Dilynne
French Toast, Fake Fiancés, & Fear
My niece, Remy, blows a raspberry from her high chair before tossing a piece of her French toast on the floor.
“Oh, no you don’t, little one.” Reaching down, I pick up the piece of bread and toss it onto my empty plate. “You can’t be wasting Carol’s French toast. I’m gonna have to call Uncle Rhonan and have you arrested if you do that again.”
Remy smacks her high chair and lets out a shriek.
I turn to my brother. “I think she just told me to go fuck myself.”
Elodie laughs before grabbing a wipe from the diaper bag and cleaning off the sticky syrup from Remy’s hands. “She’s pretty vocal these days. In fact, she’s picking up on words left and right, so maybe we can refrain from saying the word ‘fuck’ around her from now on?”
I glance over at my brother. He shrugs. “Elodie told me the same thing, but it’s fucking hard.”
“No shit,” I echo the sentiment.
Carol tsks as she walks into the dining room from the kitchen.
“If my granddaughter starts spewing cuss words, I’m going to call Rhonan myself.
” She lifts Remy from her high chair, making her giggle as she kisses her cheeks and plants her on her hip.
“Now, why don’t you come with me, baby girl, so the adults can use all of the cuss words they want?
” Carol shoots Henley and me a glare on her way out of the room.
I glance at my brother and immediately bristle at the glare he’s giving me. “If you have something to say, Henley, just say it.”
“Elliot,” he clips. “Really?”
Elodie clears her throat. “Babe, we talked about this…”
He gives his girlfriend the same narrow-eyed gaze he gave me and then lets out a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry, but my sister is clearly not thinking straight about this arrangement.”
I huff out a laugh. “That’s rich coming from you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Scratching my chin mockingly, I say, “Well, if memory serves me correctly, less than a year ago you hired a woman that you didn’t even know to be your nanny and ended up falling in love with her.”
Elodie and Henley share a look as Elodie shrugs, clearly supporting my argument.
My brother shakes his head. “That’s different.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Really? How so?”
“I didn’t know Elodie. You know Elliot. You two hate each other and you have history…”
Elodie’s eyes widen. “What? You two have dated in the past?”
I gag dramatically. “Ew, no. My brother doesn’t understand that the use of that word can be misconstrued.”
Henley pushes a hand through his thick hair.
“I just mean, you two have known each other for way too long for this to just come out of nowhere. If I didn’t know you two personally, but knowing you’ve been around each other for years, I would wonder why you’ve never crossed the line until recently,” my brother explains.
Elodie hums. “I don’t think that’s very fair. People grow and change, Henley. I mean, you’re not the same man I met almost a year ago when you hired me.”
His gaze softens as he covers her hand with his own. “That’s only because of you, sweetheart.”
She kisses his cheek. “As you’ve said. But just because Dilynne and Elliot have known each other a long time doesn’t mean their feelings toward one another couldn’t have changed at some point.”
Elodie’s words make my chest feel tight, but I try to ignore it. “Doesn’t matter though, because it’s all fake. Elliot will get Tori to leave, I’ll have a buffer for Vinnie at Motorlux, and when it’s all said and done, we’ll go back to hating each other for real.”
You say that, Dilynne, but then why does your conversation from the other night keep replaying in your head? Particularly how your body reacted when he called you a good girl?
Carol walks back into the room, Remy still on her hip. “Why don’t you invite Elliot to come with you next time? I mean, even if he’s your fake fiancé, I’m sure he’d enjoy breakfast.”
I trail Carol with my eyes as she moves around the kitchen. “I appreciate the offer, but it’s not that kind of arrangement.”
My brother scoffs. “Why not? I mean, if you’re going to really sell this new engagement, might as well go all in, right?”
Elodie shoves his shoulder. “Be nice,” she warns before turning back to me. “Don’t worry, Dilynne. I’ll keep grumpy Gorilla Man in check for you.”
“Thank you.”
“I think Gorilla Man is here for good reason,” my brother adds. “I just…”
Leaning forward in my chair, I stare straight into his eyes. “Let’s be honest. You won’t be happy with any man I date, so be grateful that I’m at least pretending to date one that’s one of your best friends.”
His face softens and he reaches out for my hand. “Just…be careful. Elliot has been through a lot—and so have you—and I guess I’m just afraid of lines getting blurred and you getting hurt.”
I cast my gaze over to Elodie and then back to him. “Sort of like the ones that got blurred between you and your nanny?”
Elodie laughs but Henley remains stoic. “Dil, I remember what that breakup with Vinnie did to you.”
I release his hand and lean back in my chair. “Yeah, well, I’m not stupid enough to fall that hard for a guy again.”
Elodie clicks her tongue. “Don’t jinx yourself, Dil. Sometimes things happen in a way we never expected.”
Nick enters the kitchen now, striding right over to Carol and kissing her on the cheek. “What’s everyone talking about?”
“Oh, how Dilynne and Elliot are fake engaged and Henley doesn’t know how to feel about it,” Carol replies.
Nick turns to me. “You and Elliot are engaged?”
I blow out a breath before I stand. “It’s a long story.”
Nick wraps his arm around my shoulder, guiding me toward the garage. “Well, luckily, I’m retired and don’t have anything else to do, so looks like you’re gonna fill me in.”
***
After hearing about the events that have led up to now, Nick sighs heavily. “Well, I can see why you two think this might help your situations, but I have to say, I’m a little surprised that you’re the one who came up with this plan.”
Leaning back in my rocking chair, I let my gaze drift across the garage.
I have so many memories from my teen years of spending time in here with Nick, learning all I could about cars, us even learning together.
