Chapter 9

Daniel woke to the ding of his cell phone. Rolling over, he saw it was a text from Melinda. He smiled.

Good morning! Meet me at breakfast in 15 min?

He had barely seen Melinda the day before and had missed her more than he’d thought he would. Daniel pulled a shirt on and ambled down to the poolside restaurant.

Melinda was already sitting at a table with her parents, Bree, and Mark. Daniel felt a twinge of disappointment. He had hoped for a little alone time with her. It seemed they were always surrounded by people who were intent on pulling them in different directions.

"Good morning," he said, sitting in the empty chair next to Melinda.

Instead of returning his greeting, Melinda leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

Daniel blinked, still feeling where her lips had pressed against his skin. "Um…yes. Those beds are amazing," he said, though it came out a bit disjointed. He hoped no one noticed.

Melinda smiled and seemed to be trying to convey something with her eyes, but what it was, he had no idea. "We just ordered, but I'm sure the waiter will be back in just a moment," she said.

"Okay." There was a moment of awkward silence, so Daniel turned to Mrs. Garrett. "Are you looking forward to our morning together?"

"Oh, yes. I don't think I've ever been to a nail salon with Melinda before, so this is a real treat.” She looked genuinely excited for their time together.

"Wonderful." He then turned his attention to Bree. "How did your bachelorette party go last night?"

"It was the best party I could have asked for," she said, sharing a look with Melinda. It was the type of look that conveyed it was more than a typical bachelorette party, and they weren't about to share with the group.

"Frankly, I'm surprised you two are up so early," Daniel said, trying to pry a little more information out of the girls. He had heard hints that they would be going to a dance club, and he had been to enough clubs back in the day that he was more than a little curious about how their night had gone.

Melinda squeezed his arm and smiled. "You forget, I'm used to late nights and early mornings."

Daniel tried, unsuccessfully, to squash the jealousy the rose in his chest. He knew it wasn't logical. They weren't a real couple. Whatever Melinda did on her girls’ night out wasn't any of his concern. But he wanted it to be.

They spent the rest of breakfast listening to Mrs. Garrett prattle on about the rehearsal dinner they would be attending that evening with Melinda’s grandmother, Mark's parents, and some business associates of theirs. Mrs. Garrett was the only one who seemed excited about the prospect. If the situation wasn't all so tragic, it would be laugh-out-loud funny. Mr. Garrett didn't like Mark, Mark didn't love Bree and vice versa, and Melinda didn't want to be at the wedding in the first place. And yet they all sat there listening to Mrs. Garrett, not saying a word.

It was a relief when she finally put her fork down, indicating that she was done eating. But the awkwardness was far from over.

"You two ready for our morning at the salon?" she asked with a grin. It wasn't often that Mrs. Garrett looked happy, but she now radiated joy.

Daniel felt bad that he had been regretting his suggestion of going to the nail salon together and determined to make it the best morning Mrs. Garrett had ever had. If the week was going to end in disaster, he might as well help her have something fond to look back on.

"I'm ready," he said with a smile. He stood and held his arm out to Melinda. She took it and caught him off guard, again, by kissing his cheek.

What had made her so touchy feely all of a sudden? Before this morning, there had been occasional handholding, but even that had been few and far between. It wasn't that Daniel minded—in fact, he quite enjoyed it—but it made it difficult to not want more. Not that he did. Melinda was his friend and had been for a long time now. There was no reason to wish for their relationship to be something more than it was. Except her smile. And her selflessness. And her strength, beauty, and sarcastic charm.

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, dread filling the pit of his stomach. Oh, no. He was falling for Melinda. At her sister's loveless wedding.

"You feeling all right?" Melinda asked.

When Daniel opened his eyes, he was met with her wide, questioning eyes. He managed to nod. "Yes. I felt dizzy for a moment, but I'm doing fine now."

"Okay," she said, hesitant. "If you think we need to cancel, I'm sure my mom would understand—"

"No," Daniel said quickly. "I promise, I'm fine."

"All right," Melinda said, not looking completely convinced. She turned to where her mother stood a few feet away, talking to Bree and Mark. "You ready, Mom?"

Mrs. Garrett glanced over, then at her phone. "Almost. How about if I meet you there in ten minutes?"

"Sounds good," Melinda said.

"Don't start without me," Mrs. Garrett called after them as they walked away.

"We wouldn't dream of it," Daniel called back over his shoulder.

"Speak for yourself," Melinda muttered, taking his hand.

Sparks shot up through Daniel's fingers, igniting a desire to pull Melinda closer, which made him pull back and drop her hand.

Melinda stopped walking and glanced back, as if checking to see if anyone was watching. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Daniel said.

"Why'd you pull away, then?"

"Why not?" he asked in response, suddenly feeling defensive. Why should he have to explain why he didn't want to hold his fake fiancée’s hand?

Melinda sighed. "I'm sorry if I've made you feel uncomfortable this morning. It's just that…last night Bree mentioned noticing that we have almost zero physical contact, and that it was weird for an engaged couple to not want to touch each other every other minute."

"Bree and Mark have about two feet between them whenever I see them," Daniel pointed out, though that was probably because they were planning on breaking their parents' hearts before the weekend was over anyway, so it didn't matter. Except for Mr. Garrett. He'd probably be thrilled when the wedding was finally called off.

