Page 33 of The Perils of Pretending
I scrunch my nose at him. He’s such a Buttcombe.
“Sadie, dear,” Grandma calls out in a sickly-sweet tone from where she’s sitting at the head of the table with her three sisters. She points to the back of the room. “There’s someone here I’d like you to meet.”
My chin drops toward my chest and my stomach hardens. I want to say I can’t believe Grandma yelled that in front of everyone, but it’s just like her to make a scene. Turning my gaze over my shoulder, I look at the man standing in the entryway.
My muscles turn stiff and rigid.
The man, Dorian, has a smile that he may think is charming but it’s giving me the creeps. It’s too innocent. Too wide. As I take in his pressed khakis, button-down shirt, and perfectly combed back blond hair, all I really see is a slimy shark. A man willing to do and say anything to get what he wants. He’d fit right in with Grandma, but not me.
“Go on,” Aunt Eunice says. “Don’t leave the man standing there like a fish out of water. Greet him.”
I clench my trembling fingers into fists to prevent them from punching someone. All I want is food and a bed. A big part of me is telling me to keep my butt in my chair. To not give in to what Grandma and her sisters want. But I can’t. Despite the fact that Dorian is giving off serious creeper vibes, my conscience won’t allow me to leave him. I’m not sure how involved he is in Grandma’s scheming, but the kind thing to do is take him outside and tell him we aren’t happening and he should save himself time and embarrassment by leaving.
Robbie pops up, scooting his chair back. “Hey, man. I’ll move. Grab a plate and join Sadie.”
My jaw drops. How dare he! It’s official. There’s not a single soul in this family I connect with. Robbie is now dead to me.
Dorian bobs his head. “Thanks.”
My nostrils flare. “Robbie, what are you doing?” I seethe.
He smiles. “Getting the entertainment started.”
Chapter 14
Sadie
Momlooksatmefrom across the table. Her lips are turned down, her eyes soft. “I’m sorry,” she mouths.
Everyone is staring at me, Dorian, then back at me like they’re watching a tennis match. If they think they’re getting a front row seat to this outlandish setup, they’re wrong. Picking up my plate, I walk over to the buffet line to meet Dorian. “Meet me downstairs by the fireplace.”
He quickly glances at the room full of people watching our every move. “You got it.”
My appetite disappeared the moment Dorian stepped into the room, but I carry my plate with me anyway. I take the stairs to the main level, heading to the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. Sitting in the brown leather chair across from the couch, I wait until Dorian shows up.
A minute later, he saunters down the stairs, smiling like he got away with smuggling a precious jewel out of the country. He sits across from me. “Hi. I’m Dorian.”
“Sadie.”
He chuckles. “This is a little weird. When your grandma said you were coming on vacation to Homer and we should meet, I didn’t realize it would be in a room full of dozens of people.”
Grandma didn’t tell him everything. It’s just like her to be sneaky and controlling. “Do you often agree to get set up by grandmas?”
Dorian holds his hands out in front of him, defending himself. “This is a first for me.”
I cock my head to the side. “What exactly did my grandma say to you? Rather, what did she promise you?” Money? Funding for research? A new hospital wing? Unless he’s desperate, I don’t know of many men who would be willing to travel four hours to meet someone’s granddaughter.
Dorian sets his plate on the coffee table between us. “I…”
It doesn’t even matter. I'm not interested in him. I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “You don’t have to tell me. But you should know, I have a boyfriend. Nothing will happen between us. Whatever my grandma promised, I hope you can find another way to get it, because it won’t be through me.”
I stand, leaving my dinner plate behind. I feel bad making someone else clean up after me, but I don’t want to lead Dorian on. We don’t have a future, and it’s best we leave as strangers.
“Wait.” Dorian stands.
I freeze, keeping my back to him.
“I’m here for a week. Can we hang out as friends? I promise, I won’t hit on you or anything. But I arranged my schedule to be gone for the next seven days, and I could really use a vacation.”
