False Engagements

Chapter 10

"I guess that was the first test huh," Lila said sheepishly, looking after the departing figure of Alli.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

Lila shrugged. "I'll get used to it." Not like she really had a choice since she agreed to the whole sham. By hook or by crook, she would have to see this through to the end.

"You do look very nice," Blake said, making Lila look up and blink. She could feel the warmth in her cheeks at the unexpected compliment.

"Oh... Thanks. You... you look nice too." A moment after she said that, she felt like she could have smacked herself in the face. But Blake didn't look like he minded, as he caught a waiter and asked him to bring an iced tisane to him.

"Thank you. Alli said I should wear this combination tonight. For our 'date'," he ended with airquotes. Lila couldn't help snorting with laughter.

"So you just went along with what she said, huh?"

"I suppose I'm also practicing this ah- ruse- we're staging." His smile at her was conspiratorial, and she returned the same look to him. She wasn't sure she was entirely decided on him. Maybe it was because they were now starting to have to be much closer, maybe it was because she felt like she was starting to see dissonant facets of him, but she suddenly thought her initial opinions on him were... Not flawed per se. Incomplete, maybe.

"So did you actually have anything planned for the evening? I didn't get to call my family because of you whisking me off with Alli this morning."

His wince was slightly apologetic. "I forgot you were going to do that. Well, you might have to do that tomorrow- I thought a practice date might be nice, so I did reserve a place at Lowry's steakhouse for us to get to know each other's background more clearly."

Lila didn't really want to keep pushing the conversation with her family back. It felt like it was going to weigh on her mind like a chore until she could get to it. On the other hand, Blake did seem like he had his hands full during the week... Maybe whatever time they could carve out before her meetings with his family and friends was more usefully spent practicing their familiarity with each other.

"Guess I can't say no... Especially since we're all dressed up already," she said, sticking her tongue out playfully.

They spent the time en route to the steakhouse working out a backstory. Her family already knew that she'd found Rusty only a couple of weeks ago, so sticking to that as their origin story was out. Blake didn't think his family would believe that he'd get married to a woman he knew for such a short time- he thought six months was more reasonable. Lila on the other hand thought six months seemed way too short for her, and that a year would be more like it.

Ultimately they agreed on six months anyway, and Blake slyly suggested that she fell for the whirlwind romance just because he was so unbelievably charming.

"Yeah right, you smug peacock!" she said, smacking him lightly, but she laughed anyway.

"I think we should just keep Sateen Island as the place we met," Blake said, after thinking about it for a while, as they took the elevator up to the steakhouse. "I don't see a reason to change it, and I do fly frequently to the mainland via the airport nearest Sateen."

"What do you do there so often?" Lila inquired curiously.

Blake threw her a puzzled look. "Do you really want to know the details? They're quite boring really."

"But you go to work everyday- is that boring to you?"

He made a long 'hmm'. "A little bit. Some of it is pretty tiresome. But not everything is, I guess." He raised an eyebrow at Lila's perturbed face. "What? Work is work, some of it is bound to be boring."

"I just kind of thought that with all the money you have, you'd actually find something you sound more excited about." Lila leaned back against the lift wall, watching the numbers climb.

"I don't really have the luxury of choosing my work," Blake replied. Lila's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"What? Why ever not?"

She didn't like that small, wry- almost defeated looking- smile on his face. "That's how it is with families like mine. I grew up knowing I would take a job in Jung Corporation, probably as a CFO or COO, and that's how it worked out. My brother is the current CEO, and my sister... Well, she was lucky to be so talented at the piano, so she's doing what she likes. My parents couldn't resist the allure of a world class pianist in the family you see."

"So you haven't thought about what you'd like to really do?"

"I have my weekends to myself. Most of the time I don't work full week days." He shrugged. "And at least I'm trying to choose my own partner in marriage, which is more than I can say for some friends of mine. We're here at the steakhouse."

Which cut off the conversation abruptly. Lila would have liked to know more, except the maitre'd was already bowing, welcoming them to the steakhouse, and taking them to a seat at the window.

He was such a slippery eel, she thought, as they were seated, and she darted looks at Blake over the top of her menu. Here they were, supposed to really get to know each other so they could answer any interrogation thrown at them, and Blake was sliding out of any question that wasn't absolutely perfunctory. She wondered if he was doing it intentionally, or if he was just so used to shielding his real thoughts and emotions from- well, almost everyone else. Only James seemed to be capable of reading what he was really thinking. She'd have to ask James how he did that, at some point.

