Chapter 5
REESE
On Saturday morning, I woke up at seven, even though Dominic wasn't picking me up until nine. I was on pins and needles. I'd finished packing my bag last night, but now I was having second thoughts. Did I choose the right outfits? Was it too much? Was it too little?
Why was I overthinking this? I’d attended a lot of charity events over the years; I had nothing to worry about. But honestly, the thought of seeing Malcolm again made my stomach churn.
And then there was Dom. I couldn't believe he'd offered to continue the ruse.
Not that I minded.
I'd already figured out our story. I just had to check if Dominic was okay with it. Just thinking about him made my mouth go dry. He was definitely the most handsome man I'd ever seen. No wonder women were clamoring to get his attention.
Since I woke up so early, I put the time to good use. Instead of staying home and fretting, I decided to go by Liz's bakery. I could double-check if she wanted to get into catering charity events and also treat myself to something delicious. I grabbed my bag, then texted Dom as I got in my Uber.
Reese: Change of plans. Please don't pick me up from home anymore. This is the new address. It's a bakery.
He replied a few minutes into my car ride.
Dom: Sure. See you later, Reese.
I arrived at Liz's place ten minutes later.
"Hey, girl," I greeted. She was behind the counter as usual. Even though she'd hired a team, she enjoyed waiting on customers. My cousin Declan always grumbled about the long hours she put in at the bakery.
"Reese, why didn't you tell me you were stopping by? I would have made a batch of your favorites."
I pouted. "You already ran out?"
She nodded sadly. "The brownies are popular."
"Doesn't matter. I'll have anything. And a coffee, please." She'd gotten an Italian espresso machine six months ago, and it was the best coffee in town.
"Where are you heading?" She pointed to my bag. "Oh wait, I think Declan told me you have that charity weekend."
"Exactly. Listen, I got an idea. Having a table with sweets is very popular at charity dinners. Is catering events like that something you’re interested in?"
Her eyes lit up. "Yes. We certainly have the baking capacity."
I narrowed my eyes. "Do you also have personnel capacity? Because the last thing I want is for Declan to accuse me of giving you even more reason to overwork yourself."
"I'll manage," Liz said.
"Okay, then I can give your contact information to some of the organizers I trust.”
She grinned. "Thanks for thinking about me, Reese. So, would you like some hazelnut cake? If people give me good feedback, I might even try to make brownies with the flavor."
"Ohh, sounds delicious."
She put a slice of cake on a plate, then grabbed an espresso cup. I stepped to one side, waiting for the coffee machine to do its thing. The bakery was far too small. I devoured the cake immediately.
“This is truly fantastic.”
“Want another slice?”
“Oh, no. One is enough.”
"Are you driving there?" she asked.
"No, another participant is picking me up," I said while devouring the cake.
"Declan didn’t mention that.”
I flashed her a huge I’m-not-hiding-anything smile. "It was a last-minute thing. Not really something to bother the family with."
Liz frowned. "Bother?"
Why did I think I could pull off my fake dating? This was exactly why I needed to get all the details of our story right; otherwise, everyone was going to see right through this.
"I'll just wait for him outside."
Big mistake. Liz's eyes widened when I said the word him.
"Right," she drew out. "Want me to prepare another coffee for him?"
"Great idea. Thanks," I said. "And please don't mention any of this to the family.”
She glanced around, leaning over the counter as she handed me the first coffee. It was futile because the place was too small to have a secret conversation.
"You're dating someone?"
"No," I said. "It's complicated. Just please don't mention it to the family."
"No one? Not even Kimberly?”
My sister would hand me my ass if she knew what I was up to—especially because I didn't tell her.
"No."
"Are you in trouble?"
"No, Liz." Now she was worrying for me, and I didn’t want her to do that. On the other hand, I was grateful that my cousins were so lucky in the romance department. They’d chosen wonderful women, and that made my heart happy.
"I’ll fill you in once I'm back, okay?" I promised.
"Sure. Can't wait. Here’s your second coffee."
"Thanks! Now, take care of your customers. Wouldn't want any complaints that you're making them wait."
She sent me an air kiss before I stepped out of the bakery with my tiny carry-on, thankful that I'd mastered the art of packing outfits and shoes in small bags over the years. Liz had put the coffee cups in a cardboard tray so I could hold it in my left hand and drag the carry-on with my right one.
