My Silver Lining: A Small Town, Fake Dating Romance (Rosewood River Series Book 2)
My Silver Lining: Chapter 7

We had just boarded a private plane heading to Malibu, and the flight would be short, but it would give us more time to go over a few more questions that she’d apparently come up with during the night.

“Good morning, Miss Sonnet. Your grandfather sent me a list of snacks for you and your special friend, and I will bring them out as soon as we’re up in the air,” an older woman wearing a navy skirt, white blouse, and red cardigan said.

“Thank you, Beverly. This is my boyfriend, Rafael,” Lulu said, rolling the last syllable ridiculously long before trying to cover her laugh.

I smiled. “You can call me Rafe.”

Lulu moved to the two seats in the center aisle, and I sat beside her as the older woman disappeared in the back.

“You gave them a list of snacks?”

“Yes,” she whisper-hissed. “He always requests a list, and if I didn’t list anything for you, it would look suspicious. Suck it up, Buttercup. And start gushing because Beverly has worked for the family for two decades, and she’s always watching.”

“Hey, Lu.” A man opened the curtain and peeked his head out. “I heard you brought your boyfriend along for the birthday celebration. I’m happy to see you doing so well.”

“Hi, Jerry. I was hoping you’d be flying us today. This is Rafe, and I promise he’s much tamer than the last one I brought home,” she said with a chuckle.

My jaw ticked, and I didn’t know why I was suddenly irritated at the mention of her ex.

I was here now.

Or at least they thought I was.

So show me some goddamn respect.

“Nice to meet you, Rafe. Everyone, buckle up, we’re cleared for takeoff.”

“Nice to meet you.” I checked my seat belt before reaching over and pulling Lulu’s tighter around her waist as I whispered in her ear. “That’s the last time we mention the ex. If this were real, I wouldn’t tolerate it. You want me to play a role, then you best do the same.”

Her eyes widened, and she glanced over her shoulder before slapping my hand away and loosening the seat belt. “You’re suffocating my bladder.”

I winked. “I’ll do it tighter if you mention him again.”

“Now you’re playing the jealous boyfriend?” She kept her voice low so only I would hear, and I winked at her because I knew I was getting under her skin.

Good. She was getting under mine, so if she wanted to play dirty, I’d do the same.

I made sure to allow some time to get myself off in the shower this morning before spending the weekend with this sexy as hell, aggravating, pain in my ass.

Yet I was still wound tight. I closed my eyes, and we were both silent through takeoff.

Beverly brought out two bottles of sparkling water and two glasses of champagne, along with a basket full of snacks, including a bowl with popcorn, and a bag of M&M’s for Lulu, along with a giant bag of gummy bears.

My brother, Bridger, had a shit ton of money, and I’d been on private planes and helicopters many times, but that had never included personalized snacks. The Sonnets were definitely next level.

“Bugles are an all-time favorite of mine, too, Rafe,” Beverly said with a big grin on her face.

We both thanked her before she walked away. “See, even Beverly favors my snacks.”

“Fine. I’ll try one Bugle and one Funyun, and you have to try mine, and we’ll see who has better taste.”

“Give me your hand,” I said, holding mine out to her after I took a sip of champagne. “Damn, that’s the good stuff.”

She rolled her eyes and held out her hand after I tore open the bags. I placed a Bugle on each of her fingers, and she did not hide her irritation. She pulled her hand to her mouth and ate one. And then another. “You gave them too much credit. I tried two, and I’m unimpressed. Take these ridiculous Bugle hats off my fingers.”

I leaned down and covered her middle finger with my lips, making sure to go much farther than I needed to. I sucked on the bottom part of her finger before pulling my lips over the crispy goodness and chewing. She stared, acting completely unaffected before glancing over her shoulder to see if Beverly was around.

“That was smooth, lover. But no one is watching right now,” she whispered.

I leaned down and took her ring finger into my mouth and did the same, holding her hand firmly in mine, before doing it one final time. “You never know, Wildcat. We need to be ready.”

She licked her lips and tugged her hand away, taking a sip of her champagne. “For the record, when I referenced my ex, it was because the last time he flew on this plane, he got wasted and vomited everywhere before passing out. He was obnoxious and awful, and when I got off the plane in the Hamptons—because we were celebrating back East—I had Jerry fly Beckett back home. He woke up in California and wasn’t too happy about it.”

That had the corners of my lips turning up. “What an asshole.”

“You have no idea.”

We made small talk for the next twenty minutes, and I tried her food options, and unlike her, I told her she had good taste in snacks because the popcorn mixed with the chocolate was fucking perfection. “The gummy bears are not my favorite. They get stuck in my teeth.”

“Well, that makes it a snack for later,” she teased.

“Do you need anything else?” Beverly asked as she moved beside where I sat in the aisle seat. “Jerry said we will be landing soon.”

“I think we’re good. We’ll tuck the rest of the snacks into our backpacks,” Lulu said, as Beverly cleared away the champagne glasses.

We continued talking until we were on the ground.

“Remember, if you think of any random fact that might come in handy, just text it to me as you think of it, and I’ll do the same. There’s still a lot that Charlotte could ask that we haven’t covered,” she said, keeping her voice low.

“It’s a birthday celebration for your grandfather, right? Do you really think anyone is going to give a shit about what’s happening here?”