"I think I'll have the Bryant Family Cabernet Sauvignon with my steak," Blake said, after a moment perusing the menu. "What do you think you'll have? I think the Layer Cake Primitivo might be up your alley, judging from your previous food choices."

Lila was very glad the waiter wasn't around to see her flounder.

"I have no frickin' clue what you just said," she shook her head. "Is Layer Cake like part of the flavor of the wine? Cos that's kinda weird. You can decide."

Blake chuckled, and waved the waiter down. After he was done ordering for the both of them, Lila slid forward on the table with a dubious look.

"You're going to have to teach me all of this, otherwise I'm just going to look like an i***t in front of your friends." A prospect she definitely was not looking forward to. "Like, gimme the basics."

"Okay. Let's start right at the beginning. Do you know what wine goes with what food?"

"Just the general stuff. Red wine with red meat, white wine with white meat and seafood, and dessert wine for dessert. I'm guessing that last one anyway."

"So what would you consider a dessert wine?"

Lila arched an eyebrow at him. "If it says 'dessert wine' on the label? Don't laugh at me, I literally just told you I'm guessing!"

"I'm not laughing at you, it was just such a straightforward thing to say." Blake tried to rein in his amusement anyway. "There's not actually a consensus on dessert wine, which is why I asked. Some people treat it as a wine solely to be drunk with food that's very sweet- in most cases that would be dessert. But others feel that a dessert wine means it can be drunk alone as a dessert or with sweet food."

"So... either way it's a sweet wine," she deadpanned, to more laughter from Blake.

"It does sound ridiculous when you put it like that," he admitted. "I guess when you're a fan of something, you start putting nuances in your area of interest that aren't important to people who aren't fans."

"Are you a fan of wine?"

A light shrug. "Not particularly. But Annette is, and we've known each other since we were teens. Learnt by osmosis."

This was the first time he'd willingly brought up Annette. Lila found herself curious.

"What's she like? I've only heard James talk about her in passing."

Blake seemed to hesitate. "Brilliant," he said, thinking it over, "very ambitious, very sharp. Beautiful. People see her as a consummate socialite, but I think they'd do better to see the extent of what she's done for her family's company. Her work is quite visionary."

"What does her family do?"

"Tech and electronics. The Jung corporation deals heavily with media, although of course that's not our only business- so you can see why my mother would push for an alliance with her family."

Lila sat back in her seat, sipping at her glass of water so she didn't have to respond instantly. What an intimidating figure. She quashed the small voice in her head that tried to label Annette a love rival. There was no real relationship here to begin with, the voice was being ridiculous.

"She sounds pretty perfect. Actually, now I'm surprised you don't want to marry her." Blake's face contorted into an odd expression, somewhere in between exasperation and displeasure, and Lila raised her hands placatingly. "I know, I know, I'm just saying she sounds like the perfect woman, that's all."

"I like Annette as a friend, and that is all I feel for her." There was a lot of mixed emotion in his eyes, Lila noticed. What those emotions were, she couldn't really tell. "I don't think love is something that really lends itself to cold scientific dissection, do you?"

She had definitely hit a sore spot, and was now standing in a virtual minefield. Slowly she back-pedalled, hoping she wouldn't set off any bombs in the process.

"It's not. I'm sorry, I really didn't think it was such a heavy topic for you, I was just curious about what kind of a person she is. Why James mentioned her so much, and why your family seems so set on her marrying in."

"They want her for business," came the clipped reply. For some reason, Lila wasn't entirely sure that was the truth, but it might as well be, judging from Blake's reaction, so she let it go for now. Maybe James would have an answer, or maybe she would learn more in the weeks to come when she started meeting people. She cleared her throat lightly.

"Well, the steak's here! I really hope that cake wine is good."

--

Lila

- Hey James?

- Can I ask you a question about Annette?

James

- Depends. What about and why?

- Did something happen between you and Blake already?

- I was planning to come over tomorrow and see how you're settling in

- Looks like you beat me to the surprise

Lila

- Oh! What?

- You're coming over?

- Anyway, nothing happened

- Not really anyway

- I asked Blake what Annette was like

- and she sounds like PERFECTION personified

- so I asked him why he didn't want to marry her

James

- LILA

- YOU WHAT

Lila

- Is it really that bad???

- omg

James

- It's a bit complicated to say over text, but

- There's a lot of history there

- And it's nothing to do with Annette directly

- She IS lovely

- Tell you what, let's talk tomorrow

- I'm stealing you from Blake for lunch

- Bring Rusty along too

Lila

- Um wow. Okay.

- Sure, see you tomorrow