8. Piper
8
PIPER
I f I was going to pretend to be a billionaire’s girlfriend, I needed to get comfortable with fine dining.
Prentiss used to drag us to whatever new and trendy restaurants opened up, but those meals were always miserable—mostly because of the company but also because Prentiss had no actual understanding of what made a place classy instead of just pricey. The meal I was enjoying at Aquavit with Vincent and his father, Richard, was on a completely different level. The room was stunning, filled with bright teal banquettes and fancy people. And I could see right into the pristine kitchen, so if I ever got bored looking around at all the beautiful people in the room, I could watch the chefs in black striped aprons prepping the food. Richard had made sure I was positioned so I could see all the action.
Unlike his son, Richard cared about my happiness and comfort.
I was surprised to discover the elder Forde was nothing like what I’d expected. I’d assumed he was going to be an older version of Vincent, every bit as cold and dangerous, but to my surprise, he was a cheerful teddy bear of a man who pulled me into a hug right off the bat. He was over sixty and still very handsome with white hair, Vincent’s cheekbones, and a close-cropped white beard, but so much more approachable than his son. I liked him immediately, and thankfully, the feeling seemed mutual.
We toasted one another with a bottle of wine that was so expensive the price wasn’t even listed on the menu, and then Richard began his friendly inquisition of us.
“It’s rare that my son introduces me to his friends, so you must be special,” Richard said to me. “I need to learn all about the mystery that is Piper Doyle! Why don’t you start with how the two of you met.”
We’d made a rookie mistake: we never came up with an origin story. Vincent and I exchanged a nervous look, and I jumped on the chance to craft the narrative.
“Believe it or not, it was during a hot yoga class,” I said, opting for the most improbable meet-cute for a man who looked like he wouldn’t be caught dead doing a sun salutation.
Richard turned to Vincent and raised an eyebrow. “ You ? In yoga?”
Vincent gave him a tight smile. “Uh, yeah. I’m trying to branch out from just lifting.”
“And it’s a good thing,” I scolded him, laughing at his angry glare in my direction. “Because when he started, Vincent could barely touch his toes! The poor guy needs all the help he can get in the flexibility department.”
I smiled sweetly at him as he intensified his glare at me.
“I’ve been taking classes forever,” I continued, “so when I noticed he was having a tough time, I offered to help him. I showed him a few workarounds for beginners. I guess he liked my tips, because he asked me to grab a smoothie after class, and the rest is history.” I shrugged and made lovey-dovey eyes at Vincent, who ignored me. “Ever since then, we’ve been inseparable. Lucky me!”
“Yoga,” Richard said, intrigued. “Do you think I could benefit from it?”
The question reminded me of the whole reason why we were at the dinner in the first place.
“Oh my gosh definitely ! Come to the studio with me, and I’ll show you the ropes. Vincent can come too! You can check out how much he’s improved.”
“Would it help with my golf game?” Richard asked. “My swing is getting tight. I feel like a gear that’s off the track, you know?”
“Oh, you golf? I play too,” I said. “Maybe we can get out there together someday soon?”
“I would love that! I used to play nearly every weekend with Vincent’s mother, and I miss it.” Richard sighed wistfully. “Kathleen was quite the competitor.”
“She still plays,” Vincent offered gently.
I shut my mouth because I wanted to learn as much as I could about Vincent’s family life. Every tidbit was a key to unlocking my enigmatic boss. I saw tension in Richard’s face. What had happened between them?
“Have you heard from her lately?” Richard asked.
Vincent nodded. “Yeah, we talked just the other day. She keeps saying she wants to make a trip up from Miami to visit.”
“Wonderful, it’s been too long since she’s left Florida. I’d love to meet her for lunch.”
Vincent’s mouth went into a tight line. “Dad, I’m not sure if she wants to see you.”
“No, we’ve been texting!” he protested. “We’re in a good place now. Or, a better place. I’m just not sure I should be the one to suggest getting together, but if you do…”
Ah. They were moving past a contentious divorce. Interesting.
