The Accidental Engagement (24 page)

“Do you need a hand in here?”

Holly came crashing back to the present as Donna, the grade school principal, poked her head into her classroom.

“What? Oh, no. I got it, thanks.” She scrambled off her desk and started to take down the giant panda bear poster that hung next to the chalkboard. It was the one poster she brought with her from school to school as she traveled and she’d hung it here earlier in the year when she’d taken over as a long-term substitute when old Mrs. Ferndale had been hospitalized with pneumonia.

“I’m glad I caught you,” Donna said. She walked into the room and perched on the corner of one of the student’s desks. A tall, heavyset woman, Donna dwarfed the small piece of furniture and made the warm, cozy classroom feel ten times smaller. “I heard from Mrs. Ferndale this morning and she’s decided that she won’t be coming back in the fall. She’s opted to retire as I suspected she would.”

Holly froze, her fingers clenching the poster so tightly that it ripped. She turned to face the other woman. She knew where this was going. This was what she had been hoping for since she moved back to her hometown of Oakdale, Ohio.

This was what she wanted. She should be excited. Holly’s stomach plummeted as a sour taste filled her mouth. Sliding into the chair behind the desk, she placed her hands on her knees to keep from fidgeting. She smiled at Donna, hoping she conveyed excited anticipation.

“Oh really?” Holly said. Her voice came out slightly breathless.

Donna paused for a moment, seemingly weighing her words. “The students and their parents absolutely love you, Holly, and I know you’ve expressed interest in settling down here in Oakdale.”

She paused, giving Holly room to respond. Holly just nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak. It was true. She’d decided to give up travel and adventure to return to her hometown in Ohio and have the life she wanted. Have the
family
she wanted.

“If you’re interested,” Donna said, a slow smile spreading across her face. “We would love to make your role here permanent.”

Holly gasped as though surprised—as if this wasn’t a possibility they’d been talking about for the past few months. But now that it was here…she broke into a cold sweat, but forced a smile to match the principal’s. Of course she was nervous. Major life changes were scary. "Oh, Donna, thank you.”

Donna’s smile grew as she waited for Holly to say the words that would make it official. Holly took a deep breath and opened her mouth to accept and instead she heard her voice say, “I need to think about it.”

The words stunned Holly almost as much as they did Donna, who was blinking at her as though she couldn’t comprehend the statement. After a moment, she resumed her composure. “Of course, it’s a big decision. No one would expect you to make a hasty decision.”

Holly latched onto that excuse. “Exactly. I’m not the type to act impulsively.”
Liar.
“I’d really like to talk it over with my family. And Benjamin, of course.”

“Of course.” Donna gave her a knowing look. “How are things with Benjamin?” She and Holly had become friendly since Holly joined the school and she was aware of Holly’s feeling for her longtime best friend. Donna was the only person she’d told who hadn’t tried to talk her out of her quest to win back her high school sweetheart.

“Good,” Holly said with a bit more enthusiasm than necessary. “Great, just great.” Apparently the lies were pouring out of her mouth today.

“So he wasn’t upset about the picture?”

Holly’s smile froze in place. The picture. It had been more than a month since her sister’s wedding, yet the local newspaper was still printing pictures of the big event. To be fair, a hometown girl marrying a billionaire in a lavish wedding in Tuscany was a tad more interesting to readers than the library’s latest fundraiser. But still. Let it go already, people.

Unfortunately, one of the pictures that her mother had kindly sent to the newspaper featured Holly dancing with Jack, the world-famous tech genius. They were gazing at each other in a way that might have led some viewers to the wrong conclusion. Like that they were in love or something. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. She was pretty sure Jack hated her after the way that night ended—if he hadn’t already forgotten about her.

She had been making such progress with Benjamin when that stupid picture was printed. “No,” she said, trying not to sound as bummed as she felt. “He wasn’t upset at all.”

Sadly that was the truth. She hadn’t expected him to be angry—it’s not like they were dating—but she had hoped he’d be a tad bit jealous. Or a whole lot jealous.

Before she’d left for the wedding, she’d made it clear that she wanted to take their friendship to the next level but Benjamin was worried that dating would ruin it. And he still wasn’t convinced that settling down in Oakdale was what Holly really wanted. As if moving back home and taking a teaching job at her old school wasn’t evidence enough that she was serious about changing her ways.

That picture popping up in the paper certainly hadn’t helped her cause.

Donna was giving her an annoyingly sympathetic look so Holly amped up the smile. “Besides, Paula Dunhop’s annual Oakdale Charity Ball is coming up this weekend so I imagine my silly picture will no longer be making the news.”

Donna’s eyes widened in surprise and then she cringed. “Actually...that’s not the picture I was referring to.”

Holly’s body stiffened. “What? What other picture is there?”

Donna was already digging through her gigantic purse. She brandished an issue of
People
magazine with a flourish and handed it to Holly. “Page thirteen.”

As Holly flipped to the page, her stomach plummeted. What if someone had caught their—

“That certainly looks like a kiss to me,” Donna said.

Holly couldn’t look up at her co-worker. She was hypnotized by the image in front of her. Jack’s tuxedo jacket was draped around her shoulders and she was tucked against his side. He was leaning in and she was gazing up. They weren’t actually kissing but it was clear what was about to happen seconds after the shot was captured.

Holly’s mind raced and, if she was being honest with herself, so was her pulse. Jack looked good. No, he looked amazing. Just looking at the picture, she was transported back to that moment—that magical, fairy tale evening, which was rapidly becoming a nightmare that would not end.

She’d been trying to forget that night for an entire month. Thirty days of trying not to think about Jack, or that kiss…or what happened after that kiss. It was like not thinking of a pink elephant once someone has told you not to. Impossible. But maybe, just maybe, she would be able to forget the playboy hottie if everyone would stop constantly reminding her of that night!

