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“Isn’t it obvious? You’re not my boyfriend, and I need my family to believe you are. The gist of it is if they believe you and I are serious, then they won’t attempt to fix me up with a string of guys of their choosing. The bonus is if they start in on what a disappointment I am, you can be my buffer. There’s not much in it for you except I would owe you one and you would eat a lot of good food. My family may drive me nuts, but they know how to put on a spread.”
His expression was thoughtful as he nodded. “Fair enough. What time do we need to leave on Friday?”
She was sure her shock registered on her face. Was he really going easy on her? No hard time? No teasing? No holding this favor over her head? He was just agreeing without further comment? She tensed, wondering what new game he was playing.
“We’ll need to leave after work Thursday if Jay is good with you being off Friday. He’s already approved the time off for me.”
“He’ll be good with it. We can take my truck.”
“No way. I’m not putting my stuff in the bed of your truck all the way to Millforth. What if it rains? Besides, my wedding clothes will be in a garment bag and will need to be hung up. That reminds me, you’ll need to see Hope about renting a tux. Hopefully she can get you one on short notice.”
Hope Robertson was the girlfriend of another KSI investigator, Brick Coffey. She owned a bridal shop in the strip mall located next to KSI. If anyone could get BB outfitted in time for the wedding, Gennessey was certain Hope could.
“No need. I have my own. My truck has more leg room than your car. Our wedding clothes, as you put it, can hang up behind the seat, and I have a covering to go over the truck bed to protect our stuff during the drive. That is non-negotiable.”
She scowled. “Fine. Be ready by six on Thursday. It’s only an hour and a half to get to Millforth, and I’m sure my mom will have a meal waiting for us when we get there.”
She turned her back to him, ready to leave before he had a chance to change his mind. Once her hand closed over the doorknob, she hesitated. Her lids slid closed for a moment before she turned back. She was surprised to see BB standing, watching her with an unreadable expression.
“I know there’s no way you can understand why this is a big deal for me. I think you’ll figure it out when you meet my family, but I need to be sure you’re going to play along no matter what. I don’t need your games or your teasing this weekend. This is too important to me. If you don’t think you can take this seriously, then we need to call this off now.”
He approached her until he was able to meet her eyes directly. “I get it. Don’t worry. I’ve got your back.”
She studied the swirls of brown, a mixture of chocolate and caramel which reminded her of comforting warmth and silk. The dark pupils widened, pulling her into their depths, making her want to believe his promises. When it came to work, BB was as loyal and reliable as anyone. When it came to their personal lives, she couldn’t be sure those traits applied.
She’d succeeded in keeping him at a distance, but that meant she didn’t know anything about him outside of their KSI world. He couldn’t possibly know anything about her either.
“You know…” Her voice sounded too high and almost strangled to her ears. She cleared her throat and dropped her eyes. “Look, I know we’ll have time on the ride to talk, but maybe we should make a list of things we need to know about each other. We can swap lists at work tomorrow, so we have time to study them before this weekend. Nothing too detailed. Just general things people would expect us to know…if we were dating.”
She looked up in time to see his signature grin and the adorable dimple that annoyed her.
“I have a better idea. We should practice.”
Her eyes widened. “Practice?”
“Right. Practice being a couple in a real social setting. It’ll give us a chance to see what we should work on to be more believable. We can use my family as guinea pigs. You don’t have plans for tomorrow, do you? We can ride to work together and leave when we’re finished.”
“What? Leave? Your family? What are you talking about?”
“My brothers and I are having dinner with my parents tomorrow. You can come along as my date, and we’ll see if we can fool them into believing we’re a couple. Once dinner’s done, we can tell them the truth and ask for their advice on how to be more believable.”
Gennessey’s jaw dropped. “Are you crazy? We can’t do that. Your parents are going to think I’ve lost my mind. No! No way we’re doing it. I should have known you would try to make a game out of this. Just forget it.”
BB’s hand grasped her elbow as she turned to leave. “Wait. Just listen for a second.”
She refused to look at him. She jerked her arm out of his grasp and crossed both arms across her chest. Lifting her chin, she glared at the wall, imagining it was him, as she waited for him to say whatever nonsense he wanted to say.
“I don’t know what is up with you and your family or why you feel you have to lie to them. I get the impression there’s a lot of history there that’s not going to be laid to rest in one weekend, especially a busy one full of wedding activities. But my family is not immune to drama or issues. We’re not perfect, but no one is going to judge you or be critical. If they are, you can kick me in the nuts and tell me I told you so.”
Gennessey felt her ire weaken, but she didn’t want him to think he’d charmed her into agreeing. “How many family members are we talking about here?”
“My mom Collette. My dad Amos. My older brother Brody. My younger brother Brent.”
She turned her head slowly until her eyes could see him over her shoulder. “And your mother won’t be mad that you’re bringing a date at the last minute?”
“Nope. She’s going to be relieved she won’t be the only female at family dinner for a change. She’s been outnumbered in our family for years.”
A family dinner with only six people and nothing but food on the menu instead of servings of judgment, ridicule, and disappointment. She wasn’t sure she bought into the concept, but she had to admit it would give her a chance to be comfortable with the pretense before she faced her shrewd family members, especially her mother and Cohen’s mother — or the instigators as she referred to them.
