He smiled. “In that case, Scarlett, I’ll go let the Yankees in.”
She nodded and swallowed. It was surprising to see her so nervous. She’d been the most self-assured woman he’d ever known. Granted, the circumstances were a little unusual, but something was throwing Angel off like he’d never witnessed before.
He had to wonder-could it have anything to do with him?
Of course not. She was worried about her business. She was worried about failing to continue the jobs program for all the women who worked for her.
He took a deep breath as he went to answer the door then yanked it open. A smiling, middle-aged couple stared up at him. Both of them had dark hair, hers a shade less brown. They both smiled wide, warmth exuding their features.
“Good evening,” R.J. said as he stepped aside to let them in. “I’m Angeline’s husband.” He nearly choked on the last word.
Angel strode toward them, beaming a warm, welcoming smile. She seemed to have recovered from her earlier nervousness. “Tavov. Mila. So nice to see you again. Please come in.”
R.J. felt her hand on his arm and flinched. He tried not to look affected. There was nothing unusual about a wife taking her husband by the arm as they greeted guests.
Man, it was going to be the longest night of his life.
“Nice to see you, too, dear. And very nice to finally meet you.” The older man flashed a wide, friendly grin as he turned to R.J. He stretched out his free hand, giving R.J. a welcome excuse to free his own arm. “We weren’t sure we’d ever catch up to you,” he continued.
“Tavov, Mila. Very nice to meet you both,” R.J. spoke over Angel’s head as Mrs. Bay had her in an affectionate hug. “I’m R.J.”
“Did you have any trouble getting here?” Angel inquired, still locked in the embrace.
“None at all. The driver was waiting for us right at the gate where we landed,” Tavov replied.
Before R.J. knew what was happening, Mila moved toward him and he found himself in the same bear hug he’d just witnessed. A stab of guilt hit him at the way he was deceiving such warm, genuine people.
One look at Angel’s pale face told him she was thinking the same thing. For one insane moment he wished with all his heart that it could have been different. That the charade had not been necessary.
Where had that thought come from? He didn’t have time to speculate. An awkward silence had settled around the foursome. Angel appeared to be frozen in her spot. So far, they weren’t doing a very good job of personifying the perfect American couple.
“Why don’t we move inside?” He guided the older couple in front of him. Waiting a beat for Angel to catch up, he cupped her elbow and pulled her to his side.
She was shaking. A sheen of perspiration had formed above her lip. He remembered that to be a bad sign. At this rate she wasn’t going to be able to go through with it. He gave her hand what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze. She leaned into him, and without thinking, he moved his arm around her waist.
He just held her, close to him, as if his closeness could absorb her anxiety somehow. In a moment, her breathing seemed to even, and he started to lead her toward the living room, where the other couple had seated themselves.
“It’s all right,” he whispered in her ear. “It will all be over soon.”
“I know, it’s just—I’d almost forgotten what nice people they were.” She wrung her hands. “I wish it hadn’t come to this.”
He dropped his arm. A sudden sense of loss hit him as soon as he did so. She felt so right near him, up against him. She always had.
“You’ll tell them the truth soon enough. For now, let’s go take care of business, all right?” He gave her a small nudge forward and followed her in.
Angel composed herself enough to start serving the hors d’oeuvres.
“Tavov, Mila,” she began. “It’s so lovely to have you here finally. How was your trip?” she asked over her shoulder as she held the tray out to R.J. He shook his head to decline. Somehow he couldn’t quite summon up an appetite.
“Oh, it was pretty uneventful,” Mila answered. “But it’s always so exciting when we come to the States. So much changes, yet it’s always the same. The energy level you Americans have, it’s just harrowing.”
“We should all slow down a little bit. It can get a little tiring to be on the go all the time.”
“Yes, my goodness, dear. I can imagine it can be exhausting,” Mila agreed.
“What we could use is that soothing herbal tea in this part of the world,” Angel said as she set the tray down and sat. He had to hand it to her. She knew how to segue.
“I can’t argue with you there, young lady,” Tavov stated. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Well, I’m anxious to start talking about it myself. How is the latest crop of Mila’s Bloom faring?”
“She hasn’t stopped talking about it since she got back,” R.J. added. He was pretty certain it was true enough.
She looked up and sent him a smile. A jolt of pleasure shot through clear to his toes. How adolescent of him, he thought.
“Well, it is turning into a pretty impressive crop.” Tavov nodded.
Angel jumped up in her seat. “Excellent. So we’ll be ready to start shipping when I come down for the harvest?”
Mila squinted her eyes and smiled. “That’s what I love about you, Angeline. Always assuming the sale.”
Angel had the decency to look sheepish. Then she lifted her head and gave R.J. a pointed look full of meaning. “I’ve managed to acquire some invaluable things that way.”
For an instant, silence took over the small room as the two of them just stared at each other. R.J. couldn’t seem to pull his eyes away. When he finally did, he watched as Mila’s smile turned into a wide grin.
“How romantic.” Mila laughed. “And to think, you gave us the impression originally that you were a staunch businesswoman with no mind for family or roots. And it’s so confusing that your last names aren’t the same.”
“That’s not uncommon in the States, Mila,” R.J. responded. “A lot of women prefer to keep their birth names for professional reasons.”
Tavov swallowed the last bit of his shrimp cocktail. “Well, we make it a point to deal only with family-run operations. We’ve found things are much more stable that way. Remember the last fiasco with that European businessman?” he asked his wife as he patted her knee.
Mila nodded. “Oh, it was awful. That man was much more concerned with turning a fast profit than nurturing a business. All the more resources to buy his bachelor toys. We swore we wouldn’t make that mistake again.”
“That’s why we’re so glad to see how happy the two of you are together,” Tavov said. R.J. noticed Angel’s slight cringe.
“You know, dear, they remind me of another young couple,” Mila spoke to her husband.
“They do.” Tavov beamed as he turned back to her and R.J. “We happen to have a major event to look forward to. Our groundskeeper’s son is marrying our cropper’s daughter. Two of the sweetest kids. So in love. We’re holding the ceremony right on our estate.”
“That’s quite generous of you,” Angel said.
“Nonsense,” Tavov retorted. “We’re almost more excited than they are about it. The ceremony will fall right on the