Once outside, I let go of the bag and took out my phone, checking if Dom had texted me. He had indeed.
Dom: I'm driving a Range Rover.
Reese: Okay.
I fidgeted in my spot. My stomach somersaulted, and I knew myself better than to think it was just nerves. I was looking forward to seeing him.
My heart started racing when the Range Rover turned around the corner. He stopped the car right in front of me and got out.
I shook my head. "Don’t get out. You're not allowed to stop here."
" I won't let you load your luggage by yourself."
"It's small and easy."
He just shook his head and took my bag in one hand, opening the trunk with the other one.
He was even hotter today, wearing a shirt and jeans. Casual clothing looked good on him. He'd seemed uncomfortable in that tux. Sexy, but uncomfortable.
"Thanks for picking me up from here," I said.
He opened the car door for me. "No problem."
As he closed it, I noticed Liz's face in the window of the bakery. She was grinning. Oh, God. Would she keep this a secret? I hoped so.
As soon as Dom got inside, he started the engine, and the car lurched forward.
"And by the way, I got you a coffee," I said, putting the espresso in the cupholder between the seats.
"Thanks, I need one. I've only had two today."
I looked at him closely. His eyes were a bit unfocused and swollen with sleep. He had a five-o'clock shadow, which meant he hadn't shaved. Somehow that increased his sex appeal tenfold.
"Not a morning person?"
He shook his head. "Not at all."
"Right," I said, opening the Notes app on my phone. "I've made a list of things we should talk about. Do you want us to start right away?"
He burst out laughing. "Let me have a few sips first. Otherwise, only half my neurons will cooperate.”
"We wouldn't want that," I murmured.
He took a sip and then grinned sideways at me. I was fiddling with my fingers. "You're nervous?"
"Yes."
"Then let’s start. What do you have on that list?"
"First things first. When and where did we meet, and did we know right away or not?"
"I have a feeling you already have some answers."
I cleared my throat. "I did prep something, but I think it should be a collaborative effort so it's realistic for both of us. Made-up scenarios always work better when they’re anchored in truth."
"You often deal with made-up scenarios?"
"No, but you know what I mean. Let's start with a very simple one. How long have we known each other?"
"I signed my divorce papers two months ago, so it can't be longer than that."
I felt a pang deep in my chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was that recent."
"The breakup wasn't, but the divorce stretched on and on. I sometimes thought it would never end."
"All right, so let’s say we met three weeks ago. That would mean we knew each other well enough to attend a charity event, but not too well." I was fumbling my words. Why was I so nervous? "Or maybe we should make it six weeks? And then we can say we started dating three weeks ago."
"Let’s go with three overall. We met and immediately started dating. Do you actually anticipate anyone asking us this?"
"Malcolm might," I said quietly. "So, three weeks it is. And where?"
He nodded, narrowing his eyes. He'd been right about the coffee; he actually did seem more awake, and he’d only had two sips.
"The gym?" he suggested.
"I don't think anyone would believe that, and especially not Malcolm. I work out at the hotel in the morning before anyone else starts their day," I explained. "And the gym isn't open to anyone else except guests at the hotel. Before we opened the hotel, I worked out at home. He knows that."
"Okay, the gym's out."
Now that the subject had come up, it was obvious he had to spend a lot of time at the gym.
"You like shopping?" he asked.
"Hell yes."
"Then it's easy. We met in my shop."
"That’s smart. See? That's why I figured it would be better as a collaborative effort. We've got this," I exclaimed. "You often go to your shop?"
"Daily. Mostly in the evening to check if there's anything out of the ordinary."
"That's very committed."
"I always ask the sales associates for any feedback they’ve got for me."
"But you have stores all over the world."
"I know. I get written feedback from the other places too. But I like to go to this one personally, since it’s local."
"All right, then that's our story. I came in to try one of those gorgeous dresses."
He looked sideways at me. "Have you ever shopped in our store?"
"You’re kidding, right? It's one of my favorites. We can say that I came looking for a dress that had a velvet corsage with organza sleeves and skirt. I love that combo. By the way, you have an excellent talent for picking out designers."
"Thanks. They’re the most important part of the company. I can run it, but I can't create anything."
I liked that he owned up to that. A lot of CEOs thought people around them were disposable and replaceable.
"All right, so I came in the store. What next?" I held my breath. Why is this so exciting?