Investment in Love (Contemporary Romance) by Emily Walters

the stubble on his jawline. But then she remembered just how badly things had gone before. She had to keep this entirely professional.
     
    “I don’t know how professional it would be to let you finance my lunches,” she said, trying to laugh it off casually.
     
     “Well, we could keep it totally separate from the work we’re doing,” he said. “It’s just that I haven’t had time to make any friends, but I’d really love if someone could show me around Carterville so I can start getting to know the town and the people. And I’d like to make up for the last lunch.”
     
    She softened at his explanation. It was nice to see him taking an interest in local culture, instead of dismissing their town as rustic and boring. And Ellie truly did love this little town—as soon as he mentioned wanting to get to know it, she immediately thought of five or six places he had to see.
     
    “Well… Maybe if I paid for my own food?”
     

***
     
    Calvin watched Ellie flash him a heart-stopping smile as she acquiesced to his request and sucked in a slow, steadying breath. It was going to be difficult to stay away from this beautiful woman, but she wasn’t the kind of girl you temporarily married and then ditched once a check paid out.
     
    No, Ellie Parker was the kind of strong, beautiful, intelligent woman—with a good sense of humor to boot—that he’d consider dating seriously if she lived in New York and had a similar lifestyle to him. But as things were, she was a small-town girl with plans and a career of her own, not to mention a woman who was already questioning the circumstances of his great-aunt’s inheritance. Ellie was off-limits for his temporary marriage. But she could still help Calvin succeed in his mission to marry.
     
    He acquiesced to her suggestion for lunch, which was pasta at some American/Italian combo place, and let her drive him down in her little SUV. Somehow, he thought, the car suited her. It was petite and kind of cute, but it was also really functional and capable of getting the job done.
     
    “You know,” he said once they were inside the car, trying to sound casual, “I just realized I danced with someone at the community dance and I don’t even know her name.”
     
    Ellie glanced at him before looking back at the road. “The blonde? Dana Cartwright, maybe?”
     
    “Yes, blonde,” he said.
     
    “Yellow dress? Um, crooked teeth?” Ellie sounded a little embarrassed at using the last descriptor, which Calvin found surprisingly endearing.
     
    He hid a smile. “Yes, that’s her.”
     
    “Definitely Dana,” Ellie said. Then, after a pause: “Why, are you interested in her?”
     
    The truth was that he wasn’t at all interested in Dana as an actual partner, but he was very interested in her as a candidate for his temporary marriage. Leaving it noncommittal, he just shrugged. “I just figured I should at least find out her name in case I see her around.”
     
    When he looked at Ellie again, she was giving him a very suspicious look, so he decided to push back. “Speaking of, who was that man you were dancing with?”
     
    Ellie went a satisfying shade of pink. “Oh, that’s just old Bill Carlisle,” she said, waving a hand to dismiss the question while keeping her eyes locked on the road.
     
    Aha. Ellie was off-limits for more reasons than one, judging by her reaction. “You guys make a handsome couple,” Calvin said. He was lying—Ellie deserved better than that redneck—but she didn’t need to know that.
     
    “Oh no, we aren’t a couple!” she exclaimed abruptly. “Just friends. Absolutely just friends”—and then she looked over at Calvin again and went from pink to bright red.
     
    Interesting. Calvin mentally filed away her reaction for later analysis and changed topics, trying to ignore the pretty glow her flushed cheeks gave her complexion as they pulled into the parking lot of their destination.
     
    The restaurant was cute, and his plate of