Melinda woke to knocking on the door. What time was it? "Go away. You can clean my room later," she mumbled before turning over and snuggling further into the blankets. She’d had the best night's sleep of her life, and she didn't want to cut it short.
The knocking continued.
Melinda groaned and rolled out of bed. Grabbing her robe and slipping it on, she shuffled to the door. She cracked open the door and said, "I didn't order a wakeup call."
"But you did ask me to pick you up for breakfast," Daniel said.
It was already seven-thirty? She was used to getting up at six to go to the diner and had figured she would wake up with time to spare. Melinda swung the door open. "I'm so sorry. These beds are amazing. I guess I overslept."
"I can come back later." Daniel turned to head back to his own room, but Melinda reached out and touched his arm.
"No, please come in. It won't take me more than a minute to change and we can go get something to eat. My mom called late last night to inform me that she expects me in her room at ten o'clock to discuss plans for the rest of the week. And I need some seriously good food to get me through it." She paused. "You know what else would help me get through it? If you wanted to come with me…"
Daniel held up a hand. "No, I'm sorry, but my fiancé duties don't extend to the lion's den." He followed Melinda into her suite and sat in a plush armchair. "Although, I'm not sure which would be worse, a meeting with your mother or spending the morning golfing with your father and Mark."
"What do you mean?" Melinda asked. She moved to sit on the couch, but it made her robe open at the bottom. She stood again, suddenly aware of how little she was wearing.
"I also received a late phone call last night from your mother. She told me that I will be meeting your father and Mark at the golf course at nine o'clock. And it wasn't a request."
Melinda shook her head and groaned. This was supposed to be a simple weekend. Show up with Daniel, prove what a good daughter she was by attending the wedding, convince her mother to sell the diner—okay, maybe it hadn't been as simple as she had convinced herself it was. But it had gotten infinitely more complicated in the last twenty-four hours. "This isn't what you signed up for when you offered to be my date. If you want to leave, I totally understand. I'll come up with a good excuse for my parents."
Daniel's lips pulled into a half-smile. "Are you kidding? This is the most excitement I've had since coming to Amor. Will it be awkward? Sure, but none of it is real, which takes all the pressure off me. My job is to make you look good, so it doesn't matter what they think of me."
"Yeah, it kinda does. If they think I'm engaged to a blundering idiot, they'll think I'm the same person I was a decade ago."
"So…that's what you think of me?" Daniel asked, his smile falling.
Melinda's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, not at all. I was just using it as an example because that's what my parents thought of all my ex-boyfriends."
Daniel's smile returned. "Blundering idiot was your type, huh? I pegged you more for going out with dumb jocks."
"Is there a difference?" Melinda asked. She sighed. "This was a mistake. I never should have lied to them, and once my mother finds out—because she will—I'll be stuck at the diner for good. Devon and Claire are never going to have their dream come true, and it's all my fault."
Daniel stood so he and Melinda faced each other. The look in his eyes—it made her breath ragged. "You really care about them, don't you?"
Melinda nodded. "They've been like my second parents—actually, for the last ten years, they've been more like my real parents—the ones I always wished I had." She dropped her gaze. "They've never complained about being stuck in the kitchen, even though they know I'm the reason my parents haven't sold the diner yet."
"Why don't they open their own restaurant?" Daniel asked.
Melinda looked back up. "I've wondered the same thing. Whenever I bring it up, they say there isn't room enough in Amor for another restaurant. But I think it's because the diner holds sentimental value for them. It's where they met as teenagers."
Daniel took Melinda's hand and held her gaze. "We're going to convince your parents to sell by the end of the weekend. I'll be the best fiancé you've ever had, and you'll be the best maid of honor Bree could ask for. It's only a few days, and when we're done here, you'll be free."
He looked at her with such intensity that Melinda almost believed they really could pull it off. She still couldn't figure out why Daniel was doing this for her, or why he had done anything for her over the last couple of years. It wasn't like she was the most approachable person in Amor. But she was grateful for him and his friendship. Melinda didn't have many friends and she needed one about now.
She smiled. "All right, fiancé. Let's do this thing."
She quickly changed in the bathroom, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and threw on some sandals. When she re-emerged, Daniel's eyebrows popped up.
"You look…fantastic," he said.
Melinda felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I didn't do much."
"Apparently you don't need to," Daniel said. He glanced down and cleared his throat. "Speaking as your fake fiancé, of course. He approves. As for me…" He shrugged, like he didn't care. "I don't notice those types of things."
Melinda laughed and grabbed Daniel's arm. "Let's go get breakfast." She pulled the door open, but her steps faltered when they nearly ran into her mother.
Her mother let out a gasp of surprise and stepped back. She quickly regained her composure and said, "Look at you two—leaving the same room. I thought I had been clear what my expectations were for this weekend."
