Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Ellie

I roll over in bed and proceed to relive every moment of last night. Zach is nothing like the man I expected him to be. Yes, he's richer than any one person needs to be, and he's as handsome as an old-school movie star, but he's also kind and generous. Not only did he help me get my mom to the hospital, but he's making sure I have the funds to make her life more comfortable.

After our dinner, I wanted to spend the rest of the night wrapped in Zach's arms. I could have kissed that man for days on end, but that's not what we did. We spent time talking about ourselves and getting to know what makes each other tick.

For instance, I told him I would rather live simply if it meant I could help others. He told me that he donates the bulk of his charitable contributions anonymously because giving should be done out of true generosity and not for societal credit.

"Even though some people think you're stingy because of it?" I asked.

He explained that while he cares how he's portrayed in the press, doing the right thing matters more. Zachary Hart is most definitely the kind of man I see myself having a future with and that scares me.

After walking me up the path to my house, he gave me another toe-curling kiss goodnight. Then he waited until I'd gone inside and turned on the lights before leaving. I know this because I peeked out the window and watched him go.

My phone alarm jolts me out of my reverie and alerts me that I only have thirty minutes to get up and get ready for my breakfast with Yolanda. I'm curious to hear what she has to say about her "relationship" with Zach. Especially because before I knew him, I was ready to believe every word out of her mouth.

Jumping out of bed, I hurry to put on a pair of jeans and a sweater before brushing my hair and pulling it back into a ponytail. I'm neither trying to impress Yolanda, nor compete with her, so the only makeup I bother with is lipstick.

I think about Zach the whole drive up to the lodge. I fantasize that we fall in love, and he moves to Maple Falls. I imagine us raising a family alongside Troy and Kelly's. My favorite visual is of walking our kids to the same elementary school that I went to. I'm not normally prone to such flights of fancy, but Zach is like no other man I've ever gone out with. As presumptuous as it sounds, I'm starting to feel he could be my forever.

The parking lot at the lodge is full of more cars than I've ever seen here. There are news vans, big black SUVs, and even a couple of limousines out front. Look out, Maple Falls, we're about to see the most excitement our town has ever experienced.

I hurry to go inside and discover the lobby is buzzing with activity. I suddenly wish I'd made more of an effort to look nice. When I get to the dining room, I give the hostess my name and tell her who I'm meeting.

She leads the way to a table right next to the vaulted window overlooking the river. Yolanda is talking on the phone and only offers the briefest nod of recognition that I've arrived. Sitting down across from her, I do my best to look relaxed, but the whole time I'm studying her like she's a lab rat .

Yolanda Simms is polished in a way that only money can provide. I've never colored my hair, but I'm guessing by all the highlights running through Yolanda's hair, she spends a fortune to achieve its intricate weave of tones. She's wearing eyelash extensions that are a touch too long but I know look good on television. She also has on a lot of makeup, but again, probably so that she's camera ready.

I'm about to dissect her manicure—are those acrylics or the result of long-time gel polish?—when she hangs up and says, "Ellie, I'm so happy you could make it."

"I'm happy to be here," I lie. I no longer believe Yolanda is telling the truth about Zach, but I still have to do my best to appear like I'm on her side.

She takes a sip of water before saying, "So, you've decided to help me."

I figure the truth is the best way to proceed. "My mom has some health needs, and I could use the money."

She nods her head slowly. "And what about Zach? What do you think about him?"

"Like I told you the other day, I don't know him."

"But you work for his brother," she prompts.

I exhale slowly before telling her, "Troy Hart is a great guy. Not only does he do a lot of charity work, but he's a wonderful family man. From what I can tell, his brother is nothing like him."

Yolanda surprises me by bursting into tears, and she's no delicate crier. After several moments of near hysteria, she finally settles down. "Zach is a wonderful man. We had three amazing days and nights together. I really thought we were destined for the long haul."

Either Yolanda is one heck of an actress or Zach did not tell me the truth about what went on between them. "If that's true, then why is he telling everyone you were never a couple?"

She loudly blows her nose into a napkin before answering, "Zach has been hunted by a lot of women who see him as a means to an end. "

I remember what Zach said about Yolanda wanting to be seen with him so she could get her own national talk show. "But not you?"

Yolanda shakes her head. "I'm successful in my own right. I make a lot of money, and I don't need Zach for anything other than …" She leans toward the center of the table before lowering her head like she's about to confess to murder. "I'm going to need you to sign a non-disclosure agreement about what I'm about to tell you."

This is my chance to make sure she agrees to pay me in cash, so I tell her, "I'm happy to, after you pay me." My face flushes by how mercenary that sounds, so I add, "I would prefer being paid in cash so I can start paying my mom's medical bills. She's in the hospital right now."

Yolanda doesn't appear shocked by my request—almost like she's paid a bribe or two before. "What's your PayPal handle?" I write it on a napkin and slide it over to her as she picks up her phone. She hits several buttons before declaring, "Sent." Then she puts her phone down and refocuses her attention onto me.

As soon as my phone pings, I pick it up and discover that Yolanda did indeed transfer the money. I'd no sooner be able to initiate a transaction like that than I would be able to fly to the moon by simply flapping my arms. "What is it you need Zach for?"

