Entice Me Box Set: The Truth About Shoes and Men\Cover Me\My Favorite Mistake (31 page)

A fact that I repeated to myself over and over as I dressed for our dinner that evening. Since I’d had precious little to eat since the yogurt, my stomach was howling for food. And I had a headache from playing my conversation with Redford over and over in my head. But when I walked up to Barry, who was
sitting at the bar in the hushed atmosphere of the posh restaurant, I forced myself to tamp down all thoughts of Redford and the past. Barry was kind, successful, ambitious and…here…in New York…where my life was. One could not underestimate the necessity of proximity to keep a relationship alive.

Barry stood and smiled back, but his eyes reflected something else—regret? Fear? Guilt? He brushed a quick kiss on my mouth and hurriedly threw back the rest of his drink.

Something was wrong…I could sense it. It was obvious from his stiff body language as we followed the hostess to a premium table, as he held out my chair, as he claimed his own seat and snapped the linen napkin over his lap. He didn’t seem to want to make eye contact, and he was pulling on his ear—a sure sign that something was on his mind. Tiny alarms sounded in my head as I sipped from my water glass, and my mind started tossing out scenarios to explain his nervous behavior. He’d been offered a job in L.A. Ellen had changed her mind about doing business with Trayser Brothers. Then the truth spanked me:

Barry was going to dump me
.

Of course—it made perfect sense. A classy restaurant on a Sunday evening…Break the news in public, then start the week with a clean slate as a single man. Leave town for a few weeks and things would be smoothed over by the time he returned. He’d asked me to meet him to avoid the awkwardness of taking
me home afterward, had taken his toiletry bag home to avoid a trip back to my place. I swallowed a mouthful of water with my disappointment, my appetite gone. This was what I got for fantasizing about another man who wasn’t even around, while ignoring a perfectly good guy who was right under my nose.

Moving and speaking awkwardly, Barry ordered a pricey bottle of shiraz. I perused the menu, seeing nothing, and watched him under my lashes, my nerves jumping. When the wine arrived and Barry lifted his glass to mine, he made eye contact for the first time.

“To a great friendship,” he said, wetting his lips.

Sadness bled through me and I clinked my glass against his, wondering if he would make me wait until the end of the meal to do the deed. But after he drank from his glass, his eyes changed, and I steeled myself for his brush-off.

He reached across the table and clasped my hand. “Denise, we’ve been together for a while now…long enough, I think.”

I nodded, determined to make it easy for him, easy for me.

“Will you marry me, Denise?”

A full ten seconds passed before his words registered. I squinted at him, confused. “Pardon me?”

He grinned. “You’re going to make this hard, aren’t you?” He swung out of his seat and got down on one knee in front of my chair. A stir sounded around us as other diners turned to stare. He reached
into his jacket pocket and removed a black velvet ring box, then opened it to reveal a diamond the size of a peanut M&M. “Denise Cooke, will you marry me?”

My jaw was slack, which I knew wasn’t a particularly attractive expression for me, but I couldn’t help it. “Stunned” wasn’t the right word—I was positively staggered. I felt the eyes of strangers on me, the air heavy with anticipation. Unwittingly, the setting of my first proposal rose in my mind—the bar, the paper clip Redford had bent into a band as a temporary engagement ring until, he’d said, he could retrieve his grandmother’s diamond. In retrospect, it all seemed so childish.

I stared at the rock Barry offered me, overwhelmed by his gesture. “It’s huge,” I murmured.

“It’s one of those new laboratory-made diamonds. About one-fourth the cost of a regular diamond.”

I tried not to feel deflated. “Oh.”

“I knew you’d approve, as frugal as you are.”

I nodded. “Of course.”

“So,” he said, his voice high and tight as he gave a slight nod to the people staring at us. “What do you say, Denise?”

My insides were like hash. I felt like an idiot—I was sure he was trying to break up with me, and the man had been trying to propose! He wanted to
marry
me. It was my second chance to get it right.

I looked into Barry’s shining eyes and my heart welled. I knew
this
man’s likes and dislikes—that he wanted to have children…someday, and that we
would always live in a big city, pursuing our big-city careers. There was no mistake that Barry and I were perfectly suited to one another. I took a deep breath and said, “Yes, Barry…I’ll marry you.”

