Chapter Nine
Reese
Iwas now sweating as I tried on my fifth outfit of the afternoon. “What do you think about this one?” I asked Beth as I twirled around for her.
“You want to know what I think?” She was sitting on the floor of my room, legs crisscrossed, with Pickles resting his head in her lap. “I think you don’t own anything remotely feminine.”
I tugged nervously at the hem of my old jean shorts. “Normally, I wear scrubs at least three times a week,” I said, trying to defend my wardrobe, even though she was right.
“And you don’t plan to wear anything nice the other four days of the week?” she asked, not unkindly.
Beth was fashionable. Even now, she was stunning in white shorts and a lacey pink blouse that buttoned up the middle.
She looked delicate and beautiful. I looked sadly average in my tired jean shorts and black tank top.
Kelly said that family dinners were extremely casual, but I still found myself wanting to look good.
“Okay, I surrender. What do you think I should wear?” I asked, feeling slightly desperate with only forty minutes left until Kelly was picking me up.
“I have the perfect dress you could borrow!” Beth shot up, Pickles energetically following her as she left the room.
Poor Pickles had spent the night at Kelly’s clinic, and luckily for everyone, he’d passed all the condoms by the next morning. I felt terrible about the whole situation, but Beth thought it was hilarious after the fact and told me she didn’t blame me.
“Beth, wait!” I shouted after her, but she was already halfway down the hallway. Whatever dress she had in mind would no doubt be too short on me.
Fidgeting with the hair that Beth had curled for me, I began to question if I could still cancel. I’d just tell Kelly that I was crazy to agree with this plan.
We had gone over some basic rules, such as no touching unless necessary. I was both relieved and heartbroken over this one. There was undeniable chemistry between us, but we both seemed to understand that physical touching could be dangerous.
When questioned whether his family would find it weird that he wasn’t affectionate with his new girlfriend, he explained that he had been notoriously known to be opposed to PDA. It would be less convincing if he were all over me.
I would be meeting only his immediate family today, and since he had listed off names, I had considered making a cheat sheet to carry around all night.
I went over names in my head as Beth returned with a white lace dress in hand.
It had a sweetheart neckline, thin straps, and delicate lace-embroidered flowers. It was breathtaking.
“I bought this a while ago and have never worn it. I tried it once and realized it was far too long for me.”
I tentatively took it out of her hands. “I don’t know, B. Am I crazy for doing this?”
“Are you kidding me? I think this is the most exciting thing you have done.” It didn’t surprise me that Beth approved of the fake dating situation. “Now stop stalling and try this on,” she said as she pushed me towards the bathroom.
Excuses filled my brain as I slipped the dress over my head.
I was surprised by how soft the material felt and how much I liked the tight fit around my waist as it flowed out slightly.
I appreciated the hourglass figure it gave me, and that it stopped about mid-calf.
It felt feminine, yet classy. Exactly what I would want to wear if I were actually meeting my boyfriend’s family for the first time.
I stepped out of the bathroom and, despite myself, gave Beth a little twirl. The dress billowed and swirled around me.
“That’s the one!” she said, pleased with herself. “Kelly won’t be able to keep his hands off of you,” she giggled.
I was about to protest when my phone buzzed from where it was resting on the bed. I retrieved it and saw a message from Kelly.
Kelly: Hey! I’m about five minutes away.
I appreciated that he texted in complete sentences. Abbreviations brought back memories of how people texted during middle school. Usually, Kelly’s messages made me feel excited, but seeing his name now made me feel a little nauseous.
He was actually coming to pick me up. We were going to be alone for the second time, and he would realize he’d made a mistake by choosing me to be his fake girlfriend. I tried to push down my nerves as I texted back the gate code.
“Okay, he’s almost here. Did you save the address he gave me? Just in case he ends up being a serial killer?” I asked, only half joking. Kelly was still a stranger, and I couldn’t be too careful.
“Yes, ma’am. It’s saved up here.” She pointed to her head. “If you need to be picked up early, just let me know. But I think you’re going to have a fun time.” She sounded so sure of herself. That was Beth, though. Confident.
I grabbed my purse, and Beth linked her arm with mine. We were walking down the hall in tandem when we ran straight into an enormous, towering man.
“Derek!” Beth pulled her arm away as she looped her arms around the giant’s waist.
