A CONVENIENT ENGAGEMENT
A Contemporary Romance
Amy Valentini
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New Release!
Read for Free at Kindle
Unlimited
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Sometimes fate has other ideas…
Feeling
like her world is falling apart, the last thing Eden Murphy needs is to
discover her new neighbor is the only guy in high school she ever had a crush
on and who humiliated her.
Starting
fresh in a new city, a new job, and discovering a beautiful new neighbor across
the hall, Will Trask hopes his future is bright and on track.
When they
discover being single seems to be holding them back in their careers, Will comes
up with a temporary solution. Pretend to be engaged. At first, Eden rejects the
idea but then she sees an added benefit to his scheme—get what she wants at
work and maybe exact a bit of revenge on him.
But
sometimes the best-laid plans can go awry. Eden gets to know the real Will and
things go far beyond a convenient engagement.
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Excerpt:
When the sound of her
door buzzer dragged Eden Murphy from her sleep, she cursed the day she had ever
thought living in a trendy neighborhood in DC would be fun. Trying to sleep in
was difficult enough with the sounds of normal activities in the neighborhood
on a late summer Sunday morning here in Georgetown but after a late night
working, she was not in the mood for much more.
The buzzer sounded
again. With a growl, she threw off her covers and climbed from her bed. No
friend of hers would ever dream of showing up at her door unannounced so she
could only imagine it was someone selling something or wanting a donation. She neither
wanted to buy anything or make a donation so they’d better stop leaning on her
buzzer.
“All right, all right,”
she muttered as she pulled on a pair of shorts beneath the over-sized T-shirt
she preferred to sleep in.
Stumbling barefoot across
the small living space of her overpriced apartment, she stubbed her toe on the
leg of her coffee table and cursed as she hopped on one foot. When she reached
the front door, she leaned against it and rubbed her throbbing toe. The buzzer
sounded again with such an urgency she began to worry if the building was on
fire.
Peeking through the
security keyhole, she saw the back of a head and then suddenly a wide eye as
the person on the other side of the door peered back at her through the hole.
The buzzer sounded again.
Stepping back from the
door, she wasn’t sure if she should open it or not.
“Who’s there?” she
called out through the door.
“Will, I’m your new
neighbor,” a male voice came through in a loud whisper. “I presume you’re the concerned neighbor who left me this
note.”
Suddenly, a piece of
paper covered the peephole.
Crap! He didn’t sound happy about my suggestion of what to
do with his trash.
She hadn’t met her new
neighbor yet but knew someone had finally moved into Greta Charles’s apartment
because there had been an ever-growing stack of boxes outside the unit’s door
for the past three days. She’d barely been able to get past them when she
returned home last night and when she got no response after ringing his
doorbell as well as knocking, she left him a note.
She opened the door.
She’d only planned to open it enough to ask him what he wanted but the man
grabbed the door and pushed his way into her apartment, shutting it behind him.
“Excuse me,” she
exclaimed as she took several steps back and looked around for something to use
as a weapon. “How dare you? What do you want?”
The man walked to the center
of her living area and turned to face her. He was tall, muscularly lean and
rather good-looking in a disheveled, slept in his suit kind of unshaven way. His
brown hair with tale-tell sun-streaks in it was sticking out around his head as
if he’d had a rough night and had just climbed out of bed as well. He also
looked somewhat familiar but that was impossible since she’d never seen him
before.
“I arrived home this
morning to find this,” he said holding out the note she did recognize.
Suddenly, he seemed to
perk up, came to his full height which was easily a few inches over six feet
and stuck his hand out.
“Hi, I’m Will,” he said
with a far too charming smile and twinkle in his blue eyes she’d come to
recognize well as belonging to a man on the prowl.
Before she had a chance
to respond, the buzzer sounded again. When it did, Will hurried back to look
through the peephole then turned to look down at her. “Um…can I use your
bathroom?”
“What is going on?” she
asked pushing past him and looking through the peephole.
Standing on the other
side of the door was a woman. She was glancing around and when she faced the
door, Eden recognized the look of a woman in a not very good mood. She sighed
and turned to confront her new neighbor but found him gone.
Coward.
Yep, she had pegged him
right. Her new neighbor was a player and she wanted nothing to do with him or
his drama. She opened the door.
“Oh, hi…I…well, sorry to
bother you but I was looking for the guy who lives across the way. I think his
name is Bill or Will,” the girl said with a shrug. “I’m looking for the no good
son of a bitch. Do you know if he’s been home yet?”
“Um…well,” Eden said
then glanced over her shoulder to see the guy in question peeking around the
doorframe to her bedroom. “I don’t know the guy but maybe you’d like to come in
and leave him a note or something.”
