Chapter 38 Bodie
BODIE
I fiddled with my tie, wondering if I’d made a mistake. Maybe I should have just handed Lacey the fake ring I’d picked up. But she wanted a public splash so I might as well make it a memorable moment for whoever happened to be there tonight.
I cut the engine and walked up the sidewalk to the Cherish home, a knot of nerves tightening in my gut.
Everything had happened so fast—the engagement, the wedding plans.
I hadn’t had a chance to follow up with Lacey’s dad to make sure he was on board with the whole idea.
Surely Lacey had broken down and told him about the ruse.
She must have. Otherwise I would have heard something from her dad or worse—something from Luke—by now.
I’d barely raised my hand to knock when Mr. Cherish opened the door.
The man used to keep a clean-shaven chin but several months of house arrest seemed to sap the desire to keep up appearances right out of him.
He stood in the doorway in ratty sweatpants, a stained T-shirt, and a pair of well-worn slippers.
“I wondered when you’d have the balls to show up around here.” Mr. Cherish opened the door wide, motioning for me to come in.
“Mr. Cherish, let me explain.” I’d confronted hardened criminals with more confidence than I felt facing Lacey’s dad.
“I wish someone would tell me what the hell is going on.” He crossed his arms over his chest and pulled himself up to his full five feet ten inches, several inches shy of my six foot three.
“There you are. Ready?” Lacey spun into the room in a red dress that fluttered around her legs, drawing my attention to her slim waist, the low cut of the neckline, and bare arms. “Let me just grab my coat.”
“Where do you think the two of you are off to?” Mr. Cherish stepped between Lacey and the closet, preventing her from passing.
“Date night, Dad. Bodie’s taking me out . . . somewhere. Where are we going?” She glanced up at me, expectant.
“Dinner. That new place out past Swynton.” Somehow, under the weight of both of their stares, I’d forgotten the name of the place where I’d spent the afternoon, making sure everything was ready for our big night.
“Suddenly you’re a big spender?” Mr. Cherish asked. “Anything else you want to tell me, son?” He practically spit out the word son, definitely intending it as an insult as opposed to an endearment.
“Lacey? You’ve talked to your father about this, haven’t you?” I asked, my gaze bouncing back and forth between them.
She sighed. “Yes and no.”
“Meaning?” I inched closer, waiting for her to reassure me that her dad wasn’t about to go grab his twelve-gauge and take matters into his own hands.
“I told him our good news.” She linked her arm through mine. “About the engagement.”
“And?” I prompted.
“Fine. I didn’t want to say anything because I’m terrified this is going to come back to bite us in the ass.”
“Go on,” her dad said, gesturing for us to sit down on a barstool at the kitchen counter.
“Bodie and I are faking the wedding so we can get some media coverage.” The words tumbled out of her mouth as she slumped onto a stool.
Her dad’s forehead creased. He opened his mouth like he wanted to ask a question then snapped it closed again.
“I know, it’s ridiculous.” Lacey waved her arms around her head. “But you once told me you wished you’d done more, tried harder, to make this into the kind of place you wanted to raise your kids. I took that to heart, Dad. If I have a way I can save the town, I have to try.”
“Lacey, honey.” Her dad took the stool next to her. “I didn’t mean sacrificing your happiness, your own future.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re not suggesting that marrying me would be the worst kind of fate available to her, are you?”
Lacey stifled a laugh. “What are my other choices?”
Her dad reached for her hands. “Your willingness to put the town first, to put everyone’s needs in front of your own is admirable.”
She nodded, her gaze trained on their hands. Feeling like a total third wheel, I put a hand on her shoulder. “I agree with your dad on this one.”
“But it’s not necessary. I know you’ve got your heart set on turning the tide for Idont.”
“It’s Ido now, Dad. I found out today the motion passed and the vote made it official.
” She lifted her head, the glint of a tear flashing in the corner of her eye.
“When I decided to run for mayor, I made a promise to myself. That I’d do whatever it took to make Ido a better place.
Now’s my chance. The town needs something to look forward to, something to put their faith in.
The wedding venue could be it. They just need to see it in action. ”
“I hope you’re right about this.” Mr. Cherish gave her hands a squeeze then hopped off the stool. “Bodie, for what it’s worth, thanks for doing your part.”
I nodded. “You’re welcome, sir.”
A firm hand landed on my shoulder and I looked into the unforgiving eyes of Lacey’s dad. “Just make sure the fake engagement stays fake. No funny business.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’ve got to keep this a secret, Dad. You can’t tell anyone,” Lacey said.
