Shifting Gears

"I'm not!" he said and she immediately picked up a slight Texan twang.

"You're not what?" she asked, a smile coming to her lips as well.

"I'm not sorry you walked into me. It's the nicest thing that's happened to me in this crazy town since I got here four days ago!"

Her smile widened at his compliment and she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?"

"It's true! I came to town to meet with some fellahs who were supposed to have a good investment deal and it turned out to be smoke and mirrors. All that work for nothing. I have to head back home with nothing to show for my efforts. Then you bumped into me and the trip is showing promise after all," he said with a charming smile she couldn't help but return.

"You are smooth, I'll give you that!" she purred happily.

"Nothing but the honest truth! Might I request your company at dinner tonight? I can divulge further truths like I'm feeling a little dazzled by your smile," he asked earnestly.

"Oh! I- I'm actually here with a- a friend," she blurted and wondered if she should have called Kyle her boyfriend.

"That's fine bring her along!" he said, misinterpreting her hesitation.

"My friend is a 'he', Kyle MacDenny. A friend from Canada." Fiona found herself babbling and blushed.

He watched her blush and his smile widened again. "Well, your friend from Canada can join us as well." He reached forward and took her hand in his larger one to shake it. "My name's Cameron Dawson. You can call me Cam."

"Fiona. Fiona Hollings," she said, slightly dazed by his blue eyes.

"Dinner at 8PM? I have a reserved table for four at the Country Club. As my business associates won't be sharing it with me I sure would like some friendly company, Fiona." He gave her a hopeful smile and she blushed again and nodded.

His smile flashed wide once more.

"That's wonderful! I look forward to seeing you there!" He finally released her hand and with a little wave he walked away.

It wasn't until he stepped out of sight that she realized she'd just accepted a dinner invitation from a strange man while she was here with Kyle. Now she had to either stand him up by not showing or explain what she'd done to Kyle and hope he was understanding. She walked over to the reception desk and saw Kyle was there looking around for her. He smiled when he saw her then his expression became concerned.

"Is everything ok?" he asked when she reached him.

"Yes, uh, I just did something totally out of character," she confessed.

He just tilted his head and continued to look at her expectantly.

"I- I just accepted a dinner invitation for us from a stranger," she said quietly.

Kyle froze as he read her body language. This stranger was obviously male and she was probably attracted to him or she would have said no. "Was the invitation for both of us or just you?" he asked cautiously.

"I told him I was traveling with you!" she huffed.

"Traveling with me but... with me?" he said gently.

Her mouth opened and she held his eyes. Nothing came out.

Kyle nodded though he did feel a little conflicted. He realized he had no grounds to be considering what he'd done since he'd arrived. "It's ok. We said we were just friends with benefits. No commitment to each other. If you want to see where this goes with him I'll... well, I don't know what I'll do as we just got here and I don't have a room to hide in." He began to feel awkward.

"You're not going to hide in a room while I go on a date. That's just... wrong! We'll both go to have dinner with him and explain the situation to him. He seemed like a nice man," Fiona said and met Kyle's curious gaze. She got flustered and pointed to the reception desk. "Let me just check in and get our room!"

As she walked away Kyle examined his feelings about the current predicament. He'd been enjoying his visit and he and Fiona did have a lot of fun together. But honestly that's all it was, fun, for both of them. They really were just friends with benefits. Sometimes, she made him feel like an accessory she was wearing to show off to her friends. She wasn't doing it maliciously. She really liked him. She just didn't have any real emotional commitment to him... as he didn't with her.

Now she'd met someone that sparked enough interest in her to make her step outside her normal behavior. Maybe he was genuine or maybe he was just skilled at emotional manipulation. He felt a little flare up of his need to protect his friend. This made him realize he was glad they were going to dinner together with this stranger. It would give Kyle an opportunity to check him out. To see if he was genuinely a nice guy who Fiona should spend some time with or if he was just a scumbag that needed his ass kicked.

Feeling better about the evening he smiled as Fiona returned from the desk. Her expression was still mixed between confusion and annoyance.

"I'm going to send Cam a message, cancelling our dinner," she blurted with a pout when she stepped closer.

His smile widened as he could see she really didn't want to but was stuck in her own conflicted feelings.