She nearly burst out
laughing when he started waving at her and shaking his head.
“Or maybe have a cup of
coffee. You could wait for him to get home,” she said with a chuckle.
“Uh…thanks, but no, I…well,
I…he stood me up last night,” the girl said with a scowl then suddenly glanced
toward the stairs. “Maybe that’s him. What I have to say to him wouldn’t fit
into a note.”
The girl glanced behind
her and then leaned in toward Eden.
“If you’re smart, you’ll
stay clear of him. I don’t know why I thought he’d be any different than any of
the other guys around. Besides, it turns out he’s not the kind of guy you want
more than one night with…if you know what I mean,” she said in a low voice.
Eden chuckled and
nodded.
“Yep…I know what you
mean.”
“Thanks,” the girl said
then turned and stepping past the pile of boxes proceeded to descend the stairs
without even a glance back.
Eden closed the door and
even as she tried not to laugh, she couldn’t help it. Resting against the door,
she chuckled but when she saw the shock of dismay on her neighbor’s face, she
busted out laughing.
“Not funny,” he said as
he came into the room.
“Oh yes, it is,” she
told him as she walked to the kitchen. “You stood up some girl…probably for
another one…and she’s actually glad to have escaped you.”
Still laughing, she
opened the refrigerator and grabbed an individual-sized bottle of orange juice.
Turning to face him and still chuckling, she snapped open the cap. He did look so
familiar. She was sure she’d seen him somewhere before.
“Do I know you?” she
asked.
“Ha ha. We just met at
the door, remember?” he said with a scowl as he plopped down into a chair facing
her. “So what’s for breakfast?”
“Excuse me?”
“I just got in from a
business trip so haven’t had a chance to get groceries yet and I just figured
if you’re going to eat then perhaps…”
Just then, he cocked his
head just so, squeezed one eye shut, and shrugged. It was at that very moment
she recognized him.
“Will Trask!”
He came to his feet so
fast she thought he was going to attack her so she grabbed a knife from the
block on the counter.
“What the hell?” Will
held his hands up in front of him as if to ward her off.
“I…I thought you…oh,
never mind,” she stammered, looked at the knife in her hand then set it on the
counter beside her.
“You know my name? How? Have
we…you know?” Will moved his hands back and forth as if to insinuate she and he
had played the same game he’d played with the girl who had just escaped him.
“Hell no!”
“Wow…I didn’t think so.
I’m sure I would’ve remembered you,”
he said rubbing his chin before running his long fingers through his unruly
hair. “Wait…then…how do you know my name?”
“Never mind. It’s not
important since you’d never remember me anyway,” she said before taking a long
swig off the bottle of orange juice and wishing it had some rum in it.
“Oh, no way. If we’ve
met, I’d remember you,” Will asked with a lecherous waggle of his dark brows.
“Ha! Since we never
actually met, I doubt it,” she said with a laugh. “And it seems you haven’t
changed at all.”
Eden rolled her eyes and
pulled out a chair from the small table set where she ate her meals alone these
days, when she ate at home, and took a seat.
“Did we go to college
together?”
“No,” she said shaking
her head and wondering why she’d even brought it up. “Like I said—unimportant.”
Will glanced around the
space and she wondered if he was looking for a clue of some sort as to her
identity. Suddenly, he glanced toward the bedroom.
“You live alone?” he
asked.
It was then she realized
he’d taken notice of the stack of boxes near the door with Paul’s name on them.
“Yes, he doesn’t live here anymore,” she said
picking at the label on the bottle with fingertips in need of a manicure. “I
suppose he’s off with someone more exciting. We’re not engaged anymore.”
“Oh, you were engaged?
But you’re not anymore?” he replied a little too upbeat but when she narrowed
her eyes at him, he continued, “I mean…oh, that’s too bad. His loss.”
“Yes, it is his loss.
He’s the one who decided he didn’t want to marry me,” she said with probably a
bit too much bitterness in her tone. “It seems he met the love of his life and
it isn’t me.”
“Well, he’s an idiot
because you’re gorgeous,” Will said taking a seat on the arm of the couch and
folding his arms across his chest.
She wanted to laugh at
the absurdity of the situation. The man just hid from a woman he’d obviously
had a one-night stand with but then stood up, most likely for another one he
had only arrived home from spending the night with and now he was sitting here
chatting her up like they were old pals. Was she cursed or something that the
worst player in the world was now living across the hall from her?
“By the way, you know my
name—”
“You can just call me neighbor and we’ll leave it at that. By
the way, the reason I left you that note is because you can’t leave those boxes
out there. Fire hazard and all,” she said pointing in the direction of the
hallway on the other side of the door with the hand holding the orange juice
bottle.
