Make Believe Wedding E-Book

Vivi Holt

• Herausgeber: 8th Note Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Make Believe
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 305

Beschreibung

The wedding is fake, but the feelings are real.   Molly was abandoned at the altar and has no intention of heading back there anytime soon. When she crosses paths with arrogant fireman Tim, she knows better than to let her heart get involved. A serious journalist working for her family's newspaper, Molly's plan is to focus on her career and her adorable new labrador puppy.   Tim left his own family's newspaper to become a fireman with the Atlanta Fire Department. He watched the media business consume his family and he has no time for journalists, let alone a beautiful and feisty one from his family's rival paper.   When the feud gets even more personal, Molly and Tim have had enough. They hatch a Romeo & Juliet-esque plan to bring peace to their warring families with a fake engagement—and a fake wedding to go with it.   But when their bid to reunite their families backfires, their attraction only grows—and Molly and Tim start to doubt if love truly conquers all.   Explore all the books in Vivi Holt's Make Believe collection: - Make Believe Proposal - Make Believe Fiancé - Make Believe Wedding - Make Believe Honeymoon - Make Believe Husband - Make Believe Marriage

Leseprobe

MAKE BELIEVE WEDDING

MAKE BELIEVE BOOK THREE

VIVI HOLT

CONTENTS

Praise for Vivi Holt

About Make Believe Wedding

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Epilogue

More Sweet Romance from Make Believe Series

Make Believe Honeymoon

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

About the Author

PRAISE FOR VIVI HOLT

No one weaves a story like Vivi Holt.

AMAZON REVIEWER

Hallmark moments and complexity of plot and characters smoothly stirred together into a delicious ambrosia. Full five stars and maybe two hankies…

AUDIBLE REVIEWER

This was simply another wonderful and clean story by Vivi Holt.

AUDIBLE REVIEWER

Copyright © 2023 by Vivi Holt

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

All rights reserved.

ABOUT MAKE BELIEVE WEDDING

A fireman who’s never been in love, and a feisty journalist who was left at the altar. Their families have fought for generations. Could a fake wedding bring them together?

Molly Beluga was abandoned at the altar and has no intention of heading back there anytime soon. When she crosses paths with an arrogant fireman, she knows better than to let her heart get involved. She can’t face the idea of having it broken by another failed relationship. A serious journalist working for her family’s newspaper, her only plan is to focus on her career and to train her new Labrador puppy, Daisy, to behave.

Tim Holden left the family newspaper to become a fireman with the Atlanta Fire Department. After a lifetime of watching the newspaper business consume his family, he has no time for journalists, let alone a beautiful and feisty journalist with no regard for anything other than getting the story. Now thirty, he’s grown tired of bouncing between short-term relationships so when an idea emerges for a fake relationship, he’s intrigued.

Will these enemies sheath their swords long enough to formulate a plan that just might bring their warring families back together?

A modern retelling of the classic tale, Romeo and Juliet, without all the gore. Okay, maybe just a little bit of gore. This book is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that proves once again true love can overcome even the most bitter feud, and conquer the hardest of hearts.

CHAPTER1

Tim Holden slammed a gloved hand into the heavy bag. It rocked to the left. He hit it with his left fist and it swung to the right. He followed up with two left jabs and a right hook.

“You takin’ out your frustrations, Lieutenant?” asked Grant, one eyebrow arched as he slid a gym bag into his locker.

Tim grunted and hit the bag again. “You on shift today?”

Grant nodded. “Yep, just clocking in now. You?”

Tim glanced at the wall. Beside the words ATLANTA FIRE DEPARTMENT – STATION 16 hung a slightly askew metal clock. It was close to eight a.m. He’d completed a twenty-four hour shift, then worked out. It was time to head home. “I’m almost done. Just clearing out the cobwebs.” He grinned.

Sirens sounded throughout the station. Tim cocked his head to one side, waiting for the call-out information. The radio squawked: “Possible gas leak reported to 911 operator by employee at the Georgia Times Building, 3624 Peachtree Road.”

Tim untied his gloves and set them in the basket with the ragged pile of red-and-white boxing gloves they all shared. He hurried to his locker, took out a navy uniform and put it on, pulled on his yellow turnout pants and jacket and tugged on his boots. He was bathed in sweat from boxing and at the tail end of a long shift, but it didn’t matter – he had a job to do, along with the twenty other men who either hadn’t clocked out yet or had just arrived for their shift. They didn’t talk about the call-out – they didn’t need to. Every one of them knew what they had to do.

