Chapter Eleven
ELLIE
Set ground rules.
Don’t let your heart get too carried away.
Remember, this is all fake.
I recited what I considered my new mantra until I almost believed it.
After I finished packing all of my bags except for the essentials I’d need tonight, I took another look at the room I had to give up tomorrow morning before I headed downstairs.
I really hated to leave this homey and welcoming space.
The walls were a work of art. Navy and ivory toile wallpaper featured provincial vignettes and singing birds over an intricately carved chair rail and wainscotting.
The furniture was comfortable and old, but classic.
As I left all but one suitcase by the door of my room, feminine voices filtered up. I tried to listen in as I descended the main staircase lugging the small bag with me. I figured I might as well start bringing them down now.
“No, they need to sit on the couch side-by-side.”
“Maybe they can feed each other. That would be romantic.”
“It’s the longing glances we have to make sure they have down pat. Everyone will know you’re in love if you’re able to do that.”
My fingers pressed into the ornate wooden banister so hard my knuckles turned white. I froze. The panic from earlier welled in my stomach again as I realized who the women were talking about.
How was I going to make a relationship with Drew look real in less than twenty-four hours?
It felt like an impossible task.
My head swung right as the front door opened, and Drew stepped inside.
His beautiful brown hair fell across his forehead, and his hazel-blue eyes crinkled at the corners as he flashed his perfect smile at me.
His red flannel shirt, sleeves partially rolled up, showcased strong forearms that made my mouth water.
His jeans hugged his muscular thighs in a way that made me want to run my hands down and around to grab hold of that rounded backside that I’d been admiring earlier.
His grin quickly dropped into a frown. “Are you okay?”
I hated and loved that Drew noticed I’d been stuck on the stairs. Somehow, though, his presence and his concern for my welfare gave my legs the nudge they needed to start working again. His presence alone allowed my brain to change focus and dial my anxiety down to a manageable level.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I just needed a second.” The panic wasn’t entirely gone, but I didn’t feel so alone, and that was all because of Drew.
Without another mishap, I made my way down the rest of the stairs and took the hand he held out to me.
He grabbed my suitcase with his other hand and shot me an approving smile before placing it by the front door.
The simple gesture gave me hope and I began to feel confident that we could make this work.
He smiled again. “I’m going to apologize for anything Glamma and her friends say or do. I learned long ago that no one can control their actions, and the more you fight it, the harder they dig in their heels.”
I squeezed his hand to show him I wasn’t afraid. Then we stepped into the front parlor that led into the formal dining room, and I immediately regretted that false bravado.
My gaze darted around the room, unsure where to focus first.
“The candles are a nice touch, don’t you think?” A tall woman with short salt and pepper hair I’d never met before asked.
Drew cleared his throat before answering. “The scent is … interesting.”
The woman shrugged. “I had a bunch of them in stock. They didn’t sell as well as I thought they would.”
I stupidly drew in a deep breath and choked. How had I missed the cloying floral fragrance?
“I told you it was too much, Gladys.” A woman in a colorful caftan with a full face of makeup muttered as she draped pieces of gauzy fabric over light fixtures.
Gladys shot right back. “Watch out, Marigold. You’re going to start a fire if those scarves get too close to the bulb.”
Marigold put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at Gladys.
Glamma swept into the room from the door leading into the kitchen with Martha following closely behind. “Hello, darlings! While dinner is warming, maybe we should try a few things out. Then we can see how you two interact together during a meal.”
Martha smiled, giving off sweet grandmother vibes. “I know we might seem like we’re a little too much, but we mean well.”
“Speak for yourself,” Glamma responded with a high, light laugh. “I love being too much. If people can’t handle it, they don’t deserve to be in my orbit.”
With that simple statement, Glamma became my new idol.
Martha rolled her eyes, telling me without words that the pair of them had been friends for ages.
“Ellie, let me introduce you to our co-conspirators. Gladys is lighting the um, candles.” A pinched expression crossed her face.
“Dear God, Gladys. How did you end up ordering two hundred of those? They smell terrible. You need to stop lighting them or you’re going to make everyone sick. ”
I silently cheered as Gladys stopped mid-light and blew out a few while insisting that sometimes she had fat fingers and she hit the zero an extra time without meaning to.
