Chapter 9
Eliza
I’ve been nervous about meeting Steve for dinner all week. The calla lilies he sent were stunning, and they just got prettier every day. Tanya was thrilled for me, so I left the flowers in her office so she could enjoy them. The dinner with her ex didn’t go well. He wants to do some sort of friends-with-benefits thing, and she just wants to move on, so it left her a little depressed.
In contrast, I’ve been on a high since we won our first game of the season yesterday, though I’m trying to temper my excitement. We beat the worst team in the league, the Yukon Polar Bears. But I’ll take a win wherever we can get one and hope we get some momentum to make this a trend that continues.
And now my dinner date has finally arrived. I spent today getting a pedicure and full wax. I have no plans to spend the night with Steve, but I wanted to feel prepared, sexy, and confident. I’ve thought about it all week, and I’m going to ask him to be my fake fiancé.
Or at least I was. Now that he’s actually here at my mom’s place, I’m doubting whether this is a good idea. There are about five different ways this could devolve into a giant mess. But it’s a mess of my father’s creation, I remind myself. He’s the one who put me in this outrageous position. Plus, he’s gone off the grid and is not returning my calls, which is further pissing me off.
I take a deep pull on my red wine and look over at Steve. “I have something to run by you.”
“Now I’m curious.”
I smile but look down at my hands. I’m still struggling with how to ask. Nothing I’ve thought of makes it sound like a good deal for him.
“I’m totally up for under-the-radar friends with benefits if that’s what you’re going to ask.”
When I look up, he gives me his panty-melting smile, and my stomach fills with butterflies. What is going on with me?
I clear my throat and then steer the conversation a different direction. My mouth has a mind of its own, it seems. “I bought a condo in The Butterfly. I’m planning to live there once it’s finished.” The Butterfly is a fifty-story building not far from here that’s going up with lots of concrete and glass, and it’s all rounded corners. It’s been very popular in the media.
“My dad—well, my sister—is building The Butterfly.” He takes a pull on his beer. “I looked at the penthouse when they first opened for sales six years ago, but I wanted a house, a house nothing like my dad’s. He lives in something way too big for my taste. As a builder, he was mortified when I bought a home and refurbished it.”
I sit up straight. “Are you kidding? I bet it’s beautiful.”
“It was a large home when it was built, but at some point, it had been broken up into four apartments. I gave the two tenants who were left a year’s notice and cash to move out. Then I worked with an architect, and we tore it down to the studs and created a nice five-bedroom single-family home again. The design keeps with the age of the house but has some modern touches.”
“That’s what I want to do one day. If I find a house, I may need your contacts for the architect and contractor.”
“Those are the hardest part, so I used some of my dad’s people. He may not have liked that I wasn’t moving into a shiny new condo building, but he works with good people, and he was still willing to help me out.”
“With your love of building, why are you in medicine?”
“Well, there’s the part about having a life that I told you before, and also, as I’m sure you know, a family business is often no picnic.”
I nod. “I’m the oldest, so I’m taking first pick of my father’s holdings. And that’s good because I only want the team. My dad wants me to take over the paper company or the fisheries.”
“Your dad has pretty diverse holdings.”
“Doesn’t your dad?”
“Nope. Just real estate. He builds the buildings—or his company does; my sister is in charge now—sells off the units and moves on. They tend to hang on to a few units in most of the buildings they build, and then the real estate group manages them. I think they have property in about eight buildings right now. Most are here downtown, but they built a high-rise at the base of Whistler, and they’re also building a resort in Tofino.”
I’m impressed. “I love Tofino. Being on the west side of Vancouver Island, it’s totally different from here. There’s nothing to see for miles but the Pacific Ocean. “
He nods. “It’s a great area. My favorite thing my dad built are these low-rise buildings he did early in his career. They’re in West Vancouver on the waterfront.”
“I think I know what you’re talking about—the floor-to-ceiling windows and the round rooms with the curved glass are incredible. ”
“Yes, those are the ones. They’re called turrets.”
“My dad lives up the cliffs north of there, beyond the beaches. I remember when they built those condos. Everyone was so sure the first storm was going to break those windows.”
He shakes his head with a laugh. “Those things were so thick and heavy. They weighed like five hundred pounds.”
When I finish my wine, I suggest we sit down to dinner. My mom’s personal chef has made chicken and pasta carbonara.
We make small talk as we eat, and I’m pretty sure I’m getting farther from being able to ask my question, rather than closer to the target. But I don’t know what to do.