She chuckled. “I’ve been the topic of conversation most of my life. I don’t quite fit the mold of the Sonnet family, and thanks to my trainwreck ex, my cousin has taken a deep dive into my failures. She’s also not super close with Gramps. I think he sniffs a fraud. She acts sugary sweet but is anything but, and I think she resents my relationship with him. So, buckle up, Rafael. You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

My God. She acted like we were heading into battle.

We said goodbye to Beverly, and Jerry gave Lulu a big hug as we made our way toward the exit.

“I’m happy for you. You look well,” he said before offering a hand to me. “You’re a very lucky man. She’s the best.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I pinch myself daily.” I leaned forward and wrapped a hand around the side of her neck and kissed her cheek.

“Oh, my. Aren’t they darling? Your parents are going to love him,” Beverly said.

Damn. I was clearly cut out for being a fabulous fake boyfriend.

There was a car waiting for us on the tarmac because the Sonnets appeared to be modern-day royalty. A man in a black suit put his arms out, and Lulu took off running toward him as I pushed both of our suitcases toward the car.

He spun her around. The dude looked to be in his mid-seventies, he was tall and thin, with a smile that showed how genuine he was. “There’s my favorite girl. I heard you brought someone special home. I hope this doesn’t mean you won’t be flirting with me anymore when you steal all my money at backgammon.”

Once he set Lulu back down on her feet, she turned toward me. “I’ll never stop flirting with you, Milty. This is my boyfriend, Rafe. Rafe, this is Milty. He’s been driving for my grandfather since before I was born. I spent several summers with my grandparents, and he’d always take me for as much ice cream as I could eat.”

“Hello, young man. You can call me Milton. This one just gets away with the ridiculous nickname because she knows she’s my favorite.” He extended his hand, and I shook it.

“She’s told me lots about you,” I lied.

She quirked her brow, which I read as, I told you so. There’s still a lot we didn’t cover.

I insisted on loading the suitcases into the car, and we climbed in the back as Milton drove us to their beach house. We were making small talk with the older gentleman when my phone vibrated.

Jesus. What the hell was I about to walk into?

“So, how long have you two love birds been together?” Milton asked.

“A couple of months,” we said at the same time and then smiled at one another.

We’ve got this. It’s in the bag.

“If you hurt our girl, I’ll hunt you down, Rafe,” Milton said, his tone light, which was followed by a laugh. But when his gaze met mine in the rearview mirror, I got the feeling that he meant it.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said as I typed a quick message to her.

We pulled through a gate that led down a long driveway with the ocean in the distance. I wouldn’t even call this a house. This was definitely what people referred to as an estate or a mansion. The large home wrapped around the property, and I’d never seen anything like it.

Milton was out of the car, and I turned to Lulu before opening my door. “You didn’t prepare me for the palatial mansion. I feel like you’re my sugar mama now.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just pull your shit together, and act natural.”

“You’re quite possibly the meanest sugar mama around.” I pushed my door open and hurried to the back of the car. “Don’t you dream of grabbing those bags, Milton. I’ve got them.”

He opened Lulu’s door and was laughing about my comment as I lifted our suitcases out of the trunk.

“It’s my job,” the older man said, reaching for the handles.

“I’m trying to impress my girl.” My voice was all tease.

“All right. I’ll never stand in the way of love. Are you sure you want to bring those in?” he asked.

“Yes. We’ve got it,” Lulu said, moving beside me.

“All right. I’ll be back to see if you need to go anywhere later. I’ve got to go run an errand for your grandfather.”

Lulu gave him a quick hug, and I extended my hand. “Great to meet you, Milton.”

“You, too.” He turned to the woman standing beside me. “I think this one’s a keeper. I’ve never said that before.”

Lulu forced a smile and leaned her head on my shoulder. “I couldn’t agree more.”

We waved goodbye as he pulled back down the driveway and made our way up the steps to the oversized double doors.

“That is one smart dude.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get cocky. He’s going to be the easiest one to win over, outside of Gramps and my mother.” She quirked a brow.

“But he knows good people. That’s all I care about.”

“Focus, Rafael. It’s game time.”

She pushed through the front door, and a gentleman greeted us.

Another man wearing a suit, although this one was in his mid-fifties, so a bit younger than Milton.

Either way, these people were clearly very formal.

“If it isn’t my favorite lady.” He kept his voice low as Lulu jumped into his arms. Obviously, the staff loved her. It was her family she seemed concerned about.

“Cam! I’ve missed you.” She hugged him and then pulled back. “This is my boyfriend, Rafe Chadwick.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chadwick.” He extended a hand and chuckled. “You’ve got your hands full with this one.”

“And that’s why I’m your favorite,” Lulu smirked.

“You’re not wrong about that.” He took our coats and told us he’d have someone bring our luggage to our room.

Were there more staff working here? It was a home, not a hotel.

“Give me the quick lowdown. What’s happening?” Lulu whispered to Cam.

“Well, Charlotte is in a mood because your grandfather has been anticipating your arrival all day. Your mom is in a session with Francois, and the rest of the family seems to be downing the Bloody Marys this morning.”

“That means they’re on their way to three shades of liquored up,” she whispered to me. “Okay, we’re going in.”

She slipped her hand into mine and glanced up at me. “Let’s do this, lover boy.”