A Pretend Proposal: The Fiancée Fiasco / Faking It to Making It / The Wedding Must Go On

Nana Jo made a tsking sound and waved one hand impatiently. “Impose? Nonsense! It’s no imposition. Of course you’ll stay here. I have plenty of space.” To Thomas she said, “Beth will sleep in the guest room. I put fresh linens on the bed just this morning.”

“Where will I be sleeping?” Thomas asked innocently. But Elizabeth thought she caught a dash of the devil in his otherwise angelic expression.

“On the couch,” Nana Jo retorted. “I’m too old-fashioned to agree to let you sleep in the same room with Beth, whether she’s your fiancée or not.”

She winked again at Elizabeth, who felt her face catch fire.

“Really, that’s very kind. But I … we couldn’t put you out like that,” Elizabeth began. “Besides, Thomas already made the reservations.”

It was a weak argument that Nana Jo dismantled easily. “He can unmake them. If the owner gives you any trouble, Tommy, I’ll talk to him. I know Ned and Estelle from church.” Lowering her voice, she added, “Estelle is on the list to bring dessert for funeral lunches, but we never put her rum cake out. She’s a little too liberal with the libations, if you know what I mean.”

“But—”

“Not another word. I won’t have it any other way. You’re all but family now, my dear, and family is never a bother. Tell her, Tommy.”

Before Elizabeth could object further, Thomas said, “Arguing won’t do you any good, I’m afraid.”

He put an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders. She jolted at his touch, but didn’t pull away. She’d promised him that she wouldn’t. She hadn’t promised to snuggle closer, though. She did so automatically, reeled in by the scent of his cologne. When she felt him drop a light kiss on the top of her head, she came to her senses. It was all for show, she reminded herself, even if they were attracted to one another. Ultimately, nothing real and lasting would come of it.

“He comes by his stubborn streak honestly, Beth. He gets it from me,” Nana Jo claimed proudly. “Now let’s see to your bags.”

Thomas shrugged helplessly and mouthed an apology to Elizabeth. Even though they had decided to leave a day early, the weekend had just gotten much, much longer.

Nana Jo’s condo was on the top floor. Despite their protests, she insisted on carrying Elizabeth’s suitcase the entire time, not even setting it down during the short elevator ride. Thomas would have to have another chat with her doctor, he decided, and find out exactly what she should and shouldn’t be doing. He knew better than to think he would get a straight answer from her. Stubborn streak, indeed. Hers was a mile wide.

Still, he was relieved to see her looking so healthy, not to mention so damned happy. She hadn’t stopped grinning since their arrival. Thomas pushed away the twinge of guilt he felt for deceiving her. So far, the result was worth it.

She waved Elizabeth inside the condo, though she left it to Thomas to hold open the door. She patted his cheek on the way inside. The place was every bit as welcoming as she was, with the multitude of homey touches he remembered. Even though he hadn’t grown up here, he’d spent enough time in the condo that he never felt like a guest.

Today, it smelled like a bakery thanks to a batch of fresh-from-the-oven cookies that were warming on the kitchen counter—chocolate chip, his favorite. He’d never brought home a woman before, but this was pretty much what he’d expected the reception to be. Nana Jo had pulled out all of the stops in an effort to make Elizabeth feel welcomed and comfortable. He eyed the couch sourly. Oh, yes. She’d thought of everything all right.

“If you want to freshen up, Beth, the guest bath is just down the hallway,” Nana Jo was saying. “I’ve put out towels and a washcloth for you. If you need anything else or can’t find something, don’t hesitate to ask.”

The grand tour didn’t take long. Nana Jo’s condo wasn’t very large, even if it felt that way thanks to its open floor plan. In addition to two bedrooms and two full baths, it boasted an eat-in kitchen that was separated from the living room by a large, granite island.

He reached for one of the cookies on his way past, only to have his hand swatted away by Nana Jo, who barely glanced in his direction and never broke stride. The woman still had eyes in the back of her head.

“This is where you’ll stay, Beth. Tommy, you can leave your bag in here for now so that we’re not tripping over it in the living room.”

“Gee, how very generous of you,” he grumbled good-naturedly.

