Everyone.
She froze.
Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. What…what…
“He can’t… He can’t do that,” she stammered. Something invisible wrapped around her chest. Why the hell had she said that? What was she doing? This was not what she did. She didn’t draw attention to herself, and she sure as hell didn’t let her mouth run riot like this. Oh God, would the floor just hurry up and swallow her now? Please?
The woman in yellow—Nora Young—looked at her. “Andyouare?”
“Fiancée.” The word erupted from Elisa.
His what?Her mind gibbered.What are you doing?
“Hiswhat?” Nora Young snapped.
Elisa swallowed. Why had shesaidthat? Because she didn’t like the idea of Angus giving a rose to some unknown woman? Because he looked irritated by Nora Young? Because her stupid brain had final switched all the way from anxious to insane?
“I’m sorry, Lis?” Bria asked. “His what?”
“His what?” Owen echoed, frowning at Angus.
Angus’s eyes widened, his stare jumping around them all before locking on Elisa. His jaw bunched. His chest rose and fell with a deep breath.
Oh God, oh God, oh God. He’s going to laugh at me and call me a liar, and I wish I was—
“My fiancée,” he said, his voice smooth and controlled and relaxed as he stepped forward and took her hands in his. A world of enigmatic emotions shone in his eyes however, none of them relaxed and controlled.
Elisa blinked, her heart hammering in her ears. He was going along with this? Why was he going along with this?
“His fiancée!” Zeta clapped her hands. “Hell yeah!”
Kara clicked her fingers. “His fiancée. Ahh, of course she is.” She shot Nora a borderline smug smile and then slapped Angus on the shoulder, hard enough for Elisa to feel the jolt through her hands. “I totally forgot you mentioned you got engaged, boss.”
Nora narrowed her eyes on Elisa. “You’re his fiancée?”
Elisa swallowed, meeting the other woman’s drilling inspection. What did she do now? Confess? Laugh?
Run from the restaurant? Catch a plane back to the US, an Uber to her apartment, run into her bedroom and hide under the covers?
“Seriously?” Nora raked a slow look over her. “You’rehis fiancée?”
A finger of indignation ticking up Elisa’s spine. Ignoring the knot twisting in her stomach, she met Nora’s stare and flashed a wide smile. “Whywouldn’tI be?”
Nora let out a soft grunt.
Elisa stretched her smile wider, extending her hand toward Nora. “Hi. I’m Elisa.”
“Elisa!” Angus almost bellowed. “This isElisa. Her name isElisa. My fiancée’s name isElisa.” He beamed at her, squeezing her fingers. “Hi, Elisa.”
She bit back a soft chuckle. He’d never get a job as an actor. Clearly, Angus Daniels had completely forgotten he already knew her name.
“Elisa the fiancée,” Nora said, as if tasting the words. Her lip curled. Obviously, they weren’t that palatable to her. She leveled a direct look at Elisa. “I’m curious; why hasn’t Angus mentioned a girlfriend before? In all the times I’ve talked to him about being on my show, he never once said he was in a relationship. Which would, of course, make him ineligible.”
Elisa swallowed. Shit.
“We met while I was in the US,” Angus said, inching a little closer to her. She could see the gratitude in his eyes. And the panic.
She smiled at him, and gently placed her palm over his heart. It was a thumping canon. Poor guy. Panic she understood. Panic was a creature she lived with most of her life. The best way to deal with it, in her experience, was distraction. “It was a whirlwind romance,” she said, willing his panic away as she gave him a surreptitious wink.