Make-Believe Proposal, page 3
She gasped then screamed as Roland threw her over his shoulder with a grunt.
"What are you doing? You're crazy! Put me down!" she demanded.
He laughed, and galloped her around the porch, the girls running after him, laughing, and cheering him on.
"Go, Daddy!" cried Caitlin.
June wore a short sundress she'd thrown over her swimsuit after their time in the pool earlier that day. Her hair was loose and flew about her face, blinding her. Roland's strong shoulder beneath her flexed, and she grabbed hold of his shirt with both hands.
"Roland!"
He chuckled and set her feet back down on the ground. They stood close together, and he caught her gaze, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Relief coursed through her body, and she smiled. He wasn't angry with her. Of course, he wasn't. She should have known he couldn't be upset with her for long—he was just too kind-hearted.
She threw her arms around his neck, almost knocking him off balance.
His brow furrowed. "What was that for?"
"I'm just glad we're friends," she said, her cheeks burning as she stepped away.
He smiled. "I'm glad too."
"But don't ever throw me over your shoulder again, buddy." Her eyes narrowed, and she waggled a finger in his direction.
He nodded slightly and laughed. "Yes, ma'am."
June turned on her heel and headed back to the table to collect the dirty dishes. The girls danced around Roland's feet, begging him to throw them around some more.
"Did you have anything planned for dinner tonight?" he asked June, mussing both little girls' hair at the same time then tickling their ribcages until they ran away squealing.
She cocked her head. "Not really. Maybe chicken pot pie?"
"What if we went out for dinner?" Roland asked, a funny look creeping across his face.
"Okay. Any special reason?"
"It was…it was our anniversary a few days ago. Mine and Rosemary's. I usually celebrate it with the girls, but this year it just kind of passed. Anyway, I was looking back over my schedule, and I realized, today is another special anniversary."
"Oh?"
"Yep. It's two years today since you joined our family. So, I thought we should celebrate."
Her heart skipped a beat. "You kept track of that?"
He nodded. "Of course."
She smiled. "Okay, dinner out. That sounds great. Where should we go?"
"Your pick."
"Um…" Embargo would usually be her restaurant of choice with its trendy decor, a delectable selection of tapas, and ridiculously decadent milkshakes for the kids. But it was the first restaurant Casey had ever taken her to. She'd have to think of somewhere else. Somewhere without memories that made her gut clench into a tight knot. She inhaled slowly. No, she wasn't going to let him dictate where she went. If she tried to avoid places he'd taken her, there'd be nowhere in a five-mile radius she could eat out. "How about Embargo?"
"Perfect. I've just got a couple of phone calls to make, then we'll get going."
He disappeared inside. June scanned the backyard to see both girls jumping up and down on the trampoline, shouting with delight. She smiled and hurried inside to rinse out their bowls. A night out was just what she needed. She couldn't believe Roland had kept a record of the day she'd started working for him and wanted to celebrate their anniversary. The smile on her face widened, and she bit her lip. Now she just had to decide what to wear.
Roland held the door open, and both girls barreled into the restaurant. June ducked through the door behind them, offering him a quick smile. He was glad things were back to normal between them. June seemed to be coping better with her ex-boyfriend's engagement than she had been the night before. She was chattering happily with all three of them and hadn't said one word about it all evening.
He followed them inside, glad to get out of the heat. The cool air hit him in the face, then enveloped his sweat-covered body. A hostess led them to an empty table, and they all took a seat. In the far corner, a woman sat on the lip of a stool and crooned into a microphone, while, behind her, a jazz band slid over the notes of a quiet melody. Light timber furniture contrasted with black walls and silver light fixtures, and the hum of conversation made it difficult to hold a conversation. One more reason he didn't like the place.
He looked over the menu, then scanned the room. The restaurant was packed, as usual, but not as busy as it would have been on a Friday or Saturday night. It wasn't his favorite place to eat—give him a thick, juicy steak any day—but he knew how much June loved to eat here, and the girls were always won over by the gigantic milkshakes, so he'd been happy to take them there.
