Nick’s eyes were still fixed on Ginny’s face as he said, “Really? Jessica, you’ve been too modest. You didn’t even mention this to me.”
Ginny’s cheeks burned. She must look like those ripe tomatoes her mother used for the Bolognese sauce. Maybe even worse. She lowered her head, unable to bear looking into Nick’s mocking eyes. “Uh, no. I didn’t.”
Margaret drew her hand to her lips. “She didn’t? But then what reference did she give to you? I do hope you requested a thorough background check on her, right?” Then, as if she just realized Ginny was also listening, she gave out a nervous giggle. “Sorry, Jessica. One can’t be careful enough these days.”
Nick patted Ginny’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jessica checked out on all fronts. Even my private investigator thought she had nothing to hide.”
His fingers barely touched her skin, but the zaps running along Ginny’s arm made her feel as if she was thrown into a bathtub with a toaster.
Private investigator? Was he mocking her? Well, she probably deserved this.
What would Nick say if he knew how close he was to the truth? Luckily, she hadn’t spoken to him about Giordano yet. Nick dropped his hand and smiled at Amy and Margaret. “Ladies, I think your coffees are ready.”
The women turned toward the counter where a chubby guy in a bright-yellow employee T-shirt stretched two tall glasses out to them. “Your non-fat, low-sugar, vegan hazelnut lattes with hundred percent raspberry fruit syrup.”
Yuck. So people did order these fancy drinks after all. In Ginny’s house, coffee didn’t come in many forms. It was either black or stained with milk. Maybe an occasional cappuccino.
Amy and Margaret took their drinks and walked toward the tables.
Amy paused halfway, her pixie hair bouncing around her cheekbones as she whirled around. “Do you want to join us?”
The question was said in the plural, but Amy’s gaze was glued on Nick.
Of course, she would want him to join them. Hadn’t these mothers gossiped in front of Ginny about how incredibly handsome Nick was? They must be feeling lucky to have met him in a coffee shop like this.
Ginny sucked in her cheeks so she could bite on them with her teeth. Maybe the pain would keep her mouth in check. She wasn’t the one who got invited, so she mustn’t refuse it for both of them. Even if that was her wish. She didn’t want to sit with these women pretending to be Jessica, the expert on controversial sleep-training methods.
Nick shook his head. “Thanks, Amy, but it’ll have to be another time. We’re here to pick up Jacob, and I don’t want us to be late.” He poked Ginny gently with his elbow. “So, Jessica, what do you say we order our coffees and get going?”
Amy shrugged and followed her friend to their table.
Ginny let out a breath and leaned closer to Nick. “Thanks for covering for me. I’m…uhm…I said I was called Jessica because…you know…”
Nick snorted. “Don’t worry. I said I won’t dig into this and I won’t. But I’m not sure Jessica was a good choice for a name. It sounds too harsh for you. I like Ginny much better.”
She finally attempted a peek at him, and when their eyes met, he smiled.
A quiver rushed across Ginny’s chest, turning the act of expanding her lungs into an impossible task. She inhaled a shallow breath and tried again. After four or five times, the effect of the crinkles around Nick’s eyes seemed to ease up, and she was able to breathe normally.
Should she dare to speak again? She tested her voice with a tiny grunt, and it sounded fine. “Thanks all the same.”
He winked. “No problem. Espresso or ice-coffee?”
“Espresso, please.”
Nick ordered their coffees, and as soon as they were ready, they took them and left the shop.
“Do you want to move the car or just walk over to the guards?” asked Ginny, grateful to start a topic that had nothing to do with the shameful scene from before.
Nick stepped over to the crosswalk. “Let’s just walk. We still have a few minutes before preschool ends.”
They checked in with the guards. Nick shook hands with two of them as if they were old friends.
Ginny had already noticed that Nick wasn’t a highbrow. Despite his success, he behaved the same with everybody, even with his domestic staff, friendly and genuine.
But the jokes he exchanged with the guards were more than just politeness. It seemed as if Nick knew the men well.
When they were out of earshot, she couldn’t suppress her curiosity any longer. “So, do you befriend all employees on the school premises?”