“You haven’t canceled your reservation at the bed-and-breakfast yet, if the accommodations here aren’t to your liking,” she reminded him tartly as one brow arched over the top rim of her bifocals. He could only chuckle, especially since Elizabeth was trying to tuck away a grin.

When they reached the guest room, he stopped at the door after the women continued inside. After setting his luggage in the corner, he leaned against the jamb and watched Elizabeth take in the inviting floral comforter that covered a queen-sized bed. Coordinating curtains flapped at the large, open window that let in a breeze that made air-conditioning obsolete even on a day as warm as this one.

“I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable in here. The room is lovely, Mrs. O’Keefe.”

“It’s Nana Jo, dear. And thank you.” His grandmother wagged a finger in his direction then. “Tommy complains that it’s too feminine for his liking.”

“I feel like I’m sleeping in a posey patch, but it suits you, Elizabeth.” He managed to sound lighthearted, even though he was picturing her on the bed, surrounded by the comforter’s fussy floral print and wearing nothing but a couple of scraps of pink lace. On a groan he spat out a mild oath.

“Tommy! Your language,” Nana Jo admonished. “I raised you better than that. What on earth are you thinking?”

What was he thinking? He glanced at Elizabeth. Her eyes were wide, alert and, unless he missed his guess, full of interest. She moistened her lips, exhaled slowly. God help them both, she knew exactly what was on his mind.

While Elizabeth took his grandmother’s suggestion and freshened up, Thomas helped Nana Jo carry out a tray of refreshments to the balcony that opened up off the living room. Large pots in the corners overflowed with bright red geraniums. Beyond the white wooden railing, Lake Michigan stretched as far as the eye could see. It was the kind of view one never tired of seeing. Even in the winter, when parts of the big lake froze and huge rafts of ice, pushed ashore by wind and waves, bounded the coast, the view was mesmerizing.

“It’s a gorgeous day,” he said.

“And yours is a gorgeous girl. I like your Beth, Tommy.” She poured three large glasses with iced tea and set a small plate of lemon wedges and a sugar bowl in the center of the scrolled iron table.

“I thought you would.” He managed to purloin a cookie this time without getting his hand smacked.

“I still don’t understand why it’s taken you so long to finally bring her to see me.” Her tone held reproach.

“I’m sorry I put you off for so long. Things were crazy at work and then, well, I just wanted to be sure.” He’d told her similar things several times in the past. This time they seemed less like an excuse.

“And are you?”

The pat answer he planned never made it past his lips. Instead, he walked to the rail, his gaze trained on a couple of sailboats that were nothing but white dots on a cloudless blue horizon.

“I’ve never met anyone quite like Elizabeth,” he said slowly, honestly. “I like being around her, spending time with her. The more I learn, the more I want to learn.”

“You almost sound surprised.”

“More like amazed.” He took a bite of the cookie, turned and worked up a grin for her benefit. “She likes Alfred Hitchcock movies.”

Nana Jo chuckled. “I see now what clinched the deal for you. That genre of film isn’t for everyone.”

“Actually, we have quite a bit in common, more than I expected.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you stop dating women who are all wrong for you.”

He smiled since it was expected and finished the cookie, nearly choking on the last bite when his grandmother added, “Love has a way of finding us, Tommy. Even if we never look for it. Maybe especially when we don’t.”

Elizabeth joined them just as his coughing fit was subsiding. As soon as she stepped out onto the balcony, the breeze made a mockery of the time she’d spent returning her hair to its sleek bob. While she tucked it behind both ears, he rose from his seat and pulled out her chair, earning a nod of satisfaction from his grandmother.

“I’m so glad to finally have a chance to meet you, dear,” Nana Jo said.

Just as he had, Elizabeth bypassed the sugar bowl and selected a wedge of lemon, which she squeezed into her glass.

“I’m enjoying meeting you, too. Thomas has told me a lot about you.” Elizabeth smiled. “All of it good.”

“Tommy, what have I told you about fibbing?” Nana Jo scolded, albeit teasingly.

Elizabeth looked uncomfortable despite her smile, but he had to hand it to her. She was managing to be completely honest with his grandmother despite the big white elephant of a lie sharing space with them on the small balcony.

“Tommy tells me you like Alfred Hitchcock.”