She laughed. “No. My life is already complex.”
“If you have any doubt, we’ll just forget I ever suggested it. Not a problem.”
And that sensible, rational, logical response was what positively made up her mind. She put out her hand to shake on the deal. “We are doing this.”
Gabe reached out and said, “To a mutually beneficial arrangement. It’s like an insurance policy on the risks and hazards of relationships.”
His words made perfect sense. Right up until he touched her. He curved his big hand around hers, and tingles danced up her arm. It was suddenly hard to breathe, let alone think rationally.
“To a non-relationship.” She pulled her hand away and tried to smile.
If she’d touched him first, would she have gone through with this deal? Maybe. But it might have taken her longer to agree, or she might have asked for a cooling-off period. She’d made a lot of mistakes where men were concerned, and she fervently hoped that she hadn’t just done it again. Still, she’d negotiated walking away at any time for any reason. How bad could it be? What harm could giving this a whirl do?
* * *
Ava plopped down on Courtney’s bed to review her first-date-with-Gabriel outfit. She looked her up and down, then said, “You’re welcome.”
“For what?” Glancing in her freestanding full-length mirror, Courtney critically assessed her black slacks and silky white blouse with ruffles at the sleeves and neck.
“If I hadn’t gone to Make Me a Match, you wouldn’t be going out with Mr. Blackburne tonight.” Rolling onto her tummy, she cupped her cheeks in her palms. “Come to think of it, I should be ungrounded. What I did was a public service.”
“How do you figure?”
“If I hadn’t made that bold move, the two of you would never have met. He wouldn’t have called you for a date and you’d be spending another boring night at home by yourself.”
It wasn’t a complete lie that Gabe had called her. Courtney just left out the part where the “date” wasn’t real. “But I wouldn’t be alone. Because you’re still grounded.”
She was going out, but the evening could still be boring. At least the scenery would be fun to look at. Gabriel Blackburne was a very nice-looking man. She enjoyed talking to him, and hopefully he hadn’t already used up his good material.
“Mom, you’re so unreasonable. I’m going to appeal my sentence to the Supreme Court.”
“By the time they heard your argument, you’d be old enough to unground yourself.”
“It’s so unfair,” Ava grumbled. “And that blouse makes you look like you’ve been swallowed by the ruffle monster.”
“You’re right.” Courtney sighed, then pulled it off and tossed it on the bed with the other two she’d decided against. “I knew it didn’t look right, but I don’t know what to wear. Everything in my closet is old and wrong.”
“Where is he taking you?”
“Out to dinner.”
“But where? Fast food or candles and white tablecloths?”
“I don’t know.”
Courtney couldn’t tell Ava that she might have missed key details because Gabe’s deep, husky phone voice had caused an electrical short in her brain. She’d taken the call in front of Ava and had to make sure her responses were convincing. That had been a lot of pressure, and some of the information had been lost in the process. Clearly she should have taken drama classes instead of going into the nursing program.
“Okay,” Ava said thoughtfully. “I can work with that.”
She rolled off the floral-patterned comforter and marched into Courtney’s walk-in closet. Moments later she came out with tailored dark jeans, a classy white T-shirt, a navy blazer and three-inch wedge sandals. “This outfit will go almost anywhere, Mom.”
Courtney blinked at the clothes her daughter set on the bed. “It’s perfect. When did you get so fashionably brilliant?”
“I can’t believe you haven’t noticed.” Ava gave her a “duh” look. “But what else should I expect? I’m dealing with the woman who grounded me for no good reason.”
“I’ll admit that I’m distracted,” she said, “but not that distracted. I had a very good reason. Someday you’ll thank me for teaching you the difference between right and wrong.”
“So it was wrong to want you to be happy?”
“No. That part was incredibly sweet. It’s the being untruthful about where you were that’s a problem.” Courtney pulled off the black slacks and replaced them with the jeans and T-shirt. “In or out?”
“Tuck it. Show off your tiny waist,” Ava suggested.
“Do I need a belt? Do I have a belt?”
“Seriously? I can’t believe I have to do everything.” The teen disappeared into the closet again and came out holding a simple navy belt with silver accents. “This is perfect.”
When that was in place, Courtney slipped on the blazer and checked herself out in the mirror. But after the ruffle debacle, her judgment was damaged. “How do I look? Do I look stupid? Maybe I’m trying too hard. What’s the verdict?”
“You look amazing, Mom, except...”
“What?” She turned to examine herself from the back. “Is there a spot somewhere? Did I back up into paint without realizing it? Do these pants make my butt look like an oil tanker?”
“No. It’s your makeup.”
“What about it?”
Ava studied her critically. “I’m thinking more drama. Maybe a smoky eye. Definitely there should be more intensity.”
As far as Courtney was concerned, fake dating was already dramatic and intense enough. Her stomach was churning even though clothes and makeup didn’t matter. Tonight was a sham. A charade. A con. She’d admit, though, that clothes were kind of important. Avoiding public nakedness was a good goal. Plus she didn’t want to be embarrassed. In fact, there was a part of her that wanted to prove to Gabe that she could attract a man, in spite of what her daughter’s desperation probably made him think.