Nick chuckled. “No, I don’t. I only know Ms. Bennet, Jacob’s teacher. But these two guys there, Richard and Lewis, they are my informants, so to speak.”
Ginny coughed as a sip of coffee went down the wrong way. Informants? “Please, Nick, don’t tell me you’re doing this for Jacob. This school is a perfectly safe place and—”
Nick stopped, his face distorted into a grimace that was somewhere between amusement and annoyance. “Ginny, I might be overprotective of Jacob, but I’m not mental. I know he’s well taken care of at Riversmith. No, these guys help me with my books. One of them is ex-military and the other used to work for the police. They help me shape my hero to be as believable as possible.”
“Oh, sure. I see. That makes sense. How is your new book coming along, by the way?”
He rubbed his chin. “Not as fast as I’d like, but at least I’m not blocked with the story anymore. I’ve had…um…” A weird glint invaded his eyes as if he had a memory or a thought that disturbed him. “A new source of inspiration.”
Ginny lifted a brow. “That’s good, isn’t it?”
He stared at her, then he sucked in a breath. “Sure, but it might be dangerous. You never know how bad a muse will catch you. Or when she’ll leave.”
Loud cheers and excited screams drew Ginny’s attention away from Nick’s face. “Oh, look, Jacob’s group. Come, let’s go.”
While they hurried toward the main building, Nick’s last enigmatic words occupied Ginny’s mind. Why did he have to speak in riddles? And that strange gleam in his eyes?
If she didn’t know any better, she might even think that he was referring to her arrival in his life. But that couldn’t be the case, even if the idea that her presence was as disconcerting for him as his was for her, would have been nice.
Jacob sprinted down the stairs. “Ginny! Dad? You both came!” He first hugged Nick, then threw himself into Ginny’s arms. “Thank you for bringing Dad, too. Shall we go have ice cream? I want vanilla and chocolate. No, chocolate and lemon. No…I don’t know. What do you think I should have?”
Jacob’s enthusiasm lifted Ginny’s spirit and shoved her gloomy contemplation aside. She stroked the boy’s hair with both palms. “You can order whatever you want, muffin.”
Jacob threw a furtive glance at Nick. “Even three flavors, Dad?”
Nick looked like he was struggling to suppress a smile. No wonder, Jacob’s puppy eyes were irresistible.
“Okay, three flavors. But, you let me taste them all,” Nick said.
Jacob bounced back and forth on his toes. “Deal. What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
Nick winked at Ginny, a coy grin spreading on his face. “Let’s go, Jessica.”
Ginny stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed.
Jacob didn’t seem to notice the weird exchange. His eyes were already fixed on the ice cream stand beside the playground. He grabbed their hands and pulled them toward it.
An old lady greeted them with a bright smile. “What can I get you all?”
Nick patted Jacob’s head. “It’s your moment, buddy. Choose.”
Jacob’s eyes bounced between the various flavors a few times before he was ready to decide. “I’ll take chocolate, lemon, and strawberry, please.”
The vendor’s wrinkles deepened as her smile widened. “Of course, my dear.” She measured the ice cream into a small cup, sprinkled some chocolate o
n it, and placed a small spoon inside.
She handed the treat to Jacob, then she blinked at Nick and Ginny. “And what would you like?”
“I’ll take stracciatella. Double scoops, please.” Nick said.
Stracciatella? It was her favorite, too. She observed the fridge. All of the flavors looked delicious, creamy just to the right point, but not so bright that she would have to doubt whether they used colorants or real ingredients to make them.
But she didn’t feel like licking a giant ice cream in front of Nick. What if she dripped on her dress or got her face dirty? She held up her coffee “I’m good.”
“Sure?” Nick insisted.
“Yes, I’m sure.” She was an employee, after all. She couldn’t take the same liberty as her boss.
Nick paid for the two ice creams, and they went to the bench. By the time they walked there, Jacob had already devoured most of his treat. “I want to go and play. May I?” He asked, placing the small cup with the liquefied remainders beside Ginny.