It occurred to him that he should take them all out more often. He and Rosemary had eaten out at least once or twice per week while they were married, but he'd fallen out of the habit. Having two small girls to raise on his own probably had something to do with it. Now they were older, though, they could manage the disruption to their schedule a little better.
"What are you gonna get?" he shouted above the noise of the band and the crowd, peering over Emma's shoulder.
She snuggled up against his side, her menu held open in front of her. With a frown, she pointed a finger at the hamburger sliders.
"That please."
"You got it. A serving of hamburger sliders for Emma."
"I want the blackened chicken and sweet potato fries," piped up Caitlin, folding her menu demurely in front of her.
He was often surprised by just how grown-up his eldest daughter was at times. Then there were the other times where she stamped a foot and burst into tears, reminding him of her toddler years.
"And you, June?"
June frowned. "I'd love the calamari, and fish bites, but the olive and cheese platter looks amazing too."
"Let's get all three, and I'll share with you. If that's okay?"
He quirked an eyebrow and she smiled. "Perfect."
By the time the meal came out, they'd exhausted every game he and June could think of to keep Emma occupied. Caitlin joined in some but otherwise watched as people came and went and generally disappeared into her imagination. What must it be like to be inside her head? She was never bored, and always happy to drift off to a land of her own making.
"Finally," sighed Caitlin, reaching for her chicken dish and pulling it close. "I'm starving to death!"
"A little dramatic, but I'm glad the food is here too. I haven't eaten anything since lunch, and my assistant is watching what I eat—she got me a salad. My stomach might hold a mutiny if I don't get something into it soon." He chuckled and pushed a few pieces of calamari and fish onto his plate from the shared dishes.
"What?" asked June, cupping a hand to her ear.
He frowned and shook his head. "Nothing. Never mind."
Just as he reached for a piece of crusty bread, June moved to take the same one. Their hands brushed against each other, and a spark of electricity shot up his arm, setting his pulse racing.
What was that?
He withdrew his hand quickly, and his eyes narrowed. "You can have it."
She chuckled. "No, really it's fine. You have it. There's plenty more."
He nodded and took the bread, still rattled by the reaction he'd had to June's touch. It wasn't the first time he'd felt an attraction to the girls’ nanny, but it had never been such an intense sensation before and it unnerved him.
Had she felt it too? There wasn't any indication she'd experienced the same spark he had, other than a faint flush to her cheeks. Were they pinker than usual?
As he bit into a piece of fish, he reprimanded himself. She was the girls’ nanny—not only an employee but a part of the family. Not to mention the fact that she was far too young for him, and no matter what else he might think of her, he knew for a fact she didn't see him as anything more than her boss and her friend.
She'd been such a gift in their life. God had known just what the Kirk family needed and had sent them June right when he'd thought he couldn't hold it all together for a moment longer. He'd tried out a few nannies before her, but none had fit them the way she did. He couldn't risk that, couldn't risk upsetting the girls' lives that way, or his own for that matter.
If he was attracted to her, he'd just have to keep it to himself.
He chewed and swallowed, then nodded at June who was watching him with a look of curiosity on her face. She arched both eyebrows as if to ask him what was up, and he just shook his head and smiled. She knew him so well, he'd have to do a better job of hiding his feelings if he was to keep them from her.
The front door to the restaurant opened, and a gust of hot air whipped through it. A couple blew in, the woman's hair a halo of mess around her head. Then, with the door shut again, her hair settled back into place, and the man turned to face the hostess with a smile.
Casey.
Roland's nostrils flared. That good-for-nothing ex-boyfriend of June's had chosen tonight to show up at the exact same restaurant they were at. It irritated him to think how seeing him might ruin June's happiness, wipe the smile off her face, and destroy their evening. He didn't know Casey well, but he'd gotten to know him well enough over the past twelve months to understand that the guy wasn't good enough for June. She deserved better.