But she wasn’t looking to impress him for the long term, because nothing was going to come of this. There wouldn’t be a future. Except she had to convince Ava that she was sincerely trying to look her best. That made her feel like a fraud, probably because that’s exactly what she was. And, for the record, this was harder than she’d expected when discussing it at Coffee Break.
“This makeup is perfectly fine. It’s what I wear to work,” Courtney protested.
“Rookie dating mistake.” Ava pointed to the antique dressing table and bench on the far bedroom wall. “Sit.”
Courtney wondered if that’s how she looked when issuing commands to her daughter, then meekly did as she was told. It was a question for another time.
Her cosmetics were neatly arranged, and Ava looked through everything, gauging what she had to work with. She chose a coral blush and applied it to Courtney’s cheeks, then blended so the effect gave her color, but subtly. Then she picked out shades of shadows that made her chocolate-brown eyes look huge and, dare she say it, smoky. Darkening her brows and thickening her lashes with mascara came last.
“Wow, sweetie. I don’t look like myself.”
“It’s you, but better,” Ava assured her. “Now the final touch. Lipstick.”
“Please, no red.”
“Ew.” Ava wrinkled her nose as she looked through the limited choices. “I was thinking something neutral, leaning toward warm and earthy undertones. Oh. This is perfect. Girls’ night out.”
“So this is life imitating makeup? Or makeup imitating life?”
“Don’t complicate it, Mom.” She dabbed on the creamy color and said again, “You’re welcome.”
Courtney looked at herself in the mirror. The effect was most definitely dramatic and intense. So now her outside matched the feelings on the inside. In a good way. “How did you learn to do this?”
; “My friends and I fool around with makeup and stuff when we get together.” Ava shrugged and added, “But I’ve been in solitary for so long, there’s probably all kinds of techniques I don’t know about. And my friends have probably moved on without me. I probably don’t have any friends.”
“You don’t have much longer to go.” Courtney smiled at her child’s tragic expression. “And just think of how much you have to look forward to when the restriction is lifted.”
“No one will even remember me,” Ava complained. “I’ll be an outcast.”
“Then they weren’t really your friends in the first place.”
“Silly me.” Ava sighed and rolled her eyes. “I didn’t think you would understand.”
Courtney understood completely, and in a way she never wanted Ava to. Getting pregnant and having a baby had cut her off completely from the high school life she’d taken for granted and the kids she’d thought would always be there. And she hadn’t really had the luxury of grieving over the loss. She’d been too frightened about keeping a roof over her head and food to feed herself and the baby growing inside her. She was actually glad that Ava thought being grounded was the worst thing in the world. That meant she didn’t face the basics of survival.
“Sweetie, thank you for your help. Now I need to see this outfit with the shoes.” She slipped them on and stood. She was used to walking around in sneakers for a twelve-hour shift at the hospital. Wearing these wedges for twelve minutes might be a challenge. “Wow, what in the world made me buy these shoes? They’re the exact opposite of comfortable.”
“But they look great. And he’s pretty tall, Mom. You’ll look weird next to him without the extra height.” Ava seemed pleased with the results of her efforts. “Mom, you’re really hot. I guarantee Mr. Blackburne will think so, too.”
No, he wouldn’t, she thought. He was just using her for cover from his family. And Courtney was using him right back to keep Ava in line. Still, the guilt was crushing her, and she almost blurted out the truth. Nerves were like that. When they were jumping inside you like drops of water on a hot skillet, it loosened a person’s tongue.
Courtney was just about to spill her guts when the doorbell sounded. She looked at the bedside clock. “Oh God, he’s here. And he’s early.”
“That’s a good sign that he’s perfect for you, the woman whose motto is ‘if you’re not five minutes early, you’re already late.’” Ava headed out of the room. “I’ll go answer the door. Take your time. Don’t look too eager. Be cool. Aloof.”
Before Courtney could ask where she was getting her dating advice, the teen was gone. Was she too eager? She’d had a good time with him at Coffee Break, planning this scheme. He was smart, funny and, as she’d thought before, not hard on the eyes. Apparently he didn’t hold the meltdown in his office against her. Points to him. Her daughter had pronounced him a nice man. But men didn’t always live up to their advanced billing. Sometimes they were just out for what they could get, and they would use anyone necessary to do that. But she and Gabe had taken care of that ahead of time, so this should meet both their needs.
Thank goodness she and Gabe were on the same page, with the same agenda. And an insurance policy. She could end this at any time without an explanation. And so could he.
Courtney looked in the mirror one last time and blew out a breath. “You got this.”
She left the sanctuary of her room and walked down the stairs. Voices drifted to her. One deep and unbearably sexy. The other impossibly young and excited. Here we go, she thought. Showtime.
Gabe was in the living room chatting with Ava when Courtney walked in. Whatever he was saying seemed to be forgotten as he stopped midsentence and stared at her.
“Hi, Gabe,” she said.
