Between Desire and Denial: A Fake Dating Romance (Hardy Billionaires)

“I don’t know if this is such a good idea without me,” Kee whined over the phone.

“Why wouldn’t it be, Kee?” I dotted on a little lip gloss and fluffed my brown curls in my compact mirror before straightening the pink flower in my hair. Honestly, I’d been thinking the same thing when Dimitri’s driver picked me up from the airport later that week. It seemed Dimitri had my whole itinerary planned considering he’d booked me a private flight so I could read the entire way there, and then Mr. Preston hurried me into the SUV and said he had to get me to the meeting within the next hour.

I barely skimmed the email he’d sent me. There was enough building ordinance jargon to bore anyone to sleep. Instead, I contemplated how my life was spiraling faster and faster out of control. I was headed back to my hometown to meet the guy I was sneaking around on my best friend with. I hadn’t told my father or my brother I was coming back, and I had no idea what I should research for my thesis that was due in four months.

“I mean, you’re home, Olive. And you don’t love that place. And you’re with Dimitri.” She emphasized his name like that was reason enough. “He can be pretty rude sometimes or too charming and …”

“And what?” I wiggled my glasses in the compact mirror, the ones Rufford said framed my face so well. I growled and pulled them off. I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted anymore.

“And I want you to stay friends,” Kee concluded. “I like my best friends being friends.”

“Nothing bad will happen. It’s only a week.” My statement was met with silence. “I promise, Kee. I’ll keep you updated.”

She mumbled a resigned yes and then asked, “Has Rufford called? I’m happy to hear Dimitri was able to work out your thesis timeline.”

“It was nice of him,” I muttered. Too nice. And I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about all he’d done for me already. Yet, it did keep me from being too depressed about my loss of a relationship with Rufford. “Rufford called once or twice. I didn’t answer.”

Technically, he’d left me five messages and texted me in anger about his firing. I’d even gotten a message from him that day.

Rufford: You can’t ignore me forever. I apologized for calling you names about me being fired Olive. But we need to work this out. Call me back.

I blocked that number.

Unknown: You’re being immature. Your age is showing. Can you just answer?

I sighed as I glanced through them again.

“Don’t give in, Olive. He’s a dick who doesn’t deserve anything from you ever again.”

“You need to stop worrying about me and enjoy your husband, okay?” I reminded her. She was married and had everything to look forward to, and I would be A-okay.

When I got off the phone with her, I sighed, hoping my reminder to her was true. One week in my hometown was manageable … even if my life was spiraling down a drain faster than water.

I stared out the window as Mr. Preston drove, nearing closer and closer to Paradise Grove. I knew I’d been afforded opportunities that most didn’t get because my parents raised my brother and me there. And it was a beautiful place, straight out of a fairy tale even. The weaving brick roads, the tall trees that had been growing for hundreds of years, the perfect landscaping of each yard, and the historic homes that had been updated and expanded over the years.

But every fairy tale had shadows and dark spots, right? Paradise Grove had those too.

The driver hadn’t said a word to me but scanned a HEAT watch that made the iron gates open slowly. We used to always have to key in a code to be buzzed in, but it seemed Dimitri had been able to implement small changes. Yet, as I stared up at the shiny gold lettering that read Paradise Grove, I knew not much could have changed.

The large houses stood tall and iconic against the backdrop of a sunny day. We passed the large park that boasted lush grassy fields and tennis courts, and I saw in the distance the country club with the golf course beyond. The further you went into the community, the larger the houses got. The largest ones were on the lakefront, and I eyed the trees that draped over the street as we got closer and closer to the Seymour Hall, where all Paradise Grove meetings were held.

“I’ll drop your suitcase after I drop you off for the meeting, Ms. Monroe,” Mr. Preston informed me.

“I appreciate that.”

He chuckled. “I appreciate you packing lightly. One suitcase is no problem at all.”

Well, I rented a completely furnished apartment on a month-to-month basis, so I didn’t have a lot of stuff. My whole life was easily packed up in a suitcase or two because I traveled a lot with Kee. Or at least I used to. It’s the way I liked it. No roots and no home, because wandering the world seemed better than planting roots in a place you didn’t love.

“Makes it easier,” I agreed with Mr. Preston as we rounded a corner.

