Save the Date (4 page)

“Thanks.” He fiddled with his keys, then put it in the lock. “I’d like to take credit, but I have a gardener.”

Gardening, huh? Not too much personal judgment, and I’d be making the world a prettier place. But, then again, it’d kill my manicure. Not worth it.

Feeling a little nervous, I followed Ethan inside where the entry opened up into his living room. Everything was tastefully decorated, simple, and comfortable.

“Make yourself at home.” Ethan gestured toward a large cushy sofa with a matching loveseat. “You hungry at all?”

It was almost eight o’clock, and I’d had dinner before meeting Ethan in Old Sac. “I ate earlier. Thanks, though.”

“Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Love one.” After the day I’d had, I could use the whole bottle. I found myself wandering over to the mantel, which was lined with various picture frames. “Mind if I check out your photos?”

“Sure, go ahead,” he called from the kitchen.

I started on the left, picking up a framed photo of Ethan and a group of guys on a boat. I recognized the background with its vast sapphire-blue water enveloped with the brown mountain cascade, splattered with vibrant green pine tress. “This was taken in Tahoe. Right?”

“Yep.” He returned, holding empty wine glasses in one hand, and an unopened bottle in the other. “The two guys on the left are associates at my law firm. We own the boat together.”

“Sounds fun.” I set the frame back on the wooden mantel, turned, and accepted the glass he held out. Remembering the serene feeling as we glided across the lake last weekend, I smiled. “Being on the water is so peaceful and relaxing. I love it.”

“Then I’ll have to take you.” He twisted the wine opener into the cork, then pulled the stopper out with a little
pop
. “The weather forecast is nice this weekend. How about Saturday?”

“Saturday’s my birthday.” I was turning thirty and seriously hoped the next decade would start better than this one ended. “A bunch of us are going up to Folsom Lake if you’d like to save the date.”

The invitation slipped out, and I held my breath.

“Absolutely.” He smiled, his gorgeous brown eyes twinkling, then he filled our wine glasses. “I can bring my boat if you’d like.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind. With a large group, two boats would be better than one.” My stomach fluttered at the thought of Ethan coming, and I immediately felt guilty. This must be why I blurted, “You should totally bring Dana, of course.”

His brows furrowed. “Why?”

I stared at him blankly. “Don’t you want to?”

“No.” He shrugged. “She has a life of her own, just like I do.”

Shocked, I fought to keep my jaw from dropping to the floor. The way he spoke, it sounded like they led separate lives. Not at all how I pictured Ethan in a relationship. Weird.

And disconcerting, for that matter.

He lifted his glass, and his eyes lit with excitement. “Are you ready for the secret?”

When he clinked his glass into mine, I took a sip so long, I’d need a refill shortly. Tucking my hair behind my ear, I wandered back toward the mantel. “I’m feeling weird about this whole secret thing.”

His took a step toward me. “Why?”

I guffawed. “Because you said nobody else knows.”

A confused look crossed his face. “I trust you.”

His words warmed my insides, so I turned away from him, fingering the frames on his mantel. “Does Dana know about the secret?”

He set his wine glass on the coffee table, then put a finger under my chin to tilt my face toward his. “Kristen, what’s going on? Why do you keep asking about Dana?”

With his deep brown eyes peering into mine, butterflies went wild in my belly—which was so wrong I made an exasperated sound. “It just matters. A lot.”

He shook his head, like he didn’t get it, then he finally said, “Yes. She knows about it.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Instead of relief flowing through me, my chest ached with jealousy.

“Wait a minute.” He made an incredulous sound. “Do you think Dana and I are dating?”

Suddenly, my eyes came to rest on a silver framed photo—of Ethan and Dana. Without thinking, I picked up the picture of them. “Well, aren’t you?”

“No.” His voice was deadpan. “Dana is my
sister
.”

It was an honest miracle I didn’t drop the frame. If Dana was Ethan’s sister, then my judgment had been way off. Like light years off—again. Then, tingles sprinkled up my arms as I realized what else it meant.

Ethan was single.

****

I’d barely started my workday on Tuesday, when Ellen appeared in front of my desk. She’d left me two voicemails last night (while I’d been at Ethan’s), and both were about how I needed to call Rach and reassure her she had nothing to worry about with Noah.

