The Wedding Date

Crush On Your Boyfriend

"You're up early," Rina smiled, her voice soft in the early morning light. "Your body clock must still be messed up."

Dianne nodded, curling her legs up on the sofa to let her Mum sit next to her, before shifting her weight to rest her head on Rina's shoulder, savoring the closeness.

Her mum was right - the jet lag was killing her. Not only had it completely ruined any and all sexual tension she'd been feeling with Joe in the Uber the night before (when she'd dozed off, drooling on his arm, during the ride home) but now, the jet lag was also ruining her morning. She'd woken up at an ungodly hour while Joe had remained snoozing peacefully in her bed, looking too adorable for her to stand and making her thoughts race in an uncomfortable direction that had forced her to the couch before the sun was up.

"You okay?" Rina asked, and she realized she'd sighed rather loudly.

"Yeah," Dianne snuggled in closer, "Just tired."

"How was your night?" Rina asked, letting her arm wrap tightly around her daughter's shoulders. "Did Joe like the Rusty Rooster?"

Dianne couldn't help but chuckle, "It was...interesting."

"Oh?" Rina sounded amused. "What happened?"

"Oh, you know," Dianne waved her hand, trying to steer the conversation in a safe direction and away from Will and the confessions she'd made to Joe about her own insecurities, "Just...Penny being Penny."

Rina sighed, "Dot...be nice."

"I am," Dianne replied defensively, thinking back to her cousin's behavior, "She's just a lot. The whole family is."

"Is Joe feeling a bit overwhelmed by everyone?"

Dianne snorted, "No. He could make a brick wall laugh, I swear."

"He is quite charming," Rina nudged her, a teasing tone to her voice, "Something about that accent."

"I know, it's dreamy," Dianne muttered.

"You two seem very happy," Rina commented after a few moments. "He's good for you, I think."

"Really?" Dianne raised her head, genuinely surprised by her mum's statement.

Rina nodded, "Mhmm. And you're good for him. You bounce off each other. I noticed it yesterday right before we left for the luncheon."

"What?" Dianne made a funny face, remembering the chaotic few minutes where she and Joe had bickered in the kitchen over what they wanted to drink in the car. "We were arguing about sparkling water, Mum."

Rina chuckled, "Exactly. You sounded just like me and your father 30 years ago."

"He's so annoying, you can't compare the taste of something to static," Dianne rolled his eyes, as Rina began to laugh harder.

"And he TOSSED me the can, Mum," Dianne continued to rant, "Then wondered why it exploded in my face."

"You two," Rina shook her head, "You're quite entertaining. But exploding water aside, I can tell he cares about you. He cares about you a lot, Dot, and I like seeing that."

"Stop, Mum," Dianne blushed, suddenly feeling awkward.

There was absolutely no way Joe genuinely cared for her. Though she knew they shared a mutual attraction - shown by their moves on the dance floor the night before - he was being paid to be here. This was his job - he couldn't get tied up with clients on an emotional level...in fact, he had pretty much explained that in the contract, with the "other services" clause. If he could have sex with his clients and not get emotionally involved, she was pretty sure he would never develop real feelings for her.