The Substitute (12 page)

Josh smiled at her when he mentioned a future family, as though they shared an intimate secret. Her stomach fluttered, not at the prospect of having children—although she did want them someday—but at the way his gaze lingered on her face. As if he couldn’t wait to get her alone so they could practice making those future babies.

Then she reminded herself that they
did
share a secret. They were breaking up before the end of the night.

Her mother may not have gotten the professional waitstaff she wanted, but the handful of teens were doing a good job of carrying around trays of food that fit the princess theme. Sugar cookies shaped like pumpkins, genie lamps, mermaids, and…
dwarves?
—were carried around on silver trays, along with other finger foods. The underage staff couldn’t take drink orders, but the crowd quickly learned the bar was at the opposite end of the pool.

After Josh and Megan had made the rounds twice and her mother seemed satisfied, Blair and Libby joined them at a bistro table. While Blair was quiet and distrustful, Libby more than made up for her bad mood, asking Josh questions about his family.

“My father died when I was sixteen. My brother was still in college, but he and my mother managed to hold my father’s firm together until he graduated and took over. Our business manager was a huge help.”

Megan reached over and covered Josh’s hand with her own. She couldn’t imagine what her teen years would have been like if she’d lost her father back then. He’d been her lifeline in high school, standing up for her whenever she failed to meet her mother’s expectations of femininity. Her father had always told her she was the most beautiful girl in the world and that her mother’s views had warped over time and shouldn’t be taken personally.

“There are things you don’t know about your mother, pumpkin,” he used to say. “She loves you. This is her way of showing it.”

Megan had always wished she’d find another way.

“Josh,” Libby leaned back in her chair and eyed her other best friend before returning her attention to Josh. “You and Blair have something in common. Her father died when she was in law school.”

Blair shot him a glare. “And did your father cheat on your mother and leave her nearly destitute in a divorce before dying?”

“No,” Josh said calmly. “He loved my mother very much. I hope to have a marriage like theirs one day.”

“Based on lies and deception?”

He was quiet for a moment, and his answer was subdued. “No.”

Libby gave her a frown. “Blair, not everyone is as cynical about love as you are.”

“I’m a realist, Libby. Love is a conscious decision.”

“You really think your relationship with Neil is love?” Libby questioned, turning around to interrogate her friend.

Libby was only putting a voice to what Megan had been silently thinking for months.

“Neil and I have a very compatible relationship based on trust and similar hobbies.”

“And it’s so romantic,” Libby sing-songed.

“Romance doesn’t last. It’s all spiking hormones and lust.” Blair glared at her friend. “Perhaps one of your relationships would last longer than three weeks if you were looking for something other than romance.”

“I’d rather have a few weeks of passion and hot sex than a cold and emotionless relationship,” Libby shot back, but Megan saw a hint of hurt in her eyes.

Blair turned her attention to Josh. “And how are we supposed to believe anything you say? You could very well be making it all up—your mother, brother, your father too.”

“
Blair
,” Megan warned.

An awkward silence settled on the group; then Josh stood. “I know you girls would like to talk without me, so I’ll go make a call and leave you with some time to yourselves.”

“Who are you going to call?” Blair demanded.

Josh pulled his phone out of his pocket and brought up the contact before he locked his eyes onto hers. “My brother Noah. I haven’t talked to him since landing in Kansas City, so he must be worried.”

Blair snatched his phone. “Let’s see if you really have a brother.”

“Blair!” Megan shouted, reaching for it. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Protecting you.” Blair leaned out of her grasp as Josh stared at her, his eyes wide with shock. She pressed send and held the phone up to her ear. “Hello? Noah? What is your relation to Josh McMillan?” Horror washed over her face. “No! He’s fine! He hasn’t been in accident! I’m sorry! He just…”

“Blair!” Megan wrestled the phone from her friend and handed it to Josh. “God! I’m so sorry.”

Josh grimaced as he lifted the phone to his ear. “Noah? No. I’m fine,” he said, giving Megan an apologetic look. “It was someone’s idea of a bad joke.”

“Go!” she motioned to him. He walked to the opposite side of the pool, moving toward the back of the yard, where there were fewer people.

“What the hell, Blair?” Megan demanded after Josh left. “You probably scared his brother half to death.”