Melinda looked like she was about to say something, but then shook her head. "The point is, if we are going to convince my parents that we are in love—if we are going to convince them to sell the diner—we need to act like an engaged couple. For real." She stepped closer to Daniel and took his hand. "Please."

What did that even mean—act like an engaged couple? Over Melinda's shoulder, he saw Mrs. Garrett walking along the path toward them. The gears in Daniel's head turned. Melinda wanted her parents to believe they really were in love, huh? He'd be more than happy to accommodate.

Daniel pulled Melinda closer and laid a long, soft kiss on her lips. Melinda's body tensed with surprise, but after a second, she relaxed. She wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss, her fingers combing through his hair. The way her fingernails grazed his head sent shock waves through him and left him wanting more.

Someone coughed from behind them. Daniel and Melinda shot apart, searching each other for a reaction.

"I'm sorry. I hope I wasn't interrupting," Mrs. Garrett said.

Daniel turned and saw that she stood only a couple of feet from them, an amused smile playing on her lips. "I'm sorry—"

Mrs. Garrett held up a hand. "No need to apologize. But our appointment is in five minutes, and at a resort like this, they don't tolerant tardiness. Even for true love."

At the mention of love, Daniel glanced at Melinda and noticed she was bright red. Good. "Yes, let's go," she said, speed walking in front of them.

"When I said we don’t want to be late, I didn't mean we needed to walk quite that fast," Mrs. Garrett called after Melinda. She laughed and turned to Daniel. "You will have some interesting days ahead of you with that girl."

"Oh, I already do," Daniel said. If she only knew.

* * * * *

"Don't you love this pink?" Melinda asked, wiggling her toes at Daniel. She was sitting in a chair, waiting for the polish to dry while the nail technician scrubbed Daniel's feet. Apparently they were a bit worse for wear than the technician was used to.

"It's perfect," Daniel said, wincing as she hit a sensitive spot.

"You are going to feel amazing when that girl is done with you," Mrs. Garrett said, her own toenails drying. They were painted a bright red, which now matched her fingernails.

Daniel was hesitant to admit that he'd loved the manicure. It had even included a hand massage. Rather than paint his nails, they’d polished them, and his nails had never felt better. The pedicure though—that was a whole different beast they were still trying to slay. "I hope you're right,” he said, bracing himself as the technician scrubbed harder.

Melinda laughed. "We need to take you to get pedicures more often; that way, they won't have to use a sandblaster each time."

"Now, Melinda," Mrs. Garrett chided. "Is that any way to speak to your future husband?"

"It most certainly is," Melinda said, raising her chin in defiance. "He needs someone to keep him in line from time to time."

Mrs. Garrett turned to Daniel. "She has a point."

Daniel shrugged. "I'm outnumbered, so I won't argue." He paused. "Though, I must admit, it's me who's been keeping Melinda in line lately."

Both Mrs. Garrett and Melinda looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"How do you figure?" Melinda asked.

"You've been working so hard at the diner, I've had to make sure you've been getting breaks, taking the time to eat, and all that other stuff that you've been letting slide."

Mrs. Garrett clucked her tongue. "Honey, when you are in a relationship—especially with someone as special as Daniel—you need to take time for the important things.”

Melinda narrowed her eyes at Daniel. "I do my best, Mom. But owning a business isn't a nine to five job." Mrs. Garrett pursed her lips and Melinda corrected herself. "I know you own the diner, and I only manage it, but sometimes it feels—" Her voice broke.

"I know we've placed a lot of responsibility on you," Mrs. Garrett said. "But I hope you understand, it was what you needed."

Melinda surprised Daniel by agreeing. "You're right. I did need it. But that was a decade ago, and I'm in a different place in my life now."

Mrs. Garrett studied her. "I know you are." She glanced at Daniel, who was finally done being tormented and was getting a much-needed foot massage. "This fine young man is proof of that."

"So…you'll sell the diner?" Melinda asked, her eyes lighting up.

"I didn't say that," Mrs. Garrett said with a shake of her head.

Melinda's face fell. "So…what are you saying?"

"That I will take it under consideration," Mrs. Garrett said. "But darling, you have to understand, the diner has been in the family for over fifty years. If we sell it, it will be selling off a part of our family history."

"You can’t expect me to manage it forever, though," Melinda said.

"No, I suppose not," Mrs. Garrett said. "But when you think about it, marrying Daniel means you'll have one more person to help out. I mean, you two could really help it grow and expand and…become the diner it was meant to be."

Daniel's heart plummeted. After all they had done, it hadn't made a difference. His gaze met Melinda's. Her face had paled and she looked like she was fighting back tears.

"I…need to use the bathroom," she said. She walked on her heels to avoid smudging the toenail polish as she made her way across the floor.

"You understand, don't you?" Mrs. Garrett asked Daniel. Her brows were wrinkled in concern, like she really felt like she was doing what was best for everyone.

"Of course, Mrs. Garrett," he said, though he didn't understand at all. Hadn't they promised to sell the diner to Devon and Claire once Melinda was no longer manager? They had patiently waited over the last decade, cooking old family recipes that needed updating—or discarding.

"One day Melinda will realize that we are only doing what is best for her and the rest of the family." Mrs. Garrett seemed to be talking more to herself, as if convincing herself of the truth of it. "You'll help her understand, right?" Her eyes pleaded with Daniel.

His gaze dropped to the floor. "Of course, Mrs. Garrett."

That was the first lie of the weekend that had really made Daniel feel sick.