“And this is Marigold, or Goldie to us. Her family owns The River House. It’s similar to Kingsley Jewelry with the charm of exposed brick walls and wooden beams. I wish you’d be seeing it for the first time for any other reason than for the event we shall not name.
” Martha’s pained expression likely mirrored my own.
Ugh, this was going to be a long two weeks if only mentioning the venue my sister wanted to use made me feel like this.
“I’m sorry, sweetie.” Goldie’s tone communicated her regret. “If we’d known who was calling, we would’ve told her there were no openings for the next five years, at least.”
“It’s not your fault,” I assured her. “I should’ve expected that to happen when I didn’t look for a place right away.” And then make me feel bad about ‘not supporting’ Celia.
“Ellie, you are not your family’s event planner.” Glamma caught my gaze and locked in. “The girls know everything, and you can trust them to be discreet. You and Drew will be ready to face the town and your family once we’re done, and no one will be the wiser about how you got together.”
“Hey, I thought we did a great job yesterday,” Drew protested.
“Holding her hand and kissing her in Matt’s was a good start, but we need everyone to believe in the magic of your love.” Glamma spoke in such a way I truly believed they could help us.
Goldie made a shooing motion and directed us to sit on the loveseat.
Drew winked at me and tugged me over. He plopped onto the couch, patted the cushion beside him, and draped his arm across the back. I sat next to him, leaving a few inches between us. Already, his nearness was jumbling my thoughts.
“What’re you, brother and sister?” Gladys grumbled.
“Gladys, I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.” Drew swallowed hard a few times, a pained expression on his face. “Never mention sister in the same sentence when you’re advising Ellie and me on what to do.”
I let my hand rest on his knee and grinned up at him. “Are you able to continue or do we need to stop so you can bleach your brain?”
“What you’re doing is a good start in making me forget,” he said under his breath so only I could hear. If he hadn’t clamped his hand down over mine, I would’ve snatched it right back.
“Yes, just like that! I can feel the sexual tension between you two,” Glamma cooed.
Drew groaned. “I do not need to hear you talk about sexual tension, Glamma.”
“My grandson’s got the modesty of a monk. Come on, scoot in close.”
“Seriously, Glamma,” Drew groaned. “You’re casting me as a poster child for boring.”
I moved closer until our thighs touched, and when his arm dropped over my shoulders, I resisted the urge to snuggle in, but the whole point of this was to become comfortable with each other.
Couples in relationships did stuff like this all the time.
I gave in and laid my head on his bicep and placed my hand over his heart.
I didn’t want to look too closely at the fact that in his embrace I felt safe and cared for.
“Have you two set any rules yet?” Glamma asked.
I shook my head. “We haven’t.” Crap. I knew we needed them, but it kept slipping my mind.
Probably because you don’t want any restrictions when it comes to Drew and his body, Bad Eleanor was in my head again, taunting me.
Glamma sighed dramatically and threw her hand out to encompass her friends. “If we’re going to convince your family your love is for real, then you both need to get this down pat. Thank God we’re here now.”
The women nodded in agreement, and I had the funniest thought that this must have been what it was like on The Golden Girls set. These four certainly fit the bill.
Observing them, they sure reminded me of the women on the show. Glamma bore a striking resemblance to Rose, Gladys to Dorothy, Martha to Sophia, and Goldie to Blanche.
I had half a mind to ask if they styled themselves deliberately.
Drew looked between the two of us. “How many rules do we need?”
“I don’t know?” I shrugged. “A few, I think.” Besides, maybe having rules would keep me from falling for Drew any more than I already had.
“Excellent.” Martha clapped her hands together. “This is going to be fun. For the first rule, PDA is needed in public.”
Drew smirked. “I think we’ve got that down.”
My cheeks flamed as I remembered our kiss in the diner.
Glamma tapped her chin. “True. Eyes only for each other. Even though you’re faking this relationship, you can’t see anyone else, look at anyone else, flirt with anyone else, or kiss anyone else.”
“That’s easy,” Drew replied.
“Really? No former exes I need to worry about?” I tried to sound like I was teasing him, but jealousy rippled through me.
“Nope. I’ve ended things on good terms with the people I dated.” He paused. “What about you?”
I laughed at the humor of his statement, only to have it die away as his eyes narrowed. “You’re serious?”