Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
DALLAS
M y friend Anderson’s idea of a bachelor party is having all the guys meet for dinner, then going back to the game room to play poker. And since I don’t have anyone who requires hugs and kisses before I go anywhere, I volunteered to arrive first and secure a table. But since we’re a large group, I called ahead.
Hungry and perpetually cranky, I wait for the hostess to speak to me.
She finally notices me. “How many?”
“There will be nine of us.” Driving into San Antonio wasn’t my idea. There’s a perfectly good barbecue place ten minutes from the ranch, but Anderson wanted to eat at this place.
The hostess picks up a stack of menus. “Right this way. When your friends arrive, I’ll point them to the table.”
“Thanks.” I pick a chair that allows me a view of the door.
The hostess cocks her head and toys with a strand of hair. “Are you a cowboy?”
It’s normally the other guys who have ladies flirt with them. But nowadays, they shut that down quick. Once Grayson just held up a picture of him and Daisy on his phone. That girl got the point pretty fast.
The question isn’t flirtatious, but the hair twirling is a signal. And while it could be tempting to engage, I don’t. For multiple reasons. One, she’s probably a decade younger. I’ve been told I don’t look my age, but a boyish face and my lack of height are the reasons for that. And reason two, once my friends arrive, she’ll quit flirting with me and shift her attention. So, I just keep myself out of the mix. Plus, dating sometimes leads to marriage, and I’ve given up on white picket fences. I’ll be a bachelor until the day I die.
Occasionally when I drive into the city, I get comments about my attire and cowboys. Mostly from tourists. Once, I had a couple ask if I worked on a ranch. When I confirmed, they asked if they could take a picture of me. That was funny. But I don’t think the hostess is flirting because of me. She’s just reacting to jeans and a cowboy hat. It’s like a uniform of a different sort.
“What gave it away? The dirt on my boots or under my nails? Or do I smell like a cow?” I manage to say it without cracking a smile.
“The hat.” She hugs the menus to her chest. “Are there other cowboys meeting you tonight?”
“Yep.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for them.” She sets down the stack of menus. “Tanya will be with you in a bit. Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?”
“Water would be great.” I’m sure she will be watching. Perhaps I should let her know that all the guys coming are attached. Anderson is getting married in a week, and the other guys already have wives.
Once I have my water, I scroll through social media, killing time until my friends arrive.
At the next table, a man chats on the phone and gets increasingly louder. “I had no idea. Baby, I’m not interested in dating anyone else. I want you.”
Feeling like I’m eavesdropping, I keep my eyes glued to my phone. But everyone in the restaurant can hear him. Not just me.
“Stay there. I’m on my way.” His chair moves, scraping the wood floor. “Excuse me.” He waves a hand in front of my face.
Against my better judgment, I look up. “Yes?”
He drops a long-stem red rose on my table. “I almost made the biggest mistake of my life. Will you cover for me?”
“Um. Cover how?” I know better than agreeing to something without having all the facts.
But he doesn’t answer. He just waves and strides out of the restaurant, leaving me alone with the rose. Replaying what he said doesn’t clarify the situation. I have no idea what I’m covering. But it’ll make a funny story to tell the guys over dinner. And Anderson can take the rose to his lady friend.
I go back to scrolling.
“Hi! The rose made you easy to spot. I’m glad I suggested it.” A cute blonde, who looks like she’s not even out of her teens, sticks out her hand. “Nice to meet you in person. I’m Rose. Rose Potts.”
I blink, hoping my vocal cords decide to start functioning. “Hello.” Telling her that the guy walked out before she arrived will wipe that killer smile off her face, and that would be a shame. I glance at the rose, then at the table vacated by the guy on the phone. “Um, this table is kind of big for the two of us. Maybe we should sit over here.” I point at the other table.
After jumping up, I pull out a chair for her.
She gives me a quick sweeping gaze, then lowers into the seat.
I sit across from her, positioned so that I can see the hostess stand and the table I just left. And I’m not sure if I’d call it perfect or horrible timing because as soon as I’m in my seat, Anderson steps up to the hostess stand and all the other guys are with him. He looks at me, raises an eyebrow, then speaks to the hostess.
