“Just kissing,” she said, letting some of the exasperation she was feeling into her voice. “That’s all. We’re not solving world hunger.”
“I know…but…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
She wanted to pull him back down for more kisses, but the mood was ruined. The fire had been doused, and disappointment now pressed down on her like a thick fog. “Are you tired yet?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I think I am.”
“Me, too.” That was a lie. She wasn’t tired at all. She was energized and wanted to practice PDA for a while more. But she knew that had evaporated, like the morning dew in the sun.
She stood up and gathered the duvet around her. “Let’s go in.”
Derek set down Nara’s sewing machine and surveyed the room. He had set up another table in his office for her so she could start to work on her entry for the fashion contest. They’d brought over three large plastic tubs of fabric from her father’s house, and her rack for hanging clothes. She’d already hung several of her dresses. He kind of liked the pop of color in his office.
Nara walked in carrying another tub and her sewing box. “Do you care where I put this?”
“Nope. Wherever you’d like.”
Nara set it down, then exhaled and a strand of her hair shot up. It was adorable. “I think that’s everything.”
He tried not to stare too hard at her. “Do you think you’ll be able to make the deadline?”
She bit her lip as she rummaged through one of the bins. “If I can find that dress, I’ll be fine.” She dug deeper.
“Where do you think it is?”
“Wait, I think I see purple. This might be it.” She fished around a second longer, then tugged. The dress popped out. “Here it is.”
She held it up to herself. It was fancier than he’d imagined. One long sleeve, the fabric draping over the one shoulder and down the front. It was a good design, from his limited experience, anyway. “Wow, that looks great.”
“You think so?” Her smile traveled to her eyes as she moved, the dress still held to her front.
“I’d totally pick that as the winner.”
She laughed and whacked his arm. “Gee, thanks.”
He loved how playful she could be with him, and he tried to play along. “I’m serious. When they contact me to ask, because we both know they will, I’ll tell them yours is the best one.”
She laughed again. “I knew I could count on you. Now all I need to do is work on my acceptance speech.”
He nodded, sobering his expression. “Yes. You’d better. You don’t want to mess that up.”
She curled her hair behind her ear and draped her dress over the rack. “Thanks, by the way, Mr. Emperor.”
His eyebrows shot up. “For?”
“I saw the strawberry syrup in the cupboard.” She batted her eyes at him. “How did you know that was my favorite?”
Brielle walked out of the guest bedroom, her hair pulled back by a scrunchie, loud workout pants on. “Are you kidding me? He’s been in love with you since forever. He knows everything about you.”
She jaunted down the stairs, leaving only a trace of perfume, and his utter humiliation in her wake. Derek’s mouth went dry and panic filled his chest. What had Brielle just said? And how was he supposed to react to that?
Nara froze, her face unreadable. “What?”
A swirl of thoughts assaulted him, and he couldn’t catch his breath. Brielle just told the love of his life, his major crush through all eternity, that he’s been in love with her forever. He was so used to covering that part of him up, that his first instinct was to deny it. Erase it. Make it so that didn’t happen.
But, then another thought popped into his head. What if he just chuckled and said, “Yeah, you didn’t know that?” What if he played it real cool, and admitted to her for the first time that he’d had feelings for her.
The thought made him balk and he took a step back. He couldn’t do that. It would be way too embarrassing. He wasn’t that cool. He was awkward and stupid. The sweat forming on his forehead was proof enough. He could never pull that off.
Seconds ticked by, and alarm shot through him. If he didn’t say something…anything…she was going to know something was off. He had to react. Now!
Derek made a face. “What?”
Confusion clouded Nara’s features. “Did Brielle just say you’ve been in love with me for years?”
His heart hammered in his chest, and he did the first thing that came to his mind. He pshawed. Mortification filled him. Did he just say, “Pshaw?” For real? What was he, ninety? He forced out more words to cover up his embarrassment. “She’s just joking around. You know Brielle. What a jokester she is. Always making up stuff.”
