Bride by Mistake (4 page)

“For years we were just friends,” Zach affirmed. “But lately…”

Gram’s expression brightened.

“Lately we’ve started dating.” Zach rarely stretched the truth, so this blatant lie didn’t come easily. And he noticed that Liza’s eye twitched when he made the ludicrous remark.

Gram smiled. “Now, isn’t that lovely. I often tell Zach there’s more to life than business.”

Liza nodded. “So true. Some people think only of their careers. And before they know it, life passes them by.”

Zach suppressed a chuckle. That comment was downright laughable coming from Liza O’Malley, consummate workaholic. Zach wondered if his good friend had taken a blow to the head. She seemed totally different from the woman he’d escorted to Mario’s Italian Kitchen just two weeks ago.

“What kind of work do you do, my dear?”

“I teach…” Liza paused, blushed, and started over. “I’m an attorney. I practice at Burns, Logan, and Grant.”

“And you still manage to enjoy life? Even with such a high-stress job?”

“Oh, yes. And I have many hobbies. I love the ballet and the theater. In my spare time, I paint.”

Paint?
Zach almost shouted the word but caught himself just in time. Liza couldn’t stand still long enough to apply more than three brushstrokes. She attended the theater once every year or two. And if she’d ever seen a ballet, she hadn’t mentioned it to him.

Gram nodded and smiled. “You’re just the girl to loosen up my grandson.”

Zach slipped his arm around his fiancée to make their relationship appear real. When he touched the smooth skin of Liza’s shoulder, a sizzle like an electric current passed through his body. Liza turned wide-eyed to face him. Had she felt it too?

“I try to loosen him up, Mrs. Addison, but Zach’s awfully…”

Liza pursed her lips, which suddenly looked downright kissable. Zach gave himself a mental shake. He wasn’t supposed to get caught up in the charade.

“Zach’s awfully intense,” Liza continued. “He takes life seriously. And while that’s a benefit in the business world—”

“It’s a drawback socially,” Gram finished. “My, but you’re an insightful young woman.”

Zach squirmed on the love seat and felt perspiration beading on his forehead. They’d only pretended for a few minutes and he already felt out of control. Why, Gram and his fiancée, who had just met, were psychoanalyzing him!

“I’m not intense,” he defended, annoyed with both of them. “And I do know how to enjoy life.”

Gram’s gaze met his head-on. “When did you last see a play, Zachary? Or even a movie?”

“A few weeks ago.”

“More like months.”

“Then you’ll be happy to know that I’m taking Liza to a play tomorrow evening,” Zach announced, hoping the two of them would get off his case. He’d spotted an ad in the morning paper and decided to use it to his advantage.

Liza caught his gaze. “You are? Where are we going?”

“To the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.”

Liza’s smile practically lit the room. It lit Zach’s heart as well.

“What a great surprise. Zach is a master of surprises,” she told Gram.

“You seem to be having quite a liberating effect on my grandson, my dear.”

Liza practically preened. “Why, thank you, Mrs. Addison.”

“Mrs. Addison sounds awfully formal. Why not call me Eloise?”

Zach nearly fell off the love seat. Gram, who always treated strangers with polite reserve, had just put Liza on a first-name basis!

“I’d like that, Eloise.”

“Come with me to the kitchen, Liza. You and I will get the lemonade.”

“Can’t Ian bring the lemonade?” Zach asked, growing more irritated by the second.

“Ian is otherwise engaged.” Gram’s cautioning tone stopped any further questions.

As the women left the room, Liza turned and flashed Zach another smile. A downright dazzling smile. And it hit him again—a lightning bolt of excitement that shook him to the core.

Have you lost your mind?
he asked himself as they disappeared into the kitchen. This was Liza—his longtime friend. The woman he’d been buddies with for years. What had changed? Today his reactions to Liza were downright sinful!

The nonsense had to stop. He’d use this time alone to regroup. To clear his head. And after that, he’d get his friendship with Liza O’Malley back on track.

Eloise’s kitchen came straight from
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
. Walnut cabinets with etched-glass panels lined the walls, a spacious bay window graced a cheerful breakfast nook, and the stainless-steel cooking area could serve hundreds. “What a marvelous room,” Meg observed.

“Why, thank you. Would you please get some glasses from the cupboard on your left?”

Meg selected three crystal tumblers while Eloise took a pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator. “I’m glad that you and Zach are dating. He became quite the hermit after his divorce.”

Meg nodded, even though she had no idea if that was true. She knew nothing about Zach’s private life, before or after the divorce. Liza and Zach had been on the debate team together and shared many of the same classes. So while Meg idolized Zach, she only saw him occasionally as they passed in the halls.

“I don’t often share my concerns,” Eloise continued. “But sometimes women understand each other in ways men never can.”

“I agree with that.”

Eloise caught Meg’s gaze. “May I speak frankly?”

“Of course.”

“Zach seems quite attracted to you.”

Meg’s heart did a backward flip. Was their acting really so believable? “I…I feel the same about him,” she said. This, ironically, was the first true statement she’d uttered all day.

“How did you meet your husband, Eloise?” Meg asked, wanting to take the focus off her relationship with Zach.

Eloise smiled. “It’s quite a story. You see, Horace dated my sister Esther, and I was the annoying kid sister. But one afternoon, Horace came over while Esther was still at work. I entertained him until she got home.” She sighed. “Something magical happened that day.”

“What was that?”

“Horace realized I’d grown up.”

“And he fell in love with you instead of your sister?”

“That he did. Esther was miffed at first. But then she met Albert, and the four of us loved being together.”

“How many children do you have?”

