Page 26 of More Than a Blind Date

“Fine by me. I can swing by the barbecue place and?—”

“No. we’ll take care of dinner. But if you’re in the mess hall, does that mean you’ve already eaten?”

“Ava is still cooking. We were having a meeting, but it wrapped up right before you called. I’ll see you soon. And I’m looking forward to meeting your friend.”

“Good, okay. I won’t keep you. I know you’re busy.”

In that same soothing voice he uses when I get wound up about something, he says, “Hey, you can call me anytime.And if I can’t answer right away, I’ll call you back. You aren’t interrupting.”

“You’re only saying that because I’m your fake fiancée.”

“Nah, I’m saying that because I genuinely enjoy talking to you. Fake or not, I’m glad we met.”

“Me too. I’ll see you in a bit.” I end the call, inclined to agree with Daphne that Dallas upending his life to help me is romantic. But I know he doesn’t mean it that way.

When I getto the house, Daphne’s car and Dallas’s truck are already there. And that has me a tad nervous. Will she like him? It’s silly to be worried about that since I’m not actually engaged to the man, but I care.

I gather the dresses out of my back seat and walk to the door, taking care not to drag fabric on the ground. As I get to the door, it swings open.

“Here. I can get those. Where do you want me to put them?” Dallas steps aside and extends his hands.

I carefully drape them over those muscular arms. “If you’ll carry them into the bedroom, I’d be grateful. And I’ll go with you and hang them.” I glance over my shoulder as I start down the hall. “Hi, Daphne!”

Grinning, she fans herself, and I’m relieved that Dallas has his back turned. She’s doing it for my benefit because he’s not her type. Not in the least. But he is mine.

I need to be careful because if I’m not, six months from now when Dallas and I part ways, I’ll be leaving with a broken heart.

This whole charade was meant to save me from pain. Not cause it.

Dallas surveys the dresses as I hang them one by one.

“I may have to buy one, but I thought I’d start with what I already own. You said it wasn’t black tie, right?”

He huffs out a laugh, amusement twinkling in his eye. “I’m not sure I can picture the ranch hands in tuxedos. We clean up okay, but we wear boots with our suits. It won’t be super fancy. You don’t need to buy a dress. Seriously. These are all really pretty.”

“And after we eat, you can try them on for us to see.” Daphne appears in the doorway. “It’ll be fun.”

Dallas hands off the last dress and rubs his jaw. “I’ll get plates out so that we can eat.” Then he hurries out of the room.

“Daphne, I was going to model them for you. Dallas doesn’t want to watch me parade around in different dresses and help me decide.”

She glances out the door and lowers her voice. “First of all, you’re right about one part. He won’t help you decide. He’ll just say they all look good. But you’re wrong if you think he won’t enjoy seeing you model the dresses. He absolutely will. It’ll be good relationship building.”

“It’s fake, Daphne. We don’t have a relationship to build. I’ve explained this.”

“Yes, you do. Y’all are building a friendship. You’ll need it to get through the next few months.” She steps into the hall. “Because I have a feeling that your mom hasn’t given up on controlling your life. Not yet. She’s still got tactics up her sleeve.”

“I hope you’re wrong.” But I’m quite sure that Daphne is one hundred percent correct. And it worries me.

After dinner,I model the dresses. I keep my personal favorites until the end. Daphne hasoohed andaahed over every singleone, and Dallas has repeated the same line every time I walk out in a different dress. “That one is pretty.”

My friend is probably right that he won’t single out a particular dress, but that doesn’t stop me from hoping.

Wearing the second to last dress, I twirl when I get into the living room. “I was thinking of wearing this one to the rehearsal dinner.”

Daphne claps. “It’s gorgeous. I love it.”

It’s a far cry from the jean shorts and T-shirt that I live in when I’m not at work.

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