Chapter 6
MIA
Mia glanced at the screen of her phone, and her eyes widened.
She’d decided to stay for dinner, since she was hungry anyway, but now it was really time to go.
She still had a long drive back to San Jose, which already sounded very unappealing.
If she had a little more money, getting a hotel near here would have been the obvious choice, but accommodation in Napa Valley was outrageously expensive and she couldn’t afford it.
Now, she’d be driving home at night along dark roads.
“How’s the cake?” Evan asked. She slipped her phone in her pocket and focused on the plate in front of her. It held a white sponge cake filled with fresh fruit and covered in buttercream frosting, and she took another forkful.
“Delicious. What do you think?”
“Agreed.” Evan grinned, and Mia’s heart gave a little flip-flop.
Ever since he’d rescued her from the intimidating Elizabeth Saint Claire, she’d found it difficult to look away from him.
With his short brown hair, bright blue eyes, firm jawline, athletic build, and perfectly tailored suit, he looked like he’d been cut out of a magazine on attractive billionaires.
Granted, he was more than a little out of touch — suggesting that she fire her assistant and pop over to Europe, for goodness’ sake — but she was having fun with him.
Not only was he attractive, but he was also interesting, smart, and a good dancer.
More than dreading the drive home, Mia wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him.
She was tempted to ask for his number, but what did a high school math teacher and a tech billionaire have in common?
After this wedding, they’d probably never see each other again.
It’s my own little Cinderella story, without the slipper-based reunion, Mia thought to herself with an internal smile.
“Listen,” she said regretfully. “I’d better leave after dinner. It’s a long drive back to San Jose, and I want to be home before midnight.”
Evan glanced at the Thomsons, who were engaged in conversation with one of the other couples at the table, then leaned closer to Mia. He spoke quietly, his mouth only a few inches from her ear, and she caught a whiff of aftershave that smelled like pine and something masculine she couldn’t place.
“If you don’t want to make the drive tonight, you could stay with me,” he suggested.
Mia’s heart began to race as she met his eyes, then looked away.
Was he suggesting what she thought he was?
If so… well, she had always thought of herself as a relationship person more than a one-night-stand person, but she did like Evan.
Maybe it would be worth enjoying the night, even though it wouldn’t lead to anything.
“I have a hotel room near here,” he added. “It’s a suite, so you can have the bed, and I can sleep on the pull-out couch in the sitting room. You’d be doing me a favor by keeping me company until the festivities end.”
Mia felt both relieved and disappointed. She’d sort of hoped that he was inviting her back for something more romantic. But this was good, too.
“Oh.” She briefly considered the offer, but it was an easy yes. “You know, that would be great. I’m a little too tired to drive. But you take the bed. I’ll be fine on the couch.”
“Absolutely not. I can’t let a beautiful lady camp on the couch.” He grinned. “If you aren’t driving, can I interest you in a glass of champagne?”
“Actually, yes.” She was here, she was with a handsome man who seemed to like her, and she’d already had a wild day.
Why not have a little fun? Lifting her fork, Mia took another bite of the delicious cake, then accepted the champagne glass Evan had somehow procured for her.
Another glass appeared in his own hand, and they toasted each other.
At the front of the room, someone clinked a glass, and the chatter slowly faded away. Mia looked up at the high table where the wedding party was sitting and saw that Jonathon Saint Claire, the father of the bride, was standing with his glass in his hand.
“If I may propose a toast,” he said. “To my beloved daughter, Genevieve. She’s always been the apple of my eye, my little genius and sweetheart. And the moment I met Tyler, I knew she’d stolen his heart as much as she stole mine.”
Mia listened as the wedding party, one by one, stood to praise Genevieve and Tyler and tell stories about them.
Her heart warmed at the sweet words, and she felt less jealous than she had earlier.
Perhaps it was the champagne — or perhaps it was the company.
Now that she had such a handsome wedding date, she no longer felt so lacking.
The last to make a toast was Tyler’s younger brother, who talked about how Tyler had been a workaholic before he met Genevieve. Mia sneaked a glance at Evan, who drained the last of his champagne at that comment. His eyes narrowed, and he looked away.
“Are you going to speak?” Mia asked quietly.
Evan shook his head. “No.”
Again, Mia wondered why Evan wasn’t more involved in the wedding of someone he’d said was a close friend, but she didn’t want to push. Instead, she sipped her champagne and listened to Tyler’s brother crack a few jokes about the two of them as children.
The last toast ended, and the live music began to play again. Evan stood and held out a hand to Mia.
“Shall we?”
She took it and let him pull her to her feet. “Shall we?” she repeated, putting on a pretentious accent. Evan chuckled.
“Are you making fun of me?”
“I would never.” Mia pressed a hand to her chest, opening her eyes wide and shaking her head. “You talk totally normal all the time.”
“I’m starting to wonder if you are making fun of me…” He winked. “Let me see if I can give you more ammunition.”
“Please.” Mia grinned as they joined the other dancing guests. “Tell me more things I can make fun of.” The current song was an upbeat number. The classical versions of popular songs had been replaced by more pop music as the evening went on. It was still soft enough that they could talk, though.
“Well, I have million-thread-count sheets.”
“Really?” Mia’s eyes widened, and Evan burst into laughter.
“No way. I’m pretty sure those don’t exist.” He spun her and pulled her in close, and Mia felt her heart skip a beat at his strong arms around her.
She whacked him playfully on the arm. “Still, as a CEO, you must do more rich-people things. Like, I bet you always fly first class.”
“I almost never do,” Evan replied.
“Really?” Mia narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She wasn’t going to fall for his tricks so easily again.
“Really.” He dipped her back and pulled her up again, making Mia’s heart race. “I mostly take my private jet.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Really.”