June noticed the look on his face and glanced over her shoulder. Her figure slumped a little, then she straightened and faced Roland again with a shrug.
"I shouldn't have suggested this place," she said. "He loves it here. I just didn't think…"
"It's not your fault," replied Roland. "Just forget about them. We're here to celebrate you, and that's what we're going to do."
She offered him a half-smile, then let her gaze fall to the table. She pushed a piece of fish into her mouth and chewed slowly.
"June?" Casey stood by the table, his hair gelled back against his head and glistening in the warm light from a nearby hanging lightbulb. He held hands with a tanned and very thin woman who stood beside him, teetering in stiletto heels.
"Hi Casey," June smiled up at him, then pressed her lips together into a straight line.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, threading his fingers through the woman's fingers possessively.
"We're celebrating two years of June," interrupted Roland, as he looped an arm over the back of Emma's chair. He handed his daughter his phone and opened to her favorite game. Caitlin bounded out of her seat and focused on the phone's screen as well. This could get awkward, and he didn't want the girls to witness June's discomfort. With the phone in their hands, they wouldn't hear or see a thing other than what was on its screen.
"Oh. Right. Two years—that's great." Casey arched an eyebrow. "We're celebrating as well."
"Oh, that's nice." Roland didn't ask. He didn't want to know. He just wanted the gel-slicked hair to move on.
"Yeah, I don't know if June told you, but we're getting married. So, we're having dinner to work out the details. Phyllis says she wants a quick wedding, but I don't know…maybe we should make a big deal out of it. Have the big ol' white wedding and invite all our friends. What do you think, June?"
June's face flushed red, and she glanced up at Casey, then back at the table. Her fingers twisted at her napkin. "I don't know. I guess it depends what you both want. If you want a big wedding, you should have one."
"You always said that's what you wanted, didn't you?" Casey's brow furrowed into a quizzical line.
Did the guy have no idea, or was he being intentionally cruel? Roland couldn't tell for sure, but his head began to spin with anger as he witnessed June's distress.
"Um…I guess so."
"Yeah, baby," he addressed the woman beside him. Roland could see why June called her a stick insect. Her head turned toward her fiancé and she fixed beady eyes on his face as her free hand preened her shiny, brown hair. "June used to say she wanted to get married down at Piedmont Park. You know that big pergola? Yeah, she wanted to tie the knot there. What do you think?"
Phyllis nodded slowly. "Oh yeah, I know where you mean. That'd be pretty. We should find out if it's available."
June slid down a little in her seat, and Roland's gut twisted into a knot.
Casey faced June again with a smile tugging the corners of his mouth. "I guess you won't be needing it anytime soon anyhow, right, Juney?"
June's face darkened further still. "Uh, nope. I won't be."
Roland couldn't take much more. But if he spoke up now, he'd be tempted to say some things he really didn't want his two daughters to hear.
"Well, good to see you again, Casey…"
Casey didn't take the hint. He ignored Roland completely and fixed his narrowed eyes on June's shrinking form. "I'm sorry it didn't happen for you, Juney. I know how much you wanted it. But you'll find someone again…someday. I mean, probably not anytime soon, since you hardly ever get out of the house. This guy has you working like a slave." Casey sniffed in Roland's direction. "But one day, I want you to be as happy as I am."
Casey raised his hand toward his mouth, turned it and kissed the back of Phyllis's hand. He glanced at his fiancée with a glint in his eyes.
Rage burned in Roland's head, his thoughts spun, and his gut churned. How dare that good-for-nothing lout speak that way to June. He'd never deserved someone so good in his life, and that he was causing June any pain at all filled Roland with an anger that pushed him to his feet.
"Actually Casey, she has found someone. We were trying to be sensitive to your feelings, but I guess it's time you found out. June and I are seeing each other."