She lifted the cup and threw it into a nearby bin. “Yes, but let me clean your face first.” She wiped his nose and cheeks, and Jacob hopped toward the monkey bars.
Nick ate his ice cream, a small appreciative moan escaping here and there. “Mhmm, this is delicious. Are you sure you don’t want to try?” He shoved his cone closer to Ginny’s chin. “Don’t tell me you’re watching your figure, because you clearly don’t have to.”
Ginny couldn’t resist the temptation of the frozen dessert. She bent forward and carefully tasted the ice cream. She shivered. It was good, but it wasn’t just its luscious taste that made her shudder. It was the odd realization that her lips had touched the same spot where, only seconds ago, Nick’s mouth had been.
Nick gaped at her with high brows. “So? Verdict?”
Ginny pushed the puzzling thought aside and smiled. “Yummy.”
“You want me to get you one?”
She shook her head. “No. I like ice cream, but I ate so many good gelatos growing up that I’ve lost my true passion for them.” It was only a partial lie. She did eat lots of ice creams during their stays in Sorrento.
Nick bit another mouthful from his cone. “You were lucky. My grandmother didn’t let me eat that many, no matter how hard I tried to persuade her.”
Ginny’s eyes widened. “Did you grow up with your grandmother?”
Nick nodded. “My father and mother died in a plane crash when I was nine.”
Oh, crap. She didn’t expect to step on something so personal with her clueless question. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
He smiled. “It was a long time ago. But I was lucky to have my grandparents take care of me.”
Ginny watched his face grow soft as if his mind was drifting toward the past.
She cleared her throat. “Losing your parents at such an early age had to be very hard. I can’t even imagine it.”
He blinked at her. “Of course, it was a hard time. But I’m not sure what’s worse, having your parents’ life taken away but knowing they wanted you, or having a parent abandon you willingly.” His eyes moved to Jacob sitting on top of the bars chatting with another boy. “I guess that’s why I’m so protective of Jacob. I want to overcompensate for his mother’s loss.”
Okay, this light chat was taking darker and darker turns. It seemed Ginny had a talent for spoiling perfectly harmonious conversations with her comments. First, Nick’s parents' death and now his divorce.
She chewed on her lip. “I think you do a superb job as a dad. Jacob adores you. And I’m here to help you with anything you need. “
His head snapped to her, an unreadable expression on his face. “Thank you for saying this. I might take you up on your offer.” His tone was flat, but there was a hidden depth to it.
Ginny wasn’t sure what he meant, but as she sat there watching Nick’s handsome face pull into a frown of nostalgia, her heart picked up speed.
At that moment, she was sure she’d do just about anything to help Nick and Jacob.
Chapter 9
Nick re-read the last pages of the chapter, and a smug smirk spread on his lips. This was good stuff. No, it was great. He still had it in him.
He rubbed his neck. He’d been beating away on his keyboard for two months now without producing one exciting scene. A real writer’s block.
Now the words were flowing from his fingertips onto the screen without any noticeable effort. Maybe he just needed time to get back into the groove, that’s all. Or it could be the fire Phil had set under him. Perhaps that had worked magic?
But if he was honest, he knew that wasn’t it. The only real change was Ginny’s arrival. The first time he’d laid eyes on her fair skin and symmetrical features, something in him moved. As if his creativity, like a dormant beast, had awoken and began to rattle his chains.
Marcia opened the door, carrying a tray. “I brought you coffee, Sir.”
“Thanks. Where are Jacob and Ginny?”
Marcia’s lower lip twitched into a knowing smile. “Sir cares to know each move she takes, right?”
Nick stiffened. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at, Marcia. I’m just curious what my new employee does with my son. That’s all.”
Marcia rolled her eyes. “Está bem, Sir. No need to get all bossy. I thought you were planning to give a bigger role to Miss Ginny than being just a nanny.”
Nick narrowed his eyes. “And why would such an idea even occur to you?”
There was a secretive gleam in Marcia’s composed features. Had she heard him and Andrew when they’d discussed Nick’s plan?
Nick straightened up and walked to his housekeeper. “Marcia, have you been spying on me?”
