by Rita Sawyer
Thankfully, Karen laid her menu on the table and brought her gaze to Dianne’s. “Have you thought about how you’re going to end this thing between you two? Is it going to be over quick, like pulling off a Band-Aid? Or are you going to slowly wean off of each other?”
“Karen’s right. You guys only have what, three days left to this bargain of yours?” Sadie added.
“Two days. And we haven’t fully discussed it.” Dianne had planned on bringing it up last night, but the circumstances hadn’t been right.
“Well what if he asks for more time? Is there any chance you’d be willing to keep things as they are?” Lainey asked.
Something inside her wanted to scream Yes! Dianne managed to squelch it and shrug again. Not making her response a firm no turned out to be another mistake on her part because her friends took her indecision as permission to launch into the reasons why she should give him a real chance at a relationship. She couldn’t tell them that there was a pretty good chance if she did, she’d end up with a broken heart. He already had taken a big chunk of it, but she didn’t tell them that, either.
“Look, if we can stop talking about Gage and get some food, I promise I will think about everything you guys have said.” Dianne would, but not the way they wanted her to.
“Better yet, if you promise to just give him a real chance for the next two days, we’ll all back off and let you do whatever you think is right.” Lainey’s proposition sounded even better.
Dianne smiled, knowing whatever damage he could cause in two days shouldn’t be any harder to recover from than what he’d already managed to do. “Done.”
“Somehow, I feel like we all just got hoodwinked.” Sadie waved her hand in the air, and the waiter rushed over to their table to take their orders.
Chapter Eight
Gage nervously paced his apartment. It wasn’t that he didn’t expect her to show up. She hadn’t even balked at his invitation to his niece’s birthday party. And he wasn’t afraid of her meeting his family. Actually, he didn’t have any plausible reason for his nervousness other than the obvious one, which he had been doing his damnedest to ignore.
Maybe it wasn’t anxiety, but more agitation he was feeling. After all he’d done this was going to be their last day together, unless he found a way to get her to reconsider. She hadn’t come right out and said it was over yet, but it hung in the air between them like a little black cloud. After the cookout this afternoon, he was going to bring her back to his place for a nice long talk.
He fought off the temptation to call Lainey and see if she had talked to Dianne. Wasn’t it bad enough that he’d gone behind her back to her friends in the first place? Doing it again to see if they had gotten any results would really be pushing his luck. The quick rap on the door had him halting his steps. He rushed to the door and yanked it open.
His smile fell when he found Jace standing on the stoop instead of Dianne. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s nice to see you, too.” Jace laughed as he followed Gage into the living room. “Lainey asked Dianne to ride with her so she could help with cake. They figured I could catch a ride with you and ride home with Lainey.”
Gage wanted to ask why no one had bothered to call and ask him if their plan was okay with him. He wondered if any of them had even briefly considered the possibility that he wanted to walk in with Dianne. But if Lainey needed her help, who was he to stand in the way?
“Fine. We should get going.”
“Do you need to stop and pick up Tabitha’s gift or anything?” Jace asked.
“No. Dianne picked up her present yesterday on her way over here for dinner. She stopped at the market and picked up the chips and soda I was assigned to bring, too. Hell, she even wrapped the present and put everything in my trunk so I wouldn’t have to carry anything.”
“Sounds like she’s been taking good care of you.”
“I don’t want her to take care of me. Damn it, I want her to...” the word love tingled on his tongue, but he didn’t say it.
“What do you want her to do? Do you even know?” The harsh edge in Jace’s tone took him by surprise.
Gage spun around and found his best friend glaring at him. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I tried to warn you this was a bad idea.” Jace ran his hand through his hair and groaned.
“Yeah, well you should have known warning me off would only make me more interested in getting to know her.” It was a childish thing to say, but in this case it was true.
“Did you get to know her? I mean the real her, not the pretense she shows everyone except those closest to her.”
He hated that Jace knew her better than he did. “A little. I’d need for her to let me in order to do that, wouldn’t I?”
“If she hasn’t by now, do you really think there’s still a chance she will?” Jace’s point was like a dagger aimed to wound his pride.
“I’m not ready to give up yet.” Hell, he was willing to fight to the very last second if it got her to agree there was something more between them than sexual attraction.
“Dude, you better do something pretty damn quick, or you won’t have a frigging choice,” Jace said with a taunting smile.
“Are you planning to help me, or just stand by and watch me go down in flames?” Gage asked, finally admitting he needed help.
* * * *
Dianne helped Lainey load the cake into the back of her van. Okay, so she held the doors for her, but hey, helping was helping. Then she picked up the gift bag she’d put together for Gage’s niece. She still wasn’t sure about going to the party.
Lainey, on the other hand, had been thrilled when Dianne told her Gage had invited her. Dianne confessed she wasn’t comfortable with the idea, and Lainey suggested she help her deliver the cake. Dianne jumped on the offer. She wasn’t sure what she expected to get from arriving with Lainey instead of Gage. Though she had been shocked by his invitation, she had enough sense to ask him exactly how he planned to introduce her to his family.