“Who would I tell?” Her dad gestured around the house. “The only person I see on a daily basis is you.”
“Luke.” Lacey lowered her head. “You can’t tell Luke a thing. Not until it’s over and the magazine article has been published. Promise?”
“What would he do, hop on a transport and fly home to break his best friend’s nose?” her dad joked.
I nodded to myself. That sounded exactly like something Luke might do if he thought I was taking advantage of his baby sister. Better to set the record straight before word got around. “Maybe we should tell him—”
“No.” Lacey whirled on me. “Absolutely not.”
“Okay.” I shrugged. “It’s your show. Now, come on, Act One is about to start and I need my leading lady.”
With a question in her eyes, she took the hand I offered. “Do I even want to know?”
I grinned as I shook my head. “There ought to be some surprises, don’t you think?”
Less than thirty minutes later we’d been seated at the table I’d picked out at the exclusive new restaurant on the other side of Swynton.
It wasn’t Cattleman’s, but it would do. Based on the few pictures I’d finally managed to find of the interior of the swanky restaurant in downtown Houston, I figured I could make it look similar enough that no one would be able to tell the difference.
“Wow, you’re certainly going all out,” Lacey said as she placed the cloth napkin in her lap.
“Nothing but the best for my fiancée.” I raised my water glass in her direction before taking a sip.
The corners of her mouth tipped up. The sadness from earlier was gone, replaced by a casual comfortableness.
But there was nothing low-key about the dress she had on.
I’d been trying not to notice how it clung to her curves, leaving little to the imagination.
Having had my hands and my mouth all over every inch of her already, my imagination didn’t have to do much work anyway to picture the creamy skin the dress barely covered.
Lacey picked up the menu. “Have you been here before?”
“Just once.” I reached for the wine list. Maybe a bottle of something decadent and red would set the mood. I scanned the list. Or possibly a sparkling would be more in line with the tone I wanted to set for the evening. “Do you have a preference on wine tonight?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Surprise me. That’s your goal, right?”
Sparkling, I decided. Something effervescent to add a little bubbly to the evening. “Is that a challenge?”
“Sure. Take it how you will.” She looked around the restaurant, probably trying to see if there was anyone she recognized, or worse, someone who might recognize her.
“Challenge accepted.” We should be somewhat hidden from prying eyes. I’d made sure of it when I stopped by earlier to pick the table and make arrangements with the waitstaff.
By the time we placed our order and the wine had been delivered to our table, Lacey appeared to relax even more.
The candlelight played off her skin, making her red lips look even redder and her skin appear even smoother than I already knew it to be.
I had to keep reminding myself that this was all part of her plan, not some form of foreplay.
I’d be taking her back to her place after and dropping her off with her dad.
There would be no repeat of the night we shared. Or the morning after.
Lacey kept up her side of the conversation during dinner, chatting about the decisions we still had to make for the wedding.
I had no idea there were so many details to consider.
What color bow tie did I want? I didn’t care.
Did I have a preference on which song we’d have our first dance to?
Whatever she wanted. It’s not like this would count.
I was happy to leave all the planning up to her.
All I wanted to do was show up and get it over with.
Then maybe I could go back to thinking of Lacey as nothing more than a coworker.
I’d already passed the point of not being able to think of her as a little sister.
That ended the first time we kissed. There was no going back to the way things used to be.
Not since I’d felt how magical it was to be inside her.
The waiter came to clear our plates. I sat up straighter, my heart picking up the tempo.
This was the part of the evening I was most concerned about.
When the waiter asked if we’d like to see the dessert tray, I furrowed my brow.
I’d made arrangements earlier for the special dessert—flan with a side of a yellow cubic zirconia engagement ring.
Even though the whole engagement was fake, I wanted her to be surprised enough to get a few realistic photos.
Lacey looked to me for guidance. “What do you say? We could split a piece of that giant chocolate cake I saw on display when we came in.”
“What?” I had been craning my neck, trying to find the ma?tre d’ I’d spoken with earlier.
“Chocolate cake.” Lacey reached across the table and put her hand on mine. “You okay? You seem a little distracted.”
I shook my head, trying to dislodge the feeling that something had gone wrong. “Yeah, chocolate cake sounds great.”
The waiter nodded then disappeared with our plates.
“Can you excuse me for a minute?” I asked.
“Sure.” Lacey let her hand fall away. “This has been a really nice night. Thanks.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I pushed back from the table, intent on finding out what had happened to my engagement flan and, more important, where my fake engagement ring had gone.