"No, I think we should go," Kyle suggested.

She blinked in surprise at him. "What?"

"I'd like to meet the man that can send Fiona Hollings into a tizzy!" he said with a teasing grin.

Her mouth worked silently as she tried to argue and he just pulled her into a hug. "It'll be an interesting night. We have nothing to lose by this, right?" he said holding her eyes with his.

She still seemed a little confused but she finally nodded.

"Now, do we have a room 'cuz I'd love to shower this road dust away." He bounced his eyebrows at her and a wicked grin appeared on her full lips. Her eyes were back to sparkling with mischief as well. She nodded and he picked up the saddlebags and followed her.

They had time to shower, play, nap, have another shower, and get dressed before it was time to meet mystery man 'Cam' at the restaurant.

As they walked in Kyle took Fiona's hand from his arm and turned to look her in the eye. She'd been squeezing him a little tight and there was definitely some nervous anticipation in her gaze.

"We shouldn't enter the restaurant giving off signals of being a couple. We're here to scope him out. If he turns out to be a great guy you won't have to explain we're not an exclusive couple. That said, if you determine he's got some agenda you're uncomfortable with then feel free to drop the boom on the guy. I'm there for you!" Kyle said gently.

She looked at him and her conflict was back. "You are so good to me."

"Fiona, we're friends first. I'm there for my friends. Always will be. There might be something to this man that leads to something more than friendship for you. Or maybe you'll just have a fun romp in the sack. You have to admit something intrigued you enough to accept a dinner date with him. Now, you've already made him sweat it out long enough so let's get in there and meet him. I'm going to follow your lead."

She smiled up at him and nodded. They approached the hostess and Fiona gave her name. The woman nodded and looked to Kyle before leading them across a beautiful dining room to a table overlooking a lovely waterfall.

As they approached Kyle saw a fit and tall dark haired man stand and smile in delighted relief when he saw Fiona. He caught Fiona's answering smile and then he was on the receiving end of an assessing look from intense blue eyes. The man's smile didn't waver though there was some curious confusion mixed in there.

"Cameron Dawson, please let me introduce my good friend Kyle MacDenny," Fiona said fondly.

The man reached across the table and gave him a firm handshake. "Please call me Cam. This is the Canadian?" he said with a smile.

It was Kyle's turn to be confused. He looked to Fiona whose face was beginning to glow pink. He looked back to the man.

"It just popped out of her mouth when she first informed me she wasn't travelling alone," the man offered with a cheeky grin.

Kyle matched the grin. "Ah. Yes, I'm Canadian. Just visiting your fair land."

"Good!" Cam said with a big smile and though his response might be interpreted in a number of ways Kyle picked up his intent very clearly. Cam was feeling better about his chances of wooing Fiona. Kyle just gave him a smile and took the seat next to Fiona after she sat across from the Texan.

She took a moment to enjoy the scenery then turned to Cam. "This is lovely!"

"Yes, it is," he responded holding her eyes.

Her cheeks flushed once more as she knew he was talking about her. Flustered she tried to change the subject to safer topics. "So, you've told me your name but I know nothing else about you!"

"Yet here you are dining with me!" he said with a wide grin. "I consider myself a lucky man for that alone!" When she gave him a happy but flustered look he raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, here goes. Me in a nutshell. I'm thirty-four, 6', 185 pounds. I'm single, not that I haven't tried, and I enjoy horseback riding and camping under the stars. I work for my parent's company, Dawson Industries out of Austin, Texas. I do this and that, most recently travelling to Las Vegas to look into an investment opportunity that fell flat. Then I was bumped into by a beauty who graciously accepted my dinner invitation and saved the trip from being a write off."

Fiona smiled at the man and nodded to him. "I suppose I owe you the same. I'm 30, 5' 6", never mind my weight. I'm recently divorced, and I enjoy yoga and cycling. I work for my parent's managing their boutique hotel chain. I'm in town to have some fun with my girl friends this weekend. They'll be joining us tomorrow."

Cam looked at Kyle. "Girl friends and Canadian friend?"

Kyle nodded. "Yup. Six women and me. I'm the token male in the party," Kyle said with a false sad expression.

