Butch smirked. “Way I heard it, you’ve had more ass than a toilet seat.”
Kade’s mouth was tight as his eyes darted to me. I thought he might deny it, but he didn’t.
It didn’t matter. I already knew about Kade’s very active dating life. All these years, I’d been unable to keep myself from reading every sleazy story, telling myself I didn’t care, that I was just curious. So what if he liked to go out with lots of women? It had nothing to do with me.
Dropping his arm around my shoulders, Kade pulled me into his side. “The press exaggerate the truth so they have something to write about,” It sounded like he was speaking through gritted teeth. “Anyway, those days are behind me. I’m committed to Nat now, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep the café running, for as long as she needs me.”
“Mm-hmm.” Gigi was clearly unconvinced. “You’re telling me you two are serious?”
Kade squeezed my shoulders tighter, fitting me closer against him. “That’s right.” His voice was as firm as his grip. “We’re engaged.”
I choked.
Because apparently if you’re surprised enough, you can choke on air. It felt like I tried to gasp and exclaim at the same time, and ended up with a strangled choking sound that turned into a hacking cough.
“That’s how serious I am.” Kade spoke over my coughs, his voice still hard. “I’ll be here, helping Nat, no matter what. You can’t bully her into dropping the price. If you can’t see the café’s value, Nat will wait for someone who can. And now that I’m her chef, I have a feeling it won’t take long.”
I wanted to blurt out that Kade was lying, but the look on Gigi and Butch’s faces kept me silent. For the first time, they seemed uncertain. As though the attack they’d planned was finally being derailed.
“We haven’t announced the engagement publicly,” Kade added. “Not yet. So please keep it to yourselves.”
“Um, Kade.” I tugged his arm. “I think I need a glass of water. Would you please help me get one?”
“Sure, honey.” Kade hustled me over to the sink and started filling a glass from the facet.
“What are you doing?” I hissed at him.
“Helping. Here, drink this.” He pressed the glass into my hand. “Go along with the engagement story. It put a stop to their games.”
“Everything okay?” Emmy came over to us, and I saw she’d left Gigi and Butch on the other side of the kitchen, inspecting the fridges. “I know those two are coming on a little strong,” she said in a low voice, nodding at the couple. “But believe it or not, that’s a good thing. If they’re trying to lower the price, it means they’re serious about buying the place.”
“But I can’t drop the price,” I said desperately.
“We’ll stand our ground until they see reason.” Kade said.
Emmy nodded. “It’s my job to convince them your asking price is fair. Leave that with me.”
“Kade and I aren’t engaged,” I pointed out.
“It took the sting out of their attack.” Emmy said. “But I can’t be involved in a lie, so let’s all agree I didn’t hear you deny it, Nat. As far as I know, you’re really engaged.”
I blinked at her. I’d been expecting her to say we should come clean. “Kade’s a celebrity, so anyone with Google will be able to find out the truth.”
“That’s why I told them we haven’t announced our engagement yet,” said Kade. “It won’t be online if we haven’t made it public.”
“What happens if the news leaks?” I asked. “It could affect your career.”
“The news won’t leak. It’s not likely Gigi and Butch will call any journalists to tell them, is it? And as soon as they’ve signed an agreement to buy Mack’s Place, we can say we’ve split up.”
“I’ll do my best not to let them drag out negotiations,” promised Emmy. “I’ll aim to have the deal done quickly.”
I stared at their expectant faces as they waited for me to agree. Stalling for time, I drank the water and put the glass in the sink. Finally, I sighed. “I can’t believe I’m going along with this, but if you both think it’s a good idea, maybe it’s not as crazy as it seems.”
“What are those two plotting now?” Kade muttered, nodding at Gigi and Butch. Their heads were together and they were talking intently.
“Let’s go and find out.” Emmy led the way back over to them, her business-like smile on her lips.
“What else would you like to know about the café?” Emmy asked. “Have you seen all the storage? Or do you have any questions about the numbers I sent you?”
Gigi’s eyes were calculating as she stepped past Emmy to Kade and me. “Actually, Butch and I need to go. Will you both walk us out?” She slipped one arm through Kade’s and the other through mine, tugging us both through the kitchen door into the café's dining area.
As soon as Kade emerged, an excited buzz started up. The customers left in the café got to their feet, and some rushed over to Kade, phones in their hands, presumably hoping to get their picture taken with him.
Gigi tugged her hands from our arms and turned to face us. “Congratulations on your engagement,” she announced in a loud voice. “I’m sure you’ll both be very happy.” Her smile was as sharp as a razor blade.
An attractive young woman had been rushing to us, almost tripping over her own feet in her hurry to get to Kade first. At Gigi’s announcement, she froze.
“Engaged?” Her voice soared to a high screech as she spun on me, her eyes wide. “Kade Lennox is engaged? To you?” The way she spat the word ‘you’ made it clear which part of the revelation she was most shocked by.
I gaped at her, my head spinning. Something dizzying was happening to
