Chapter 4

Daniel didn't think he’d heard Melinda correctly, but judging by everyone else's expressions, he had. Everyone's heads turned to him. They stared at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to confirm Melinda's announcement. Her hand still lay on top of Daniel's, and he tried not to react to it, as if holding hands was something he and Melinda did all the time.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry it had to come out this way. It's been difficult to keep it a secret, but really, we don't need to dwell on it. This weekend is about Bree and Mark, and we are here to celebrate them."

Bree squealed and jumped from the table. "This was perfect timing," she said, wrapping her arms around Melinda. "Seriously, I can't think of better news." It was the first time she'd looked genuinely happy since they'd arrived. "Congratulations," she said, turning to Daniel. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."

Mark gave Daniel a thumbs up, but that was the extent of his excitement.

This had not been part of the plan. Sure, he’d thought it'd be fun to be Melinda's date for the weekend, and the fact that it was at a fancy resort didn't hurt either, but pretending to be Melinda's fiancé? That was a little much.

Mr. Garrett beamed at the couple and nodded his approval, but Mrs. Garrett wasn't as thrilled as the rest of the family.

Her eyes squinted in skepticism and she asked Melinda, "Why were you so hesitant to bring a date when you had a handsome fiancé you could show off to the rest of us? It's not like you to pass up that kind of opportunity."

Melinda met her mother’s gaze. "I've changed, Mom. I've been trying to tell you, I'm not that girl anymore. If you would have left me alone about bringing a date, we could have waited for our announcement."

Mrs. Garrett studied Melinda. "If you say so." She still didn't seem convinced, and Daniel wondered what she would do if she ever found out they had lied.

"Well, this has been a lovely evening, but maybe we should let the young people spend time with their future spouses," Mr. Garrett said, standing up. He hadn't eaten half his food, but Mrs. Garrett stood up and followed suit, though she didn't look like she wanted to.

"I'd like to meet up with you tomorrow morning, Melinda," she said. "I want to go over the plans for the rest of the week."

"Why?" Melinda asked. "Isn't that something you should talk over with the maid of honor?"

Daniel noticed a hint of bitterness in her voice, and Bree looked down at the table.

"The former maid of honor came down with something and won't be able to make it this weekend," Mrs. Garrett said, scrunching up her nose.

"She's pregnant and has really bad morning sickness, Mom," Bree said. "It's not like it will go away overnight, unless you want her to take puking breaks throughout the ceremony."

Mrs. Garrett waved Bree off. "She could have at least had the decency to do her duty and plan a few things rather than leaving us in this predicament." She released a dramatic sigh. "The point is, there is a vacancy, and you will now be filling the role."

Melinda gawked. "So, all of a sudden I'm the backup maid of honor, and you expect me to jump in and take over?"

What was she doing? Daniel tried to catch her eye so he could get her to stop talking. This was the opportunity she needed to show her parents how responsible she was.

When Melinda wouldn’t turn in his direction, Daniel squeezed her hand and turned to Mrs. Garrett. "She would be honored to fill the position and meet with you in the morning. She was just telling me that she'd love the chance to be more a part of the celebrations, rather than just a spectator, so she could show her love and support for Bree." He turned to Melinda. "Now's your chance, right, honey?"

Melinda threw a look of death his way, but then flashed a smile at her mother and Bree. "Yes, of course that it what I meant. I have so many ideas and can't wait to implement them."

"Wonderful," Mrs. Garrett said, though she hadn't lost her skeptical gleam. "And Daniel will have a chance to go out with the boys while we plan."

Daniel nodded, but his stomach turned in knots. It couldn't be that bad, spending some guy time with Melinda's father and her future brother-in-law. Right?

Daniel and Melinda waved to her parents as they walked away from the restaurant. Bree and Mark stood to leave as well. They seemed to feel more awkward now that her parents had left.

"Well, I guess we'll see you tomorrow," Bree said.

