Page 14 of The Ruse of Romancing

Mason

Well, that hadn’t been what I was expecting.

Dani’s words sank in, and I knew instantly who she was: my grandparents’ long-term renter and my new next-door neighbor.

And I was currently her least favorite person in town.

Not exactly the kind of impression I wanted to give to someone I was hoping to connect with further.

But it was too late now.

My mind scrambled, trying to think of some way to salvage the situation.

It sounded like I was firmly in her black book, something I was kicking myself for.

It was just my luck that the woman I’d managed to tick off last night could help me grow in my career, potentially giving me the boost I needed so I could finally support myself and succeed in a dream I’d been chasing since my dad died.

Then her words fully registered. She’d called me a “bearded man.” I ran my hand over my smooth, naked chin. I wasn’t bearded any more. For the first time since Charlie said “oops,” I saw a bright side to this whole new-look situation.

Was it possible I could use my appearance to gain a second chance?

I knew most authors had little to no say over what happened with their covers, but even if she could facilitate an introduction for me with her publishing house, it could be a game changer.

I cleared my throat, hoping this woman wouldn’t suddenly recognize my voice as being the one she’d bickered with the night before. “What makes you hate him so much?”

“Several things, but he was totally leading this woman on last night. I guess he’s some kind of artist and used that to lure her to his house. He tried something similar with me, but I saw straight through it. Then he trapped me in my rental all morning and most of the afternoon without food.”

I winced, realizing her assessment was fair based on her experiences with me so far, though I wouldn’t say I was worse than Joyce Campbell. Dani just hadn’t seen me in the best light last night, or really any light for that matter.

“I think he did try to warn me about Scooter, the lawn guy who was the reason I got trapped. Mason should have tried harder, but the sticky note he left indicated he did at least try .” Her tone told me she was less than impressed with my note.

I wanted to defend myself, explain that I hadn’t wanted to wake her up if she was sleeping, but knew doing so would likely destroy any chance of this exchange ending in a positive place.

“Anyway, you don’t want to hear about my crummy neighbor.

” She gave a self-conscious laugh, and I wished I could flip the light on to read her expression, though at the same time I was grateful for the dark and how it allowed me to hide my reactions from her.

“I really should know better than to vent to random strangers in bookstore offices. I can only imagine what you must think of me. After all, I don’t even know your name. ”

It was the perfect opportunity to introduce myself. Maybe I should introduce myself as Mason, clear up any misunderstanding from the night before. Start fresh with an apology and the promise of buying her dinner. But I hesitated to come clean. I didn’t like not being liked.

An idea started to niggle in the back of my brain, something I probably should have immediately dismissed.

It was ridiculous. Yet, there was something about this woman that made me want to try my hand at befriending her, see if I could get to know her and convince her to introduce me to her publisher.

Unlike my usual tourist interactions, this wasn’t something romantic, though she was gorgeous and, if my career wasn’t hanging in the balance, I’d have no qualms about shooting my shot with her.

This was about my career and the dreams I sometimes worried would never fully materialize as I scraped by on Etsy store orders, Spencer’s commissions, and my grandparents’ generosity.

I’d also been warned that the publishing world was small, with people connected to each other in ways you’d never expect.

One misstep could cause irreparable damage to a career, especially for someone just starting to dip their toe into the waters.

However, once I’d found my way into the publishing industry, I could only imagine the opportunities for me as a cover designer.

By attaching my name to a book as big as the sequel to Of Curses and Pomegranates, I’d have enough commissions to buy the duplex from my grandparents and live on the Oregon coast permanently if I so chose.

As long as Dani never found out I was Mason.

Thinking quickly, I extended my hand, praying I wasn’t about to regret this decision but knowing I needed to take my chance with the woman in front of me. Designing a cover, or even just doing character art for her, could be a gamechanger for my future.

“I’m...” I scrambled for a name that I’d remember but that was different enough from Mason that she wouldn’t come close to connecting me with the jerk I’d been the night before. “I’m Bradley, well actually, Allen. Allen Bradley.”

