Marry Me at Christmas (Fool's Gold #19)(38)

“I don’t understand.”

Marigold’s look of confusion was as funny as it was insulting. Madeline told herself to enjoy the moment and not worry that Marigold couldn’t grasp that she and Jonny were a couple. It wasn’t as if Madeline would have believed it, either.

“You’re dating Jonny Blaze?” Ted asked, sounding as perplexed as his wife.

“So it seems,” Madeline said, then turned to the hostess. “Would you please show us to our table?”

* * *

It took nearly a half hour for the evening to return to something like normal. The four of them were seated and ordered cocktails. Marigold kept staring at Jonny with a combination of disbelief and hunger. Madeline understood both emotions but she found the other woman’s wide-eyed stare a little off-putting.

For his part, Jonny took the weirdness in stride. He kept the conversation flowing and made sure to touch Madeline’s arm or hand, just like an attentive date would. It was nice. Tempting. The fact that it wasn’t real didn’t bother her in the least.

“How’s work?” Ted asked Madeline. “You’re still in retail, right?” He turned to Jonny. “I’m the local weather guy up in Washington state.”

“Seattle?” Jonny asked, even though Madeline was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

“Ah, no. Yakima. It’s a small town, east of the Cascade mountains.”

“I see.”

Marigold leaned toward him. “I was a model,” she said eagerly.

“Yes. Madeline told me.”

The words were simple enough, but there was something in his tone that implied being a model wasn’t all that. Marigold frowned, as if not sure what had gone wrong.

Jonny laced his fingers with Madeline. “My girl here is part-owner of Paper Moon. They sell wedding gowns. I think what I like best about what she does is how she makes dreams come true. Women go in with an idea of how their wedding day should be and Madeline makes that happen. People remember their weddings for the rest of their lives.”

Ted and Marigold exchanged a look.

“Ah, right,” Ted said awkwardly. “It’s good you found something you liked.” His voice became confidential. “Madeline had a little trouble figuring out what she wanted to do. College, culinary school. I know I’m forgetting a few disasters.”

Madeline thought about pointing out he would fall firmly in the disaster category, but knew there was no way to say that without sounding bitchy and she was still determined to come out of the evening as the victor.

“I admire people who don’t settle,” Jonny told him. “People who aren’t afraid to keep trying. Most of us take what we can get. A smaller job because it’s safe. But a brave few keep searching for what’s right, and when they find it, they hang on.”

It took Madeline a second to realize he was talking about her. She stared at him.

“I didn’t—” she began.

He cut her off with a quick kiss. “You did. It’s one of the things I like best about you.”

The rest of the meal passed in a blur. Madeline talked in what she hoped were all the right places and laughed at the jokes, but everything had gotten kind of confusing. She wasn’t sure what was real and what was pretend. What she knew for sure was that Jonny was even more charming than she’d thought possible. He was attentive and funny, and when he looked at her with what felt a lot like desire, she melted. If this was acting, imagine how powerful he could be if it was real. No woman would stand a chance.

The waiter spoke as he cleared their dinner plates. “We have a special dessert for the holidays. Chocolate waffles with homemade peppermint ice cream and a special sauce the chef has created.”

Marigold sighed. “That sounds scrumptious, but I couldn’t possibly—”

“We’ll have one for the table,” Jonny said smoothly.

“It does sound delicious,” Madeline told him.

He put his arm around her. “That’s my girl.” He looked at Marigold. “What are your plans for the holidays?” he asked.

“We’ll visit my family. We do it every year. I’m from a small town in Iowa. What about you?”

“My sister’s getting married the day after Christmas. Madeline’s been helping me with that.” He smiled at her. “I couldn’t have managed it without her. She’s taking care of all the details.”

Ted sat up straighter. “That’s it! She’s working for you. You hired her to plan your sister’s wedding. She’s not a date, she’s an employee.”

He sounded both triumphant and relieved. Madeline wasn’t sure what to say in return, while next to her, Jonny tensed.

“I’m not paying Madeline,” he said, his tone low. “She doesn’t work for me.”

She thought about their arrangement. She had refused money. She’d wanted the experience and being paid had just felt wrong.

“I have a job,” she told Ted. “I wasn’t looking for part-time work. Actually, Mayor Marsha’s the one who brought us together. Jonny needed help and she suggested me. I was happy to step in.” She smiled at him. “When you think about it, it’s a very strange way to meet.”

“But a great story.”

Madeline shifted closer to him, but looked at the couple across the table. “Ginger is Jonny’s younger sister. She’s getting her PhD. Talk about the smartest person in the room. But she’s totally adorable. I’m so happy I can help her. The wedding’s going to be lovely.”