.
about Leroi? You’ve worked with him for years.”
“He’s dating someone.” Rose leaned forward and shortened her stride as she climbed the incline that led to the high school. Her words came out in puffs. “Besides, Leroi’s successful. And intelligent. And good-looking. But he doesn’t. Hold a candle. To Ben.” And she needed someone whose looks would eclipse her ex-fiancé’s.
“You’re in luck.” Iris took a breath. “I know someone. He’d be perfect. For your assignment.”
“Who?” Rose crested the hill with Iris. Her pulse and breathing slowly returned to normal.
“Donovan Carroll. Also goes by ‘Van.’ He’s Ty’s friend. Vice president of sales. For Anderson Adventures.”
“How’s he look?” Rose looked at Iris, reluctant to believe her sister had the answer to her problem.
“Six-three, six-four. Clean shaven. Classically handsome. Shaved head. Built like a football player.”
So far, so good. “Smart?”
“Very. And charming.” Iris smiled.
“Sounds perfect.” Almost too good to be true. She wiped the sweat from her eyes. What’s wrong with him?
“Ty’s cousin would be, too. But he’s recovering from his breakup.”
“I remember.” Rose felt an empathetic tug in her heart. “You told me.”
“I don’t think your plan would work if both of you brought baggage to it.”
“I agree.”
Two male joggers were advancing toward them. They had the long, lean, well-muscled look of professional athletes or narcissistic gym rats. Their naked torsos glistened with sweat like a neon sign flashing, Warning: Heartbreak Ahead. They caught Rose’s gaze. Their confident smiles seemed to ask, “Do you like what you see?” Rose’s scowl answered, “No, go jump in a lake.” The men looked away. Wise move, boys.
“Maybe Lil knows someone, too.” Iris’s suggestion redirected Rose’s attention.
“Can’t ask Lil.” They reached the end of their path. Rose turned as they jogged back to their cars. “She thinks I should go to the reunion alone. Ben would love that.”
How could she possibly go to her law school reunion alone while Benjamin attended with his pregnant wife? The idea made her want to throw up. Benjamin would think she hadn’t gotten over him. She wouldn’t let him believe that.
Rose glanced toward Iris, who’d fallen silent beside her. She took a deep breath. “I’d like to meet Van.”
Iris nodded. “Great. I’ll set it up.”
“Lunch next week?” Rose heard the tension in her voice.
“Why rush?”
Rose shrugged her shoulders. They’d just passed the high school and were heading back to the incline. She hated hills. “The sooner I meet Van.” She paused to breathe again. “The sooner I’ll know. Whether I need to find someone else.”
Iris chuckled softly. “I think you’ll agree. Van is perfect. For the role.”
“Hope so.” The stakes were high. The risks were steep. She’d already committed to this plan. She couldn’t back out. Rose had to convince Benjamin and her former classmates that she hadn’t given him a moment’s thought since she’d broken up with the lying, cheating snake almost two years ago.
Rose’s shoulders slumped. Why did she have the feeling she was casting the role of a lifetime?
* * *
Donovan hadn’t realized he’d had expectations when he’d accepted Tyler’s invitation to have lunch with him, Iris and her sister, the lawyer. But he was disappointed by the quiet, aloof woman Iris introduced as Rose. It was an appropriate name for someone who seemed covered in thorns. Donovan had assumed Iris’s sister would be as warm and personable as Iris. He tried again to engage her in conversation.
“Where did you go to law school, Rose?” Donovan pitched his voice to be heard above the chatter from the surrounding tables in the crowded neighborhood restaurant.
“University of Michigan.” Her brief glance was dismissive. She returned her attention to her salmon salad.
“That surprises me.” The spicy scent of his chicken parmesan lured Donovan back to his own entrée.
“Why?” Rose’s head snapped up at Donovan’s comment. “Do you think I wouldn’t be able to get into such a highly ranked law school?”
“Rose, I’m sure that wasn’t what Van meant.” Iris stared at her older sister beside her. She sounded surprised by Rose’s reaction.
“That’s not what I meant.” Donovan was relieved to know Rose wasn’t always this prickly. What had caused her uncharacteristic response? “Iris told me you and your sisters were born and raised in Columbus, home of The Ohio State University. I’m surprised you’d go to OSU’s rival school.”
Rose looked down her nose from the other side of the table. “I wasn’t concerned about their rivalry. The University of Michigan has a good law school.”
Tyler lowered his glass of iced tea. “Xavier and I were born in Columbus, too. But we chose to go out of state for college. That’s where we met Van.”
Rose nodded as though she was filing away the information on how he’d met the Anderson cousins.
Donovan heard the note of caution in Tyler’s voice as his friend and coworker waded into the conversation. Perhaps Tyler also was caught off guard by Rose’s behavior during this lunch. He’d thought Tyler had met Iris’s two sisters. Did Rose seem different from the first time he’d met her?
Maybe Donovan should stop while he was ahead. He couldn’t imagine Rose agreeing to help the shelter pro bono. She didn’t appear to be a very compassionate person. But he couldn’t convince himself to leave the lawyer alone. He needed legal assistance to speak for his clients and their families. Besides, something about her chilly, judgmental demeanor challenged him, and Donovan had always been attracted to challenges.
“Are you saying you’re not a Buckeye fan?” Donovan allowed his gaze to roam over Rose’s face.
She was lovely. Her skin looked as smooth and warm as honey. Her elegant features were perfect: winged ebony eyebrows, a long, narrow nose, high cheekbones, a pointed chin. Her cocoa-brown eyes were wide and curious and framed by long, thick lashes. Her full, pink lips were classically curved. Such lips were meant for smiling. And kissing.
“I don’t like college sports. I prefer the pros.” Rose pinned him with a stare. “What about you?”
Would she grade me on my answer? “I like all sports, college and pros. Which teams do you like?”
“The Ohio ones, of course.” She shrugged one slender, sexy shoulder. “I just wish they were better.”
Rose earned points for supporting her home teams despite the fact that it had been longer than a while since any of Ohio’s professional franchises had sniffed a championship. It took a lot of perseverance to stick with a team through its darkest seasons. But her chilly personality left her with a scoring deficit because she didn’t seem approachable. Regret settled on his shoulders like a coat. Rose couldn’t provide the legal representation they needed. He wanted someone who cared about the people, not just the process.
Now that he knew he wouldn’t be working with her to represent the shelter and its clients, there was no reason for them to see each other again. Was there?
* * *
Rose considered Donovan in her peripheral vision. Iris had been wrong. Donovan wasn’t right for the role of her fake boyfriend at all. Yes, he was successful and intelligent. But he was too charming.