But nooooo
. First her hometown paper, and now this. She slammed the offensive magazine closed and took a deep breath. What had they been talking about? Oh yes, Benjamin.

Oh no, Benjamin
.

Her chest tightened and she forced herself to take a deep breath. What were the odds that he had seen the magazine? Slim to none. If there was ever a man who did not follow pop culture gossip, it was Benjamin. Although…he did have two sisters who loved gossip more than life itself. And he lived in a town that was obsessed with all things Jack Everett and the Sinclair sisters. Oh crap, if he hadn’t seen it already it was just a matter of time before he did.

Her chair made a loud creaking noise as she pushed it back and hopped out of her seat. She grabbed a box that was half packed and started heading toward the door. “Donna, I should go. I’ve got to see Benjamin but, uh, I’ll get back to you about the teaching job, okay?”

She was out the door before Donna had a chance to respond.

* * * *

Holly found Benjamin quickly. Of course she did. That was the beauty of Benjamin—he was predictable.

She met him in his driveway seconds after he pulled in. “Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked, unloading his briefcase from the passenger side of his car. “I thought I was picking you up tonight so we could celebrate the last day of school.”

She should tell him about the offer for a permanent job but she couldn’t seem to get the words out of her mouth. Instead, she tucked a stray curl behind her ear and sauntered over to him with a grin. “Aren’t you happy to see me?” she teased. She’d meant it to sound coy, maybe trigger a bit of flirtatious banter, but he ignored the tone and answered the question.

“Of course I’m happy to see you, I’m just surprised. I thought we’d agreed on a plan for tonight.”

She resisted the urge to sigh. After all, his ability to make plans and stick to them was what she liked about him. She followed him up the walkway to his front door and into the lovely comfort of his house.

He dropped his briefcase near the front door and led the way toward the kitchen. “So did Donna have any news on Mrs. Ferndale?”

“Um….” Before she could reply, Holly noticed the packed luggage sitting in the hallway. “Going somewhere?”

Benjamin never went anywhere. Ever. He was born in Oakdale and had lived there his whole life. His idea of an exotic vacation was to drive one-hour north to a state park and go camping.

“Yeah, the company is sending me to Paris for a conference. I leave in the morning.”

Her mouth fell open. "Paris? Really? That’s awesome.”

He shrugged. “It’s just a work trip.”

And then it struck her, “When were you going to tell me?”

“Tonight at dinner.” He glanced over to where she stood frozen in place by the doorway. “What’s wrong?”

Her hands clenched at her sides. Unbelievable. Benjamin—
her
Benjamin—was finally taking a trip, and to
Paris
, of all places, and he hadn’t thought to tell her, let alone invite her along.

He was watching her, his brows drawn together in concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said, a little too quickly. She cleared her throat and tried again. “So why is your work sending you on this trip?”

Benjamin worked in IT and approximately three sentences into his story about the conference, her eyes glazed over. “Just a work trip,” he’d said. Just a work trip…
to the most romantic city in the world
.

Holly had laid all the groundwork. She’d dropped hints, flirted, and instigated deep, meaningful talks about the possibility of a future together. For the love of God, she had done everything short of pounce and beg him to marry her. And he couldn’t even be bothered to make one romantic gesture. Did she have to do everything?

“Holly?” He was eyeing her warily, like she might spontaneously combust.

Holly forced her hands to unclench and took a deep breath. She had to get out of there before she lost it. She had spent the past few months trying to prove to Benjamin that she had matured since they’d last dated, way back in high school, and that she was now emotionally stable and even-keeled.

Picking her purse back up from the table where she’d just set it down, she feigned a calm she did not feel. “I think we should take a rain check on dinner. You’re going to need your sleep before the big trip and I’ve had a long day.” She faked a loud yawn as she reached for the door. She would walk out of there without causing a scene if it killed her.

* * * *

Later that night Holly was camped out on the couch in her apartment. After living out of suitcases for so many years, she’d learned to get by with the necessities, which meant that all of her earthly belongings barely filled the spacious loft’s closet. Her parents had given her their old couch and she’d invested in a good bed. Other than that, her place was depressingly spare.

It was more depressing than ever tonight, with Chinese food cartons scattered around the couch and an empty bottle of wine beside her. What was she doing with her life? That was the theme of this particular pity party. Had she made the wrong decision coming back here to this town? To Benjamin?

Maybe. But what was the alternative? To go back to the life she had been living, a life filled with adventure and travel and new experiences...and men just as flaky and afraid of commitment as she was. While men like that led to a fun time—okay, a
really
fun time—she wanted more from a relationship than one-night stands or casual flings. She was ready for a commitment.

She and Benjamin didn’t have the kind of mad, passionate love that her sister had found with her new husband, but so what? Passion wasn’t everything. Holly and Benjamin had history and, more importantly, trust. Weren’t her parents always telling her that was the foundation for a solid marriage? She and Benjamin could be happy together. She just had to make him see it.

If he wouldn’t woo her, she would have to do it herself. Adrenaline erased the lazy malaise she’d been wallowing in all evening. She sat up straight and threw off the quilt she’d been huddled under. She’d never been one to sit by and let an opportunity pass her by, why would she start now? Flipping open her laptop, she started to assemble a plan.

Fingers flying over the keyboard, she sorted through flights with a well-practiced eye. Her heart raced with excitement. She would be alone with Benjamin in the most romantic place in the world.

Her traitorous mind flashed on a certain villa in Tuscany. One of the most romantic places in the world, she mentally amended.

She took a deep breath and hit “buy ticket.”

Paris, here I come.