Chasing Perfect

“I heard Oceania was in the running.”

She winced. “Okay, then Montana is a whole lot more mainstream than that.” She looked at him. “You enjoyed living with them.”

“I did.”

“Everyone here has ties,” she said, sounding wistful. “A history.”

Josh swore silently. At times like this, he really hated the position Marsha had put him in. The secret was hers to keep or tell, but the longer she was quiet, the worse it was going to be.

“I think it’s better if no one knows what happened tonight,” he said quickly, to distract her.

Charity’s head snapped up. “What?”

“People will talk, what with you being new and all in town.” He shrugged. “I don’t want anyone to know you’re using me.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Using you?”

“You took advantage of me. Tempted me with your feminine wiles so you could trick me into ha**g s*x with you.”

She put her glass of wine on the coffee table and launched herself at him. Fortunately his drink was also safely on the table, so he was able to catch her.

She wiggled and twisted, shrieking, not quite hitting him, but coming close. He wrapped his arms around her and held her still.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m not sure.”

“Because if you were trying to hurt me, you failed.”

“I know.” She shifted so she could glare at him. “I’m not using you for sex.”

“You didn’t even buy me dinner first.”

She shrieked. “You’re the guy.”

“Great. So you not only took advantage of me, you’re sexist, too.”

“Dammit, Josh.” She shoved at his chest, then dropped her head on his shoulder. “You make me crazy.”

“I do what I can.”

She chuckled. “I’ve never known anyone like you.”

“I get that a lot.”

“I didn’t mean it as a compliment.” She looked up at him again, her expression serious. “About what we did… It would probably be better if we didn’t talk about it. You’re right. I am new in town and while I do believe you’re not the wild man everyone thinks, no one else does.”

“I know.” He cupped her face, then kissed her. “You’re not the type to enjoy being another notch on my bike.”

“I’ve never heard it put quite like that, but it gets the point across.”

As she stared at him, looking both worried and hopeful, he knew she wasn’t trying to be cruel. That in her world, privacy mattered and her reputation was everything. A reputation he could destroy with a casual comment or two.

He’d been living in the public eye for so long, he’d forgotten what anything else was like.

She smiled slowly. “Is there a fan club? I should probably join.”

“I’ll get you an application. The dues are reasonable and you get an autographed picture of me, suitable for framing.”

She laughed. “Really? Is it that bare-butt shower shot?”

“How do you know about that?”

“Sheryl, my assistant, had it as part of her screen saver. I had to ask her to remove it.” She lowered her voice. “It’s not exactly appropriate for a work setting.”

“Probably not. You don’t have to worry. The fan club doesn’t send out the butt shot.”

“Too bad. It was impressive.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good.”

She was stretched out across him, her body nestling against his. Despite his recent release, he could feel the need building up inside of him. Once again, the image of taking things slow, of learning every inch of her body, filled his mind.

But this wasn’t the time. What had happened earlier had been spontaneous. Taking her to his bed would imply more than he was willing to offer right now. He might not know everything about Charity, but he knew she was the type who got involved first. Who gave her heart along with her body. He wasn’t anyone to be trusted with a good woman’s heart.

So as much as he wanted to lower his head and kiss her again, he instead shifted out from under her. He rose, and then pulled her to her feet.

“I’m going to walk you home.”

“I know the way.”

“Maybe, but the streets are dangerous. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“My door is about five feet from yours. What could happen?”

“You never know.”

She smiled, then picked up her sandals and her purse. He followed her to the door.

She reached for the handle, then turned back to him. “You’re nothing like I thought.”

“Don’t be telling people that. If anyone asks, I’m a god in bed, remember.”

“Oh, you’re that. It’s just…” She placed her fingers on his cheek. “Someone who’s as famous as you, as successful, as good-looking, could easily be a real jerk. You’re not. You care about people. You understand. I know my opinion doesn’t mean anything, but your ex-wife was really stupid to let you go.”

He’d been given thousands of compliments over the years. Maybe more. Women had praised everything from his looks to his equipment. Most of the time, he’d known they were simply trying to get what they wanted.

Now, as he stared into Charity’s pretty eyes and saw the earnest truth there, he knew she meant what she said.

“Thank you,” he said.

She gave him a quick smile, then opened the door. Seconds later, she was safely in her own room, and he was alone in the hallway. As he walked the few feet back to his room, he realized it had been a very long time since anyone had believed in him. No, that wasn’t true. He’d always had supporters. The only person who mattered who didn’t believe in him was himself.

JOSH SLEPT LIKE A ROCK, woke early and got to his office a little before seven. Eddie arrived at seven-thirty, dressed in her yellow velour track suit, and glared at him.

“This is my quiet time,” she announced. “What are you doing here?”

“Working.” He didn’t bother mentioning it was his office and he employed her. Eddie wouldn’t see the point of the statement.

“You’re never here before eight. You better not make a habit of coming in early.”

He winked at her. “I’ll do my best.”

“Did you at least make coffee?”

He pointed to the pot.

She sighed. “Sometimes, you’re not half bad.”

She poured herself a cup, then returned to her desk. He could still hear her grumbling, probably at him, but ignored the sound. He had needed to focus on the proposal his attorney had sent over. A potential investment in the form of a shopping mall in Las Vegas. When the real estate market bottomed out, a lot of commercial properties went into foreclosure. Now they were available for pennies on the dollar, especially for an investor willing to pay cash.