“So, what did you want to run by me?” Steve finally asks.
I guess he’s not letting me off the hook. I tell him again about my love for the team and how I’ve wanted to own it since I was a little girl and all the work I’ve done to prepare.
He listens patiently, but I can tell he’s confused. I need to cut to the chase.
“Do you know who Donnie Cochran is?” I ask.
Steve nods. “Yes. I believe he’s made his money in less-than-respectable ways.”
I agree. “He’s been sued multiple times, and somehow, all the cases go away. He’s also been after my dad for years to sell him the team.”
Steve seems surprised. “Is your dad tempted?”
I nod. “Unfortunately, yes. He believes his first marriage, to my mom, was ruined by his priorities. He was more about making money than being home. I think my mom would say the issue was more than that, but I don’t ask. Anyway, my dad had two marriages after that, which also went bust, and then he finally married a woman just a few years older than me. They’ve been together a while now, and they have kids, and he’s very happy being a husband and father and not so work focused.”
“Cochrane’s offer is why he wants you to take over the fisheries or paper business instead?”
I nod. “Maybe. Probably. He also says those are jobs that don’t require a monstrous amount of hours and are pretty self-contained.”
“He’d sell the team so you couldn’t have it?” Steve asks.
“Well, it seems he might. I’m negotiating with him about the team, but he wants what he thinks is best for me, which in this case is what was best for him. He’s decided being married with kids is essential to happiness.”
Steve shakes his head. “I’m so sorry. You seem to have the team heading in a good direction. You’re strengthening the brand. I can only imagine what you could do as owner.”
“That’s what I think.” I fight back tears.
“So, what are you going to do?”
I look out over Coal Harbor and see the Second Narrow Bridge and the lights twinkling over North Vancouver. “My dad has told me that if I have a social life and a serious boyfriend within six months, he won’t sell to Donnie. He’ll let me run the team once he’s sure I have a support system and other things in my life.”
If Steve is shocked by this, he doesn’t show it. “What does he define as serious?” he asks.
“Engaged.”
“I see.”
He’s still ice cold. But suddenly I have an idea. “You have an interest in my taking control of the team,” I explain quickly. “I’m prepared to argue with the league about the requirement that we make a neurologist our chief medical officer. We need a neurologist on the payroll for sure, but I’m glad it was you managing the situation with Hudson.”
Steve looks at me, and finally, a little surprise shows on his face. “Wait. You want to get engaged to me?”
I shrug. “We get along well, and we both want me to take over the team, right?”
Steve pushes his chair back and walks over to the window. “I don’t know about this. It seems pretty drastic for a job.”
Tears form in my eyes. I knew this was crazy, but I can’t think of any other way. Still, I won’t beg. “I understand.”
“There isn’t anyone else who could pose as your fake fiancé?”
“No one my dad would believe.”
He turns back from the window. “Why would your dad believe me?”
“You’re less of a threat.”
Steve tilts his head.
“You have money. It’s reasonable that we met at work.”
Steve returns to looking out at the water.
“Look, you probably have a guest room in your house. I could move in there. We’d parade around like we’re a loving couple, going out and doing things together. After some time, I’ll buy the engagement ring, and we can do a fake proposal. We’ll be roommates. You won’t have to worry about me turning into some sort of fatal attraction.”
He whirls around, and I can’t be sure what he’s thinking.
“This is about securing our futures. We need to stay focused on getting us both something we want. Then in the end, we can remain friends.”
He shakes his head. “I’ll be disappointed if I’m not able to work for the team anymore, but I still have plenty to do at the hospital. I can take the extra time I’ll have and work for something like Doctors Without Borders if I’m not going to be with the team.”
I sit back. “I see.” We’re not on equal footing after all.
“It’s not that I wouldn’t enjoy playing house for a while, but I’m not sure I’m prepared to have you as a roommate. I’m not made that way.”
“I get it. No need to explain. We’re good.”
He returns to the table, and we manage some polite conversation while we finish our dinner. Then I take our plates to the sink, rinse them, and place them in the dishwasher.
He stands. “I guess I’m going to head out. ”
I wipe my hands on my back pockets. “All I ask is that you think about it.”
He shakes his head. “I will, but I’m just not sure how it would work.”
I take a piece of paper from my purse. “These are the rules my dad has outlined. I’m trusting you not to broadcast this to the world. But at least you’ll know what he’s expecting.”
Steve takes the paper from me, but he doesn’t even look at it.