Before he could ask for details about what was going on, Toni, the server, walked over. “Everyone here now?”
“Yes.” He looked at Courtney. “What would you like?”
“Caramel and vanilla latte. Decaf. And a petite pumpkin scone.”
“Black coffee for me,” Gabe said.
“Nothing sweet to go with that?” Toni asked.
“No. I think that will do it.”
“Coming right up.” She walked away.
“Did you have dinner?” he asked Courtney.
“I brought home a pizza, which I hoped would buy me some goodwill with my incarcerated teenager.”
“And?” he prompted.
“Not so much.” She sighed. “I found a note on my computer listing five reasons I should reverse her sentence.”
“That’s pretty inventive.” He laughed. “Did the strategy work?”
“Absolutely not. Showing any sign of weakness would give her the upper hand.” She met his gaze. “Ava might not understand completely why I’m being so tough on her about this particular infraction, but what she did could have been dangerous. You saw that right away. Compliments to you on getting it, by the way.”
“It’s not about knowing kids. I’m trying to build the matchmaking business, not give it a black eye,” he said. “Doing what she was asking felt a lot like crossing an ethical line.”
“Yeah. And she also lied to me by not being where she said she was going to be. Someday she’ll understand. I need to know that she’s safe. It’s unacceptable to exploit my faith in her, and she has to pay a price. Losing a little freedom seems like the appropriate way to get my point across.”
Gabe studied her face, the lines of tension that pulled her full lips tight. “Something tells me it’s harder on you than her.”
“It isn’t easy being the enforcer,” she admitted. “I have to work, so she’s on her honor to take the bus straight home from school and stay there unless prior arrangements have been made. Like the day she went rogue. She was supposed to go home with a friend and didn’t. I don’t want to confiscate her phone, because then I can’t contact her.” She sighed. “And when I’m at home with her, she’s a sulky and mouthy kid pushing back against what she sees as unfair and unjust punishment. I have to make this a painful lesson, but doesn’t it seem wrong that it hurts me the most? That I’m the one who’s miserable?”
Just then Toni brought a tray with their coffee and Courtney’s scone. After setting everything on the table, she said, “Is there anything else I can get you? Cream for your coffee?”
“Black is fine,” he told her, then looked at the woman across from him. “You?”
Courtney shook her head. “This is good for me.”
“We’re fine,” Gabe told the teen.
“Okay. If you need refills or anything, let me know. Enjoy.”
“Thanks.”
When the server walked away, Gabe watched Courtney dig into her scone. Something told him she hadn’t eaten any of the goodwill pizza she’d brought home. “So tell me about those negotiations I saved you from.”
She chewed a bite, then washed it down with latte. “Except for her resentment and unhappiness, everything about her being grounded works for me.”
“How?”
“Her room is neat as a pin. According to her, she has no social life.” She smiled. “Putting on hold the boy/girl stuff even for two weeks is a plus as far as I’m concerned. But she’s complaining that I’m destroying her social life. It’s the end of the world, in her opinion, because I’m too strict.”
“Sounds like high drama.”
“You have no idea.” She rolled her eyes. “And somehow she connected her nonexistent social life with my pathetic one. One minute I was explaining the advantages of telling the truth. The next, she promised that if I went on one date, she’d stop badgering me for a whole month.”
He grinned. “If she ever does become a lawyer, I’d put her on retainer in a heartbeat.”
“I know, right?” She smiled, then turned serious. “Her other terms were that if I got a boyfriend, she’d leave me alone for a whole year.”
That gave him the perfect segue. “I feel your pain.”
“I know you don’t have a teen on restriction who’s trying to convince you dating is a good thing,” she said wryly.
“True.” And that was his fault. “But my mom and aunt and the rest of my family are engaged in a conspiracy to drive me crazy.”
“I don’t think it’s possible that they’re worse than Ava.”
“Prepare to be convinced.” He held his lukewarm cup between his hands. “They invited Ember to Sunday dinner.”
“I’m sorry. Ember? That’s a person?”
“Her name is Ember Kiley, and she’s a very attractive woman who is trying to break into modeling. My mother works in a dermatology office, and Ember is a patient. Trying to perfect her already flawless skin.”
“I see.”
“I’m not finished yet.” He sipped his coffee, then swallowed his annoyance along with the bitter liquid. “Sunday dinner is a family tradition. Don’t get me wrong—it’s one I like. Except the part where a different age-appropriate woman is invited every week and ends up sitting beside me.”
“They’re not subtle, are they? Your family.” Courtney’s voice was sympathetic.
“Not even close. I decided to say something. Ask them to cease and desist. No, I begged them, actually.”
“Since you called me to commiserate, I’m guessing it didn’t go well.”
“That’s an understatement.” He looked at her. “Have you ever seen the look of disappointment a mom gets on her face? The one where you’re not meeting her expectations.”
