Pretend for Me Read online

  Whistling he walked down the steps to the edge of the garden. He saw a waterfall and took time to admire it. Several pairs of hands were in cement molds. Leaning down he saw Sara’s name on one of them.

  “The kids wanted this feature. Sara was the youngest,” Martin said, standing beside him.

  “Her hands are so tiny.”

  “She was six when they did them. Wow, over twenty years ago. I can still remember her running about this lawn. Her red hair trailed behind her. She refused to get it cut.”

  Andy listened to Martin talk as he looked at the handprints. Thinking about a tiny red haired Sara with her fiery spirit put a smile on his face. He knew her children would be the same. His thoughts brought him up short. Children?

  “You left this on the counter,” Martin said.

  The older man presented him with the check he’d seen on the counter.

  “I didn’t leave it, sir.”

  “Why? Every other man has left her alone,” Martin asked.

  “You’ve got the wrong idea about me. I’m not here for Sara’s money. I’m here for her. You can keep offering me money, but I won’t take it. I’m not like most men.”

  He brushed past the man and made his way back to his room. Sara really hadn’t been kidding about her family. If this is what every date had to look forward to then he wasn’t surprised by her single status. For a Friday afternoon he’d been bribed and challenged not to mention the kiss he’d shared with Sara.

  Running his fingers through his hair he tried to put the feel of her out of his mind. He couldn’t do it. That kiss had opened something inside him that he couldn’t simply shut off just because he wanted to.

  His feelings for her were growing.

  The sound of his cell phone ringing filled the silence. He saw Travis’s name on the caller ID.

  “Hi,” he said when he clicked the accept call button.

  “I thought I’d find out how dated bliss was.”

  Lying back on the bed he let out a sigh.

  “That bad?” Travis asked.

  “Let me put it another way. Sara is loaded with money, and she’s the baby of the family.”

  “Ouch. You’re enemy number one then?”

  “In a big way. I’ve been bribed by her father, and her ex is here letting me know he’ll win when it comes to her.”

  Silence descended over the line.

  “What’s the matter?” Andy asked.

  “Do you want to win her over?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He heard Travis mumbling over the line. “You’re there at this woman’s house. She’s been living in the same apartment block for the past five years. You clearly have feelings for her, Andy. Do the math.”

  “I’m not the marrying type.” He argued his point. Andy didn’t want to get married. None of his friends wanted to get married. They all had a mutual desire to play the field.

  “You may not have been the marrying type. Even I can see this girl is different. You’ve never put off introducing us to one of your women. You kept Sara to yourself. I saw the way you were with her at your apartment. There is something there between you. You can’t deny it.”

  He couldn’t deny anything. Andy had kept her to himself because he didn’t want them to get to her. In his own way he’d been protecting her himself.

  What did it all mean?

  ****

  “Stop checking your phone, Sara. You’re making me nervous,” Harmony said. Sara glanced down at her phone wondering what was happening back home.

  She stood in the center of the room while a woman knelt at her feet fixing the floral pink dress. Amazingly, the pink didn’t clash with her hair, which shocked her.

  “You don’t think they’ve killed him and stuffed him in the pond, do you?” she asked her family.

  “This is such a lovely color on you, Sara. I’m so pleased I went for this one. In the picture I wasn’t sure, but seeing it on you, it’s perfection.” Bethany gasped and wiped the tears from her eyes.

  Rolling her eyes in agitation, Sara tried to balance herself on the area she was standing. “Why aren’t any of you panicking?”

  Tracy threw down the wedding magazine to walk over to her. “Your man will be fine with Dad and the others. I’m sure seeing Andy put a spin in Dylan’s plans.”

  “Tracy,” her mother warned.

  “What plans? Ouch!” The woman pricked Sara with a dress pin.

  “Sorry.”

  She hated this, being surrounded by people and them pushing pins into her or trying to change her to make her look pretty.

  “Dylan planned to ask you to marry him again. You’ve got to give that man credit. He doesn’t give up.” Tracy was the only one to know about the real reason behind her leaving Dylan. Her older sister shot her a look letting her know she was on Sara’s side. “I like Andy. He can’t take his eyes off you, you know?”

  Sara smiled unable to comment.

  “Ouch!”

  “Sorry.”

  “Can you walk in heels, Sara? You were struggling to manage with a one inch heel. Do you think you could manage with a six inch one?” Bethany asked, showing her a picture of the shoes she’d have to wear.

  “I can’t wear those.”

  Tracy stood on the chair behind her and started working on her hair.

  “We need to get everything perfect today so that you can just slip the dress on in a month’s time.”

  “Why can’t you stay longer?” Harmony asked.

  “I’ve got commitments, Mom.”

  “Speaking of commitments, do you think Andy will ask for your hand?”

  She turned to look at her mother. “We’ve only been dating a couple of months. It’s too early to tell.”

  “Too early to tell? Sara, you’ve been using that man as material for your love interests in your book,” Tracy said, admonishing her.

  She turned to glance at her sister. “How do you know?”

  “I’ve got eyes and ears, little sis. I’ve read them.”

