Blind Date with my Billionaire Boss (Blind Date Disasters Book 5) Read online

  He grinned and took my hand, but he didn’t shake it. Instead, he clasped it firmly and placed his other hand on top. “Nice to meet you as well. I’ve seen you around.”

  We both laughed at that, and then he let go of my hand as if realizing what he was doing. “I’m glad we got that out of the way,” he said, letting out a relieved breath, grinning from ear-to-ear now.

  “Me too. It took a lot of energy to hate you.”

  He chuckled. “Let’s see if we can direct that energy elsewhere.”

  Later that evening, I was getting in bed when Charlotte called out of the blue. We’d said goodbye before I left about two hours ago, but I had a feeling she wanted to talk about what happened with Easton without anyone else around.

  “I still can’t believe you and Easton disappeared during the party,” she said.

  I laughed. “We weren’t gone that long.”

  “Long enough.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  There was silence, and I could sense her weighing her words. “I told you he was interested.”

  A thrill shot through me, and I jerked back, my heart pounding. “What? You never said that.”

  “Oh, maybe I was just thinking it.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Charlotte. The man does not like me like that. He wanted to clear the air as far as what happened in high school.” A giddy feeling washed through me, and the realization that I wanted him to be interested was as appalling as it was welcome. I was still getting used to the idea of us being friends, much less something more. But then again, Charlotte had gone to a lot of trouble to get us together, and this was just more of her hopeful thinking.

  “We’ll see,” she said.

  “Yes, we will, and when it becomes evident that he’s not interested, you’ll have to eat your words.”

  She laughed. “Whatever. Oh, and by the way, did I tell you how much I loved the necklace you gave me?”

  “About a hundred times.” My gift was probably the least expensive out of all her presents, considering how rich her other guests were. But I’d thought it was cute, and I knew she would love it. Charlotte had always had an affinity towards avocados, so I’d found an avocado necklace with a pit that looked like a heart.

  “I’m wearing it right now.”

  I smiled, feeling a sense of pride that out of all her gifts, she’d chosen to wear mine. It said a lot about her character that she didn’t prioritize gifts just because they were expensive. It also spoke volumes about our friendship. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Maya?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry if I’m bugging you too much about Easton. It’s just that I like the idea of you being my sister one day.”

  Her words were like a wake-up call, bringing me back to reality. For one moment, I’d allowed myself to think that Easton Radcliffe might be interested in me, and the feeling was beyond anything I’d ever experienced before. Maybe my dislike for him was really my way of hiding my true feelings. The thought was horrifying, and I refused to dwell on it a second longer.

  “Look, Charlotte, I already consider you a sister. We don’t need a marriage certificate to prove we’re family.” And if that wasn’t enough to convince her to drop the subject, I wasn’t sure what was.

  Chapter 12

  Easton

  Normally I went jogging as soon as church was over, but I found myself driving in the direction of Maya’s apartment instead. I hadn’t consciously chosen to drive that way, but I’d been thinking about the sermon this morning on Romans 8:1. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

  I was trying to determine if I was actually “in Christ Jesus,” as Pastor Steve had put it, and that was the most prominent question in my mind. Maybe I was or maybe I wasn’t, but thoughts along those lines continued to ruminate in my head until I woke up out of my daze and realized where I was driving. Guess I wanted to see her.

  When I arrived, I found a guest parking spot and then jogged up the stairs to her apartment. The complex she lived in was functional but not particularly nice. It had off-white stucco that looked dirty and an ugly black trim. I knocked on the door and stepped back, waiting for her to answer.

  The door swung open, and she stood there in a light green dress that contrasted with her brown hair and eyes. She was so beautiful she took my breath away. I cleared my throat. “Hello.”

  “Easton.” Her brows rose in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  Now that I stood in front of her, my stomach clenched in anticipation of being turned down. I hadn’t even considered that she might have other plans or not want to see me. Showing up impulsively without calling ahead of time wasn’t my style. It was today, though.

  “Thought I’d stop by and see if you want to go on a hike.”

  “A hike?” She laughed and glanced down at her dress. “I just got home from church.”

  “Did you eat lunch yet?”

  “I did. I made a quick sandwich.”

  “Do you have workout clothes you can change into?”

  Her mouth fell open, and she laughed again. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t show up out of the blue and ask you to go on a hike if I wasn’t serious.”

  She held onto the door frame, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as if me showing up at her apartment was the strangest thing she’d ever seen. “I don’t get it. Why do you want to go on a hike with me?”

  “Because we’re friends now. That’s what friends do. They spend time together.” I shifted, knowing how strange this must look. It wasn’t a date, but I wanted to see her.

  She laughed again as if the concept of the two of us being friends was amusing even though we’d settled all of that last night. “You could have called.”

  I ran my hand along my jaw and glanced at her sheepishly. “True, but it’s easier to turn someone down over the phone. It’s much harder to say no when you’re face-to-face.”

  She smothered a smile and gestured for me to come in. “Give me a minute to change. You can have a seat on the couch while you wait.” She let me in and then disappeared into her room, closing the door.

