Faking It Page 7

  Josh’s view was obstructed by groups of young men surrounding the first few tables. On tiptoes, he peered around the room until he caught sight of his dad bent over the far table ready to take his shot. Perfect. At least he was alone. Josh took a deep breath as he made his way over to him, stopping a few feet away until Roy had successfully potted a red.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  Roy looked up at him, squinting his eyes. “Josh?”

  Josh smiled nervously. “The one and only.”

  Roy moved around the table and briefly embraced him. “It’s good to see you, son. Can I get you a beer?”

  Josh shrugged off his jacket. “Sure, why not?”

  Roy called over to the barman. “Bert! Can I get a couple of beers and my usual over here?”

  “No problem,” Bert replied.

  Josh’s heart sank when he noticed a jacket on a stool next to Roy’s. He wasn’t alone after all. “Who are you playing with?”

  “Ethan.” Roy laughed. “As you can imagine, the poor boy doesn’t know what’s hit him.”

  Josh slipped onto a stool as Bert brought over the drinks and set them on the circular table before heading back to the bar.

  “Thanks, Bert,” Josh called out after him.

  Roy sipped his pina colada, complete with blue cocktail umbrella, through a straw before casting his gaze on Josh.

  Josh raised his eyebrows. “You’ve got Bert making cocktails as well now?”

  “He learnt to make them especially for me. So what brings you down here?”

  Josh sucked in the stale air and blew it out slowly. “I need to talk to you.”

  “About?” Roy asked, walking over to stand a few inches away from him.

  “Me and–”

  Ethan’s voice rang out from behind him. “Hey! Good to see you, Josh. Roy never said you were playing tonight.”

  Josh shot a glance at Ethan. Maybe this is a sign to keep my mouth shut. “I’m not. I was at a loose end so I thought I’d pop by to see how my dad was getting on.” As much as he loved playing pool, snooker confused the hell out of him – what with all those different coloured balls. It made absolutely no sense.

  Ethan picked up his drink and took a swig, looking at Roy in admiration. “Winning as usual. Maybe you can give me some tips on how to beat your dad. It’s not right him white washing me all the time.”

  Josh let out a weak laugh. “No luck here I’m afraid. I’m yet to see anybody beat him.”

  Roy looked at him, worry in his eyes. “Ethan, would you mind getting some crisps from the bar?”

  Ethan looked from father to son. “No, of course not.”

  “Thanks. Now Josh, you were saying?” Roy said as soon as Ethan was out of earshot.

  Josh slipped off the seat, feeling defeated. He really thought he would be able to tell his dad the truth. But just like everything when it came to him, he hadn’t wanted to disappoint him. Josh shrugged. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry.”

  Roy clamped his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Are you having problems with Danni, son?”

  Why couldn’t he just say it? Why couldn’t he just open his mouth and tell him and have done with it – exorcise the demon once and for all? It wasn’t fair to have entangled Danni in his web of lies. He felt terrible that she’d met a woman she had finally connected with and could do nothing about it – all because of him. Some friend he was. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

  “Look, Josh,” Roy began. “Relationships don’t always run smoothly for anyone, you have to take the good with the bad. It’s normal to be feeling a little apprehensive. Marriage is a big step.”

  “Dad, it’s nothing to do with that.”

  “Then what is it? Do you need money?”

  Josh shook his head as he pulled on his jacket. “It’s nothing, really. I’m sure it will be all right.”

  “Josh, you know you can tell me anything. I won’t judge you.”

  Josh’s eyes begin to tear up. If only that were true. “I’d best be getting back. Danni will be wondering where I am. Tell Ethan I said goodbye.”

  “I will. Listen I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you bring Danni over for dinner tomorrow? That way I can get to know her a bit better.”

  “I dunno …” Josh mused.

  “Josh, if she’s going to be my daughter-in-law, don’t you think it makes sense I should at least spend some time with her?”

  “I suppose.”

  “Good. That’s settled. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

  “Ok,” Josh said reluctantly.

