Page 5 of Say Yes To The Fake Date

I blurt out a laugh. “Yeah, Mom, he would. You think I’d lie about this? Look, can I stay here or not?”

For just a second, I think she’s going to say no, but finally, she nods her head. “Yes, of course you can stay.”

She walks over to the window, pushes the curtains to the side, and looks out. “How did you get here? Where’s your car?”

There’s no way I’m going to mention Dominic’s name because my mom will probably kick me out if I do. She never really liked the fact I was with Dominic, and when he went to prison, she was happy he was out of the picture. She never thought he was good for me. She could never get past the fact that he came from foster homes and thought he was beneath me.

I spent my younger years defending him, andthe desire to do so now is strong, but I don’t have the energy.

“Luciana… how did you get here?”

“My car broke down and I got a ride—”

“By who? And what is happening? I don’t understand—”

I cut her off. “Mom, I need to rest. Can we catch up later? I just want to sleep. I don’t want to think about my car or about Ray or about anything else right now. I just want to lie down.”

My mom huffs her breath like she’s offended, but it doesn’t take much for me to upset my mother. I expect her to argue with me, but she just throws her hands up. “Sure, go to bed.”

I grab as many bags as I can and take them to my childhood bedroom. As I push the door open, it’s nothing like I remember. All the posters are gone. The pink curtains have been replaced with brown ones. The day bed has been replaced with a queen-sized bed that takes up most of the room.

I drop the bags on the floor, shut the door, and then throw myself onto the bed. Normally, I’d be unable to sleep with everything that is going on, but as soon as my head hits the pillow, the last thought I have is of a brown-haired, blue-eyed man that makes me want things I know I shouldn’t.

4

DOMINIC

As soon as I took Lucy home, I dropped off the van I was towing and then went to pick up her car. I felt rushed, as if she was going to have someone else take care of it and pick it up before I did, but I knew that wasn’t a worry I should have because I still had her keys in my pocket.

I worked through the night, and instead of sleeping upstairs in my apartment, I slept on the sofa downstairs in the shop. I knew she wouldn’t sneak in through the night and try to take the car or anything, but I foolishly felt better being close to something that was hers.

As I stretched out the muscles in my back this morning, I knew it was a bad choice, but I didn’t care. I got up early and started working on Lucy’scar. The fuel pump was already fixed, but I spent the morning putting on new tires, giving it an oil change, and everything else I can see that needed to be fixed. I have three other cars that I should be working on, but instead I don’t go far from Lucy’s. I definitely don’t want to be somewhere else when she comes.

All I’ve thought about all day is the bruise on her face. Why didn’t I pay attention when her mom told me who Lucy was engaged to?

I’m under the hood, replacing her battery when I hear my employee, Jake, holler my name. “Dom!”

I know what he wants before he says anything else. I know that Lucy is here. I secure the battery, lower the hood, and am wiping off my hands when Jake comes around the corner with Lucy behind him. “Dom, you have a visitor.”

With my eyes on Lucy, I say, “Thanks, Jake.”

He looks between the two of us and finally walks back across the garage, but I pay him no mind because my eyes are glued to Lucy. She looks more rested, and it looks like she tried to hide her bruises even though I feel like I’ll never unsee them.

“How you doing?”

She shrugs. “I told you not to fix my car.”

“Your car is ready.”

She points to the other side of the garage. “Your friend said you’ve been working on it all day. Tires, battery, fuel pump.”

She’s angry, and I should feel bad that I love to see the fire in her eyes even though it’s directed at me.

“It was no big deal.”

She rubs her hand across her face, and she must not realize that she wipes off some of the makeup covering her bruise. I bristle seeing the marred skin.

“Dom, listen, I didn’t want you to fix the car because I don’t have the money to pay for it right now. I had to hire an attorney this morning, and it took all the money I had, but I promise that—”

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