  I glanced around the space, noting the vase of silk flowers in the middle of a small table tucked into a corner of the room, the light green curtains at the windows, and the painting on the wall of a beach scene. Her place was tiny but pleasing to the eye. The door to her room opened, and she walked out wearing black sweats and a white t-shirt.

  I stood and walked over to the painting, lingering there for a moment. “Do you know where this is?”

  “Monterey. I’d love to go there one day. I hear the beach is beautiful.” She shrugged and then laughed as if it didn’t matter.

  “You’ve never been?”

  “Nope, but I bet it’s nice.” She moved towards the door, glancing at me over her shoulder. “I’m ready. Where are we going?”

  “There’s this place about an hour north of L.A. called Tousley Canyon, and there’s a five-mile loop around the mountain if you’re up for it. Or we can just walk until you’re tired.”

  Her eyebrows flew up again, and her eyes nearly bugged out. “You’re taking me on a five-mile hike? That might be a little much.”

  “We don’t have to do the whole thing if you get tired.”

  “All right, as long as you don’t make me go farther than I’m able.”

  I placed a hand over my heart and flashed my best version of a boy scout smile. “On my honor. Promise.”

  “I’m holding you to it. I wasn’t prepared for a hike today.”

  We walked out of her apartment and headed down the stairs to the parking lot. “What were you prepared for?” I asked.

  “A nap.”

  I belted out a laugh. “Well, I can’t compete with a nap, but we’ll walk at an easy pace.”

  We were both quiet on the drive over, and every time I considered a topic to bring up, the critical side of my brai
n vetoed the idea. I wanted her to like me and good conversation was important to women. I’d never had difficulty getting any woman to like me, and I rarely thought about impressing anyone, but with Maya, it was different. I’d never been insecure, so this was new for me.

  What was I doing with her, anyway? An inner voice whispered that I was out of my mind and needed to go home. I shoved that voice down and told myself I’d deal with that question another day.

  When we arrived at Tousley Canyon, and I parked. We got out of the vehicle and headed for the main trail. There were other hikers out and about, but everyone kept to their own groups.

  “It’s pretty out here,” Maya said, glancing around at the green mountains and tall trees.

  “Spring is the best time to come. Once summer arrives, those mountains will be brown.”

  She glanced at me curiously. “What made you think of a hike today?”

  I shrugged. “I’m participating in a race called the Warrior Obstacle Challenge in a couple of months, and I always train on Sundays.”

  “Won’t I slow you down?”

  “It’s fine. I’ll go jogging this evening, and I already lifted weights before church.”

  Her head jerked back, and she flashed a smile. “Goodness. What sort of race is this?”

  “Most of it is running, but there’s an obstacle course along the way.”

  “What kind of obstacles?”

  “Hurdles, rope climbing…that kind of thing.”

  “I’m impressed. Have you done this before?”

  “No, this will be the first time.”

  We veered off to a path on the left that led us through a trail with lots of trees. Maya smoothed a piece of hair behind her ear. “What made you decide to enter a race like this? Is it the challenge?”

  Pressing my lips together, I remained quiet as we continued to walk down the dirt path. I started to give her the standard answer. I wanted to get in better shape. Entering a race of this caliber would build discipline and character. But this was Maya, and I didn’t want a shallow friendship with her. Not with her. She was too special.

  “Dad trained for this race before he died. It was a dream of his. He talked about it for years but never got the chance before…” My voice broke, and I had to stare straight ahead and hope she didn’t see my eyes moistening. Most of the time I kept my emotions under tight control, so it wasn’t like me to react this way. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was weak. My back stiffened, and I pulled myself together.

  She placed a hand on my arm. “I’m so sorry, Easton. I didn’t know.”

  “It’s okay.” I tried to sound nonchalant, but my voice wouldn’t comply. “It’s my way of honoring him. He wasn’t able to compete in the race, but I’ll run in his place.”

  “That’s…very sweet. In fact, it’s the sweetest thing I’ve heard in a long time. I know your dad would be proud of you.”

  I nodded, unable to speak without my voice betraying how much this meant to me. We were both quiet for a few minutes after that, and then Maya cleared her throat.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  I preferred to move on to another subject, but I found myself saying something else instead. “He deserved a better son. I let him down.” I released a breath, mortified that I’d revealed that much.

  “How?”

  I hesitated to speak as we continued to walk at a leisurely pace and then I cleared my throat. “You know what? It’s not important, and I don’t feel like talking about it right now.” What was wrong with me? I was messing this up. The last thing I wanted was to come across like a screw-up, and that was exactly where this conversation was leading.

  “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to pry.”

  “It’s fine. I mean…you weren’t prying.” I ran a hand along the back of my neck, feeling awkward and uncomfortable.

  She glanced at me, empathy flickering in her eyes, and that only made the situation worse because I felt my walls crumbling. She must have sensed my uneasiness because she clapped her hands together. “Okay, let’s talk about something else then.” She looked around as if trying to think of a new topic. “I know, tell me what your pastor talked about in church today.”

