The Dating Plan(32)

Liam’s breath hitched. “You have a bigger sword?”

Before Daisy could protest, Deepa was heading to the storeroom, leaving Liam armed and dangerous.

“En garde!” He took up a fencing position, knees bent, legs apart, sword tip resting at the nearest mannequin’s throat.

“Oh my God.” Daisy covered her burning face with her hand. “Kill me now.”

Layla shook her head. “It’s not you he’s planning to kill.”

Daisy looked up in time to see Liam attack the mannequin, slashing at its clothes with the edge of his blade. He danced around, thrusting and slicing from all sides, muttering to himself as if the mannequin were alive.

“You dare to look at my lady? Cower before me, you dog, before I slit your throat.”

“What’s going on here?” Layla’s fiancé, Sam, joined them in the aisle. Tall, dark, and deadly handsome, he and Daisy had butted heads when they’d first met, but he’d won her over with his love for Layla and the respect he’d shown their family.

“That’s Daisy’s—”

“On the left!” Sam shouted. “He’s got a knife.”

“Don’t encourage him.” Daisy glared at Sam. “Liam. Stop. What are you doing?”

“He insulted your honor.” Liam lifted the sword high and sliced down in a long arc. The mannequin crashed to the ground, its head rolling across the floor and under a rack of clothes.

“Yes!” Sam held up his hand and Liam gave him a high five with a loud slap.

Laughter bubbled up in Daisy’s throat. She’d never seen this side of Liam. Although part of her was cringing, another part was drawn to his delight.

“Sam, this is Daisy’s fake fiancé, Liam Murphy.” Clearly unimpressed, Layla scowled. “Liam, this miscreant is my real fiancé, Sam Mehta.”

“You won’t be fake for long.” Sam shook Liam’s hand. “Once you’re part of the Patel family, they don’t let you go, and I mean that in the best possible way.”

“Liam was my brother’s best friend. He’s got some idea about the Patel charm.” Daisy tugged Liam away when she saw Deepa coming, but she was too late. Liam had seen her, too.

“Now that’s a sword!”

“The larger one is more effective against unarmed foes.” Ever the consummate salesperson, Deepa neatly stepped over the fallen mannequin and handed Liam the sword.

Liam drew the blade from its pearl-encrusted sheath and inspected the design. “I’ll take it.”

“It’s almost as long as my sword.” Sam said smugly.

“Seriously? Now you’re comparing sword lengths.” Layla grabbed Sam’s arm. “You do not need a new sword-wielding best friend. Come and try on your shoes.”

Daisy followed Liam to the cash register. “This is crazy. First of all, you didn’t follow the plan. Second, you don’t just walk into a store and buy a sherwani. You need to research them first. You have no idea what it’s worth or how much it might cost at another store, and you didn’t ask the price. That’s like shouting from the rooftops that you have money to burn, and I can guarantee Deepa will be more than happy to accommodate you.”

“If you were really getting married,” Liam said, “is it something you would want your groom to wear?”

She didn’t have to look at the sherwani. When she’d imagined her wedding, it had always included the beautiful and elaborate Indian wedding outfits she’d admired as a girl. “Yes.”

“Then I’ll wear it.”

She felt a curious, melty sensation inside but quickly pushed it away. Time to change the subject because she definitely didn’t want to remember that Liam—the Liam from before who’d been kind and thoughtful and caring. “Whatever.” She waved a dismissive hand. “It’s your fake wedding.”

Liam’s face shuttered, and in a second he wore his bad-boy persona again. “It comes with a sword, I’ll be happy to pay whatever she asks.”

“Don’t say that so loudly,” she warned.

“Why? Nothing is too good for my fake bride.”





? 12 ?


    Wednesday, 6:49 P.M.

DAISY: Confirming Rescheduled Date #2. Wed. 7:00 p.m. The Dosa Palace restaurant. El Camino Real. Objective: finish discussing dating plan, meet my cousin Amina.

LIAM: Why are you texting a confirmation when I’m standing beside you in line?

DAISY: I’m annoyed. We were supposed to finalize the plan in the clothing store.

LIAM: I can’t help that I got hungry and Sam mentioned there was a great restaurant right across the street. I call that killing two birds with one stone.

DAISY: I’d like to kill something right now and it’s not a bird.

LIAM: I like this new dark and violent side of you. What would you do if I marked up your spreadsheet?

DAISY: You wouldn’t dare.



Liam looked up from his phone. They were standing in line inside the restaurant and Daisy hadn’t spoken to him since she’d agreed to have their Date #2 dinner right after Date #1.

Run-down on the outside, with the ambiance of a noisy cafeteria inside, the Dosa Palace had no ostentatious decorations, and no fake statutes or paintings on the wall. Sam had said the restaurant was all about the food, and since Liam was all about eating, it was a perfect place for a starving man.