Chapter 8 Melanie #2
“Yeah.” He leans against the doorframe and casts a look Anna’s way, lifting his chin in greeting, though his dark stare swings back to me in under a second.
“They weren’t really my crowd, so once the measurements were done and the gentlemen were retiring to the cigar room for whiskey and gossip, I dipped out. ”
“Are you serious?” My stomach rolls with disgust. Anger. Nerves. “Cigars and whiskey? And they didn’t insist you join them?”
“Shoe shopping, actually,” he snickers. “But I already have shoes. They extended the obligatory invitation since that’s what fake ass bitches do, but they for sure breathed easier when I declined. I told them I had work, which, in their eyes, was an appropriate excuse to leave.”
“Was Drew nervous?” Anna giggles when she says his name, her chest bouncing when Nick peeks her way. “Did he pee his pants when you met?”
“Looked like he needed to pee,” he plays along. “Tried the old hand-squeeze thing to establish dominance.”
“Oh God.” I drop my head into my hands and groan. “Of course he did.”
“But he settled down when I didn’t snap his wrist for it.” Nick wanders my way and brushes the tips of his fingers over the back of my neck. “Met your dad. Though I gotta say… I feel blindsided, Princess. You could’ve told me he knew the eleven secret herbs and spices.”
“Right?!” Anna explodes. “You see it too? I’ve been saying that since we were kids! He looks like Colonel Sanders’ long-lost twin brother but with brown hair instead of white.”
“Cheer up, babe.” Squeezing the column of my neck, his touch sends bolts of electricity through my veins and down to tickle my toes.
But then he pulls me back, prying my face from my hands and forcing me to meet his eyes.
“It went well. I met the circus, taunted the monkeys, and left again without catching fleas. Now they know what they’re getting on Saturday, and they’re insanely jealous of how adored you are. ”
“What?” I pull out of his grasp, but only to twist in my chair and stare up at him. “Jealous?”
“Oh, yeah.” He lowers into a crouch and rests his arms on the side of my chair. “I bigged us up so much, they’re expecting a wedding date soon.”
Oh, good. Great!
He’s so good at his job, I now have to hire a husband or admit our relationship didn’t work out. Awesome.
“I told them how in love with you I am. How I worship the way your nose wrinkles when you’re cranky.
And how you have a single deep line between your brows when you’re angry.
” Grinning, he reaches across to smooth the offending line.
“I talked about how we met—at The Coffee Bean, but I said it was a chance encounter and a coffee date that never ended—and how we’re already staying over at each other’s places a lot.
So much so that I’m thinking of asking to move in together officially over the summer.
” He licks his plump bottom lip and searches my eyes.
“I said how you and my mom get along so well and how my sisters love you. I mentioned wedding ring shopping but told them it was a secret, so they’re not allowed to tell you I said so. ”
“So romantic,” Anna obnoxiously sighs. She probably has a hand pressed to her heart and the other sweeping above her brow to add to her silliness. But I can’t know for sure, because Nick’s stare is all I see. “What kind of ring did you buy, Nick?”
“Diamond, of course.” He speaks to me. Smiles for me.
“It’s a princess cut cluster with dozens of smaller diamonds creating a bed of roses for the main stone to sit upon.
I had trouble choosing between yellow gold or white and spent hours at the jewelers trying to decide.
But since you wear a yellow gold chain and earrings, I realized your preference and chose accordingly.
Whatever ring I give you, I’d want it to be something you’d love to wear every day. ”
“Say yes, Mel!” Anna dramatically swoons in my peripherals. “A thousand times, yes!”
“Get much work done?” Nick chuckles, his voice low, so I know it’s just for us. “You had the house to yourself, but you invited someone else over?”
“I had something important to discuss with her.” I hate that he’s so handsome.
So attentive. So kind. I know it’s nothing more than a paid service, just like receiving a good day and a friendly smile from the barista at the coffee shop is a paid service.
But if I loosened the tight grip I keep on reality even a fraction, I could almost pretend his affections were real.
“What was that thing you wanted to talk to me about? The thing you mentioned before leaving.”
“Oh, right.” He pops to his feet and drags me up with him, surprising a squeal from the depths of my throat and catching me with one arm wrapped around the small of my back when I teeter to the side. “Get dressed. We’re going to my abuela’s birthday party.”
“I’m sorry… I…” My head swims, and my stomach lurches. “What?”
“You could stay dressed how you are if you want since my family doesn’t judge. But it is a woman’s ninety-second birthday, and I can see your ribs. I’m not saying you can’t go like that, but I’m gently suggesting a shirt if only so you’re more comfortable.”
“Your abuela?” Why does my head spin? Why does my throat hurt? Maybe I’m sick! Maybe I can’t go. It would be terrible manners to pass germs onto an elderly lady. “No, I— That’s your grandma. That’s your family thing.”
“Our family thing.” He drops his hand, but only to circle my wrist, then he turns toward the back door and yanks me in. “They don’t know we’re not real, so consider this a trial run.”
“Nick! No—”
“My mom’s excited to meet you. Anna,” he comes to a fast stop, catching me against his side when he glances back to address my friend. “You can come, too.”
Her entire face brightens with happiness. “Really?”
“Of course. My abuela would consider your presence a gift. Of all the places you could be tonight, spending your evening celebrating her would make her infinitely joyful. Come on.” He turns and keeps going.
“You have thirty minutes to shower, do your hair, get dressed, and have your ass in my truck. Bringing extra guests is encouraged. Being late is punishable by la chancleta.”