesn't," Megan said under her breath. He never asked for anything, except that she stay out of newspapers, be the perfect daughter, and look pretty for the voters. Her father loved her in his own way, but more often than not Megan felt like she was more useful as a talking point than she was as a daughter. "My daughter, the teacher," was one of his favorite lines to slip into speeches. It pissed her off every time because he'd been so upset when she dropped out of graduate school that he cut off her access to the family trust. It was a hollow punishment because Megan had her own small inheritance from her mother's estate, but it still hurt. Now he embraced her more "humble" career choice with open arms, wrapping himself in the banner of the working class. She'd love to tell him how she really made her money.

"You don't have to do anything but show up," Michelle said, continuing to plead her case. "I'll even call the car service to come pick you up."

"I'll go," she said, tired of this conversation. If she pushed Michelle, she'd likely get a call from Dad, and that's the last thing she needed. "But I'm driving myself."

"Great. Do you need help picking out a dress?"

"I've been dressing myself for years now, Michelle."

"I know that, dear. But you know how unkind the press can be. The event is day formal. So something classic, like a black sheath dress, would work well. That dress you wore to Thanksgiving would have worked, but we released some photos to the press. Maybe something new is in order. And of course, you'll need an escort. I was thinking…"

Megan pulled the phone away from her ear as Michelle went on. "So, what's the damage?" she asked Connor.

"Shouldn't you finish your call?"

"She can go on like this for hours." Megan put the phone back to her ear and said, "Sure, good idea," and pulled it away again. "I just need to say some affirmative words every now and then. So is this about the termites? I know you wouldn't come up here unless you have some news."

"Sorry, it's not good. The termite damage extended to the exterior wall. I'm going to have to open it up."

Megan closed her eyes and counted, trying to calm her nerves. She was almost to one hundred when Connor cleared his throat and nodded to the forgotten phone in her hand.
Shit.

"That sounds great, Michelle. I'll be there with bells on."

"I knew you'd agree, so I had Lesley contact Ethan," Michelle said. "Everything is set up. He'll meet you there. I'll have Lesley email you all the details."

"Wait. What details?" Megan asked, totally lost.

"For your date with Ethan. This way you don't have to worry about bringing someone…appropriate. I had a dossier drawn up with his background and family history. He'll be the perfect escort for the luncheon. It would be nice if you made the style page."

She should have known better. The way her day was going even her old trick of agreeing with Michelle to get her off the phone had turned into a disaster. "Whatever," Megan said, frustrated. "I have to go. We can talk about this later."

After disconnecting, Megan was tempted to toss the phone across the room. Instead, she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, taking deep breaths.

Connor must have picked up on the ratcheting tension because he laid on the accent a little thick. "Sounds like you're having a bad day. If it makes you feel better, you can help me tear down the wall. I'll even let you use the big hammer."

Must not make a penis joke.
She opened her eyes and smiled, but his sincere expression was just too much. "Why Connor, I'd love to handle your big hammer. Don't you think Pat will be jealous? I could always watch while you handle the beast yourself, if that makes you more comfortable. Can you do it without your shirt on?"

He frowned at her double entendre. "Megan, love, I've already told you, I draw the line at working without a shirt."

Oh, the boy was sexy and really sweet. It was just too bad he was gay. At least he was good at his job and didn't have a problem with all the sex talk. Heck, she got some of her best dirty dialogue while teasing him. Connor usually gave as good as he got, even though there wasn't a chance in hell she'd ever get into his pants.

"Alright, I guess the shirt can stay." Megan sighed dramatically and waved him off. "Give me a few minutes. I have a couple things to finish up, and then we can have lunch up at the coffeehouse with Patrick. I'm going to need some food before you show me exactly how much of the house we're going to have to tear down."

She did need to work, but the call from her agent had pretty much wrecked Megan's will to do any more writing. At least that's what she was telling herself. The truth was, she couldn't finish the FBI book she'd started months ago. The plot was too complicated and the mood had turned serious. Not at all like the other sex-filled, fast-paced stories from the series. And the most troubling thing was, Megan had no idea how to get her mojo back to finish the book.

So instead of getting back to work, she called her friend Julia.

"Hey, girl, I've had a shit day. Do you want to hit The Sparrow and help me wallow in self-pity?"

"I'm sorry. I know today is your birthday, but I can't," Julia said. "I've got a ton of things to do before we leave tomorrow. Are you sure you can't fly down with us? Because I'd be all about getting drunk in first class."

"I'd love to leave early, but I've got a city inspector coming tomorrow and, of course, they couldn't make an appointment. I just have to be available all day. Like I don't have anything better to do than wait around for some jackass to approve my wiring."

"I tell you what, I'll call the spa and get us in on Saturday. We'll do a whole day of it. Let the boys hit the slopes. We'll enjoy the resort's other amenities."

