Page 20 of Accidental Wedding Crasher
Mia and Evan exchanged a glance before excusing themselves. As they went inside, Evan hurried to explain.
“Sorry about the room. I would have gotten you your own, but it would have been too suspicious. Don’t worry; I made sure we got a suite with a couch, so I can sleep there.”
“I won’t fight you on that this time,” Mia said. Her tone was sharp again, a reversal from the polite way she’d spoken to his mother. This was going to be a very long week.
“And I’m sorry about my mother, too. That’s how she is.”
“It’s fine. I’m sure we’ll be the best of friends.” Mia smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “And anyway, if they hate me, it’ll make it easier for you to show up to the next event alone.”
They reached the counter before Evan had a chance to reply and got their key, an old-fashioned brass key like the one they’d had in Napa Valley. Thanking the receptionist, they headed up a flight of stairs to their room on the second floor.
Suitewould have been a generous description. The room was small, with barely enough room for a large bed covered in pristine white sheets, a white-painted desk and chair that looked out of the window to the vineyards below, and a small sofa that would seat two people. There was no way Evan would be able to lie down on that without his legs hanging off the end and his neck bent onto the armrest. As suggested in the name, the suite was decorated with a pattern of lemons on the wallpaper, and there was a glass vase full of fresh, bright-yellow lemons on the desk.
Mia set her bag on the end of the bed, opened it, and started looking through her clothes.
“Would you like to shower before brunch?” Evan asked.
“No, I’m okay, but I definitely need to change.”
“Sorry again about my mom.”
“It’s fine.” Mia pulled out a flowing yellow dress embellished with small white flowers. “How’s this?”
“It’ll be great,” Evan said. Mia took the dress and a makeup bag and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Evan alone. He’d planned to work today, but he’d dragged Mia into this mess, and he couldn’t abandon her to his family. There would almost definitely be more snide comments, and if things really escalated, it would be pretty easy for his family to figure out that they weren’t really dating. They barely knew each other, after all.
So, with a longing glance at the laptop bag where his work supplies were, Evan ran his hands through his hair and grabbed a new shirt out of his bag. As he was pulling the old shirt off, Mia emerged from the bathroom, and her eyes widened.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t change in here.”
“It’s only my shirt,” Evan said. He turned to face her as he pulled on the clean one. “And it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.” He couldn’t help moving a little slowly, giving her a glimpse of his bare chest and abs before the shirt was on.
Shut up,he told himself, but seeing Mia blush was worth the teasing. She didn’t respond, though, instead walking to the door and pulling it open.
“Brunch?” she said.
“Let’s go.”
As they headed downstairs, Evan couldn’t help feeling that this was going to be a very long week indeed. Mia was upset with him — and understandably so — and his mother was already suspicious of Mia. They hadn’t even met the rest of the family yet. Plus, Evan really did have a lot of work to do, and it was looking like he wouldn’t have much time for it.
If he made it through this week without a huge blowup, it would be a miracle.
CHAPTER 10
MIA
“So, Mia.” Ellen leaned forward, a piece of cantaloupe speared on her fork. “Has Evan introduced you to everyone yet?”
“Not yet,” Mia said. She and Evan had just sat down at the brunch table. Mia’s plate was full of pastries and fruit from the buffet, while Evan had opted for bread, cheese, and cold cuts. The buffet had been excellent. As for the company... Mia was trying to hold off on her judgment for now. Evan had mentioned his mother, father, brother, and future sister-in-law in the car, and Mia had naïvely believed that this would be a small event.
She’d been very wrong.
The spacious dining hall, which featured long wooden tables, skylights letting in bright summer sunshine, and huge picture windows with views out over the vineyards, was filled with between fifteen and twenty people. And this was before the rest of the wedding guests even arrived. Mia was already overwhelmed by the number of people she’d have to meet.
“Well, you’ve met me,” Ellen said. “And this is my husband, Arthur. Over there is our other son, Luka, and his fiancée, Sarah. And this is my sister, Tabitha…” As Ellen continued introducing everyone, Mia smiled and nodded. She was usually great with names — most teachers had to be, to remember the names of all their students year after year — but today she was tired and overwhelmed. She’d probably forget most of these people’s names by the end of the meal.
“So, Mia,” Arthur said, taking a sip of his black coffee, “my wife tells me that you’re a high school teacher. What’s that like?”
Mia smiled. He seemed genuinely interested. “Oh, it’s great. I love helping my students, and I love math, so it combines my interests very well.”