And since the shift manager hadn’t arrived for a handover yet, Tim would have to ride with them.

“You drivin’?” shouted Grant, as he climbed into the passenger seat of Tower One, the station’s ladder truck.

Tim slapped on his hat even as he ran for the driver’s side. “Sure am. That okay with you?”

Grant grinned. “Of course. I’m always happy to have my life flash before my eyes.”

Tim grinned and climbed into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut. He glanced in the side mirror, watching the rest of the crew load up in the cab behind him save for one in the rear. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re safer than a baby in a crib when I’m driving.” He cranked the engine, waited for the man out front to give him the all-clear, then edged the truck forward.

The fire station fronted onto a narrow road and only experienced drivers were able to pull out in one turn – the others had to ride shotgun until they could make it. He leaned over the steering wheel and turned it quickly, sending the truck in a wide sweeping curve and onto the lane. He checked his side mirrors to make sure the length of the truck didn’t scrape the fencing that ran along the right hand side.

“You make it look so easy,” complained Grant, his hand tight on the grab handle above his head.

Tim turned the truck onto the main road as Grant flipped on the sirens and lights. “You’ll get it soon enough. Just takes practice.” They had to shout to be heard over the noise.

“Where are we headed?” yelled one of the men in the back of the cab.

“Georgia Times building,” shouted Tim. Even as he said it, his stomach roiled. He knew the building well. His family owned the Atlanta Chronicle, and the Georgia Times was their main rival for both circulation and breaking stories. Both newspapers were family-owned and had vied for second place behind the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for years. Tim had opted out of the dynasty, preferring to forge his own path.

But his father and brother still ran the business his grandfather built and had a tense relationship with the Beluga family, owners of the Times. Maybe none of them would see him there today, if he was lucky. He didn’t feel like a confrontation. All he wanted to do was finish this call-out, head back to the station for a shower and home to bed. It had been a long day and between car accidents, domestic disputes and arson, he’d had just about all the drama he could take.

He pulled the truck to a stop in front of the building and killed the engine and siren. Lights still flashing, he and Grant climbed out of the truck. Within minutes the crew had donned oxygen tanks, masks, helmets and gloves and were ready to head into the building.

Another fire truck was already there, parked across from them. He walked toward Chad, a lieutenant from Station 14, who stood beside the truck, a cell phone against his ear. Chad hung up and grinned at Tim. “Lieutenant Holden – good to see y’all here.”

“How’s it going? You figured it out already?”

Chad nodded. “Yeah, we found the leak and got people on the way to work on it, but we could really use your help clearing all the floors.”

Tim scanned the outside of the building. A group of harried-looking businesspeople stood in clusters around the garden and across the street from the building. “Looks like they evacuated okay.”

Chad grunted. “Just protocol, but we gotta make sure everyone’s out.”

“Got it. We’ll get started on that now.”

“Great. If you can do the bottom floors and move up, my guys have already started at the top and are working their way down. You should meet in the middle somewhere.”

Tim walked back to his team, who were waiting for orders. He relayed the plan and they all set off toward the building’s entrance.

* * *

Tim ran up the stairs two at a time, stopping at the door marked FLOOR 8 to catch his breath. When he opened the door, the gas smell wasn’t as strong as it was in the stairwell, which was a good sign. He hadn’t come across any wayward office workers yet – so far, everyone had evacuated as they were supposed to.

He marched across the office space, divided by cubicles into smaller pieces. Each desk was littered with papers, pens and half-eaten breakfasts. Laptops sat open and coats hung on the backs of chairs that had been pushed out in a hurry and left there. So far, so good.

A noise in the corner near a line of offices with tall glass windows caught his attention – a shuffling sound, like papers being rifled. He hurried toward it, and as he rounded the corner he saw a woman at a desk, hunched over a laptop, typing frantically on the keyboard. She pushed a pair of round black glasses up the bridge of her button nose and resumed her typing. “Excuse me? Miss?”

She spun around in her chair and gasped. “Oh, hi. Sorry, I know I’m supposed to evacuate, but look …” She waved toward the open expanse of office behind him. “No fire. So I’m safe. Thank you for checking.”

