The Accidental Boyfriend. Maggie Dallen

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СКАЧАТЬ was so sappy and swooning, it was Holly’s turn to roll her eyes.

      “So what’s up?” Ivy asked.

      “Benjamin went to Paris for a conference,” she started.

      “Yeah, I know, Mom told me.”

      “Mom told you?” Incredible. Her mother had known he was going to Paris but he hadn’t thought to tell her.

      “Yeah, his mom told our mom and you know Mom calls every day to check in on the baby. I get all the juicy Oakdale gossip.”

      Holly took a deep breath and shut her eyes. “I followed him,” she said on a rush of air.

      “Wait, what? You followed who?” Ivy asked.

      “Benjamin. I followed him to his conference.”

      There was a moment of silence before Ivy said, “But, why?” The sound of complete and utter incomprehension was as comforting as it was annoying. Ivy had always been the good one—she would never, ever go running after a boy.

      “Because it’s romantic,” Holly explained.

      “Oh my God, you have got to be kidding me. Are you still on this kick? You can’t honestly believe that you and Benjamin are destined to be together, I thought you were moving on. I mean, when I saw you and Jack at the wedding, I thought—”

      “Nothing happened between me and Jack!” The phrase came out louder than anticipated and Holly rubbed a hand over her face.

      The echoing silence was as obvious as if Ivy outright said the words, “Yeah, right.”

      Maybe she was protesting a bit too much but every time Jack’s name was mentioned—and it seemed like it was mentioned daily in her family—it was almost always followed by some comment about how great they looked together or what a wonderful couple they’d make. Jack was exactly the type of guy she’d have gone for in the past but now that she’d turned over a new leaf? Never gonna happen.

      Benjamin on the other hand….

      “We would make the perfect couple,” Holly said.

      “You and Jack?” Ivy asked. She honestly sounded confused.

      Holly gripped the phone tighter. Why was everyone so obsessed with that man? “No, keep up. Me and Benjamin.”

      Ivy’s sigh was borderline condescending. “You were the perfect couple—in eighth grade. Times have changed. You’ve changed. There’s a whole big world out there filled with—”

      Holly raised a hand to interrupt her sister as though Ivy was in the hostel room and not lounging on a veranda in Tuscany with half of Italy waiting on her hand and foot. “I’ve been out in the world, Ivy. I’m not some kid who’s never left Oakdale, okay? I’m older than you.”

      “By one year,” Ivy said, most likely out of habit more than anything else. When she spoke again, her voice was softer. “What’s this really about, Holiday?”

      There it was. Her old nickname, the one that made her feel like a seven-year-old with skinned knees and a deep desire to live in a treehouse. She considered telling her sister about what had happened the year before, the reason she’d returned to Oakdale. But then she pictured Ivy with her big belly and her doting husband and shut her mouth—there was no way she could understand. Ivy might be able to sympathize but she could never understand.

      “Listen, I’ve got to get going. Just tell Mom and Dad that I’m in France and I’ll check in every few days so I don’t miss the big announcement, ‘kay? Tell them that I’ll meet up with you all in Italy—”

      She heard Ivy start to protest, “Wait, France? But, Holly, Benjamin—”

      Holly hung up with a grin. She’d known her sister would argue, it’s what sisters do—especially her sister.

      Chapter 2

      Jack was fairly certain he was hallucinating when Brunelli placed the open magazine in front of him and Daniel. After a month of seeing Holly constantly in his mind’s eye, he was sure he’d conjured her up.

      Daniel cursed under his breath in a way that suggested Jack should fear for his life. No, he definitely hadn’t made this up. He and Holly were featured prominently in the center spread, she looking ethereal with her blond curls and pale blue gown, and him looking…well, smitten, was the only word to describe it. He leaned in to take a closer look. Good God, it almost looked like he was—

      “You’re in love,” Brunelli declared, smacking the magazine with the back of his hand as though his words were a decree from above. The third partner in EverTech, the old Italian was the biggest romantic Jack had ever met.

      “What? I am not in love,” Jack protested.

      Daniel did not look amused. “How did this happen?”

      “What do you mean, ‘how did this happen’? We were having fun.” Jack gestured toward the veranda as though the photographer was still out there. “How was I supposed to know there was somebody taking our picture?”

      Daniel, who had been more and more on edge as his wife’s pregnancy progressed, looked just about ready to throttle Jack.

      “Wait a second,” Jack said, feeling a tad defensive in the face of Daniel’s wrath. “Who am I dealing with here, overbearing business partner or overprotective brother-in-law?”

      Daniel opened his mouth to answer but stopped as though stumped. Jack looked from Daniel to Brunelli, who just shrugged.

      “I did nothing wrong here,” Jack said, pointing to the picture.

      “Are you sure? Because it looks like you’re about to,” Daniel said. At that Brunelli nodded his agreement. Jack looked back at the picture. It did look incriminating. But for once, he could tell the truth, even though the truth sucked.

      “I’m positive,” Jack said, giving them his best look of innocence. “I wouldn’t lie to you guys. We shared one innocent kiss”—okay, that was a stretch, it was passionate as hell and about as innocent as the devil—“but that’s where it ended.” He pointed to the beautiful blonde with blue eyes and the face of an angel. “We had a fun night together but even I wouldn’t try to seduce an innocent. She’s a second grade teacher from Ohio, for God’s sake, give me some credit.”

      That much was true and Daniel knew it. The type of women Jack got involved with were worldly and experienced—the type who knew what they were getting into and had no delusions of happily ever afters. Jack didn’t do commitments; he wasn’t built that way. People who counted on him had a tendency to get hurt and he’d figured out long ago that it was best to keep his distance. The press may have declared him a heartbreaker but he had no intention of actually breaking hearts.

      Daniel looked unconvinced. “If you mess with Ivy’s sister and she gets hurt, there will be hell to—”

      “Daniel!” Ivy’s voice called out from the hallway.

      All three men scrambled to hide the magazine as Ivy approached. Jack wasn’t СКАЧАТЬ