Page 15 of The Uncomplicated Café
Jayce swallowedagainst the dryness in his throat. How many times had he envisioned this exact moment? Down on one knee, offering CeCe his grandmother’s ring—the art deco moonstone ring hidden in the bottom drawer of his nightstand. A secret reminder of his unspoken desire for something that didn’t exist—a loving marriage that outlasted the twists, turns, and tragedies of life.
His gaze fell to her fingertips, still grasped in his hand.Time to let go, before you make things weird.On impulse, he gently grazed his thumb over her knuckle, brushing aside a smudge of flour. The intimate gesture made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
Okay, now you’ve definitely made things weird.He cleared his throat, yanking his hand away before she could sense his rise in temperature. He jumped to his feet. “Now what?”
“You tell me,” she said, studying the way the diamond sparkled in the overhead light. “This was your brilliant idea, remember?”
“Right.” And if the last five minutes had taught him anything, he’d need to be careful or risk getting lost in the con. “I guess we should get our story straight.”
“Good idea. How long have we been engaged?”
“Let’s say six months.”
“And how long did we date before you proposed?”
“We didn’t.”
“We didn’t?” CeCe balked.
“Nope. We’ve been friends our whole lives, and I’ve been in love with you for almost as long. When I finally gathered the courage to tell you how I felt, I skipped straight to the proposal.” His neck burned hot, but he kept his voice steady and expression relaxed, recalling the advice from his acting coach.To sell a scene, you need to draw from your deepest truth. Well, he’d drawn from the truth all right. Hopefully, she couldn’t tell.
A flicker of uncertainty flashed in her dark eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. “Seems far-fetched, but if you think the paparazzi will buy the story, it works for me. The fewer dates and details I have to remember, the better. Speaking of dates, when’s the wedding?”
Tomorrow, he wanted to blurt, suppressing the familiar fantasy of CeCe’s perfect curves conformed to the smooth sand, her dark curls tossed by the wind as they enjoyed their honeymoon on a private Caribbean island without another soul in sight. “How about October 15?” he said casually.
Was it his imagination or did her eyes spark with recognition? Jayce immediately dismissed the thought. No way she’d remember a random date that only held significance for him.
“What day of the week is it?”
“A Saturday. Ithink,” he added hastily, not wanting to reveal how much mental energy he’d already put into this fake wedding.
“Okay. That works. What about nicknames?”
“Nicknames?”
“Yeah, what do we call each other? Babe? Bae? Sweetie?”
“Oh, right. I hadn’t thought about that.” He’d always called her Toto, after her favorite cake flavor, since her personality exuded the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Not the cute little dog fromThe Wizard of Oz, like most people assumed. “What do you want me to call you?”
“Honestly, I love the one you already gave me. But do you think Toto works as a romantic term of endearment?”
He suppressed a smile. “I think it could.”
“Okay, then we’ll use it. What about you?”
“I’ve always been partial to Your Royal Highness or my lord,” he teased.
“Keep dreaming. How about honey pie? Sweet cakes? Sugar dumpling?”
“You’re making me hungry.”
“I’ve got it!” She snapped her fingers. “How aboutmi dawlin?” she drawled in a sultry Jamaican accent.
Her eyes twinkled playfully.She’s just kidding around. Obviously. He knew that. So why had he suddenly become the physical embodiment of the expressionweak-kneed? He pressed his palm against the countertop for support, hoping she didn’t notice.
This isn’t real, he reminded himself. But he sure wouldn’t mind hearing her whisper the moniker in his ear every morning. At the realization, guilt crept over him.You shouldn’t be having these thoughts about your best friend. It isn’t right. Get it together, man.You’re better than this.
“Relax,” she said with a laugh, misreading his look of discomfort. “I’m joking. We can go with something simple like babe.”