Blair shrugged. “He didn’t try to stop me once I had his phone.”

“Yeah, because he was stymied by the fact that a grown, supposedly professional woman would
steal
his phone,” Libby said.

To her credit, Blair looked embarrassed. “Maybe I was a little overzealous…”

“You
think?
” Megan asked.

“I think he’s cute.” Libby kept her eyes on Josh, an appreciative gleam in her eyes. “He’s got a nice ass.”

“Funny,” Megan deadpanned. “My gram said the same thing.”

“I’ve always liked Gram,” Libby said. “I think you should go for it.”

“There’s nothing to
go for
.”

“I thought you were breaking up tonight,” Blair reminded her.

“Yeah…” She’d been trying to put it off as long as possible, wanting to spend more time with him. But the reality of the situation was staring her in the face, and the thought of never seeing Josh McMillan again filled her with panic.

Libby lifted her drink to her lips and gave Megan a knowing look. “I say break up with him tomorrow. You can do other things tonight.”

Megan grimaced. “While sleeping around might be your style, Libby, it’s not mine.”

Libby shot her a haughty look. “For the record, you might as well both know I’m not sleeping around at the moment. I’ve been with Mitch for four months now.”

Blair and Megan stared at her in surprise.

“
What?
I’m not getting any younger. We’re all about to hit thirty this year, and now I’ll have a date to both of your weddings. You know, when you think about it, Megan’s wedding disaster isn’t that much of a surprise.”

“What does that mean?” Megan demanded.

Blair groaned, leaning back in her chair. “Not that fortune teller crap again. If I had known how seriously you’d take it, I never would have gone.”

Libby narrowed her eyes. “It happened, Blair. Whether you choose to believe her prediction or not.” She turned to Megan, who was now listening intently. “And we made a pact to get married. I told you—pacts are not to be taken lightly.”

“We made that pact at a city fair because we were bored after your brother barfed on a carnival ride,” Blair said. “If you remember, we also picked out our grooms. After rock-paper-scissors, you got Travis Ming. Which seems like an
excellent
way to pick your future husband, Libby. Especially in light of how Megan has picked her substitute groom.” She cocked her head. “What’s Travis up to these days, Libs? Your birthday is in five months. You better hurry up and track him down.”

“Be a hater all you want, Blair” Libby retorted. “Megan’s wedding is proof.”

“You don’t seriously believe any of this, do you?” Blair asked. “You’re not even engaged, Libby.”

“Not yet, but I have five months,” Libby mused. “Besides, look at Megan’s wedding. While it’s a disaster, another—significantly more charming—man is already claiming to be her fiancé.”

“Hey!” Megan protested. “My wedding isn’t a disaster…and as far as Josh goes…it’s just not going to happen. I just met him. And under duress, I might add.”

Blair scowled. “Well, my wedding is going to go off without a hitch. My wedding planner has everything under control and Neil wouldn’t think of cheating on me.” She cast a glance at Megan. “Sorry, Megs.”

Megan shrugged, trying to make her friends believe she was over Jay’s infidelity. She wasn’t sure how convincing it was. While part of her was glad to be rid of him, the embarrassment still clung to her like a cheap perfume.

Reaching over, Libby patted Megan’s hand. “Who knows? Maybe she’ll marry Josh on Saturday.”

Blair looked furious. “Megan is
not
getting married to
anyone
on Saturday, so let it go, Libby.”

“Jeez, Blair,” Libby said nonchalantly, sipping her drink. “You might want to consider some anger management classes.” She waggled her eyebrows at Megan. “Besides, who knows what will happen tonight with Mr. Hot-and-Sexy-in-a-Pair-of-Jeans once he’s out of them. Maybe he’ll be so good, you’ll want to marry him.”

To her horror, Megan blushed.

“She’s not sleeping with him tonight,” Blair lectured Libby. “I’m sure Knickers gave him his own room. No one is allowed to have sex in the house of perfection.”

Libby giggled. “But Knickers got pregnant twice…” Her voice trailed off in innuendo.

Blair’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “I’m sure that happened in a five-star hotel so someone else’s sheets got soiled.
Both
times.”

