Reluctantly Married (3 page)

3

N
erves tumbled inside Megan as
she waited for Adam to come down the dim hallway. What exactly happened today? One minute, he was acting like his normal pig-headed self. The next, she was thrown into some bizarre world where he had real feelings for her. If she hadn’t seen it herself, she’d never have believed it.

She clenched and unclenched her fists as she paced. Adam was a womanizer. At least, that was how he’d always acted around her. Yesterday had been different. Nice. He’d dropped the attitude and acted like a gentleman.

He’d always said he was playing a part for television. She’d never believed it. But maybe she should. What their guest said made some sense. If he was insecure, he might be putting on a mask to shield himself. When Dr. Lemon announced he had deep feelings for her, his face flushed, the TV persona dropped away, and she had seen his vulnerable side. For the moment, she believed he did care for her.

Adam rounded the corner and smiled when his gaze met hers. A tingle spread through her stomach. His dimples and piercing blue eyes gave him the kind of looks envied by models and movie stars. Usually, she deflected this by reminding herself how much of a jerk he was.

Now she wasn’t sure what to think.

Adam approached her. “Hey. Sorry about that. Leon wanted to…uh, talk to me.” He fidgeted and wouldn’t look her in the eye. What was up with him?

“I know.”

Adam cringed and touched his forehead. “That’s right. You were there.”

Megan held in a laugh. Adam, cool and confident, was actually nervous around her. It was endearing. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Oh. Yeah.” He loosened his tie. “I guess we need to set up our date. Leon wants to know where we’re going so he can get things ready.”

“I thought we could do something simple. Go to dinner. A normal date.” The idea of going out with Adam was becoming more appealing to her, and the tingles in her stomach intensified. Who would have guessed?

He started toward the back door that led to the parking lot, and Megan fell into step beside him. “Sure.” He nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Do you like Italian?”

“Yes. Italian is good.” He seemed to relax a little. “We can drive into Omaha. Which restaurant?”

“Why don’t you decide? Just tell me what to wear.”

A smile lifted his lips. “Dress nice. Leon wants it up on the website as soon as possible. How about I pick you up tomorrow? Six o’clock?”

“That works.”

They exited the building, and he placed his hand on the small of her back. She liked the touch. It wasn’t overly intimate, yet it reinforced the feeling that Adam cared about her.

“How’s the car? Any more trouble?”

She shook her head, gratitude building in her. “No. It’s been great.”

His smile widened. “I’m glad.”

They stood by her car, staring at each other for what seemed to be a long time before Adam broke eye contact. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Her cheeks grew hot as he walked away, and she realized she was admiring his physique from behind. She hopped in her car, not sure what she was feeling. Was she excited to go out with Adam? She needed to get a grip.

Adam pocketed his keys and pressed the button to ring Megan’s apartment, Dale trailing behind him with his camera on his shoulder. Yeah, this wasn’t going to be awkward at all. He rolled his eyes. Megan buzzed him through. As he jaunted up the apartment steps, Leon’s words echoed through his head.
Be a perfect gentleman. You need to woo Megan. If she suspects anything, it will ruin the show. You must act like you’re enjoying the date.

Why did Leon assume he wouldn’t enjoy going out with Megan? He liked her. Sure, maybe she was a bit uptight, but she was usually nice to be around. And not too shabby to look at, either.

He came to apartment 3B and knocked on the door. Megan let him in and motioned to the couch. “I’ll be just a second. Have a seat.” Her eyes flicked to Dale, and she flashed the camera a nervous smile.

She wore a little black dress that hugged her figure, her blonde hair falling softly to her shoulders. He tried not to ogle her. She walked barefoot into the other room. The apartment was tastefully decorated in a post-modern style. An oblong wood and glass coffee table sat in front of a suede couch that looked like it had been built from large, brown pebbles. Not a speck of dust could be seen anywhere, and nothing was out of place. A definite neat freak.

When Megan came back, she was wearing black heels that made her legs look fantastic. “Okay. I’m ready.”

“Nice place. I love the furniture.”

A smile lit up her face. “Thanks. I saved for months to buy this set.” She looked around and frowned. “My mother hates it.”

Why would her mother tell her that? It really bothered Megan by the look on her face.

“She must not have good taste.”

Megan didn’t seem to hear him for a second, frowning and staring at her furniture. Then she looked up and smiled. “You’re probably right. Let’s go.”

The drive to Omaha was comfortable, although quiet. Dale sat in the back filming them, even though there wasn’t much conversation. As a fresh-out-of-college boy, Dale worshiped the ground Leon walked on. The fuzz on his lip was probably an attempt to grow a similar mustache.

Adam didn’t know what Leon’s end game was, and he didn’t like lying to Megan. It wasn’t fair to her. But if he told her what was going on, Leon would fire him. Megan was the real star of the show. She was the reason the ratings were skyrocketing. He was disposable, which put him in an awkward position. He had to go along with Leon for now. Hopefully, the gag would be up soon.

They entered Bucatini, the smell of tomato and basil making his mouth water. A short peppy girl in her early twenties gave them leather menus and showed them to their table. It was a white tablecloth and crystal sconce type of place. Dale hovered over them with the camera, blocking the aisle. Several people glared at them.

A man in a tux with a receding hairline and a round belly bustled up to them, his gaze nervously ping-ponging from Adam to the camera and back again. “I’m sorry, sir. We cannot allow this in our restaurant.”

