Four Week Fiance(37)

“You wish.”

“Yes, I do.” He laughed again. “So what’s your answer?”

“Fine, yes,” I said with a smile. “I’ll have dinner with you.”

“She said yes!” he exclaimed excitedly.

“To dinner, nothing else.”

“I’ve never had a lady take so long to answer my marriage proposal before.”

“How many women have you proposed to?” I asked, slightly jealous.

“For real? None. For fake? One,” he said seriously. “Only you, Mila.”

“Uh huh,” I said and shook my head at myself as I felt butterflies in my stomach. This isn’t a real engagement, dumbass, so stop thinking that it is, I lectured myself silently as I waited for TJ to talk again.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven o’clock, okay?” TJ said and then paused. “Don’t think too many naughty thoughts of me tonight.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow night, TJ,” I said and hung up. I walked to my bedroom and flopped down on the bed. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be in a situation like this, and with TJ Walker of all people. It was like I had entered an alternate reality. An alternate reality where all my dreams had come true. I sat up and reached over to my night table drawer and pulled out my diary and grabbed a pen. I paused before writing as I realized that I wasn’t quite right. This reality I was living was exciting and thrilling, but it wasn’t quite a fulfillment of all my dreams. I wasn’t sure what it was, really, but I knew that only time would tell me exactly what I was getting myself into.

***

“You’re very punctual.” I answered the front door with a smile.

“Actually, I’m early.” TJ grinned at me. “It’s six fifty-five p.m.”

“Don’t tell me that.” I grinned back at him. “Or I might think you were eager to go on this date with me.”

“I wouldn’t want you to think I was eager,” TJ said as he looked me up and down. “You look very beautiful this evening.”

“Stop it.” I blushed. “You’re just saying that.”

“I never just say anything.” He shook his head and touched my blouse. “I like it.”

“Thanks. I got it at a little old store called Old Navy.” I winked at him. “Cheap and cheerful.”

“What, no shopping spree?” He looked shocked. “No fancy dress for our dinner date?”

“I thought jeans and a top would do?” I smiled at him. “You weren’t planning anything fancy, were you?” I looked at TJ in his dark grey slacks and white button-up shirt and cringed. “Am I underdressed? I can change, you know. I have five minutes left before I’m late.”

“You don’t have to change.” He shook his head. “Frankly, I’m glad you didn’t dress up.”

“You are?” I was surprised. I’d dressed casually both for myself and for him. I knew that if I’d put on some ball gown or sexy outfit, I’d be putting both of us in the mood for something more seductive, and I didn’t want that. I wanted us to just hangout and relax.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Somehow a picnic in the park would have felt off if you were in your Sunday best.”

“We’re going on a picnic in the park?” I gazed at him and studied his face. “You don’t strike me as a picnic guy.”

“Okay, so maybe we’re aren’t going on a picnic in the park.” He laughed. “Maybe I’m going to cook you dinner at my place.”

“Really? You can cook?”

“Mila! You’ve known me for how many years now? Of course I can cook.”

“Ha!” I laughed. “This I have to see. I hope you have a fire extinguisher.”

“Very funny.” He grabbed my hand. “I won’t burn anything if you help me.”

“If I help you?” I put my hand on my hip. “You’re supposed to be treating me to dinner, not me treating you.”

“A man can only hope.” He winked at me. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah, just a second. Let me get my bag.” I hurried to my room and grabbed my handbag and made sure my phone, wallet, lipstick and a box of mints were in there. I hurried back out of the room and paused as I saw him standing in the doorway. “What’re you doing?” I asked him suspiciously as he just stood there, not moving out of the way to let me pass. “We’re not about to play tonsil hockey on my bed, you know?”

“I know.” He grinned as he stared down at me. “I was just watching you in your natural habitat.”

“Um, okay.”

“Are they peppermint or minty green?”

“What’s that?” I asked, embarrassed.

“The mints you put in your purse.”

“None of your business, TJ Walker.” I pushed him back, my fingers enjoying the feel of his hard chest. “Let’s go.”

“Okay, we’re going.” He stepped back. “I like it when you get bossy.”

“Really now? You never seemed to like it before.”

“There was nothing you could boss me around to do before that I would like.”

“And there is now?”

“There sure is.” He flicked his tongue at me and then laughed as I blushed. “Come on, my innocent little flower. Let’s go and eat.”

“I hope you tidied up.” I laughed. “I wouldn’t want to tell your dad that your place was a mess.”

“Tell my dad?” He looked down at me with hooded eyes. “You’ve been in contact with my dad?”

“Of course not.” I wasn’t sure why he looked so annoyed, but I figured that he was fed up of women trying to come on to him to get to his dad. “I was just joking.”

“I knew that.” He laughed again, but it seemed to me as if his laugh were forced. And I wondered why. He couldn’t really think I cared about the Walker millions, could he? “Let’s go, Mila. No more small talk.”

“You want the big talk instead?”

“I don’t think you really want to know what I want, Mila.” He winked and then tapped me on the ass as I walked down the hallway in front of him.

***

“Nonno’s calling me, do you mind if I take it?” I asked TJ as I pulled out my ringing phone.

“Of course not.” He shook his head. “We’ll be at my place in about ten minutes.”

“I know,” I said and smiled, and then answered the phone. “Hello, Nonno.”

“Mila.” He sounded happy. “I haven’t heard from you.”

“It’s only been a few days, Nonno.” I said, exasperated.

“Well, the last call had you and Sally in tears. I want to know what happened.”

“We weren’t in tears.” I laughed. “And Sally will be fine. I think she realizes now that Cody is an asshole and not worth her time.”

“And you?”

“I’m actually in a car with TJ right now, Nonno. He’s taking me to dinner.” I didn’t bother mentioning that dinner was at TJ’s house. I was pretty sure Nonno would not approve of that tidbit or of the fact that I’d almost lost my virginity to TJ at the lake house.

“With TJ?” Nonno sounded suspicious. “Cody’s friend.”

“Yes, the one and only.”

“You’re going to dinner with him?”

“Yes, Nonno.” I sighed. He wasn’t sounding as delighted for me as I’d hoped he would.

“How did this happen?”

“How did what happen?” I could see TJ looking at me from the driver’s seat and I gave him a small smile.

“How did you go from being upset that he had another girl at the lake house, to you going to dinner with him?”

“Nonno, can I call you later?”

“Fine.” He sighed. “I was calling to tell you about your parents. Things aren’t going so well.”

“What do you mean? Are they getting a divorce?” My voice sounded shrill, even to my own ears.

“No, no,” Nonno said quickly. “I mean the business. It’s not doing well. I’m worried for them.”

“Oh, no.” I bit my lower lip. “I’m sorry, Nonno.”

“It’s fine,” he said, but I knew it wasn’t. The business was Nonno’s life. In fact, he still owned the majority share. I knew he would be crushed if it failed. “I just need you to make more of an effort to help out at work, okay?”

“Yes, Nonno. Of course.”

“Don’t let yourself be sidetracked.”

“I won’t.”

“I don’t know about that TJ.” His voice was low. “Be careful.”

“Nonno.” I moaned. “You’ve never had a problem with him before.”

“Mila, do you have to be so loud?” Nonno sounded exasperated now. “Call me when you get home from your dinner.”

“It might be late.”

“I don’t mind. I’ll be waiting up.”

“Okay, I love you.”

“I love you too, Mi Cara. I love you too,” he said and hung up. I put my phone back in my bag and looked over at TJ, who was grinning. “What’s so funny?” I said as I looked at him.