The thought of her perfect mother having sex, especially with her father, was nauseating. “Actually…” Megan said. “She told Josh—thinking he was Jay—that she knew we were having sex in Seattle, so she put his bag in my room.”

Blair’s mouth gaped. “Knickers actually said the word sex?”

“No,” Megan cringed. “She called it hanky-panky. But now he’s sleeping in my room.”

“Yes!” Libby squealed, drawing the attention of the guests at a nearby table. “Megan’s gettin’ some tonight!”

“Libby!” Megan hissed, her face getting hotter. “I can’t.”

“Finally,” Blair groaned. “The first reasonable thing you’ve said today.”

Libby ignored her. “Why on earth not?”

“He’s not sticking around.”

“So? What’s the problem? You
like
him. Admit it.”

Megan squeezed her eyes shut. “Maybe.”

“You’d be crazy if you didn’t. He’s nice. He’s sexy as hell. He’s charming. He’s attentive. And he’s sexy as hell.”

“You already said that.”

Libby glanced over at Josh, who had pocketed his phone and was headed their way. “With a man as sexy as that, it can’t be said often enough.”

Megan blushed. When Libby was right, she was right, and now Megan couldn’t help thinking about what he could accomplish with all that sexiness.

As Josh walked away from Megan and her friends, Noah shouted in his ear. “What the hell is going on? You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Is this some new way to pick up women? Because I strongly recommend that you find a new technique.”

“Not exactly,” he said as he began to pace at the edge of the yard. “I left this trip up to fate, and you’ll never believe what has happened.”

“You got laid.”

“No. I sat next to Bart Vandemeer’s daughter on the plane.”

That got his attention. “
What?
Did you know she’d be on that flight?”

“No. I didn’t even know it was her until Bart Vandemeer shook my hand in the Kansas City airport.”

“Did he know who you were?”

“No…he mistook me for someone else.”

“Who?”

Josh rehashed the story and Noah released a slow whistle. “This sounds more like me than you, little brother. Are you sure you can pull it off?”

“Amazingly, I have so far. We’ve even made it halfway through our engagement party.”

“An engagement party? Three days before the wedding?”

“Her mother’s a nut job. A gold-digging, social wannabe nut job. She spent enough money on this party to sustain a family of four for a year. God only knows what she’s planned for the wedding. Bart Vandemeer certainly has the motive. I think I’m on to something.” He paused. “No lecture? No admonishment?”

“Hell, no. You were right and I was wrong. Your plan is pure genius. I wholeheartedly approve.”

Noah’s approval set off blaring alarms. Josh stopped in his tracks. “You’re kidding.”

“No. Is Megan Vandemeer a looker? Are you going to hook up with her while you’re her fake fiancé?”

“What? No!”

“So she’s a dog?”

“No. She’s gorgeous, but I can’t start something with her. I have to break up with her as soon as I find some solid evidence.”

“Joshy, have I taught you nothing? Why not get some action while you’re out there? It’s perfect. You don’t have to worry about a long-term commitment because you’re only hanging around a few days and she knows you’re bailing. Why wouldn’t you go for that?”

“How’s she going to feel when she finds out the only reason I’m here is to find evidence proving her father is a thief?”

“It doesn’t matter, Josh,” Noah said, frustrated. “You’ll be gone. What’s the problem?”

Maybe Josh didn’t want to start something with her and be gone. He almost laughed at the irony. There had been three meaningful relationships in his life—two in college, and one he’d ended two years before. For some reason, none had ever felt quite right. By all appearances, they should have worked out. There were no compatibility issues, and Josh’s mother had approved of each of his exes, but he’d always felt like something was missing.

A spark.

He’d blamed himself. Since his father’s death, he’d been so driven to make his father’s legacy—his business—a success, he’d given the firm priority over everything and everyone in his life. He’d told himself there would be plenty of time to find the right person and start a family when the time came. Over the last few months, when it finally seemed as though the business had found solid ground, he’d allowed himself to examine his past relationships, determined to make the next one work.

His conclusion was sobering. He realized he could have lavished all the attention in the world on each one of his exes, and it still wouldn’t have worked. Though some might argue the connection he sought was the stuff of fairytales and folklore—two things Josh McMillan didn’t much believe in—there had been so much spark in his parents’ marriage, they’d glowed with it.