Brandon Campbell parked his silver Bentley in the shopping plaza and turned toward Eva. She was nothing like his ex, Grace. Grace was full of life and excitement until he’d almost lost every dime he had on a movie. Luckily, he doubled his money instead, but it had been too late for Grace. She’d left him for a man with deeper pockets. Eva Bishop had disaster written all over her beautiful face and she knew it, but if he helped her out of her disasters, then he felt justified to ask for her help, too.
Still, as he stared at her and his pulse went a little faster, he realized he was attracted to her, but he'd keep that under wraps.
They unbuckled and passed a few stores until they made it to the restaurant row that overlooked the intercoastal. Eva bounced beside him and gazed in the shop windows. "I love all the Christmas decorations."
He dug his hands in his pockets. "Every year, I wish I lived somewhere besides Miami or Los Angeles when it's Christmas time."
"Why?" she asked, gazing at him. Her blue eyes were almost gray, and so clear, it unnerved him. Eva truly was beautiful, and he normally avoided that type.
He coughed and brought himself back. "I grew up here. I always wanted a white Christmas as the song says, but I never had that."
She walked a little closer to him. "Three years ago, I was in a play on Broadway. It was the highlight of my life, and that winter I had snow near Christmas."
Near her, he felt a sense of belonging with vanilla and cinnamon flavors. He stepped further away to let the feeling go and reached for the first door. "Do you like Argentinian?"
She sniffed the air and stepped out of the walkway. "No. The place doesn't smell right."
"Okay." He had no idea pregnancy made restaurant choosing difficult. He pointed to the next few stops. "Should we walk to the other three restaurants in this plaza?"
She nodded and walked beside him. At the next door, she sniffed the air again. "This one smells fine."
He glanced up and read the sign—Thu Wei—and reached for the door. "Chinese it is."
"Wait, no." She shook her head and stepped away. "Probably has too much salt."
"What?" He let the handle go and followed.
While they walked to the next one, she said, "Salt is bad for the baby. Thanks for being understanding."
Fascinated was more like it. At the next door, she stopped and nodded. "This one smells okay too."
He stayed beside her this time and asked, "Is Italian okay for the baby?"
She pushed her hair out of her face. "Yes. Sorry about all this. I wasn’t always this picky."
This time, he reached for the door and she followed him inside. "It's fine. I don't normally dine with a pregnant lady. How far along are you?"
"Fourteen weeks. She can suck her thumb now."
Soon, Eva would be a mother. Her beauty was enhanced with a glow. A waitress immediately walked them to a table where he waited for her to sit on her side of the booth, and when he was sure Eva was comfortable, he sat opposite her. Once the waitress was gone, he asked, "How do you know you're having a girl?"
"I used some of the money for the expensive testing. I need to prepare and make sure she's healthy."
Good. At least she hadn't given every dime away without thinking of the baby. "And?"
"The doctor said she was perfect."
The huge smile on her face made him smile too. He needed to shake that off. He'd not fall under her spell. "I'm glad."
"So, let's talk business," she said the second she opened the menu.
He did the same, though he'd order spaghetti with a butter sauce. "Fair enough."
"If people think we're dating, they will ask if you're the father."
Ice raced down his back and he sat straighter. "I don't care."
She chewed her lip and held the menu tight. "I haven't told anyone except Chris, the father, and my friends Michael and Sandy."
Brandon blinked. Eva was still friends with the high school cheerleader. His sister had told him that Sandra Marshall had come back from a cruise engaged. Brandon’s initial plan for the annual Christmas party at Stephen's house was to pretend he'd moved on with his life by asking Sandy along, but now that was out of the question. "Sandy deserves every happiness in the world and she’d been in love with Wyatt since I can remember."
"I had no idea they dated in high school and she was one of my best friends." She lowered her menu.
"You didn’t deserve what happened to you at prom. No one does."
"That’s the past."
He didn’t understand her, but tried again. "I meant... You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for." He sipped his water glass. "Never mind."
She blinked and stared at him. "Never mind what?"
The waitress came and took their order, giving him a few seconds of reprieve. With Eva near, Brandon realized his behavior had reverted to his unhappy high school days, where he walked around with a crush on her that she never acknowledged. No one in Hollywood ever made him feel anything. But Eva dug under his skin, not that he'd tell Eva that.
Once the waitress left, he steered the conversation away from anything that might reveal the truth. "You're perfect for the part and might be the only one I trust on that set."
"Trust is hard." Her eyebrows lifted as she sipped her water. Once she was done, she put it down and said, "And if you can trust me, that's saying a lot. You hate me."
