CHAPTER TEN
“ARE YOU SURE you don’t need my help cleaning up the kitchen?”
Nolan glanced over at Ivy. “I’m positive.”
He tried not to stare at her as she stood in the middle of the kitchen where a beam of sunlight shone directly on her. It made her skin glow and her features that much more vibrant. For the past five minutes or so he had the pleasure of watching her move around the kitchen when she helped him clear off the table. He loved seeing her legs in motion.
“If you’re sure you don’t need my help, then I’m going to take a walk along the bay,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.
“Okay. What are your plans for the day?”
“To start reading a book I brought with me. That means I’ll be in my bedroom most of the day. What about you?”
“I think I’ll go fishing. However, first thing I plan to do is go to the grocery store and buy some bacon, sausages and more eggs. Anything you need me to get for you while I’m there?”
“No, I’m good. I’ll see you later.”
“All right.”
He stood at the sink by the window and watched her move down the path toward the bay. If anyone would have told him he would become attracted to the one woman he didn’t want to become attracted to, the woman his great-grandmother was determined to put in front of him every chance she got, he would not have believed them. But he knew he was definitely attracted to Ivy Chapman.
Damn.
He couldn’t look at her without feeling his stomach muscles clench or a rush of desire invade his loins. And his mind was filled with salacious thoughts whenever he was near her. He hadn’t expected it, and personally, he didn’t want to deal with it. But they had agreed to the week for their plan to work and the last thing he wanted was for their plan to fail.
Earlier when she had fallen into his arms, it had taken every ounce of strength he had not to tighten his hold on her, lower his head and kiss her. While she’d been in his arms there hadn’t been a woman whose mouth he had wanted to devour more. In fact, every time he looked at her mouth, studied the shape of her lips, watched her lick those same lips with her tongue, he would fight the urge to kiss her.
Breakfast had started off great, but by the time they’d finished, he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her. He was discovering there was a lot about Ivy Chapman that revved his testosterone. And that wasn’t good. It was downright disastrous. What he needed from her was distance.
He would spend most of the day on the bay fishing and hopefully she would stay in her room reading like she said she would. They hadn’t agreed to eat any meals together, which was good. The only problem with that was that he enjoyed cooking and had planned to do a lot of it while he was here. He couldn’t cook without asking if she wanted any. He would ask and would hope she refused.
His cell phone dinged, which meant he’d got a text message. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw the message was from Ivy and all it said was: Red. Seafood. Idris. The Mountain Between Us. Nolan shook his head and slid his cell phone back into his pocket. Did she seriously think they could get to know each other to the degree they needed to by exchanging text messages?
She wasn’t ignorant, she had to have felt the vibes between them. Was that the reason she preferred sending text messages instead of being around him? And a better question to ask: Was that the reason she had shown so much interest in his chest? He should have put on a shirt but he was used to not wearing one while he was here. Maybe he needed to change that. He didn’t want her to get the same wanton ideas that he was getting.
He’d never invited a woman to his cottage, except for his sisters. Ivy’s presence here would take some getting used to.
As he finished cleaning up the kitchen his cell phone rang. It was Corbin. He pulled it out of his back pocket. “What’s up, Corbin?”
“Is it true?”
Nolan raised a brow. “Is what true?”
“Is Ivy Chapman there with you at the cottage?”
News traveled fast in the Madaris family and he wouldn’t waste his time trying to figure out who told who. All he was certain of was that the chain of information had started with his great-grandmother. “Yes, she’s here.”
“Man, are you crazy?”
Nolan had asked himself that same question several times since waking up this morning. “I hope not.”
“Then why are you playing right into Mama Laverne’s hands? Why didn’t you send the woman away the moment the two of you discovered what Mama Laverne and Ivy’s grandmother had done?”
Nolan rubbed his hand down his face. He would let Corbin in on Ivy’s and his plan, confident his brother would keep his mouth shut.
“The reason Ivy is still here is because she and I have come up with a plan.”
He spent the next ten minutes or so outlining Ivy’s and his plan. It would not have taken that long if Corbin hadn’t asked so many questions. “So there you have it, Corbin. After what Ivy and I think is a suitable amount of time, we will break up.”
“And you think Mama Laverne won’t try like the dickens to get the two of you back together?”
“She might try but it won’t happen. Besides, I’ll be spending most of my time in Paris by then with the construction of Lee’s hotel. I won’t be around for her to harass. And it will be up to Ivy to keep her own grandmother off her back. Either way, it doesn’t matter. There will never be anything romantic between us.”
“I doubt if she’d want to develop anything between the two of you anyway. She still believes you to be a man whore, right?”
“Yes, she still believes that.” It surprised him how much it bothered him that she thought that, considering that’s what his aim had been.
After ending the call with Corbin, Nolan released a deep sigh. Talking to his brother had been good. It was always good to get another opinion and Corbin thought the plan he and Ivy had come up with was a good one. But Corbin had stressed the same thing Nolan had stressed to Ivy. In order to pull things off, their performance had to be convincing, or their great-grandmother would see through their ploy and then there would be hell to pay.
* * *
“TELL ME YOU’RE KIDDING, Ivy.”
Ivy sat on the wooden dock and looked across the bay while her feet slid back and forth in the water. She loved it here and a part of her appreciated Nolan allowing her to stay.
“Ivy?”
For a quick second she’d forgotten she had Tessa on the phone. “No, I’m not kidding, Tessa. Things went down just like I told you. My winning that contest was a plan concocted by Nana and Ms. Laverne. You can’t imagine how it felt walking into that kitchen to find Nolan standing there. I don’t know who was more surprised—me or him.”
