Falling for Mister Wrong (15 page)

She waited, knowing it was coming, and when
she spoke, eyes shining, smile beaming, Mimi moaned, pressing a
hand over her heart. “Oh,
Caitlyn
.”

She shrugged, not meeting Mimi’s eyes, afraid
her friend would see too much. Seeming to sense her mood, Mimi hit
pause and lightened the tone. “Well, you certainly make good
television. You’re going to be America’s favorite for weeks. Unless
you go all psycho stalker on him next week. Tell me the truth, did
you try to sneak over the wall between the mansions? There’s always
at least one girl who tries to scale the thing.”

Caitlyn giggled, relieved at the change in
subject. “I can neither confirm nor deny any attempts to scale the
wall this season.”

“I bet it was Michele. She’s got those crazy
eyes. It’s always the Micheles.”

“She’s a sweet girl. Just a little…
intense.”

“Bunny-boiling intense, you mean. Be honest.
She gives herself a prison style tattoo of his name on her ass,
doesn’t she?”

Caitlyn giggled helplessly—a little
hysterical after the emotional stress of watching the show. “You’ll
just have to watch and see.”

Mimi grinned and pushed play. They watched
the rest of the show—the frantic desperation of the final cocktail
party and then the Elimination Ceremony—with Mimi editorializing
wildly.

Caitlyn didn’t miss the fact that Mimi kept
her comments thoroughly ridiculous and avoided saying anything
about Daniel at all. But if her friend suspected there might still
be feelings between Caitlyn and Daniel, she kept those suspicions
to herself.

Watch and see
. Caitlyn would do the
same. Watch and see if it was love or illusion.

And now the whole world knew she’d been
infatuated with him. Mimi wasn’t the only one who watched the show.
She wouldn’t be able to escape the speculative looks in town.

At least Will didn’t know. She wouldn’t have
to worry about the way he would look at her tomorrow on their
non-date.

It wasn’t a date. She was taken.

For now.

Chapter
Seventeen

Will was late. Only two minutes, but why
couldn’t he just get here already? She already felt strange about
the non-date. She didn’t need the waiting to amplify her
uncertainties.

She’d had a good talk with Daniel today.
Their relationship felt like it was on firm footing for the first
time since before the proposal. Which didn’t help her emotional
state at the moment.

She’d dressed simply, taking care to project
an unmistakable Just Friends image. Snug dark jeans, low heeled
black ankle boots, a loose-fitting cowl-necked royal blue sweater,
and combs to keep her hair out of her face. Nothing fancy. Just the
barest swipe of make-up.

She owed Will. She was just paying back a
friend for everything he’d done for her. So what if that friend was
ridiculously attractive and made her feel like her insides were
carbonated? It was perfectly innocent.

She hadn’t told Daniel about the dinner. Or
about meeting Will. They’d talked for nearly an hour, about
everything and nothing, catching up, reconnecting, but whenever the
conversation had veered toward the fire or the repairs or anything
having to do with Will, she would find herself tripping over her
tongue to change the subject. Until the end of the call when she
had very purposely said she had to leave to get ready for dinner
with a friend
, as if to prove to herself that she could tell
Daniel because there was nothing to hide.

But now Will was late—six minutes and
counting—giving her time to question herself.

It felt like a lie, not mentioning Will to
Daniel. But if she told Daniel about her feelings for
Will—supposing she even knew what those feelings were—what was the
benefit to him? Was it selfish to want to confess to him?
Especially when there was nothing concrete to confess. So she was
excited about the dinner, excited about seeing Will again. It was
just because he was a nice guy and outside of the reality TV
bubble. She could ignore that entire stressful chapter of her life
with him and that was unspeakably relaxing. That must be why she
felt this fizzy pop of anticipation in her veins. It wasn’t crazy
chemistry making her rationalize things…

The knock was firm and brisk.

Caitlyn nearly sagged with relief. He was
here. Finally.

She rushed to the door and yanked it open.
“Will.”