“Right. I just moved in
and I hadn’t had a chance to get them to the trash. I’ve been out of town on
business,” Will said with a shrug when she nodded and rolled her eyes. “Right. I’ll
take care of it.”
An awkward silence
descended on the room making the sounds from outside, the sound of mowers,
blowers, and cars suddenly louder and more intrusive. She couldn’t help but
wonder when Will planned to leave. She wasn’t the type to be rude and ask him
to leave but there was always room for a first time.
“So, how long have you
lived here?” Will asked glancing around.
“Um…since January,” she
said.
“Oh…so how long since
your…um…ex…he lived here too?”
“Not that it’s any of
your business, but yes,” she said standing and moving to the sink to rinse her
bottle.
Staring out the small
window over the sink at the brick wall across the way, she wished she had
ignored the buzzer. She glanced at the clock on the microwave and saw it was
already noon.
“Listen…I’ve got to get
a shower and get dressed. I have a lot of work to do today.”
“Work! On a beautiful Sunday?
It’s still summertime. I was just going to suggest I take you to lunch. I
noticed a quaint little café just down the street—”
“No! Look, we might be
neighbors but I’m not interested in any kind of friends with benefits thing
with you—”
Will came to his feet,
his hands in the air. “Whoa! I was just suggesting lunch…you know, to say
thanks for saving my butt with what’s her name. Nothing more.”
Feeling bad for jumping
to the wrong conclusion, Eden sighed. Would it hurt to have a meal with the
guy? After all, she knew she couldn’t hide how she knew him forever and
anything sounded more appetizing than just a bowl of cold cereal since she
wasn’t going in to the office. Normally, she’d grab a bagel and egg sandwich at
the bagel shop on the way so maybe letting him get her some lunch wasn’t a terribly
bad idea.
“Of course, if you’re
interested in a kind of if you’re lonely
and I’m free kind of thing—”
“Get out! Just get out! You
are most certainly deserving of whatever hell you catch from your girlfriend,”
she exclaimed throwing the plastic bottle at him.
It hit his shoulder and
bounced off but he yelped as if it hurt. She was sure it was more out of
surprise than pain, but still hoped it hurt a little bit.
“Okay…okay! I was just
kidding,” Will exclaimed. “Seriously, we’re going to be neighbors, can’t we be
friends?”
“Right now, I’ve got
other things on my mind and you’re not one of them. It’s time for you to go.
Thank you for the offer of lunch, but not today,” she said as she moved past
him to the door and pulled it open. “If you don’t mind…”
She waved her arm in the
direction of the open door leading into the hallway. Will dropped his shoulders
as if disappointed and dejected causing her to roll her eyes. What a performer.
She wondered if that kind of act actually worked on women. Once upon a time, it
might have but not since the last time she saw him and never would now.
Will walked slowly to
the door and when he reached her, he stopped.
“Thank you for not
ratting me out…neighbor…and I do apologize about the trash. I’ll get it cleared
out today. You know, I’m kind of new to the city and I don’t really know anyone
and since you seem to know me…” He cocked his head in what she recognized as
his Will Trask way and spoke in what she assumed he thought was a woe is me tone.
It is kind of endearing…damn him.
“Well, I’m sorry but I
don’t know too many people either. I’m simply too busy with my job. I’m working
on a new project,” she said glancing at the clock on the bookshelf. “And I’ve
got a lot of work to do.”
“Okay.” He took a step
toward the open door but stopped again.
Turning slightly, he
leaned in making her unconsciously step back.
“I’m not that bad.”
“Yeah…well, I’ve seen
you at work and your friend, although I doubt she is anymore since you stood
her up last night, said you’re not the kind of guy she goes out with twice.
That speaks volumes,” Eden said shaking her head. “Now, excuse me but—”
“I don’t think she
meant…never mind. Yeah, I’m going. Thanks again,” Will said and stepped through
the doorway.
Eden quickly shut the
door and locked the deadbolt. Shaking her head as she crossed to her bedroom,
she stopped and lifted her hands toward the ceiling, closed her eyes and leaned
her head back. Then she opened her mouth and without making much more of a
noise than a groan, she screamed. Once done, she dropped her hands and released
a heavy sigh.
“Why did it have to be
Will Trask, of all people, who moved in next door? Oh, Mrs. Charles…why did you
have to go live with your daughter? You were such a nice quiet neighbor.”
Thanks
for reading and I hope you’ll finish reading Will and Eden’s story. It’s my
favorite one of all.
Happy Reading Everyone!