His claim that he’d introduce her as a friend wasn’t very reassuring. There were people out there who believed men and women couldn’t be just friends. She wasn’t one of them, but in this particular case they would be one hundred percent right. All she could do was hope that no one sensed the bond they had, which she was afraid had gotten stronger over the past few days. She’d have to do everything she could to keep a respectable distance between them and hope he did the same.
Lainey seemed cool as a cucumber as she drove out of the city. Dianne’s nerves were strung so tight she couldn’t sit still. She kept glancing behind them to make sure the cake didn’t tip over. They finally pulled up in front of a huge house twenty minutes later. Lainey shut the car off, and Dianne practically jumped out of the car.
Lainey grabbed her arm and tugged her around to the back of the van. “You need to calm down.”
“I know. I’m trying.” She wasn’t going to admit she was less nervous about meeting people as Dianne the author as she was about meeting them as Gage’s lover.
“Di, this is going to be perfect practice. All you need to do is be yourself and relax.” Lainey pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“No one will probably even know who I am. Just because she likes my books doesn’t mean anything.”
“Will you stop whining?” Lainey laughed then said into the phone, “No, not you, Jace. We’re here.”
Dianne took a deep breath and blew it out. Lainey was right. If she blocked out her unsettling relationship with Gage, she could do this. A small group of kids would give her an idea of what it was going to be like facing an auditorium full of the little buggers. It was just like any other job she’d gone on. She rolled her shoulders, adjusted her neon-pink, rhinestone-studded glasses and pasted on a big smile.
She turned back to Lainey and said, “I’m ready.”
“Damn, you’re good.” Lainey nodded approvingly.
“Ladies,” Jace said as he and Gage ca
me around the back of the van.
Dianne glanced at Gage as he stepped out of the way while Lainey instructed Jace on how to carry the cake. Dressed in black jeans and a T-shirt with scuffed sneakers, he couldn’t have looked better. Lainey could have easily carried the cake herself, but Dianne figured she liked letting Jace help her. Once he had the cake in his arms, Dianne and Lainey closed the doors. Lainey led the way to the house with Jace following behind her. Gage walked right by her side, but luckily, he didn’t touch her.
“You look different today.” He looked her up and down, and she couldn’t help but smile.
Her pink high-top canvas sneakers were the same shade as her sunglasses and had rhinestones, too. Her jeans hugged her curves, but not too tightly. And it was probably the first time he’d seen her in a T-shirt. He seemed to like her toned-down look. After all, it wasn’t appropriate for her to show up to a kid’s birthday party in her normal gear.
“Thanks. You went casual today, too.” She paused when they reached the bottom of the stairs. “It suits you.”
“We make a good pair,” he countered with a wink.
“None of that.” She winked back and headed up the stairs, hoping he—heck, they—could keep from any flirting until the party was over.
Dianne could feel him right behind her, which meant he was way closer than he should be. She stopped at the door, another little wave of panic crashing over her. His big hand settled on her back and instead of the panic getting worse, a sense of calm came over her. They walked into the house together. She heard a gasp and looked around. A group of around twelve people were standing at the bar that separated the kitchen and living room. They were all staring at her and Gage.
She gave him a slight nudge in his side with her elbow. “Introduce me.”
“Sorry. Hi, everyone. I’d like to introduce you to my friend Dianne.”
A sudden, high-pitched squeal filled the air, breaking the awkward silence. Dianne looked at the pretty young girl who was not standing, but bouncing from foot to foot a few feet away. She had long brown hair and a round face. What struck Dianne was something she hadn’t seen in her photo. The little girl had her uncle’s eyes. Dianne gave her a smile.
A lady ran into the room and knelt down in front of the girl. “Tabitha, are you okay?”
“Mom, look who’s here.” Tabitha put her hands on her mother’s cheeks and turned her head in Dianne’s direction.
“Holy shit.” The girl’s mother slapped her hand over her mouth.
Dianne glanced over at Gage, who kept looking from her to his family. If he kept it up, Dianne was afraid he’d give himself whiplash. Okay, maybe it was wrong of her to spring her secret on him like this. She hadn’t planned on telling him at all, but his invitation made it necessary.
“Am I missing something?” he asked softly, and Dianne laughed.
“Oh my gosh. Uncle Gage, I can’t believe you’re friends with The Dianne Killbrew.”
“The?” he echoed, and his niece nodded.
“Yes, she’s the author who writes the Stone Sister Escapades. I have every single book and already saved enough money to buy the next one when it comes out in September.” Tabitha talked so fast it was a little hard to keep up.
“So you don’t mind that your uncle invited me to your birthday party?” Dianne asked.
“Oh, no. I just wish I knew. I would have invited more of my friends,” Tabitha said, pink slashes glowing on her cheeks.
“We’ll just have to take lots and lots of pictures, if that’s okay with your mom.” Gage’s sister nodded eagerly as Tabitha bounced even more, tugging on her arm.