  I inhaled sharply and let out the breath slowly, my chest rising and falling with the motion. Talking about my doubts as far as my spiritual state wasn’t much better, but I didn’t want to come across as someone who vetoed every subject that made me uncomfortable. “Pastor Steve discussed how there is no condemnation for those who know the Lord. He taught out of Romans 8:1.”

  “I love the eighth chapter in Romans. There are so many wonderful truths in that chapter.”

  “Such as?”

  “Have you read it?”

  I shrugged. “Not really. I mean, I might have at some point, but I don’t remember.”

  “You should check it out. It talks about the Holy Spirit in our lives and how God has adopted us, making us heirs. My favorite parts are where it says all things work together for good and nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

  “Sounds like you’re pretty familiar with it.”

  “Oh, I am. I’ve listened to a bunch of sermons that talk about it. I use the SermonAudio app. You can pick a topic and find numerous pastors who preach on that theme.”

  “Interesting.”

  “If you want, I can download the app for you on your phone.”

  I chuckled. “I’m sure I can find it on my own.” Needing to change the subject, I tried to think of something else to talk about. “Hey, I never followed up about going with you to your medical appointment. I meant to bring it up earlier, but we were distracted.”

  She inhaled quickly as if startled. “Oh…like I said before, you don’t have to. It’s no big deal. I can go on my own.”

  “But you asked Charlotte to accompany you. That must mean you needed support.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Let me be there for you.”

  She stopped walking and looked at me as if she’d never seen me before. “I don’t understand. Why are you…?” She didn’t finish the question but continued to stare at me like someone had abducted me and put some other guy in his place.

  I ran a hand along the back of my head and averted my gaze, trying to think of an explanation that didn’t involve my feelings for her. We couldn’t go there…ever. “Look, you and Charlotte have been best friends most of your lives, which makes you like family. I know we’ve been at odds with each other, but I want to change that.”

  She was quiet for a long moment and then resumed walking, her hair blowing in the light breeze. “I see. So, I’m kind of like another little sister.”

  Before I could stop myself, I burst out laughing because I didn’t view Maya that way at all, and the idea struck me as funny. I started to speak but then stopped, not knowing what the best response was. What was Maya to me? I couldn’t tell her what I felt, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted out of this thing with her. Friendship was as far as it could go, so that would have to be my answer. Still…I couldn’t force a response out of my mouth.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  I couldn’t stop the slow smile that spread over my face because it was hard to believe we were actually talking about this. “I wouldn’t say you’re like a sister exactly, but you’re definitely…” I trailed off, not able to complete the sentence.

  “I get it,” she said, filling in the gap. “We’re just getting to know each other, so we’re not close like that.”

  I glanced at her, my eyes falling to the curve of her bottom lip. Blinking, I looked straight ahead. “I’m offering to support you as a friend. I hope you’ll take me up on the offer.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Won’t it seem odd that my boss is accompanying me to a doctor’s appointment?”

  “Oh, come on. I’ve known you most of your life. Being your boss is just one role out of many.” I left out that most of that time we were practically enemies, but she knew that, so it d
idn’t need to be stated.

  “Well, I guess if you want to come…”

  “I do.”

  “Okay, it’s this Tuesday at four. I already cleared leaving early with George.”

  “Great, I’ll be there.”

  ***

  Later that evening, as I took my normal jogging route through the neighborhood, I thought about the hike with Maya earlier in the day. According to my GPS, we walked for a mile and a half and then turned around and headed back to the car. We’d hiked a total of three miles at a leisurely pace, so I couldn’t count it as training, but it was worth it just to spend that time with her. I couldn’t explain the pull I felt towards her, but I didn’t want to look too much into what that meant. We were friends, and that was fine with me. I was glad the animosity had diminished, and we could hang out without it being weird.

  I ran to the corner and turned right, heading onto a street that led into town. I would have to step it up if I wanted to get in shape for the race. Darren Finley had never gotten back to me about his availability to go over training techniques. If I didn’t hear from him by the end of the week, I’d give him another call. He was probably just busy and tired from taking care of an infant.

  I glanced up to find that same homeless guy I’d passed before, sitting on the side of the road, but he must have recognized me because he didn’t stand up and ask for my help this time. I nodded at him as I jogged by, and he nodded as well, his expression severe and a little despondent. Guilt washed through me as I kept running and didn’t look back. I had the resources to assist someone like that, but it wasn’t reasonable to expect that I’d help every single homeless person I came across. There were services in place for people in dire circumstances, and if he wasn’t taking advantage of what was available to him, that wasn’t my fault.

  My conscience accused me the rest of the way home, and I almost turned back to see if he was still there. The stubborn side of my nature resisted the guilt, telling myself I was overreacting and there were plenty of shelters he could go to. I didn’t have time to dwell on it much longer because as I walked up my driveway, I noticed Lila’s vehicle, and a sense of dread pushed its way through my chest. Just great. This was not what I needed right now.