“When did you first decide you liked him?” Sadie continued her polite but pointed interrogation. A boyfriend was definitely something she would have mentioned. Celine leaned in—always ready for a bit of gossip or a good love story.
Diana grinned. “The second time he saved my life and the first time he saved my virtue.”
Both women gasped.
“It was late, and the new renter in the condo next door had thrown a rager.” She closed her eyes, reliving the fear that had stapled her hands to the steering wheel. “I could see through the front window. There was a fistfight, but it looked like people had placed bets. They were screaming at the men, encouraging them to pound the life out of the other.” She opened her eyes, allowing the giant pine tree in the corner with the twinkling lights and bright ribbons to wash away the darkness that had seeped from the open condo door. “Several guys were out front. When they saw me pull in, they nudged each other and sort of stood at attention, like they were ready to rush me. I couldn’t move. I knew if I got out, bad things were going to happen. I closed my eyes and prayed. And then there was Cliff, at my window, knocking lightly. He walked me to my door and then sat on my porch until the cops showed up. I just felt so safe with him, so cared for, that I wanted … more. I ended up leaning against the inside of the door while he was on the outside, just to be close to him.”
She allowed the feelings she’d had that night, the sense of being cherished and prized, to wash over her. Her eyes lifted, searching for Cliff. This time, when they connected, she didn’t look away. A current built between them, as if they were still sitting on opposite sides of that door, yearning to remove the barriers and finally touch.
“Hello?” Celine waved her hand in front of Diana’s face, yanking her out of the moment. “What’s he do for a living?”
“Oh.” She smiled. “He’s an electrician.”
Celine tsked. “That explains the flannel.”
“I like flannel. It’s nice to cuddle up to.” Not that she’d had the opportunity, but now that she’d said the words, the idea was as enticing as one of the gourmet chocolates on the treat table.
“So’s cashmere, darling.” Celine popped a mini marshmallow in her mouth. “Oh my gosh! I bet your parents are freaking out!”
Diana shifted, glancing at Sadie, who was looking at her as if she was trying to figure her out. Diana tucked her hair behind her ear. “I don’t care if they are. Who I date is my choice, not theirs.”
Sadie leaned her head back, her eyes knowing. She’d put the puzzle together in record time. Hopefully she’d keep her mouth shut and let Diana go on with her scheme. Otherwise, she’d have a lot of explaining to do. The need to run away pumped adrenaline into her legs.
“Celine, you’re good here, right?” Diana confirmed. “I’m going to hang out with my guy.”
She wove through the throng, greeting distant aunts and uncles. Mom had told them this was a record year as far as turnout went. Some of the old-timers thought it was their last chance to travel before the aches and pains of old age kept them closer to home. The feeling of family was thick in the air.
The sly glances people threw in Cliff’s direction didn’t escape her attention. He stood out in his flannel, but as far as she was concerned, it was a good thing. All the cable-knit sweaters and button-up shirts blended together. She liked that Cliff was his own type of man. “Hey,” she said softly as she linked her arm through his. There were several sets of eyes on them, including Sadie’s, and she needed to put on just enough of a show to dislodge a few puzzle pieces while not alarming Cliff. The balance was delicate, but she was confident enough to lean close.
“You’re Uncle Al was just telling me about his ideas for city council. Says he’d like to run next year.” Cliff’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
Diana pinched his side in warning. He wasn’t supposed to talk politics with Uncle Al. She gave him an are-you-trying-to-start-something look that would have frightened woodland creatures away. “That sounds like an interesting topic of conversation,” she said through a smile.
Cliff’s shoulders bounced with silent laughter.
“You wouldn’t believe their stance on backyard chickens. It’s absolutely ridiculous,” threw in Uncle Al.
Diana pasted on a smile. They were in for a discussion on the benefits of composting and natural fertilizers for sure. She pinched Cliff again. He lifted one cheek in a daredevil smile that had her heart somersault.
