Page 5 of Oh My Secret Christmas Baby
"No," I tell her.
"Fine, but she still needs to come and help me with this party." She isn't going to let this go, so I tell a little white lie to buy myself some time and to hopefully shut down this woman before she even arrives in New Hope.
"I'm seeing someone." It's not really a lie. I see people around all the time. Kindred is always coming in and out of my office.
"Who?"
"It's too early for me to give details. It's new."
"Who?" Mom keeps pushing, and I know she's not going to let it go. Just then, Kindred comes walking into my office.
"Kindred," I say.
The line goes quiet, and Kindred mouths to me, What is going on?
I hold up my finger. My mom is still quiet. Is she about to call me on my bluff? I should back out. It's insane for anyone to think Kindred and I would be together. I’d like to think If I were into a woman, it wouldn't take years for me to pull that trigger, and Kindred and I have been working together for a couple of years at this point. We are purely platonic.
“Kindred?” When she finally responds, Kindred’s name comes out sounding like a question. As though she has no idea who Kindred is, when they, in fact, talk more than a few times a week, "Okay, then." There is a smugness in her tone that has my hackles rising.
"I'm glad we got that cleared up."
"Right," my mom laughs. "I still need to send the party planner there. This will make things easier for everyone. I'm sure Kindred would also enjoy the help."
That is a good point. I will be needing help from her to get this all pulled together. Mom might be coming to town, and this is really her party and not mine, but I know tasks will get handed off to me. Ones that I don’t want. I might want to keep busy but not planning a Christmas party and decorating for it. That sounds miserable.
I agree with my mom before she says she’ll be in touch with more details soon, ending the call.
“I can tell from your expression that the conversation didn’t go well. It’s not a big deal to let her throw a party,” Kindred says. I bark a laugh. If only it were only the party that I had to worry about.
"Oh, I agreed, and she's sending a party planner to help."
"Oh noes, like the kind of party planner that could end up being your wife?" Kindred knows my mother well.
"Yes, but I told her I was seeing someone to try and shut it down." I’m debating whether I should spring it on Kindred that she’sthesomeoneor wait for a little while.
"I don't blame you. That last girl…" Kindred trails off.
How could I forget the tall blonde whose voice was equivalent to nails on a chalkboard? Between that and her overpowering perfume, she’d given me a headache anytime she was around, and she made it a habit to be just that. I swear it seemed as though she was my damn shadow when I was in town.
I could see the way other men would stare at her. I didn’t understand it. It makes me question if maybe being a parent is a thing I really want because I’ve never been tempted. If anything, the women my mother tries to push on me have the opposite effect. Being chained to one of them for the rest of my life is a hell I couldn’t endure. I would rather go back to the city and deal with all the vultures there.
"Well, I'm going to need a favor." I might as well let her know that we are seeing each other. Well, as far as my mother is concerned, anyway. It won’t be long until my mom is calling her, and there is no way she will be able to hold back from asking Kindred questions. I’m surprised her phone hasn’t already started blowing up.
"A favor? That's a first." She rubs her hands together. "This is going to get me a bigger Christmas bonus."
"The city doesn't give bonuses." Kindred is employed by the city part-time, and then part time for my other affairs with my personal odds and ends. That technically makes her full time in a sense. She cocks her head to the side in a challenge I'm not going up against. "The biggest bonus." I know giving in to her demands is the only way she might agree to go along with my plan.
"Then, I'm in." She keeps rubbing her hands together.
"You don't know what it is yet," I point out, and she shrugs, not worried.
"You need me to find a fake girlfriend?"
"I told her it was you." Kindred's brows rise all the way. "I know, I fucked up." I sigh. "I'll tell her the truth when she gets here, but let's only fake it to this party planner so that she leaves me alone and doesn't try anything or think she has a chance." That would make my life a whole lot harder.
"Actually, I like this idea." She nods adamantly, a smirk pulling at her lips. "It works for me too."
Not sure what that means, but I'm not questioning it. This situation may not be as bad as I initially thought. This plan is going to work. I mean, what can really go wrong?
