“Aaron.” Her face lit at the sight of him and extinguished at the sight of me. “I see you brought a date.”
“Rick said I should. He said I needed to stop living like a monk.” The irony was lost on none of us. “This is Piper.”
“Hi.” I offered my hand. She took it reluctantly never letting her eyes leave Aaron’s. Oh this was going to be a fun night. Not. I’m not really the sort of girl who enjoys woman to woman animosity.
A distinguished looking gentleman with grey at the temples and a tan like he was fresh from the beach approached. “Darling, the caterer needs you. Oh Aaron, so glad you came. And who is this enchanting creature?” He was as transfixed by me as his wife was not.
“I’m Piper.”
He kissed the back of my hand. “Delighted.”
We entered an apartment that seemed to be made almost entirely of glass and steel and marble. It was cold and I couldn’t imagine living here or paying the heating bill. A waiter offered us champagne and I reminded myself that I had been up since two in the morning and alcohol was a bad idea, but then I saw it was Cristal they were pouring and decided one wouldn’t hurt.
Aaron steered us toward a group of people about his age. The party seemed to be divided into two groups: the hungry young lawyers eager to impress (apparently some even eager enough to agree to an arranged marriage), and the older well-established set. Ophelia was clearly straddling both crowds.
Literally.
I was introduced around to the group which was a mix of young guns and their partners. It became evident that Aaron was the only single one in the group.
“It’s so nice to see Aaron with a date,” a woman named Kelly told me. “He’s all work and no play, this one.”
“I wouldn’t say no play. I do play baseball.”
“You know what I mean, silly.” She touched his arm in flirty way.
That wasn’t cool. I clutched my champagne glass extra hard and plastered a smile on. They were a self-centered group. No need for me to worry about being interesting, I must have stood there for half an hour while they prattled on about work, no one asking me a question until Ophelia joined us.
“So, Aaron, how long have you two been dating?”
“About a month,” he said. The secret to a good lie as we all know is to keep it brief. Too many details and there is too much to remember.
“You certainly have kept it hush, hush,” she added, flipping her hair with a perfectly manicured index finger.
“You know how it is when things are new,” he said. “You sometimes want to keep it to yourself.”
She turned her frosty gaze on me. “So what do you do, Piper?”
I have a spiel that I use to promote my business and I was almost always ready to go at it all guns blazing, but I was nervous and it made me mumble. “I make pies. I mean I have some food trucks.”
“Hang on,” said Kelly. “You’re Piper from Pied Piper Pies, aren’t you? I saw you in the business section of the Herald the other week. I thought you looked familiar.”
“That’s me.”
“Oh my goodness, your pies are amazing,” a guy called Sam joined in. “I love your rhubarb and apple, and, oh, the Moroccan.” He sighed.
It seemed everyone in the circle except Ophelia was aware of my pies, so there was no need to blow my own trumpet at all. Aaron grinned down at me. This was all going swimmingly for him.
“What an entrepreneurial spirit you are.” Ophelia’s compliment didn’t sound like a compliment. “I better go check on our other guests.”
I was fading fast. Aaron pushed a curl over my shoulder as I stifled a yawn. “Tired?”
“I’ve been up since two, sorry.”
“Right. Let’s blow this popsicle stand.” He took my glass and handed it to the waiter.
We excused ourselves from the group and headed to find the host.
“Leaving so soon, son?” Rick asked when we found him.
“Piper started work early this morning. It’s been a long day.”
“No need to make excuses to me, you two. Young love and all that. Get out of here.”
Aaron took my hand and we made our escape, Phase One complete. We had that crowd fooled.
Down on the street, I turned to him. “You could have stayed and popped me in a taxi.”
“Not on the third date.” He waggled his eyebrows.
I was too tired to laugh. “Oh yeah. So you live near here, right?”
“A few blocks over. Want to see?”
“Sure.” I figured I should if we were getting married and I’d be moving in.
Aaron lived in a brownstone not unlike the one Sarah Jessica Parker lived in on Sex in the City. The difference was, he had the whole thing to himself and this was Boston not New York.
“It’s a bit much, right?”
“It’s lovely. Aaron, are you kind of loaded? Because Cherie has a nice place, but it’s nothing like this.”
“My dad and her dad are brothers, but my mother’s family is, as you put it, loaded. My grandparents gave me this when I graduated. It’s kind of embarrassing, really.”
“It’s kind of fantastic.” I smiled at him.
The furniture was classic American. Overstuffed sofas in muted tones, end tables dotted with lamps, and opulent Persian rugs. It had a hint of success, the smell of money, and some laid-back Aaron in the mix.
“I don’t think anyone would believe that you’d leave all this behind to live above my kitchen.”
“Men have done stranger things for love.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t feel like something you’d do, knowing you as I have for these last thirty-six hours.”
“Who knows what I’d do for love? I’ve never been.”
“You’ve never been in love?”
He shook his head. “You?”
“Well, sure. I have a regular habit of falling for the wrong guy.”
“Like the one who brought you to the States?”
“Oh yeah, he was perfect. Just not at all perfect for me.”
“In what way?”
“Well, he wasn’t great with monogamy. And he liked to gamble. Not a winning combination.”
