“What, are you afraid you’ll get struck down by lightning if you try to enter the church or something?” Danielle says.
“There’s a good chance I will be,” Peter says, thinking he’s being funny or smug or something. I really can’t stand the guy and I’ve only been in his presence a few minutes.
“Well, we need to get back to work,” I start. We really do, and I know Danielle wants to get away from her sister. “Did you still want that drink?” I ask Peter.
“Why not?” He grabs a menu from the center of the table. Danielle and I go back to work, and right as Danielle sets the food on her sister’s table, Quinn and Scarlet walk in.
“Hey,” I say to them as they take a seat at the bar. “You taking a night off from mommy-duty or something?”
“Mom has both kids,” Quinn says, taking her purse off her shoulder and setting it on the bar top. “Archer got called in for emergency surgery and Wes is out tonight too. So we’re being party animals and came in to order cheese fries and onion rings.”
“I’ll put your order in.” Before I do, I look at Danielle, who’s standing by her sister’s table. Quinn follows my line of sight.
“Does Danielle know that couple?” she asks.
“Yeah. It’s her sister and her fiancé.”
Scarlet tips her head, blonde hair falling over her shoulder. “He looks like the kind of guy I used to hustle. He’s got douchebag wanting to prove he’s hot shit written all over him. AKA an easy target.” She shrugs and turns back around in her barstool. “I thought her family lived on the coast.”
“They do. They came for a surprise visit.”
“Poor Danielle.”
“You can say that again.” I go into the kitchen, putting in the order for fries and onion rings. I fill a few drinks, clean up a couple tables, and wipe down the bar. Scarlet must have gotten up to use the bathroom or something, because Quinn is sitting alone at the bar, looking down at her phone.
I go over, resting my elbows on the wooden countertop.
“Could a fake diamond pass for a real engagement ring?”
Quinn looks up. eyes wide. “Are you proposing?”
“No.”
“Way to get my hopes up.”
I arch my eyebrows. “Asking about fake rings got your hopes up? Have a little higher expectations for me, sis.”
“Fine. Sorry. And I suppose so. Why do you want to know?”
“Danielle’s sister, Diana, is getting married in Hawaii soon, and I’m going with to pretend to be Danielle’s fake fiancé.”
“Logan,” Quinn says but trails off, shaking her head. She doesn’t have to say it for me to know what she’s thinking. This is a terrible idea. “Can I at least know why you’re posing as her fiancé?”
“She didn’t want to go alone, and they wouldn’t let her bring someone unless it was serious. Like engaged.”
“That seems a little strict.”
I nod, flicking my gaze to Diana and Peter. “They’re not the best people, and this wedding is going to be awkward for Danielle. Her sister’s fiancé made a move on Danielle about a year ago, and she got blamed for it because her dress was too short.”
“Oh, hell no.” Quinn shakes her head, instantly angered, and jerks around to glare at Peter. She shudders and turns back to me. “It doesn’t matter if she was naked. If her sister’s fiancé hit on her, it’s his fault.”
“Exactly. Like I said…not the best people. They run 5Ks on Thanksgiving.”
Quinn gasps. “They’re the worst.”
“I know, right?”
“I have a ring that might work. The side stones are real diamonds but the big fat center one is cubic zirconia. I got it with the intention of swapping out the big stone with a sapphire, but then I realized it passed as real and kept creepers away at bars. I kind of forgot about it, but I’m pretty sure it’s still upstairs in my jewelry box. I’ll put it in the mailbox, and you can grab it on your way home tonight. Logan?” she asks, looking into my eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
She won’t say it, but she knows. She knows I have real feelings for Danielle. Real feeling I’m going to have to convince Danielle are only fake.Chapter 9Logan“So you’re telling me that I’m going to be down two bartenders?” Owen looks up from the plate of leftovers he brought home from Mom and Dad’s.
I stare at him for a good few seconds. “That’s all you’re taking away from this?”
He shrugs. “Yeah. Now I have to work.”
“Wow. What a crazy concept to work when you’re at work.” I take a seat at the kitchen table and pull a roll off Owen’s plate. The fucker ate the rest while I was at work. “You did hear me, right?”
“Of course I heard you.” Owen sits back, looking right at me. “You know I love you,” he starts. “And I know you’re in love with Danielle, even if you’re not willing to admit it to anyone.”