Bride by Mistake (15 page)

Zach spread the napkin in his lap. “Well, you can’t go wrong with eggplant parmesan.”

“That’s what I thought too.”

The evening was growing curiouser and curiouser. Nothing Liza did made an ounce of sense. Not her erratic driving. Not her nearly missing the turn onto Walnut. And certainly not the ordering of their meal.

He couldn’t explain the changes in her behavior. Unless…

Realization suddenly dawned. What if Liza was battling the same feelings that he was? Maybe her “friends only” argument was just a ploy. Maybe she felt as deeply attracted as he did and didn’t know how to handle those feelings. That possibility caused a surge of pleasure to erupt inside Zach.

How stupid are you?
his conscience chided. He was thinking as irrationally about Liza as he had with Denise. He’d deluded himself in the relationship with his ex-wife and was repeating his mistakes.

He’d stop this line of thought right now. Besides, he’d promised Liza they’d return to their former relationship. And if it killed him, he would do just that.

The waiter pushing the dessert cart smiled in their direction. “Can I tempt you folks with some of our famous cannolis? Or spumoni with rum sauce?”

“I thought we’d have dessert back at the house,” Zach said.

Liza’s eyes widened, as if he considered
her
the dessert entrée!

“Just coffee, please,” she said.

“Make that two.”

During coffee, they chatted and laughed much as they always had. Zach finally began to relax. Maybe they could recapture
their old ways of relating. It would take hard work and dedication, but he’d do his part.

Just when everything seemed to be moving smoothly, a violinist appeared and strode over to their table. “Good evening. I’m Enrico and I’ve come to play for you. Does the lady have a favorite?”

Liza smiled. “Anything you choose will be fine.”

“Then may I suggest a love song?”

Before Zach could insist the man play something unromantic, like “Flight of the Bumblebee,” Enrico secured his instrument beneath his chin and pulled the bow across the strings, creating the sweetest sounds imaginable.

Liza gazed at the violinist with total rapture on her face. Zach noticed, not for the first time tonight, that she looked gorgeous. While her dress was a simple A-line, the vivid print—a geometric pattern in shades of violet and emerald green—made her eyes shimmer. She’d come out of her cocoon as far as wardrobe was concerned. No more solid-colored business suits. Zach heartily approved.

Liza gazed at Enrico as if the man were just a little lower than the angels. Perhaps he was, to be able to pull such wonderful notes out of that small instrument.

When Enrico finished the song, Zach tipped him handsomely and he moved on. Liza’s expression could only be described as dreamy. And dreamy didn’t mesh well with their buddy system.

Zach gazed past her, trying to distract himself by studying the people in a nearby booth. “He plays well, don’t you think?”

“Magnificently. I haven’t heard anyone play that well since I attended the Chicago Symphony…”

She stopped suddenly. Zach waited for her to complete the sentence. But she didn’t.

“You must have heard the Chicago Symphony when you visited your sister last February.”

“That’s it. Exactly.”

“Didn’t you say Meg is coming to visit soon?”

Liza’s cheeks flushed becomingly. “Um, yes. She’d planned to fly in this week, but her plans changed.”

“Next time she comes, why don’t the three of us go out to dinner? We can reminisce about high school. We’ll get Meg a date if she’s more comfortable.”

Liza coughed and grabbed her water glass. She took a long sip and struggled to regain her composure.

“I’d like to get to know your sister better, Liza. That’s all right, isn’t it?”

“Of…of course it’s all right. We’ll take Meg out next time she’s in town. Whenever that is.”

“Good. Are you ready to go?”

“Anytime. Why don’t I pay the check this time?”

As she reached for the check, Zach’s hand slid over hers. Uh-oh. Big mistake. Touching Liza was like coming into contact with a live wire.

“We always go dutch,” he said. “Let’s not change our game plan.”

“You’re right, of course. Just thought I’d offer.”