“I hope he was attractive at least?”
“Yep, too attractive, which made the lack of monogamy way too easy for him.” I sounded flippant, but that bastard had nearly destroyed me and the mere thought of him unnerved me. I’d sworn off men ever since. He hadn’t been the first guy to break my heart, but he was definitely going to be the last. “How come you’ve never been in love?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m just a cynic. Not sure I even believe in love.” He already said this so I guess that was his way of telling me not to fall for him. “I mean, I guess some people fall in love, but I don’t think everyone does. I think lots of people are simply out there fooling themselves. They want to believe so they tell themselves its love.”
“I didn’t have you picked as a cynic.”
“I like to surprise.” He smiled at me. It was a warm smile. Maybe he’d never been in love, but plenty of people had been in love with him I was certain of that.
Well that explained why Aaron, smart, attractive, and wealthy, was prepared to marry someone he didn’t know to advance his career. If love didn’t exist why hold out for it?
When I finally hopped in a cab to go home, I looked back at Aaron standing in front of his impressive brownstone and wondered not for the first time what the heck I was doing?
Chapter 3
I could hear my phone ringing, but I ignored it. I opened my eyes long enough to see it was eleven in the morning. Who cared? I needed to sleep. It had been an exhausting few days and, let’s face it, my schedule was already full-on without adding a potential husband to the mix.
Next thing I knew, someone was pounding on my door. I figured it was Cherie. Who else would pound on my door on a Sunday? I was wearing red sleep shorts and a black tank top. I no doubt I had mascara smudged halfway down my cheeks and I didn’t care.
That was, until I opened the door to find Aaron standing there. He looked like he’d stepped out of a GQ magazine. He held two cups of coffee and what smelled suspiciously like a bag of donuts.
I groaned and put my hand out for the coffee.
“So you’re a morning person then?” He handed it over. Smart guy.
“I get up early every other morning, just not Sundays.”
“Sorry. I called first.”
“I ignored that. On purpose.” I flopped down on my IKEA lounge. “So, this is my home.”
I looked around the room. It wasn’t too messy thankfully. My bicycle hung from the wall and a pile of magazines and newspapers were stacked beside my desk where my laptop sat. I had a filing cabinet, a wing chair, the red couch I was flopping on, and a small dining table near the kitchenette. A screen separated my bedroom and the bathroom from the rest of the space.
“It’s cozy,” he said surveying the joint. I tried to look at my apartment through his eyes.
“I’ve been putting my money into the business.”
“I like it. There’s absolutely no need to justify yourself to me, Piper.”
“So why are you here? Apart, of course, for the fact that you’re madly in love with me and can’t wait to marry me.”
“I have a family thing today. My cousin’s kid’s birthday. I thought maybe you would come with me.”
“No.”
“No?”
“Is it Cherie’s side or your mum’s?”
“Cherie’s.”
“Then it’s a definite no.”
“Why? I thought that would make it easier.”
He was wrong about that. I liked Cherie’s family. Her mom sometimes helped me with the business, her Dad made me laugh, and her grandma sent me home with pastries. I didn’t want to lie to them.
“I’m not ready.”
“It’s not easy for me either, but if we’re planning to elope soon, it will be more credible if they’ve seen us together.”
“Only if they buy it and I’m not sure I can sell it.”
“Because I’m so repulsive?”
I shook my head. He sat there looking like a male super-model.
“Look at you, you look like…well, you don’t look like you would be likely to fall in love with this.” I waved my coffee cup over myself.
“That’s ridiculous. You’re amazing.”
“Let me ask you this then. Are most of the girls you date like Ophelia?”
He nodded.
“Tall, blonde lawyer types, right? So why, all of a sudden, would you go out with a short red-head from a working-class background.”
“Maybe it’s destiny.”
“They know you. They won’t believe that.”
“Okay, but you think they’d believe you’d date me?”
“Sure. You’re a good-looking, successful guy. Of course I’d date you.” Oops, that came out wrong, or rather; it shouldn’t have come out at all. “You’re a catch so if I wasn’t marrying you and if you asked me out I probably would go and see if we had anything in common.”
“But I’m too shallow to go out with you?”
“I never said shallow; I said you had a type.”
“Maybe you’re my type.” His eyes narrowed on me like a tractor beam.
It felt awkward. I was aware that I didn’t have much clothing on, that his eyes were trailing over my body, and that there was a spark here.
“Look, honey, our first fight!” I said to lighten the tension.
“Shall we kiss and make up?” His gaze was on my mouth.
“Yeah, right.” I stood up and turned away. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready. But for the record, I think this is a mistake.”
I’d been to Cherie’s cousin Vinnie’s house before. Vinnie was also Aaron’s cousin and his place was just north of the city. It was a typical New England house - grey shingles with white trim. He had a huge yard that, today, included about fifty friends and relatives, a pony ride, and a jumping castle as we called them in Australia but I would learn was called a bounce house here in America.
Vinnie ran a car dealership and sold me my first food truck at a good price. His wife, Maria, was the sweetest thing ever. She reminded me of Marie Osmond and seemed to have almost as many children. They were good people.