That girl looks like she’s died and gone to heaven. With a wide smile, she leads my friends to the big table. They take seats around the table, acting like they don’t know me. Then the hostess glances at me, and a look of confusion pinches her brow. But thankfully, she doesn’t say anything about my table switching.
I need to figure out how to fess up to Rose, my unexpected blind date. Normally speaking in sentences isn’t difficult, but I’m having trouble stringing words together at the moment. “I, uh…” After dragging my fingers through my hair, I hook a thumb toward the door. “There was a man in a suit?—”
Rose leans forward. “My date left, didn’t he? If I had to guess, you’re supposed to be having dinner with them.”
She’s probably really good at matching games.
“Yep, but I’d like to buy you dinner. No point in going home hungry.” I feel bad about her getting stood up, so maybe buying her dinner will cheer her up. Although, she doesn’t seem all that disappointed.
“Are you sure?” She lays a hand on mine.
I stare at her pretty nails. “Not all guys are like the one who walked out. Some are nice.”
She bumps my leg with her foot. “Like you. And that’s good because I’m hoping you can help me.”
“Help you?” I was trying to do something nice, and now a nagging tingle tells me I’ve waded into a situation I’m not prepared to handle. I yank my hand out from under hers and cross my arms. “With what?”
“I need a boyfriend for a few months. I’ve been using dating sites to meet potential fake boyfriends, but I’ve had no luck. Until tonight.” That killer smile is back in force.
The waitress approaches the table, and Rose’s expression changes.
“Evening, I’m Tanya. I’ll be your server this evening. What can I get y’all to drink?” She runs through her lines before even looking at us. When she spots Rose, her face lights up. “Hey, girl.”
Rose shifts in her seat. “Hi, Tanya.”
We order drinks, and Tanya walks away.
“That’s my cousin.” Rose sighs. “When I set up this date, I had no idea she worked here. Or anywhere for that matter. And I’d rather that she not know about the whole fake fiancé thing, so when she comes around, just don’t talk about that, okay?”
I nod.
“Thanks. But is there any chance you’ll do it?”
She started by calling it a fake boyfriend, and now the word fiancé has dropped. I recognize a bad situation when it’s draped in red flags and waved in front of my face.
“Oh, no. I’m definitely not the right person for that.” I keep my voice low so that my buddies don’t hear the conversation. “And using dating sites like that could be risky. You never know what kind of men you’ll meet.”
“Normally, I’m much more cautious, but it’s coming down to the wire, and I’m a bit desperate.” She picks up her purse. “Thank you for being nice. I won’t make you buy my dinner. I’m going to see if I can snag another date for tonight. Because if I can’t find a fiancé before next Friday, I might…” She purses her lips, then shakes her head. “I don’t know what I’ll do. Is there anything I can say that will make you reconsider? I’m willing to discuss compensation, but I don’t have a ton saved up.”
“Stay.” The word comes out a bit snippy.
She drops her purse and flashes a smile, one that worries me and makes me shiver deep down in my bones. “Okay.”
“Aren’t you kind of young to be engaged?” There are many other ways I could have worded the question, but I’m still having trouble with English, the only language I know. “And you have no way of knowing that I’m a good guy. Someone could… you know.”
“You’re wrong. I can tell that you’re a good guy. Because if you weren’t, you wouldn’t worry about my age. So, you’re not a pervy weirdo. I’m not worried that you would ‘you know’.” She uses air quotes to set off the last two words. “And, for the record, I’m twenty-five.” She opens her phone case and shows me her license. “So, no. I don’t think I’m too young to be engaged. If my parents had their way, I’d be married and have two kids by now. But as I mentioned earlier, I’m looking for a pretend fiancé. Not a real one.”
“Good might be a stretch, but I’m not a weirdo. I am too old for you, though, fake or not.” I may look young, but I’m thirty-six.
She shrugs. “Okay.”
Then she picks up her phone, and my heart squeezes. This woman is going to get herself into trouble. And that bothers me.