“And he didn’t get mad?”
“Not at me but at Nana and his great-grandmother. We decided to work together and get even.”
“Is that why you’re still there?”
“Yes.” She then told Tessa about the plan she and Nolan had come up with. Okay, she had come up with it but he had agreed to go along.
“I hope your plan works. You’re dealing with what appears to be two very determined women.”
Ivy knew that to be true, that’s why their plan had to work. The one thing she knew could complicate things was her attraction to Nolan. That was not a part of the plan. She needed to get hold of her overactive hormones, and fast. If Nolan had any idea of what was going on in her head, there was no doubt he would send her packing in a heartbeat. And for their plan to work, she needed to stay put. She hadn’t thought so at first, but after talking to Nana this morning it was obvious her grandmother thought she had things figured out. Ivy intended to prove her wrong.
“We need to get together as soon as you get back and go shopping.”
Tessa’s words invaded her thoughts. “Why?”
“Get real, Ivy. We are talking about Nolan Madaris. He definitely has a type.”
Ivy already knew that. “That’s not me.”
“True. That’s why we need to make it you.”
Ivy frowned. “Excuse me?”
“You heard what I said. There will be people other than your nana and his great-grandmother who need to believe your story as well. And the first thought that will run through their minds is what about you drew Nolan. I think you’re beautiful but you hide it. Time to bring it out and flaunt it.”
Ivy shook her head. “I did that once.” It had been for Damien. She had tried making herself into the woman she’d thought he had wanted her to be and in the end it still hadn’t worked. He had still cheated on her.
“I know, Ivy, but you’re going to have to do it again. Not that you’re chopped liver or anything—like I said, you’re beautiful—but there are those who are going to wonder why Nolan is interested in you since you aren’t the type of woman he usually dates.”
She knew Tessa was right and had said as much to Nolan. She’d never been one of those women who put a lot of emphasis on her looks. Her mind had always been filled with technology more than makeup or clothes. “I know you’re right, but...”
“But what? It’s not like you got a thing for Nolan Madaris and are trying to do a makeover for him. You’re doing it for others as part of your plan and nothing more. You’re there with him now and haven’t changed your appearance, right?”
“Right.”
“Because you aren’t trying to impress him the way you tried to impress Damien.”
Ivy nodded. What Tessa said made sense. Nolan hadn’t complained about her curly hair, the eyeglasses she wore or the fact that she never wore lipstick. Damien had. Continuously. To keep him from complaining, she’d begun wearing her hair straight instead of curly, had traded her glasses for contacts and had begun wearing lipstick whenever he saw her.
“You’re right. I’ll be doing this for me as part of the plan and not for Nolan.” She had a feeling he couldn’t care less. And of course she hadn’t believed him when he claimed he thought she was hot. “We’ll go shopping when I get back.”
“And when will that be?”
“A week.”
“You’re staying that entire time with him?”
“Yes, that’s part of the plan.”
When Tessa didn’t say anything, Ivy knew there had to be a reason for her best friend’s silence. “Okay, Tessa, what is it? What aren’t you saying?”
“Nolan Madaris is a hunk.”
Ivy chuckled. “Don’t you think I know that?”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
Ivy smiled. “If it did, I can’t rightly ask him to change his looks just for me.”
“You know what I mean.”
Yes, she knew exactly what Tessa meant. Any woman would find sharing a roof with a man like Nolan an impossible temptation to resist. And even with her techie mind, she was still a woman. “I will ignore it.”
“Can you do that?”
Ivy doubted it, especially when she thought about how she’d ogled him during breakfast. “I will do my best...but there is something I am concerned about, Tessa. Something more troubling than him being eye candy.”
“What?”
“Whether or not we’ll truly be able to fool anyone. Nolan says he likes to display his affections in public—holding hands, whispering sweet nothings in my ear and even kissing. It’s going to be important that when anyone sees us together that they’re able to feel a certain degree of...”
“Chemistry?”
“Yes, chemistry between us. Otherwise, I’m not sure our plan will work.”
“I agree. Have you discussed this concern with Nolan?”
“I can’t do that!”
“Yes, you can and I suggest that you do. After all, this was your idea and he’s all in because he believes it can work. The last thing either of you want is to look awkward when you should be portraying a couple falling in love. I think you ought to tell him about your misgivings.”
“Nolan believes that once we get to know each other that will be enough. That’s why we’re together this week.”
“Yes, but didn’t you say you’re texting him information to avoid spending time with him?”
“Yes.”
“And I told you what I thought about that ploy. It’s so impersonal, and to accomplish what the two of you need to do requires personal interaction. With that said, getting to know each other is essential, but body language and vibes are, too, especially the vibes. I remember my cousin Martin and his wife, Peggy. Although they had gone through the motions of being happy, the family detected something off between them. Weeks later it didn’t come as a surprise to any of us that they’d decided to get a divorce. So, I agree, chemistry between two people is important and is something you can’t fake.”
After ending her call with Tessa, Ivy knew her best friend was right. Chemistry was something you couldn’t fake. So what could she and Nolan do to make it convincing? She looked up at the sky. The forecasters had also been right about the weather. The sun was out and it would be a beautiful day. The water swirling around her feet and legs felt good. She could get used to this place. It was one’s private paradise. Nolan’s paradise.
She heard the sound of the car’s engine and figured Nolan was leaving for the store. When he returned she intended to be in her bedroom reading...and trying to sort out in her mind how to deal with her attraction to him. Checking her phone, she saw he hadn’t texted her back with any information about himself. Maybe just as well.
Ivy also knew she needed to talk about their chemistry and what it would take to fool Nana and Ms. Laverne.