  As he walked towards the entrance he sensed his father’s eyes boring into his back. He was going to have to find another way to tell him. There was no way he could let Danni carry his burden at the cost of her own happiness. And now he had just made matters worse by agreeing to take her round for dinner.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Danni reread the instructions in the recipe book. What the hell were mungo beans? She shook her head in disgust as she read the remaining ingredients for the soup Josh had suggested they try. Josh and his bloody eating fads. Just because he wanted to purify his body didn’t mean she had to follow suit. She opened the fridge and brought out the homemade pizza she had prepared earlier, covered with lashings of cheese and every leftover vegetable she could find.

  Hearing the front door slam, she wiped her hands down the front of her apron, walked to the kitchen doorway and peeked around the corner. Josh’s face was partially hidden by the large bunch of flowers he held in his hands.

  “Who are the flowers for?”

  Josh was by her side in a few strides. “Who else but you?” he said handing the dozen red roses to her.

  Danni looked at him suspiciously. Josh was not a flowers sort of guy. “Okay. What do you want now?”

  “Don’t be silly. Nothing.” He pulled his face as he sniffed the air. “What’s that rancid smell?”

  “That soup you said would give me glowing skin.”

  “Urgh. Do you fancy a kebab instead?”

  Danni shook her head. “Right. Come on out with it. What do you want? You only try to buy me off with a kebab when you want me to do something.”

  “You’re so suspicious, Danni,” he said looking at her in disbelief.

  Danni wasn’t falling for his schoolboy charm. The last time she did, look at the mess she had got herself into. “No, Josh. I just know you. Come on, spit it out.”

  He rubbed his hand over his chin. “Well, if you insist.”

  Danni took a step back and looked at him though squinted eyes. “Ha! I knew it. You want me to pretend I’m pregnant, don’t you?”

  “Oh God, no!” He scrunched his face in disgust. “My dad’s invited us round for dinner.”

  He said the words so quickly Danni thought she’d misheard him. When he wouldn’t meet her eyes, she knew she hadn’t.

  She slapped her hand against her leg. “Oh, come on Josh. You promised it would be a one off. I don’t do parents and I definitely don’t do dinners, I get all flustered and spray food everywhere.”

  His lips held a hesitant smile. “Come on, it’ll only be the three of us. It’s no biggie.”

  She turned and walked to the living room. “Yeah, like it was only going to be the party. I couldn’t care less if Jesus himself was cooking the entre. The answer’s no.”

  “Please. Pretty please. You really enjoyed the party.”

  Danni shook her head. “No, no, no, no, no!”

  “Do you remember those jeans you liked in Top Shop?”

  “Yes. What about them?”

  He lifted the bag he held in his hand up in the air. “Well, I thought I’d get them for you, since you’ve been such a good sport.”

  “That’s bribery, Josh,” she said, reaching out to grab the bag.

  Josh pulled his hand away. “Yeah. But just imagine how hot you’d look in them.” He laughed.

  She pulled her face. “I hate you.”

  Josh gave a short shake of his head. “No you d
on’t. You love me. Come on, just say yes.”

  “No.”

  “Yes,” he said dangling the bag in front of her.

  “No!”

  “Yes!”

  She looked longingly at the bag. “All right but I’m not bloody happy about this.”

  “Believe me, neither am I.”

  She playfully punched his shoulder as he handed her the bag. “And I am not wearing a skirt!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Danni and Josh sat at a long opal table set with china plates and crystal glasses. Candles in silver holders topped off the setting, giving it an air of elegance. Sipping a glass of champagne, she glanced around the well-designed room. Two large sparkling chandeliers hung from the ceiling, throwing patches of light onto the pastel-coloured walls. Dark wooden furniture was neatly arranged at the opposite end of the room. A colourful bouquet of flowers sat above the marble fire place where a fire crackled and hissed, barely audible to the human ear.

  “I hope you like steak tartare,” Roy said to Danni with a smile.

  She bit down on her lip. “Um, yeah love it.” She looked to Josh through narrowed eyes. He looked away stifling a laugh.

