Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
ROSE
O verall, dinner is going better than I anticipated.
Dallas and Richard are talking, but I can only hear snippets of the conversation. Cars and sports seem to be the two main topics.
Cara is talking about a restaurant she recently tried and loved, and Mrs. Finch rolls her eyes. I’m so used to focusing on how to navigate public interactions with my mom without embarrassing myself that I never noticed Cara might share similar struggles.
Sage drapes his arm around the back of her chair.
Cara continues, ignoring her mom’s facial expressions. “The food was amazing. It would be a great place for a rehearsal dinner if they accommodate private parties.”
Mrs. Finch makes eye contact with my mom and shakes her head. “I’ve driven by the place once when I got lost on the wrong side of town. It’s a hole in the wall.”
Sage trails a finger over Cara’s shoulder and clenches his jaw. It’s endearing to see my brother playing the protector. “It’s not a hole in the wall. It’s a new place that serves great food.”
I lose track of the conversation as I watch how people are reacting to each other. With Dallas beside me, I’m noticing more about the family dynamics because I’m not spending every minute trying to protect myself.
Mom lays her hand on my arm. “Don’t feel bad, Lisa. I have a daughter just like that. My opinion doesn’t matter at all. But one day, she’ll realize I was right all along. I mean, look at Sage and Cara. We wouldn’t be here celebrating this engagement if Lisa and I hadn’t intervened.”
Dallas rests his warm hand on my leg, and I clasp it. And I smile. “I think we’re just different people, Mom. And I’m pretty sure Sage proposed to Cara because of love. Not some scheme.”
The word scheme gets me a dirty look, but it’s what fits.
Sage meets my gaze. “Rose is correct. Trapped or not, Cara and I would’ve ended up together.”
I squeeze Dallas’s hand. Holding it is forcing me to eat with my left hand, but I crave his touch right now. It’s grounding, soothing.
Richard raises his glass. “To Sage and Cara. And to love, what we all want and only some find. May yours last a lifetime.”
Glasses clink, and we all drink to his toast. Maybe I’ve been too hard on Richard. It doesn’t mean I want to date him, because I don’t. But maybe he isn’t a villain.
After we finish dessert, the party migrates back out to the rooftop patio to enjoy another round of cocktails.
Dallas hands me something pink and sweet, then takes the cap off his bottled water. And he stays close.
Daphne warned me not to get emotionally wrapped up with Dallas because it’s all pretend. And she’s right. But after knowing him two weeks, I wish with all my heart that this relationship wasn’t fake.
But changing direction midstream will only result in a capsized boat. And I really need him in the boat right now.
At the end of the night, we stroll to his room. When we get to the door, he unlocks it, then pushes it open. “Sage asked me to meet him at the bar, so I’m going to head down there for a bit. That’ll give you time to get ready for bed and talk to Daphne because I know you want to.” He pockets the key.
There is no way I’m letting this man walk away without more information, so I tug him into the room. “What does Sage want?”
He tosses his hat onto the long dresser that has a TV mounted above it. A playful smile takes him from handsome to heart-melting. “I don’t know because I haven’t met up with him yet.”
“Okay. You don’t have to leave on my account. Like I said before, I trust you to be a gentleman.”
His gaze skates down my dress, then snaps back up. “I’ll text when I’m headed this way. Don’t let anyone else in.”
My heart does funny things when he gets all protective. “I didn’t even tell Mom the room number.”
“Smart choice.” He winks, then slips out the door.
How am I supposed to fill Daphne in on how the party went while simultaneously dying of curiosity about why Sage wants to talk to Dallas? But I shouldn’t waste the minutes.
I put in my earbuds and call Daphne while stripping out of my dress.
“Finally! Do you know what time it is? I was afraid someone got tossed off the building and the police had to be involved.”
“Nothing that dramatic. Mom did try to have me and Richard share a hotel room.”