He’s the one who got me hooked on the auto auctions on the History Channel shortly after Henley and I got placed with him and Carol.
And even though Henley thinks I don’t know, I’m completely aware of how hard he fought for us to stay with them, including writing a letter to the deputy district attorney so we wouldn’t have to be moved to another family again.
I wouldn’t be who I am today without Nick and Carol’s influence, which is why I find myself growing emotional the longer that we sit here.
“Hey.” Nick reaches out for my hand from his rocking chair next to me. “What’s going through that head of yours?”
I swipe away the tear that’s falling down my cheek with my free hand, avoiding his gaze. “I guess I just don’t want you to think less of me.”
Nick scoffs. “I can’t believe you’d think I ever would.” I shake my head but remain silent. “I just remember how Elliot’s words affected you when you were teens, so…”
Twisting to face him, I shrug. “It was a long time ago.”
“True. But he made you doubt yourself.”
“He did, but I also know that I wouldn’t have fought so hard to make something of myself if I hadn’t overheard that conversation.”
Nick nods. “I can see that. So now…”
“Now, we’re grown and I don’t know…” Blowing out a breath, I force myself to relax my shoulders. “I feel like we have more in common than I thought, particularly with our exes.”
“You know there’s nothing Vinnie can say to take credit for your success now, right?”
“Trust me, I know. But just being in the same room with him again is going to be irritating enough.”
“I told you I would go with you, Dilynne.”
My thumb rubs over the top of his hand. “I know you did, but I kind of feel like bringing my dad might be worse than bringing Elliot.”
Nick chuckles. “Yeah, I guess you have a point there.” He’s silent for a beat before he speaks again. “You know I’m so damn proud of you, right kiddo?”
My eyebrows rise. “Woah. You cussed?”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “I figured I’d try to speak to you in your language so you know I’m serious.”
I chuckle. “Ha. Ha.”
“It’s true, though. You could have let what Elliot said about you all those years ago derail you from your passion, but you didn’t.
And you’ve handled all the other skeptics since then too.
Vinnie was a lesson, but you became stronger and more resolute in who you are after that relationship, and now, you’re on the brink of the highest accolade of your professional career.
” His eyes fill with tears, causing mine to do the same.
“I am so fucking proud to call you my daughter, Dilynne Marie Clark.”
Launching myself from my chair, I slump into Nick’s lap. “I love you. Thank you for always believing in me.”
“And I won’t ever stop. Just promise me that you won’t let this thing with Elliot change who you are, okay?”
I sit upright and meet his eyes. “So…I’ve actually been checking on him for the past year,” I say out loud to the first person other than Laney.
Nick’s eyes grow wide. “Really?”
“Yeah. When Tori left him that day, I felt for him in a way I never expected.” I dart my gaze to the side.
“It was like I knew how devastated he was going to be given my own experience with heartbreak, and I guess…” A heavy sigh leaves my lips.
“I guess I just didn’t want him to suffer the same way I did. ” My eyes find Nick’s again.
Nick cups the side of my face. “And that is why you are the remarkable person that you are, Dilynne. You care about people. You’re able to see that people’s actions are more about them than they are about you.”
“He still hurt me, but…”
“Carrying around that anger hurts you more.”
I nod, feeling my chest loosen as the truth about my feelings starts to click into place.
Is that what I’ve been doing? Fighting with him because it was easier than admitting that the two of us might actually have something in common?
The truth is, I forgave Elliot a long time ago, once I realized he’s been dealing with his own demons—something I understand even more after our talk the other night. Seeing him on the verge of a panic attack really did something to me.
“Have you ever talked to Elliot about what he said?” Nick asks, pulling me back to our conversation.
“No.”
“Well, maybe it’s time to bring it up.”
I shake my head. “Not sure bringing up the past will do any good.”
“You’d be surprised. We hold onto things because we think we’re protecting ourselves, but really, it’s like carrying around a backpack of bricks. It’s just weighing you down, and when you finally give it up, you’ll be surprised how much lighter you feel.”
Swiping under my eyes, I move back to my rocking chair. “I don’t know. My focus right now has to be on Motorlux.”
“Are you on track to finish in time?”
“Yeah. The fuel system is my priority this week, and then all that’s left is the electrical. I finally found the dashboard gauges I need, but the guy who has them lives in Georgia, so I have to make that trip in a couple of weeks.”
“If you need a road trip buddy, you know I’m game.”
I smile over at him. “Thank you. I’ll definitely let you know. Normally, I’d ask Laney, but with the baby…”
“Laney and Fletcher are going to be parents,” Nick says wistfully. “Your brother has a daughter now, and Rhonan has another kid on the way. You sure you don’t want to join that club?”
I gag dramatically. “No thank you.”
Nick holds his stomach as he laughs out loud. “Just checking. Besides, not sure you could fit a car seat in the Porsche, right?”
“No, you can’t. I’m going to try to sell the Porsche at the auction anyway.”
Nick’s smile falls. “What? I thought…”
“I know. I debated keeping it, but if I sell it, it would help the business so much. Plus, it would help fund future projects. Besides, Raven gets me where I need to go just fine.”
Nick and I both turn to look at my Camaro that’s sitting just outside the open garage door. “Yeah, she’s a beauty.”
“She holds sentimental value too,” I say, meeting his eyes again.
Because when Elliot made me question myself, it was Nick and this car that brought me back to reality.
That’s one of the many reasons I love cars—much like people, they’re complex and full of pieces that have to be put together in the right order and right place. And when they are, they can take you places you never dreamed of.