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Donovan frowned at the finance executive. “The only people who know that my father and I were once homeless are the two of you, Foster and Kayla.”
“And two of your ex-girlfriends.” Tyler’s tone was dry.
Donovan drank more of his coffee. “I don’t think Rose will run into my ex-girlfriends between now and September.”
“Stranger things have happened.” Xavier leaned back on his chair.
“This is the age of the internet.” Tyler spread his hands. “It’s not six degrees of separation anymore. Today, everything’s just a click away.”
Xavier nodded his agreement. “At least consider telling Rose.”
Donovan looked from one friend to the other. Did they have a point? He wasn’t looking forward to opening up about his past with Rose. Based on his experience, the discussion wouldn’t end well. Was he wrong to want to enjoy their pretend romance for as long as possible? If only he knew how long his borrowed time would last.
Chapter 8
“So your boyfriend grew up homeless. How does that make you feel?” Tasha sipped her diet soda Friday evening. Her eyes searched Rose’s expression as though mining for information.
Rose had accepted Tasha’s invitation to dinner, just the two of them, when her friend had called that morning. She’d wondered what Tasha had wanted to discuss in private. Now she knew. It was fortunate that Rose’s experience as a corporate lawyer had helped her develop a poker face. She held Tasha’s inquisitive brown eyes without blinking.
“How did you hear about that?” Rose forced a casual voice to cover her unease. Her mind scrambled to anticipate Tasha’s questions and her answers.
Tasha reared back on her seat at their table in the Ethiopian restaurant they frequented. Her eyes feigned concern. “Didn’t you know?”
Rose smiled. Her friend’s attempts to get under her skin amused her. Tasha was so competitive and melodramatic. The other woman had laid the jacket of her mustard skirt suit on the empty chair beside her. The first two buttons of her ivory blouse were undone, giving a hint of cleavage.
Their conversation was interrupted when their server brought their separate dinner bills. The young man took their empty plates when he left.
“Of course I knew about Van’s past. He told me.” The lie rolled easily from Rose’s lips. The muscles in her neck and shoulders tightened as she pinned her friend with a look. “Who told you?”
“I used to work with his ex-girlfriend, Whitley Maxwell.” Tasha’s eyes focused on Rose as though looking
for a reaction. “Did he tell you about her?”
“I know Van has dated other women.”
Tasha played with her braids. “Yes, well, she said she’d dated Van for almost a year before he told her that he and his family used to live on the streets. She was so disgusted by his deceit that she broke up with him.”
“Isn’t that a bit drastic? But her loss is my gain.” Rose scanned her restaurant bill, then fished her credit card from her purse.
Her hand shook slightly with tension. She had to keep her responses vague, otherwise Tasha would realize she didn’t have any idea what she was talking about. She took a calming breath, allowing the savory scents of the restaurant’s food to distract her.
Rose stuck her credit card inside the bill folder and slid them beside Tasha’s at the edge of the table.
How could Donovan’s ex-girlfriend be so upset that he hadn’t immediately told her about his past that she’d break up with him? Or was it that she was upset to learn that she’d been dating someone who’d once been so disadvantaged? Either way, she couldn’t understand Whitley Maxwell’s reaction.
Knowing his past, Rose was even more impressed by Donovan. That he’d been able to rise from such disadvantaged circumstances to become vice president of a multimillion-dollar company before the age of forty was a testament to his determination, efforts and intelligence. Was his background one of the reasons he was such a fierce champion for those who were homeless? Her heart warmed toward the silver-tongued salesman. He had much more substance than she’d at first suspected.
“Why didn’t you tell us he’d been homeless?” Tasha’s question pulled Rose out of her thoughts.
“There’s no need for me to share every detail of Van’s past with you, Claudia or Maxine.” Rose held her former classmate’s gaze. She wanted to make sure her position was clear. “The fact that he once was homeless is relevant in that it helped shape the person he is today. But it’s not a mark against him. In fact, when I think of where he came from and where he worked to put himself, I can only admire him.”
Tasha flipped back her hair. “Well, it does make you wonder who his friends are.”
“I’ve met his friends. We should all have such warm, caring, decent people in our lives.” Rose thought of Tyler, Xavier, Foster and Kayla. They were more like Donovan’s family than his friends. Another testament to her fake boyfriend’s character.
Why hadn’t Donovan told her that he’d been homeless? Rose frowned at her half-empty glass of iced tea. Had he thought she’d react the same way his ex-girlfriend and Tasha had reacted? If so, she was offended—but she couldn’t fault him. He could only base his decisions on his experiences, and his experiences apparently had been pretty bad.
Their server returned to take their payments. Rose watched the young man maneuver past the other dark wood tables arranged across the casual restaurant. Most of the other customers—groups of friends, some couples—appeared to have come to the locale straight from work just as she and Tasha had. The restaurant hummed with their murmured conversations, broken by occasional bursts of laughter.
