by Lacey Wolfe
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s just my mom, dad, and grandfather.”
“Do I need to dress up?”
“A little. We’re going to Marcello’s.”
Darcy remembered that place. It was an upscale Italian restaurant, and one of her parents’ favorite places. The food was delicious—which was a big plus with the price.
“I don’t think I have anything to wear.”
“I can call and cancel,” he said.
“No, no. I’ll figure something out.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Steven. Really, it’s fine.”
“I’ll let you get ready then.” Steven gave her a slight smile and left.
Once the door was closed, Darcy groaned loudly. Now that she was back in this lifestyle, she was going to have to get used to evenings out. Rich folks always had a reason to eat out. There was always something to celebrate.
Chapter 7
As they rode over to the restaurant, Darcy couldn’t help but feel as though she was going to jump out of her skin. Nervous? No...she was scared to death. She was meeting his family and had no idea what they were like. The deeper she got into this scam, the more she wondered why she had done this. Was she really that desperate?
Apparently so, or she wouldn’t be there.
She had hoped to have time to call Allison before they left. Allison would have talked her through her nerves. But by the time she found something to wear and had herself presentable for the place they were eating, time was up. Steven had been knocking on her door to see if she was ready.
God, was he a sight. He wore a navy blue polo tucked into a pair of pressed khakis. She never thought she was one to find preppy sexy, but on Steven it was. Then again, she imagined anything would look good on him. He could wear a bright pink suit and his eyes would still sparkle.
“You okay?” He reached out and touched Darcy’s arm.
“I think so. Just a little nervous.”
He grinned at her. “My parents will love you. Don’t worry.”
Sure, why worry? That was easier said than done.
They arrived to Marcello’s. As she gathered her clutch and made sure her phone was on vibrate, Steven climbed out of the truck and opened her door. He extended his hand. Taking it, she got out.
“Do I look okay?” she asked. “Be honest.”
“You look beautiful.”
She gazed into his eyes. He had a slight smirk as he stared back. For a moment, she thought he might lean forward and kiss her. But then he broke the eye contact, pressed her hand to his inner arm, and led her toward the entrance.
Inside, the hostess took them to where his family was seated. As they walked, Darcy looked around. The place hadn’t changed much since the last time she’d been there. Each table was decked out with a white tablecloth and a lit candle in the middle surrounded by a crystal vase. The people were all dressed to perfection. Women had their hair made-up, and the men were dressed very similar to Steven or in suits. Oh, the life of the rich and famous. She hadn’t missed this when she walked away.
The hostess led them to a table in the back of the restaurant. As they took their seat, Darcy felt like she had something on her face the way everyone was looking at her. She smiled at each person there. One face caught her attention, she remembered him from high school. Jarred she believed his name was.
“Steven, we’re so glad you’re here,” the woman said. “Please, introduce Darcy to us.”
Steven took Darcy’s hand. “Darcy, this is my mom, Gina. Next to her is my dad, Rick. My grandfather, Jasper, is sitting next to her, and then finally, you might already know, but that is my brother, Jarred.”
“It’s nice to meet you all. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“All good, I hope.” Gina laughed.
Darcy nodded and was relieved when the waitress arrived to take their drink orders. Once again, she’d much rather order a scotch on the rocks, but opted for a sweet tea until Gina interrupted her.
“Nonsense. This is a special occasion. Bring another bottle of what Mr. McDonald and I are having for them as well. Tonight we’re celebrating.”
Darcy looked at Steven to see if he was going to object, but he didn’t.
“I hope you two don’t mind, but I took the liberty of ordering already,” Mr. McDonald said.
“I figured no less,” Steven said.
“So tell me, Darcy, what do you do for a living?” Jasper, Steven’s grandfather, asked.
“I’m between jobs right now.”
“Is that so? What are you looking to do?”
“I’ve been tossing around the idea of opening a bakery.”
“Do you bake?” Gina asked.
“Some. Not as much as I’d like.”
“What did you do before you became jobless?” Jasper asked.
“Grandfather!” Steven exclaimed.
“I didn’t mean anything rude. But she is jobless, isn’t she?”
Darcy giggled nervously. “It’s okay. I actually had opened a small restaurant, but it didn’t work out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Rick chimed in. “What happened?”
Darcy really should have prepared herself for this. Of course they were going to be curious about her and who she was. Why had Darcy White left home and her parents’ money? Even more, why did she fail? Where the heck was the wine?
“That’s personal, Father. This is Darcy’s first time meeting you guys. Let’s talk about something a little lighter,” Steven said.
“Our apologies,” Rick said. “I’m just curious about the woman who has suddenly made you want to settle down, right as your grandfather gave you that ultimatum about the business.”
“You’re not the only one,” Jarred added.
Maybe this was a good time to head to the bathroom. Just as she was about to excuse herself, the waitress arrived with two glasses and a bottle of wine. After she poured a glass for both Darcy and Steven, she let them know the food would be out soon.
Picking up her glass, Darcy took a long drink, hoping it wasn’t obvious that she was nervous.
“How did you two meet?” Jarred asked. “You didn’t hang out in high school.”