Suddenly, the lights and the music went out and the room went dark. There was a collective gasp, and then conversation stopped. The heater clicked off and a brush of cold air raced past her arms.
A child whimpered.
Cliff’s arm went around her, pulling her into his side in a protective gesture. Her breath caught at the unexpected feelings that arose. Being in his arms was a heady experience, and her knees went weak. She leaned into him.
A moment later, someone had their phone flashlight on. Others followed, and the room buzzed with concern and panic. Would they need to leave for the weekend? Where would they all stay? How long would the heat last?
“Hey! Hey!” Celine yelled over the din. The lights swiveled to land on her, and she held up a hand so she wasn’t blinded. “Diana’s boyfriend is an electrician. Maybe he can fix it.”
Cliff’s arm dropped the second before the lights landed on them. Diana sagged and then caught herself. She ran her hands down her thighs. Oh shoot. Oh shoot. Oh shoot. Celine had labeled him her boyfriend. Cliff turned to her, but the lights were all behind him and she couldn’t read his expression.
Dad appeared at her elbow. “Well.” He sounded gruff and tired. His hair was standing on end as if he’d pulled off a stocking hat moments before. Her parents had worked for a month to get the cabin ready for this party. He hadn’t met Cliff because he’d been running errands for Mom all afternoon. “Come on, then. I’ll take you down to the electrical room.”
Diana reached for Cliff’s hand to hold in the dark, but he pulled out of her grasp. A cold whisper of rejection made her shiver, wishing she was within the protective circle of his arms once again. She tossed out the idea. She was going to have to explain what she’d done—bringing him here under false pretenses. Cliff wouldn’t want to speak to her ever again. The thought made her sadder than she was prepared for, and she followed her dad and Cliff into the basement with a sense of dread.
Chapter 8
Cliff
Cliff entered the electrical room, holding his phone above his head to get the lay of the land. It was a standard setup, exactly what he would have installed if he’d had this project. Man, he wished he’d been able to wire this place. The finish electrical alone would have paid for his condo.
His head swirled—the word boyfriend coming around several times. His stomach had hit the floor at the same time his heart had leapt. He loved the word boyfriend. Had loved being a boyfriend. Having a girlfriend was one of the singular best experiences of his life. Women were absolutely amazing and giving creatures. He suddenly wanted that.
At the same time, he was upset that Diana hadn’t corrected the misunderstanding. If it was a misunderstanding. Being considered the boyfriend would explain the frosty reception that afternoon.
David, Diana’s father, opened a small closet and glanced inside. “Someone moved the toolbox.” He glared at the inside of the closet once more. “I’ll check the media room. Sometimes the kids need a screwdriver to change batteries in the remote.” He disappeared, taking his phone with him.
As soon as he was gone, Cliff rounded on Diana.
She looked everywhere but at him and crossed one arm across her body. Even when she was nervous, she tugged at his heartstrings. Why did he have such a soft spot for this girl?
“So …?” He let the word hang out there, starting a conversation without really saying what was on his mind. Because his head was all over the place with scenarios that would explain what had just happened upstairs, and none of them cast her in a good li
ght.
She glanced at him and then away again. She’d been doing that all night. But upstairs, it was like she was fighting against herself not to stare at him. Which he’d kind of liked. The flirty game was fun and harmless. At least he’d thought so.
“Why does everyone think I’m your boyfriend?”
She took a deep breath. Before she could answer, her dad said, “Because she told us to keep your engagement a secret.” David set the shiny red never-been-out-of-the-house toolbox on the carpet and grinned. “Found it.”
Cliff couldn’t quite hear him. He’d gone numb—like the world has a pause button and he was stuck between the moment when life made sense and this strange reality where he and Diana were supposedly engaged. A boyfriend was fun. A fiancé was … huge.
He turned to her for answers. Her eyes pleaded with him not to say anything in front of her dad. He silently agreed, but only because he was too wigged out to come up with a way out of this.
