A Limited Engagement

by Bethany Michaels

  “They did, Lilly. They do.”

  “Oh, right. The hometown hero and the mousy bookworm.”

  “You need to stop saying stuff like that. You’re the one who’s way too good for me and always have been.” It was true. He’d always been the playboy only interested in the next girl and the next race. He’d die before he saw her end up with a guy like him.

  “The town named a park after you. And me—I’ve made a mess of my life.” She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

  “The park thing was only because I donated the money for the playground equipment. And you didn’t ruin your life. You had a bad week. You’ll bounce back.”

  “Bad week. This isn’t some race I can shake off so I can try for a better finish next time. This is my life. And I’m not going to dig a deeper hole by lying to the people I care about.” She covered her mouth. “What about you? Your parents?”

  She had a point, and she was making his own conscience rear its head uncomfortably. “Look, if you want to go in there and break up the party to tell everybody now, we will. I was just thinking that it would be better to live with the guilty consciences for a couple of hours and let our parents save a little face. It would give us some time to figure out how to break the news. They’re going to be disappointed either way. What would waiting hurt?”

  She chewed at her lip, then eventually gave a deep sigh. “Nothing. I guess.”

  “We’ll tell them as soon as the party is over, if you still want to.”

  She sighed. “Fine. But you’re telling them about how this was all your idea and I just went along to help you out.”

  “Fair enough.” He reached across the seat to touch her hand. “So you’ll be my fiancée for a few more hours?”

  She frowned, then nodded slowly. “I’d better have at least two job offers on the table when this is done.”

  “Not a problem. Has it been that bad? Our fake engagement? Spending time with me?”

  “No, not at all. Up until last night, it had been pretty great, actually.”

  He put the truck in park and turned to look at her. Her cheeks were pink. “Not everything about last night was bad, I hope.”

  “It’s just that I thought we were back to the friend thing, now that we’re home.”

  She met his gaze, and for a moment he got lost in the deep blue of her eyes. He’d hurt her last night. His breath caught, his pulse pounded, and he wanted nothing more than to protect this woman he’d known all his life from more pain and humiliation. He’d pulled her into this mess, and he was about to force her to lie to her parents, all because he couldn’t stand the thought of being connected to his father. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. And selfish, no matter how he tried to justify it. She deserved better. He’d figure out something with the sponsors.

  “You know what? Forget it. I’ll take you home and then go in alone and tell everyone the truth. This isn’t your fault. None of it. I’ll deal with the fallout.”

  He put the truck in reverse and started to back down the driveway.

  She put her hand on his arm. “Wait.” She licked her lips. “This wasn’t all your fault. Your idea, sure. But I went along with it. I agreed. And it wasn’t just for you. I got to delay telling my parents about losing my job and breaking up with Richard for one more weekend, too.” She tilted her head. “Being your fiancée isn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” She smiled at him in the way that made him want to grab her and kiss her breathless. “You can be charming when you want to be.”

  “And here I thought I was just a thorn in your side.”

  “You are. But I think we should go ahead with this. Just for tonight.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely not.” She gave him a wobbly grin. “But let’s do it anyway.”

  He grinned at her and put the truck in drive. “You’re pretty charming yourself, Lil. And I promise to behave. There won’t be any repeats of last night.” As much as he wanted there to be, he owed it to her to leave her untouched, despite what she thought she wanted. It had been awkward enough between them this morning. “Although there might have to be a few kisses here and there. Just to make it look real.”

  She gave a long-suffering sigh. “I will try to endure.”

  He squeezed the truck onto the last bit of available pavement in his driveway and hopped out of the truck just as people he’d known all his life began spilling out the back door. He gave a cocky grin, then went around the truck to open her door for her. When he set her down on the ground, he smiled at her. “Ready?”

  “Almost.”

  She ran her hand up his chest to his shirt pocket where he’d stashed her engagement ring.

  “Oh, right.” He plucked it out of this pocket, took her hand, and slipped it back onto her ring finger. He met her gaze, and something clenched in his gut, like when he was one car back from the lead on the last lap. He didn’t want to let her hand go. But he was going to have to when he told everyone he’d known all his life that it was all an act.

  “Now we’re ready. I think.”

  “Great. Let’s do this.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and together they walked to the porch.

  Here went nothing. Again.

  Chapter Eight

  Everyone wanted to see the ring—old women from church Lilly had known all her life, young girls with pigtails, her third-grade teacher, old Ms. Fisher who ran the beauty shop in town, her mother and Derek’s. They all examined it and congratulated her, making her feel that the gold-and-diamond band encircling her ring finger was a bigger accomplishment than anything else she’d ever achieved in her life. Being named valedictorian of her graduating class, going to college on full scholarship, and landing the high-profile job at RSG were just footnotes.

  “So were you thinking a June wedding, sweetie? I just got in some beautiful strapless gowns,” Mrs. Grossman said. “Come down to the Bridal Barn and have a look.”

  Lilly hedged, not wanting to add to the mountain of lies that was already piling up. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought that far ahead.”