Zach knew he should move his hand. It was time to stop touching Liza. But the rebel inside him flat-out refused.

Liza’s mouth opened slightly, but no sound emerged. She stared at him like she’d stared at the violinist, wearing the same dreamy expression. Zach could swear some of the rapture still lingered in her gaze.

After several electrified moments, his brain started functioning and he moved his hand. Then he promptly hid it under the table where it could do no further damage.

As Meg dug through her purse to pay her half of the check, she couldn’t believe the emotional barrage that hit her when Zach had
covered her hand with his. A deep kiss or a passionate embrace couldn’t have stirred a stronger response. Had he felt it too?

Don’t read anything into it
, her good sense cautioned.
Zach was stopping you from paying the check.

He’d succeeded, all right. But he’d interfered with other things as well. Like her ability to breathe. Or think. Or move. She sat there like a marionette, waiting for someone to pull a string so she could reclaim her hand. Maybe even reclaim her heart.

Even when Zach pulled away, the magic didn’t stop. It just toned down a notch or two. As they walked to the car, Meg felt thankful she’d survived the evening thus far. But she shivered, realizing that a visit to the estate loomed ahead.

She’d never seen Zach’s home. Liza had chattered on and on about how lavish it was. She’d said the gardens looked like they belonged to a museum rather than a private residence. Meg sighed. She was about to find out how Zach Addison lived.

Hopefully, she’d keep her wits about her. A crowded restaurant was neutral territory compared with Zach’s personal space. Could she handle the more intimate setting? Meg drew a shaky breath and vowed to keep her emotions stable. One way or another.

“Mind if I drive this time?” Zach’s eyes held a definite twinkle.

“Not in the slightest.”

Zach opened the car door for her. The gesture didn’t fit with their buddy relationship, but Meg didn’t point that out.

After a smooth drive through town—no lurching at all—Zach pulled into the winding cobblestone driveway that led to the estate. Meg gasped when the house came into view. The massive stone structure looked more like a castle than a private residence.

“What?” Zach asked.

“The house. It’s magnificent.”

“You’ve been here dozens of times.”

Meg backpedaled fast. “True. But it’s particularly stunning with the summer flowers blooming.”

“I won’t argue that.”

Meg stared openmouthed as Zach pulled the car into the circular driveway and parked. When he unlocked the front door, they entered a living area too magnificent for words. Oriental rugs on polished hardwood floors, elegant yet masculine sofas and chairs, and tables of cherry that shined so you could see your reflection. No doubt the pieces came from Addison’s Fine Furniture.

“This room is simply stunning.”

“You always say that.”

Surprise, surprise. For once, she and Liza shared the same opinion!

“Let me grab the DVDs. Go on to the den and make yourself at home.”

Zach disappeared up a curving stairway at one corner of the living area, leaving Meg to locate the den on her own.

She scurried down a hallway that led to a kitchen so massive and well equipped it could feed a small country. She passed through the room hoping the den lay ahead.

No such luck. She entered a sunroom overflowing with plants and ivory statuary. And a puppy! A black Labrador puppy that barked protectively.

A moment later, the pup jumped on Meg and licked her shoes. She fell instantly in love and forgot all about the den.

“Come here, you little sweetie,” Meg said. She knelt and the pup switched from licking her shoes to bathing her cheek with kisses.

Meg scratched his ears and asked, “What’s your name, little guy? Can you tell me?”

The pup barked a response. But since she didn’t speak puppy, she didn’t know what he said.

Moments later, Zach’s voice boomed out, “Liza? Where are you?”

“In the sunroom. Playing with the puppy.”

Zach strode in. “You’re kidding. I thought you were allergic.”

“I’m taking a new medication. It reduces my symptoms.”

Zach knelt and petted the pup too. “You warned me about getting a dog, but I didn’t listen. This guy’s a little terror. He destroyed one of my Oriental rugs, chewed up several designer pillows, and converted a pair of Gucci loafers into sandals.”