  “You don’t even know the name I write under.”

  Tracy smiled at her. “I do. I searched your computer when I visited you last. You’re very talented.”

  Glancing around the room she saw all the women were smiling at her. “You told everyone?”

  “Yes. I’m very proud of you.” Tracy pinned her hair up then inserted little white daisies into her hair.

  Sara didn’t know what to say to them.

  She liked to think of her writing as a secret. Something she did that no one knew about.

  “Right, I’m finished,” the dress lady said. Sara hadn’t caught her name.

  “How do I look?” she asked the women in the room. Harmony looked like she was going to cry while Bethany clapped her hands with excitement. “I guess I pass inspection for the wedding of the year?”

  They all laughed. Next was the task of taking it all off. Sara stood still while they removed every item of clothing. She dressed back into her jeans and shirt before following them outside.

  “Do you think the men will have the barbeque ready?” Bethany asked.

  “Either that or we’ll have spoilt meat to eat later.” Tracy munched on an apple as they walked back to the car.

  Sara kept checking her cell phone to see if Andy would call. Harmony drove home, and Sara waved at a couple of her old friends as she passed. There was nothing that stood out about the town she’d left behind. Part of her was missing her life in the city.

  They pulled up into the driveway several minutes later. She saw more cars had joined, which only meant several more of her family’s friends had arrived.

  Her mother, sister, and Bethany made for the back garden. She decided to go through the front door. Andy was walking down the stairs as she entered. The moment she saw him she went into his waiting arms. He offered her the comfort her family couldn’t give her.

  “You hated every second of that trip, didn’t you?” he asked.

  She nodded. “They had
a woman sticking pins into me. I can’t feel my ankles because of it.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll kiss them all better.”

  “Do I even want to ask how it was?” She nibbled her lip expecting the worst.

  “Your dad tried to bribe me with a check. Your family is very hung up on money.”

  Her heart sank at his words.

  “I’m so sorry.” She rested her head against his.

  “You’ve nothing to be sorry about. You warned me about this weekend, and everything is going according to plan. I look forward to the wedding weekend. That should be a hoot.”

  She burst out laughing. He always made her smile.

  “Come on.” Taking his hand she walked back outside to where everyone was mingling. The barbeque was in full swing. Her father wore an apron as he grilled the meat.

  “That’s Bethany’s family over there talking to Mom.” She pointed in the direction before turning back. “There are several of Danny’s friends. Some of them are married while others are not.”

  Andy stayed by her side as she introduced him to aunties and uncles that had come down for the special event. They were doing a run-through of the rehearsal tomorrow night at the local church. On Sunday she’d be travelling back home with Andy. The weekend should fly by.

  When the food was ready they all sat around the large dining table set out with potato salad, mixed salads, and an assortment of food that went with the barbeque. She sat next to Andy and helped to fill his plate. They swapped and changed food with each other. He gave her back the pasta salad that someone put on his plate, and she gave him back the corn she’d been given.

  When she looked up she saw her family watching them. Tracy smiled at her before going back to her lunch.

  “Is it me or are your family constantly watching us?” he asked.

  “They’re being nosy.” She grumbled some words out that she didn’t want anyone to hear.

  Dylan sat across from them. She felt his foot stroke her ankle under the table. Sara glared at him and kept her feet out of touching distance.

  Andy tried some of her father’s steak and moaned. “You’ve got to try this,” he said.

  She hadn’t put any steak on her plate. Sara watched as he cut off a piece and fed her from his fork. The meat melted in her mouth.

  A moan escaped her lips. For the rest of the meal they fed each other off their plates. The rest of their family fell away. She didn’t care what they saw or how they interpreted it. This was how they were back at home. She missed having Andy all to herself, and part of her felt selfish in her need for him.

  The conversation soon turned to business like it always did at these events. Dylan became the golden boy with his latest venture into international shipping. She didn’t know what he did to earn his millions, and she didn’t care. He bored her when he started talking about stocks and shares.

  “What do you do, Andy?” her uncle on her mother’s side asked.

  “I own several nightclubs in the city.”

  She took hold of his hand and squeezed. They were united against her family. The way she felt about her family was ridiculous.

  “Nightclubs, classy,” Dylan said.

  She glared at the man across from her. Why her parents thought she’d be happy with the egotistical Dylan, she’d never know. “He owns his own clubs, Dylan. It’s not something to scoff at.”

  “It’s okay, baby. I always wanted to manage a club, and with Sara’s help I’ve been able to do that. She’s amazing and a rare find.” He leaned down and kissed her.

  The conversation turned elsewhere, which she was thankful for. “I’m going to go to the bathroom.”

  She excused herself and walked inside. Walking up the stairs she quickly shut the door behind her. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror she saw the strain of the evening. Her family was laying on their protective coat too thick. She felt like they were trapping her. There were times she felt like she was struggling to breathe.

  After washing her hands and face she turned the light out and left the bathroom. Dylan was waiting for her. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “I came to see if you were all right.”