“I’m going to tell everyone you’re here,” Tabitha squealed, and ran out of the house.
“Gage, I can’t believe you didn’t tell us you knew Dianne when we were talking about her books the other day.” Gage’s sister slapped him on the shoulder then held her hand out to Dianne. “I’m Toni.”
“Nice to meet you,” Dianne said as she shook her hand.
“I have to admit, I’m as excited as Tabitha.” Toni laughed. “Let’s go introduce you to everyone.”
Dianne followed Toni, mostly because she’d grabbed her arm and practically dragged her along. She glanced back at Gage, who just stood there watching them go. She caught a glimpse of him every now and then, but before she could make her way to him, either he disappeared or she was dragged off to meet someone else. He hadn’t said more than ten words to her since his niece had told him who she was. At least she didn’t have to worry about him telling her family they were seeing each other.
As the hours passed, Dianne didn’t need to ask Gage if he was mad. When it came time for Tabitha to open her gifts, he avoided Dianne’s gaze altogether. Tabitha had shouted out happily when she opened Dianne’s gift, but Gage’s had produced tears of joy. Dianne had to turn away so no one would see the tears in her own eyes. When she turned back, Gage was gone once again. She figured right about now he was probably glad things between them were going to be over after tonight.
* * * *
Gage walked Dianne to the car. He opened the passenger door for her like the perfect gentleman his family expected him to be. With them all standing on the porch watching, there wasn’t anything else he could do. She turned and waved good-bye before she climbed into the car. He closed the door and rounded the car, giving his family a wave of his own before he joined her. They were a few blocks away before he trusted himself to speak, but he still didn’t say anything.
“Are you not talking to me?” Her question may as well have been rhetorical, because if he didn’t answer, it would be an answer of sorts.
He wasn’t about to let her know how peeved he was, but when he spoke his tone held an accusing note. “So you’re an author and a model.”
“Yes. Does that bother you?”
“No.” He shrugged, hoping she’d just leave it at that.
“Then why are you sulking? Your niece loved her gift, so that can’t be it. Did someone else do something to piss you off?”
This time he chose not to answer. She settled back against her seat and crossed her arms under her breasts, which just pushed them higher. If she was hoping to distract him with her body it was a nice try, but he wasn’t falling back under her spell just yet.
After awhile she said, “Are you taking me home?”
“Is that what you want?” He shouldn’t be surprised that she wanted to get away from him with the way he was acting.
“Is it what you want?” she countered.
Was it? He knew the second she left him it would be for good, unless he found a reason for her to want to stay. If he dropped her off, he’d probably just go home and torment himself, thinking about all the things he could have done differently. He’d done this all wrong right from the start. In his defense, she never would let him in if he hadn’t blackmailed her in the first place.
He had to wonder if she’d really let him in at all. Today she seemed like a different person. She’d been more open and relaxed. It had nothing to do with the way she was dressed, but he liked that change, too. Which was the real Dianne? The sexy pin-up beauty, or the down–to-earth author? Or were they both just acts she put on? He wanted to get to find the real her, if wasn’t too late.
It didn’t take him long to come up with an answer. “No.”
“Then where are we going?” she asked.
“To my place. To talk.” The last of his comment was directed more at himself than to her.
“We can do that on the way. What would you like to talk about?”
It took him a few seconds to answer, because his addled mind started thinking about what they could do if they finished talking things out before they got there.
“Tell me all about you.” He paused then added, “The real you.”
There was nothing but the sounds of their breathing for a few minutes. If she wasn’t going to tell him, then he may as well take her home, because he couldn’t have a relationship with a woman he didn’t
know. He was just about to tell her that when she let out a loud angry-sounding sigh.
“That’s a really boring subject, and after today, you know it all.”
“Not good enough.” He shook his head, smiling at her growl.
“I’m a part-time model, full-time writer. Both of which I stumbled into but truly enjoy. I’m not telling you how old I am. You can try and figure that out for yourself. I’m female. Cancer is my sign. This is my natural hair color, which you can vouch for.” They both laughed.
Gage felt like someone had lifted a boulder off his chest. If her laughter could ease his apprehension, she had to take it as a sign they were meant to be together. He wanted to be there for her when she needed him, too. The problem was she had yet to need him.
“More.” He wanted to keep her talking as long as possible.
“Okay, but just remember, you asked for it. I don’t like spinach, but I love ice cream. Never mix the two.”
“Tell me this. Why the sunglasses?”
She reached up with both hands and adjusted her glasses. “What, you don’t like them?”
“I hate them!” The vehemence in his voice was clear.
“Hate is a very strong word, but it doesn’t matter, because I happen to love them.”
“What’s the story behind your attachment?”
“Years ago I did a job for an up-and-coming photographer. I was supposed to be modeling these really funky hats. His makeup artist got sick. The person he got to fill-in two hours late, and she was horrible. She made me look like a raccoon. He had another shoot scheduled later that day for a sunglasses manufacturer, and the boxes of glasses were just sitting there. I started grabbing them and matching them with the different hats.