“No!” Daphne huffs. “I know she’s your mom, but I really don’t like her. Please tell me you said no to that plan.”
“Dallas handled it. He told Mom that Richard could have my room and that I’d share Dallas’s room.”
“Ohhh. Romantic.”
“Only this room has one bed. But nothing will happen. Not that I want it to. Dallas has played his part perfectly, but I know it’s all fake.”
“If you’re wishing for it to be real, maybe he is too?”
I slip into my pajamas, glad they aren’t see-through. “I doubt it. He plays the part well because he was once engaged. So he can play the boyfriend role convincingly. But the engagement ended badly, and it sounds like he’s kind of sworn off love.”
Daphne laughs, which isn’t the reaction I expected. “It’s not like love is something you sign up for like a magazine subscription. It just happens. Swearing off of love is no different than deciding that you’ll no longer be affected by gravity.”
“I’m not sure you’re right about that.”
“Of course I’m right. But let him think he’s just pretending. By the time he’s waist deep in love with you, he won’t want to walk away. Now tell me about the party. And don’t skip the parts where Dallas did a perfect job. I want to hear every detail.”
And for the next half hour, I give Daphne a condensed play-by-play of the evening and stop only when I get a text from Dallas.
Dallas: Headed back up. You decent?
“He’s on his way back up. I’ve got to go.” I reach for the phone to end the call but stop when I hear Daphne holler.
“Wait!”
“What? I need to text him back.”
“Call me tomorrow and let me know how tonight goes. You know, with the only-one-bed thing.”
“I’ll call you. Bye.” I end the call and tap out a text to Dallas.
Me: In my PJs.
I follow the message with a selfie so that Dallas doesn’t worry that my sleeping attire will make him uncomfortable.
Minutes later, he texts again.
Dallas: Coming in now.
He walks in and sets the key on the dresser next to his hat. “Let me get changed, then you can grill me, okay?”
“That works. And, um, I know you didn’t pack for this situation. But I want you to know that I’m not going to freak out or be offended if you walk out of that bathroom shirtless.”
Dallas pauses his hunt for sleeping attire and stares at me. After a few heartbeats, he says, “Okay.”
I pull the covers back and climb into bed on the side farthest from the air conditioner. I’m like an ice cube when I sleep, and being closer to the blower will only make it worse.
He carries a handful of clothes into the bathroom and walks back out a few minutes later wearing athletic shorts and a white T-shirt. “I asked room service to send up some extra pillows. They should be here any moment.”
“Why do we need extra pillows? If you need more than two, you can use one of mine. One is probably sufficient for me.”
“Pillows are for the middle of the bed. A dividing line.” He paces, avoiding getting into bed until he can erect his pillow wall.
We don’t have to wait long.
Dallas thanks the guy and takes the pillows. Then he arranges them in a line down the middle of the bed. “This way, I won’t accidentally cuddle you or anything.”
I would not complain about an accidental cuddle.
He slides under the covers and turns out the light on his side of the bed.
So I do the same. “What did Sage want?”
“I think tonight’s drink was his way of giving me his stamp of approval. And he talked about your mom and Mrs. Finch. Thanks to Cara, he’s noticed things that he didn’t pick up on before.”
“Mom’s always treated him differently. Guys chart their own path, but girls are supposed to listen to their mothers. Until tonight, I’m not sure I realized that Cara dealt with the same thing from her mom. Mrs. Finch was nitpicking a lot of what Cara talked about, but then praised Richard for every tiny thing. I’m not sure how I didn’t see it before.”
“You were probably watching your own back.”
“You’re right. But now you’re here.” I scoot close to the pillow wall. “I hope tonight wasn’t too brutal.”
“Nah. You show up with a bad boy, and of course your parents are going to react.”
“Dallas, you aren’t a bad boy. You’re polite, protective. And you aren’t even covered in tattoos.”
He chuckles. “I have a tattoo.”
“Really? I haven’t seen it.”
“And I plan to keep it that way.”