Marriage by Mistake

silver fork. When she glanced over the polished table, her mouth was pinched. It was not until the main course had been served, however, baked chicken breast with lemon sage dressing, that her mother revealed her problem.
    "You had a phone call while you were out," she told her daughter, prodding at the stuffed chicken breast on her plate. "From that cousin of Dean's, Troy." Her mother's gaze flicked up. "He wanted to remind you about your lunch date on Tuesday."
    Felicia's first reaction was a rush of anger. Tuesday? Since when had she agreed to have this cursed lunch date with Troy on Tuesday? The last phone call had been hers, postponing the thing, and she hadn't given any date as an alternative. Purposefully. If she put it off long enough, they could both end up forgetting about it.
    But, no. Troy couldn't let well enough alone. He had to call her mother, of all people, and set another date.
    Her mother... Felicia came back to the land of the living with a bump. Her mother was now gaping at her. She wore the hurt look, the one she got every time she thought Felicia was holding out on her, not spilling every little detail of her life.
    "Felicia," her mother asked. "Are you dating Troy Singleton?"
    Felicia's eyes widened. "No!" She waved her hands, as if to shoo the notion right out of the room. "No, no, no."
    Unfortunately, this strong denial only deepened the hurt expression on her mother's face. Felicia realized she was making it seem more, rather than less, as if romance was involved. "It's not a date. It's—a business meeting." Immediately Felicia realized that was hardly going to fly, considering her mother knew Troy Singleton. "That is, I hope it's going to turn into a business meeting," she quickly amended. She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax, to slow down, and to smile. She picked up the salt shaker and drizzled some sodium over her chicken. "I'm trying to talk him into doing fundraising for the Boston Family Aid Foundation."
    Brilliant, Felicia congratulated herself. For this was—almost—true.
    Her mother tilted her head. "Troy?" She sounded dubious. She did, after all, know the man.
    Felicia picked up her knife and began cutting her chicken breast. "Yes, Troy. Despite his lack of experience, he'd be perfect for it. He has everything that's necessary: a good smile, a silver tongue, and the right connections." She pierced a piece of chicken with her fork. "He only needs to be persuaded to bestir himself and do it." Felicia smiled, for that, too, was almost true.
    All this truth appeared to convince Felicia's mother. The hurt, strained look on her face eased. "Oh, that's all," she murmured. "Well, good luck to you, my dear. That Troy seems pretty set in his ways."
    "Mm." Felicia set her knife to her chicken again. Yes, Troy was set in his ways. Or rather, he was set on getting his way. Calling her mother...
    Felicia didn't know whether she was more annoyed with Troy, her mother—or herself. Troy had overstepped the bounds. Her mother knew no bounds. And Felicia—? Well, Felicia only put up with it all because she was such a coward. It was so easy to live at home with a doting mother whose presence effectively prevented any male of Felicia's acquaintance from thinking she'd fall into bed with him. She didn't have to dream up excuses for saying no. Her excuse was live-in.
    She glanced across the table at her mother as a familiar sorrow sifted through her. What a half-life she lived. And the half she lived was spent so alone sometimes. This lunch date with Troy, for example. She had no one she could tell the truth about it. She knew no one who could help her scheme a way out of the thing.
    She might have to go ahead and meet Troy on Tuesday. Get it over with.
    Felicia looked down and impaled a piece of chicken with her fork. Yes, it was no doubt best to get it over with—if Troy was going to go around calling her mother.
    ~~~
    By the time Kelly arrived back at Dean's humungous house in the woods, she was more than merely late for dinner, she'd missed it altogether. That was all right, though. Dean wasn't there to frown over her sin. He was back at his office, escaping from her and her inexcusable pushiness.
    When the cab pulled up to the front door, Kelly added a tip to what Dean had already paid the driver, thanked Maggie, who opened the front door for her, and ran straight upstairs toward her room.
    Or she tried to run straight to her room. Troy was coming down the stairs as she was