Page 77 of Nothing to Tell
With the amount of time they’d spent on the phone, she’d probably be in the office until midnight making up the lost time.That aside, they would be distracting each other all weekend.
“We’ve just discussed spending Saturday night at your parents and Sunday night together.Next week we’ll be eating with my family.”
Bastian didn’t miss a beat but missed her point entirely.“What do you want to do for your birthday?”he asked.“What’s your wildest dream?You’ve got a boyfriend who can make it happen.”
Reining him in when he was on a role was impossible, so she just went with it.
“I’m not sure I should tell you,” she whispered, restraining her humor.“This isn’t a secure line.”
“Now I’m interested.”
A knock on her door interrupted them.Her next appointment.
“I have to go, Knight.I have a client.”
“Okay,” he murmured.“I won’t let this one go.”
“Color me surprised,” she said.“We’ll talk later.”
The minute she signed off and hung up, she wanted to pick up the phone and start over.
Smart and funny, Bastian understood her crazy talk and gave it straight back.They were on for a busy week.They’d pull it off.He was the best fake boyfriend anyone could ever have.
TWENTY-EIGHT
THE FRONT DOORBELL sounded, Bastian had arrived.Her burnt orange dress was tight and stopped just above her knee.Moving fast wasn’t really an option.Though neither was loitering when her family were in the mix.
The front door was already open when she got to the stairs.
Darnit.
As she descended, her father shook Bastian’s hand, trying to draw him inside.Talk about calamity waiting to happen.
Only one person could save Bastian from that fate: her.
Running down the remaining stairs, she dashed across the lobby, passing Damon as he materialized from the dining room.Squeezing between her father and the door, she flattened herself against Bastian, urging him back onto the outer stair.
“We’ve got to go, Knight,” she said.“We’re late.”
Bastian followed her lead and didn’t resist.“Nice to finally meet you,” he called to her father, taking Harper’s hand to lead her to the car.“Are we in a hurry?”
“Just get in.”
He laughed and helped her into the car.She didn’t think it was so funny but didn’t care so long as they were heading away from her parents’ house.
On that trip, though the car was exactly the same size, it didn’t feel oppressive.Rather than anxiety, it was excitement that joined her.Maybe it was being alone.Just the two of them.Without his mother.She hadn’t been this eager with him before.Her stomach did flippy-flops around him, sure, but—that kiss.Why was she thinking about his mouth?Hers?Unity and—oh, she’d drive herself mad.
They knew each other now.Better anyway.Every word they shared brought them closer together.He captivated her.There was no other word.The ease of his smile, that dimple, the glow in his eyes when they briefly met hers.
When they arrived at the Hunt house, Bastian handed his car off to a valet as another helped her out.A breath later, Bastian hooked her hand into his elbow.Like clockwork.
There would be people.Lots of people.Far more than dinner party night.The number of strangers at the charity ball unsettled her with their volume, but there, in that place, these guests meant something to the family, to Bastian, they weren’t strangers.
“Oh, there are people here, lots of your friends,” she muttered as they ascended the stairs.“Do your parents know everyone in California?”
“Probably.”
A nod here, a smile there, Bastian kept them moving into the house.If they stopped, she guessed they’d get no further for the rest of the night.It wasn’t just that the people existed, it was who they were that made them different.