He couldn’t help looking her over – cute brown bun piled on top of her head, peaches-and-cream complexion, fashionable suit that hugged her neat curves. His brow furrowed. He really couldn’t stand when people decided to ignore the rules and make their own, putting him and the rest of his crew in danger. “Miss, you can’t be here. It’s not a fire, it’s a gas leak, and we’re still working on resolving it. It’s time for you to evacuate. Now!” He set his hands on his hips and waited for her to move.

She pushed her glasses up again and smiled.

“Oh, right, sorry. Gas leak, huh? Just my luck. Um … tell you what. Give me ten minutes and I’ll be out of your hair, I promise.”

He rolled his eyes. Of all the … “Sorry, Miss, I can’t give you ten minutes. You’ve got to leave now. Everyone else in the building is already standing outside in the designated evacuation zones. That’s where you should be as well. Is what you’re doing so important you’d risk your life to finish it?”

Her head tipped to one side and she made a face. “Um …”

He grunted. “Okay, fine. Is it so important you’d risk mine?”

Her finely shaped eyebrows arched high and her mouth fell open. “Uh …” Her eyes darted to the laptop screen. “It’s just that I have to finish this story. I’m on a deadline and if I don’t get it done the Chron will scoop us again. I know you probably don’t care about that, but it’s a big deal. Trust me.” She returned to typing.

Tim’s eyes narrowed. She couldn’t be serious – of all the entitled, selfish … never mind. He reached her in two steps, picked her up by the waist, threw her over his shoulder and around the back of his neck in a fireman’s hold, and jogged toward the exit.

She wriggled and cried out. “Hey, put me down! You can’t do this! Okay, okay, I get it, you want me to evacuate. I’ll evacuate, just let me down!”

“You had your chance,” he replied. “Now quit your hollering – I’m not going to endanger my team for your article.”

She huffed and went still. He grinned as he carried her down the stairs. Thank Heaven she didn’t weigh much more than the backpacks he trained with. Before long he’d reached ground level and exited the building. He set her feet down on the grass. “Now stay!” he commanded.

She pushed her glasses back up again and glared at him. “I am not a dog!”

He chuckled and patted her on the head. “Good girl.” Then he turned and ran back toward the ladder truck to check on the rest of the crew. He could feel her anger aimed at his retreating back, and grinned again – he had to admit, she’d looked mighty cute with her glasses half falling off and her eyes burning with rage. Maybe he had more issues than he’d realized if he found himself so attracted to a woman who obviously hated him. He sighed inwardly.

Grant stepped out of the truck, chugging a bottle of water.

“Hey,” said Tim. “I heard over the radio that they fixed the gas leak. That right?”

Grant nodded, his sunglasses pushed up onto his forehead where they almost always sat. “Yep, it’s done. They’re doing safety checks now.”

“Good to know.”

“Hey, were you carrying a woman out of the building just now?”

Tim chuckled. “Yeah – she refused to evacuate.”

Grant laughed, held the two-way radio up to his mouth and pressed the side button. “Hey, y’all, you’ll never guess what Tim just did.”

Fitz’s voice crackled back to them over the airwaves. He and the rest of the crew were still clearing floors – they’d kept going up the stairs when Tim stopped on the eighth. “What’s that?”

“He found a woman refusing to evacuate and carried her out over his shoulder.”

“She hot?” Fitz replied. Tim shook his head with a laugh. Fitz had a one-track mind.

“Pretty cute,” replied Grant, one eyebrow raised.

Tim heard Fitz and the other members of the crew laugh, whistle and howl. Tim took a quick breath, wishing they’d quiet down. He glanced over his shoulder and found the woman looking their way, her hands on her hips. “Hey, cut it out,” he hissed, his cheeks blazing. “She can hear you.”

He’d felt some satisfaction in carrying her out after her lack of concern for her life and the life of his team, but he had no desire to humiliate her. Not to mention how well it’d go down if she or anyone there discovered he was a Holden. If they did, the chief would hear about it, and Tim knew full well he wouldn’t approve. No matter how much fun it could be to occasionally tease members of the public when they deserved it, he never seemed to be able to convince the chief of that.

He shrugged and headed back toward the building. Time to go back up and continue clearing floors. They’d work until they were done, or were given the all-clear for the building to be occupied again. He wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and got back to work.

* * *

Steaming, Molly Beluga crossed her arms and glared at the fire truck as it pulled away from the curb. How dare that arrogant fireman treat her as though she were a sack of flour! She had a good mind to report him, but from the snickers she’d heard when he deposited her unceremoniously in the grass, she figured no one would give a hoot. Everyone else seemed to find the whole situation hilarious. Well, not her!

