Chapter Eight

Everyone wanted to see the ring—old women from church Lilly had known all her life, young girls with pigtails, her third-grade teacher, old Ms. Fisher who ran the beauty shop in town, her mother and Derek’s. They all examined it and congratulated her, making her feel that the gold-and-diamond band encircling her ring finger was a bigger accomplishment than anything else she’d ever achieved in her life. Being named valedictorian of her graduating class, going to college on full scholarship, and landing the high-profile job at RSG were just footnotes.

“So were you thinking a June wedding, sweetie? I just got in some beautiful strapless gowns,” Mrs. Grossman said. “Come down to the Bridal Barn and have a look.”

Lilly hedged, not wanting to add to the mountain of lies that was already piling up. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought that far ahead.”

“Tell me you’re not buying your gown from Atlanta,” she said, brow furrowing. “They might have a bigger selection at those big fancy bridal boutiques, but I can promise you they’ll fall apart at the seams by the time y’all are ready to cut the cake.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Lilly said. “I‘ll definitely buy my wedding gown from you.” It just wouldn’t be any time soon. A small technicality, not a lie.

“Well, now that you’re home, we’ll have some time to plan everything,” her mother said. “My only daughter getting married. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the day.”

Lilly cocked her head. “You didn’t think I’d get married?” She’d made it pretty clear to her parents that Richard was the man she had chosen to fulfill the marriage part of her five-year plan.

“Well, not to a hometown boy, no. I was afraid you’d marry that Richard and live in an apartment someplace and I’d never get to see the grandkids.”

“I thought you liked my apartment in Chicago.” She was a little hurt. She’d been pretty proud of her first place and had been excited for her parents to see it. And “that Richard” had been handsome and successful, someone Lilly had thought her parents would be proud she’d managed to land.

“Well, of course it’s fine for a single girl. But don’t you want a home of your own?”

“I was planning to move into Richard’s condo…that is if we’d gotten married.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore, Maryanne,” Mrs. Sawyer said, patting her shoulder. “Our Lilly is back home now. Those grandbabies will be playing in our backyards in no time.”

Babies. She felt the blood drain from her face. “I need to, uh, find Derek.”

“Of course you do.” Her mother sighed. “I remember when I couldn’t bear to be parted from your daddy for more than a minute or two at a time.” She giggled. “Lord, it seemed like an eternity waiting on that wedding day.”

“And the wedding night,” someone chimed in.

“Of course things aren’t like they used to be.” She looked at Lilly, making it clear she thought she and Derek were already steaming up the bedsheets.

Parents. Sex. Ick. At least Grandma Gail wasn’t within earshot. She’d never had much of a verbal filter, and in recent years it seemed to have disappeared altogether.

She slipped through the crowd, letting her mother and her mother’s friends chatter and reminisce, feeling worse than ever about the lie she and Derek had perpetrated. They would be so disappointed once they told them the truth about it all being a bad, bad misunderstanding amplified by social media, the press, and their parents’ desire for grandchildren.

She went to the kitchen, mercifully empty, and opened the fridge to see if Derek happened to have any wine coolers handy. She didn’t need anything fancy, no aged bourbon or champagne or God knew what else people like him drank when cost wasn’t a consideration.

Hmm, other than energy drinks, there really wasn’t much beyond a jar of pickles, some ketchup, and a box of baking soda. She’d expected something fancy. Richard’s Sub-Zero was always stocked with gourmet pâté and smoked salmon. She’d thought it was romantic, like he’d pull that stuff out just for her when she came over. Now she wondered how many other women had put their fingers in his pâté.

“Hiding?” she heard Derek say from behind her.

She grabbed an energy drink and turned to face him.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Only to me.” His face looked strained, too. “Sorry there’s not much in the way of groceries. I usually have my housekeeper know when I’m headed home so she can stock the fridge. It kind of slipped my mind this weekend.”

“It’s fine. I don’t have much of an appetite right now, anyway.” She opened her drink and took a sip. “They were talking about grandbabies, Derek. Children. I think this was a mistake. You are totally going to burn in Hades. And I’ll be right there next to you.”

“Great. We can picnic on the banks of the Styx.” He touched her arm. “It’s only for a little while longer. Hang in there.”

“What am I supposed to say when people ask me about the flowers and the gown and the wedding date, for heaven’s sake?”

“The key is to deflect and redirect when someone asks a question you don’t want to answer,” he said. “And mention your sponsors.”

She raised a skeptical brow. “Really?”

“Works all the time. Watch one of my interviews on TV sometime.”

“I have. And it never seemed to me like you held back much of anything.”