  Josh nodded towards the empty chair next to his dad. “Is someone else joining us tonight?”

  “Yes.” The doorbell sounded. “Ahh. Here she is now,” Roy said rising and heading for the door.

  Danni swung her head around to Josh. “Josh, are you crazy? I am not eating raw meat, do I look like a Bengali tiger? You’d better make sure–” she stopped as Roy appeared in the doorway with Brooke. A small sound escaped her lips as she gulped in as much air as her lungs would hold. Her heart was racing and so was her head. What was Brooke doing here? Had Josh known she was coming? She turned to look at him, asking him with her eyes whether he knew about this surprise guest. Josh frantically shook his head in denial. She slid her hand under the table and over Josh’s leg to pinch the inside of his firm thigh.

  “Ouch!” he yelped, jerking back in his seat.

  Danni rolled her eyes. “You knew about this didn’t you?” she whispered.

  “I swear I didn’t. Don’t you think I would have told you?” he hissed back.

  “I’m going to kill … Brooke!” Danni said changing her tone of voice in an instant. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  “You too,” Brooke replied, pecking Josh on the cheek and then Danni.

  Roy gestured for Brooke to sit. “You all chat amongst yourselves. I’ll go and sort out the food.”

  “Hmm, yummy,” Brooke said sitting next to Roy’s vacant chair.

  Danni frowned. “You like steak tartare?” She felt so flushed with nerves that she thought she might spontaneously combust over the dinner service. It was the Brooke effect – she looked every bit as captivating as the first time she had met her.

  A smile lit up Brooke’s face. “Love it. I take it you’re not too fond of it?”

  Danni had no idea why she had to think for a brief moment before responding, but she quickly pulled her senses back into check and nodded. “Me? You’re joking. I love it – just love it.”

  Josh looked at her puzzled. “You do?”

  Danni moved her foot to the side and pressed steadily onto Josh’s trainer. “You know I do. We eat out at Le Sacre Coeur in Islington all the time.”

  Roy brought in four plates as expertly as a silver service waiter. “Here you are.”

  “I think I’ll pass,” Josh said as Roy put the plate in front of him.

  “Sorry?” Danni blurted out as she turned to Josh, her eyes widened in sheer horror. Was he going to send her down this slippery path of sinew all by herself?

  Josh patted his stomach. “Sweetheart, I told you before we came out I was feeling a bit dodgy.” He smiled at her sweetly. “At least that means there’s more for you, you loving it and all.”

  “You don’t want anything, Josh?” Roy asked.

  “I’ll just stick to the vegetables, thanks,” he said using a fork to push the steak tartare to one side of his plate.

  Danni gulped. She looked over to Brooke who had already forked some of the raw meat into her mouth. Danni wanted to retch. Tentatively, her hands picked up the knife and fork, her stomach already considering evacuation before she had even tasted it.

  Josh smirked and waved some of the meat at the end of his fork in front of her face. “Here have mine.”

  She looked at him and hoped he could read her eyes – she was going to strangle him with her bare hands when they got back home.

  “I think I’ll just stick to my own first, thanks,” she said through gritted teeth.

  His face broke into a grin.

  Danni held her breath, counted to three and took a ball of the minced beef into her mouth. All her thoughts instantly turned to the reports of Mad Cow disease. I’m going to die.

  As she chewed and the flavour hit her taste buds, she decided it really wasn’t that bad. But it wasn’t good enough that she could eat the whole lot.

  After a few more mouthfuls she pushed her plate away and said, “That was really lovely Roy but I couldn’t possibly eat any more.”

  “Trying to keep slim for that wedding dress, Danni?” He laughed. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of my favourite dishes.”

  She watched as Roy and Brooke finished their meals. Roy stood and headed back into the kitchen to prepare the dessert. When Josh followed him, she felt like she had been set adrift in a sea of awkwardness. Being there with Brooke felt so intense, giving rise to feelings that were completely new to her. There had never been an occasion where she had felt so out of her depth.