No sugarcoating with Ellen, that’s for sure.

I gave her a warning look. “Please don’t harass me this morning. I’m exhausted.” When the phone rang, I pressed a button, and spoke into my headset, “Woodward Systems Corporation. How may I direct your call? One moment.”

It was a relocation company asking for Chloe Campbell, and my brows came together as I transferred the lady. Weird.

Ellen leveled me with her eyes. “Why didn’t you call me back last night? Gina says you were home by nine.”

“I was busy.” Busy avoiding her, that is.

When I’d arrived home after leaving Ethan’s, I’d found Gina cuddling on the couch with her boyfriend Chris, which added an extra slice and dice to my gut. If Noah might be doing who-knows-what with his ex, I didn’t want to think about what Chris could have on the side.

So, instead of calling Ellen back, my pent up feelings circled my brain, and I spent the night tossing and turning—torturing myself about how I’d mistaken Ethan’s sister for his girlfriend. Then torturing myself for hightailing it out of his house so abruptly—even before he’d been able to show me the secret, whatever it was.

Once Ethan said Dana was his sister, I’d glanced at the photo, and it was so painfully obvious. They both had thick dark hair, the same mocha-brown eyes, and even their smiles mirror each other’s—full lips turned up, revealing straight, white teeth. Lame, moronic me, couldn’t even tell a sibling from a significant other. It’s like Jake’s betrayal had flipped a switch in my brain from “on” to so completely “off.”

Ellen leaned over the reception desk so far I could smell the perfume of her favorite coconut lotion. “Rach is determined to prove to you that Noah isn’t cheating on her. She arrived two hours early to work this morning, and went through his entire office to confirm there wasn’t evidence he’s getting it on with his ex. You need to fix the mess you created, Kristen.”

I’d totally fix things for Rach if I knew how. But, all I was qualified to do right now was answer phones. “You do realize I chose this job because it’s supposed to be stress-free?”

She steeled her eyes. “I’m your best friend, Kristen. I’ve known you for fifteen years—since you found me crying under the bleachers over Doug Saunders, who’d dumped me after I’d let him get to second base.”

“That louse,” I said, remembering Ellen’s first broken heart.

She nodded. “Do you remember what you said to me?”

The words echoed in my brain as if I’d just said them. “Move on, girl. He’s not worth it.”

“Words to live by.” She twisted her head, but her eyes stayed with me. “Your advice about Noah, however, is so off-base, it’s scary.”

My computer let out a
beep
, alerting me I had incoming mail. So, I raised a finger at Ellen, and turned to my screen:

Kristen,

I’m expecting a very important call from my husband. If I’m on another line, please have someone interrupt me.

Thank you,

Chloe

I quickly typed back an affirmative response, then hit SEND.

Relocation company. Urgent call from her husband. Hmmm. . . .

Ellen tapped her fingernails against the counter. “I miss my sweet, caring friend, who always gives us awesome advice and who gives people the benefit of the doubt. You need to move on girl. He’s not worth it.”

Remembering last night with Ethan, I shook my head. “That girl is gone. You know how I told you that Ethan was in a serious relationship? Turns out that girl I saw him with was his sister.”

Her eyes bulged. “Are you serious?”

My throat tightened, and I fought to keep my expression level. “Like I’d joke about the way I can no longer read people.”

The door behind me opened, and Rich Woodward, the president of the software company, strode in wearing a dark suit with a green tie. We both waved to him, and put on serious expressions as if he’d buy that we were discussing work.

Riiiight.

Ellen gave me a look, then whispered. “I’d better get back upstairs.”

I nodded, flicking my eyes to where Rich had just exited the building.

Ellen paused at the door to the back, then said in a stern voice, “Apologize to Rach. At lunch.” She raised a finger at me. “Or else.”

I sighed, having no idea what to say to Rach. “I have something else to take care of at lunch, but I’ll think about what to tell her.”

I used to know exactly how people could improve their situations, and never hesitated helping them. Now, I didn’t have a clue.

The expiring lease on my cozy office in midtown flashed in my mind, piercing my chest. But, what could I do? My confidence in accessing human behavior was gone. I needed to move on to a new career. And I had the feeling an excellent position at Woodward Systems Corp was about to become available.