My heart sank as I stared at the corner home where I’d lived my childhood. There sat the Monroe estate. My maternal grandparents had acquired a corner lot with extra yard space, and the house itself had been a small place until my grandmother, in her old age, updated and built on for the family. She wanted my mother to inherit a home that had changed with the community, and every year people renovated and upgraded. Now, there on the corner, stood a six thousand-square-foot home in all gray brick. It was a statement, they’d felt, that they were there to stay.

To my parents’ credit, they never moved after inheriting the property. I’d like to think it was because my mother knew how much it meant to my grandparents and wanted to keep it in the family.

We passed it on the way to Seymour Hall, where the meetings had always been held. It stood like a castle with its large pillars out front and stone architecture on top of a small hill. We rounded a fountain and Mr. Preston said, “I do hope the meeting goes well, Ms. Monroe. Mr. Hardy is doing so much for the community.”

“Do you think so?” I asked him, genuinely wanting to know the answer.

He nodded and his gray brows knitted together. “The HEAT empire makes good money, but they invest in the best places too.”

The car slowed. “Maybe,” I grumbled more to myself than him because I was still skeptical.

“He puts in a lot of work too. He wants to show he’s doing good everywhere, you know? Not all investors take the time to figure out how to integrate the buildings they’re constructing into the community. He made sure to have that condo for the office spaces. It was smart. And he’s doing research on what are good wages for those working under him in these boutiques he’s getting set up. Also, I think he’s running a study to see if expanding the community would be to the detriment of the residents—”

“A study?”

“Well, there are 300 homes now, but he could add HEAT Lane along with the condos for 400 as long as he can prove it’s worth it.”

I didn’t know what to say. Dimitri had to know how clinical it all sounded, didn’t he? I kept the thought to myself and waited to arrive in front of Seymour Hall. Dimitri Hardy stood out there on his phone, taller and larger than I remembered somehow. Out in the daylight, he appeared more on top of the world in his expensive navy suit tailored to perfection and his Italian loafers. I took one last breath from the safety behind the closed door of the vehicle and then got out.

“Olive, you made it.” He pulled me in for a hug, and I swear he breathed in my hair before murmuring, “Apples and honey. My favorite.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled away from him. “Don’t be weird.”

He chuckled. “I’m just setting the tone. We’re supposed to be friendly, you trust me, and you think all my ideas are good ones. Got it?” he said to me before we walked into the conference room.

“Yeah, yeah. I read over the email you sent on the plane.” I’d mostly skimmed it, but he didn’t have to know that. “I’ll try my best, but—”

“Where are your glasses?” Dimitri asked, assessing me instead of worrying about the dumb meeting he’d flown me in for.

“They’re … well, I don’t need them. I just wore them because Rufford thought they made me look studious and more educated, I guess—”

“What a dumbass,” Dimitri grumbled. His piercing green gaze held mine and somehow our stare felt intimate as a small smile slipped from his lips. “Your eyes are even more striking without glasses.”

The butterflies in my stomach couldn’t be fought back when he said that. I looked away. “Don’t be charming for no reason, Dimitri. Let’s get this meeting over with so I can get out of here, okay?”

“Fine. Fine.” He draped an arm around my shoulder, and we walked in together.

“This is a private meeting, Mr. Hardy. You can’t bring—” I recognized Lucille’s voice just as I stepped around Dimitri so she could see me. “Olive Bee?”

Her frown immediately burst into a smile. Lucille extended her arms to me in her white wool suit jacket that matched her wool skirt. She’d always been a vision of timeless elegance, I recognized that while growing up. It hadn’t looked like she’d aged at all in the last few years, either, as she’d always been a woman who regularly went to the spa and took care of herself.

I walked toward her with a genuine smile. Lucille was a staple of the community but also had been a friend of my mother’s and grandmother’s. She’d never had children, but she’d also been a sort of mother hen in Paradise Grove. “Oh, Olive Bee, it’s so good to see you home. Did your father send you to fill in since he’s not going to be here again, or…” She trailed off and frowned at the fact that Dimitri was still standing beside me.

“I’m actually here because Dimitri invited me.”

Lucille huffed and patted her perfectly dyed blonde bun. Her blue eyes were focused solely on me as I said the words. She straightened her jacket, trying to piece together how I would be here with him.

“She’s my guest, Lucille.” He smiled at her. “She’s in town to stay with me.”