Once again, tears pool in the reporter's eyes. "I need him to give our child his last name."

I don't know what I was expecting her to say, but it was not that. "Excuse me?!" I didn't mean to yell that, but I cannot believe what she just said.

Yolanda looks from side to side to see how many people are staring at us. Luckily, with all the famous hockey players around, my outburst didn't create much of a scene. "Zach and I slept together for the first time on our first date." Cue the tears to start falling harder.

It's not that I find it hard to believe Yolanda would sleep with someone on the first date, but Zach made no move to do more than kiss me last night. Could that be because he doesn't find me as attractive as Yolanda? My heart sinks as doubt circulates through me.

Yolanda doesn't appear to notice my turmoil. Instead, she sighs dramatically and says, "That man could kiss the spots off a leopard." The little hairs all over my body shoot straight up in response. Even though I agree with her, how would she know that unless she's been kissed by Zach—which is something he claims never happened.

"So, you slept with him on your first date …" I know I sound judgy, but I don't care. I'm madder than a wet hornet. I believed everything Zach told me.

Yolanda's left eyebrow lifts toward her hairline. "I'm not embarrassed that I did. I'm just mortified he won't be truthful about it." She moves her hands around herself like she's spokes-modeling a microwave on The Price is Right . "What man in his right mind wouldn't want the world to know he'd been with me?"

"I … um … that is …" I'm in awe of any woman who has this kind of innate confidence about herself. Even though I'm reasonably attractive, I'm not cocky about it.

Yolanda continues, "I'm about to be visibly pregnant and the father of my child is going out of his way to make me look like I'm a crazy stalker."

"Don't take this the wrong way," I tell her. "But you're the one raking him through the coals in the press."

Her posture jerks upright. "Are you taking his side over mine?"

I obviously don't want her to think that, especially because I'm no longer sure who's telling the truth. "I'm just playing the devil's advocate," I tell her. "But you're the one giving the interviews."

Her nostrils flare slightly. "In the first interview I simply said that Zach and I were in a committed relationship. Nothing more. "

"The following week, you told Whoopi Goldberg he was a misogynist pig," I remind her.

Yolanda slams her water glass down, sending icy drops flying in my direction. "Because he claimed I was nothing to him! I'm growing the man's child, Ellie." She starts crying again, and darn if she isn't portraying a sympathetic character.

"Does Zach know you're having his baby?" My throat tightens as the word "baby" comes out. It sounds like I'm gasping for my final breath on earth.

"No, but he'll say it's not his when he finds out."

"And you say otherwise."

Her left eye narrows like she's activating a death ray. "Zach is the only man I've slept with in the last six months. I'm only two months pregnant. You do the math."

I'm so off kilter right now, I don't know what to think. The only reason I'm starting to believe Yolanda is because she knows what a great kisser Zach is— and he is . He, on the other hand, is claiming they never kissed. How would Yolanda have this information about him if she wasn't telling the truth?

"I suppose you could get a DNA test," I tell her.

"That's a given." She says this with such certainty I feel a stab of pain in my heart. If Yolanda is that sure Zach will be confirmed as the father, then he likely is. My skin burns hot with betrayal. I can't believe he lied to me about this. Worse yet, I can't believe I changed my mind about him and believed he was telling the truth when he told me Yolanda was making everything up.

If what she says is true—and I'm now realizing it probably is—then the only reason Zach kissed me last night was to ensure I'd be on his side when I met with Yolanda. Why else would the man agree to give me forty thousand dollars unless he was trying to buy my loyalty? I suddenly feel hollow, like I've been drained of all my strength.

My phone pings, and I look down and read the incoming text.

Mr. Wonderful

Good morning, beautiful. I can't stop thinking about last night.

I look at the message with distaste. What a cheesy line, and one Zach probably uses a lot. Looking across the table at Yolanda, I ask, "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to find out whatever you can about Zach from his brother, his brother's wife, or him directly if you have any contact with him." She eyes me closely. "You said at the rink that you'd only just met him, but there was something that made me think there might be more to it than that."

This is my big moment to pick a side. Do I think that Zach could be Yolanda's baby daddy? Yes. Do I believe he's using me for some nefarious purpose of his own design? If he's the father, then I have to . Why else would he make a play for a nobody small town girl he had nothing in common with?

"Yolanda," I tell her. "Would it help if I told you where Zach is staying while he's here in Maple Falls?"

"Isn't he at his brother's?" she asks. "I just assumed that was the case when I found out he wasn't here or at the other hotel in town."

Without hesitation, I announce, "He's staying in a guest cottage at the back of my mom's property."

Yolanda's gaze narrows perceptibly. "Are you sure there's nothing going on between the two of you?"

I shake my head, pushing all thoughts of Zachary Hart's knee-buckling kisses out of my mind. I force myself not to think about those sexy green eyes of his and I certainly ignore the memory of that soaking wet T-shirt he wore while washing windows.

"He's nothing more to me than a short-term tenant," I tell her. And even though that's the truth, it still hurts a heck of a lot more than it should.

"Good," Yolanda says. "Because I have a plan."