Nara’s eyes narrowed. “Why would she say that?”
Derek had to make something up, and fast. Too bad his brain had left him. Hung up a sign that said, “I’ll be back later, you moron.” He had absolutely nothing.
Nara just stared at him, so he opened his mouth and let a string of idiocy come out. “I think it’s because of that one time.” He held out his hand and snapped his fingers, hoping beyond hope that something brilliant would come to his mind. Instead, he just stood there snapping like one of those guys from West Side Story.
“You know,” he continued, now desperate for anything to fill the silence. “That one time we did that thing. And she joked about it. And we all laughed.” Sweat dripped down the side of his face. He wasn’t doing a great job at this. He was totally screwing everything up. She would see through this. She would finally know how he’d felt about her all these years.
Nara tugged at her ear. “Huh. I don’t remember that.”
Derek let out a too-loud laugh. “Yeah, it was funny. That’s what she’s talking about. Joking about. That whole thing. But since you don’t remember, it’s not really funny anymore.”
Why was he still talking? Why didn’t he just shut up and get out of there? Yes, that’s what he needed to do. Right now.
Derek shoved his hands in his pockets. “Okay, I’d better go check on that thing. I don’t want to wait too long…or that thing…might…” He had nothing in the oven. Nothing going on whatsoever because they were still supposed to be on their honeymoon. He gave up and finally said, “You know.”
He brushed past her and rushed down the stairs, sweat stinging his eyes. His armpits felt like tiny saunas. He really needed to get out of there. Maybe go for a walk. Or, go to the store. Sure, that would work. He grabbed his keys and headed to the garage, like he was on a mission. Nara was always complaining about him wearing suits. Maybe he would pick up some casual clothes. Yes, that was it. He needed them. Now. Before the world exploded.
Or before he had to face Nara again.
Chapter 23
Nara watched Derek’s car as he drove down the driveway and out onto the street. What was up with him? He was acting so strange.
She shrugged and fished around her sewing tub, looking for her book of patterns. She really couldn’t contemplate Derek and his odd behavior right now. She had to gather what she needed to enter the contest.
It took her several hours, and a little bit of time filling out online forms, but finally by five o’clock she’d taken all the photos she needed and uploaded everything to the website. She was officially entering the Poiz Design contest. Her palms grew sweaty as she clicked the send button.
Whew. It was done. She stood, nerves making her want to go running or something. She wiped her hands on her jeans. Nothing more to do now, other than to wait.
A smell wafted up from downstairs, and her stomach growled. Had she skipped lunch? Wow, she must have really been concentrating. She didn’t normally skip meals. She sprinted down the stairs, wondering what Brielle was making.
When she entered the kitchen, she stopped short. It wasn’t Brielle cooking. Derek stood in front of the stovetop, a frying pan sizzling in his hand. He turned to glance at her. “Hey,” he said.
Bri
elle was sitting on a stool, a paperback in hand. She didn’t look up from her book.
“What are you making?” Nara asked.
“Just a sausage skillet dish.”
She breathed in the aroma. “Smells delicious. Holy cow. I didn’t know you can cook.”
Derek nodded, his spatula stirring the contents of the pan. “I’ve learned to make some simple dinners over the years.”
Feeling a bit flirty, and emboldened by Brielle sitting there, Nara walked up behind him and put her arms around his waist, snugging into his back. “I got super lucky, marrying a man who knows his way around the kitchen.”
“You didn’t know he cooks?” Brielle’s nose wrinkled.
Oh, shoot. She didn’t think about it, but yeah, that probably is something she should have known. She tried to cover it up. “I just didn’t know he was so good. This smells divine.”
“Oh, yeah. He can make a mean soup, too.” Brielle grinned. “Or my favorite, nachos.”
“Taco night can’t be every night,” Derek said, as if he’d said it a million times before.
Brielle huffed and turned the page in her book. “I don’t see why not. Tacos rule.”
“Will you set the table?” he asked, looking at Brielle.