“Why I …” She trailed off as her eyes ping-ponged between us. Finally she came to her own conclusion. “Where?” Lucille’s eyes narrowed. “You must be moving back home, right, Olive Bee? Technically, Mr. Hardy has already agreed that no more employees would be moving into the condo building until next year or until we approve a revision of city ordinances. If you’re working for him—” She cleared her throat and patted her hair, glancing around at the other board members before murmuring, “Well, we could make an exception, but you know how everyone is.”

“She’s not working for me. She’ll be moving into my place for—”

“Oh.” Lucille’s eyes widened and then got bright. “Oh!”

“No. Not like—”

“Well, that shouldn’t be a problem at all then. Oh, Olive, your mom would have been so happy. And this will actually be quite a great addition to the community with all that Mr. Hardy is doing. We haven’t completely understood it, and you know how it is, we just want someone we can trust to sort of buffer these things. No offense, Dimitri.”

He smiled, and I saw how his beautiful, stupid emerald eyes twinkled like he’d just struck gold. He even nodded along with her, and then he put his hand on the small of my back. “Yes, yes. Olive and I have been together awhile now, but we’ve been keeping things quiet until … Well, I really missed her, and we’ve decided it’s time she be around more often. Right?” He wide eyed me. “Olive?”

This wasn’t the place to make a scene even if I wanted to. Plus, Lucille didn’t need to feel as though she’d been lied to at the moment. So, I pasted on a fake smile and nodded before she clapped her hands together to wave us in. “Reggie, would you get Olive a seat?”

She pointed at me and Reggie, the sheriff of New Haven, who nodded at me. “So good to see you here. You here for your dad or—”

“She’s here with Dimitri, Reggie!”

Dimitri maneuvered us over to the conference table while Lucille informed most everyone. I whispered to him, “This is not going to stick. Especially if I’m not here.”

“We’ll work it out.” He chuckled like he enjoyed a challenge. “Just go with it for now.”

“So ridiculous.”

And that’s how the meeting went. Ridiculous in every way. The board members discussed lawn care, then they discussed the dry cleaning that was picked up weekly because Renata, a woman who’d moved in five years ago, still didn’t like how they dropped off her clothing.

Finally, Lucille looked over at me, and I saw the genuine happiness on her face when she said, “I think it would be a great idea for Olive to give us some information on Dimitri’s updates. She’s now back home, where she’s been missed.”

Reggie, who’d been a part of pushing me out years ago, huffed in his chair.

Lucille’s eyes cut to him, and her tone hardened. “I also think it’s a good idea for Olive to work with me on writing up our quarterly Paradise Grove News. She can contribute a couple articles going over the changes we’re so worried about. You’re about to graduate with that degree in journalism, right?”

“I am but—” How could I tell them that I wouldn’t be here that long?

“She’d love to do that, wouldn’t you?” Dimitri squeezed my thigh as I glared at him. But he didn’t give me a chance to answer. He rolled right on. “Also, I can answer any questions you have today, as I know there have been some concerns you all have shared with the city.”

He continued on, answering questions and going over his plan for implementation of the office spaces in the new building he’d already constructed. They’d moved in some HEAT employees, but renting out more office space was prohibited after a new city ordinance was passed. “It’s clear that you all worked to block that with the city.”

“Don’t point fingers, Mr. Hardy. Everyone is just trying to understand what this will mean for the community,” Lucille said quietly, like maybe she could be the peacemaker. “With Olive here now, well, I think we’ll see.”

A few others agreed, but it was begrudgingly and under their breath, and I felt the tension in the room. I knew Lucille’s husband, Earl, used to stare down any car that even looked like it remotely didn’t belong in the neighborhood. And Reggie had stopped people walking into the community if they weren’t recognizable.

“You say that, Lucille, but, Olive, you know how nice it is to keep things small here. Why would we want that large building to be corporate office space next to our homes?” Walter, an older gentleman that was the father of my younger brother’s friend, Esme, rubbed his bald head and then his large belly in frustration. “I don’t know who’s going to be in there.”

I glanced at Dimitri as I tried to recall parts of the packet I’d skimmed on the plane. Dimitri tried to help me, “Well, as you know, it’s an opportunity for new businesses to—”

“I’ve heard what you think.” The man’s gruff voice cut Dimitri off as he stared at me. “I’d like to hear from Olive.”