The fire marshals waved them all back into the building, and she marched inside with her chin jutted out. She still had to get her story finished and off to her editor in time for the next day’s print run. She glanced down at her watch – she’d missed the deadline by fifteen minutes. Maybe her editor would give her a break, considering they’d all been stuck outside the office twiddling their thumbs for the past two hours. And since her editor was also her sister.

She felt a jab in her ribs and spun around to find Vicky Simpson, her best friend and roommate, grinning at her. “What are you smiling about?” she snapped, and wished she hadn’t.

Vicky just giggled. “I saw you being carried out of the building by a big strong fireman – or am I mistaken?”

Molly rolled her eyes. “You’re not mistaken. Can you believe that guy?”

Vicky sighed dreamily, clutching her hands to her chest. “No, I sure can’t.”

“Oh come on!” cried Molly. “He manhandled me!”

Vicky’s eyes glinted. “Yes, he did.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Molly sighed. “I suppose it was kind of funny.”

“It was hilarious – we were all trying so hard not to burst out laughing. You looked so mad!” Vicky giggled again.

She inhaled sharply, her stomach churning. Vicky was right, she shouldn’t let one arrogant fireman ruin her day. She had work to do, and she needed to focus on that, else she’d never get it done in time — that is if she hadn’t missed out already.

Once upstairs, Molly hurried to her desk and quickly finished the article. It was a breakout on the mayor’s new initiative to combat homelessness – the kind of piece she lived to write. So much of her time was spent reporting on festivals, food, social events or gossip that she couldn’t help getting excited over writing about something important. After a last check for spelling and grammar, she attached it to an e-mail and hit send.

She leaned back in her chair with a sigh of satisfaction, a half-smile playing around her lips. It was an hour late, but maybe Amanda would let it fly just this once …

Her desk phone rang and she picked it up, holding it against her ear with her shoulder. “Hello?”

“Sugar Pie, it’s Granddad.”

She smiled and leaned back in her chair again. “How are you? Did you play golf today?”

He chuckled. “You know I did.”

“Did you win?”

“Of course.” He laughed. “How about you? Takin’ the world by storm?”

She shrugged and inhaled sharply. “I just sent an article to Amanda, so we’ll see.”

“Ah well, those things matter. But not as much as you might think, darlin’.”

She frowned. “What do you mean, Granddad?”

“Oh, nothin’, Sugar Pie. I’m just an old man thinkin’ back over his life.”

“But you achieved so much. And you’re still young, Granddad …”

He grunted. “Now I know you’re lyin’.”

She laughed and twirled a pen between her fingers. “Come on, Granddad, you sound a little down. Is everything okay?” He paused, and the silence made her sit up straight. “Granddad?”

“Oh, it’s nothin’, honey. Just wishin’ I could change some things in my past, that’s all. I’m gettin’ old, and I guess I don’t like that there are unresolved issues and things unsaid. When you get to my age, these are the things you think about – not your achievements, but the relationships you lost.”

Her brow furrowed. “Who are you talking about?” She’d never heard him speak that way before. She hoped he wasn’t ill.

“You remember me talkin’ about my time at the Chron?”

“Of course.”

He sighed. “I just wish things had happened differently. Wallace Holden was my best friend, did you know that?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I knew you were friends …”

“And I never had another friend like him. Not after things went bad … never mind, I’m bein’ sentimental, is all. Nothin’ for you to worry about, Sugar Pie.”

“Okay.” But she did worry – she couldn’t help it. Usually Granddad was so gruff and matter-of-fact. He wasn’t introspective or nostalgic – it wasn’t his way. “But you are all right, aren’t you?”

He chuckled. “I’m fine, just fine. I’ll let you get back to takin’ over the world. Just make sure you come by and see me sometime soon, okay?”

She agreed to see him on the weekend, then hung up, her thoughts spinning. She’d have to talk to Dad about this, find out if there was anything else going on. Granddad had spoken of Wallace Holden before, but never so fondly – usually his name was followed by a string of cusswords.

Molly spun around in her chair, hands linked behind her head – and found Amanda staring at her from her glass-walled office. She gestured for Molly to come in while fiddling with her headset.

Amanda was thirty-six and felt entitled to boss her thirty-two-year-old sister around – at least that’s how it always felt to Molly. Even when they were kids playing school, Amanda was always the teacher or the principal and Molly the student. If they played family, Amanda was the mother and Molly the baby. Now as adults, Amanda was still telling her what to do – though as the Times’ news editor, she really was Molly’s boss.