“Courtney. Hi.” He smiled. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” She suddenly realized that this was the first time he’d seen her in something other than shapeless scrubs. And she’d been worried about being appropriately dressed. This was a step up. On top of that, he was channeling a similar vibe—jeans, a shirt with button-down collar and a tweed sports coat. Loafers completed his look and were probably more comfortable than her wedges.
Then Courtney looked up at him and was glad Ava had insisted on shoes that added a couple inches to her height. He was very tall.
“Where are you taking her?” Ava asked.
“Patrick’s Pub.” A dark look flashed through his eyes and hinted at a story behind the choice of their first “date.”
She made a mental note to ask him about it later. “I haven’t been there since it was remodeled.”
“My older brother was married there.”
“Oh?”
“It was a pretty nontraditional wedding. The bride wore red.”
“Cool,” Ava said.
“It was. The atmosphere is casual and fun, something for everyone. And the food is great,” he said.
“Text me a picture, Mom.”
“We’ll get a selfie,” Gabe promised. “Are you still grounded?”
“Yes.” She groaned, then a sly expression replaced her tragic look. “Don’t you think it’s unfair?”
“Nice try, kid.” He grinned and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “No way I’m touching that on a first date.”
“But I need someone on my side,” Ava protested.
“I sympathize, but I have to be Switzerland on this.”
Ava frowned at him. “What does that mean?”
“I’m neutral.”
“You’re just trying to impress my mom.”
He looked at Courtney. “Your daughter is very smart and perceptive. Just like her mother.”
This man would turn female heads everywhere he went. And he was very smooth. If he was nervous about what they were doing, it didn’t show. He was nothing but cool and confident, and she couldn’t help wondering if he’d done this before. After all, fake dating had been his idea.
The day they met, she’d wished she could hear his talk to the high school kids, see if he was as interesting as he seemed. She was about to find out.
He looked at her. “You ready to go?”
“Yes.”
This felt a lot like jumping into the deep end of the pool.
Chapter Five
“I haven’t been that nervous since meeting my wife’s father for the first time.” Gabe glanced over at Courtney in the front passenger seat of his sporty Mercedes, then back at the road.
“Really? That was just my daughter. And you don’t strike me as the nervous type.”
“I’m not. That’s why it’s noteworthy.”
“But this isn’t even the first time you met Ava.” She paused for a moment then added, “It’s actually the third time.”
“True. But the other times, I wasn’t picking up her mother to take her out on a date.” He gently braked the car to a stop at a red light. “In fact, I’ve never taken anyone’s mother out on a date. That puts a lot of pressure on a guy. Take my word for it.”
“I think it’s probably because this isn’t real. The tension you felt was most likely guilt.” She nodded sagely. “I was feeling it, too, getting ready.”
“In what way?”
She hesitated as if choosing her words carefully. “I felt as if I was playing a part. Putting on an act about what to wear and how I looked when it really doesn’t matter. We both know what’s going to happen. It’s like reading the end of a book first. And because of that, she’s the one I’m trying to impress, not you.”
And yet she had. Courtney Davidson was a very beautiful woman. He was a guy. He noticed. It didn’t have to mean anything.
“True,” he said. “Was Ava happy you’re going out?”
“She was excited when you called and asked me to dinner. In fact, she is claiming all the credit. She declared in no uncertain terms
that if she hadn’t gone to Make Me a Match, it would never have happened. And she says I should take her off restriction for performing a public service.”
“But you stuck to your guns.”
“Can’t show weakness.” There was a smile in her voice when she said, “After she finished protesting my negative response, she did my eye makeup.”
“She’s a great kid.”
“You’ll get no argument from me.”
“And we’re here.” He turned left into the strip mall parking lot where Patrick’s Pub was located. It was Friday night, and there were lots of cars. “Looks like a popular place.”
“Yeah.”
“Carla, my aunt’s assistant, is friends with the owner. Tess and her now husband became partners when he invested capital to give this place a facelift to improve business.”
“Looks like it worked.”
“Yeah. Carla met her fiancé here on ladies’ night.” He opened his door, and the overhead light flashed on, revealing her surprise.
“Oh? Should I be worried?”
“No. I didn’t pick it with a romantic agenda in mind. My purpose is much more practical than that.”
When he came around and opened her door, she asked, “Care to enlighten me?”
“I’m doing business research.”
“Nice work if you can get it,” she said wryly.
“Let me provide context.” He thought for a moment as she slid out of the car. They fell into step, walking toward the pub. “My aunt is a bighearted romantic who wants everyone to find love. One of the Make Me a Match promotions is a first date, and she thinks the agency should pull out all the stops. Atmosphere, muted lighting, fresh flowers, French food and candles.”
“Sounds expensive.”
“It is. Aunt Lil and I had a discussion about it, and she was unwilling to compromise. That’s when Carla mentioned that this is where she met her husband-to-be.”
Courtney stepped up on the sidewalk and nodded her approval. “So you’re checking it out. Multitasking.”
His hand was on the door, ready to open it for her when she smiled at him and unleashed her dimples. It was astonishing how fast a man with an above-average IQ could go from articulate to speechless simply because of a woman’s smile.
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