"A six to one ratio? You poor man! It's inhuman!" Cam exclaimed in fake outrage causing Fiona to giggle. "I'll tell you what. If you'll have me, I'll join your party to increase the male representation."

Kyle looked to Fiona and saw the delight in her eyes. That settled it for him. "I, for one, would be eternally grateful. Thank you, kind sir."

Cam was enjoying this game and especially enjoyed the smiles he was bringing to Fiona's lips. Kyle almost seemed like a wingman in this circumstance and at first, he was sure the man was going to be competition for Fiona's attention. That made him curious about the man.

"Isn't it your turn to give us your story?" he asked the younger man. Fiona looked to Kyle with a cheeky grin.

Kyle felt himself put on the spot so he nodded with a little smile and cleared his throat. "Ok, here goes. "I'm 25, 5' 10", 175 pounds. I'm single but I was engaged not too long ago. It didn't work out." Fiona snorted explosively then covered her mouth with her napkin as an embarrassed blush filled her cheeks.

"Oh, we're getting back to that reaction," Cam said with a smile at Fiona then faced Kyle once more. "Please continue."

"Ok, uh, I enjoy cycling, traveling, camping, and riding my motorcycle. I used to work for an investment house in Vancouver, BC."

"Used to?" Cam asked.

Kyle nodded. "I quit the job a few weeks ago. I just wasn't getting any personal satisfaction from it. I mean, I did well enough. I earned good money and I still do it for myself to maintain a stream of income. But right now, I'm just trying to figure out what makes me happy."

Cam was looking at Kyle thoughtfully. "I had my days of wild oat sewing when I turned eighteen. I told my parents I was going out into the world to find myself. Jumped in my pickup with no plan other than to see the country and truly experience life. Drove through most of the states and did odd jobs to make enough money to eat and keep the tank filled. Ended up going home around three years later. Went back to school and got a degree in Business Administration. Took a job at my parent's company and worked my way up." He sighed. "I was hoping this investment deal would let me move into that side of the company. Now I suspect my Daddy set me up. He probably knew there wasn't anything there when he suggested I look into them."

"A lesson learned, not the end of the road." Kyle suggested.

Cam looked at the younger man in surprise then nodded as he thought about the message. "I like that. Where's it from?"

Kyle looked a little uncomfortable. "My dad. He wasn't much of a talker but when he did, sometimes I'd get these little nuggets of life experience."

Cam could see Kyle didn't like talking about the man and looked to the compassionate expression on Fiona's face as she watched Kyle. Time to change the subject to something happier.

"So, what did you have planned activity wise this weekend?" he asked.

Fiona smiled at him for his effort to lighten the mood. "I thought we'd just relax by the pool tomorrow and get pampered by the pool waiters. My friends will start arriving by dinner time and I have a reservation for dinner which I'll amend to include you. Then we'll go to the club for dancing and drinks. Expect that to go on until the wee hours of the morning. That's day one," she said and he nodded.

"That sounds like a great start for a fun weekend!" Cam said with a smile. He looked to Kyle. "With two of us to six of them, we can expect to be on the dancefloor all night! I hope you brought your dancing shoes."

Kyle nodded and smiled back at the man.

They ordered their meals and kept the conversation light. They learned little things about each other and no show stoppers surfaced during dinner.

Once dinner was over they made their way out of the restaurant.

"Anyone interested in a night cap in this lovely bar I spotted on the way here?" Cam asked.

Kyle saw the interest in Fiona's eyes and saw the perfect opportunity to bow out of this third wheel scenario.

"You kids go on and have fun. The wine at dinner went right to my head so I'm going to head back to my room, check on my investments, and then hit the hay." He shook Cam's hand. "It was great meeting you and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Fiona asked with a look of concern.

Kyle leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Enjoy!" he whispered and her eyes twinkled as she smiled at him.

He waved as he walked away and left a delighted couple who turned towards the bar.

He really was a little tired so Kyle followed his own advice and confirmed all was well with his portfolio before doing a little research on the progress of the company he was tracking. The government bill which contained a section the company needed approved to make it viable for them to go public was being voted on tonight. This meant he'd know by the morning if the company would be something he should include in his portfolio.

That done he took off his clothes and climbed under the sheets. He left one light on so Fiona would be able to find her way through their room... if she returned to it tonight. That thought gave him a little pause. He had to be ok with it. This was what their relationship was about. No, not relationship. Friendship.

