Page 78 of Faking I Do
I grinned as I shook my head. “There ought to be some surprises, don’t you think?”
Less than thirty minutes later we’d been seated at the table I’d picked out at the exclusive new restaurant on the other side of Swynton. It wasn’t Cattleman’s, but it would do. Based on the few pictures I’d finally managed to find of the interior of the swanky restaurant in downtown Houston, I figured I couldmake it look similar enough that no one would be able to tell the difference.
“Wow, you’re certainly going all out,” Lacey said as she placed the cloth napkin in her lap.
“Nothing but the best for my fiancée.” I raised my water glass in her direction before taking a sip.
The corners of her mouth tipped up. The sadness from earlier was gone, replaced by a casual comfortableness. But there was nothing low-key about the dress she had on. I’d been trying not to notice how it clung to her curves, leaving little to the imagination. Having had my hands and my mouth all over every inch of her already, my imagination didn’t have to do much work anyway to picture the creamy skin the dress barely covered.
Lacey picked up the menu. “Have you been here before?”
“Just once.” I reached for the wine list. Maybe a bottle of something decadent and red would set the mood. I scanned the list. Or possibly a sparkling would be more in line with the tone I wanted to set for the evening. “Do you have a preference on wine tonight?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Surprise me. That’s your goal, right?”
Sparkling, I decided. Something effervescent to add a little bubbly to the evening. “Is that a challenge?”
“Sure. Take it how you will.” She looked around the restaurant, probably trying to see if there was anyone she recognized, or worse, someone who might recognize her.
“Challenge accepted.” We should be somewhat hidden from prying eyes. I’d made sure of it when I stopped by earlier to pick the table and make arrangements with the waitstaff.
By the time we placed our order and the wine had been delivered to our table, Lacey appeared to relax even more. The candlelight played off her skin, making her red lips look even redder and her skin appear even smoother than I already knew it to be. I had to keep reminding myself that this was all part ofher plan, not some form of foreplay. I’d be taking her back to her place after and dropping her off with her dad. There would be no repeat of the night we shared. Or the morning after.
Lacey kept up her side of the conversation during dinner, chatting about the decisions we still had to make for the wedding. I had no idea there were so many details to consider. What color bow tie did I want? I didn’t care. Did I have a preference on which song we’d have our first dance to? Whatever she wanted. It’s not like this would count.
I was happy to leave all the planning up to her. All I wanted to do was show up and get it over with. Then maybe I could go back to thinking of Lacey as nothing more than a coworker. I’d already passed the point of not being able to think of her as a little sister. That ended the first time we kissed. There was no going back to the way things used to be. Not since I’d felt how magical it was to be inside her.
The waiter came to clear our plates. I sat up straighter, my heart picking up the tempo. This was the part of the evening I was most concerned about. When the waiter asked if we’d like to see the dessert tray, I furrowed my brow. I’d made arrangements earlier for the special dessert—flan with a side of a yellow cubic zirconia engagement ring. Even though the whole engagement was fake, I wanted her to be surprised enough to get a few realistic photos.
Lacey looked to me for guidance. “What do you say? We could split a piece of that giant chocolate cake I saw on display when we came in.”
“What?” I had been craning my neck, trying to find the maître d’ I’d spoken with earlier.
“Chocolate cake.” Lacey reached across the table and put her hand on mine. “You okay? You seem a little distracted.”
I shook my head, trying to dislodge the feeling that something had gone wrong. “Yeah, chocolate cake sounds great.”
The waiter nodded then disappeared with our plates.
“Can you excuse me for a minute?” I asked.
“Sure.” Lacey let her hand fall away. “This has been a really nice night. Thanks.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I pushed back from the table, intent on finding out what had happened to my engagement flan and, more important, where my fake engagement ring had gone.
CHAPTER 39
LACEY
I stareddown at the flan the waiter set in front of me. “Oh, we ordered cake.”
“It’s flan, ma’am.” He slid it to the middle of the table and produced two spoons.
“I see that it’s flan. But we ordered chocolate cake.” I tilted my head, wondering how an order of chocolate cake could turn to flan in the space of a few minutes.
“I’ll check on that.” He nodded his head as he turned to go.
“Wait.” I took the plate holding the flan with one hand. “Why don’t you take this with you?”