“I never said I was good at it.” He flashed his million-dollar grin. “But I always mention my sponsors.”

“That’s helpful, thanks,” she said, rolling her eyes. “So after Mrs. Grossman asks me about the dress and I reply with a comment on the weather, I’ll be sure to thank Liars Anonymous and the Lake County unemployment office for their support.”

“See? You’re a pro already.”

“Hey, Derek,” one of his friends said, peeking into the kitchen. “You gotta see Bobby’s new ride.”

He pulled back from Lilly. “Sure, man. Be right there.”

“Okay, well, good talk,” she said.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll survive. Promise.”

He grinned down at her for a long moment before he followed his buddy out of the kitchen.

She returned to the living room even more keyed up than she’d been before. She hated lying. Hated it.

She tried to find a quiet corner, but there was no such thing. Someone had cranked up the stereo, and George Strait was explaining why liquor was “Cheaper than a Shrink.” Just then Shana walked through the door.

As guilty as she felt lying to her parents, lying to Shana was worse. She and Shana had always told each other everything. Well, almost everything. Lilly had never shared that she nursed a raging crush on Shana’s older brother.

Shana was still dressed in khaki pants and a red polo shirt emblazoned with “Pets 911.” She must have just come off a call. Shana’s veterinary clinic was closed on Sunday, except for emergencies. She didn’t have to work, of course, but she’d always loved animals, and Lilly suspected getting through vet school and opening her own practice was Shana asserting her independence from her wealthy family, proving she could do it on her own.

She made a beeline for Lilly and grabbed a beer on the way. “Come on,” she said, taking Lilly’s hand and leading her to the one quiet place in the house—the master bathroom. Shana locked the door behind her.

“Shana, what—”

“Okay, spill,” she said, setting her beer on the bathroom counter. “I want to know how it is that I’m your best friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law and you didn’t say a word to me at all about dating my big brother.”

She chewed at her lip and considered lying to her. But then knew that she couldn’t. They hadn’t kept a secret from each other since they were eight years old, and she wasn’t about to start now.

She took a deep breath and let it fly. “We’re not really engaged.”

Shana’s smile froze. “What do you mean you’re not engaged? The photos were all over the internet of you two snuggling outside Tiffany’s. Then at that cocktail party in Dallas. You’re wearing the ring. The whole town is out there drinking beer and probably taking bets on whether you’ve got a bun in the oven.” She covered her mouth. “Did you guys break up already?”

“It was all a big misunderstanding. It started out as a favor to Derek.” She filled Shana in on the weekend in Texas, Derek’s plot to get the overly amorous woman off his back, and his promise to help her find a new job when it was all over.

“Oh. My. God,” she said, the disappointment evident on her face. “Your mama is going to kill you.”

“Not if your mother kills me first. Or maybe she’ll get to Derek first and forget about me.”

“Oh, I get first go at my brother,” Shana said. “I can’t believe he pulled you into this mess.”

“I agreed to it,” Lilly said, sinking down to sit next to Shana on the cool tile. “I feel awful. We’re telling them tonight, as soon as everybody goes home.”

“I’m really bummed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Because I know you’ve always had a crush on Derek, and I was hoping he’d finally gotten his head out of his ass, gotten tired of the bimbos he usually dates, and realized how awesome you are.”

“You knew?”

“Well, duh. Did you really think I didn’t catch on that you suddenly wanted to have a girls’ night at my house every time Derek came home?”

Lilly grimaced. “I hoped you hadn’t.”

“Puh-lease. You were like a lovesick puppy dog whenever he was around.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Totally.” She shrugged. “And let’s not forget that time you stole his T-shirt.”

Lilly groaned. “Does everyone know about that?”

“You’ve always had it bad for him. Still do.”

She dropped her head. “You might be right. Which is partially why I agreed to help Derek in the first place. It was kind of like getting to play dress-up. See what it would feel like to be Derek’s girl, even if it was only for a weekend.”

“And? How does it feel?”

“Good. Too good. And now I’m knee-deep in another mess. What the hell happened to my life plan, Shana? I had it all figured out. College, career, family. And then, POW! Everything just exploded in my face and now all that’s left is little pieces of Derek-shaped shrapnel.”

“Life happened, sweetie. You can’t exactly plan for everything. Believe me on that one.”

“I can try.”

But Shana had a point. And she would know. She and her high-school sweetheart and longtime fiancé had broken up last year. She seemed to be bouncing back, though. Reinvigorated, even, by the change. Her veterinary practice was doing great, and she seemed happier than she’d been in a long time. Lilly wished she were able to just roll with the changes like Shana.