Derek had dark brown hair that he kept short on the sides, longer in the front, and styled up with gel. He was wearing an expensive, three-piece navy-blue suit. It was hard to miss how tall he was. He appeared to be close to six-foot-nine by the way I had to crane my neck to look up at him.
He was handsome in an obvious way, the way celebrities always appear so polished and perfect. He seemed surprised to see us, but recovered quickly with a smile. His teeth gleamed at us, almost unnaturally white.
I couldn’t help but compare how much more attracted I felt to Kelly. Derek seemed almost fake compared to Kelly’s laid-back nature.
“Baby, this is my cousin, Reese. I am so excited you guys finally get to meet.” Beth’s eyes twinkled with delight as she looked at him.
He awkwardly put his hand out for me to shake, and I was shocked when my hand disappeared in his.
His hands were weirdly smooth and cold. “Yes, it is nice to meet you. Beth hasn’t stopped talking about you for the last few months.
You’re all I have heard about. Which, if you know Beth, she never stops talking unless she’s asleep,” he said this last part like it was supposed to be a lighthearted joke.
I didn’t laugh, but Beth did.
“He’s just kidding,” she snickered, but I noticed how the light in her eyes was dimmer now.
“How are you liking your accommodations in our humble home?” he asked, obviously trying to point out their wealth. I ran my hands down the sides of my dress as I avoided eye contact.
“It’s been great. I appreciate you guys letting me stay here for the next few months. Beth has been a great host so far.” I smiled over at her, hoping she knew how much I truly meant those words.
“I’m glad you’re here to keep her entertained. Summer is the busy season, so I’m often away for work. I was just on my way out,” he said.
“I didn’t realize you were working today,” Beth said softly, pulling on his arm. She looked like a child next to him.
“You know how it goes, honey. Someone must pay for our lifestyle, and last I checked, your teaching salary was a little on the short side,” he laughed.
My mouth dropped almost to the floor at the exchange.
Growing up, my parents were far from perfect, but my dad certainly would never speak to my mom like that, or vice versa.
Beth’s dad, my Uncle Stan, had always been the kindest man.
How could Beth pick someone who was such a douche when she’d had the perfect example of how a woman should be treated in a marriage?
I could feel the words to defend Beth wanting to burst out of my chest, for a woman who’d shown me more kindness in the last week than I’d received in the past year.
Beth laughed again, though, even louder this time. “Oh, Derek. You are such a kidder,” she said as she stared into his eyes, a tight smile on her lips.
We both knew he wasn't kidding.
My phone buzzed at that moment, and I looked to see that Kelly was here. The relief I felt was overwhelming.
“I have to get going,” I said in a small voice. Neither acknowledged me as I swiftly left them in the hallway.
I walked out the front door and saw a navy-blue truck idling in the middle of the driveway.
As I got closer, I could tell that, even though the truck was older, it was in perfect condition.
I spotted Kelly in the front seat, a backward baseball hat on his head, and he was already smiling at me.
I tried to shake off the grimace on my face from the previous moment with the Scotts, but Kelly caught it right away and slightly frowned.
Even frowning, he might have been the most handsome man I knew.
A dog’s bark erupted from the bed of the truck, and the Australian Shepherd I saw from Kelly’s office was excitedly wagging his tail.
I couldn’t resist his adorable face as I went straight to him.
I grabbed his head with both hands and started scratching behind his ears.
He opened his mouth happily, letting his long tongue hang out in pleasure.
I gave one last good scratch before I leaned down to kiss him on the forehead.
I reluctantly pulled away and climbed into the passenger side of the truck.
“Are you okay?” Kelly leaned in towards me, and my senses flooded with that now familiar scent I associated with him. It was the smell of fresh rain, mixed with a hint of spice.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I focused on the purse in my hands.
“You don’t seem fine. Reese, look at me,” he said softly.
The sweetness in his tone brought my gaze up, and I saw concern in his eyes. He was giving me the space to explain what was on my mind, like we had all the time in the world.
Encouraged, I opened my mouth but was interrupted by the ‘tap tap tap’ on Kelly’s driver’s side window. Even before he rolled it down, I could see Derek leaning down so his face was level with the window. Kelly’s dog began to growl, a far cry from the friendly pup who had just greeted me.