****

I got off the elevator on the second floor, hurrying toward Noah’s office when Rach stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

She put her hands on her hips. “I’ve gone through Noah’s cell phone, his filing cabinets, and his office desk. There’s no evidence he’s cheating on me. His dinner with Kate is strictly platonic.”

Under her scrutinizing gaze, I forced a smile. “Good. I’m glad.”

Her right brow lifted. “Admit you were wrong about him.”

I held my palms up. “I never said he was cheating.”

“But you said it’s a possibility, and it’s not.” Her voice wavered. “Noah would never do that to me.”

My gut tightened. Noah didn’t seem like the type to stray, but I wasn’t going to assure her of his fidelity when I didn’t know for sure. “Rach, this is
your
relationship. You’re the one who needs to feel secure. It shouldn’t matter what I think.”

She huffed, then strode toward the elevator.

I’d given her my best advice, but apparently that had been the wrong thing. Shocker. In addition, the frustrating exchange had taken a bite out of my lunch hour, and I had research to do.

Shaking my head, I continued down the hall, then knocked on the open door to Noah’s office. “Hey, Noah. Still all right that I use your computer during lunch?”

“Yep.” He gathered his belongings, then gestured toward his desk. “I’m meeting a client uptown, so it’s all yours.”

“Thanks.” I slid into the plush leather chair, pulled the keyboard closer, then brought up a search engine page. I had less than an hour to figure out if Chloe Campbell was about to give notice.

“No problem.” Noah walked toward the door, paused, then closed it. “Can I ask you something?”

My fingers froze over the keyboard, and I lifted my lashes to find Rach’s boyfriend staring at me. Noah Peterson was tall, well built, had sandy-brown hair, and sparkling blue eyes. He wasn’t deep and layered like Ethan—Noah was more likely to discuss baseball stats than world history—but still, he was friendly, good-looking, and it was obvious why Rach had been attracted to him.

If only we knew whether or not he was hiding secrets from her.

“What’s up, Noah?” I checked my watch, hoping this wouldn’t take long.

He sat in a chair, then slouched forward with his elbows on his knees. “Something happened with Rach, and I could use some advice.”

My stomach tightened, knowing I was the last person Noah should get advice from. “Maybe you should try Ellen? The clock’s ticking on my career counseling class, remember?”

This was totally true. I needed to finish the class as a fallback in case my hunch was wrong and the human resources manager position wasn’t opening up. Or if I didn’t get it. Gasp.

He stood, immediately. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get in your way.”

My heart clenched, so I gestured for him to sit back down. “No, this can wait. What’s going on? I’m listening.”

A look of appreciation crossed his face. “It could be nothing.”

Famous last words from many of my (former) clients. “Tell me.”

He wrung his hands together. “I stepped out of my office earlier today. When I came back, I caught Rach going through my cell phone.”

Ugh. I can’t believe she’d do that during office hours without a lookout. “What did she say when you asked her about it?”

“I didn’t.” He glanced away as if embarrassed. “Things have been tense between us the last couple days, and I didn’t want to make things worse. Do you think I should talk to her about it? We’re supposed to be able to tell each other anything.”

It felt obvious how much Noah cared about Rach, but I’d been wrong before. My lips twisted to the side. “I think you should examine your own motivations first. Once you’re sure what you want, discuss it with her.”

He squinted, then tilted his head as if confused. “Okay . . .”

“Good.” I checked the time, and started to stress. “Anything else?”

He paused, then shook his head. “Thanks, Kristen.”

“No problem.” I nodded, hoping he was on the up-and-up with my friend.

Once Noah had (finally) left for lunch, I searched Chloe’s husband’s name online and discovered he’d accepted a new job in Oregon. Jackpot.

Picking up the telephone receiver, I punched in Chloe’s extension, and got her voicemail. “Hi, Chloe. It’s Kristen. Can we talk for a few minutes when you’re available? It’s really important. Thanks.”

Sighing with frustration as I hung up the phone, I forced myself to stay calm. It’s not like Chloe had announced her resignation yet, so surely I’d be the first person to pitch for the job. With my background in psychology, and my college job as a human resources assistant, I had a good chance at getting hired.