"Yup, I guess we will," Melinda said, her gaze dropping to what was left of her food.

Bree threw one last glance at her sister and then she and Mark walked away.

Once they were gone, Melinda turned on Daniel. "What did you do that for? Being Bree's maid of honor will be akin to torture, and my mother holds the whip."

Daniel held out his hands defensively. "And you made me your fiancé, so I think we're about even."

A blush crept up Melinda's neck. "I figured that if they saw I was ready to settle down with a husband, they'd see me differently," she mumbled.

"Yes, and if you are happily helping out with the wedding, that will also help them see you in a different light," Daniel said. "Everything I'm doing is to help you get out of Amor and have the life you really want."

Melinda stood and Daniel followed her along the pool. She stopped and faced him. "Why?"

Daniel shrugged, avoiding the intensity behind Melinda's intoxicating dark eyes. The sun was nearly gone now, and the pool lights cast a bluish light across her face. "Because that's what friends do, isn't it? I haven't had many, but from what I understand, they help each other."

"Except, this has been completely one-sided. I haven't done a thing for you," Melinda said. She didn't say it in a mean way, just like it was a fact.

And it was true. Daniel relied on himself, not wanting anyone's help. It had been that way long before he had ever arrived in Amor, and he preferred it that way. Then, the only person he could blame for things not going right was himself.

"Don't worry about me," he said, his voice soft. Somehow Melinda had moved closer and Daniel's heart rattled against his chest. "Let's just focus on getting Devon and Claire their diner, and you—wherever it is you want to go."

Melinda took a step back and shook her head. "I don't even know where I'd go. I've been at the diner so long, all I've known is that I want out."

"When you were in high school, where did you want to end up?"

Melinda looked to the sky before saying, "I wanted to go to school to become an accountant.” That was the last thing Daniel had expected her to say, and it must have shown on his face, because she laughed and punched his arm. “I’m good with numbers, okay? Better than with people, if you hadn’t noticed. Running the back end of the diner is easy for me. It’s the front end that gets me into trouble.” She sighed. "I don't know if that’s what I want to do anymore, though. That was a long time ago."

Melinda stepped back and the sudden space between them left Daniel wanting to close the gap, but he stayed where he was. "Well, start dreaming, because by the end of the weekend, you'll be deciding where you want to go—and it could be anywhere. The world will be yours."

Melinda smiled and cocked her head. "I'm glad you came this weekend, and I’m sorry for making you my fake fiancé."

Daniel wasn't sorry. It had caught him by surprise, but now he was warming up to the idea. In fact, he thought it could be fun. But instead of telling her that, he said, "Well, I promise that when the weekend is through, we can do a super dramatic breakup scene where I storm out. Or you can be the one to storm out. I'm fine either way."

"I think you should be the one to storm out," Melinda said. "My mom is always accusing me of being too dramatic."

Daniel laughed. "All right, but we have to make sure something happens that is completely my fault. We can't give your mom any reason to think that the breakup was because of something you did."

Melinda surprised him by stepping forward and kissing his check. "Thank you. I couldn't have asked for a better fiancé."

He felt his face heat up and was grateful for the dark so Melinda couldn't see how red he was. "Shall I escort you back to your room, my lady?" he asked, bending in a slight bow.

Melinda laughed. "I think I'll go on a small walk before heading back, but thank you. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast, though, right?" The way she asked it made Daniel's pulse quicken, like she really hoped the answer was “yes.”

"Of course," Daniel said. "I'll stop by your room at eight."

"Make it seven-thirty," Melinda said before giving him a little wave and walking along a path that led around the corner of the resort.

It had been a long time since Daniel had been anyone's boyfriend, let alone fiancé. Now that Melinda wasn’t there, panic seized him.

Fiancé.

Just thinking the word made him want to lock the door to his suite and binge-watch TV while eating all the food in the fully stocked cupboards. As he watched Melinda disappear around the corner, he found himself hoping the weekend wouldn’t end worse than it had started.