Say Yes To The Fake Date (How To Win At Love #3)

13. Luciana

13

LUCIANA

I was going to work from home today, but I found myself getting up, getting ready and going to Dom’s Garage. I told myself that I couldn’t get any work done at home with my mom giving me dirty looks, but the truth is, I wanted to see Dom.

And now as I sit in his office, eating pizza with him and his nephew, I’m happy I came in. My sides and my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard, and I can’t stop smiling.

“So has Dom told you about how Dad and I beat him and King at pickleball?” Cole holds his hands up wide. “And I don’t mean just beat them… I mean we annihilated them.”

Dom laughs as he wraps an arm around Cole and rubs his knuckles over his head. “Okay, okay, Lucy doesn’t want to hear about this.”

I stand up to clean our plates. “Oh no, I want to hear all about it.”

Cole escapes Dom’s arms and runs to hide behind me. “Yeah, we beat them, and Gabe and Dom both had meltdowns. They hate to lose. Dom even tried to bodyslam King, but King held him down and gave him noogies.”

Dom comes for Cole, and I’m caught in the middle as Cole pulls me to defend him. I put my hands on Dom’s chest, and I know he could easily move past me, but he just keeps playing as Cole runs out of the office.

It’s only when Cole’s laughter begins to fade as he runs to the bay of the garage that Dom and I realize how close we are. Our faces are inches apart, and we’re both breathing hard. We’re just looking into each other’s eyes, and without even thinking about it, I lean into him. His arms automatically go around me, and he pulls me against his hard chest. We stand together, my head resting on his chest and his chin resting on the top of my head.

“Dom! Mom’s here,” Cole hollers.

Dom sighs loudly, and I pull back, wishing the hug didn’t have to end. My hands slide down his chest and then I let them fall to my sides. “You should probably go out there.”

He holds his hand out to me. “Come on, I want you to meet Cat.”

I put my hand in his, and he threads our fingers together. As we walk out of the office, he’s staring at me and only takes his gaze off me when we get to Cole.

“Mom, this is Lucy,” Cole says.

I smile at the beautiful blond woman that is looking between Dom and me. I give her a little wave. “Hi, Cat. Dom’s told me all about you.”

She waves back. “And I’ve heard all about you. It’s great to finally meet you, Lucy. Are you staying in Whiskey Run long?”

It’s a loaded question, and by the way she’s looking at me, she knows it is. “I am. I actually accepted a job this morning.”

“You did? You didn’t tell me,” Dom exclaims with a big smile on his face.

I shrug, brushing the hair off my face and tucking it behind my ear. “You didn’t ask.”

He squeezes my hand that he’s still holding. “I didn’t want to pressure you.”

“Yes! Now you have to come play pickleball with us! You have to see Dom pout when he loses. ”

“Uhhhh,” I stutter, not sure what to say.

Cat chimes in. “Yes, you do need to come. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen how competitive these guys get.”

“You can be on my team,” Cole offers.

I can’t believe he’s only fifteen. As I look at him, I can’t help but think that if Dom and I had stayed together, we would probably have a kid around Cole’s age. I pull my hand from Dom’s and lace my fingers together in front of me. “You don’t want me on your team. I have two left feet.”

Cole just shrugs. “That’s okay, we can still take on Dom. He’s old.”

“Old?” Dom exclaims. “I’ll show you old.”

He reaches for Cole and pulls him in for a big bear hug. I watch them laugh and play with each other, and Cat comes over to stand next me. “I’m glad you’re back.”

I clear my throat to hide the emotion. “Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been in town.”

She opens her mouth to say something but closes it quickly. After a few seconds goes by, she asks. “Are you going to the fundraiser this weekend?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’m going with Dom.”

Her eyebrows lift in surprise, and I feel I need to explain. “It’s no big deal. He asked me to be his fake date.”

“Fake date?”

I cringe, looking toward Dom, hoping he can explain, but he’s showing Cole something under a car. “Uh, yeah, I guess he needs saving from some of the women in town—”

She bursts out a laugh. “Men can be so dense sometimes. You know he’s only using that as an excuse, right?”

I avoid looking at Dom because I can feel his eyes on me. “I dunno. The stories he told me—”

She turns to me. “He’s different since you’ve been home. Happier.”

