Page 21 of A Very Titan Christmas
He folded his arms across his broad chest and didn’t look convinced.
“She tried to set me up twicetoday. I can’t do this, and I can’t leave. I finally have the chance to write a cover story for my magazine, and my editor is foaming at the mouth for Silverberry Ridge.”
“That’s not my prob—”
“She keeps talking about grandkids, Bryce. You have to help me. Please.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I just want to do my job and spend some time with my parents without the constant pressure of being set up.”
“I can’t—”
“You owe me.” Panic took over because pleading wasn’t working.
He balked. “What?”
“You do,” she added, leaning into her absolute panic. “You broke my heart in high school without warning and—”
“That’s not fair, Rach.”
“Yeah, it is. I was so in love with you, and then just—bam—you were done.”
“I was moving.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Hell, I was seventeen and dumb as a box of fuckin’ rocks. I was trying to do the right thing.”
He’d never said he didn’t love her. The strangest, most inappropriate flash of nostalgia flickered. “That was an excuse. You owe me.”
“First,” he snapped, ticking a finger, “I was trying to do the right thing, and second”—he ticked another finger—“it was years ago.”
Rachel pressed her hands together and pleaded, “Please, Bryce.” She looked at him through her eyelashes and prayed she could win him over. “I will do anything if you help me out on this.”
His mouth twisted as though he was considering her crazy idea. “On one condition.”
“Anything.”
“You explain to my boss what you’re up to, so I don’t lose my damn job.”
“Sure, of course. Easy. How hard could that be?”
He snorted. “I’m sure it’ll be a piece of cake.” Bryce took a deep breath. “All right. If I don’t get fired, what’s the worst that can happen?”
Rachel tittered, suddenly nervous. What was the worst thing that could happen? Falling in love with the guy—again?
CHAPTER EIGHT
Despite his betterjudgment, Bryce led Rachel by the hand to where they’d left her mother and Roman. Roman noticed the hand holding immediately. Bryce didn’t want to deal with whatever Roman’s wild look meant, but at least he trusted Roman to keep his mouth shut until they could debrief later.
“So nice of you to return,” Eloise snapped with an assessing eye trained on Rachel. “Care to explain what’s going on?”
He didn’t like the way her mother analyzed her and seemed obsessed with her. She’d been like this to some extent while they were in high school, but Eloise’s interests had been focused on school activities. He guessed that making sure Rachel had high school resume builders had morphed into settling her daughter into the ideal life Eloise had dreamed of for her. If Bryce had to guess, Eloise hadn’t asked Rachel if their views for the future aligned.
Bryce took the lead, “Rachel and I dated in high school.”
“Yes, I know,” Eloise said.
Roman didn’t, and Bryce’s explanation was more for his benefit. “We’ve stayed in contact, and now that we’re in the same place for an extended period, we’re dating.”
Eloise pursed her lips. “So this is a booty call? Is that what you call it these days? Friends with benefits?”
Bryce and Roman were both speechless. Rachel’s mouth hinged open.
“Mom.” Rachel rubbed a hand over her face. “We’re dating. That’s it. That’s all the details you’re going to get.”
