He saw the mop of silvery-blond hair first and then his aunt’s twinkling eyes as she stepped into Kate’s foyer.
“I just wanted to pop in and see how things were coming along,” Glenda said. Only he wasn’t fooled. He’d bet anything her arrival had something to do with a phone call from his mother as the two women tried to put together who the mystery woman was.
Glenda crossed the room and went to the windows, where she slid her fingers across the silky fabric of Kate’s new drapes. “These are lovely. You’re probably relieved to have the extra privacy. I am so glad you decided to take my advice and go with Dominic. He certainly is a wonder. In fact, he’s part of why I’m here. My dishwasher is on the fritz again. Do you think you could take a look for me?”
“Sure. I was just wrapping things up, I’ll be over in a few minutes.”
“Oh, please. Don’t let me interrupt you two. Take your time.” His aunt’s tone told them both she was insinuating more than just his contractor services. “I just knew you two would be a great team. In fact, your mother mentioned you were seeing a special someone these days. I was wondering if I might know who the lucky woman was…”
He rolled his eyes at her subtlety. Dominic had known it wouldn’t take long for her to figure it out, but he had to give her credit, because he hadn’t expected her to be so bold.
“You’re killing me here. But if Kate’s okay with it”—he looked over at her, seeing the bemused look on her face as she watched the old lady in action—“then I don’t see the harm. Kate and I are dating. There. You happy?”
“Why wouldn’t I be happy? I knew I saw the sparks between you two from that first moment you met. I’m just glad you recognized the undeniable attraction and didn’t let her slip between your fingers.”
He and Kate both opened their mouths but stopped as they met the other’s gaze. Any objections they made to her far-fetched observation would not help their cause. This was what they both wanted, right? To convince people this was real.
“Well, you really nailed it on the head this time, Glenda,” Dominic said. “But it’s getting late. If you want me to take a look at your dishwasher, I probably better get over there.”
“Oh, before I forget,” Glenda said and stopped before the front door. “That’s the other reason I wanted to stop by. Wednesday is my seventieth birthday—something I’m sure you already know, Dominic—and I’m having a small party. Nothing fussy or anything. Only family and a few friends. I’d really like it if you could come, Kate. Meet everyone.”
Dominic hadn’t remembered his aunt’s birthday but realized how fortuitous this party was to their plan. Kate, however, looked like Glenda had asked her to run around naked on the front lawn.
“Oh, I’m not really sure if I could make it. I usually have to work late, and I’m sure you want to keep things small and intimate.”
He came to stand next to her, easing his arm over her shoulder. If her shoulders tensed up any more, her head might just pop off. “What time should we be there?”
“Party’s at six.” Glenda smiled impishly and started for the front door. “Well, enjoy your new drapes, dear. They’re gorgeous. You coming, Dominic?”
Kate started forward to get to the door, and his arm slid back to his side. He stopped in front of Kate, who still looked a little dazed by this new turn of events as she turned her gaze up to his.
Her eyes were a dark bluish gray in the dimming light. He stood so close to her, he could see the trail of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Could breathe her scent, a mix of sweet and floral, like vanilla and bright sun-kissed petals rolled into one. Kate looked as startled as he felt at their close proximity, her eyes widening a fraction of an inch, and her lips parted.
“See you, Kate.” He realized that his aunt had paused at the bottom step and was watching them now. Well, since they had a part to play…and with Kate still watching him, he leaned down to place a simple, chaste kiss on those soft lips. She blinked but didn’t pull away, but he noticed her eyes narrowed at his boldness.
He winked, unable to stop the slow smile that spread across his face as he took a step back. “’Night Kate. See you tomorrow.”
He could feel her gaze still on him as he crossed the driveway and up Glenda’s steps. But by the time he’d turned around, her door was shut.
This boyfriend act certainly had its advantages.
Chapter Seven
Dominic managed to stifle a yawn the next morning as he and Cruz inspected the plans for their latest project. Cruz looked him over. “So what’s all this about you and some mystery woman? How come you’ve never mentioned her before?”
“Probably because she’s a client. Not someone I would usually get involved with.”
“Who is she?” Cruz challenged, evidently not yet convinced.
“She’s an attorney at some overpriced law firm downtown. And more importantly, Glenda’s new neighbor. She moved into the ho
use next door. You’ll have the pleasure of meeting her tomorrow night at Glenda’s birthday party.”
“A lawyer, huh? So are things serious?”
Dominic shrugged. “Serious enough if I’m bringing her to meet the family. How serious are things between you and Becca?”
“Point made.” Cruz turned his attention to the contracts in front of him, accepting this line of questioning wouldn’t end well for either of them. While Dominic might be considered, from his family’s perspective, wounded and still recovering from his breakup with Melinda and thus in need of someone to get him feeling again, to their knowledge, Cruz had never suffered true heartache from any relationship for which he’d needed to recover. His practice had always been to end relationships before they could grow too serious. And Cruz had gotten away with it because the family felt—or more like hoped—that he just hadn’t met the one. Cruz took another moment before continuing. “I’m glad you’re bringing someone. Maybe it can distract Mom. Between worrying about Daisy and Dad and his heart, she’s been pretty stressed.”