Opening the electrical panel, he easily found the tripped breaker and flipped it. The lights in the hallway came on, and there was a cheer from upstairs. “Someone will need to check each room to make sure they’re all back on. I’ll wait here.” He folded his arms.
Diana went for the door. “I’ll do it,” she said quickly.
“Oh no!” He grabbed her around the middle with one arm. “I need you to stay right here and help me.” She stopped squirming and held still. He dropped his hands.
David was all smiles. “I’ll go.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe how fast you did that.”
Cliff lifted a shoulder. “It was an easy fix.”
“Yeah, for you,” David said as he left.
Cliff cocked his head to the side. Those were the same words Diana had used. A sense of pride in his craft made him smile. The smile faded as he took in the way Diana wrung her hands. He didn’t want to scare her or intimidate her or even cause her a small worry. He softened his features and his tone. “Diana, what is going on?”
“I, uh, may have led a couple people to believe that there is something … uh … more between us.”
The warmth drained from his face even as the heater kicked on. “Why?”
She gritted her teeth. “Because they’re impossible.” She paced to the door, looked into the hallway, and then shut it. “Every year it’s the same thing: Why aren’t you married yet? You need to try harder to catch a man. And my personal favorite: I have a lovely young man for you. He’s been in jail, but it was a white-collar, so you have nothing to worry about. As if I should feel grateful to land a guy who cheated on his taxes!” She thrust her pointed finger towards the floor to emphasize her point. “I just wanted a barrier between me and the pressure to get married for one Christmas. I told Mom I was bringing you, and she jumped to conclusions I didn’t correct.”
She stepped forward and grabbed his hand, holding it between both of hers and pressing it just under her chin. Her skin there was soft and warm, and he worried he’d smell her delicious scent on his fingers the rest of the night. Her big eyes took on a pleading quality—like a woodland animal on a Disney cartoon.
“I’m so, so sorry. I should have told you the situation right from the beginning. I should have given you a choice instead of leading you blindly into this mess.”
He agreed with her, wholeheartedly. He should have been angry with her for using him. He was upset. But instead of the anger roaring through his veins, it was more like the buzz of an annoying mosquito.
“I’ll drive you home in the morning.” She dropped their hands and opened the door.
They trudged up the stairs, Cliff’s steps slower and heavier than they had been coming down. He’d enjoyed his conversation with Diana’s cousin. The guy explained that this was their first Christmas back at the cabin after having their first child—now they had two. He’d alluded to the struggle of sharing his wife with their kids, and that adjustment made him ornery—for two years. But he was starting to see what a joy being a part of a family was as an adult and wanted the kids to experience the crazy big holiday in the mountains.
The mansion cabin had a distinct homey feel to it with braided rugs and knickknacks everywhere. Leaving now dropped a cloud of melancholy over him. He hadn’t even had a meal yet.
Diana didn’t look at him on the way up the stairs. He didn’t like the slope to her back or the way her feet dragged. He could sympathize with her plight. Her mom was a bit much, but that didn’t mean she would face a firing squad if he left. This was her family. She’d done just fine without him all these years, and she’d do fine again.
Then why’d she have to bring you? his internal voice asked.
He tamped down on the question, refusing to take a closer look at the situation. This wasn’t his problem. He’d helped Diana many times, and he would have helped her this time—if she’d been honest with him.
You would have pretended to be engaged?
Okay, maybe he wouldn’t have gone that far. But he would have come as her friend. He did come as her friend.
At the top of the steps, Mrs. Dalagar rushed him, her arms open wide. “Thank you!” Her body slammed into his, and his heels hovered precariously off the top stair.
He dug in with his toes to keep from tumbling. “You’re welcome.”
She stepped back and wiped under her eyes with the ruffle of her gingerbread man apron. “You saved our party and Christmas.”
