Page 171 of Boyfriend of the Hour

“Still. Are there any prominent families youaren’tconnected to?” Nathan shook his head in disbelief. “My parents might enjoy you more than I thought.”

God, I hoped that was true.

“Well, I’m in my best Elizabeth Taylor drag, and your parents will take one look at us and think they can’t possibly tear us apart,” I told him, sounding more optimistic than I really was. “I’ll charm the pants off them, no problem.”

This time, I had finally earned a small smile. “That’s such an odd expression.”

I nodded. “It really is. Could you imagine your mother so happy she just ripped her pants off in front of everyone?”

The smile turned into a grin. “I’d really rather not, especially since she’s right here.”

He turned as the people he was with earlier arrived at the table, followed by two other men, including Carrick, wearing his perennial smarmy scowl.

“Hello,Gigi,” he sneered.

I shot him a quick glare, making him chuckle before I turned my brightest, most charming smile to the rest of the people with him.

“Joni,” said Nathan in a voice that seemed like it would weight him to the bottom of the Hudson. “I’d like you to meet the rest of my family.”

THIRTY-FOUR

NATHAN’S FAMILY MEMBERS

#2 Lilian Hunt—mom

“Iknew that Ralph Lauren would be perfect on you, Nathaniel. Doesn’t he look perfect, Radford?”

The blond woman, petite and elegant in a silver lace dress, looked to be about sixty and spoke with a faint Southern accent as she fawned all over Nathan like she hadn’t just seen him moments before.

The tall man beside her, who looked like a silver-haired version of Nathan and Carrick, just grunted and shoved a pair of glasses up his nose while the younger blond man beside him appeared to whisper a snarky remark to Carrick.

“And who’s this you’ve brought with you?” the woman asked as she turned to me. Her brown eyes, so like her son’s, were sharp and slightly chilly despite her friendly demeanor. Her tone was sweet, but I couldn’t help feeling like a subpar dessert someone had brought for a potluck. It was the same tone Nonna gave her friends when they bought pans of cheap tiramisu from CTown instead of making the real thing at home.

“Mom, this is Giovanna,” Nathan said.

“Oh, so it’s back toGiovanna, now,” Carrick snarked, though when he received a daggered expression from Nathan, he quieted.

“This is my mother, Lillian, my father, Radford Hunt, and that’s my youngest brother, Spencer. You already know Carrick.”

“I do,” I said with a short nod his way.

That chilly gaze made my spine prickle. Carrick was the definition of a loose end.

“My, my, my,” said Lillian as she openly looked me over. “What a pretty girl. She is a beauty.”

I accepted an air kiss in greeting. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hunt. You can call me Joni. Everyone else does. Except Nathan sometimes.”

I expected her to say something back like “Just call me Lillian, dear,” but she stayed silent as she shook my hand. The polite warmth in her smile still didn’t reach her eyes.

“Nice,” concurred Spencer, who looked nothing like his older brothers, having clearly taken after his mother’s blond hair and blue eyes. He flashed a smile that rivaled my own as he looked me over. “Very nice, brother.”

I shifted uncomfortably, feeling a bit like livestock being examined for sale while I received nothing more than a curt nod and a quick handshake from Nathan’s father, who looked like he wanted to wash his hands afterward.

“That’s quite a dress,” Lillian said as she looked over my gown. “I don’t believe anyone in the room has quite such…pizzazz.”

I fought the urge to burrow into Nathan. It sounded like a compliment, but it definitely wasn’t.

Nathan, unfortunately, didn’t seem to understand.