“I’m on it.” She hopped off her stool, tossed her book on the counter, and opened the cupboard. She pulled out three plates and walked to the table.
She paused before setting them down. “I’ve been dying to find out how you two finally got together. Because I know you’ve known each other for years, but last I knew you were dating someone else.” Brielle raised one eyebrow at Nara. “So, how did it happen?”
Nara shot a look at Derek, who cringed. “You know,” he said, turning off the heat to the burner. “That’s a long story for another day.”
“Oh, come on. We have time. Tell me.” She rummaged through the silverware drawer.
Derek gave Nara a look that said, “Oh, crap. Now what?”
Nara shrugged, which meant, “It’s okay. Lie to her.”
A panicked expression on Derek’s face read as, “I can’t lie. I’m terrible at it.”
Nara gave him a pointed look that said, “Well, say something. She’s waiting.”
Derek flicked his hand at her, which she interpreted as, “You go first.”
“Okay,” Nara said. “I’ll tell you. It’s a funny story, actually.”
“Funny?” Brielle smiled as she placed the silverware on the dark wooden table. “Why?”
“Because…of all the funny things that happened.” Nara wracked her brain for something humorous she could say, and then cursed herself for telling Brielle it was amusing. Her mind was completely blank. To cover it up, she grabbed three glasses from the cupboard above the stove.
Derek pulled out a trivet and placed the pan on the table. “Yeah, it was a scream.”
“What happened?” Brielle did a little hopping thing, as if she couldn’t stand not knowing any more. “Did you guys chat online?”
Brilliant. Nara jumped on it as she grabbed the pitcher of water from the fridge. “Yes! We talked online.” Except that wasn’t funny. At all. She grasped at straws. “But the funny thing was…we didn’t know it was each other.”
Derek clapped his hands together and pointed at Nara. “Yes,” he said. Nara internally groaned. He was so right. He sucked at lying.
“That’s it,” Derek said. “We met in a chat room and started talking, not knowing it was each other.”
Brielle made a face, her nose wrinkled. “A chat room? Does anyone use those anymore? I thought those went away in the 1990’s.”
Crud. Nara needed to salvage this. “He means we met on Tinder.”
“Oh, okay.” Brielle nodded. Then she cocked her head to the side. “But, didn’t you guys have your picture on there? Wouldn’t you have known who each other was?”
Oh, boy. How could Nara say Tinder? She knew it was a swipe-right-if-you-like-the-picture kind of app. She should have said something else. Anything else. Or just gone with the stupid chat room thing. Her hand shook as she poured the water. “Well, I had used a fake picture,” Nara blurted out, trying to cover up her mistake.
“And mine was blurry,” Derek said. “It didn’t look like me.”
“So, when did you realize you were talking to each other?”
Nara needed to end this quiz session. “Not too long after. It was funny, because I was like, ‘Hey, wait, I know you.’ And he was like, ‘Hey, I know you, too.’ We laughed. A bunch.” To emphasize how funny it was, Nara forced a laugh. It sounded a bit like she was deranged so she stopped.
Brielle smiled. “And you had this long-distance relationship for how long?”
How long? How long was believable for them to now be married? Derek just looked at her, waiting for her to say something. “Over a year,” Nara said, slipping into her seat at the table.
“But you dated that one guy…right?” Brielle scooped up a helping from the skillet. Then she served the other plates.
“Yep. And so that’s why Derek and I didn’t get serious. Because I was dating Fathead…uh, I mean, Cameron.”
Brielle snorted at that. “I get that.”
“Yeah, so after Fathead dumped me, we started talking more seriously. And then it was just this whirlwind of things that happened, and here we are. Married.” Nara grinned and Derek nodded his head up and down like he was watching a tennis ball bouncing.
“That is so romantic.” Brielle stuck her fork into a potato. “I love how you guys just eloped. Who cares what everyone else thinks? I don’t want a big wedding, either. I think eloping is economical.”
“It certainly was quick,” Nara said, picking up her glass of water.