Adam cleared his throat and put on a diplomatic smile. “Our producer spoke to the owner. He assured us we could film here.”

The man squared his shoulders and frowned. “I have heard nothing from him. I’m afraid I have to ask you to put the camera away.”

Megan stood. “I’m sure we can come up with a compromise. I would hate for your lovely restaurant to miss out on this opportunity for publicity. Maybe you have a more private table?” She smiled, and the man’s face softened.

“Let me see what we can do.” He rushed off. Adam was impressed with the way Megan handled the situation. Diplomatic, and yet persuasive enough to get them what they wanted. A few minutes later, they were relocated to a table in another room.

After they were seated again, Megan opened her menu, and her eyes widened. He knew the place was pricey, but taking her to a burger joint would have been stupid. He wanted her to know he had more class than that.

His job at the station didn’t pay a lot, but he could splurge once in a while. Actually, he’d tried to get Leon to spring for the date, but he was too much of a tightwad. “If the show gets picked up for syndication, I’ll reimburse you,” he’d said. Sure. Adam knew the conversation would be forgotten. No matter. He could afford one nice dinner. He motioned to the menu. “Order whatever you want.”

A slight smile tugged at her lips. “Even the Strangozzi al Tarufo Nero?”

The mischievous look on her face piqued his curiosity, and he opened his menu.
Sixty dollars for one dish?
He choked, pounding a fist into his chest. Guessing from the look on Megan’s face, he’d turned three shades of purple.

Megan laughed. “I’m teasing. I don’t even know what half the things on this menu are. I’m tempted to order off the kids menu and get spaghetti and meatballs.”

Her smile made her eyes sparkle. He’d never noticed it before. It looked good on her. “Why not? We can eat like kids. I haven’t had mac and cheese in forever.”

She leaned over, her teeth showing as her grin widened. “I dare you.”

“You’re on.”

The waitress approached the table, eyeballing Dale, who was kneeling in the aisle now that they were away from everyone else. “What can I get you to drink? Our featured wine this evening is a lovely sauvignon blanc.”

A devilish look flashed across Megan’s face before she looked up at the waitress. “Do you have any apple juice?”

Adam hid a smile.

The waitress curled a piece of her dark hair behind her ear. “We have some excellent sparkling juice.”

Megan shook her head. “No, I mean like the kind that comes in a little box. With a straw.”

A small laugh tried to escape, but Adam covered it up with a cough. The waitress’s eyebrows raised, and she looked between the two of them, then over at Dale. Her lips formed a tight line, like she didn’t want to be the brunt of any YouTube prank. “Sure. We can get you a juice box. And what about you, sir?” She turned her attention to Adam.

Not to be out done by Megan, he cleared his throat. “Do you have any chocolate milk?” He tossed her his best on-air smile.

The waitress narrowed her eyes, then stepped back as recognition filled her face. “You’re Adam Warner, from the morning show!” She smiled, much warmer this time, changing her angle to be in the shot. “I’m sure we can come up with some for you, Mr. Warner.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll give you a few minutes to look over your menu.”

Megan looked up. “Oh, I already know what I want.”

The waitress appeared overly happy to take their order. “All right. Go ahead.”

“I would like the spaghetti and meatball kid’s meal.”

Unfazed, she scribbled on her notepad and turned to Adam. “And you?”

“Macaroni and cheese.”

“Of course.” She made a note, then took their menus. “We’ll have that right out for you.” She left with swaying hips.

He leaned closer to Megan, glad to have some time alone with her. Well, as alone as it gets, considering Dale was filming them. “Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know.”

A thoughtful look came over her. “I graduated from Colorado State University.”

“Nope. Already knew that.”

She frowned. “I worked in radio for two years before moving here.”

He shook his head. “Already knew that, too.”

“How’d you know that? You checking up on me?”

A small shrug lifted his shoulders. “Leon and I went over the applicants together before you were hired.”

“Ah, I see.” She brushed a blonde strand of hair from her face. “How about this: when I was seven, I decided I was going to start up my own cleaning business. I typed up my rates on a piece of paper and went around the neighborhood selling my services.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “What kinds of services?”

“Dusting was a dollar, vacuuming was three dollars, and flushing the toilet was five cents.”

He held in a laugh. “Wow. Five cents for a flush, huh? Did anyone take you up on it?”

“Old Mrs. Fielding asked me in, and she bought all three services. Then she gave me cookies and milk, and a grocery bag full of canned vegetables to take home, along with a generous tip.” Megan’s smile faded. “Mom was furious when she got home from work. Said three neighbors called her and asked if we were okay. She was mortified that I’d embarrassed her like that.”

“Aw, you were just being a kid. I think it was quite entrepreneurial of you.”

She stared off into the distance, a slight frown on her face. He was about to ask her more about it, but the waitress returned with their drinks. “Here you go.” She set the juice box in front of Megan and grinned. “Your chocolate milk, Mr. Warner.” She practically glowed as she set his glass down. “The food will be ready shortly.”

“Thank you.” Megan called after the waitress, then shifted in her seat to look at Adam. “You have family nearby?”

“Yes. My father lives in Iowa.”

“My cousin lives in Iowa. Where’s your dad at?” She picked up her juice box and pulled the straw off the back.

He waved his hand, fully aware that the camera was rolling. “A small enough town I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t push it, and he inwardly sighed with relief. That was a conversation he didn’t want to have in front of the cameras. In fact, he was hoping he wouldn’t have to have it at all. His father was the last thing he wanted to discuss.