Darcy hoped Steven would step in and was relieved when he did.
“As cliché as it sounds, we were both checking out the cantaloupe and Darcy gave me some great tips about how to choose the right one.” Steven pulled her a little closer to him and gazed into her eyes. “It was love at first sight. We hit it off instantly.”
Darcy’s heart fluttered. The way he looked at her as he said it, she actually believed they had fallen in love in front of some cantaloupes.
“That’s sweet, but I don’t buy it,” Jarred said.
“You don’t have to,” Steven retorted. “The only one who has to is Darcy.”
“I can certainly see he is quite smitten with Darcy.” Gina took a sip of her wine and smiled at them both.
The food arrived and Darcy was grateful. Mr. McDonald had ordered a shrimp pasta dish and one with lobster. She wasn’t a big fan of seafood, but tonight she was going to have to eat and pretend she enjoyed it.
Thankfully, while they ate the men chatted a bit about politics, which was something that went right over Darcy’s head. Maybe she should pay more attention to it, but she’d learned to block it out. Her father could discuss politics with people for hours. The conversations always got heated, even if you were on the same side.
As dinner came to an end and they waited on dessert, Darcy was beginning to feel much more at ease. No one seemed to be questioning her as much anymore, but she was sure they would find another time to interrogate her.
“Guess who I saw the other day?” Jarred asked, his focus on Steven.
Steven shrugged.
“Terry.”
Darcy noticed Steven’s expression change. “Oh yeah, how is she?”
“Heartbroken.”
“Jarred, enough,” Gina chimed in.
Who was
Terry? She was going to have to ask Steven so if the name came up again she would know who it was.
The waitress arrived and set a piece of cheesecake in front of everyone. Taking her fork, Darcy took a bite. It was good and creamy. Marcello’s was famous for their cheesecake.
“So, when are you two going to give me some great-grandbabies?” Jasper asked, his gaze hot on Darcy.
“Grandfather. We haven’t even discussed that yet.”
“What the hell are you waiting on?”
“Her father’s blessing for the wedding.”
“Think he’ll give it to you?” Jasper asked.
“I hope.”
“Well, I’m not getting any younger. Hurry up before I croak without ever getting to hold a great-grandbaby.”
Darcy laughed, she couldn’t help it. This family was as nutty as hers.
Dessert was eaten after that rather quietly. Steven offered to give his father money for the meal, but Mr. McDonald declined. Steven stood and reached his hand out to Darcy. After she took it, she pushed her chair out. Mrs. McDonald stood as well and walked over to them.
“It was lovely meeting you. Don’t be a stranger.” She leaned in and gave Darcy a half hug. “And you, son, do what your grandfather says and get her father’s blessing before she wises up and leaves you.”
Steven laughed. “Yes, Mom, I will. I promise.”
He released Darcy’s hand to give his mother a hug. After the embrace he told the rest of his family bye.
“Thank you for the dinner,” Darcy said as Steven took her hand in his again.
As they walked back through the restaurant that was still as busy as it had been when they came in, Darcy couldn’t help but be glad that was over. While it could have been worse, it could have been better too.
At the truck, Steven unlocked her door, but lingered near her. She looked up into his eyes, as she had earlier. Only this time he was smiling and gazing down toward her lips, his eyes filled with desire. Her mouth parted and she waited for him to kiss her. Hoping to encourage him, she reached out and touched his arm.
He moved closer, his lips only inches from hers now. She couldn’t wait to kiss Steven again. She brought her hand up to his neck to pull him to her. Her heart raced a mile a minute as his lips brushed hers. But then she heard someone in the distance calling his name.
He pulled away and Darcy looked over his shoulder as Mrs. McDonald held something black in her hands, strutting toward them.
“Darcy, dear, you forgot your clutch.” She handed it to Darcy.
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. McDonald.”
“Call me Gina, dear.” She looked at her son. “Sorry for interrupting you two, but I’m glad I caught you before you left.”
“It’s fine, Mom.”
Gina waved to them and made her way back to Marcello’s. Darcy glanced back at Steven, wondering if they were going to pick up where they had left off, but Steven was already on his side of the truck climbing in.
As she got in and buckled up he turned to her. “Sorry about that. We should probably try to keep this platonic so things don’t get messy.”
Darcy nodded. Did that mean they wouldn’t be kissing again?
Chapter 8
Over the next few days Darcy and Steven got settled in with one another. Steven was away a lot at work, which left Darcy alone. That was nothing new. She’d been doing it for a few months in her apartment. Only now, she didn’t have a job to look for. In fact, she didn’t really know what to do.
All her clothes were put away. Her bedroom was organized. The house was spotless since a cleaning crew had been there before they moved in.
Darcy was caught up on her TV shows thanks to not only having cable, but any TV service you could think of. She knew she was putting off calling her mom. Each night Steven asked if she’d set anything up yet. She was holding up the engagement. A fake engagement to a man who only wanted to be her friend.