Molly stood and hurried into her sister’s office. Surely Amanda wouldn’t push back on the article – it was one of the best she’d ever written. She had to see that. A surge of pride welled up, giving her goose pimples, and she smiled warmly at her sister. Amanda indicated a seat, and she sat slowly, then leaned forward over Amanda’s desk.

Amanda finished her call and smiled tightly. “Nice piece.”

Molly grinned. “I thought you’d like it.”

Amanda linked her fingers together and set them on the desk, her hazel eyes boring into Molly’s blues. “I just skimmed it, but I can see it’s good. Still, I can’t run it – not tomorrow.”

Molly’s nostrils flared. “Why not?”

“You know why not – you missed the deadline. Deadlines exist for a reason, Molly. You know that better than anyone.”

“We had that ridiculous fire drill …”

“It wasn’t a drill – there was a gas leak. It could’ve been a very dangerous situation, but thankfully it’s now contained.”

Amanda constantly amazed Molly. At work she was all business. Molly sometimes wondered where she’d got it from, then remembered how their grandfather and now her father ran the paper. But why did she always have to make Molly feel like she was eight years old again and she’d taken her favorite dolly? She straightened up and did her best to feel her age. “I understand that, but whatever it was, it interrupted me in the final stages of the article. I would’ve made the deadline …”

Amanda sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It fell perfectly in place around her face, accenting her high cheekbones. “Molly, I’m sorry, but I can’t make an exception for you. Layout needed everything from me ten minutes ago. Everyone else got their pieces to me in time, even with the interruption. If I start showing you leniency, it’ll upset everyone else in the office, or I’ll have to give everyone the same flexibility. Then layout suffers, the printers suffer, everyone suffers … do you understand?”

Molly nodded, her stomach in knots. All that work for nothing.

“We’ll run it the next day,” Amanda added, with a softer tone and a half smile.

Molly frowned. “Of course … unless someone else breaks the story first.”

Amanda nodded, already turning her attention to her computer screen “You should take the rest of the day off.”

“What? No, I’m fine. I’ve got that other thing …”

“It’s not a request. You’ve been working too hard. Take the afternoon off. Go out, have some fun. It’s all part of our innovation initiative. Apparently people are more innovative when they get time off to rest.”

“Okay.” Molly wandered back to her desk, feeling deflated.

Vicky peered over the gray fabric cubicle partition. “How’d it go?”

“I missed the deadline.”

“Oh suck. I’m sorry – I know how hard you worked on it.”

“Thanks. And guess what? Amanda’s sending me home for the rest of the day. Hey, you should come too. We can play hooky together.”

“It’s a deal. Just give me an hour or so, and I’ll meet you back here. I’ve got a few leads I have to chase up first.” Vicky smiled.

“Perfect, that will give me a chance to wrap things up as well.”

CHAPTER2

Hands full of plastic grocery bags, Tim pushed open the front door to his house with a grunt. The handles were beginning to cut off the circulation to his fingers. He kicked the door shut behind him, walked to the kitchen and set the bags on the counter. His ears still rang from the rowdy laughter and conversation of the station. His house, in contrast, squatted in suburban silence. The warm spring sun had dipped behind the copse of evergreens that huddled behind his house and their cool shade crept across his kitchen floor.

He pulled a can of Coke from one of the shopping bags, cracked it open, took a sip and leaned back against the counter. His hair, still wet from the shower at the station, dripped a line of cold water down the back of his neck, soaking the collar of his T-shirt. He shivered and took another sip.

He glanced out the window at the trees, then around the empty house. He’d bought it as an investment – part of his plan for the future, back when he thought he had it all worked out. He’d always believed he’d fall in love, settle down and have a family, but it had never happened. Now he was thirty and living all alone in a two-story four-bedroom house in Marietta.

He’d had a couple of roommates for a while, but that hadn’t worked out, and the thought of trying to find another one made his stomach twist in knots. No, he’d live alone for now. Maybe sell the place and find an apartment closer to the station, something more suited to a bachelor.

He wasn’t sure why it bothered him. Perhaps because his parents always had such a happy marriage – he’d never been cynical about the institution the way a lot of his friends were. But he’d never found the right person. He dated, less now than he had in the past, but each relationship had ended over some reason he couldn’t remember any longer.