Brielle pushed her food around. “It would have been nice to have been there…”
A shot of panic sped up Nara’s heart rate. She reached over and put her hand on Brielle’s arm. “Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry. Things happened so quickly.”
“Oh, it’s okay. I understand.” Brielle looked like she was trying not to frown. “I’m sure you were just trying to get married quickly…not really thinking of family…”
Nara exchanged glances with Derek. This was not good. She hadn’t thought about what Brielle might think, not having been invited to the rushed ceremony.
“We thought of you, Brielle,” he said. “You were just involved in school and we didn’t want to make you feel bad knowing you had classes the day we decided to get married. I think your education is more important.”
Nara worried her bottom lip, nervous that Brielle would be upset. But she just smiled at them. “I knew it was something like that. You guys are just so in love, you couldn’t wait.”
“Yes. Exactly.” Nara reached over and took Derek’s hand. She ignored the tingles that shot through her. She was getting used to it every time they touched. “We’re too in love.”
“I can totally tell. You guys look so cute together.”
Derek’s phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. He looked at the screen, mouthed, “It’s your dad,” then he stood and left the room.
Nara grunted and dropped her fork on her plate with a clang. What was her father calling Derek for now?
Brielle’s gaze traveled over her. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
Brielle gave her a look that signified she didn’t believe her.
“Okay, maybe I’m upset that my father keeps calling Derek instead of me. Like, when he went into the hospital. He calls Derek. I’m his daughter. Why didn’t he call me?”
Sympathy filled Brielle’s eyes. “That does suck. But you know, Derek talks to your dad all the time about stuff. I mean, he’s practically a father to him, too.”
Nara knew Derek was with her father all the time. They worked together. A lot. But she didn’t realize they had more of a personal relationship as well. “How so?”
“Well, whenever Derek needed anything, which was a lot after mom and dad died, your father was the one
he called. And when I decided that roller skating in the house was a great idea and tripped on the threshold, your dad was the one that came over to check my leg. He took me to the hospital to get the x-ray, and even stayed with Derek until the cast was on.”
“I kind of remember that. I was in high school, I think.”
“Yeah. You were.” Brielle nodded. “Derek just started relying on him for all kinds of stuff. He probably calls your dad three or four times a week just to talk.”
Her throat grew tight as guilt surfaced in Nara. How often did she call her dad? She didn’t remember the last time she’d picked up the phone to talk to him. He was always the one who called her. And she had no idea her father and Derek had that kind of a relationship. She picked up her fork and stabbed a slice of sausage. “Oh.”
Brielle leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “I honestly think your father is who saved Derek from going crazy when I was in high school.”
“Going crazy?”
A smile broke out on her face. “Yeah. I was a super hormonal mess. Talk about drama queen. And poor Derek didn’t know how to handle it. Your dad talked him down from many ledges. Probably saved my life a few times, too.” Her cheeks grew pink. “I’ve settled down a lot since then, I promise.”
Nara laughed. “I was a crazy hormonal mess growing up, too. I think all teen girls are.”
Derek walked into the room, his phone in his hand. “All teen girls are what?”
“Hormonal,” Nara and Brielle said at once. Nara laughed.
“Why are you talking about teenage girls?”
“No reason,” Nara said. “What did my father want?”
“He’s out of the hospital.” Derek slid his phone into his pocket. “He wants us to come over after we eat.”
A deep foreboding settled in Nara’s stomach. Even though she knew she wouldn’t be able to eat, she sat there and stared at her food for another ten minutes.
Chapter 24
Nara held her breath as she and Derek entered her father’s home. The home she’d grown up in. The home that housed so much pain for her as a child. She hadn’t been back since she left for New York five years ago. The past pricked at her as she took in the entryway. Nothing had changed. The large print of a The Great Wave off Kanagawa on one wall, the decorative table housing an antique Japanese vase, and her father’s shoes nestled into the cubby. The only thing missing were her own shoes next to his.
A Marriage of Anything but Convenience Page 13