He reviewed the demographics of the immediate neighborhood, the list of current renters and the retail competition. The corner lot of two busy streets was prime, and if he didn’t like the tenant mix, he could always change it.

“It’s Steve,” Eddie called.

Josh looked up. She was waving her phone at him.

“Steve, your former coach. Tall guy, balding.”

“Thanks. I got it.”

He and Steve hadn’t talked in months. Maybe over a year. Josh hadn’t needed a coach after he retired.

“Morning,” he said when he’d grabbed the phone. “You’re up early.”

“I’m in Florida. It’s practically noon here. How’s it going?”

“Good. And with you?”

Steve grunted. “I’m working with a bunch of kids. A lot of potential but no discipline. They’re like puppies, too easily distracted. A pretty girl in a bikini walks by and they go crashing into each other. It makes me tired.”

Josh leaned back in his chair. “Anyone special?” He meant the riders, not the girl, but knew Steve would figure that out.

“There’s this one guy. Jorge. Poor family, didn’t start riding seriously until high school. He has a lot of catching up to do, but I think he has it.”

“Looking for sponsorship?” Josh had been approached before. So far he hadn’t been willing, but if Steve thought the guy was worth it, he could consider the investment.

“I wasn’t, but let me think about it. You’d want to come see him ride before you decide.”

Josh hadn’t thought that far ahead, although his former coach was right. He would have to fly to Florida before making a decision. Which meant stepping foot back in the world where he’d once been king. Something he’d been avoiding for the past two years.

“But Jorge isn’t why I called,” Steve told him. “It’s about the charity bike race. You heard we lost our corporate sponsor.”

“That’s what happens when the CEO steals the pension fund and runs off with his secretary.”

“Apparently.” Steve sounded frustrated. “You know these races happen all over the country and normally I wouldn’t bother you, but this is different. The proceeds go to support medical research for juvenile diabetes and my sister’s kid has it, so it’s personal. I saw your town was asking for more information, and I figured you were behind that. I wanted to talk to you personally, to do what you could to get them to say yes. Everything is in place. We have a lot of great riders lined up. You’d get to see a lot of friends. And Jorge will be racing, so it would save you a trip. Hell, we’d even let you enter if you wanted to stage a comeback. You were always the best, Josh. No reason to think that’s changed.”

Josh felt as if someone had slugged him in the gut. “I, ah, haven’t been training,” he said, knowing his night rides had kept him in decent shape but nowhere near ready to compete. Assuming he ever could. Hell, at this point, just the thought of it had him shaking like a little girl.

“There’s time,” Steve told him. “You know what to do. If you’re interested. You retired too early, Josh. I know you were shaken by what happened to Frank, but walking away didn’t bring him back.”

“Always the coach.”

“I try. Can you help with the race?”

Josh had been wrestling with his demons for two years now. So far they’d won every round. Maybe it was time for a little payback.

Before he could come up with an easy list of why this was a massive mistake, he said, “I know a few people in town. I can make the race happen.”

“That’s great. I owe you. Anything, Josh. I mean it.” Steve paused. “Are you going to ride?”

No. He couldn’t ride with a five-year-old on a bike with training wheels. There was no way he was ready. If he said yes, he would only humiliate himself in front of the best riders in the sport. Word would spread and everyone would know he was a frightened, broken loser. Not much of a legacy.

“Josh?”

Dammit it all to hell, he thought and held the phone so tightly, he was surprised it didn’t snap. “Sure,” he said, hoping he sounded casual instead of terrified. “I’ll ride.”

CHAPTER TEN

“OBVIOUSLY THE MISSING money is our primary concern,” Marsha said from her place at the head of the table. “I had an unpleasant call from the governor this morning. It’s not an experience I want to repeat.” She sighed. “I’m not blaming you, Robert, I’m just frustrated.”

“So am I,” he said. “You’ve hired an auditor. She’ll be here next week. In the meantime, we’ve already begun our own investigation. Three quarters of a million dollars is a lot of money to lose.”

Charity heard the worry in his voice and understood the cause. He was the treasurer and the money had gone missing on his watch. He had to be frantic. She wished she could help, but her accounting expertise was limited to a single class she’d taken in college and barely passed. Math wasn’t exactly her thing.

The morning meeting had started right on time, with several items on the agenda. Charity enjoyed the review of everything going on in the world that was Fool’s Gold. Normally the items were discussed in order, but for the past thirty minutes, Pia had been squirming in her seat.

Charity tried not to stare, but it was difficult to ignore Pia’s eager expression and tapping foot.

Marsha made a few notes on the pad in front of her, then glanced at Pia. “I assume you’re not trying to tell me you have to go to the bathroom?”

“No.”

“Then why don’t you tell us what is obviously the most exciting news ever.”

Pia grinned. “I can wait my turn.”

“Perhaps, but then you’ll so annoy one of the city council members that she’ll snap and kill you. What is it, Pia?”

Pia cleared her throat. “Remember that bike race that lost its sponsors and had nowhere to go? We’re getting it! I’ve spoken with the committee leaders and they’re very excited about the opportunity to bring their event to our town. The bike race is only one day, but there’s a celebrity golf tournament, as well. We’re talking three, maybe four nights of people staying.”

She paused as the council members started murmuring to each other.

“That’s huge,” Gladys said. “Four nights? We’re talking some major revenue.”

“It’s going to be a logistical nightmare,” Alice said. “I’ll need overtime approval and money to hire a few temporary people to help with crowd control.”