The food is delicious, too, but I pick at my club sandwich, too nervous to eat. “Are you sure you still want to do this?”
Mitch dips a French fry in ketchup like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “For the hundredth time,yes.After that kiss last night, I’m not backing out now. I bought a ring and everything.”
I gaze at the glistening rock on my ring finger. I’d been stunned into silence when he handed it to me outside the diner.It’s quite possibly the prettiest ring I’ve ever seen,and I can’t stop looking at it. “It looks just like a diamond,” I remark. “Is it a white sapphire or cubic zirconia?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Does it matter?”
“Of course not!” I assure him. “I wouldn’t have wanted you to invest in a diamond. Not for a fake engagement. This ring just looks soexpensive. I’m astonished that you found a gemstone that sparkles like a diamond in the light. No one will ever be able to tell that it’s not real.”
We spend the next hour discussing my family. When I tell him the name of my family’s business, he whistles. “Seriously?”
I feel my face flush with embarrassment. “It’s my father’s business. I’m a schoolteacher. I prefer to make my own way,” I say, lifting my chin defiantly.
He leans forward. “I love teachers. My mother taught middle school English. What do you teach?”
I smile. “Elementary school music. I also direct a youth orchestra in Nashville.”
“You’re a musician, too, then?” He douses another fry in ketchup. “And you live in Nashville?”
“I play a little bit of everything, but my specialty is violin. I learned from some of the best musicians in the world. Nashville is such a music town. People think of country music in Nashville, but there’s so much more.”
My childhood was a whirlwind of lessons. I hated being forced to take ballet and gymnastics, but I adored the music lessons.
“That’s amazing,” Mitch says, indulging me as I gush about my love for Nashville. And to my surprise, he seems to mean it. Adam was almost as bad as my mother when it came to criticizing my career. He never understood why I wanted to teach young children instead of college-aged students.Why don’t you direct students who already know how to play?he’d once asked.The little ones sound so dreadful!
When I’d explained that I loved helping children develop a love of music, he scoffed. Somehow, I know Mitch wouldn’t.
“I love teaching at the elementary school level,” I tell him. “It’s amazing to see a child’s face light up when they find an instrument that speaks to them.”
He nods thoughtfully. “I totally understand that. My mom feels the same way about teaching kids to read. She always said it’s amazing to know that you’re expanding their world. She worked with words, and you work with music notes, but I think the idea is the same.”
My nerves disappear as we chat over our meal. He tells me about his job as a mixologist, and it’s far more fascinating to me than anything Adam ever had to say about orthopedics. Adam’s career is impressive, and he’s a world-renowned surgeon, but he’s not nearly as passionate about it as Mitch is about his mixology business.
Of course, it could just be that Mitch is an exceptionally passionate man.Judging by that kiss last night…
Now isnotthe time to think about that kiss. If I do, I won’t be able to stop thinking about theperksthat are in store for me later tonight. And we still have to get through a dreadful rehearsal dinner with my family.
I must admit, though, that with Mitch by my side, even the thought of spending time with my family doesn’t seem quite so bad.
This fake engagement may just be the best idea I’ve ever had.
Five
Mitch
After lunch, I goto the mountainside lodge with Allison and see our room for the first time. It’s rich and lush, and it’s by far the nicest hotel suite I’ve ever seen. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide a gorgeous view of the Smoky Mountains. I’ve lived in Mercury Ridge my entire life, but even I’m awed by its beauty.
Until I see the bed.
It’s incredibly inviting… for sleep and everything else.
“We have a little time to kill before we need to get ready for the rehearsal dinner,” I say suggestively.
“Do you mean… the, erm,perks?” She blushes scarlet and I can’t help but laugh. She’s simultaneously the most adorable woman I’ve ever seen and thesexiest.
“We’d better wait for that. If we start now, I have a feeling we’d end up skipping the rehearsal dinner altogether.” I sprawl across the bed and pat the space beside me. “I was thinking we could maybe take a nap?”
She nestles in beside me, and I spoon her. Despite my best effort, my dick twitches. I can’t help it. Her soft flesh is utter perfection in my arms and her hair smells like strawberries. Fortunately, I’m exhausted, so I’m able to distract myself by counting sheep long enough to fall asleep.
