Being the astute man that he is, Rath steps in and hugs my grandma. “I consider myself the lucky one. When I first saw her, I knew she was different. I just had to figure out why.”
Standing back, I wonder how much truth is in that statement. Our first interaction wasn’t great, not great at all actually. He was rude, I was trying to kick him out of a convention I had no business kicking him out of, but then, when I sat down to have coffee with him and Linus, he observed me rather than judged. He watched, and I remember feeling his calculated gaze. Something within that interaction won him over, and I’ve wondered what it was.
“Oh, let me go change and then we can celebrate. This is the best news ever.” Grandma whistles “Going to the Chapel” as she heads back to her bedroom.
Deflated, I collapse in a chair and Rath quickly squats next to me. Getting emotional, I say, “She’s so happy, and it’s all a lie.”
“But isn’t this what you wanted? For her to be happy?” he asks, sitting on the coffee table in front of me.
“Yes, but I feel guilty.”
“Yeah.” He pushes his hand through his hair. “The guilt doesn’t feel great but think about the smile on her face.”
“You feel guilty too?”
“Of course. I don’t like deceiving people. I’m an honest man. I’m an honest businessman. One of the most honest in this city, and this feels . . . uncomfortable. But I know how close you are with your grandma, how much this means to her and to you, and I think we need to focus on that.”
“You’re right.” I shake out my shoulders. “Okay, we got this. No big deal, right? Just have to plan a wedding and get married.”
“We’re inviting at least five hundred people.”
“What?” I ask, my jaw tumbling to the floor. “How on earth do you know five hundred people? Please tell me you’re kidding. I don’t think I could do this in front of a crowd. I mean, five hundred people, are you going to rent out a stadium? How do you think you’re going to be able to fit that many people in a church? They’re going to have to hang from the rafters in adult-sized baby carriers, and then what happens if they fall? We’re going to have to have EMT on location, which adds more bodies. You can’t be serious. Five hundred people is far too many.”
Rath sits back on his hands, his chest muscles flexing with humor. “See? I can have fun.”
“Excuse me?”
“You were telling me to loosen up, so I did. Five hundred people is obviously far too many. We’re keeping it intimate, twenty people max. But wasn’t that fun?”
My eyes narrow as I point at him. “You think that’s funny? Oh, just you wait, boss man bridegroom. Your time is coming.”
He playfully wiggles his eyebrows. “Can’t wait.”
“Yes, they’re a little shocked, but they’re happy for you.”
Calling my parents, that was fun. Grandma insisted we FaceTime them so they could see what a “handsome fella” Rath is and then he could woo them with his intelligence. Well, he wooed all right, but they still were apprehensive. They texted me after we hung up, asking me if I was sure about this—you know, since I’ve known my boss such a short time.
I assured them that my love for him is strong, even if it’s been short. And holy crap, I never thought I’d be the daughter who lies to her family so much. Can’t say I’m enjoying that aspect of this business arrangement.
“Just watch, they’ll be sending the congratulations cookies tomorrow.” Grandma yawns and stretches her arms above her head. “I’m exhausted. So much excitement, so much good food. I should be off to bed.”
Rath stands from the dining table as well and says, “I’ll let you two get your sleep.”
“Oh, no, no, no.” Grandma shakes her head. “I’ll have none of that. I may be old, but I’m not old-fashioned. I know you two want to spend the night together. Stay, stay.”
Oh, dear God.
“Grandma,” I say quickly, while I choke on some saliva from a fast intake of breath I took when she suggested the idea. “Rath doesn’t have anything here.”
“Oh, I know. That’s why you should pack a bag quickly. Pack a few things because I’ll be damned if I stand in the way of you two enjoying your engagement.” She wiggles her eyebrows and then stage-whispers, “Pack the lingerie. Men like that.”
See that oozing on the floor? That’s me melting from mortification.
“Grandma.”
She waves me off. “Oh, don’t try to fool the old bird, I know what’s been going on in that office of yours.” She winks and pats Rath’s arm. “I wouldn’t be able to stay away from these muscles either. Now hurry up and pack a bag for the week. I won’t plan on seeing you until the weekend.”
After the weekend, as in seven days at Rath’s place. Is she insane?
“Grandma, we’re really trying to, uh . . . keep . . . celibate until after the wedding. Anticipation and all.”
“Balderdash,” she scoffs. “I’ll not be letting my granddaughter get married without testing the sheets first.” Growing serious and very stern, she points her finger at me and says, “Go pack a bag right now, you’re going home with him.”
Poor Rath just stands there, looking between the two of us, most likely enjoying the moment. When I look up at him for help, he shrugs and says, “I’ll have the driver wait.”
God, much help he is.
“Are you really going to be mad all night?”
We’re climbing the elevator to his apartment. I’m leaning against the metal side, arms crossed, looking anywhere but at him. “You could have said something, you know, something like my apartment is being renovated.”
“It is being renovated.”
“So why didn’t you say that?” I ask, finally turning toward him.
He just shrugs and leads me out of the elevator when the doors part. He unlocks the door to his apartment, the only apartment on the floor, and lets me in first.
Ugh, typical rich-man apartment. Beautiful high ceilings, windows that stretch wall to wall, and an open floor plan that allows you to see every aspect of the apartment other than the bedrooms and bathrooms. The colors are monochromatic and even though it feels quite sterile in here with nothing out of place, there is a hominess about it with pictures of him, his boys, and Julia scattered around.
He tosses his keys on the side table next to the door and says, “Make yourself at home. Seems like you’ll be staying here awhile. The west part of the apartment is under construction, so unless you want drywall dust in your mouth, I’d stay out of there. The east is where we’ll be staying.”
Only rich people refer to sections of their house as east and west.
“Now when you say we, what do you mean by that?”
“I mean, we’ll both be staying there.”
“As in . . .”
“As in sharing a bed and bathroom.”
I hold up my hand. “Okay, slow down there, mister. A bed. Why do we need to share a bed when your couch is perfectly—” I sit on it and land on what feels like hard stone. “Why on earth with all the money you have are you sitting on a boulder while watching TV? My God, man, this is horrific.” I try bouncing on it but nothing happens. “Why so stiff?”