Meg laughed. “At least he has good taste.”

“You could say that. Ready to get started? I’ll put Inkblot outside and you can take the DVDs into the den.”

Zach handed them to her, grabbed the pup by the collar, and headed out the sunroom door—leaving Meg to continue her search for the den.

At least she’d learned the pup’s name. And all she’d done was listen. Hmm. She should try that more often.

Meg headed back the way she came and found herself in a large dining room. Then she followed a hallway that led to a master bedroom suite. The walls were painted navy blue and the room decorated with animal prints. It sported a canopied bed draped with accenting fabric. Meg bit her lip. This must be Zach’s private hideaway.

She swallowed hard at the thought. The last place she wanted to end up in this platonic relationship was in Zach Addison’s bedroom!

Meg hurried back the way she came and ran smack into Zach. Hard. The sensation of his muscular body so close to hers made her draw a quick breath. Zach gripped her shoulders, and his firm touch felt like heaven.

“What were you doing in my bedroom?”

She willed her skittering heart to beat normally and her breath to come out steadily instead of in ragged gasps.

“I love your house. I took a detour so I could see it again.”

“What do you think of the den?”

I haven’t even found the den.
Luckily, she kept those words from slipping out of her mouth.

“I haven’t been there yet,” she said. Another true statement.

“Come see what the decorator did. Tell me if you like the changes.”

Zach took Meg’s hand. Casually. Brotherly. But it still caused her heart to perform a little dance. He led her down another hallway that brought them into what must be the den.

The room housed a huge video screen, leather couches in a U formation, and live potted trees and ferns. Meg caught her breath. “This is terrific.”

“So you think it’s an improvement?”

“Um, yes. Definitely an improvement.”

Of course, Meg had no clue what the room had looked like before. Only that it looked fabulous now.

“You don’t miss the chair with the footstool?”

“Kind of.”

“You always loved that chair. I thought you’d pitch a fit.”

“I might have, but the couches look so comfortable. I’m sure I’ll adjust.”

Zach dropped onto the couch. “Glad you approve, Liza. You’ve got great fashion sense.”

“Thank you.”

Following his lead, Meg settled on the couch too. She managed to put a healthy amount of space between them. Zach handed her three DVDs. “Here are your chick flicks. Choose one you like.”

She shuffled through them.
Sleepless in Seattle
. Nope. That was about a woman who found her perfect dream man.

Runaway Bride
. Nope. After great resistance, Julia Roberts ends up marrying Richard Gere. Far too romantic.

“How about
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
?” she suggested. While Meg hadn’t seen the movie, it seemed safer than the other two. Besides, losing Zach ranked high on her to-do list.

“Let’s check it out,” he said.

The movie sounded heavenly, since Zach’s speakers rivaled those found in high-tech theaters. When he slipped off his shoes
and propped his feet on the cocktail table, Meg followed suit. She wished she’d worn slacks tonight instead of a dress.

As the movie began, it soon became clear that the plot revolved around deception. The hero, played by Matthew McConaughey, made a bet with friends that he could make any woman fall for him in ten days’ time. Kate Hudson’s character, a columnist for a trendy magazine, was writing a how-to piece on driving a man out of your life—also in ten days. The couple’s entire relationship was based on lies.

“I really like these actors,” Zach observed.

“They’re very believable,” Meg affirmed as she wriggled in her seat.

As the characters’ plights grew more and more complicated, Meg grew more and more uncomfortable. The parallels screamed out at her. Zach, with Meg’s help, was deceiving his grandmother, and Meg was deceiving Zach. Just like in the movie, nothing she and Zach told each other was honest or up front. While it made for a comical film, real life didn’t work that way. Any relationship based on lies didn’t stand a chance.

Fortunately, the phone rang midway into the story. When Zach put the movie on pause, Meg felt thankful for the breather.