No Love Allowed(21)

“No,” Nate said in response to her question. He moved toward the summer dresses and sifted through what looked like fifty of them. “But I think Natasha’s closet comes close.”

She shrank into herself. “Won’t she mind me borrowing one of her dresses?”

Nate gave her a look over his shoulder. “Please. At the rate she’s going, she won’t even notice one missing. Plus, she’s currently on vacation, so she’s not here to complain. Not that she ever would.”

“Is she younger or older?”

He sighed. “Older by two minutes and lording it over me ever since.”

“Twins?” She raised her gaze to meet his. Caleb’s were a shade darker, but from the way Nate looked at her so seriously in that moment, there was no doubt they were related. “She must be so pretty.”

“The prettiest.” He turned back around to face the dresses and pulled out a lemon-yellow halter that flared below the waist.

For the longest minute all she could do was stare. It was straight out of the pages of the magazines her mother brought home. She always told Didi that, even if they couldn’t afford any of the stuff featured, they could still dream. It was poring over pages and pages of fashion magazines that helped her understand just what kind of dress Nate was lending her. Then she stepped forward and took the skirt of the garment in her hands. The fabric was soft; it had weight to it without sacrificing movement. With her height, the length would come just below the knee.

“So this is what fabric made of money looks like,” she said in awe.

Nathan laughed. It was a clear and honest sound. “Caleb was right. He has his hands full with you.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” she asked.

With sincerity that mimicked hers—at least that was what she would have liked to believe—he shook his head. “I think he’ll enjoy the challenge. We may have just met, but I’m on your side, honey.”

“I think I knew that the moment you chopped off my hair.”

His toothy grin returned. “If I didn’t enjoy pecs more than breasts, I honestly would give Caleb a run for his money.”

“You’re gay?” she teased, giving him a mock eyebrow lift that he mirrored.

“What gave it away?” He brought the dress to his chin and twirled around with it.

She laughed a full belly laugh. “Do you think that will fit me?”

He winked at her. “Oh, honey, nothing a stick of butter and a roll of plastic wrap can’t fix.”





Ten


AFTER CHECKING IN with Michael, who gave him strict instructions from JJ to mingle, Caleb decided to head for the biddies. He figured they were the safest group to hang around while waiting for Nathan to arrive with his fake girlfriend, hopefully made over into a brand-new Didi on the outside. Knowing his cousin’s considerable talents, he was confident she would fit right in with the DoCo elite once Nathan was done with her.

Unfortunately, on his way to the gaggle of the richest matriarchs, he was intercepted by one of the mothers. She pushed a plate into his hands that contained the customary array of hors d’oeuvres with a side order of a not-so-subtle mention that her daughter was single.

Jesus. Sharks. It was like they scented him and every unattached male within the party’s perimeter.

As soon as he had politely declined the mother’s offering of a bride and entered the garden, he had been invited to no less than ten events outside the ones he already had to attend for the firm—several birthday parties, dinners, and a slew of Fourth of July brunches, barbecues, and soirees—some of which were scheduled on the same day.

It took him a good thirty minutes to make it to the relative safety of Mrs. Hassleback’s group. She was the widow of an oil tycoon responsible for several pipelines running through Alaska, and her ever-present choker of pearls bobbed as she regaled everyone with how her prized stallion had acquired his latest blue ribbon. Mind-numbing, but the mothers didn’t dare interrupt the biddies when they gathered, so he endured. His brain imploded the moment the conversation segued into stud services because, of course, this came back around to him being available for their granddaughters, who were somewhere, and if he could wait just a moment they would be summoned. It sickened him that they—the eligibles—were all seen as broodmares and stud stallions until they were paired off in the name of “love.” Blah.

Checking his watch for what seemed like the hundredth time, he cursed his cousin for being late and leaving him to fend for himself. Normally he would have been by Preston’s side, but the swimmer from the Grant clan was just as much of a shark magnet as he was. Without Natasha to act as their buffer—there was always safety in numbers—sticking together wasn’t in their best interest at these parties.

Where the hell were they?

“Who is that pretty flower with Nathan? Don’t tell me he’s off the market. My Marcy has eyes for him.” Mrs. Hassleback craned her neck toward the carousel ice sculpture by the entrance to the garden. Her cronies followed her line of sight. Murmurs of speculation hummed between all of them.

With his height, Caleb looked over their heads toward his cousin and . . . his throat tightened. There, in a yellow dress that emphasized the elegant line of her shoulders and a new haircut that accentuated the shape of her face, stood the most exquisite girl to have ever graced the Dodge Cove elite with her presence. His expectations had been met and more. Nathan was a miracle worker.