She shook her head. “I guess that makes sense, but it’s hard to believe. What else should I know about you?”
“I’m an excellent dancer.” They glided apart, hands together, came close, spun, and moved apart again. “Because all the kids in my family had to take dance classes.”
Mia laughed. “I love that. How many kids were in your family?”
“Just me and my older brother.” Evan wrinkled his nose. “Luka.”
“Luka,” Mia repeated. “What’s his story?”
“Well, you know how there’s always one person who does everything right and overshadows all your achievements?” Evan asked, his tone on the border between joking and resentful. Mia’s brow furrowed.
“Yes, but how could anyone overshadow being the CEO and founder of a prominent tech company? That seems pretty impressive to me.”
“Well, Luka is a cardiovascular surgeon at a big hospital in San Francisco,” Evan explained. “And he’s getting married next month, much to my parents’ delight.”
“Congratulations to him,” Mia said, then shook her head.
“But I might understand how you’re feeling.
I don’t have any siblings, but my parents also want a lot for me.
So, when someone my age gets married or has a baby or is promoted or something like that, I can tell that they’re disappointed that I’m not in the same place. ”
“Exactly.” Evan nodded, his eyes lighting up.
“And it’s even worse since he’s my brother.
I’ll have to face a hundred questions about when I’m getting married and why I’m single, and I don’t want to deal with any of that.
” He paused, his brow furrowed in thought.
“You know… I might have an idea for how you could pay me back.”
“Yeah?” Mia tilted her head. “What’s that?”
The song ended, and Evan held out his arm.
“Come on, let’s talk over there.” They walked across the darkening lawn toward a bench that overlooked the vineyard.
Evan sat, motioning for Mia to join him, and she did.
Overhead, the stars were coming out against the velvety sky, and the air was cooling off from the heat of the day.
Mia was very aware of Evan’s warmth beside her, and her heart raced as she wondered what he was going to ask her.
“So, I told you that my brother is getting married next month,” Evan said.
He shifted on the bench, and their arms brushed, sending warmth shivering up Mia’s arm.
“And I don’t want to deal with my family’s prying.
How would you feel about coming to the wedding as my date?
We can tell them that we’ve been dating for six months or a year or so, and that should stop them from asking too many questions about my love life.
I know it’s a lot to ask, but it would help me out a lot. ”
Mia bit her lip. She didn’t like the thought of lying about dating Evan, but it was only a small lie.
There was enough of a spark between them that maybe, by the time the wedding came, they would actually be dating, if they saw more of each other between now and then…
Mia shook that thought away. This was about a favor to a guy who’d helped her out, not about her own romantic life.
And, Evan had saved her from further drama by claiming she was his plus-one at this wedding.
“Sure, why not?” She shrugged. “I’d be happy to. Just let me know where and when.”
“The when is easy: it’s the second week in July, which I believe is during your summer break from teaching, right?”
“Right.”
“And the where…” Evan grinned. “It’s in Italy. In Tuscany, to be precise.”
Mia’s heart danced a wild jig in her chest as her mouth fell open. Italy? “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.”
“Oh, wow. I’ve always wanted to go to Italy.” Mia’s mind swirled with thoughts of sauce-smothered pasta and tiny coffees and rolling hills and old buildings full of history.
“See, so it works for both of us.” Evan’s grin widened. “Of course, I’ll cover all expenses for the week, including flights.”
“The week?” Mia repeated. Evan chuckled.
“Yes, the week. Did you really think we’d fly all the way to Italy for a one-day wedding?”
This was a lot more than Mia had expected.
Instead of a one-day thing, this would be a whole week of pretending to be Evan’s girlfriend in front of his family.
In a foreign country, no less. But despite her apprehension, she couldn’t help feeling excited, too.
She really had always wanted to go to Italy.
In fact, this would be her first time leaving the US, apart from a weekend trip to Mexico with her college friends.
“Mia.” Evan put a hand on her arm. “I know it’s a lot to ask, and if you have plans or don’t feel comfortable, just say so.”
Mia shook her head. “No, I’m in.” Saying the words filled her with confidence. “Yes, I’m in. Let’s do this.”
“Great.” The grin reappeared. “You may regret this once you meet my family, but hopefully it can be fun.”
“And there’ll be pizza,” Mia added. “I hope.”
“Definitely. I can promise pizza and pasta, and tiramisu.”
“Then I’m looking forward to it.” Mia smiled. “What could go wrong?”
“Famous last words.” Evan winked. “But thank you. This will really help me out.”
“Of course. Thank you again for saving me from Elizabeth Saint Claire.”
“Anytime.” Evan stood and stretched. “Now that we have that out of the way, shall we go back to the wedding? I think they’re bringing out more desserts.”
“I’m stuffed, but I’d be happy to dance more.” Mia stood too.
“Perfect. Let’s go.” He held out his arm, and Mia took it, feeling the swell of muscles beneath his jacket sleeve.
They returned to the fairy-lit dance floor and joined the crowd again.
Mia found that she couldn’t stop smiling, especially when the band played “The Chicken Dance” and all the sophisticated wedding guests made chicken wings and shook and shimmied.
Evan resisted at first, but soon Mia was able to convince him to join in, too, and they both laughed so hard that Mia’s stomach hurt.
Mia had never had this much fun at a wedding before.
It was possible that she was enjoying herself simply because she didn’t know anyone, which meant fewer prying questions about her love life and work, but she suspected that it had more to do with the man flapping his wings and shaking his tail feather in front of her.
He’d turned this day from a nightmare into a daydream, and Mia was thankful.
Plus, she was about to have an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy, which was one of her lifelong dreams.
Her words from earlier echoed in her head as “The Chicken Dance” ended and they moved into a new song. What could go wrong? She was young, she was at a wedding, and she was having a great night. It seemed like the answer was nothing.