No Love Allowed(28)

“Please don’t tell me this is about the money.”

“Of course it is.”

“Honey.” He placed his hands on his hips. “I get it. You don’t take handouts. But you also need to understand that you committed yourself to helping Caleb. Do you want to let him down?”

That cut her stubbornness in half. “No, of course not.”

Nathan took her hands in his, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “Then you need to let me dress you.”

“Nate—”

“Please, Didi. It hurts less if you stop struggling. Trust me.”

“Rich people.” She shook her head in disbelief. A part of her was amused, while the other part knew she would never win so she might as well give in.

Didi led the way into the Greasy Spoon for a late lunch. She kept her hands in her pockets. The shakes had started on the way over. She didn’t want Nathan to see. In her mind she figured she was killing two birds with one diner. She would have the chili and introduce her companion to her mother. Hopefully meeting Nathan would go a long way with smoothing things over about the whole summer-with-a-friend thing. Spotting an empty booth, she made a beeline for it and slid onto one of the benches.

“Are you sure about this?” Nathan asked as he slid in after her.

“A little diner food won’t kill you,” she said, satisfied with her form of revenge. “Be thankful I didn’t bring you to McDonald’s.”

He gasped. “I heard about that as well.”

“This must be Caleb.” Her mom smiled when she reached their table.

“Mom.” Didi beamed, passing the menu she was handed to her personal-shopper-turned-lunch-companion. “I wanted to introduce you to Nathan, Caleb’s cousin.”

“Hello, Mrs. Alexander,” Nathan said, sliding out of the booth and taking her mother’s hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. Didi neglected to tell me that you worked here.”

“I think I know where this is going.” Her mother leaned around Nathan and gave Didi a pointed stare. Didi stuck the tip of her tongue out. “My daughter wants to put me at ease with the idea of her being your cousin’s date for the summer.”

“Please know that we would never put Diana in harm’s way. I will make sure that Caleb treats her with respect. My cousin is in your daughter’s debt. Thank you for allowing her to assist him.”

“I’m not allowing anything,” she said. Her eyebrows came together, forming an all-too-familiar crease. Didi thought she had done the wrong thing by bringing Nathan to the diner until her mother sighed. “My daughter does what she wants. My role as a mother is to worry and be there for her when she needs me. I trust she’s doing the right thing by helping your cousin. Is he with you today?”

“Caleb is currently at his father’s law firm,” Nathan said smoothly. “He’s a summer intern there. But I could easily give him a call and he can be here in half an hour.”

She shook her head and plastered on her server smile. “Let’s not take him away from work. I’m sure I’ll meet him when the time comes.” The last part she said to Didi directly.

“You’ll meet him, Mom.” She crossed her heart. “I promise.”

“Well, then take your seat.” Her mother gestured at the booth. “I’ll give you a moment to read the menu and will be back to take your orders.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Alexander,” Nathan said, which sent Didi into a fit of giggles.

When he sat back down, she said, “You look like you were about to keel over.”

“Please don’t spring a surprise like that on me again,” he admonished, rubbing his forehead. “I like to be prepared when meeting the parents.”

Her giggles turned into full-on laughter. “Now we’re even for backing me into a corner about what to wear for the events.”





Thirteen


ON THE DAY of the next event, Caleb showed up at Didi’s door with shopping bags in his hands and a delicious frown on his face. Having tucked away all portraits of him into her art room, she stepped aside and let him in. Could anyone say “Here we go again”?

“You’re not answering any of my texts,” he said, entering the living room and scanning the space.

“Looking for something?” she asked, arms crossed.

“It’s so . . . cozy.”

She sighed, suspecting the word cozy was code for something less polite. “Nathan said the same thing.”

He studied the frames on the mantel above the tiny fireplace until his gaze landed on her sunflower painting hanging on the wall. For several minutes, she observed Caleb staring at her work. He looked ridiculous with those shopping bags still in his hands. He looked polished in jeans, a plaid shirt, and boots, but still ridiculous.

“You painted this?” He faced her and tipped his head toward the framed canvas.

“A couple years back. I was totally obsessed with van Gogh. Still am, actually.”

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘You cannot paint . . . ,’ ” he said.

Flutters like butterfly wings tickled her belly when she finished, “ ‘Then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.’ That’s from my favorite quote of his.”