“I love my brother,” Shana said, taking her hand. “But the divorce did something to him. Made him a harder person in a lot of ways. I think he saw the way my dad was—always so obsessed with work and never home. Part of him resented it and still does. The other part of him wanted to be that guy. And I think he is, to some degree. Racing is everything to him. I’m not sure there’s room in his life for anything—or anyone—else.”

Something in Lilly’s belly lurched. She knew that. Derek had told her that, in fact. But for some reason it still was a disappointment. “I never really knew how much it affected him until this weekend.”

“He’s not really the sharing type.” Shana squeezed her hand. “Just be careful, okay? The last thing I want is for you to get hurt.”

“I won’t, don’t worry. This is just business.” Maybe if she repeated that enough, it would be true.

Her friend gave her a hug. “So what do you say tomorrow we get some lunch at Peggy’s like old times and forget all about Derek.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“All right, let’s get back out there and pretend to be almost-sisters.”

“Right. It shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours anyway. I mean, how long can these old folks party, anyway?”

“Honey, you’ve been up north way too long. As long as the beer holds out, there’ll be people here to drink it. Trevor Davis was just tapping the second keg when I walked in.”

…

Derek had forgotten how nice it was to have a beer with the guys he’d grown up with and simply talk about cars and women. He wasn’t the celebrity with them, wasn’t the face of his sponsors’ products, wasn’t the guy being interviewed on ESPN. He was just Derek. Maybe he’d made a mistake staying away from home so much these past few years.

They mooned over Derek’s project car, admiring the chrome engine and valve covers he’d installed the last time he was home.

“Derek. Can I speak with you for a moment?”

He nearly hit his head on the underside of the hood when he heard his dad’s voice.

“We’ve got to be going, anyway. Good catching up, man,” Bobby said.

“Uh, sure.” Derek raised his beer to his buddies. “You guys need to come back later in the week. Maybe we can do this again.”

Derek had never been comfortable with his dad, and tonight the tension was sky-high. At least his dad wasn’t one to beat around the bush. As soon as the other men left the garage, he let it fly.

“I saw the Thomas Oil press release.”

Derek sipped his beer and tried to read his dad’s expression. Had he figured out Derek’s plan to buy him out? He knew it was only a matter of time before his father put two and two together. Given the new sponsor interest, Derek hoped to delay giving him the ultimatum until he’d explored all those options. It would turn the home run he’d scored with Thomas Oil into a grand slam, making his victory all the sweeter.

“Yeah.”

His dad nodded, and Derek noticed for the first time how gray he’d gone at the temples. “Mark filled me in on the details. That was good work. A good solid deal.”

Derek set his beer down. Was that a compliment? Those were rarer than hens’ teeth. “Thanks.”

“My only question is, why all the secrecy?”

“It came up suddenly. I just went with it.”

“And Lilly? That came out of the blue, too? Seems like a big thing to decide on a whim. You’ve had feelings for this girl for a while?”

Well, hell. Derek had expected his dad to use this opportunity to hammer him again in person about how his marriage was going to ruin the team and try to talk him out of it. Doling out fatherly advice had to be about the team—maybe to plant seeds of doubt in Derek’s mind about the engagement, rather than trying to bully him into ending it. Business was the only thing that mattered to Robert Sawyer.

But Derek would go along with his dad’s game. For now.

“I’ve heard you say more than once that the secret to being successful in business was to make a decision and then back it up with immediate and resolute action.”

He gave a sad little smile. “Sounds like something I’d say.” He met Derek’s gaze. “But having a successful business and having a successful marriage are two different things, son.”

“There you two are,” Derek’s mother said, walking around the car. “I wondered where you had disappeared to.”

Derek simply stared at his father. He’d never spoken about relationships, other than to tell Derek that they got in the way of a man’s success. And he seemed sincere.

His father’s worried expression fell away. “Just talking business, Judy.”

“Oh, Robert. Who wants to talk business when there’s a wedding to discuss?”

She hugged Derek. “I am so happy for you. You know we’ve always loved Lilly.”

Guilt swept over him at the expression on her face. How could he hand Mama her greatest wish, then snatch it away again? He swallowed hard.

“I know, Mama.”

“I’m looking forward to getting to know her,” Robert said, holding out his hand to Derek to shake.

Derek didn’t know what else to do, so he accepted his father’s olive branch and shook the older man’s hand.

“Oh, that would be lovely,” his mom said. “We should get everyone together and start planning things. How long are you in town, Robert?”

“I’ll be working out of the hotel for the next few weeks.”