“Well.” I cleared my throat. Walter always cared mostly about his property value even if it didn’t benefit those around him. “Don’t you think New Haven City is filling up with corporate spaces? Why not have Dimitri control what we have in ours? He’s here, a part of Paradise Grove now. He’ll make sure it’s up to our standards.”

Melly, a woman about the same age as me who’d gone to high school with me, too, bounced in her chair, her chest jumping with her and putting her ample cleavage on display. “I already like what he’s doing with the boutiques by the golf course.”

I thought I heard Reggie mutter something about the retail space looking like a strip mall, but I didn’t comment on that. Instead, I said, “Right. Dimitri is working hard on the boutiques. And I grew up here. I’ll have the best interests at heart with him.”

“Oh please. He drag you here just to help him with this? You get bored fluttering around the country with pop stars and wanted to try something new? Your father’s gonna love this.” Walter grumbled.

“Now, Walt—” Lucille started.

“Earl would say the same damn thing.” Walter pointed his meaty finger at her, and it shook with anger. “And you know he’s not going to be on board with any of this.”

Lucille glared at him like she was about to say something, but Dimitri beat her to it. “Walter, look.” His voice had shifted. It was lower, meaner, colder. “My girlfriend and I have been together long enough that your insinuation is disrespectful.”

“Dimitri, it’s okay. I can be a bit noncommittal.”

“No.” He frowned at me and then touched my cheek. “I’ll be clear now while we’re all in a room together. I’ve invested a significant amount of money into this community, not just for me, but for my girlfriend. It’s of value to her and of value to me. I intend to keep investing because she’s committed to you all, and I’m committed to her.”

I wasn’t sure if he was winning over the men in the meeting, but Lucille had stars in her eyes, and Melly looked completely in love with him.

“Olive wanted to be here to focus on her thesis in a place where she felt comfortable. It’s time to settle down and maybe look at expanding our family.” Family? I almost choked on my own tongue. Yet, he put his arm around me like he was a doting boyfriend, like we’d done this a million times. Then he squeezed my shoulder. “Didn’t I tell you this was the perfect place to settle, Honeybee? That’s what you all call her, right?”

Lucille had pulled a handkerchief from her wool pocket and dabbed the corner of one eye. “Yep. We love her middle name. Her mother was such a treasure, as I’m sure Olive Bee has told you, that’s how we all referred to her growing up because her mom loved it so much.” I gulped down the ball in my throat at the memory of my mom yelling for me to come home from down the street. “Oh gosh. You two are just perfect together. I’m excited to hear how you met. This is so wonderful.”

Dimitri just continued on, “Yes, Honeybee has told me so much about her.”

What a fucking nickname. I tried to stomp on his foot under the table, but he moved quickly.

“Sure. My Darling D is such a good listener … when he’s home.” I fluttered my eyelashes at him as he wrinkled his nose at my nickname. “But he travels a lot. I’m sure he’s been neglectful with keeping this place up to the standards of Paradise Grove.”

“Actually, I try my best to help Dimitri out with that.” Melly added in.

Lucille tsked as if disgusted and rolled her eyes. “Good thing Dimitri has it covered now, Melly. You can stop waltzing over there to water his plants even though you know I do that in the morning.”

“I don’t know why any of you women are over there watering his plants when he’s trying to ruin the very community we’ve built,” Walter said with venom in his voice. “How’s Earl feel about that, Lucille? Where is he, anyway?”

She cleared her throat and her eyes narrowed. “That’s not your concern. My Earl will be here when it comes time to vote, or I’ll vote for him.”

The man huffed while Melly smiled sweetly at Dimitri. “Dimitri, if you still need help watering the plants, I’m happy to do it—”

“I appreciate the offer”—Dimitri nodded at her and then winked at me as if it was a joke how much these women were doting on him—“but Olive and I will have all of that under control now, won’t we?”

“I guess,” I mumbled. I wasn’t going to do any gardening at all, and I’d be gone next week, but I just had to get through this meeting.

“And she and I will be providing you all with enough information in the mailing. We also will have more information at the next meeting to make sure you’re all comfortable with the condos and offices, I promise.”

“I’m really looking forward to it.” Lucille sounded genuinely happy for us.

I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all.