6

C
INDY AND
J
ACKI
stared at my left hand in the middle of the café table, then at me, their lunch salads forgotten.

“Oh, my God,” Cindy said. “Barry proposed!”

I nodded. “Last night.”

“It’s a freaking boulder,” Jacki said, her eyes bugged. “He must have spent a fortune.”

I decided not to let them in on the “laboratory created” part. They might try to convince me it wasn’t romantic to scrimp on an engagement ring. In truth, I appreciated the fact that Barry was saving money for other things, like our wedding, our honeymoon, disability insurance.

Cindy’s eyes grew moist. “And this on top of Kenzie’s baby news. I’m just so happy.”

I squeezed her hand, sending up a little prayer that she’d find a good man soon.

“Have you told Kenzie?” Jacki asked me.

“Not yet,” I said, wondering what Kenzie would say, then wondering why I thought she’d be anything but happy for me. “I’m going to call her later.”

Jacki raised her water glass. “To the happy couple.”

I clinked my glass to theirs in appreciation.

“Well, that’s three down, one to go.” Jacki winked at Cindy. “You’re next.”

Cindy smiled wistfully. “I hope so.”

“How’s the class going?”

“So far, so good. There’s a really cute guy in the class who’s been talking to me. And I found my
dream
wedding dress Saturday.” Then she turned to me, her eyes and mouth rounded. “Oh, Denise—it worked! You buying a wedding gown turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy!”

“Huh?” Jacki said.

I squirmed as Cindy relayed the “running of the brides” stint and how I’d wound up with a gown.

“Did you know Barry was going to propose?” Jacki asked.

I shook my head. “No idea. Evidenced by the fact that yesterday afternoon, I listed the gown on eBay.”

Cindy’s face fell. “You didn’t.”

I sighed. “I did. And the reserve price I set has already been met.”

Jacki lifted an eyebrow. “Knowing you, the reserve price was more than you paid for it.”

“Well, yeah, but it’s a great dress. If I’d have known that Barry was going to propose…”

“So cancel the auction,” Cindy said.

I frowned. “After bidding starts, I can’t.” Since I made spending money by selling odds and ends on
eBay, I wasn’t willing to risk being banned from the online auction house.

“Don’t look so glum,” Cindy said. “You’ll find another dress.”

I picked at the fruit on my plate. “It’s not just the dress,” I said carefully, acknowledging the dread that had kept me awake all night.

“What?” they asked in unison, leaning forward.

“I, um, never quite got around to telling Barry that I was married before.”

Jacki’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? It never came up?”

I shook my head. “I thought about telling him lots of times, but I was afraid he’d think I was—I don’t know—hinting or something.”

Jacki pursed her mouth. “Last night might have been a good time to say something.”

“He had to leave for L.A. earlier than he expected,” I said. “We barely had time to finish dinner.” My excuse sounded lame even to my ears. I groaned and dropped my fork onto my plate. “What am I going to do?”

“Call him today and tell him,” Jacki said emphatically.

“Yeah, Denise,” Cindy said. “Your marriage to Redmon—”

“Redford.”

“—only lasted two weeks.”

“Six,” I corrected.

“Still,” she argued. “You had the marriage annulled. That means it never happened.”

I smirked. “Only it
did
happen.”

Cindy scoffed. “It’s not as if you have this secret long-term relationship in your history, or as if your ex-husband is going to show up on your doorstep.”

I grimaced. “Well, actually…”

They lunged forward again. “What?”

I told them about the audit letter and the phone call from Redford, my sense of panic increasing as their jaws dropped lower.

“Your ex-husband is coming here?” Jacki asked. “The really hot one with the big Johnson?”

I frowned. “He’s not my ex-husband. He’s my…non-husband. And I’m afraid if I tell Barry now, he’ll think there’s unfinished business between me and Redford.”

Jacki angled her head. “Is there?”

“No!” I said quickly. “Of course not. Redford has a family.”

“He remarried?”

“Yes,” I said, then squinted. “Well, he didn’t say so exactly, but he mentioned children…girls.”

“Marriage and children aren’t mutually exclusive,” Cindy pointed out.

“Is he still in the Marine Corps?” Jacki asked.

“Retired a few months ago. He joined his family horse business in Kentucky.”

“Oh, that’s so romantic,” Cindy said. “He’s a cowboy! Does he wear a hat?”