Melinda balked, completely mortified at what her mother was implying. "Daniel was picking me up for breakfast. That's it. And even if that wasn't it, I'm a grown woman and can make my own decisions."
"That's what you said when you were sixteen," her mother said with a shake of her head. "You still don't think the rules apply to you."
Melinda tensed and she felt a fight coming on. Before she could jump into the ring, however, Daniel stepped in. "I'm sorry if we gave the appearance that we weren't abiding by the expectations you laid out, Mrs. Garrett. I assure you that I was only here to meet Melinda for breakfast. But if you would feel more comfortable with me waiting in the hallway next time, I am more than happy to oblige."
Melinda's mother gaped, like she wasn't used to such chivalry. But considering Melinda's history with men, that was understandable. "I—I don't think that will be necessary. I know Melinda takes forever getting ready and would rather you be comfortable while waiting. Heaven knows you'll have plenty of that in your future." She cracked a smile. "Do you like reading? You may want to invest in a good book to bring with you."
Did her mother just crack a joke? Melinda couldn't believe it, and yet, her mother still wore a smile. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her mother look…well…happy. It transformed the woman into a completely different person.
"I just purchased a tablet for that very purpose," Daniel said.
Melinda's mother's smile morphed into a look of horror. "No, that won't do at all. You must have the actual book in your hands—feel the pages. I suggest you get your money back."
"But I can have as many books as I want on the device at the same time. That way, if I finish one while Melinda's doing her hair, I can start another while she's applying her makeup," Daniel said.
Melinda felt a bit annoyed that they were having fun at her expense and was just about to remind Daniel that she had taken less than three minutes getting ready that morning, but then her mother's smile returned.
"Yes, I see you have a point. Touché." Melinda’s mother turned to her and touched her lightly on the arm. "Have a nice breakfast. Just remember to be in my room by ten o'clock sharp." She then turned on her heel and walked away.
Melinda stared after her. "What just happened?" She then turned on Daniel and punched his arm. "And what was all that crap about me taking hours in the bathroom?"
Daniel laughed, though he was rubbing the spot where Melinda had punched him. "I was trying to connect with her, and I didn't see any other way. It worked, didn't it? She likes me, I can tell."
Melinda couldn't deny that. Her mother didn't like anyone, and yet Daniel had made her smile. "That may be true, but I don't want you guys bonding by making me the butt of all your jokes."
Daniel placed an arm around Melinda's waist. "I'm sorry, darling. Will you ever be able to forgive me?"
His close proximity made her hands clammy and she playfully spun away. "I suppose so. Just don't let it happen again." She walked toward the elevator and glanced over her shoulder.
Daniel stood there, watching her, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Well, are you coming? All this talk has made me hungry."
Daniel jogged to catch up. "Of course. Anything for my bride-to-be."
"He's cute," Bree said. She and Mark had joined them for breakfast, but the men had left for golf with Melinda's father. Poor Daniel. He had confided in her on their way down that he had never swung a golf club before, even for miniature golf. No wonder he had been nervous.
Melinda nodded, playing with what was left of her scrambled eggs. "Yeah, he is. But there's so much more to him than that."
"Are you happy?" Bree asked.
"With him? Very." And that wasn't a lie. In fact, it might have been the first honest thing Melinda had said all weekend.
"What about in Amor? At the diner?"
Melinda snorted. "You were at dinner last night. I'm stuck there, playing by rules that Mom and Dad laid out, trying to earn my freedom. But there's no pleasing them."
Bree released a long sigh. "I know what you mean."
Melinda's gaze snapped to her younger sister. "What do you mean? You got to leave Amor and go to college, and now you're marrying Mr. Fancy Pants. What could you possibly have to complain about?"
Bree wore a slight frown, but she quickly turned it into a smile. "Nothing at all. It's been a dream come true."
Melinda was confused by her sister's sudden change of demeanor, until she heard her mother's voice from behind her.
"I'm so glad to see you girls have had some time to chat. It's been so long since the family has gotten together." An accusation lay there somewhere between the lines, but Melinda didn't rise to the bait.
"Hi, Mom," Bree said. "Have you had a chance to eat?"
"Yes, I ate indoors with your father before he had to leave for the golf game." She sat down at the table between Melinda and Bree. "It's so lovely by the pool, maybe we should meet out here instead."
"Yes, I think that's a wonderful idea," Melinda said. Maybe if she agreed with everything her mother said, they'd be able to finish up quickly.
It seemed to work, because her mother beamed. "It just so happens that I brought all the supplies we'll need with me.” She patted an oversized bag that sat next to her chair and motioned for the waiter to clear their table of dishes before placing a notebook and pen in front of each of them. "All right," she said, her eyes dancing. Melinda had never seen her mother so excited about anything. "Let's plan."