  Danni took a sip of her drink for Dutch courage. What did you talk to an editor about? Books you idiot! “So, who’s your favourite author?” she asked calmly despite feeling like a nervous wreck.

  Brooke didn’t skip a beat. “That would have to be Wayne Dyer. How about yours?”

  “Hmm … let’s see,” Danni said, racking her brain. Who was that small guy who barely spoke above a whisper? Ek somebody. The name of one of Josh’s favourite authors was on the tip of her tongue. “Ekhar–”

  “Eckhart Tolle?” Brooke filled in for her.

  Relief flooded her. “Yes, that’s him,” she said triumphantly.

  Brooke gave her an approving look. “I’ve been to one of his talks. It was very insightful.”

  Danni leaned back in her seat. “I can imagine.”

  Seeing Brooke’s empty glass, Danni scooped up the bottle and refilled it.

  “I must say I was impressed by your effort to look as if you liked steak tartare.”

  Danni’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, was it that obvious?”

  Brooke laughed. “No, it wasn’t so much your body language. Your eyes gave you away.”

  “Oh no, I really thought I’d pulled it off.” She prayed Brooke couldn’t see her blushing as she felt her cheeks burning with the ferocity of Pompeii.

  Brooke lowered her voice and said in a slight whisper. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

  Danni muffled a laugh with her hand. Now she had yet another secret. How had she come from being a straightforward honest sort of person to this cloak-and-dagger pretender. If she had her way she would just blow the lid off everything by telling Josh’s dad exactly what she thought of his outdated views and after that, ask Brooke out. The fantasy pleased her to no end.

  Danni tapped her slender fingers on the table, blurting out the first thing that entered her mind. “So, do you have dinner at your boss’ often?”

  Brooke nodded. “Oh yes. Roy and I have been friends for years. He mentioned you were coming tonight and thought it would be nice for us to meet again to discuss your book.”

  “Oh,” she started slowly. “So you knew we’d be here?”

  “Yes.”

  It was a pity Josh’s dad hadn’t given them the heads up as well. Had she known beforehand that Brooke was going to be there she would have at least put some make up on and worn her hair
down, not to mention putting on a more revealing top. Instead, she sat there in a white cotton shirt buttoned up to her neck like the most conservative member of the Amish. She dreaded to think what Brooke made of her fashion sense.

  There was a brief awkward moment as the women looked at each other, neither breaking eye contact. Danni didn’t know why Brooke didn’t look away but her own motivation was simple: she couldn’t. Brooke held her gaze like a magnet.

  “Hmm,” was all she could think to say to end the silence. Why on earth was this woman causing her to clam up like this? She could normally talk the hind legs off a donkey, cow or any other farmyard animal.

  “So, tell me some more about the book,” Brooke asked, finally looking away and focusing on her drink.

  Danni hesitated. Twirling the ends of her hair with her finger, she said. “The book, well um, it’s about … let me see …” Her brain was failing her, she just couldn’t get the words out. She was well and truly tongue-tied. “It’s about–”

  “Expectations,” Josh exclaimed as he entered the room and picked up his drink from the table.

  Brooke looked up at Josh then back to Danni. “Expectations?”

  “Yes,” Danni said finally finding her voice. Suddenly she felt her confidence rising a little. Having Josh around sometimes really did have its advantages. He made her feel protected when she was at her most vulnerable and sitting opposite Brooke, she felt as exposed as she had ever been. “In a nutshell, I’m writing about expectations and the harm they do to relationships.”

  “Really? And what harm do you think they do?”

  “Where do I start?” Danni grinned, gulping the fizzy liquid.

  “At the beginning, darling,” Josh said swigging his beer before dashing out of the room again.

  Danni stared after him. She hadn’t spent three years at university studying creative writing to not be able to talk about storylines and ideas at the drop of a hat. She had to get her act together. “I truly believe,” she started, a slight tremble in her voice as if she were giving a presentation for the first time in her life, “that you can’t build a solid foundation between two people whose relationship is based on unrealistic expectations.”