Page 86 of Decidedly Off Limits

“I showed these photos to an editor friend of mine,” Danielle explained. “She’s involved in a fundraiser for the restoration of an old historic library. They’ve chosen to target females twenty-four to fifty years old for the fundraiser, and your photos are perfect for it.”

“Perfect for what exactly?” I asked.

“A calendar. They’re also hoping to include some of the bachelors in an auction.”

I blinked. “You want to auction off guys? To do what?”

“To take the highest bidder on a date. You know, dinner and a show. Anyway, my friend recognized Trent Salway. He’s touted as one of San Francisco’s hot-up-and-coming-under-thirty bachelors.”

“And she wants our pictures for the calendar?” I asked slowly, uncertain if I had heard her correctly.

“She wants two of them, and she’s hoping he’ll agree to participate in the auction. She’s positive with his good looks and reputation of being quite the bachelor, the fundraiser will be a great success.”

I glanced at the photos then at Luke, before looking back at Danielle. “But what does this have to do with Luke?”

“They want to include one of his as well as one of yours.” Seeing my puzzled frown, she explained. “Females love romance. They love the idea of meeting that perfect guy who knows how to make a woman swoon. And there’s definitely swooning going on in this photo.”

Had to agree with her there, even if it was me in the picture.

“Luke told me that he never got a model-release form from the two of you”—she casted him a shame-on-you look—“and we need it before they can proceed. Also, she was wondering if you could bring up the auction with Trent. Or she can do it if you’d prefer.”

Several thoughts zinged through my head. “What if he’s dating someone? Doesn’t that make him ineligible for the auction?”

Or did friends with benefits not count?

“Unless you know something my friend doesn’t, he’s very much single. And it’s for a great cause. The women’s group wants to convert the building into a spa for women dealing with cancer.”

“But what if he is dating someone?” Luke asked, echoing my earlier question, casting me a sidelong glance. A quiet kind of excitement rolled off him. He wanted this opportunity, but he also knew that Trent and I were involved. For the most part. He didn’t know Trent and I were just friends with added perks.

“In that case he wouldn’t be eligible to participate,” Danielle explained, “which would be a great shame. I can guarantee his participation will help raise the money required to finish the project, and to prevent a valuable landmark from being destroyed.” She smiled at me. “And they wouldn’t be the only ones to benefit. You would both get full credit on the calendar. That will be a huge advantage if you’re planning to do any freelance photography.”

“All right, I’ll ask him,” I said, and Luke released a relieved breath. Given that Trent’s aunt had died of cancer, I couldn’t see Trent turning down the opportunity to help women going through what she had endured.

And like Danielle had said, Trent was a bachelor. Our relationship didn’t change that. I was just the woman he was having sex with—nothing more. Thanks to those bitches of girlfriends past, Trent was unable to trust another woman, and without that trust he’d never be able to love me like I loved him.

We never had a chance for a happily-ever-after. Together.

* * *

As I walkedfrom my car to the coffee shop, my cell phone pinged.

Holly:Have you told Erin yet about you and Trent?

No, I mentally texted back. It wasn’t like I even knew how to bring it up with Erin. “Hey, I just thought you’d like to know that I’m screwing around with your brother.” Or, “Guess who I’m in love with? That’s right, your brother Trent.” There wasn’t an easy way to tell her. Stress when you were pregnant was never a good thing.

I know, that was a coward’s excuse—but it worked for me.

I entered the coffee shop and scanned the tables. Owen was already sitting at one by the window, with a cup of coffee waiting for me. He was dressed in a grey suit, looking great as he always did. But those fluttery feelings I got whenever I saw Trent in a suit? Zilch, nada, zip when it came to Owen. And now that I thought about it, they never really had existed.

As I approached, he glanced up from his phone and smiled.

Smiling back, I sat down. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome. And thanks for meeting up with me. I’ve missed you, Kelsey.”

Okay. Not quite what I was expecting.

“I’ve missed you too, Owen. You were once one of my best friends.”