Casey's gaze moved back and forth between the two of them, his eyes widening. Then he laughed. "Ha, you almost had me there, Roland."
"I'm serious."
"Sure, you are. You're a big-time businessman. There's no way you'd go for Juney. Ha!"
June's eyes narrowed. "Well, we are seeing each other. We're in love if you must know."
Casey stopped mid-laugh and eyed Roland with mistrust. "Is that right? I always thought the two of you had more going on than you'd admit to."
"That's right. We did, and we still do." Roland was enjoying himself now. The look on Casey's face made it all worth it.
"Well…uh. Good for you."
Phyllis didn't react. She seemed completely disinterested in their conversation and was eyeing an empty booth at the far end of the restaurant.
June slid out of her seat and came to stand beside Roland, her chest heaving with each breath she took. Roland slipped his hand over hers, winding his fingers through her own, and squeezed. She glanced at him with a grateful look in her eyes.
Casey's lips flattened into a thin, spiteful line. "I'm happy for you both. 'Course, you've got a long way to go until you're on the same train as the two of us. Phyllis and I'll be married before too long. Happily ever after—that's us!"
He didn't know when to stop. The man was a complete and utter jerk, and Roland had a sudden urge to put him in his place.
"I was planning on doing this later, but…" He tugged his wallet from his pocket and pulled out the ring he'd given to Rosemary all those years ago. His throat tightened at the sight of it, and he swallowed hard. Rosemary would have understood.
As he lowered himself onto one knee, June's eyes widened, and Phyllis let out a gasp.
"June Green, I've loved you since the first moment I laid eyes on you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
June's eyes glimmered with tears, and she pushed her left hand forward. "Yes, yes I will!"
He stood again, and wrapped his arms around June, holding her close. Her body trembled against his and he kissed the top of her head.
"So, we'll be right behind you on that train," he whispered over her head to Casey.
Casey turned on his heel and dragged the stick insect with him through the restaurant to the table waiting for them. Roland grinned at their retreat and kissed June's hair again. Then he glanced down at the girls to find them watching the exchange with interest and confusion.
“Who wants ice cream?” he cried.
4
June skipped down the stairs, fresh from her shower the next morning. She'd flown through the laps in the pool and felt as though she were walking on air. She couldn't believe Roland had proposed that way, right in front of Casey and his fiancée.
It’d been amazing, just what she'd imagined in her head when she'd pictured all the ways she could show her ex just how quickly she'd moved on. Only better. There was no way she and Casey were getting back together, so proving to him that she was happy without him was the only thing that gave her some relief after his betrayal. She couldn’t bear the idea of him feeling sorry for her.
Roland sat at the kitchen table with the girls.
“How big can elephants get?" asked Emma, her mouth full of cereal.
"Chew and swallow before you talk, please," admonished June, as she popped a piece of bread into the toaster and pushed down the lever. "Good morning everyone." She almost sang the words as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.
"Good morning," came the chorus of responses.
Roland smiled and took a bite of cereal, his iPad in one hand. He almost always read the news over breakfast, interrupted constantly by his daughters' chatter.
She sat across from him and grinned over her cereal bowl.
"Good morning fiancé." She handed him the ring. It had been fun to wear it, but she knew how much it meant to him. "Here, you can have this back now. And thank you."
He cocked his head to one side, and arched an eyebrow, before tucking the ring into his wallet again and sliding it into his pants pocket. "Good morning. You seem happy."
“Why are you a fiancé?” asked Caitlin.
June's cheeks flushed with warmth. She bit her tongue. "Ummm…it's complicated…”
"Yeah?" Caitlin watched her with interest.
What could she say? She quickly regretted her choice of words. Of course, Caitlin would pick up on what she'd said.
"I thought it was someone who's going to get married, and you’re not getting married. Are you?” she continued, her little mouth puckered into a rosebud shape.