The guilty look on her tanned skin wasn’t easy to miss. She pinched her lips, and her eyes darted to the floor. Then she lifted her chin and met Nick’s interrogating eyes with a fierce gaze. “Claro que sim. I would be a fool if I didn’t. You, Sir, haven’t been yourself ever since your witch of an ex”—she feigned spitting to her left—“showed up with that husband of hers, claiming her rights on Jacob. Even the little Sir noticed it. I just wanted to make sure you had an ace up your sleeve to counter their nasty attack.”
Nick’s heart warmed. His Brazilian housekeeper was as impulsive as it came and wore her heart on her sleeve, but she always watched out for Nick and Jacob.
He cleared his throat. “So you know what I have in mind concerning Ginny.”
She frowned. “Yes, Sir.”
“But you don’t approve?” Nick shouldn’t need Marcia’s approval, but since Andrew, the only other person who knew about what he planned to do, thought it was utter madness, he still asked.
Marcia tilted her head to the side. “It depends.”
“Depends on what?”
Marcia poked him on the chest with her index finger. “On what this here can or cannot do.”
Nick shook his head. “I’m not sure I’m following.”
Marcia sighed. “Oh, men. Always slow.” Then she flashed a benevolent smile and patted Nick’s arm like a mother. “I meant if your heart can take the pretend.”
Nick squared his back. Marcia was usually pretty insightful, but she’d missed his point entirely this time. His plan was fault-proof precisely because it took the question of his heart out of the equation.
Otherwise, he could have gotten a real girlfriend and shoved that into Heather’s pretentious face. One of the main reasons he was ready to engage in this farce was to make sure he would come out of it unharmed.
“You’re mistaken. There won’t be any challenge here. If Ginny accepts my offer, it’ll be a strict business proposition. Make believe. No sentiments involved.”
Marcia pulled her shoulders to her ears then let them fall. “I don’t know, Sir. It’s hard to fake something without blurring the line between what’s real and what isn’t. Will you tell little Sir?”
“No, I won’t.”
His son shouldn’t know about this. Even if Jacob
was a brilliant boy, and he was aware that his father was involved in litigation with his mother, Nick couldn’t include him in such an intricate plan. Jacob needed to think Nick’s relationship with Ginny was real so that when the Judge questioned him, he didn’t need to lie.
Marcia’s mouth opened as if she wanted to add something, but then she closed it. She shook her head. “So it’s just that stiff lawyer and me, right? When will you tell Miss Ginny?”
Nick scratched his chin. “I’m not sure. I need to hurry, though, because the hearing is approaching. I wanted to give her a week here before dropping this bomb on her. I’m not sure how she’ll react.”
Marcia lifted an eyebrow, “I think, Sir, the sooner you tell her, the better. If you need to look like a happy couple for the hearing, you should practice beforehand.”
Nick nodded. “You’re right. I’ll tell her tonight. After Jacob goes to bed.”
Marcia held up a finger. “Do you mind, I have an idea. Why don’t I cook special moqueca for tonight and as dessert some brigadeiro? Miss Ginny loves to eat fish, and she has also a sweet tooth.”
Nick’s brows pulled together. “Does she, now?”
Marcia scoffed. “There is much work to be done here, Sir. You need to get to know your fake girlfriend much better.” She waved with her hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. You just prepare a good speech. The rest will be my doing.”
With that, Marcia turned and left.
Nick stared down at his hands, Marcia’s words ringing in his ears.
Yes, there was a lot he didn’t know about Ginny yet. But somehow the task of getting to know her better didn’t feel like work at all. It was more along the lines of pleasure.
He remembered how Ginny had planted a kiss on Jacob’s cheek this morning before he took his son to school. Yes, she genuinely cared for Jacob.
Could she pretend to care for Nick like that?
The way her fingers caressed his cheek when they were in her room flashed through his mind, and sweat broke out on his forehead as if a fever had swamped his body. Pretending might involve more than that innocent, consoling touch of hers.
Fake-Dating The Single Dad (Gems 0f Love Book 3) Page 5