Kyle thought about that and realized he was actually ok with Fiona finding love with someone else. Honestly, he was more than a little envious. He thought back to the time when he'd thought he'd found love but the realization that it had been one sided turned his stomach. His only other example, his parents, had been in the same relationship. With Gwen, he'd taken the role his mother played. He shuddered and closed his eyes. He didn't want it to be like that. He wanted to know what real love felt like and fall into it deeply, one day. He knew he wasn't ready now.

With his poor examples, he hoped it would even be possible for him to know true love. Those thoughts chased him all the way into his dreams.

Chapter 7

Kyle was surprised to find Fiona cuddled up to him in bed when he woke the next morning. He knew how late it had been when his unruly mind finally allowed him to fall asleep. She'd still been out with Cam at that time so he thought she'd spend the night with him.

She must have felt him stir as lovely eyes opened and a smile slipped onto her lips.

"Hey," she sighed.

"Hey, yourself. You were up late. Go back to sleep," he said with a smile.

"Mmmm..." was all she managed before slipping under again.

Kyle eased himself out of bed then put on his shorts, t-shirt, and runners to head down to the gym. Room key in his pocket he silently left and took the elevator downstairs.

The fitness room was extensive and he went through his sets slowly, feeling his muscles warm up and stretch. Then he increased the intensity until he felt a good burn.

He looked up from the last machine and spotted Cameron wiping down the machine he was using.

"Good morning!" Kyle called out.

"Hey! Good morning to you!" Cam returned with a smile on his face.

"You just finishing up?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, headed to the steam room next. I think I might have strained my shoulder a little on that last set. Care to join me?"

Kyle nodded. He wasn't a big fan of steam rooms but it looked like Cam needed to talk and that seemed like as good a place as any.

They made their way into the locker rooms and stripped down to towels before heading into the large steam room to find a bench.

"Ahhh, this is the ticket," Cam sighed as he leaned back.

"So, how did it go last night?" Kyle asked.

Cam smiled at the younger man and nodded. "Really well. She's an amazing woman!"

Kyle nodded, recalling his discovery that she wasn't the trophy wife he originally pegged her as.

Cam's expression showed he was struggling with his next question. Kyle had some idea what it might be.

"About your relationship with Fiona..."

"Friends. We're good friends. We both went through a bad time with our mates and we... leaned on each other for support during that time. It never grew beyond that."

"So, you're not having sex..."

Kyle smiled. "I didn't say that. When we first got together in France, it was only sex. Almost revenge sex for her. Her ex was a bit of a bastard. The friendship built out of that and we've had a physical relationship. But we both know it isn't love and it's not going to become love."

Cam looked at him uncomfortably. "Last night, when Fiona went back to her room-"

Kyle shook his head. "Nothing happened. She went to sleep. I wasn't even aware she came back to the room until I woke up to find her sleeping next to me. I left her sleeping and came downstairs to work out." Cam nodded and Kyle could see some of the tension drain away. "Listen, I get it. If she tells me you two are going to try to build a relationship together, I'm not going to interfere with that... in any way. I'll find other... accommodations." He looked around. "Maybe not in this hotel," he said with a smirk.

"Too rich for your budget?" Cam said with a raised eyebrow.

"Much too rich," Kyle nodded. "Don't get me wrong. It's not like I don't appreciate the finer things in life. It's just, I don't really need them to be happy." He smiled as he recalled his recent downsizing exercise. "I've learned that I can be quite content with much less."

"That's a healthy attitude," Cam said appreciatively.

"It's a start," Kyle agreed with a shrug then blew out a heavy breath. "Ok, now I remember why I don't like steam rooms. I'm going to head back upstairs and get dressed." He paused. "Uh, did you two make plans for breakfast?"

Cameron smiled and nodded. "We'll all meet at 9AM at Jardin."

"Good. Okay, see you then," Kyle said with a smile and headed out to get dressed.

He went back upstairs and did his best to enter the room quietly. He padded across the room to his bags and got a change of clothes.

"Hey."

Kyle turned back to the bed and saw Fiona's smiling face. "Good morning."

"What? No good morning kiss?" she pouted.