Derek was sure he’d fallen into a black hole and come out in some alternative universe. His father never worked outside the office. And he was double sure he had absolutely no interest in wedding planning. There had to be some ulterior motive. Derek just needed to figure out what it was.

“Stay at the house,” Judy said. “It’s so big and empty now that the kids are grown and gone.”

Okay, now Derek was sure the apocalypse was upon them. His parents sharing living space?

Derek’s father turned to his ex-wife, and his expression softened. “Are you certain I wouldn’t be putting you out, Judy?”

“Absolutely. In fact, I’ve been thinking of selling and moving into something smaller. Of course, now that there’s the possibility of little ones again…who knows? Maybe Lilly and Derek will even want to use the backyard for the wedding.” She beamed at Derek. “Maybe we can talk about it. I can show you what I was thinking of doing with the place.”

“We’ll talk later,” Derek’s father said to him. “We have some things to discuss.” And he allowed Derek’s mother to pull him back into the house.

Derek watched the couple walk away, his mother chattering away, his father actually appearing to listen for a change.

Well, hell. Just when he thought he had everything figured out.

…

Shana did a great job running interference for Lilly whenever someone started to ask about the wedding plans. By the time the third keg was empty, people had begun to head home. Lilly was thankful it wasn’t Saturday. Saturday night parties, especially if the Bulldogs won, had been known to go until the sun came up. The sooner everyone stumbled home, the sooner Lilly and Derek could clear the air with their parents.

Lilly looked around and saw her mother heading out the door.

No, no, no. She wanted this done with tonight. She rushed over to them. “Are you leaving? Derek and I hoped we could talk to you privately after everyone left.”

“Aunt Mary’s hip is bothering her so we’re going on back to the house.” She hugged Lilly tight.

“Okay. I’ll, uh, see if I can catch a ride to the house later, I guess.”

“Oh…I thought you’d be staying with Derek while you’re in town.”

“I, uh, no. We’re not, I mean—”

“Of course Lilly is staying here,” Derek said, wrapping an arm around her waist. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Thank you, Derek. We’re not total prudes, you know. You’re an engaged couple now.” She hugged Derek next. “Come by for supper tomorrow night. I want to know all the details about how you two ended up engaged without us even knowing you were seeing each other.”

“Will do. Have a good night, Miss Maryanne. Drive safe.”

Her mother smiled and hurried out the door.

“I think your mother just gave me permission to make love to you,” Derek said once Lilly’s family was out of earshot. “She’s wanting us to get a head start on those grandbabies.”

“Very funny.” Obviously Lilly’s family thought it had been a nonstop sex-fest all weekend. Ha. If they only knew the truth about how Lilly had thrown herself at Derek and been totally rejected. That was one for the family scrapbook.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to tell my family tomorrow that there won’t be any grandbabies. You can still tell your parents tonight, though.”

“About that,” he said. “Can we talk a minute?”

Lilly’s stomach lurched. “What?”

“Back here.” Derek took her hand and led her down the hallway to the master bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

“What is going on, Derek?” It was hard to concentrate with the elephant, in the form of a massive oak sleigh bed, right in the center of the room. Lilly refused to look at it for fear her thoughts about Derek being naked in said bed might show up on her face for him to see. And then he’d reject her again, whether he had her mama’s permission or not. Mortifying.

Derek rubbed the back of his neck. “There are some developments.”

“Developments.” Lilly crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re about to wiggle out of telling the parents about your big fat lie?”

“It turns out there are a lot of companies that like the idea of sponsoring a solid, upstanding married man. That this whole thing has improved my image. Especially since you’re a hometown girl—a childhood sweetheart and all that.”

“We weren’t childhood sweethearts,” she pointed out. “You hated me.”

“I never hated you,” he said.

“Well, I was invisible, then.”

“You were never invisible, Lilly. If I’d let myself look the way I wanted, I’d have realized what a smart, beautiful girl—woman—you were all along.”

He tossed her a dazzling grin. The one he used to get whatever he wanted from any female in his sights from the time he was ten, whether it be help with his algebra homework, avoiding a detention, or removing a girl’s pink lace panties in the back of his Chevy.

“That look is so not going to work on me.”

“What look?”

“You know the look. All sexy and sweet and with that grin that brings out your dimples. I’m your fake fiancée, not the real thing. I’m immune.”

He dropped the grin. “Look, I think we should keep up this thing for a while longer.”

“You’re unbelievable. Doesn’t it bother you to lie to your parents? All of our friends? You’re willing to keep lying just so you can buy a couple of race car tires?”

