Trapped by My Crush's Dad

Chapter 31: Dinner Spy

Mila's pov

Robert and I went out for dinner at an Italian bistro. As we walked through the doors, the smell of garlic with a mixture of robust marina and fresh bread hung in the air. My stomach rumbled; it wasn’t until then that I realized how hungry I was.

As we sat, the waiter took our drink order. Robert requested a glass of Pinot Grigio, but I stuck with soda. We had something serious to discuss and I didn't want to stray off track.

Once the waiter dropped off fresh bread and a bottle of oil, Robert poured some of the concoction into a small ramekin. Dipping his bread in the light-yellow liquid, he took a bite and smiled at me.

"Try this," he urged. Tearing off a piece of the crispy bread, I dipped, slathering it with the viscous fluid then brought it to my mouth. As I chewed, the softness from the middle of the bread helped to balance out the crunchy outside. Then the taste of spices like oregano and thyme blended with the parmesan cheese perfectly.

"Mmm," I said and smiled. “There’s more in there than I expected.”

"Good, huh?” he asked. I nodded covering my mouth as I chewed. “So, what do you think you'll want?" he asked as I perused the menu. There were a myriad of authentic Italian dishes that I wasn't sure about until I saw the cannelloni. Pointing to show him, he nodded in approval.

"An excellent choice," he said.

"What about you?" I asked him while I dipped the bread in for a second time.

"I think I'll go with the shrimp linguine."

"That sounds yummy," I said with a nod.

"I hope so. I'm starving!"

The waiter returned with our drinks and took our order. After he was gone, I could feel the awkward silence between me and Robert. Tapping my fingers against my glass I took a few swigs of the soda hoping to hide my nervousness.

"So, Mila, I know this isn't just a casual dinner," Robert stated. My stomach was in knots realizing what I was about to propose.

"You’re right. I have a favor to ask."

"Please, feel free. I'm all ears,” he said to me with his palm out.

I hesitated but then remarked, "It might be a little strange. Promise you won't laugh?"

Before I could finish, the waiter returned with our food. We both were delighted about the fast service but I wanted to ask him before I lost my nerve.

"To put your fears to rest, I promise I won't laugh. What's on your mind?" he asked, rolling his fork around the linguine with care. I took a deep breath trying to temper my response.

"I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend."

He laughed, almost choking on his food.

"Are you joking?" he asked, finally swallowing his bite. His eyes were all over my face as he wiped his mouth.

"No, I'm serious. I have a problem, and I can't imagine another way to solve it."

"But you can understand why I need more information," he said, taking a generous gulp of wine.

"Everett has been harassing me badly,” I said, frowning.

"What do you mean?" Robert asked, narrowing his eyes.

"He wants to date me but I've said no to him multiple times. It’s like he refuses to listen to me.”

"That's horrible," he said, knitting his brow as he leaned in.

“Like I told you before, we have been friends for years so maybe he got the wrong idea." I dropped my head in shame.

“It’s up to you if you don’t want to go out with him, even if he thought otherwise. He's crossing the line,” Robert insisted. Picking my head up I felt my chest flood with relief. It was refreshing to have his support.

“Thanks for understanding. Yes, he’s pushing me and I don’t know what else to do.”

He took a few more bites then a swig of wine.

"I have to ask, why haven't you spoken to Mr. Williams about this? It seems like since he’s Everett's father, that he could have some influence over him."

He rested his elbows on the table awaiting my response.

Normally, it would make sense to ask Mr. Williams to help, but then the argument they'd had about me flashed in my head. It made me feel sick to remember seeing Mr. Williams' helpless expression, on his knees, as he picked up the broken plates. It would be awful to ask him to go against his son for me.

Robert took another swallow of wine then ran his fingers through his chestnut brown hair. He appeared uneasy; his lips were turned down in a frown and he was fidgeting. Was I putting him in a bad position by asking?

Being an employee of Mr. Williams was probably scary enough on its own but to challenge Everett and the status he had there must be worse. If so, I understood his reluctance to help. He didn’t deserve to be in the middle of this. I had to find another way.

"I'm sorry to have asked you," I said, feeling my heart sink. "I can find someone else."

Robert finished his glass of wine, then placed his hand over mine.

He looked into my eyes and said, "I'm worried and I want to be there for you. I’ll help."

After that I smiled and thanked him. We ate our food and continued talking about things but there was a different level of intimacy between us. The conversation was lighter and we joked about our fake relationship.

“So, do we go on regular dates?” he asked me, in a playful way. I giggled.

“We can work out the logistics soon. Give me a day or so to figure things out.”

After we’d had our dessert the waiter brought a tiramisu. Robert and I exchanged glances, narrowing our eyes in confusion.

I pointed and said, "I think this might be a mistake. We didn't order this.”

"It’s no trouble. Another table already paid for it.”

The waiter made a general gesture to his left. Peering around him I only saw a departing figure, but I knew in my heart it was Mr. Williams. Oh, God, just how long had he been watching me? Did he hear about my childish plan with Robert? He’d been so close the entire time. How could I have missed him?

My heart thundered in my chest and my head was spinning. I had to explain to him before he got the wrong idea. Without thinking, I tossed my napkin down and made my way to the door. In my haste, I dashed into traffic just as they had a green light. Cars whooshed by and I was within a few feet of being hit.

Suddenly, I felt Robert's strong arms pulling me to the sidewalk just in time.