He didn’t return her smile of greeting and
his eyes held none of their usual amused warmth as they studied
her. His hair was still damp—either from the snow or a shower—and
he wore a pair of jeans that had seen better days and a faded grey
Henley. A winter jacket hung over one arm. Clearly he’d gotten the
casual dress Just Friends memo.

He jerked his chin, looking as tense and
awkward as she felt. “Caitlyn.”

She plucked her purse and coat off the piano
bench. “Ready to go?”

He leaned one shoulder against the doorjamb,
looking like he was settling in for a while. A slight frown creased
his brow. “I saw you on television last night.”

And just like that, her bubble burst. That
lovely cloud of ignorance that had kept him from looking at her
like she was a reality show freak. Gone. “Damn,” she whispered.

His eyebrows arched. “Don’t you want people
to know you’re a big TV star?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a TV star. And
no, I don’t particularly like it when people know. So far when
people find out, they all either want something from me—usually
gossip about what’s happening next on the show or what Josh
Pendleton is really like—or they look at me like I’m a freak for
going on a reality TV show. Kind of like you’re looking at me right
now.”

He winced and rubbed a hand down his face.
“Sorry. It just caught me off guard. I was with my sisters when I
saw it. You should have heard the three of them crowing about how I
was dating ‘Miss Perfect’.”

“
What
?” Panic made the word a shout.
“We aren’t dating! You can’t tell people that. I could get sued!
I’m not allowed to have public relationships. Not while I’m on the
show. Breach of contract! If they say something—if they even post
it on Facebook—oh my God. You have to fix this!”

“Hey, relax. I told them we were just
friends.”

“And you’re positive they believed you?”

Will though that one over for a second and
grimaced. “I’ll call them.”

Caitlyn wrapped her arms around her waist,
pacing as she listened to Will call each of his sisters in turn.
She couldn’t hear the other side of the conversations, but she
could tell by his multiple repetitions of “I swear we’re
just
friends
,” that they weren’t exactly buying it.

He groaned as he put his cell phone back in
his pocket. “They’re all convinced we’re going to get married and
have a dozen fat babies, but I got them all to vow secrecy. That’s
the best I can do.” He rocked his shoulder back against the
doorjamb. “Maybe we shouldn’t go to dinner.”

“I understand if you don’t want to be seen
with me, but I do want to find some way to repay you.”

His expression darkened. “Caitlyn, you don’t
owe me anything.”

“Not even a burger at the Lodge pub?” She
told herself she was pushing because she didn’t want to be in his
debt. It had nothing to do with that itch beneath her skin to spend
more time with him. “You know how good those burgers are. Don’t be
hasty turning down an offer that good.”

“I guess I could do a burger.” His usual grin
slowly returned, though at a quarter its usual strength.

“Great.”

But it didn’t feel great.

They slipped on their coats in silence. As
they departed the chalet and tramped side by side through the snow
past chair lifts and ski school buildings to the far side of the
resort where the Lodge sat, the conversation was non-existent and
the air between them charged with a stilted awkwardness. Caitlyn
pulled a knit hat and matching gloves out of her coat pockets and
pulled them on to battle the chill in the air—the chill that seemed
like it was coming from him. It was only a fifteen minute walk, but
by the time they were half way it felt like they’d been going for
hours.

If the night kept on like this, she didn’t
know how she was going to choke down a burger. Even one of the
famous Lodge Burgers.

Maybe if they talked about it, it wouldn’t be
so weird. “How much did you see?” she asked, eyes on the ground to
find steady footing in the snow. Had he seen the kiss? Her talking
about her last first kiss? God, how embarrassing.

“Just a few seconds. Your face on screen
mostly. They were announcing you’d won something.”

“A date,” she murmured.

“Right,” he agreed. “I suppose that’s what
you win on shows like that.”

That or a fiancé
.

They reached the Lodge then. It looked like
an outrageously large log cabin, squatting over a small man made
skating pond. It was the resort’s main building, housing
restaurants, equipment rental, and a wing of hotel rooms for
out-of-towners. When it was built, the owners had intended it to be
only the first building of a massive, sprawling resort, but the
valley Tuller Springs was tucked into was too remote and it had
never caught on as a destination city for skiers the way Aspen,
Vail, and Telluride had.

