The Pretend Fiancé by Lucy Lambert

usable.
    He'd also slicked back his hair, really showing just how far it had retreated up his forehead.
    Barb didn't grumble so much, instead admiring her figure as displayed in the slim black dress she wore. "Oh be quiet, Dave. It's just dinner!"
    "Yeah, at a five star restaurant. A real one, not some steak place back in Albany. I don't know about you, but I can't tell a salad fork from a crab fork."
    David's hotel room was nice and large, but it still felt crowded with four adults milling around inside it. Gwen wore a black dress not unlike the one Barb had on, and Aiden looked so comfortable in his tux that he might as well have been born to wear the thing.
    "Just relax," Aiden said, resting his hands on Gwen's shoulders. She welcomed his touch. He was her rock, here.
    Judith had her butler deliver a hand-written message to them earlier that day, not long after their shower. They'd been informed of their impending dinner reservation, and the note ended with a cryptic statement about being watched.
    That was why she counted so much on Aiden. He was born into this lifestyle. He did know all those fancy fork types, and she relied on his experience to help guide them through this first test.
    "Don't worry about it, David," Aiden said, "It's actually only about half as complex as it appears... Besides, you can tell the salad fork by its..."
    The ringing phone cut him off. David answered it, thanked the person on the other end, and hung up. "The car is here." He gave an audible gulp.
    "Did I say again how much I love you guys, and how grateful I am for you being willing to go through with it?" Gwen said, sensing David's rising anxiety.
    They'd led a pretty middle-class life. A house in the 'burbs in a division just outside the city. Professional careers for both of them. They'd never wanted for money. Until all the divorce stuff, at least. And Gwen always considered her family fairly well off.
    But this was something different. She remembered the first time she had met Henry, and how he'd taken her and Aiden to a building in Manhattan he was having restored into some sort of fancy restaurant. He'd hired a chef straight in from Paris. Now that was well off.
    And Aiden had actually kept her somewhat insulated from that lifestyle, so even she wasn't exactly sure what to expect with all this.
    "I'm actually pretty excited, Gwenny," Barb said.
    "That's good," Gwen replied. She caught the small smile on Aiden's lips upon hearing her parents' pet name for her, and knew he'd be teasing her with that as often as he could for the next few days.
    "Let's go," Aiden said, doing his best to herd the cats towards the door.
    Climbing into the car, Gwen experienced a spike of panic. Doubt assailed her.
    We're being watched , she thought. What if we screw up, somehow? What if Judith decides that we've lost right here in the first round?
    The car accelerated smoothly from the curb, pushing them back into their seats.
    I shouldn't have done this. This is a bad idea...
    Someone squeezed her knee. Someone turned out to be her dad. He looked a little pale, clearly still nervous himself. He smiled at her. "It's going to be fine. Stop worrying about it." Then he winked.
    "Thanks," Gwen replied. She meant it, too. Something about his expression, his ability to smile despite his nerves, soothed the tension inside of her.
    The restaurant they went to was called Le Monde , and it had a crenelated wall like you'd see along the top of a castle or old church. A large concrete patio took up the entire perimeter, dotted here and there with ornately carved fountains. Gwen saw a mermaid spilling water from an urn, and a man emptying what she took to be a keg. There were several more, but she didn't catch them.
    A covered carport received the guests, with a valet waiting to open doors and park the car (which was not necessary for Gwen and Co.) and from there they followed a pretty blonde hostess down a red carpet and into the restaurant proper.
    Excitement and