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“I have something for you.” She got up and went to her bedroom. It took a while since she didn’t move fast so he finished his lunch while he waited. She came back holding a small jewelry box in one gnarled hand.
Uh-oh.
She opened the box and inside lay a beautiful diamond. “This was the diamond your grandpa gave me to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary. I wore it on a chain but you can have the setting changed and make a ring with it. I want you to have it.”
“I can’t take that, Grandma. It’s too special to you.”
“Of course it is. That’s why I want you to have it. It would mean a lot to me. You haven’t picked out a ring yet, have you?”
Picked out a ring? Oh, shit. He was in trouble now. “I haven’t asked her to marry me, Grandma. We’re not there yet.” And if Damaris had her way they might never be there.
“But you’re going to. You’re head over heels in love with her.”
He didn’t deny it. What was the point?
“I was worried about Damaris at first but after the trip to San Diego I could tell she’s as crazy about you as you are about her.”
Was she? He knew she liked the sex. Hell, so did he. But while he definitely wanted more he wasn’t at all sure about Damaris. “Grandma, I appreciate you wanting to give me this diamond but—”
“Let me do this for you, Nate. Your grandpa would have loved to know it went to you. And that you’re going to give it to the woman you love.”
Crap. What could he say? So he hedged as best he could. “I don’t know when I’m going to ask her. It has to be the right time and now isn’t it.”
Grandma was all smiles. “That’s my boy! Don’t wait too long. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”
Great. Now he had to talk Damaris into a fake engagement. Hell, maybe he should just wait and ask her for real. Except he couldn’t go from ‘friends with benefits’ to ‘I’m madly in love with you’ without some kind of buildup or explanation. Still, she had to at least suspect he was in love with her.
And he had mentioned getting engaged early on. But they hadn’t talked about it more than a vague maybe.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hey, Nate,” Travis Sullivan said, walking into the office in the hangar. “I need a copilot to take a client to Florida. Are you up for it?”
“Depends. When is it?”
“Tomorrow. We should be back by evening.”
Nate pulled his phone out of his pocket and called up the calendar. “I’ve got a student tomorrow afternoon. Let me see if I can move her. I’ll let you know after I’ve contacted her.”
Nate was able to change the lesson so the next day he and Travis flew Kiki Harmon to Tampa. They’d flown Kiki a number of times to a number of places. She was a wealthy—very wealthy—widow who liked to travel and collect husbands. Unlike the Black Widow, she divorced them. She also enjoyed flirting and this time she’d set her sights on Nate. He didn’t mind the flirting. He wasn’t sure Kiki knew how to operate around a man if she wasn’t flirting with him. She used to flirt with Travis a lot but since he’d married she’d lost interest.
Since they were refueling in Tampa, they had a little extra time before the trip back. Instead of leaving immediately, Kiki cornered Nate. Travis saw her coming and muttered, “You’re on your own,” and left him before Nate even knew what was going on.
Kiki was a nice lady. God knows she was beautiful. But even if he hadn’t been in love with Damaris he’d have thought twice before getting involved with Kiki Harmon. He didn’t think he had enough money to tempt her, into marriage at least, but it had always been his policy to steer clear of entanglements with wealthy widows. At least Kiki’s husbands hadn’t died but he still preferred to steer clear of women like her.
“Oh, Nate, since you’re waiting why don’t you come to lunch with me? We can grab an Uber and there’s a lovely little place not too far from here.” She’d immediately latched on to his arm and was smiling at him seductively. “You don’t have to leave right away, do you?”
“Uh,” was all he could manage.
Kiki laughed and put her arms around his neck, bringing her body flush against his. “You are just adorable when you’re flustered.” She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, “And my apartment is only five minutes from the restaurant.”
“Kiki, I’m engaged.”
Busy planting kisses along his jawline, she murmured, “And your point would be?”
He took her arms and unwound them from around his neck. “The point is, I’m engaged. So thanks, but I can’t.”
Kiki pouted. Somehow she made that look sexy instead of petulant. “Why do I always choose the ones who are faithful?”