His grin faded. Something else was nagging at him.

“What?”

“It’s my mom. I’ve never seen her this…happy. She’s never hidden the fact that she wanted me to meet a nice girl and settle down. Getting engaged to you made her day. Her year. I’m not in a hurry to crush her happiness. Especially since Dad’s here, too.”

“I was surprised to see him. How long has it been since he and your mom have been in the same state, let alone the same house?”

“Not since Shana was conceived, probably. He wasn’t around at all while we were growing up, even before the divorce. I’m not entirely sure what he’s doing here now.” She knew his parents’ split had wounded him. She just hadn’t realized how much until this whole thing started. “He’s up to something.”

Lord, nothing was ever easy with Derek. She chewed her lip. “I get that you don’t want to hurt your mom, but the longer this goes on, the more crushed she’s going to be. Why can’t we just tell the parents now and tell everyone else later?”

“Because then we’d be putting them in the position of keeping our secret. It’s best if it stays between us.”

“And Shana.”

“You told Shana?”

“She’s my best friend.” Lilly shifted her weight. “Look, I can see that this whole thing is not completely motivated by selfishness.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“But really, Derek, how far are we willing to go with this? I mean, what if we let this go and everyone keeps thinking we’re engaged for, say, six months. Are we going to plan a wedding? Rent a tux? Walk down the aisle just to give a guy a job or make sponsors happy or please our parents?”

“I just need a few days. A week at the most. That’ll let me see if we can get some more sponsors to sign on before I drop the bomb on Dad about buying out the team. Then we’ll tell everyone the truth.”

“That’s exactly what you said to me a few hours ago when we agreed we’d tell our parents right after this happy little shindig.”

He sighed deeply and sat on the side of the bed. “I know. And I understand if you don’t want to do this anymore. You’ve been a trouper through all this. And if we stay fake-engaged, it’ll only get crazier. Maybe we should just issue a statement saying it was all a misunderstanding.”

“What about Thomas Oil? That’s why we did this in the first place. Won’t he pull funding if he finds out we lied, after he made a big deal about it at the party and all?”

“I have no idea. He might.”

“I don’t care what strangers believe,” Lilly said, and sat down beside him on the bed. “And I don’t want you to lose funding for your team just because you were trying to get the sponsor’s daughter to keep her hands to herself.” She chewed at her lip. “But I don’t want to lie to our parents, either. What a mess.”

He nodded. “I’m sorry. Sorry for everything. For dragging you into this. For not realizing it would explode in the media once they got shots of us picking out a ring at Tiffany’s. For making you lie to your parents.” He shrugged. “You’ll get used to being in the spotlight. You just need to be aware that your every little action is observed, documented, and commented on. I’ll protect you as much as I can, but there are over 70,000 race fans on my Facebook page and every one of them is going to be curious about the woman I’m engaged to.”

“I know.” She chewed her lip. Moments like these were the reason she’d crushed on him so hard for a good chunk of her life. Moments when he dropped the cool act and was just Derek. “Let me sleep on it, okay? We’ll hold off on telling anyone anything for tonight, and tomorrow we’ll figure out what the best thing to do is.”

“Fair enough.” He stood up. “And thanks again. For everything. You’re really an amazing person, you know?”

“I don’t feel amazing. I feel like a fraud.”

“It’ll all be over soon,” he said. Was that a note of sadness in his voice, rather than the glee he should be feeling in ditching her and getting back to racing? “I’ve missed you. After this is all over, we need to keep in touch more. Chat once in a while. Let me vet your boyfriends from now on. Like I always did for Shana.”

“Oh, right. Because that worked out so well.”

He scoffed. “It worked out great!”

“Uh…she’s still single.”

“I’ve got my eye on someone for her.”

“So now you’re a matchmaker, too? Where do you find the time between driving, owning a team, fulfilling your duties as racing’s sexiest bachelor, acquiring fake fiancées, and perpetrating huge shams on the press?”

“It’s a challenge, but I make time,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “Come on. Let’s kick everyone out of the house and go to bed.”

She froze. Bed.

“Don’t worry. I have three spare bedrooms. And there’s no Serena to send me running for your bed again. You’re perfectly safe tonight.”

He was standing way too close to her, and he was still holding her hand. She made the mistake of looking up at him. Her gaze went to his mouth, remembering how hot his lips had felt on her bare flesh just twenty-four hours ago. She remembered how hard his body was, how his hands set her skin on fire. She wet her lips.

“If you’re going to keep looking at me like that, you might want to lock that bedroom door tonight.”

He squeezed her hand, then let her go and headed back to the party.