Page 146 of From Rivals to I Do

anyway. I tried to be her friend and nothing more, and then I ruined it by kissing her.

When I get home, I immediately go to my room and try to fall asleep as quickly as I can to escape from this nightmare and pretend none of it happened.

A knock on my door wakes me. I get out of bed and groggily answer it. Mick is standing there with an awkward smile on his face.

“There’s someone here for you, a Janice Keating?” he says, and I groan.

How did I forget about that? The daughter of the long-time client I agreed with my father to show around town.

“Can you tell her I’ll be good to go in fifteen minutes, please?” I beg Mick, and he nods his head.

As quickly as I can, I shower, brush my teeth, and change into a nice casual outfit to meet Janice downstairs. She is, as my dad said, quite the looker. She is

tall with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Normally, she’d be the exact kind of woman I would go for. But right now, I’m not in the mood to date, so this

would just be a friendly outing.

“Janice, hi,” I say, sticking my hand out to shake hers. “I’m Leonard. It’s nice to finally meet you. My dad has told me a lot about you.”

“Pleased to meet you. My father has told me how accomplished you are,” she says. She has a thick German accent, which reminds me of who her father is. I

have met him a few times at holiday parties and things of the sort, but I hardly know him personally.

I walk her outside and take her on a brief tour of Manhattan, showing her some of the best tourist attractions, Central Park and Madison Square Garden. We grabbed hot dogs at my favorite street stand.

She is genuinely nice, and I enjoy my time with her, but all I can think about is Rayne. The way her lips felt on mine, how, for a few moments, everything

was perfect when we were kissing. Then how she looked at me when we pulled away from each other.

Towards the end of the day, we stop for dinner at Saffron, and we are brought to a table towards the back. I come here often and bring a lot of dates here.

It is the perfect environment to get to know someone, and the food is unique enough that it can help revive a dying conversation. I had been here a little over a

month ago on the last date I had before I met Rayne. The host knows me and knows where I prefer to sit. So, she brings us to one of the most romantic tables in

the room.

Candles are lit, and music is playing. Janice rests her elbows on the table and looks at me with a flirty smile. I can’t do this right now. I quickly blow all of

the candles on the table out and she looks at me like I am insane for a moment.

“I’m sorry, I just,” I stammer, trying to think of an excuse to avoid hurting her feelings. “I felt hot.”

Janice is obviously not convinced by my poorly thought-out lie and sits back, looking all around the room. I sigh to myself and realize telling her the truth is

the best course of action.

“I’m sorry, that was a lie, I’m not hot,” I say, and she starts laughing and shaking her head.

“I would have never guessed it,” she sarcastically chimes in.

“My father just wanted me to go out with you and this was already planned, but there’s–,” I pause mid-sentence, not sure what exactly I can say. There isn’t

anyone else. I want there to be, but it is more complicated than that. “It’s complicated but I have feelings for another person, and I don’t want to mess anything up.”

She nods her head and reaches her hands across the table for mine. She gives them a reassuring squeeze and offers me a kind smile.

“I understand. I hope it all works out for you both,” she says before letting go of me. “You’re a very nice guy, and anyone is lucky to have you, I’m sure.”

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