“Yeah. And I’ll never forget it.” Amusement disappeared, and her expression was full of memories that didn’t look pleasant. “It was disappointment times a hundred when I told her I was pregnant. Not long after, I had nowhere to live.”
Gabe’s question had been glib, facetious. He remembered her telling him this and regretted bringing up what must have been an incredibly traumatic event in her life. “Courtney, I’m sorry. You told me about it in the office that day. That was really thoughtless of me.”
She waved away his apology. “No problem. I wasn’t going for the sympathy vote. It was a long time ago. So far my disappointed-mom look hasn’t yielded results, but I keep it around for emergencies. Just wanted to let you know I understand where you’re coming from.”
“I guess you do.” He let out a long breath. Throwing women at him wasn’t even in the same league with kicking out a pregnant teenager. And look at her now. His respect and admiration for her doubled. “I know I have no right to complain about my loving but interfering family.”
“Of course you do,” she protested. “I get it. Ava loves me, too, but the meddling isn’t any easier to take from a child or any other relative. So what did they do when you asked them to stop?”
“They played the wrong card. As in they’re concerned about me, and worry causes stress that can take years off your life.”
“Guilt.” She nodded knowingly. “I know it well. I’m ruining my daughter’s social life because I grounded her for going to a matchmaker to find me a man. It’s so embarrassing.”
“Tell me about it.” There was so much kindness, compassion and understanding in her big brown eyes that he wanted to sink right into them. For several moments, he was quiet, then felt the urge to fill that silence with words. Any words he could think of. “They actually said that I need to get back in the saddle.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
“I don’t even want to see a saddle.”
Half of her scone was still on her plate, apparently forgotten after his confession. She met his gaze, and her own was serious. “You said on the phone that you might have a
fix for the problem. Care to share?”
When Gabe had made the call, he hadn’t been completely sure about this idea. Still, he’d figured reaching out couldn’t hurt. In business he’d learned to go with his gut, and talking to Courtney would convince him one way or the other. They both understood family interference, and that conversation had led him to this crossroad. But he’d made up his mind when she walked into the coffee shop and unleashed those killer dimples when she smiled.
“I have a proposition for you,” he started.
“Oh?” Her expression turned wary.
“You’re probably going to think this is crazy. The most out-there thing you ever heard.”
“Should I be afraid?” she asked.
“You tell me.” Here goes, he thought. “I think we should fake date.”
Chapter Four
When Gabe said “fake date,” Courtney was just swallowing a sip of coffee. She nearly spit it out. Then she started coughing and hoped nothing was coming out of her nose.
“Are you okay?” Gabe started to slide out of the booth and looked as if he was going to do the Heimlich maneuver on her.
“I’m fine,” she managed to say. He signaled Toni for a glass of water, and she took a drink. “Sorry. I thought I heard you say we should fake date.”
“I did.”
A couple seconds passed while she waited for him to crack a smile and say, “Gotcha.” He didn’t. If anything, he looked more intense and brooding than when he’d told her about Ember and the family dinner.
“You’re kidding, right?” She had to make sure she wasn’t being punked.
“I’m completely serious,” he confirmed.
“You’re right.”
“I am?”
She nodded. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“No. Of course,” he said. “Figured I’d just throw it out there. After Ember... No big deal—You’re probably right.”
“Not so fast.” She held up a hand to stop his words. “It’s out there now. That doesn’t mean I’m not curious. Very, very curious.”
“Okay.”
“I have many questions,” she said.
“Shoot.”
Courtney couldn’t believe she was actually discussing this as if it was a serious consideration. It couldn’t hurt to at least understand what he was talking about. “What does fake dating mean?”
“It’s like dating but not real. We go out, pretend to be interested in each other and get my family to stop inviting strange women over for dinner. And your daughter will cease and desist nagging you about having a boyfriend.”
Courtney was somewhat distracted by his boyish good looks and the touch of sheepishness in his expression. Then his words sank in. “So, in essence, we would be lying to the people we love.”
“Wrong thing,” he admitted. “But I submit that it’s for the right reason. We’d be eliminating stress and worry, possibly prolonging their lives.”
“That’s a stretch. And still a lie.” She was trying to wrap her head around the craziest thing she’d ever heard.
“Look at it this way.” He thought for a moment. “We’ll just go out. Friends having a good time. Getting to know each other. People do that all the time.”
“But what would we do?”
“Good question. It’s been a while since I dated.”
“Me, too.” She broke off a piece of the scone on her plate and nervously crushed it between her thumb and index finger.
“What do you like to do?” he asked.
That question gave her pause. “Everything revolves around what my daughter wants to do. I haven’t really thought about what I want for a long time.”
“What do you and Ava do?”
“Shop. Lunch. Movies.” She shrugged. “But she’s spending more and more time with her friends. I’ve noticed lately that being seen with her mom is getting embarrassing. She doesn’t try very hard to hide it.”
His look was sympathetic. “That’s normal.”