  “Tell me you’re not buying your gown from Atlanta,” she said, brow furrowing. “They might have a bigger selection at those big fancy bridal boutiques, but I can promise you they’ll fall apart at the seams by the time y’all are ready to cut the cake.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” Lilly said. “I‘ll definitely buy my wedding gown from you.” It just wouldn’t be any time soon. A small technicality, not a lie.

  “Well, now that you’re home, we’ll have some time to plan everything,” her mother said. “My only daughter getting married. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the day.”

  Lilly cocked her head. “You didn’t think I’d get married?” She’d made it pretty clear to her parents that Richard was the man she had chosen to fulfill the marriage part of her five-year plan.

  “Well, not to a hometown boy, no. I was afraid you’d marry that Richard and live in an apartment someplace and I’d never get to see the grandkids.”

  “I thought you liked my apartment in Chicago.” She was a little hurt. She’d been pretty proud of her first place and had been excited for her parents to see it. And “that Richard” had been handsome and successful, someone Lilly had thought her parents would be proud she’d managed to land.

  “Well, of course it’s fine for a single girl. But don’t you want a home of your own?”

  “I was planning to move into Richard’s condo…that is if we’d gotten married.”

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore, Maryanne,” Mrs. Sawyer said, patting her shoulder. “Our Lilly is back home now. Those grandbabies will be playing in our backyards in no time.”

  Babies. She felt the blood drain from her face. “I need to, uh, find Derek.”

  “Of course you do.” Her mother sighed. “I remember when I couldn’t bear to be parted from your daddy for more than a minute or two at a time.” She giggled. “Lord, it seemed like an eternit
y waiting on that wedding day.”

  “And the wedding night,” someone chimed in.

  “Of course things aren’t like they used to be.” She looked at Lilly, making it clear she thought she and Derek were already steaming up the bedsheets.

  Parents. Sex. Ick. At least Grandma Gail wasn’t within earshot. She’d never had much of a verbal filter, and in recent years it seemed to have disappeared altogether.

  She slipped through the crowd, letting her mother and her mother’s friends chatter and reminisce, feeling worse than ever about the lie she and Derek had perpetrated. They would be so disappointed once they told them the truth about it all being a bad, bad misunderstanding amplified by social media, the press, and their parents’ desire for grandchildren.

  She went to the kitchen, mercifully empty, and opened the fridge to see if Derek happened to have any wine coolers handy. She didn’t need anything fancy, no aged bourbon or champagne or God knew what else people like him drank when cost wasn’t a consideration.

  Hmm, other than energy drinks, there really wasn’t much beyond a jar of pickles, some ketchup, and a box of baking soda. She’d expected something fancy. Richard’s Sub-Zero was always stocked with gourmet pâté and smoked salmon. She’d thought it was romantic, like he’d pull that stuff out just for her when she came over. Now she wondered how many other women had put their fingers in his pâté.

  “Hiding?” she heard Derek say from behind her.

  She grabbed an energy drink and turned to face him.

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Only to me.” His face looked strained, too. “Sorry there’s not much in the way of groceries. I usually have my housekeeper know when I’m headed home so she can stock the fridge. It kind of slipped my mind this weekend.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t have much of an appetite right now, anyway.” She opened her drink and took a sip. “They were talking about grandbabies, Derek. Children. I think this was a mistake. You are totally going to burn in Hades. And I’ll be right there next to you.”

  “Great. We can picnic on the banks of the Styx.” He touched her arm. “It’s only for a little while longer. Hang in there.”

  “What am I supposed to say when people ask me about the flowers and the gown and the wedding date, for heaven’s sake?”

  “The key is to deflect and redirect when someone asks a question you don’t want to answer,” he said. “And mention your sponsors.”

  She raised a skeptical brow. “Really?”

  “Works all the time. Watch one of my interviews on TV sometime.”

  “I have. And it never seemed to me like you held back much of anything.”

  “I never said I was good at it.” He flashed his million-dollar grin. “But I always mention my sponsors.”

  “That’s helpful, thanks,” she said, rolling her eyes. “So after Mrs. Grossman asks me about the dress and I reply with a comment on the weather, I’ll be sure to thank Liars Anonymous and the Lake County unemployment office for their support.”

  “See? You’re a pro already.”

  “Hey, Derek,” one of his friends said, peeking into the kitchen. “You gotta see Bobby’s new ride.”

  He pulled back from Lilly. “Sure, man. Be right there.”

  “Okay, well, good talk,” she said.

  “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I’ll survive. Promise.”

  He grinned down at her for a long moment before he followed his buddy out of the kitchen.

  She returned to the living room even more keyed up than she’d been before. She hated lying. Hated it.

  She tried to find a quiet corner, but there was no such thing. Someone had cranked up the stereo, and George Strait was explaining why liquor was “Cheaper than a Shrink.” Just then Shana walked through the door.

  As guilty as she felt lying to her parents, lying to Shana was worse. She and Shana had always told each other everything. Well, almost everything. Lilly had never shared that she nursed a raging crush on Shana’s older brother.