“Look at you two,” she said. “Who’dathought?”
Who indeed? Cherie spotted us and hurried over. “You know, Maria, I’ve always said I should be a match-maker, right? These two are more of my handy work.”
“Cherie set me and Vinnie up in high school,” Maria explained. “And Robbie and Ellen, too.” She pointed to an attractive all-American couple holding adorable blonde twins with cute little pigtails in their hair. “She has a gift.”
Cherie winked at me as Maria headed off. “I have a gift you guys. Although, I’m surprised to see you out and about together so soon. Does this mean it’s really on?”
“We’re letting today be the judge.” Aaron explained. “We pulled it off at a work function last night. If we can convince this crowd, too, then maybe…”
“We’re going to be family!” Cherie said happily to me.
That was a big problem. I could see myself giving up Aaron and his pretty face, and I could see myself leaving his luxury home and returning to my loft when this was over, but I couldn’t quite see myself surviving if I was exiled by Cherie’s family when we eventually divorced. They were the closest thing to a real family I had ever had and I didn’t think I would make it if I lost them.
“You okay?” Aaron asked as the cloud in my mind was clearly reflected on my face.
I shrugged. “We’ll see.”
It was a really nice party. Naturally, I brought some pies for dessert which I had handed over to the group of grandmothers and aunts in the kitchen. Cherie’s real nonna was out in the yard watching the pony rides.
“Piper, how nice to see you.” She looked Aaron up and down. “You’re here with him?”
“Hi, Tanta Carmel.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek.
She squinted her eyes. “Now you like Piper?”
“Yes, Tanta.”
“She’s too good for you, you know?”
“I do.” His face was solemn and respectful.
“You better not hurt her. Your grandmother, may she rest in peace, told me to keep an eye on you. You’re too handsome for your own good. Just like your father.”
“Tanta, I am nothing like my father.” His voice was stern and his gaze steady. “Nothing at all.”
“Of course not, except the good-looking part.” She patted his cheek.
Note to self: ask Aaron about his father.
After some mingling, Aaron leaned in and whispered in my ear. His arm was slung around my shoulder and his breath was warm, giving me goose bumps. “At some point today we are going to have to kiss.”
“I don’t think a PDA is necessary?”
“PDA?”
“Public display of affection,” I hissed back.
“These people are Italian. Look around, there’s nothing but PDA.”
When I let my gaze wander around the room, I could see a young couple kissing beside the bounce house, a couple of men rubbing their pregnant wives’ backs and bellies, several older men swatting their wives’ asses as they went past or giving them a kiss as they handed them cake. It was actually a really beautiful scene.
Then, I felt Aaron kiss the top of my head. “See? PDAs everywhere.”
I turned my face up to say something and he planted his lips on mine, firm and soft at once. It was warm and inviting but nothing lewd and it felt nice. An electric zing reverberated around my body.
I hadn’t expected a zing.
He pulled back as if he’d felt it, too. Of course that was ridiculous. I wasn’t his type and the one thing we agreed on was that this was purely platonic. He was acting a part.
“How sweet,” said Marie, who was standing nearby. “I remember when Vinnie and I were like that.”
> “You guys are still like that,” I said.
“Yeah but its different now. Lovely but different.”
Aaron’s phone rang. I better take this; he indicated and wandered off around the front of the house for some quiet.
Cherie’s nonna tracked me down. “I don’t know about you and Aaron, Piper.”
“He’s nice, Nonna. And cute. Cherie set us up.” That was all true.
“I know, but he’s too pretty and too rich for his own good. Plus his family…”
“Aren’t you his family?”
“I mean his parents. Not good examples. Not a good match.”
“Well I guess we have that in common, too, because my parents certainly weren’t a good match.”
She shook her head. “I know you, Piper. You have a big heart. Just watch it with this one. Yes, he’s family, but you can love some of them and still be wary.”
She had an excellent point. I had many a family member like that.
It was time for the cake, but Aaron was nowhere to be found. As his girlfriend, I took it upon myself to go around the front and let him know.
His voice was tense. He ran his hand through his thick hair. “You don’t have to understand, Ophelia. This is not about you. This is about me and what I want. You have Rick and I’m moving on.” He turned and caught my eye. He was embarrassed I could see, wondering how much I had heard. “I’ve got to go.”
“It’s time for cake,” I said before heading off.
“Wait.” His hand landed on my shoulder, all warm and solid. “How much did you catch?”
“Just the end. Did I miss anything good?”
“I like you, Piper, and I want this to work. It’s probably going to take a little bit more time for some people to buy it than others.”
Would he really care if it was only a business arrangement? “Namely Ophelia.”
“Namely Ophelia.”
“And Cherie’s nonna,”
“Okay, and Cherie’s nonna...”
That night I went back to Aaron’s for pizza and to discuss how we would move forward. I only had a couple of weeks before my visa expired so if Aaron wasn’t “the one” I needed a new plan. I was in the kitchen when the doorbell buzzed and I assumed it was the pizza guy. That was until I heard a distinctively posh female voice. Ophelia!
Any Way You Slice It: An Upper Crust Novella (Upper Crust Series Book 1) Page 2