“We haven’t really met. My mom, who is the Supreme Ruler of Interfering Mothers, signed me up with an Internet dating site. There was actually one guy who seemed a bit interesting. He’s an architect who’s traveled the world and now wants to share his life and love of travel with the right woman.”
“Is that your dream? To travel the world?”
“Actually, my dreams are bit more home-based. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve wanted a big family. I had ten dolls I used to call my babies. I took those dolls everywhere. It was quite a sight.”
“You can’t want ten children! That’s barbaric.”
“I’d settle for four or five now. Of course, my mother keeps reminding me I’ve left things rather late.”
“Do you have lots of brothers and sisters?”
“No, it was only me and my mom. My dad…well…he wasn’t around. I do have tons of cousins—one of my aunts had eight kids. I was so jealous. They were always laughing and yelling. It was so quiet at my house. I wanted brothers and sisters to play and fight with.”
“Well, there are ways these days to do that without a man.”
“No, I want the whole deal—loving husband, lots of noisy children. If that makes me a Neanderthal then I’ll be the one hanging out with the dodos.” She stared at her desk to avoid the pity she was sure was written on her friend’s face. In this age when women were striving for equality in the corporate world she felt like a sellout wanting to be a stay-at-home mom caring for her husband and children.
“So where are you meeting your Internet date?” Mandy’s voice broke through her reverie.
“At that bar you told me about on Montgomery Street.” Lorelei took another sip of now-cold coffee, hoping to drown the butterflies dancing around in her stomach. She was always nervous before going on a first date. Usually, though, she’d at least met the man in person or he’d been recommended by a friend.
“Want me to come along as protection?”
“No, I’ll be all right. The place will be crowded on a Friday night. If I think he’s dangerous I’ll ask for help.”
“It’s the ones who seem normal who kill you in the shower,” Mandy said.
“Gee, thanks.” At least if she were dead she wouldn’t have to preside over a disastrous charity event that was sure to not only get her fired, but cost the entire San Francisco office staff their jobs. No pressure.
…
“Yo, Liam! You home?” David’s voice called out from the front of the house.
I have got to take his keys away before he barges in at an inopportune time. He’d given David a set of keys in case of emergency, but his friend had become so accustomed to coming over, he now let himself in and out any time of day or night.
“Yeah, I’m home. Be right out,” he said from the bedroom.
Liam glanced once more in the full-length mirror. The face that stared back was alien. Were these the features his mother hated? According to rumor, he was the spitting image of the father whose name he didn’t even know. As a child, seeing his face every day had reminded his mother of her stupidity in throwing away her marriage to Marcus’s father for an ill-fated affair with a man who loved only himself.
When he’d been little, he’d gotten through the pain of being hated by his own mother by imagining he’d been kidnapped as a baby and was being raised by a wicked stepmom. Every time they’d gone to the grocery store he’d scour the milk cartons to see if any of the missing children looked like him.
When the first whisker had appeared he’d never shaved it off in the vain hope his mother would realize he was not his father. But by then her indifference had been insurmountable, no matter what he did to try to please her. Now, however, it meant there would be no chance of anyone recognizing the new Liam as the reclusive billionaire with a penchant for Eastern European supermodels.
Grabbing his leather jacket from the bed, he wandered out to the main room. He could hear David rummaging around in the kitchen.
“Jason has the night off and I’m going out,” Liam said. David stared forlornly at the empty stove.
“Are there any leftovers from last night?” David opened the fridge door and stuck his head inside.
“Probably.” Liam leaned against the doorframe.
David eventually emerged from the fridge with two large plastic containers in his hand. As he turned and caught sight of Liam, his mouth flopped open and he dropped the food on the floor. A chicken drumstick rolled to a stop against Liam’s foot.
“What the hell?”
“That bad?” Liam glanced down at his clothes. He usually wore either a custom-made suit or jeans and a T-shirt. The salesclerk at the mall insisted that chinos and a button-down shirt with the leather jacket had regular guy written all over them.
David stepped over the mess on the floor and scrutinized Liam up close before retreating. “I can see now why you grew the beard. You’re broken.”
“Excuse me?” Liam ran a hand over his now-bare chin and cheeks. The smooth skin felt weird under his fingers.
“You’ve got a dent in your chin and a hole in your left cheek as well, definite defects. When this is over you’d better grow the facial hair back as soon as possible.”
“Thanks.”
“Damn, man, you’re wearing makeup.”
“I’ve got a bit of color on because the newly shaved areas are whiter than the rest of my face. I don’t want to look like I’ve just changed my whole appearance,” Liam said.
“But you have.”
David’s stare was becoming uncomfortable.
“Yes, but I don’t want to look like I have. She might think I’ve recently been released from prison or something.”
“Or the mental hospital. This is a completely asinine idea.”
“You think I don’t know that? But I promised Marcus and I have to give it a shot. As my friend, you should support me.”
“My mom always told me if all my friends were going to jump off a bridge I shouldn’t join them. Except that one time when I cracked the bank’s security system and the cops showed up at the door. Then she was actively encouraging it.”
“I’m not jumping from any bridge. I’m hijacking a date, that’s all.”
“Right. Now this is the bit of the plan that confuses me.”
Liam perched on a stool while David rummaged under the sink for something to clean the floor.