Hate was not how he felt. "We went over that."
She fixed her hair and the butterfly pendant around her neck. Her cheeks had a blush. She asked, "Okay, but still… Anyhow, back to my question. What if people ask if you're the father?"
Eva had this choice. Chris wouldn’t offer to protect her. He knew that. He clutched his glass of water. "I'm fine with whatever you want to say."
The waitress came and took their order, leaving the question in the air.
She still held onto her pendant, she leaned forward. "Well, I wish any decent guy was the father of this child, and despite our history, I know you're one of the most stand-up guys I’ve ever met. I said no to you in high school because you deserved better than me and your intensity scared me."
"I'm not a saint, Eva, and I’m not that intense. I knew what I wanted and that was to find my place in the movies." In high school, he'd been jealous, and then angry.
"You told me to stay away from Tommy. You clearly made your own career outside of your parents’ trust fund, you're always there for your sister, and now you've swooped in and helped me out."
Right. This wasn’t because he was a good guy. If she helped him, it was only natural he'd help her. Fairness made the trade better. He ignored the new version of All I want for Christmas is You that played on the station. Again, he leaned closer to her and felt his heart stir. This time, he didn't budge. "Do you really want my help?"
"Yes." She also scooted closer.
Good, a plan formulated fast for the next few weeks. They needed to make dating look as real as possible, and he'd ensure she had a doctor and proper medical treatment at the very least. "Then move in with me. Your home is no place for a pregnant woman. You even have broken glass in the corner."
A blush spread across her cheeks and she clutched her pendant again. "I dropped my drinking glass yesterday, but I was too tired to clean it up."
The waitress returned with two bottles of non-alcoholic beer and their plates. Once the waitress departed, he reached out for her hand. She didn't pull it away. "I have a maid. You'll have your own suite, and besides, people will believe it more that we're dating if you're there."
With her other hand, she let go of that pendant of hers. "Is there any other reason beside the movie set that you want me as your pretend girlfriend?"
Grace and others had wondered if he was sad enough that he'd quit producing any more movies. The rumor had been asked by more than one investor. Perhaps for a week he had even considered it, but work was the one thing he could still enjoy. His sister, Calliope, had reminded him to re-find his passions, and he'd follow her advice. He gulped the water. Once he finished, he put it down and asked, "Why did you ask that?"
She lowered her gaze, "Something about this struck me as strange."
Right. This wasn't a real date—they were hardly even friends. They ate a few bites of their food in silence. He needed to keep this platonic and above board. "I need you to come to a producer's party and make everyone believe we're really dating."
She let out a sigh and nodded. "Oh good. I thought it had something to do with Chris hurting your sister."
Chris Sommers had cheated on his sister, but Calliope was more than fine now. Eva might not be. "If he tries to get to you in any way, I will protect you."
Her nose wrinkled and she let out a snort. "After I get the chance to punch him."
"That's not the Christmas spirit." He sat straighter. At least Eva seemed to see Chris for what he was.
She shrugged, leaned closer to him with a cold anger that he wished his sister had and said, "He cheated on your sister with me and another woman at the same time. He swore to me that it was over with Calliope, and that he was dumped. Then, a week after I slept with him, out of the blue, I received your sister's wedding invitation."
They finished their meal, once he was done, the question that burned through him came out. "Why did you sleep with him?"
With another sigh, she wiped her lips, then she rubbed her belly. "Because I was lonely. I was sad and feeling sorry for myself when he found me at that coffee shop everyone in high school used to go to. It was stupid, but the one good thing about it was that I'll never be lonely ever again now."
Motherhood had already matured Eva. It was clear she wasn't the same angry teenage girl out to prove herself, and that she had more of a heart. He picked up his glass bottle and tipped it to her. "You're going to be a good mom."
"Now that is my biggest prayer." She picked up her own drink and took a sip. "I have no mental basis for what a mother is supposed to be."
"My parents were great until they died." Brandon hadn’t said that in a long time. His sister had idolized their childhood, and he always wanted to remind her to be real, but the truth was they were good. They finished their food and Brandon wiped his face the second he was done and asked, "Just to backtrack for a minute… you'll move in with me?"
"Yes," she said and put the bottle down. He waved for the check.
"Perfect," he said, and hoped this was a good plan. Eva Bishop was fiery, dramatic and about to be his pretend girlfriend. With her at his side, this Christmas would be the first time he’d looked forward to the holiday in years. His plan was perfect.