Their eyes met and he smiled, saying, “No hurry.” Pointing over his shoulder toward his room, he added, “I’m just gonna take a quick shower. I’ll be down in ten minutes.” With that, he disappeared inside his room.
Lecie picked out some modest sapphires, a matching necklace, bracelet and earrings, put them on and went downstairs to wait for Nick.
Nick stopped at the entrance of the living room, wearing a dark gray two-button suit. It wasn’t Armani, but damn, he sure made it look good on his tall, athletic frame.
She stood when he walked into the room. He took her hand and looked at her admiringly. “Damn, girl.” He shook his head as a devilish smile curled up the corners of his mouth. “You look fantastic.”
“Thanks.” She couldn’t help but grin at his praise, but still she glanced away shyly. She was in danger. Danger of getting wrapped up in Nick Matthews so swiftly that she wouldn’t even know what hit her. She didn’t understand Ginny, at all.
“You want to take your car?” he asked. “My truck is probably a little too messy for that dress.”
Lecie nodded, handing her car keys over to Nick and they headed out. He took her to the Carbon Beach Club. A four-star restaurant, yet reasonably priced, up in Malibu.
They sat out on the restaurant’s terrace, and dinner was divine. Not because of the service or the atmosphere—Lecie had been wined and dined in far more luxurious surroundings. But there was something to be said for sitting across the table from Nick Matthews, even if it was all for show.
They dined on a simple, two-course meal. He had a steak and salad, she had the soup and chicken. She could’ve gone for the lobster, but Nick, she knew, was on a budget and she didn’t want him thinking she was an extravagance he couldn’t afford.
When the waiter laid the check at Nick’s side, Lecie said, “Thanks for bringing me out. I’ll confess I’ve not quite known what to do with myself with Deidra gone.”
“Life just doesn’t seem to be quite as much fun without friends.”
“Yeah…” Lecie sighed and glimpsed back up at Nick. “I hope that you and I can remain friends after all this is over.”
“You can count on it.” He nodded and winked at her. “Oh, I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet jewelry box—the size that rings come in. “These’ll carry some weight toward authenticity.”
Lecie’s heart hammered against her chest, but then she remembered that any ring Nick gave her would be rooted in the effectiveness of their ruse.
Caution prompted her to take care when reaching for the box. It’s not like it would burn her or anything, but Lecie didn’t want to get carried away. Sooner or later, this marriage would end and Nick would leave. She had to remember that.
She opened the box to a full set of matching wedding rings, including a man’s ring. There were lots of diamonds on hers. Not as flashy as Camille’s and Tasha’s rings, but these had a benefit theirs didn’t. Nick was attached to them.
“Oh my, you shouldn’t have gone to so much extravagance,” she said, closing the case. “I’ll reimburse you. This whole thing, after all, is for my benefit.”
“I wouldn’t hear of it.” He shook his head. “Besides, I bought them at a pawn shop. It wasn’t really that expensive.”
“Are you sure?”
Nick took the box, opened it up and took out the man’s ring, slipping it on his left ring finger. Then he took her set and reached for her left hand. “Nobody’s benefited in this deal more than me,” he said, sliding the rings on her finger.
The next morning, Gerard served Lecie and Nick breakfast on the terrace just off the side of the house. It was a picture-perfect setting, except for one thing—it wasn’t real.
Even so, Lecie stared at the diamonds sparkling on her left hand. They weren’t much by de Laurent standards, but still, she adored them. It saddened her a little that they weren’t representative of the real thing. But at least she was getting a taste of what it’d be like to be happily married. Now she understood completely why Camille and Tasha put up with Julian and Andre.
Gerard laid the paper beside Nick’s plate, and after a few minutes, Nick grabbed it and opened it up.
He peered over the top of the paper and said, “You want to come down to Hang Ten tonight? I have to work, but we could have dinner.”
“Sure.” She nodded.
He smiled and went back to the paper. Thumbing through the pages, every once in a while he’d stop and read something. Curiously, she wondered what sections of the paper aroused his interest the most.
He was probably a sports guy. Most Americans were. Some liked certain sports better than others. She wondered if he had his favorites. Probably. And how about business? Did he read that section too? He was, after all, a business man. And from what she could tell, a damn good one. No doubt about it, his restaurant was highly successful.
“Holy shit!” came roaring out of Nick’s mouth. Lecie looked up, a bit startled. The paper was still between them. After a second or two, he folded the paper open and turned it around to face her. “How did this happen?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
INSIDE HIS OFFICE AT HANG TEN, Nick still marveled at the notion that his and Lecie’s picture—a picture of them having dinner last night—was in the paper with an announcement that Nick Matthews, proprietor of the popular seaside restaurant Hang Ten, had married into the affluent de Laurent family from France.
When Dean threw him Lecie’s way, Nick had no idea she had the kind of wealth the paper was talking about. It made Nick more glad than ever that she’d hooked up with him, instead of some scoundrel who’d end up trying to take advantage of her.
Bethany, one of the waitresses, passed by Nick’s open door. She stopped and smiled. “Nice, boss.”
He gave her one of those what are you talking about looks.
“She’s sweet, pretty, and rich.” Bethany shot him a devilish grin.
He chuckled. “I take it you approve?” It was no secret that Bethany, or any of the staff for that matter, hadn’t liked Ginny. Not at all.
“Very much,” she said, and moved on.
A few minutes later, Dean came in. “Have you seen the paper?” he asked, stalking across the room.
Nick nodded.
“Did you know who she is?” Dean sat down. “I mean really know who she is?”