  “Trying to win brownie points with the family? Real old trick, Dylan. Why are you even here?” She folded her arms over her chest, annoyed that he’d come to her family at all.

  “I thought you’d be happy to see me?” He took a step closer to her.

  “I don’t know why you’d think that. It’s over between us, and stop picking at Andy. He’s a good man. I’m with him, and I’m never going to come back to you.”

  He reached out and cupped her cheek.

  Rolling her eyes she pushed him away. “I’m with Andy. I’m not with you.”

  “You can’t tell me you haven’t missed me?” Dylan asked. The ego attached to this man made her wonder how she could ever fit in the same room with him.

  “Actually, I can. I don’t give you a thought. I’m in love with Andy. I never loved you.”

  “Is there a problem here?” Andy asked, coming up the stairs. She brushed past Dylan and went straight into Andy’s arms.

  “No.”

  Andy took her down the stairs. She felt safe with him. He was the only person who understood her.

  Chapter Nine

  The following day Andy rarely got a chance to see Sara. After breakfast they were whisked away to the church to begin the rehearsals for the main event. He sat down and played his part as Sara’s date. With each passing hour he saw the agitation grow on her. Her shoulders were slumped even though her mother kept rearranging her posture. He found it cute each time she did it. Every time her family tried to keep him out, she’d shoot them down. She was a natural protector of him, which he found cute, too.

  He spent most of his time reading the book he’d found last night by his bed side. The book itself was a romantic suspense. He’d never gotten into a book before, but he wanted to finish it before he left. There was no way he’d deal with the wrath of Sara’s family over a book.

  Sara joined him at lunch time. “I can’t believe this. These rehearsals are taking forever. We’ve still got to go back to the house and practice the speeches yet.”

  Andy chuckled then began reading.

  “What are you reading?” she asked.

  He lifted the book and he listened as she read the title and the author.

  “Are you enjoying it?”

  “Surprisingly so. I’m not one for suspense with romantic elements. It’s pretty good at the moment.”

  “Like you said, what happens in the book isn’t real,” she said.

  Turning to look at her he saw her eyes sparkled. “I’m not saying they don’t happen.”

  “I wish they did though. I have to admit I see the attraction of the handsome hero doing whatever he could to claim the woman. My hero would be willing to stand up in front of everyone and proclaim his love for her.”

  He listened as she spoke. Her words made him smile. What she said was exactly what he imagined her to say.

  “Men like that don’t exist,” he said.

  She let out a sigh resting against him. “We women can hope for a man like that.”

  He pulled her in closer, kissed her lips, and then rubbed their noses together. When he was with her it never felt forced. Their actions were natural. He held her close while she ate her food. He continued to read when she got called away.

  By the time it was ready to go home he’d finished the book. He rode in his car with Sara. She stayed silent on the journey home. The garden had been laid out similar to what it would look like on the day.

  Sara sat next to him during the whole event. The best man and the maid of honor, Tracy, read out their speeches followed by the parents.

  Andy looked up at the sky to see it darken. Any moment it was going to rain.

  The roll of thunder began.

  “It’s going to rain,” she said. The first fe
w drops started to fall. They stayed seated at the table while everyone went into a mass panic.

  “Come on,” he said.

  They didn’t run for the cover of the house. Andy grabbed her hand heading in the direction of the summer house. There was no way he was going to be trapped inside with her family to keep them company. He was going to have Sara all to himself.

  ****

  Sara ran for cover holding tightly onto Andy’s hand as she did. She laughed when she tripped and fell. He caught her against him. Andy picked her up running with her in his arms to the cover of the small summer house at the bottom of the garden.

  “I bet they didn’t plan on this happening. Bethany’s probably having a fit with Mother Nature right about now.”

  He put her on her feet and closed the door. Their laughter echoed in the air. Andy cupped her cheek. “You must be freezing. Let’s get this off.” He pushed the denim jacket she’d been wearing to the floor.

  She rubbed her arms in an attempt to heat up.

  “Here, I found this.” Wrapping the towel around her arms he pulled her in close and started to dry her.

  “You’re wet as well.” She began to unbutton his shirt pushing it off his shoulders. He wore nothing under his shirt. His chest was bare to the touch. She ran her hands over the hard muscled contours of his chest. Sara couldn’t help but touch him.

  Her mouth went dry as her body became aware of where they were. They were alone and wouldn’t be disturbed in the rain.

  She leaned in and kissed his chest above his right nipple.

  “What are you doing, Sara?” he asked.

  Gazing up into his dark brown eyes she was held captive by his stare.

  “I’m living dangerously for a change.” She pushed the towel away then pulled the shirt she’d been wearing up over her head.

  Sara stood before him in her white silk bra and a pair of frayed jeans.

  “You don’t have to do this,” he said. “This will change everything between us.”

  “Don’t you want it to change?” She took his palm and placed it over her breast. “I want to, Andy.”

  He stared where his hand lay on her flesh. She watched as he licked his own lips before pulling his hand away. For a split second she felt disappointment, and then he cupped her cheek leading her backwards. She stared into his eyes trusting him with each step back she took.