Page 42 of Yours Temporarily

“Zuri.” Wes approaches, dabbing his lips with a napkin, his voice carrying an expressiveness unusual for his reserved demeanor. “Those chicken quesadillas were to die for.”

My chest warms. “You’re welcome to take some home for leftovers.”

“I would love that.” He nods. “Ever thought about introducing a vegetarian option? It could widen your appeal.”

Jeremy chimes in, endorsing Wes’s suggestion, and I find myself nodding.

“How about incorporating a simple Indian dish?” Naina steps closer. “Paneer tikka masala, perhaps? It’s vegetarian, and I can provide you with a recipe.”

I nod again, although I’m not too confident in making exotic dishes, let alone making them for customers.

Guadalupe throws in her idea of adding taquitos to the mix, while Chi leans toward a more global flavor with orange chicken. Jill, not to be outdone, suggests fried chicken for those seeking comfort food.

“As her fiancé and business advisor,” Jeremy speaks up, and I like how he says "her fiancé." He can probably sense my burgeoning panic at the overwhelming suggestions. His tone is firm yet open to future possibilities. “We’ll take all these suggestions under advisement after the first year’s performance.”

“As usual, Sis, the southwest rolls were my favorite.” Damien circles back to us. “Jeremy, what’s your favorite of the dishes Zuri makes?”

“I like everything Zee makes.” Jeremy winks at me, his arm finding its place around my waist, hinting at preferences known only to us. His favorite meals won’t be featured on the menu. The spring rolls are still up for debate since he thought starting with six or seven items on the menu was a better proposition than drowning myself with so many items and risking having supplies go to waste.

“My, my.” Jill claps. “I’m so glad my boss has a cook for a fiancée.” She wags her brow.

As he kisses the top of my head, a twinge pinches my chest. We’re lying to some of our favorite people.

Jeremy’s friends know about our fake engagement based on what Jeremy said, but none of them act like it. I’m not sure Jill knows, but I hate that I didn’t tell Damien, especially when he slaps Jeremy’s shoulder. “I underestimated you, man. My sister sees something in you, and that’s what truly counts.”

“Thanks.” Jeremy’s hand moves from my back to grip my shoulder. “I’m the fortunate one here,” he murmurs, his affection not giving any indication this is just for show.

Naina’s eyes brighten, her olive complexion glowing under the soft light as she asks to see my ring.

I extend my hand, and the diamonds catch and scatter beams in a dazzling display. Jill, along with a few others, draws closer, captivated by the ring’s brilliance—a tangible representation of our charade. Their compliments cascade around us, and Naina’s accent adds a unique melody to the admiration as she sings out. “It’s sooo beautiful.”

“You’ve outdone yourself, Zee.” Jeremy’s breath against my ear sends tingles of awareness through me, dissipating my doubts. “You’re officially a chef.”

“How did we forget jamming up the tunes today?” Damien asks, his broad chest rising and falling beneath his untucked button-down. He then redirects his gaze to Olivia. “You wanna get the playlist going, Donovan? I’m gonna prep the game.”

“I’ll take your phone.” She holds out a hand, and he passes over his phone.

He then announces a surprise. “We’re gonna split up into”—he eyes the group as if doing a mental calculation—“four teams.”

Then he gives me a genuine smile that squeezes my heart. I should tell him soon about Jeremy and me. But it’s almost too late. He’s gonna be so mad. Ugh.

“Should we get out the cake first?” Lexi jitters toward the fridge, but Jeremy and several others prefer to let the food digest first.

We pull four tables close together and sit around for the card game of spades. Traditional spades is played with four players in teams of two, but for sixteen of us, we set up four separate games, each with its own set of four players. As the game unfolds, laughter tints the air. Jeremy is on my team, and we’re up against Lexi and Nico. They ended up together when everyone besides Jeremy and me had to draw random partners. Since they can’t agree on anything, Jeremy and I easily win.

An hour later, Olivia slices the cake, and Jeremy and I serve. Lexi stops me to photograph the sliced cake on the plate I’m carrying.

“Did you have to invite my boss?” She speaks under her breath as Nico’s laugh bursts from where he’s carrying the conversation.

“He’s Jer’s bestie.”

“Jer?” She pauses her picture taking and cocks her head. “I’m not even going to assume you two are still pretending.”

My cheeks heat up. I have no definite answer because, while I like Jeremy and we act like a couple, he hasn’t declared anything official. “As far as I know, we’re still—”

“Keep telling yourself that.” She snaps a picture.

Then I redirect the chat to Nico. “You should give your boss the benefit of the doubt.”

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