He put the groceries away and carried his Coke outside to sit on the back deck, a small square affair that jutted out behind the house. The furniture was just an old glass-top table and six worn black chairs, but the view was priceless. He loved the small thicket that ran behind the line of houses on his street. Often he’d see deer in his backyard – they’d dart into the woods when he opened the door.

He sat in a chair, leaned back and took another sip. Dark shadows lengthened across the yard and a squirrel chattered in a nearby tree.

“Hey.” He glanced up to see his neighbor Callum seated on his own porch no more than twenty feet away. He raised a glass of tea to Tim.

Tim nodded back. “How’re you doing?”

Callum stood and wandered over to where Tim sat. They’d become fast friends and had never bothered to put a fence between their properties. Both were bachelors who enjoyed a quiet life and neither had much patience for neighborhood associations – they’d bonded over their mutual hatred for the “Neighborhood Police,” as they called the association president and secretary.

Tim pulled out a chair for Callum, and he took it, setting his glass of tea on the table. “I’m good. A bit sore today.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right – you had that martial arts training day yesterday.” Tim chuckled. “You’re getting too old for it, huh?”

Callum frowned. “No, it was just more intense than I’m used to. These days I do a lot of sitting in cars surveilling people and get a lot less action than I did in Afghanistan.” Callum, a former Navy SEAL, worked as a private investigator and bodyguard all over Georgia and sometimes even out of state. Tim found his career appealing, but not appealing enough to give up his own as a fireman, though Callum had tried to tempt him more than once.

Tim chuckled. “Whatever you say, old man.”

“You’re one to talk. We’re the same age.”

“I’ll have you know, I carried a woman down eight flights of stairs over my shoulder today.” He grinned and raised his Coke can in salute.

Callum’s eyebrows arched as he picked up his glass and clinked it against Tim’s can. “Hey, now that’s something worth toasting.” He laughed. “Was that purely for fun or was she actually hurt?”

Tim chuckled. “Purely for fun.”

Callum’s eyes widened and he guffawed. “Oh man, I would’ve loved to see that.”

“Yeah, she wasn’t too happy with me.” He scratched his chin and grinned. “But she wouldn’t evacuate, so …”

“You have the best job, dude. No wonder you won’t join me – though I could definitely make it worth your while if you’d consider it …” Callum shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. I’ve got more work than I can handle and I really should hire someone. Trouble is, I don’t want to work with just anyone – it’s got to be someone suited to the job, who I like …”

Tim chuckled. “So that narrows down the field, since you don’t really like anyone …”

“I resemble that remark.” Callum winked as he took another gulp of tea.

“What did you work on today?” asked Tim, stifling a yawn with his fist.

“A wife wanting to know if her husband is cheating. I swear, cheating spouses are half my income.” Callum shifted in his seat to face Tim. “You know what? We should go out.”

“Out? I’m tired – it was a long day.” Almost two days, actually – thirty hours straight.

“Yeah, but you’re always tired. So am I. If we wait until we feel like it, we’ll never go anywhere. And it’s time both of us had a little fun.”

Tim chewed the inside of his cheek. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, normally I’d say let’s go rock-climbing or skeet shooting or something. But the house is feeling a bit empty today for some reason …”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” added Tim with a wistful glance over his shoulder.

“So let’s go somewhere different — where there are people. Socialize. That kind of thing.”

Tim frowned and rubbed his face. “Really?”

“Yeah. How are we ever going to meet anyone sitting side by side on our back porches? How long has it been since you dated?”

“I don’t know …”

“At least a year.”

“Aw, it can’t have been that long.” Tim knew it was.

“Right. And even when you did date, you never stuck with it longer than a month. Are you aiming for lifelong celibacy? Because I’m pretty sure there’s a monastery out past Conyers you could join.”

Tim cocked his head to one side. “You’re freaking hilarious, dude.”

“I mean it. You’re absolutely hopeless.”

“No, I’m not.”

“I bet if you met a woman today and asked her out, within a month you’d forget her name.”

Tim’s eyes narrowed. “You have no faith in me whatsoever. I’m not that much of a jerk.”

“No, you’re not a jerk. You just have commitment issues.”

Tim cocked an eyebrow. “Fine. Care to put money on it?”

Callum chuckled. “I’m totally in – easiest money I’ll ever make.”

“Fine. Let’s say fifty bucks.”

Callum threw back his head and laughed. “That’s no incentive! Make it real and I’ll hold you to it. More like five hundred.”