"Fine, but after, promise me we'll all go out and drink all the wine in Vail."

"It's a date," Julia said. "Oh, that's Simon on the other line. He's been driving me up the wall today, but if I don't take it, he'll come over. Happy birthday. I hope your day gets better. Just keep telling yourself you'll be on vacation in less than twenty-four hours."

"Say hello to my rotten brother," Megan said. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

Megan hung up and immediately scrolled to Peter's name. She wanted to call her best friend and have the mother of all bitch sessions, but she didn't want to bother him. He was already stretching himself thin by joining them in Vail for her birthday. Ever since they'd opened that stupid office in New York, Peter, her brother Simon, and everyone else in her small circle of friends seemed to be busy. But these last few months had been particularly hard for Peter, so she didn't need to pile on her shit, too.

The weekend would come soon enough and Peter would be all hers, at least for a few days. She tossed the phone onto the desk and headed downstairs to see what kind of mess Connor had uncovered.

Unfortunately, things were far worse than she'd expected. The entire south wall of the kitchen had to come out. Connor played it off as a simple matter, but Megan knew he was just trying to put her at ease.

Chapter Two

Modern Girl Tip #5 Emotional Maturity Required:
A Modern Girl understands what kind of a relationship she's getting into right from the start. You're not looking for a happy ever after. You're just looking for a satisfying ending. In order for that to happen, you need to be in a healthy place emotionally.

By the time Friday rolled around, Megan was more than ready for the trip. But of course, it turned into the longest day ever. The city inspector didn't show until four and then proceeded to take over an hour to check the wiring and fuse box. The traffic to O'Hare was so awful, Megan barely made it to the gate on time. But it wouldn't have mattered if she was late because the flight was delayed for hours.

When she finally made it to the Rocky Hill Resort, Megan was exhausted and ready to forget the entire week with lots of booze.

Dragging her bag through the lobby, she headed straight for the desk. It was late, and she really hoped everyone else was already checked into their rooms and in bed for the night. After her long flight, she really didn't feel like socializing.

"Megan, I'm so glad I caught you before you checked in." A harried-looking Julia caught her by surprise and yanked Megan away from the front desk. "There's been a slight hiccup. When Simon made the arrangements, the travel agent assumed we were three couples traveling, so instead of four cabins, she only booked three."

Sighing, Megan glanced at the desk, desperate to get to a room. "Fine. I'll get a room at the main lodge. It's not a problem." It would have been nice to have the extra space to spread out, but she was fine with a regular hotel room. "On the plus side, I'll be closer to the bar," she said, trying to put a positive spin on the day.

"Well, that's the thing. They don't have any more rooms." Julia wouldn't look at her and continued to babble. "We evidently got in because of a last-minute cancelation. There's a big event this weekend. If we'd known there was going to be this many people here, we could have gone someplace else. I would have been fine with Beaver Creek. But Simon said you really loved Vail, and it is your birthday after all."

"God, Julia, just spit it out. Whatever is wrong, we'll fix it."

"You have to share a cabin with Peter."

"Is that what you've been worried about?" Megan sighed with relief. If that was her biggest problem this weekend, this was going to be a cakewalk. She had planned on fitting in some writing this weekend, but whatever. It wasn't like she was overly inspired. "Peter and I have shared a room before. It will be fine."

"We don't have to make a decision tonight," Julia assured her. "Peter's flight was canceled. He won't be in until the morning. We'll find another room tomorrow, I promise."

"Don't worry about it," Megan said. "Really. It's only a couple days. We'll survive."

"Simon's waiting in the bar. Why don't you come join us and we can talk about our plans for tomorrow?"

Megan begged off drinks, a first for her. She was exhausted, and at that point, she didn't care if she had to sleep on a sofa. A long, hot shower and a glass of wine were all she required. She headed to the desk, determined to check in, and nearly ran into a tall, very solid, and oh-so sexy guy. He smiled and stepped aside, allowing her to pass. She smiled back and continued on her way. Then again, maybe she'd partake of the fruits of the land.

Once in the room, Megan tossed her bags on the sofa and ordered a bottle of wine. That's when she saw the hot tub on the deck.
There is a God after all.
She didn't care if it was still snowing or that she didn't have a bathing suit. After the week she'd had, Megan was getting in that hot tub.

"I can't believe we're finally here," Kim said as Peter pulled into the parking lot of the resort. "I'm not sure which was worse, the flight into Salt Lake with the youth soccer team or that drive. I still think we should have waited until the Denver airport opened back up tomorrow."

"It was my fault we didn't make the earlier flight," Peter said, putting the car in park. "And with the number of flights they canceled today, I didn't want to chance it. Meg's birthday trip is a tradition. Besides, Simon arranged for snowmobiles tomorrow morning. There's no way I'd miss out on the fun."