“I know.” She was getting sad about her little girl growing up. It was time to turn the question back on him. “What do you like to do?”
“Shopping is not on my recreational activities list. And I can’t remember the last movie I saw. Mostly I work.”
“And I thought I was pathetic.”
He laughed. “Apparently that award goes to me.”
“Maybe our loved ones have a point.” Courtney wondered if Ava was mature beyond her years and could see that her mother’s life was out of balance. “Maybe we do need other interests besides work and child rearing.”
His eyebrows pulled together as he thought that over. “Even if they’re right, the approach is overkill. I don’t know about you, but my response to pressure isn’t positive. It brings out my stubborn streak.”
“Me, too.”
The idea of “seeing” Gabe didn’t suck, she realized. And if it got Ava off her back, she could figure out her own social life without the burden of pleasing her daughter. Or disappointing her. Gabe had mentioned worry and life expectancy in terms of his parents, but kids could guilt you just as much. Maybe more.
“You’ve been quiet over there awhile.” Gabe toyed with the half-empty coffee mug on the table in front of him. “What are you thinking? Probably that I should have my head examined.”
“Actually, maybe I need a psych eval, too,” she admitted. “Your idea is intriguing and might possibly have merit. It’s gone from the craziest thing I ever heard to don’t be so quick to blow it off.”
“Oh?” His blue eyes gleamed with interest.
“How long do you think we’d have to ‘go out’?” She put air quotes around the last two words.
“That’s flexible, I think.” He relaxed in the booth and stretched his arm out along the top. “We’ll take it one ‘date’ at a time.” Now he was using air quotes. “We can gather data and evaluate. When it feels right, we’ll break things off. Afterward we’ll be sad for an appropriate length of time. The whole process could take as little or as long as we see fit. But keep in mind that for the duration of the process, the meddlers will leave us in peace.”
“It sounds like heaven. And yet—underhanded.” She met his gaze. “You make it sound so very easy to be underhanded. Should I be worried?”
“I can provide references if you want,” he teased. “My aunt Lil would vouch for me in glowing terms.”
“What about your mom?”
“She’s prejudiced. In my favor.” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “It’s a mom thing.”
“You’re right. Moms think their kids are perfect.” At least Courtney thought Ava was. “In spite of their flaws.”
“Yeah.”
“So we should talk about ground rules,” she suggested. “Just in case we really decide to do this.”
“Okay.” He looked at her. “You start. What do you think is most important?”
“Hmm.”
She thought about past relationships—not that this would be one. But she’d stayed in her marriage too long after realizing the man she married was a selfish ass. He’d promised he wanted to be a father to Ava, but the ink was barely dry on the marriage certificate before he was talking about having “real” kids. She should have left right then, but she’d tried to make the mistake work. Never again. That was three years ago, and she hadn’t dated since.
“Here’s one,” she said. “Either of us can end it at any time. For any reason.”
“Or no reason.” He nodded. “Agreed.”
“Do you have anything?”
“It should be fun,” he said thoughtfully. “I enjoy spending time with you.”
“Really? Even when I’m dumping my whole life story on you?” She could almost laugh about that day in his office. At this moment she was slightly less mortified.
&nb
sp; “You were upset and had low blood sugar. It happens.” He shrugged. “But fun is good. When that stops, we ‘break up.’”
“Sensible.” Courtney realized that she told Ava everything. She always tried to be up front, honest and straightforward with her daughter. And even Courtney’s girlfriends talked to Ava. That would blow the lid off this. “I just thought of something. Probably we don’t need to spell it out, but—”
“What?”
“Only the two of us can know. The only way a secret stays secret is if you don’t tell anyone.”
“Very clandestine.” He grinned.
Holy moly! When he smiled, her worldview tilted just a little. She felt the power of that look all the way to her toes. If they stuck to the “having fun” rule, it could happen a lot. She hoped that wouldn’t be a problem.
“I guess it’s a thing with me because of my job.” She shrugged. “Patient privacy is a very big deal.”
“Makes sense.”
They looked at each other for several moments without saying anything as she tried to come up with more ground rules and couldn’t. “Surely there’s more that we should define about this.”
“I know, right? Seems too easy, too good to be true.” He looked out the window for a moment. “The thing is, you seem like an incredibly reasonable woman.”
“I am. And you appear to be an amazingly reasonable man.”
“So what about this? If anything comes up, we’ll discuss it like the two reasonable adults we are and adjust the ground rules as necessary?”
“That sounds incredibly—reasonable.” She smiled.
He blew out a breath. “In that case... Are we going to do this?”
Courtney thought about her options. If she turned down this opportunity, she would risk Ava possibly doing something more drastic to fix her up. Something that didn’t include an honest and trustworthy Gabe. Plus, the nagging would continue. Did that make her officially desperate? Yeah, it kinda did. And yet...
“It does seem too easy,” she said. “Shouldn’t it be more complicated?”
“I suppose I can complicate the heck out of it if you want me to,” he teased.
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