“I have no idea. He has his life, and I have mine. When this audit is over, we’ll never see each other again.”

“What about this audit?” Jacki asked. “Are you in trouble?”

“I don’t think so. I called the field office this morning to confirm our appointment and from all appearances, it seems pretty routine.” At least I hoped so.

“You’d better be careful,” Jacki said, pointing her fork at me. “The IRS can ruin your life.”

“My cousin Joey had to go to jail for six months,” Cindy declared.

I frowned. “That’s kind of extreme…did he not even bother to file?”

“Oh, he filed, but a fast-talking tax preparer found all these so-called ‘deductions’ that saved him a ton of money. Next thing you know, my cousin’s being audited and the tax preparer has skipped town. Joey winds up in the clink, with a record for fraud. He lost his job and his wife left him. Sad.”

I felt myself go pale. Trayser Brothers would fire me on the spot if I was charged with tax fraud. “I d-don’t expect anything like that to happen. But still, I’d like to keep this quiet,” I said sheepishly. “My clients might misunderstand.”

“Does Barry know?” Jacki asked.

I shook my head.

“So you don’t plan to tell Barry about the audit, about Redford, or that you were married?”

“Technically, she
wasn’t
married,” Cindy argued.

“Not according to the IRS,” Jacki murmured, then gave me a probing look before turning back to her salad.

I studied a crouton, feeling guilty and miserable.

“When does the cowboy arrive?” Cindy asked, changing the subject with a sledgehammer.

“Friday.”

“The audit is Friday?”

My cheeks warmed. “Um, no, the audit isn’t until next Tuesday, but Redford wants to do some sightseeing.”

Jacki looked up. “You’re taking the man sightseeing?”

My defenses reared. “Just like I’ve taken dozens of friends sightseeing who’ve come to the city. And he wants to go look at a stud for sale upstate.”

Jacki’s mouth jumped at the corners. “And you
always
take visitors stud-shopping.”

I frowned. “I’m not going with him, for goodness’ sake. I don’t even
like
horses.”

Jacki nodded, but gave me that look again. “So when does Barry get back in town?”

“He’ll be in L.A. for two weeks, maybe three.”

“But that’s perfect!” Cindy cut in. “Barry never has to know that Redford was even here.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I said, feeling better. “This whole mistake with Redford will be tied up before Barry gets back.”

Jacki nodded thoughtfully. “A good plan,” she
conceded, then gave me a sly smile. “As long as you don’t repeat your mistake.”

I swallowed hard. “No chance of that happening…none at all.”

* * *

W
HEN
I
GOT HOME
from work that evening, I tried to push aside thoughts of calling Redford to firm up his schedule. Procrastinating, I checked my auction on eBay.

When the page loaded, I felt a tiny bit relieved to see that the auction stood at only one bid. True, the bidder had met my reserve price of $275, but maybe I’d attracted a no-pay bidder. Normally, of course, I would report a no-pay bidder, but in this case, I’d be willing to let it slide in order to keep the gown.

Then I zeroed in on the bidder’s user ID: SYLVIESMOM. My mouth pinched involuntarily—the woman at Filene’s who had tried to pry the gown off my body had said her daughter’s name was Sylvie. Could it possibly be the same woman? I looked up the bidder’s profile and saw the zip code was within Manhattan…it seemed too much of a coincidence to be anyone but her.

And call me warped, but I was
not
going to let that woman have my dress, especially when now I could use it myself. I was even more concerned when I saw by the high number next to her user ID that she was a veteran buyer—drat! Then in a moment of blessed revelation, I realized I could simply have a friend,
i.e. Cindy, bid on the gown and win the auction, with no one the wiser that no money had changed hands. What I had in mind wasn’t ethical if the intent was to run up the price artificially. But this was an emergency, and I had no intention of taking any money from Sylvie’s mom. I’d only be out the percentage of the sale I would owe the auction house.

By golly, I was going to win back my dress.

I called Cindy, but before I could tell her what I had in mind, she blurted, “He called!”

“Who called?”

“The guy from my Positive Thinking class! He wants to meet for a drink Friday night.”

“That’s great!” I said and my heart welled for her. She deserved a terrific guy.

“Maybe buying the wedding dress will work for me, too,” she said, laughing.