“Five hundred dollars?”

“What’s wrong? Don’t think you can go the distance?”

Tim combed his fingers through his hair. This was ridiculous. His family had money, but he lived on his salary. He’d never touched his trust fund as a matter of principle – he wanted to show his parents he could make it on his own. So he was careful about the money he spent, and five hundred dollars could pay a lot of bills. Still, something about Callum’s cocky smile provoked him. “All right. I’m in. Five hundred says I stay in a relationship with the next woman I meet, and am interested enough in to ask out, for more than one month.”

Callum offered his hand. “Done.”

Tim shook it and laughed, but his stomach twisted with nerves. “Shoot. Now I just have to meet someone. How hard can it be, right?”

“Come on – we can head downtown and find a bar or something.”

“No nightclubs,” added Tim, “That’s where I draw the line.”

“Not a dance music kinda guy, huh?” teased Callum, punching Tim in the arm.

Tim almost fell off his chair, then turned around and punched Callum right back.

“Hey, ouch!” cried Callum, jumping to his feet. “You’re getting better at that.”

Tim grinned. “I’ve been blowing off steam at the boxing gym, and we installed a heavy bag at the station.”

Callum rubbed his shoulder gingerly. “Well, it’s paying off. Now I’ll have to put one up at home to keep up with you.”

“You can try,” chuckled Tim, dancing out of the way as Callum lunged for him again.

When they’d finally had enough roughhousing and were puffing hard, their hands on their hips, Tim frowned. “I really don’t feel like dealing with a bar. How about something a bit more active?”

Callum nodded. “There’s a bowling alley in North Druid Hills – they have two-dollar tacos.”

Tim chuckled again. “Perfect.”

* * *

Molly watched Vicky step off the elevator, grimacing and lifting one foot higher than the other as she went. “What are you doing?” she giggled.

“I got gum on my shoe.” Vicky shook her foot and took another step, her eyes wide with horror – no doubt thinking about where the gum had been. Vicky was a bit of a germaphobe, though she always denied it. She wiped it clean on the edge of the landing, grimacing all the while.

Molly bit her lip and unlocked their apartment door. They shared a place in midtown Atlanta. It was small but comfortable, and they were happy together … most of the time. “I had a bad day too. You were out running down those leads on the robbery, so I didn’t get a chance to tell you …”

“What happened?”

“You know that article I was writing – where I missed the deadline because of that gas leak? Well, we were scooped by the Chron. Again. I didn’t think they’d run it today, I was waiting for it to come out tomorrow — hoping it wouldn’t, but fairly sure it would. You know how they’re all digital now? Well, they published it online half an hour ago, just before you got back to the office. How can I compete with that? So Amanda won’t print it, because it’s officially old news.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mol. I know how hard you worked on it.”

“Thanks,” grunted Molly, still feeling sorry for herself over the whole debacle. She pushed the apartment door open with her shoulder – and covered her mouth with a gasp. Fluffy white feathers floated down slowly from the ceiling. They covered the carpet, the couch, the coffee table, the kitchen counter and even balanced on the fan blades overhead.

A large golden Lab rushed them, her tail wagging furiously. Molly caught her with both hands, her heart in her throat. “Daisy! What have you done?”

Vicky pushed past her through the doorway, her eyes wide. “My goose-down comforter!”

Molly grimaced. The comforter had most likely suffered the same fate as the beanbag, her second-favorite pair of pumps, and the throw she’d made the mistake of draping over the end of her bed. Daisy had devoured them all. “Naughty dog!” she scolded, holding her by the collar.

Vicky hurried to her bedroom door, covering her mouth as she surveyed the damage.

“How bad is it?” asked Molly. She didn’t really want to know. It was one thing for Daisy to chew up her things, but she hated it when her pooch destroyed her roommate’s stuff.

Vicky’s hands slid up over her eyes, then down, pulling the skin until she looked as though her face was melting. “Total destruction,” she whispered.

Molly squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry, Vick. I’ll buy you a new one.”

Her friend nodded. “Thank you. Don’t worry – I’ll be fine. I think I just need to sit down for a minute and maybe have a drink. I feel a little light-headed.”

“Of course. I’ll get you something.” Molly looked at Daisy, whose tail twitched beneath her rump against the carpet, belying her big-eyed attempt to look sorry. “You stay here! You’ve been a bad dog.”

Daisy’s head dropped to rest on top of her paws, her tail still.