Page 42 of Faking It with the Off-Limits Doctor

“Right,” Mark says, looking over at us. “So? When did this happen?”

“A few weeks ago,” I say, feeling those contortionists suddenly tying their knotted bodies even tighter. “I know it’s a surprise. It was a surprise for us, too, right, babe?” I look down at Alex.

He nods. “Absolutely.”

Mark still looks dubious. “I just can’t get my head around the fact that you’re engaged. I mean, isn’t it all a bit sudden?”

“I’m not getting any younger, Mark,” I say. “And besides, it kind of just happened. Alex needed a chef and gave me a job, and then the more time we spent together, the more we realized how much we have in common, how much we like each other.”

Alex grins. “The truth is, I can’t resist your sister’s wonderful cooking, and I didn’t want anyone else to snatch her up before I got the chance.”

Mark’s looking from Alex to me and back again. Clearly, he’s not at all pleased. Even Alex’s witty remark doesn’t have the desired effect. He keeps his eyes on me and says, “But I thought you couldn’t stand him?”

Oh, lord!

“Really?” Alex grins up at me. “This is news to me.”

I can feel my face blooming bright red, and I glare at my brother with a look that could kill a horse.

“Thanks for that,” I quip back.

Mark shrugs. “Maybe it’s one of the reasons I’m struggling to get my head around this.” He nods at us.

“Last time I checked,” I snarl, “I’m a grown woman who has a right to make decisions without being questioned about them.”

My swan act is drowning fast.

“Oh come on, Dara,” Alex says soothingly, rubbing a large hand across my back, which, I note, actually feels really nice. “Mark is worried about you, that’s all. I can see his point.”

Alex looks over at Mark and nods. “I know this is sudden to you, man, but it doesn’t feel sudden to us. In fact, we’ve had countless conversations over the last few weeks, wondering why we didn’t get together sooner.”

We have?

“And I’m sorry I’ve gone over your head. I know you wanted me to stay away.”

It’s now Mark’s turn to look uncomfortable, and he flicks me a worried glance.

“But like Dara said, it just happened. You never mentioned she had left her job in the city, and when I discovered her working in the diner, I realized I could use her skills. I needed a personal chef and wanted to give her an opportunity to cook the creations she loves, rather than fries and burgers. If that makes me a bad guy, then so be it.”

Mark huffs a sigh and falls back against the pillow he was lying on earlier. “It would just have been nice if you’d told me to my face, rather than me finding out from the local doctor.”

“That’s not fair. We didn’t know you were coming back,” I counter.

“You could have called,” he argues.

“Then that’s not telling you to your face, is it?” I retort. “We had every intention of telling you when you returned, but we didn’t think that was for another month.”

It scares me that this lying malarkey is getting easier every time I do it.

Mark huffs again and then shrugs. “Fair point.” He turns to look at me. “I only ever wanted you to be happy, Dara.”

“I know that,” I say, my tone a little softer. “And I am. I swear to you.”

That isn’t really a lie. I have a great job with more pay than I deserve, and I get to cook fantastic meals for someone who appreciates them.

It’s more than that, and you know it.

It is, but I’m a little too busy defending myself with a bunch of lies to do a full emotional evaluation.

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