Faking It with my Billionaire Grump

6. Jake

6

Jake

She’s standing there, looking terrified, but I can’t tell if it’s because of Elsa or something else. I don’t know what she’s doing here, but I have an inkling it has something to do with her offer of coffee yesterday afternoon. Something I still haven’t gotten my head around.

“That’s a beautiful horse,” she says, completely ignoring my question.

I can hear the nervousness in her voice, and I’m confused. For a start, Tilly isn’t a nervous person. She was always forthright and knew just what she wanted. Besides that, the way she’s spoken to me in our last two encounters tells me that she hasn’t lost any of that feistiness I used to love about her.

“Yes, he is. But that doesn’t answer my question. What are you doing here, Tilly?”

She eyes Elsa nervously and takes a step forward. Elsa growls, and Tilly stops dead.

“Heel,” I hiss.

Elsa immediately lies down, but that doesn’t seem to put Tilly at ease. I can’t blame her, really. Elsa is a huge dog. She’s also supposed to be frightening. That’s the whole point.

“I came to ask you a favor,” Tilly says.

My jaw falls open at her words, and I’ll admit it, I’m a little speechless at the nerve she has.

“I know,” she says, lifting her hands up. “You don’t owe me anything. And I know my being here is a bit messed up.”

“You think?” I snarl.

Tilly rolls her eyes. “Can we please just talk to each other like adults?”

I heave a sigh and give her a look. As hard as it is to curb my anger, I want her just to spit it out; then I can get on with my day.

“Fine. Get on with it.”

“Okay,” she says, taking a huge breath in. “I’m back at my parents; house because—”

“You split up with your ex,” I say, finishing her sentence.

She looks a little surprised that I know, and I give her a disbelieving look. “You’re back in Baskington now, Tilly.”

“Right. Okay. Well. My ex has come looking for me.” She pauses, like she’s waiting for me to say something. I don’t, so she continues, “He came to Mom and Dad’s house two nights back, telling me he wasn’t going to go back to the city without me.”

I frown and shake my head. “And where do I come into all of this?”

She looks wary and then says, “I need him to know that there’s never going to be another chance for us. So I figure, if we pretend we’re back together—”

“Not a chance,” I spit. “Are you out of your mind?”

I cannot believe what I’m hearing, and completely gobsmacked, I stare at her in utter amazement.

“I know it’s crazy—”

“Crazy?” My eyes are as wide as the gates on my paddocks. “‘Crazy’ would be Elsa standing on two hind legs and talking back to me.” I point to the dog. “This? This is insane!” I shake my head. “No way. I’m not getting involved in your messed-up life.”

“I’m not asking you to marry me, Jake,” she blurts.

“I don’t care. Forget it. You got yourself into this mess. You can get yourself out,” I retort.

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” she yells back. “I can’t think of any other way to get rid of him. Don’t you think I’d be doing it if I could? You think I want to be here begging for your help?”

“I’m sure this guy will give up and go back to New York eventually. You’re just going to have to ride it out until that happens.”

Tilly shakes her head vehemently. “You don’t know this guy. He can’t take no for an answer. That’s why he’s here in the first place. I ended it, and now he’s chased me down.”

“Seems like a pattern with you,” I say, repeating what I said to the guys at the bar the other evening. “Running off when things don’t work out.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Jake. It’s been ten years.”

“Exactly,” I spit. “You’d think you would’ve learned your lesson by now.”

She drops her head and heaves a sigh. I’ll admit, she does look desperate, and it’s only now that I feel a little bad for her. But only a little.

“I’m asking for your help,” she says quietly. “I’ll do anything. I’m sure there’s something you need done on this great big sprawling ranch. I don’t care what it is. Please. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Is this how karma works? Someone does you wrong, and you get to watch them wallow in pain? There’s a bit of satisfaction, seeing her getting her comeuppance, but I can’t say I’m reveling in it. On the other hand, perhaps a little bit of payback might be nice.

“What do you need me to do?” I ask. I’m not committing to anything until I know the details.

Tilly looks up with hope dancing in her eyes. “Just a date,” she blurts quickly. “That’s all. One date. I just need Bryan to see that I’ve moved on and I’m not interested in him anymore.”

I look at her for a long moment, trying to read her face. Tilly was never the lying kind, but then, I’ve already concluded that I didn’t really know the girl I was dating. Well, not at the end, anyway.

“One date,” I confirm.

