Come Toy with Me. Cara Summers

her mother another story. A month from now, you’re going to have a falling-out with Navy Captain Dino Angelis.”

      Cat had scooped up a bite of her stew, but the fork slipped from her fingers and clattered back into the bowl. “A month? You can’t expect me to carry on this masquerade for a month. I won’t.”

      Her father wiggled his fork at her. “Relax. You’ll get through the month just the way you got through the last month—the secret dating and engagement part.”

      Cat’s hands fisted on the table. “The secret dating and engagement part?”

      Her father took a manila envelope out of his pocket and pushed it toward her. “The back story is all in there—exactly what Gianna told her mother—from the first time you met to your romantic trysts at the Waldorf right up to when he popped the question on the skating rink at Rockefeller Center.”

      Cat’s eyes narrowed. Her father knew her weaknesses. She loved to skate, but she barely had time for it anymore. “He doesn’t skate.”

      Her father beamed a triumphant smile at her. “He was captain of his hockey team in high school.”

      She wanted to bang her head on the table. He was outmaneuvering her at every turn. “And just where did you dig up this navy captain who skates?”

      “Captain Angelis works for your godfather, Admiral Maxwell. I’ve already filled the captain in on his back story.”

      “And he agreed to go along with this charade?”

      “Your godfather persuaded him.”

      Bribed him, Cat thought. Though she’d experienced firsthand just how persuasive Uncle Bobby could be. He was almost as gifted as her father was at making people dance to his tune. She could feel herself weakening.

      “Captain Angelis has a two-week leave which he intends to spend with you meeting your family. But who knows? Something might come up, and Bobby could call him back early. The important thing is that we get through the Christmas season and send Lucia Merceri happily back to Rome.”

      Cat liked Gianna, and she could fully understand the desire to placate Lucia. The woman was scary. She reached for her wine, took another sip, and gave up. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

      “Atta girl. I knew you’d come through for your old dad.” Her father dug into his stew. “Eat up. You’re wasting away.”

      Cat ate a carrot, then said, “When do I get to meet Navy Captain Dino Angelis?”

      “Tomorrow morning. He’s scheduled to arrive at The Cheshire Cat no later than eleven hundred hours.”

      Cat shifted her attention from her stew to her father. “The store is going to be packed with customers. Shouldn’t we meet privately first?”

      “When?”

      Cat sighed. He was right of course.

      “Besides,” he continued, “you’ll have plenty of time to talk. I’ve arranged for him to stay in the apartment next to yours.”

      “He’s staying in my building? What about the Waldorf? Isn’t that where you said we had our little romantic trysts?”

      Her father’s brows shot up. “That was when you were keeping your relationship a secret. There’s no need for that anymore. Now your job is to convince everyone that your relationship is real. He’ll be able to walk you home at night. To all outward appearances, he’ll be staying with you.” He cleared his throat. “Which is what I assume would be happening if he were your real fiancé.”

      He reached over and patted her hand. “Besides, with your busy schedule, you wouldn’t have any time to go uptown anyway.You couldn’t even meetmefor drinks at theAlgonquin.”

      Cat mulled it over in her mind.

      “The two of you are going to have to spend time together. Lucia Merceri is a sharp woman. She’ll be grilling you separately on how you met, when you first fell in love.”

      Cat stifled an inward sigh.

      “Spending time together will give you time to get your stories straight. Make sure you’re on the same page. And think of the upside.”

      Cat’s tone was dry. “If there’s an upside to this, don’t keep me in the dark.”

      Her father grinned at her. “You’ll have an extra person to help out in your store just when you need it the most.”

      For the second time in as many minutes, Cat badly wanted to bang her head on the table. But she didn’t. Her father was right, of course. She could use some help in the store. But he wasn’t going to have it all his way. “This navy captain can move in for eleven days. That will get us to New Year’s Day. Then Uncle Bobby is calling him back to the Pentagon.”

      “Deal.”

      James McGuire held out his hand, and Cat shook it.