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Declan paced across the grass beside the pool, flexing his stiffening knee. "Piper said no. What's your take on Mom? Is she going to keep going until she finds someone else to do it?"
Eric was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "Yeah, honestly, I believe she will. She's worried about you, Declan. We both are. You have to start living again, or you're going to start dying."
"I don't need to date anyone to be alive."
"No, but you're not okay. We see it. And honestly, I think Mom's not wrong. We've been waiting for you to pull yourself together on your own, but all you do is work on that damned house and pour drinks at your buddy's bar."
Declan swore. "I'm fine, Eric." Now was the moment to tell Eric that he had an interview to get back on the force, but he wasn't ready to say it. Besides, he was pretty certain his mom and Eric would consider a return to police work to be a bad move, not a good one.
"No. You're not fine. Stop lying to yourself, Declan. You'll never move forward unless you face the truth. And it's time."
Declan took a breath and stared up at the sky. Even if he toldEric about the interview, it wasn't worth it. Eric would tell Kitty, and that would unleash holy hell.
Eric sighed. "How about we go hit some golf balls this weekend?"
And listen to more shit about how he needed to start dating? How he needed to forget? How he should find some fulfilling job to light up his soul? "No, thanks. I'm busy. I'll talk to you later." He paused. "But thanks for caring."
"Always, bro.Always.I'm here if you need me. Whatever you need."
"I know. Thanks."
Declan hung up the phone and pressed it to his forehead, thinking. Tension radiated through him, and he knew he couldn’t go into his house. He couldn't sit there and listen to his mom's litany of worries about him.
He needed space to breathe, and his mom and Eric were giving him less, not more.
He could go for a run. Run hard. Run fast. Run until his muscles hurt so much that he couldn't remember what he'd been trying to forget. Except his knee wasn't up to that yet, even though he was pretending it was. Even though he needed it to be.
A light came on in the carriage house, drawing his attention to it. As he watched, Piper hurried out onto her patio to grab something off the table. She was still barefoot, but now she was wearing loose white pants and a black tank top that made her look sexy, adorable, and badass, all at the same time. Her hair was down, drying in loose waves around her shoulders.
He was surprised his mom had chosen to target Piper. She was nothing like the vision his mother had for who he should be with. And honestly, he was intrigued that Piper had said no. He respected that about her. A lot.
Declan narrowed his eyes as he studied her, as an idea came to his mind. A ridiculous, crazy idea that just might work.
Piper had just stepped back inside her kitchen when she heard Declan call her name.
Her heart leapt as he strode around the corner of the carriage house and onto her patio, looking much too sexy for anyone's good. "Hi." She ambled back onto the patio. "What's up?"
He strode right up. "I have a proposal."
He looked very intense and serious, which made her step back, away from that energy. "Okay," she said cautiously. "What's going on?"
"I want you to accept my mom's offer."
She blinked, staring at him. "What? Why?"
"Because she'll keep going until she finds someone who will say yes. And then I'll be stuck dealing with some woman trying to seduce me and earn her twenty thousand dollars. I don't want to manage that situation."
Piper had a sudden vision of some random, hired woman sitting in Declan's kitchen, laughing and flirting with him, and that vision didn't feel good. But… "I can't take twenty thousand dollars to date you. That makes me an escort."
He shook his head. "No, we won't really date. We'll just fake it for my mom. You'll get your money, and I won't have to deal with whatever scheme she concocts."
Piper sighed. "Look, Declan. I don't know what's going on with you and your mom, but I'm not lying to her and taking her money. It's just not right. Plus, I can't date you for money."
"Why not?"
She raised her brows. "Aside from the multitude of moral implications, what if it got out? My reputation is destroyed right now, and if people found out that I took twenty thousand dollars to fake-date you, my career would be over, even if it is with your consent. I'm not giving up on getting my career back, which means I'm not going to take a chance like that. What if your mom told someone? People talk, and I'm not having that said about me. I can't afford it."
He narrowed his eyes. "What happened to your reputation?"