“We’ll see,” Vincent sighed.
“Maybe Piper could come along as well? I can guarantee Kathleen would love you,” Richard said as he glanced between us.
“Maybe,” Vincent said noncommittally.
The waiter brought out an appetizer we hadn’t ordered, which I learned was called an amuse-bouche, and it kicked off the most incredible meal of my life. Every time we put our forks down, the next dome-covered dish appeared, and by the time dessert and coffee came, I felt like I’d need to be rolled out the front door.
Conversation throughout the meal was lively, and as we finished our coffee, I wrapped up a story about my strategy for our upcoming trip to Hawaii, just to sell to Vincent that I was making good on all my promises to him.
“You’re something else, young lady,” Richard said, his eyes twinkling. “I bet you give this guy a run for his money.” He nodded toward his son.
“Oh, you don’t even know ,” Vincent answered with a snort.
Richard and I were debating the merits of various golf gloves when someone sidled up to the table. I gasped when I realized it was none other than Maya Russo, supermodel of the moment and my fake boyfriend’s very real ex, looking stunning in a tight brown dress.
Yikes. Things were about to get interesting.
“Well hello! What a fun little tête-à-tête!” she exclaimed. I’d never heard her speak, so I wasn’t expecting the British accent. She looked at me wearing an overwide smile. “Are you a reporter working on a story, darling?”
It didn’t sound like an insult at first, but her subtext was clear; I wasn’t of the right class to rub elbows with the Fordes, so I must be here on official business.
“Maya, no, this is my girlfriend Piper Doyle,” Vincent answered before I could respond.
She ignored the introduction. “ Richard , my love, you’re looking well! It’s been too long.”
Maya leaned down to give him a kiss on either cheek, which he accepted with a quickly hidden grimace. “Good to see you.”
She scanned our table. “Well, well, look at that, dessert ! How charming. Calories clearly don’t matter to you, do they, Piper? Looks like you’ve had more than your share.”
She pointed at the plate in front of me that held the remnants of my dessert.
What the…?
I opened my mouth to answer her, but once again, Vincent spoke up first.
“The benefit of an active lifestyle is that calories aren’t a sole focus, Maya.” His tone was clipped. “Food can be a source of joy, but I don’t think that’s your experience, is it? At least I can’t recall you ever enjoying a meal.”
The blow hit the bullseye, but Maya played it off. “When the way you look doesn’t matter, I guess it’s is okay to eat whatever you like. How lucky for you, Piper, that Vincent no longer cares about his partner’s size. How inclusive of him.”
She smiled sweetly at me.
I briefly considered accidentally knocking over my glass of wine on her. A little red stain to match that smug smile.
Vincent reached over to take my hand in his and raised it to his lips. My pulse quickened as he brushed against our joined fingers. “No, I’m the lucky one. In so many ways.”
He stared into my eyes, and I had to force myself not to look away. I kept reminding myself it was all for show, but damn it, when he looked at me with that searing intensity, my heart picked up speed. When I’d entered into the arrangement, I’d had no idea he was such a great actor. Even I was starting to believe him.
“It was nice seeing you, Maya, so sorry you have to be going,” Richard said pointedly.
Maya looked like she was considering another insult but wisely turned on her heel and left in a huff.
“What a bitch,” Richard mumbled as he watched her walk away. “I never liked her.”
My heart warmed at his excellent taste.
“Huh,” Vincent said. “You did a great job of hiding it.”
Richard frowned as he shook his head. “I didn’t have much of a choice. I want you to be happy, so I was willing to play along.” He turned to me. “This time I don’t have to! Piper is a much-needed breath of fresh air. Charming, funny, and she doesn’t take any of your bullshit, Vincent.”
I giggled.
“And such a natural beauty!” Richard continued. “You’re the total package, my dear. My son was right about being one lucky man.”
I glanced over at my fake boyfriend and was shocked by his soft expression. I expected he’d have a comeback ready to go, but Vincent looked like he believed everything his father was saying.
“I am,” he agreed.