Finally, I meet Dom’s gaze, and he’s searching my face. I know that look, and it’s the one he’s given me since I got back home. He’s worried about me. Worried that I’m going to be hurt, upset, or that I’m uncomfortable. How did I miss it all those years ago that Dom makes caring for me his number one priority? He mouths the words You okay?

I nod and then turn to his sister-in-law. “Yeah, I’m different since I’ve been home, too.”

She searches my face, trying to decipher my meaning, and I don’t hide anything from her. I have no doubt that she can see the truth in my eyes. I’ve felt it since the day my car broke down and I saw Dom again after all these years. After everything, the years, the pain, the distance… I still love Dominic Evans… and I don’t know what I’m going to do about it.

She finally smiles and nods. “I think you and I are going to get along great, Luciana Raven.”

She continues to invite me to girls’ night with her and King’s wife, and then we talk about the upcoming fundraiser. When she and Cole leave, I walk back into the office and sit down while Dom helps Jake in the garage on something. I haven’t gotten any work done today, but I feel more accomplished than I have in a long time.

My phone rings, and I see it’s Ray calling. I decline the phone call and toss my phone onto the desk. I’m lost in thought when Dom comes into the office. He doesn’t even try to hide his excitement. “So you’re staying in town… you accepted the job offer?”

I nod. “Yeah, it’s a really good offer, and I think I’ll like working for Walker. I’ll feel like I’m making a difference.” I scrunch my nose up. “That sounds corny, doesn’t it?”

“No, it doesn’t sound corny at all. I understand exactly what you mean. I mean, I just work on cars, but when I’m able to help someone that needs it, I feel the same way too.”

I turn in my seat. “Dom, I’ve only been back a short time, but I’ve already seen that you make a difference here. You should feel good about that.”

He shrugs, blowing off my comment. “So you’re staying? Are you going to stay with your mom, find an apartment, buy—”

I laugh as he rambles on. “Hold on. I’ll probably have to wait and see what happens with Ray and getting any money out of the business. Until then, I’ll just stay with Mom.”

I can’t stop the grimace. Mom hasn’t said anything else about Dom and the time I’m spending with him. I told her about the job this morning, and she was impressed that Walker hired me. I’ve felt like she’s always wanted me to find a life outside this small town, but I think she’s starting to come around.

Dom comes toward me and puts his hand on my arm. He’s doing that more and more lately, touching me every chance he gets, and I find myself comforted by it. “So his name is Ray. Tell me how to find him, Lucy, and I’ll get your money.”

I shake my head before he even gets it all out. “No, I’m not involving you. ”

He puts his hand on my chin and raises my head so I’m looking into his eyes. “If it involves you, it involves me. Let me do this, Lucky.”

I can’t think with him touching me so I take a step back. His hands fall to his sides, and he looks at me. I’m not sure what to say, but I know I at least need to get it out. “My mom told me that my dad came to see you in jail.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “He did.”

“I can just imagine the conversation. Did he tell you to end it with me, Dom? Is that what happened? Did he threaten you?”

His body tenses. “He was protecting his daughter, Lucky, and he was right.”

My eyes widen, and my voice gets louder. “Right? He wasn’t right if he told you we shouldn’t be together.”

“I was dating his daughter. And forget about the fact that I was a kid with no future… I had just gotten arrested for robbery. You deserved better!”

I walk over to the desk and start packing up my things. As I put the computer bag over my arm, I hold it to my side. I walk past him and stop at the door. I debate with myself for just a second before I turn back to him. “You want to know what I think I deserve, Dominic? ”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “Yeah, tell me.”

“I deserve a man that loves me, that wants to protect me and will not let anything come between us. That’s what I deserve. At one time, I would have sworn you were that man.”

“Lucky—” he says, his voice sounding defeated.

After all this time, I had hoped he would have figured out he’s the man for me, but I can’t force him to see it. I cut him off. “Are you still picking me up tomorrow?”

His eyebrows lift, but he nods his head. “Yeah, I want you to go with me.”

I nod. “Pick me up at six. I’ll be ready.”

Without another word, I turn on my heel and walk out the door. It’s either that or I stay here and beg him to be mine.