Darcy let out a frustrated sigh and decided she needed to get out of the house for a bit. No longer did she need to worry about gas and money. Grabbing her purse, she sent Allison a text to see if she wanted to meet for coffee. Darcy went outside and walked over to the detached three-car garage. Steven had given her a code to get in. She dug through her purse until she found it. Typing it into the keypad, she waited for the door to open.
Huh? He said her car was in door three. But that wasn’t her car. It was some fancy two-seater sports car. She went inside the garage, wondering if she’d opened the wrong door. But her car wasn’t in there. What the hell?
Placing her bag on the trunk of the car, she pulled her phone out. She had a text from Allison asking where to meet. She would ignore that for now. She dialed Steven to find out where her car was, or she wasn’t going anywhere.
“Hey, Darcy,” he answered. “Would you believe I was just talking about you?”
“That’s nice. Where is my car?” Her tone was full of irritation.
“Garage door number three.”
“Yeah, that’s what you said, but that’s not my car.”
“It is now.”
She stared at the pretty car. It was nice, but a new car wasn’t part of their agreement. “Are you a magician or something? Last time I checked, I had a four-door sedan that was an ugly shade of green.”
Steven laughed. “I got that for you. It’s brand new and all yours.”
“I can’t accept this.”
“You can and you will. The keys are in the ignition.”
“Steven, no.”
He spoke to someone else and then said, “I gotta go, Darcy. I’m needed. I’ll see you this evening.” The call ended.
Darcy’s temper flared. She couldn’t believe he had done this. She wasn’t some charity case. A car had never been something they’d discussed.
Beep beep.
Darcy gazed at the phone in her hand. It was Allison wanting to know where to meet. She texted back the coffee shop downtown.
Darcy climbed inside the car. The interior was all black. She turned the key and it fired right up. Not something she had been used to. A screen lit up on the dashboard. This car came equipped with a tablet in the center. Talk about a distraction while driving.
Rubbing her hands along the steering wheel, she took in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of new car. A grin formed and she hated that this car was making her happy. As she put the car in reverse, she decided to have a little fun with her present and enjoy it while she had it.
* * * *
Steven didn’t really have a meeting to get to, but he also didn’t want Darcy to be mad at him. Once she drove the car he knew she’d love it. And if she didn’t, he was sure he’d hear about it tonight.
He’d been coming home to Darcy now for several nights. Each night she’d cooked a little something. It was never anything gourmet, but it always tasted that way. He was used to take-out in front of the TV or fancy restaurants. Coming home and eating with someone else at the dining room table was new for him.
Every night he went to bed with a raging hard-on. Trying to keep things platonic between them wasn’t easy. He wanted to kiss her and kept thinking about the almost kiss. Then his mind would travel to the evening on the hammock and how incredibly good Darcy had tasted. The way her tongue swooped into his mouth.
Her skin had been soft like cream under his hands. Even now, his hands ached to touch her once more. But if things got physical between them, this whole complicated mess would just get messier.
Once his grandfather finally retired and everything was signed, he could get his life back on track. He needed to keep his distance from Darcy by working late. If not, he was going to fall in love with her. That was a fact he knew.
“Mr. McDonald,” his secretary called from his door. “Mr. White is on line one.”
Darcy’s father. What did he want? Picking up the phone, Steven said, “Good afternoon, Mr. White.”
“Steven, I take it my daughter is all moved in with you. Do you know when she plans
to come see her mother and me?”
Her father was getting right to the point today. “She’s still settling in, but I believe she said soon.”
“How about we make soon tomorrow? You two come up to the house in the afternoon.”
He didn’t want to agree without talking to Darcy first. “Let me make sure Darcy doesn’t have any other plans.”
“If she does, tell her to cancel them. If you’re going to be her future husband, you need to learn to stand your ground with her.”
Steven was taken aback by the comment. “Yes, sir.”
“Good, we’ll see you both soon.” The call ended.
Steven leaned back in his office chair, not sure what to think about the new side he’d just encountered from Mr. White. He was going to have to talk to Darcy about it tonight and find out what the story was there.
* * * *
“I can’t believe you two are shacking up and making at it like wild bunnies.” Allison took a sip of her coffee.
Darcy grinned. She loved Allison and her sense of humor. “No, we’re just friends. The evenings are simple. After we eat dinner, we settle in front of the TV and he hands me the remote to choose something for us to watch.”
“He gives you control of the remote?” She appeared shocked.
“Yeah, why?”
“It certainly is not platonic then. He has the hots for you. Otherwise, he’d have some sort of sports show on.”
Darcy rolled her eyes. “You’re overthinking it. Maybe he’s being a good host.”
“I’d believe that if he was a woman, but we’re talking about a guy and his TV. What size is it?”
Darcy shrugged. “I’d guess about sixty inches.”
“Yeah, he wants to jump your bones.”
“If you’re so sure, then why is he insistent we are just friends?”
“Honey, I don’t know. He’s a man.”
They both laughed. “It feels good to be hanging out. I miss you.”
“I’m only a phone call away.” Allison squeezed Darcy’s hand. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll do this fiancée thing, you’ll save money, and then you’ll open your bakery. I intend to see you succeed.”