“Where are you going?”
She shifts into the chair closer to me. “I thought maybe you could look through the app with me and help me weed out the dangerous ones. Since you think like a guy, and obviously I don’t, it would be helpful.”
My buddies, to their credit are not staring, but now that Rose is next to me, I’m getting glances.
“Sure. I’ll give it a look. But I still say that this is a horrible plan. What happens next Friday? Why are you desperate?”
She lays her phone face down on the table and crosses her arms. “Want the long version or the short?”
I want the short version. I always want the short version. What’s the point of having a long version if the short version is sufficient? But I’ve dated enough to know that saying any of that is the wrong answer. “Whatever you want to tell me.”
“My parents have these friends who they’ve known since long before I was born. And that couple has two children, Richard and Cara. And they’ve always?—”
Tanya approaches with our drinks, and I tap Rose’s leg under the table.
Rose stops midsentence and blinks at me.
“Here are those drinks.” Tanya pulls out her ordering pad. “I should have asked earlier. Is this like together on one check or separate?”
“Together.” I’m quick to answer.
Tanya flashes a grin at Rose.
I’m probably making life more difficult for Rose by buying her dinner, and I feel rotten about that.
We order food, and when the coast is clear, Rose continues with her story.
“I have a brother, Sage. He’s a great guy. You’d love him. But anyway, I’m getting off track. We grew up with that family. They have two kids, a boy and a girl. So from the time I was born—I’m the youngest of the bunch—in my parents’ head, I’m destined to marry Richard. But I don’t like Richard. His sister is awesome, though. Super nice, pretty. And my brother fell in love with her back in high school. But then they broke up and went to separate colleges. My parents were so bummed and tried their hardest to get Sage and Cara back together. And it finally worked. Sage and Cara ended up stranded together and spent hours talking and boom, they’re in love again.” She drags her fingernail through the condensation gathered near the base of her glass. “I’m happy for them. I truly am. But it’s made my life more difficult. My parents have taken this as a sign that Richard and I are meant for each other.”
“What does Richard think of all this?”
Rose leans closer, accusation sparking in her gaze. “Are you saying his opinion should override mine?”
“Not at all. But if y’all are on the same page, maybe he could help you make your parents understand.”
“He won’t do that. He fuels their delusions. I guess because he thinks it’s funny.”
“Or maybe he’s secretly in love with you.” I regret the words as soon as they slip off my tongue.
Rose waves a finger. “Nope. Richard loves only one person. Richard.”
“That’s not good.”
“Anyway, Cara’s parents are ecstatic about the wedding and have planned events spanning the next six months. The first one is next Friday. It’s an engagement party.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry you’re in a tough spot.”
“You could say you’ll help me. I promise I’m not normally this crazy. You’re probably thinking I should just grow a backbone and tell them off, but I work for the family business. They own flower shops. And they’re about to open another location in a small town near here, and I desperately want to run that location. It would be my dream to be away from them and still get to do what I love. And if I stay in their good graces, I think they might let me run that place.” She reaches into her pocket. “I even have the ring. See.” As she pulls the ring out, it tumbles and lands under the table.
“I’ll get it.” Raised to be a gentleman, I get down on one knee and reach around the leg of the table to grab the ring. That’s when I spot Rose’s mismatched shoes. Once my head is clear of the table, I hold out the ring. “I like your shoes.”
Rose grins. “I had to do a quick fix?—”
A loud squeal interrupts whatever Rose is saying. Neither of us saw Tanya approaching.
Panic etches on Rose’s face, and in this moment, I’m the only one who can change that.
Six months isn’t that long. I can pretend. “I think this is the part where you say yes.” I nod toward the ring.
Rose’s lips quiver as she whispers, “Are you serious?”
“I am.”
Tanya’s exclamation has attracted attention, and now it seems the entire restaurant is waiting on Rose’s answer.
“Yes!” She launches toward me, and the last thing I hear before her lips meet mine is, “You won’t regret this.”
I am one hundred percent positive that I will regret it. And not just because my buddies will never let me live this down.