I winced. Allen? Really? It was my middle name, and I’d always hated it, but for some reason it was the name that sprang to my lips in this moment.

If there was a less attractive name in the world, I’d yet to find it.

And to make things worse, I’d introduced myself like I was in some kind of really awkward Bond movie.

She’d remember me all right, for being even more socially-inept than Spencer.

“Nice to meet you, Allen Bradley.” She shook my hand, seeming to hold on a little longer than necessary, though that might have been wishful thinking on my part.

Normally, I had all the swagger and confidence with women, but my deception had me on shaky footing and I wasn’t sure how best to move forward.

Especially when I was hoping for was a connection of the just friends, professional variety.

I was good at flings, not so good at long-term relationships, even if it was just as friends.

I was still amazed at Spencer’s continued friendship, though I had a feeling that was more due to his nerdy awkwardness getting in the way of him making other friendships than it had to do with any true attachment to me.

I wasn’t the kind of guy people stuck around for and stayed connected to, something Rebecca had taught me all too clearly. And I was perfectly fine with that. Life was easier without lots of messy attachments.

“You know way more of my life story than you probably bargained for, so tell me about you. How long have you been in Cascade Harbor? Are you a local or a tourist like me?”

“I’m a tourist,” I said, thinking quick to build my backstory in a way that I would hopefully remember.

“Well, sort of. I’m staying with my grandparents a few towns over but like to come here for the.

..” I scrambled to think of something Cascade Harbor offered that the other nearby towns lacked, “bakery and bookstore. I visit most summers, which is why I’m so familiar with the town.

It only takes one summer to learn to stay away from Joyce Campbell.

” I forced a laugh, hoping Dani bought my story.

“She’s worse than any of the meddling middle-aged ladies back home in. .. Rexburg.”

I winced again. Rexburg, Idaho? Really? I mean it was a town I was very familiar with, thanks to it being where my dad had grown up, but it wasn’t exactly somewhere exciting.

Not only did I give myself the worst name but now I was from one of the most boring states in the country.

What was next, telling her I collected stamps for fun?

She seemed to take what I said at face value, though I again wished I could flip on the light to read her expression. Not that I’d given her any reason to doubt what I was telling her, but I kept waiting for her to see right through me and call me on my lies.

Note to self: Never become a secret agent. I wasn’t built for deception.

“Makes sense. I’d visit Cascade Harbor every summer just for Sugar and Sea Bakery. Joane’s baking is going to be very dangerous for my waistline.”

I’d lost track of how long we’d been hiding in the office, and I didn’t register that the voices near the cash register had faded until Spencer opened the door.

The sudden brightness from the bookstore surprised us for a moment but by the time my eyes adjusted I could still see the hurt and disappointment on Spencer’s face.

Even though Dani clearly wasn’t interested in him, I would still owe my friend a giant apology when all of this was over.

But first I needed to make sure he didn’t blow my cover. Another piece of the deception I hadn’t considered: how to keep my secret without anyone revealing I was Mason. And of course I had to start with the man who couldn’t lie to save his life. What could possibly go wrong?

“I see you two have met. Why are you hiding in my office? I could have really used your backup with Joyce, Mas—”

I stepped from the room, cutting him off with a hand on his chest and a mostly gentle nudge out the door.

“I wanted to save Dani the pain of Joyce’s customer service lecture. Didn’t want to give her a bad impression of Cascade Harbor on her first full day here.” Or at least, not a worse impression after I apparently bungled things so royally.

“From what I understand, it was the heroic thing to do.” Dani gave me a shy smile and a delicate shrug, as if we now shared our own inside joke. It was good to know I hadn’t scared her off completely with my antics.

Spencer cleared his throat, obviously trying to regain Dani’s attention.

“The writing craft books are this way. If you’ll follow me?” Spencer waved toward the nonfiction section of the bookstore before disappearing between the shelves.