“Just Robert, Zachary’s father. He and his wife, Evelyn, manage our corporate offices in England. Do you like children, Liza? If I’m not prying?”

“I adore them. That’s why I teach ballet.”

Now she’d done it! She’d stepped out of her Liza role and resumed her own life. Occupational hazard.

“So you’re a ballerina?”

“Of sorts. My friend owns a ballet studio, and I teach a class for her now and then.”

As Meg tried to cover her tracks, she realized how easy it would be to tell Zach’s grandmother the truth. Her real life story. But she didn’t dare. She had a role to play.

Eloise poured the lemonade and arranged cookies on a hand-painted plate. “I love the ballet too. For our tenth anniversary, Horace gave me a music box with a ballerina on top. I treasured that gift. But I broke it a year after Horace died, and I’ve always been sorry.”

They arranged the pitcher, glasses, and tea cookies on a silver tray. “May I share a secret?” Eloise asked, her blue eyes twinkling.

“Of course.”

“My fondest wish is to become a great-grandmother. But Zach will have to hurry, since he’s my only grandchild.”

Meg felt her cheeks flush. Did Eloise consider her the candidate to produce said great-grandchild? Meg’s heart skittered like a frightened squirrel crossing the street.

Eloise winked at her. “Let’s rejoin Zach, shall we? We wouldn’t want him to think we’re talking about him. Even if we are.” Eloise giggled and Meg joined right in.

As they sat in the sunroom sipping lemonade, Zach squirmed in his chair. And the man hardly said a word. When they finished their drinks, he said, “Liza and I need to run, Gram. We have birthday shopping to do. Any ideas on what to get a lady in her eighties who has everything?”

“You’ll think of something, dear. You always do.”

They stood, and when Zach placed his hand on Meg’s back to steer her toward the door, her heart pirouetted like a real ballerina. His warm touch and presence exuded strength and masculinity.

Eloise hugged them both. “Thanks for coming, children. I hope we’ll meet again soon, Liza.”

“So do I,” Meg said, meaning it sincerely.

But what she really wanted was to assume her rightful identity as Meg O’Malley, emotionally stable ballet teacher and Martin Landsburg’s steady girlfriend. But she couldn’t. In a moment of weakness, she’d given in to her twin sister’s demands and become Liza O’Malley, attorney at law.

And, worst of all, Zach Addison’s fiancée!

“I can’t believe Gram’s attitude,” Zach said as he and Liza strolled the beautiful Country Club Plaza that he loved so much. J. C. Nichols, who had built the nation’s first outdoor shopping center in 1922, had based the architecture on his trips to Europe. He’d adorned the Plaza with courtyards, sculptures, murals, and artwork with a strong Moorish influence.

“What about her attitude?” Liza asked.

“Gram thinks you’re wonderful.”

Liza looked perplexed. “What makes you say that?”

“She never asks strangers to use her first name. You made a hit, Liza. Big-time.”

When Liza’s eyes locked with Zach’s, the inexplicable attraction struck him again, like a boulder falling from the sky.

“That’s good, isn’t it?” she asked.

Her amazing eyes seemed to probe Zach’s soul. He frowned. “Yes. Certainly it’s good.”

“Then why do you seem upset? Didn’t you hope that we would hit it off?”

“Of course. I’m just surprised it happened so quickly.” Even Zach didn’t know why he felt so troubled. But it related to his attraction to Liza.

Liza shrugged. “Then maybe you should feel happy instead of surprised.”

When Liza stopped to examine a window display, Zach was grateful for a breather. He still couldn’t get over his heart-skipping attraction to his good friend. It had kicked in the moment he’d set eyes on her this morning.

And the way Gram and Liza had bonded was another shocker. Liza had managed to wrap Gram around her little finger. And at the rate things were progressing, he’d be next!

“Liza?”

She turned and met his gaze. “Yes?”

“What did you and Gram discuss in the kitchen? You were gone a long time.”

“Just marriage and family.”

Zach raked a finger under his starched collar and tried not to cough. “Whose marriage?”

“Hers. Eloise told me your grandfather dated her sister first.”

“Granddad dated Aunt Esther? I never heard that story.”

“She said she didn’t share it with many people.”

“But I’m her grandson,” Zach declared. “You’d think she’d have told me!”

Liza scowled at him. “Are you upset because Eloise likes me? If she doesn’t, our little charade won’t work.”

“True,” Zach said. But was the charade working too well?

“What shall we buy Eloise for her birthday?” Liza asked.

“Let’s check out Halls department store. It’s her favorite place to shop.”

They entered the lavish lobby and strolled the aisles together. As they walked through the section with jewelry and accessories, Liza pointed to a shelf of music boxes. “There it is, Zach. The perfect gift for your grandmother.”

She pointed to a crystal and gold box with a ballerina poised on top. “Why a music box?” he asked.

“Your grandfather gave her one on their tenth anniversary. Unfortunately, Eloise broke it the year after he died, and she’d love to have another one.”

Zach couldn’t believe his ears. “How can you possibly know that?”

“Eloise told me. When we were talking in the kitchen.”

Zach shook his head. “You know more details about Gram’s love life than I do. And you’ve known her less than an hour.”

“What can I say? We’re kindred spirits, Eloise and I.”

Zach shook his head. When a clerk came to assist, he said, “We’ll take this music box. Would you gift wrap it, please?”

“I’d be happy to.”

As Zach watched the clerk wrap the present, he felt more bewildered than ever. Liza had made their pretend relationship real to Gram. Why, she’d practically convinced
him
they were dating. The woman should be an actress, not an attorney!