He said it with such conviction I almost believed him.
A quiet settled over the table until Richard broke the awkward silence and reached over to pluck the strawberry from his dessert plate.
“Talk about a natural beauty! There’s nothing I love more than fresh berries.” He took a bite of it.
“Is that a fact?” I asked. “You should come to the Broad Street Farmers’ Market with me some day. I’m there every Saturday morning the minute they open. They have the best local farm produce, and croissants to die for.” I paused. “Which, since calories don’t matter to me, as Maya so kindly pointed out, I enjoy without hesitation.”
The two men laughed, and I chuckled along with them. I wasn’t about to let a snotty supermodel ruin my night.
The bill came out, and Vincent and his father bickered over who was picking it up. Vincent only backed down when Richard challenged him to arm wrestle over it. I made a mental note that the elder Forde didn’t have a problem with having fun and making a scene. Did Vincent have that side to him too? I couldn’t say one way or the other—but it seemed possible now, even though I never would have believed it before.
Twenty minutes later, Vincent and I were headed back to my apartment in a different tiny sportscar, no doubt because the other one was still in traction. Thanks to me.
I couldn’t help overthinking every single detail of our meal as he expertly maneuvered the car through traffic. There was a ton to process. The relationship between the two men, the tension over Vincent’s mother, the Maya ridiculousness.
The way Vincent kept staring at me.
“Why are you so quiet?” Vincent finally asked. “Are you okay?”
I glanced over at him and couldn’t help being pleased to see actual concern in his expression.
“Yeah, just a little overwhelmed, I guess. And maybe envious, too.”
“Seriously?” He frowned at me. “ Why ?”
“You and your dad,” I explained. “You have such a great relationship. You’re like…friends. He obviously loves you, but he also likes you.” I shrugged. “I’ve never experienced that. My dad died when I was a baby, and Prentiss is a gigantic asshole, so… I don’t know, I guess it was a nice change of pace for me to experience such healthy dad energy.”
“It wasn’t always like that between us,” Vincent admitted. “We had a bunch of bumpy years. My parents got divorced when I was pretty little, so I grew up bouncing back and forth between New York and Miami. Which was fine when it was just Dad, but I’ve had three stepmoms over the years, and they weren’t always interested in having me around. That’s actually how Dee’s Lost Boys started.”
“What is the story there?” I asked. I’d only gotten bits and pieces of the story from Paul over the years.
“Freshman year, the five of us became friends pretty fast. Paul was my roommate, and I met the other three guys—Aiden, Dominic, and Trent—because we were in the same brand management class and got assigned a big project together. When winter break rolled around, all of us planned to go home, but there was a big strike that basically shut down the airports. You wouldn’t think it would be a problem for any of us because we all had family within driving distance, but I couldn’t go to Dad’s because he’d just married wife number three, and he’d loaned his place to a friend to use for the holidays while they went on their honeymoon. I was supposed to fly down to Mom’s, but there was no way to get to Miami. Meanwhile, Aiden’s parents were going through a divorce, so heading home to New Jersey didn’t sound like a good idea to him, either.”
“Wow,” I said, eyes wide. “Yeah, that sounds awkward.”
“Aiden and I figured we’d stay in the dorms and have a sad little Christmas on our own, but as soon as he heard about it, Trent loaded us up in his car and drove us both to Long Island to stay with his grandmother. Didn’t even let her know until we were already on the road. I half thought we’d show up and she’d kick us right out again for being rude enough to drop in out of the blue, but Nana Dee just bundled us inside where she had cocoa waiting, beds made up for us, and presents with our names on them under the tree that she’d rushed out to buy as soon as Trent called. You’d think she’d been planning to host us for weeks. By the time we left, she’d basically adopted us. Called us her Lost Boys—and Paul and Dominic were added to the group when we all came back for spring break. She’s family, in every way that matters.”
He was wearing a smile I’d never seen on him before—one that was soft and warm. Loving. It suited him better than I would have thought.
I tried to hide my shock. Who was this stranger sitting beside me?