  Shana was still dressed in khaki pants and a red polo shirt emblazoned with “Pets 911.” She must have just come off a call. Shana’s veterinary clinic was closed on Sunday, except for emergencies. She didn’t have to work, of course, but she’d always loved animals, and Lilly suspected getting through vet school and opening her own practice was Shana asserting her independence from her wealthy family, proving she could do it on her own.

  She made a beeline for Lilly and grabbed a beer on the way. “Come on,” she said, taking Lilly’s hand and leading her to the one quiet place in the house—the master bathroom. Shana locked the door behind her.

  “Shana, what—”

  “Okay, spill,” she said, setting her beer on the bathroom counter. “I want to know how it is that I’m your best friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law and you didn’t say a word to me at all about dating my big brother.”

  She chewed at her lip and considered lying to her. But then knew that she couldn’t. They hadn’t kept a secret from each other since they were eight years old, and she wasn’t about to start now.

  She took a deep breath and let it fly. “We’re not really engaged.”

  Shana’s smile froze. “What do you mean you’re not engaged? The photos were all over the internet of you two snuggling outside Tiffany’s. Then at that cocktail party in Dallas. You’re wearing the ring. The whole town is out there drinking beer and probably taking bets on whether you’ve got a bun in the oven.” She covered her mouth. “Did you guys break up already?”

  “It was all a big misunderstanding. It started out as a favor to Derek.” She filled Shana in on the weekend in Texas, Derek’s plot to get the overly amorous woman off his back, and his promise to help her find a new job when it was all over.

  “Oh. My. God,” she said, the disappointment evident on her face. “Your mama is going to kill you.”

  “Not if your mother kills me first. Or maybe she’ll get to Derek first and forget about me.”

  “Oh, I get first go at my brother,” Shana said. “I can’t believe he pulled you into this mess.”

  “I agreed to it,” Lilly said, sinking down to sit next to Shana on the cool tile. “I feel awful. We’re telling them tonight, as soon as everybody goes home.”

  “I’m really bummed.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Because I know you’ve always had a crush on Derek, and I was hoping he’d finally gotten his head out of his ass, gotten tired of the bimbos he usually dates, and realized how awesome you are.”

  “You knew?”

  “Well, duh. Did you really think I didn’t catch on that you suddenly wanted to have a girls’ night at my house every time Derek came home?”

  Lilly grimaced. “I hoped you hadn’t.”

  “Puh-lease. You were like a lovesick puppy dog whenever he was around.”

  “Was it that obvious?”

  “Totally.” She shrugged. “And let’s not forget that time you stole his T-shirt.”

  Lilly groaned. “Does everyone know about that?”

  “You’ve always had it bad for him. Still do.”

  She dropped her head. “You might be right. Which is partially why I agreed to help Derek in the first place. It was kind of like getting to play dress-up. See what it would feel like to be Derek’s girl, even if it was only for a weekend.”

  “And? How does it feel?”

  “Good. Too good. And now I’m knee-deep in another mess. What the hell happened to my life plan, Shana? I had it all figured out. College, career, family. And then, POW! Everything just exploded in my face and now all that’s left is little pieces of Derek-shaped shrapnel.”

  “Life happened, sweetie. You can’t exactly plan for everything. Believe me on that one.”

  “I can try.”

  But Shana had a point. And she would know. She and her high-school sweetheart and longtime fiancé had broken up last year. She seemed to be bouncing back, though. Reinvigorated, even, by the c
hange. Her veterinary practice was doing great, and she seemed happier than she’d been in a long time. Lilly wished she were able to just roll with the changes like Shana.

  “I love my brother,” Shana said, taking her hand. “But the divorce did something to him. Made him a harder person in a lot of ways. I think he saw the way my dad was—always so obsessed with work and never home. Part of him resented it and still does. The other part of him wanted to be that guy. And I think he is, to some degree. Racing is everything to him. I’m not sure there’s room in his life for anything—or anyone—else.”

  Something in Lilly’s belly lurched. She knew that. Derek had told her that, in fact. But for some reason it still was a disappointment. “I never really knew how much it affected him until this weekend.”

  “He’s not really the sharing type.” Shana squeezed her hand. “Just be careful, okay? The last thing I want is for you to get hurt.”

  “I won’t, don’t worry. This is just business.” Maybe if she repeated that enough, it would be true.

  Her friend gave her a hug. “So what do you say tomorrow we get some lunch at Peggy’s like old times and forget all about Derek.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “All right, let’s get back out there and pretend to be almost-sisters.”

  “Right. It shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours anyway. I mean, how long can these old folks party, anyway?”

  “Honey, you’ve been up north way too long. As long as the beer holds out, there’ll be people here to drink it. Trevor Davis was just tapping the second keg when I walked in.”

  …

  Derek had forgotten how nice it was to have a beer with the guys he’d grown up with and simply talk about cars and women. He wasn’t the celebrity with them, wasn’t the face of his sponsors’ products, wasn’t the guy being interviewed on ESPN. He was just Derek. Maybe he’d made a mistake staying away from home so much these past few years.

  They mooned over Derek’s project car, admiring the chrome engine and valve covers he’d installed the last time he was home.