He stifled his smile. A tripped breaker wasn’t going to ruin the holiday festivities. Then again, no one in this bunch seemed to know their way around a fuse box, so they might have been in trouble. “I’m glad I could help,” he finally offered.
“You know, Diana, I wasn’t so sure about this guy, but he’s all right. It’s good to have someone around here who can get things done.” She patted his belly and beamed at her daughter.
Diana gave her a watery smile. The pathetic-ness of it tugged at his heart. She wasn’t the type of person who wore a frown well. Her face was designed for smiling.
Aunt Willow bustled into the hallway, dragging Celine behind her. “Our hero.” She patted his belly too. Celine took a step back and slightly behind her mom, as if she hoped to be overlooked.
Cliff looked back and forth between Diana and Celine, noting they both had their heads down and their arms folded.
“We were beginning to wonder if Diana was ever going to find herself a man.” Willow winked.
“Aunt Willow.” Diana moaned and sliced her hand in front of her neck to warn her aunt off of saying anything more.
“But it’s true,” Aunt Willow protested. “She didn’t even go to her senior prom.”
Cliff jerked his head back. He’d pictured Diana being voted Most Beautiful by her graduating class. “Why not?”
“She went off to meet some author.” Marie waved her hand back and forth. “She didn’t put a priority on dating—still doesn’t.”
Diana’s eyes were wide, and she was utterly aghast. “It was J.K. Rowling!” Her voice went up at the end right along with her tension. This conversation was grating on her.
“I wasn’t much of a Potter fan myself,” he admitted. What he didn’t add was that he didn’t go to his prom either. He’d already turned eighteen and was apprenticing with an electrician.
“We’re so glad she met you.” Willow winked. “If only my Celine would settle down and find herself a good man.”
“She’s too picky,” threw in Marie, talking about Celine as if she wasn’t standing right there.
Cliff was beginning to see why Diana was desperate enough to lie about being engaged. He felt trapped, and he’d only been in this conversation for five minutes.
Celine glared around the circle. “I date—a lot.”
Marie and Willow shared a look just as Willow’s husband joined them. “Well, maybe you should narrow it down to dating the right man,” offered Willow.
Celine shook her head and lifted her chin. “You guys don’t know what dating is like now. The rules have c
hanged.”
“What’s to change?” Uncle Tom scrubbed at his big, round nose. “You see someone you like and you spend time with them. You’re making it too hard.”
“Never mind. I’m going to check the marshmallows.” Celine kept her head down as she walked away.
Cliff wondered how many times that had been Diana. He hated to think that she had that much pressure on her to find love. It wasn’t like a person could just walk up to a stranger and ask for their number. Online dating was a minefield and a second job. Setups were usually horrible.
He glanced over to see her watching him. She quickly turned away.
He wanted to save her from the henpecking that was sure to come if he left, but was he really dumb enough to play the fake fiancé for the holidays? He had enough issues with marriage and engagements to flat-out refuse to be a part of this sham.
Then again, exposure therapy was a real thing. Maybe if he spent some time pretending to be engaged, without the pressure of actually having to stand at the altar, he could come to grips with some of his fears. Then they’d be using one another—no, helping one another through difficult times.
Maybe that could work.
And maybe he was a sucker for Diana and couldn’t tell her no.
Either way, he was staying. He just needed to tell her.
Chapter 9
Diana
Diana watched Cliff excuse them from the conversation. It hadn’t taken much for him to win over her parents. Just a flip of a switch and they thought he was the golden boy. He kind of was, because her upper-class family had no idea how to get their hands dirty. Mom paid a local company to bring in the Christmas tree and decorate it. Dad paid to have the garage cleaned out every spring. That was how their family got things done—delegation and outsourcing.
Cliff was hands-on. She liked that about him. He was the first person she thought of when she needed help moving the couch, and any time she came up against a challenge, she asked herself, What would Cliff do? Following his example had helped her earn her last pay increase. She owed him a lot.
Her Totally Hot Forbidden Fake Fiance Page 4