“I’m pretty sure she’d adore you,” he added, shocking me even further.
Part of me wanted to snap back something sarcastic, but I was so flattered that no quips came to mind. It was obvious how much Nana Dee meant to him, so for him to say she’d like me…that was a pretty amazing compliment. “You really think so?”
“Absolutely. You’re very charming. And yes, funny occasionally,” he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and cracked a smile. “And you one hundred percent do not take my bullshit.”
I laughed. “Truth bomb.”
We both went silent.
“And you’re definitely beautiful,” Vincent added in a quiet voice. “There’s no question about that.”
I sucked in a breath. He didn’t have to say that. My heartbeat picked up speed as he pressed on the accelerator to push the sportscar faster.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “That’s kind of you to say.”
We arrived at my building faster than I would’ve liked. Despite everything, I found that I wanted to keep experiencing this side of Vincent. The one that opened up to me and called me beautiful.
I knew it wouldn’t last. Come Monday, he’d be back to ordering me around.
He pulled up in front of my building, and I grabbed the car door handle. “Thank you for a shockingly nice night.”
“Hold on, I’m walking you to the door,” he said gruffly, already half out of the car.
“But…this is a loading zone. You can’t park here,” I protested.
Vincent stared at me, frowning. “Do you really think someone is going to tow a McLaren P1?”
And there was the Vincent I was used to.
“Well, do what you want—but I’m not responsible if it happens. I was already part of one car incident with you; I’m not taking the blame if something goes wrong with this thing.” I gestured to the bright blue car.
Vincent was standing on the sidewalk waiting for me, looking way hotter than was necessary. I’d managed to not gawk at him the whole night by focusing on Richard, but now I couldn’t help it.
In any other life, we’d end what was a wonderful evening with flirty pleasantries, and then I’d no doubt ask if he wanted to come up to my place. I considered it for a split second. Darcy was out, possibly for the night, which meant I had the apartment to myself. I had, admittedly, had some racy thoughts about hate-fucking him in the past. But now, I started to wonder what it would be like to have the fucking without the hating part. Did I really want to find out?
We walked to the double front door of my building in silence. Was he thinking the same thing? Vincent turned to me suddenly, and I held my breath because there was a different sort of fire burning in his eyes.
“That was…good,” he finally admitted. “Thank you for being so kind to my father.”
We were standing closer than normal beneath a burned-out light above the main doors.
“How could I not? He’s an absolute charmer,” I said. “Too bad it doesn’t run in the family.”
Vincent pretended to take a blow to the chest. “Ouch.”
“Kidding. He reminds me of you in some ways. His intensity. It’s similar, but different. I can’t quite figure it out.”
“Well, it sounds like you’re going to be seeing more of him, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get to the bottom of it,” Vincent replied. “Yoga, golf, the farmers’ market…you definitely went above and beyond. But honestly, I appreciate it. I’m all for him having hobbies that don’t put his life at risk.”
“You do know you have to come to yoga, too,” I teased.
Vincent grimaced. “Eh, we’ll see about that. I probably have some important meetings that can’t be shifted?—”
“I didn’t take you for a man who’s afraid of a little downward dog,” I joked.
I realized too late what it sounded like. Vincent’s expression shifted as his gaze jumped from my eyes to my mouth.
He looked downright famished.
“I, uh…I should go,” he murmured.
He didn’t move.
“Thank you,” I said. I couldn’t stop staring at him even though it made me fluttery inside to stay locked on him. “For a surprisingly good time.”
“See you Monday?” Vincent asked.
This was the moment. I could change everything and invite him in, or I could keep the guardrails up. Before I could make up my mind, my phone vibrated in my hand with a new text. I glanced down and saw that Darcy was on her way home after a shitty date.
“My roommate will be home soon,” I said, taking a step away. “So, yeah, I guess I’ll see you Monday.”
I held my breath as Vincent paused to scan my face again, then turned to leave without another word.
Let’s just say I was happy I had twenty minutes before Darcy arrived and fresh batteries in my vibrator.