“What are you doing here?” The icy demand made Amanda freeze and swallow a curse.
She turned and smiled. “Seeing old friends.”
The other woman’s gaze dropped over the dress, her lip curling slightly. “You’ve been banned from the property.”
Not true. “Sorry, but you don’t own the place.”
“But I’m about to own housekeeping, and if you think you can come slinking around for your old job, you can—”
“Mandy!”
They both turned to see Zeke strolling across the lobby, his light, loose, linen shirt accentuating his body, his blue eyes locked on Amanda like she was his personal target. He had one hand behind his back and a very sexy smile on his face.
“Well, well, well,” Tori ground out under her breath. “It’s your favorite guest.”
Amanda slipped out from behind the desk to get away from Tori and closer to Zeke.
“How did it go?” he asked, still not noticing Tori.
She nodded. “Good. It was—”
He brought his arm around and presented her with a single long-stemmed red rose. “I’d have brought champagne, but I figure after last night we both need coffee and rest before the party tonight.”
She took the rose, pulling it to her nose to sniff but gave him a warning look, whispering, “Be careful what you say.”
He looked past her, and she could have sworn she saw his lightning-fast brain compute the whole situation. “Excuse me for a second,” he said softly, stepping away to the desk. “Ma’am?”
Tori gave him a sultry smile. “Yes?”
“My villa is ready for cleaning. My girlfriend and I will be out for the day. We’d like fresh sheets and champagne chilled by four. Will that be a problem?”
Her smile drooped like whipped cream thrown against the wall. “Of course not.”
“Thank you.” Then he turned to Amanda and put his arm around her. “Let’s go, Gorgeous.”
As he hugged her close to his side, Amanda looked up. “Why did you do that?”
“Never liked that girl in high school. She made fun of me.”
On the way out, Amanda couldn’t resist one look over her shoulder, expecting to see daggers in Tori’s eyes. But that very second, Lacey stepped out of the management suite and asked Tori to come into her office.
* * *
It was almost midnight when the last of the non-family guests finally left the country club. The band was packing up, the waiters were cleaning, and Mom and Dad were hugging some old friends at the door. It was time; Zeke was ready to make his announcement, but he had to be extremely careful who heard what he had to tell them.
Nothing would be public for a while, but he was ready to tell his family the news. And Mandy, of course. He hoped she’d be as happy as he was.
“I guess she’s lost her touch after all.” Jerry sidled up next to Zeke at the bar, gesturing toward their mother with his glass. “The liedar is broken.”
Zeke threw a look at his brother. “What makes you say that?” Had Mom figured out their ruse? He sure as hell hoped Violet hadn’t cornered her older son to complain that the younger one wasn’t really dating the girl he’d brought.
“You couldn’t tell?” Jerry choked a laugh. “Dad wasn’t surprised in the least when they walked in.”
“I thought he was,” Zeke said. “And Mom thought he was, which was all that mattered.”
Jerry still shook his head. “He’s known for weeks and that whole jaw-dropping, stuttering, and tears? He’s been practicing that for days.”
“And Mom couldn’t tell? Impossible.”
“I’m telling you. Her liedar must have been tied to hormones, and those are gone now.” Jerry grinned, flashing his easy white smile and crinkling eyes as blue as the set that stared at Zeke in the mirror every morning. “Unless she’s just so happy to see you in love that all internal systems went on the blink.”
In love? Was his infatuation with Mandy that obvious? He glanced at the dinner table where Jerry’s wife and Mandy were laughing, the connection between the two women easy and natural from the beginning. Everyone liked her, of course. Even Mom. Mandy had absolutely charmed Mom, of course, reminding him with a whisper during one particularly nice slow dance that she was only doing her job as his imaginary girlfriend.
Except, not one second of this evening had felt “imaginary” to him. And when he made his announcement, all that pretend business would be over. Anticipation and something that felt as close to a happiness more raw than he could ever remember rolled through him.
“So tell me more about Mandy,” Jerry said, interrupting Zeke’s thoughts. “You met her at the resort, you said. I’d love to hear about that.”
“No, I would.” From behind Zeke, their mother stepped between her sons. “I’ve been dying to get you alone, Ezekiel.” She slipped her arm through his. “You see, I have so many mothers and daughters angry at me right now, I’ll be needing you to write a lot of checks to charities to make up for the empty promises I made.”
He smiled down at her. “I told you not to go to that trouble, Mom.”
“Are you really dating her?” she asked. “Because I know she’s divorced and works as a housekeeper, but—”
“Those details don’t make her who she is,” he said defensively.
“I know that,” Mom insisted. “I’m trying to tell you I like her. She’s charming and pretty and...” Mom sneaked a look at the table. “Maybe she won’t insist on going to work so much that she can’t have a baby.”
On the other side, Jerry gave a soft grunt. “Mom, Laura’s the—”
“I know, I know.” She waved a dismissive hand. “I’m putting my hopes on Ezekiel now. Please tell me this is not some short-term fling of the week.”
He easily met her eyes, unafraid of liedar, whether or not it had disappeared with menopause. Because this wasn’t a lie. “It’s not a short-term fling.”
She scrutinized his face with the same distrusting expression she’d wear when he’d tell her he’d gone to bed at eleven but really stayed up until four on his computer. “How can I be sure?”
Just that moment, Mandy looked over her shoulder and caught his eye, sending that same happiness zinging through him. And only a little trepidation. She should be happy about his news.