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Mel tilts her head, considers it. “Yes. I mean, it’s hard, he’s definitely a city boy now. But the guy I knew is still there. Focused, ambitious, determined. All the core things. He’s fair and takes care of people. Always has.”
“Yes. I can see that. He plays the big, bad CEO at work, but I know from some of our conversations that he cares about the company—and the employees.”
Roy is no longer grinning or shooting me sly glares. Now, he’s looking at me curiously, bushy brows knit. As if seeing more to me than he has before. I feel my face heat in embarrassment and tuck the cloth napkin in at my lap, clearing my throat.
“What’s on the agenda today, then?” I ask to turn this suddenly intimate conversation elsewhere. “Team building games? A spa day?”
Roy starts talking about some scavenger hunt the lodge has set up, and I zone out. I can feel Mel’s eyes on me but fight the urge to look at her. I can’t handle seeing the past reflected back at me right now. And the feeling that I don’t deserve this—her helping me.
* * *
“You’re betterat lying than I thought,” I say as I walk into the suite, the door shutting behind me with a click.
Mel gasps, a hand to her chest. “Jenson! Knock next time.”
She’s clutching a towel to her chest, bare legs visible beneath the hem. Not naked…there’s a thin red strap around her neck. That bathing suit.
“It’d be odd to knock at my own door, don’t you think?”
She glares at me, but it isn’t serious, and addresses my earlier statement. “I’m not lying. Just…avoiding the truth.”
“Omission is still lying, Mel. Besides, I know what you think of me.”
She scoffs, padding around the living area to slip into sandals, pausing to tie her hair up. The towel, wrapped around her chest, pulls up just enough for me to see the tops of her tanned thighs. My mind goes to last night again, the slits on that depraved dress revealing everything to me.
“You have no idea what I think of you.”
Throwing her an eye roll, I head for the en suite bar. I could use a watered-down whiskey, even if it’s just barely after noon.
“Mmm. So you think I’m ambitious? You think I care about people?”
Her lips are pursed when I turn to face her. “That first one isn’t really debatable, is it? You’re doing all this to get the company. And I’m assuming you aren’t planning on selling it off or firing everyone.”
My jaw clenches. She’s right.
Here’s the thing—if Zach gets Dupont Analytics, that’s exactly the path he’ll take. He’ll sell the company to some bigger analytics conglomerate, which will pick apart everything we’ve done here. He’ll let at least half the staff go, not caring about seniority or dedication.
I can’t let it happen.
But how can Mel know that? I haven’t even told her about Zach.
“Either way,” I say in a flat voice, “don’t overdo it. Roy is a smart man, no matter how innocent he looks. He can sniff out a farce anywhere.”
As Mel walks to the door, I can’t help but notice the sad look that flits across her face. “I’m not sure what you want me to say. Everything I told him is true, Jenson. Even if you don’t believe it yourself.”
With that, she disappears into the hallway, presumably to go enjoy the variety of pools scattered throughout the lodge.
I take a sip of whiskey, letting it heat my mouth and warm my throat. Loosening the tightness that’s been there since hearing her speak so fondly of me, and our past.
The only thing I need to focus on now is the future. And I’m pretty sure that once this lie is over, Mel won’t stick around, no matter how much of a decent person she thinks I am.
Chapter9
Melanie
It’s the third day and I’m already deeply regretting agreeing to this whole thing. Not just pretending to be Jenson’s fiancé but coming to the retreat. I wasn’t made for team building activities.
The scavenger hunt the day before was fine, and actually a relief after Roy’s mini-interrogation. I can see why he and Jenson get along so well together, even though it’s pretty funny to see the pair side by side. Jenson, all cool professionalism, and Roy grinning at everyone with his potbelly and Birkenstocks.