She nods eagerly. “I swear, that’s all I’m asking. The truth is, I’m done with relationships, but words are just not enough for this guy.”

I’m not exactly thrilled at the idea, but I suppose I could do with some help with the horses, especially since Greta’s injury.

I move from one foot to the other. “And how is this going to work? How is Bryan going to see us?”

“I’ll tell him,” Tilly replies quickly. Clearly, she’s already thought this through. “I’ll text him and tell him I’ve moved on, and then I’ll tell him I’m going out to dinner with you. I know Bryan. He won’t be able to help but show up.”

I’m still teetering on whether agreeing to this makes me a complete madman. My life has moved on. I’m in a far better place now. I’m settled and happy. I don’t do drama. So why am I even considering this?

Because it’s her. You know that.

Even after all this time, I clearly still have a soft spot for Tilly. It’s just buried in the deepest part of my being. I can see it flickering, this tiny spark. It’s the only thing that has me even considering this ridiculous proposal.

“When?” I ask.

“As soon as possible,” she comes back. “The sooner he sees I’ve moved on, the sooner he’ll leave.”

And when he leaves, Tilly will leave me alone and things will get back to normal, right? She’s only staying at her parents’ until she figures out what she’s going to do. Or at least, that’s my assumption. Her job is in the city. She’ll have to move back there eventually.

Fine. Let’s get this over with.

“I can do tomorrow night,” I say unenthusiastically.

“Perfect,” she breathes. “Thank you.”

I give her a nod. At least one of us is excited.

“So, what do I have to do in return?” she asks.

I shrug. “I’ll think of something.”

It’s all a bit sudden, and I need to think of what I trust her enough to do. A city girl on a ranch is just asking for trouble.

Oh, come on. She’s not a city girl, and you know it.

No, I suppose not.

“Where are we going on this date?” I ask.

She shrugs. “We could go to the bar. They still serve food, right?”

“Sure.”

I still think I’m crazy for doing this, and yet I find myself telling her that I’ll pick her up at eight. After more grateful thanks, Tilly heads back to her truck, leaving me wondering if I haven’t just walked into the Twilight Zone.

From the minute I get up the next morning, I’m distracted. It’s not like me at all, but when I throw the chickens’ feed to the pigs, put a saddle on my horse backward, and think I’ve lost the keys to my truck, only to find them in the ignition, I know something’s definitely not right.

Pull yourself together, Jake! It’s just dinner.

Yes, I’m nervous. I hate to admit it, but it’s the truth. A man with my means and accomplishments, nervous? Go figure. But I don’t need to work it out. I know the reason. I’ve been on plenty of dates, but this is different. I haven’t seen Tilly in ten years, and after only three days of her being back in town, I’m taking her out. And I don’t mean with a rifle.

I feel like a teenager again. It’s not that I want anything to come of it, but Tilly held a very special place in my heart for a long time. This is not an ordinary date.

You can’t get involved again.

No. And I have no intention. This is a one-off favor, and that’s it. And yet, when the time comes, I still take nearly an hour figuring out what I’m going to wear.

In the end, I go with smart casual: jeans, boots, and a deep blue shirt. And, of course, my cowboy hat. I rarely go anywhere without it.

“Wish me luck,” I say to Elsa before closing the front door and heading to the truck.

Pulling up outside Gerry and Bella’s house, I’m about to jump out of the truck when the front door flies open and Tilly hurriedly skips out. Behind her, Bella calls out and gives me a wave.

“Hi, Jake.”

“Hey, Bella,” I say, noticing the beaming smile on her face.

I hope she isn’t getting any ideas. This is a favor and nothing else.

Before I know it, Tilly is climbing into the passenger side, not even giving me a chance to go and open the door for her. She pulls it closed and then heaves a stressed sigh.

She sounds as nervous as I feel, but I’m trying to play it cool even as my stomach is twisting. Aloof and contained—that’s the look I’m going for. Whether I’ll be able to pull it off all night, I have no idea. The scent that fills the cab isn’t helping, and I’m met with a soft mixture of coconut and something floral. The potent aroma fills my nostrils, and I swallow hard.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” I say, looking her up and down while at the same time trying to distract myself from how good she smells. “You know we’re in Baskington, right? Not New York?”

In truth, she looks stunning in the soft pink sweater, blue capri pants, and matching heels, but I can’t let her know that.

She throws me a fiery scowl. “Let’s just get this over with, shall we?”