The Lodge had changed ownership several times
over the years, each new owner struggling to make a profit where
others had barely been able to break even. The ski resort survived
largely as a haven for Colorado skiers who wanted to avoid the
crowds at the major resorts. In the years Caitlyn had lived here,
she’d never seen it busy.

But the pub always did a good business. A
favorite among locals and out-of-towners alike.

They circled the main entrance of the Lodge
and descended the exterior stairs just beyond it, down into the
basement pub, where everything was rich wood paneling and soft
Celtic music.

Tammy, the pub’s weekday hostess and
occasional back-up waitress, grinned when she saw them approach the
hostess stand. She had short brown curls liberally salted with grey
and a round, matronly figure, but that didn’t stop her from batting
her eyes at Will, even though he must be half her age.

“Well if it isn’t Will Hamilton and Caitlyn
Gregg,” she called cheerfully. “I didn’t know you knew each
other.”

“Turns out we’re neighbors,” Will said
smoothly, before Caitlyn could stammer out something incoherent and
incriminating.

“Just the two of you?” Tammy asked, one
eyebrow sliding up with the question, as they shucked their winter
gear.

Will laughed. “Don’t get any ideas, Tammy.
We’re just here for the burgers.”

Tammy grinned. “Can’t blame a girl for
dreaming. Come on.” She led them back to a booth in the back. “Saw
you on that show, Caitlyn,” she said as she handed over the
menus.

Oh Lord, not another one.
“Oh
yeah?”

“Tell me, is that Daniel really as hot in
person as he is on TV?”

“Hotter.”

Will shot her a look, but the truth was the
truth. Daniel’s looks had certainly not been a problem.

Tammy sighed and fanned herself. “Be still my
heart. You kids enjoy.”

Will waited until Tammy had disappeared back
to the hostess stand before turning his gaze to Caitlyn. “So is
that why you went on the show? Because that guy is
so
hot
?”

He hadn’t bothered to look at his menu and
Caitlyn slid hers aside without opening it as well. She knew it by
heart anyway. “We didn’t know who the next Mister Perfect would be
when we auditioned. They don’t reveal that until the show has
already begun taping. Not since a few years ago when they had a PR
issue and had to change guys at the last minute.”

“PR issue?”

“The astronaut they picked was a little more
of a thrill seeker than they reckoned for. He got caught trying to
take his Speedster over two hundred on a public highway. So they
switched to the Dreamy Doc, Jack Something-or-Other.”

“Let me guess, you watch religiously and you
were heartbroken when the astronaut was bumped which is why you
call him Doctor Something-or-Other.”

“Actually, I just don’t remember his name,”
she said sharply. “I’d only seen one season of the show before I
went on it—and I only watched that one to prepare. But the other
Suitorettes liked to gossip and I got most of the details from
them.”

“Suitorettes? Seriously? That’s what they
call you?”

Caitlyn reached for the coat she’d dropped on
the seat beside her. “Look, I’ll pay for your burger, but if you’re
going to be a jerk all night, I think I’ll take mine to go.”

His expression was arrested for a moment,
then the chill slowly thawed, melting into a grimace. “Sorry. I’ll
behave. I just can’t imagine what would make someone want to make a
spectacle of themselves like that.”

“You could just ask me.”

The waitress appeared then to take their
order and flirt shamelessly with Will—even though she was happily
married with two kids who took piano from Caitlyn. Caitlyn ordered
the Lodge Burger and a Coke, for here, giving Will the benefit of
the doubt. Will asked for the same—though his came with a wink and
an extra sashay from Melissa as she headed off to put in their
order and collect their drinks.

“You’re awfully popular,” Caitlyn said, more
amused than jealous, especially when Will blushed.

“Pity flirtation. All the ladies here really
stepped up their game after my break up last summer.”

She eyed his muscular shoulders, stretching
the seams of his soft grey Henley. “Somehow I doubt pity is the
main reason most women flirt with you.”

“You don’t exactly look like the sort of girl
who is lacking for masculine company either. So why did you do
it?”