Page 20 of Tattle Tail
“Yeah, well, you do you.” He set down a plate in front of her and scooped out a generous helping of rice. A pungent odor drifted up from the dish, and his nose wrinkled. “What is this?”
“A rice dish with spicy fermented cabbage and poultry. There is flatbread in the container on the counter and a yogurt sauce,” she said, pointing to the counter.
Once seated, he took a cautious bite, then nodded. He hummed with pleasure, which made her tail curl in delight. “This is good. It’s got a tangy kick. I like it.”
They ate in companionable silence. It was easy to forget that they were not companions. He was only there because he took pity on her. Her pride prickled at the notion. She loathed being the object of anyone’s pity. Having Joseph regard her as incapable upset her more than she expected. Since when did she care about the regard of Joseph Moonquest?
With his plate clean, he leaned back in his chair. “What do I need to know about your parents for tomorrow night?”
“My mother is Tolerance. My father is Worth. They will be celebrating thirty years together,” she said, listing facts.
His brows went up. “Didn’t you say your thirtieth birthday is in the spring?”
“Ah, yes.” Simple math revealed that her parents married in haste to avoid a scandal. Back in those days, the family had been minor gentry and overly concerned with appearance. “I believe that is why Mother is so…” Peaceable waved a hand, indicating a general kind of intensity. “After the anniversary, I believe she will lose interest in this.”
“Doubtful. Moms are always gonna be a mom.”
“Perhaps,” she said, suppressing the need to explain that her mother cared about appearances. Tolerance wanted to present the perfect family for the anniversary party, the medic son who saved lives and the engaged daughter, ready to start the next generation.
“That’s your no voice,” he said.
“Perhaps.”
He chuckled. “About tomorrow night…”
“Mother will want to know how long we have been engaged and many more facts,” Peaceable said.
“We should stick as close to the truth as possible. We met through work, obviously. Flirted for a long time before you asked me out.”
“I asked you?”
He leaned forward, closing the distance between them, and glanced down at her lips. “You’re very aggressive when there’s something you want.”
“You do not sound troubled by this,” she said.
“Sweet pea, it’s your best quality.”
His words brought a flush of color to her cheeks. He didn’t mean them. This wasn’t flirting. This was…something, but not flirting. Perhaps.
They needed to discuss so much—limits, behavior, what he wanted out of this arrangement—but her mind went blank. Joseph was doing that thing he did that made her feel unintelligent.
“How long have we been dating?” he asked.
“Not long. You proposed quickly because I am a catch,” she answered, reaching for the wine to refill her glass. Needing distance, she moved to a lounge chair. “After my parents’ party, we will break up.”
“Fake break-up,” he said, following her into the common area.
“Until then, we will need to be exclusive. No seeing anyone else. Will that be a problem?”
He rubbed a hand up the back of his neck. “No. My last girlfriend dumped me a while ago. It won’t be a problem.”
Peaceable wondered about that, but he did not elaborate. He didn’t sound like a male with a broken heart. “We should also spend time together to maintain the appearance of the engagement.”
“Fake dating. I agree. There’s the charity gala next week. You’ll have to be my date,” he said.
“Yes.” She was attending anyway. “Do you have suitable clothing?”
He leaned back on the sofa. “Yes, sweet pea. I’m not fancy, but I know enough to dress formally for agala.”
