Donna pushed open the door and let out a slow calming breath as she felt the balmy evening air on her face. She gazed upwards. The sky was clear and black and a scattering of stars twinkled brightly from above. It was such a beautiful night and she really wished she could be out enjoying it. Instead she was stuck at a dinner table with the absolute ex from hell.
Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, Donna wandered into the small enclosed garden at the front of the restaurant. Her heels clicked on the paved pathway before she sat down on the wooden bench beside a rose bush stretching her legs out in front of her. She placed her purse next to her and inhaled the soft scent of the flowers feeling the tension begin to slowly leave her body. It was such a relief to be away from the dinner table right now. The atmosphere had been stifling and if looks could kill, she was pretty sure she would be lying in a morgue right about now. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd caught Andrea glaring over in her direction and it had taken everything she had to bite her tongue. What she really wanted to do was ask the bitch what her problem was. From the brief conversation she'd had with Harvey, she knew that Andrea was the one who had cheated on him causing him to end the relationship. And while it had been perfectly fine for her to agree to marry the man she cheated with, it wasn't alright for Harvey to move on and find someone else.
Because it was obvious to anyone with eyes in their head that Andrea was jealous as hell. And if that had been Harvey's intention by bringing her here, then it had worked for sure. Andrea was practically foaming at the mouth watching her sit with Harvey.
Donna smiled to herself as she remembered the look on the young woman's face. Of course, it hadn't helped that she had deliberately covered his hand with hers as it rested on the table. Or that she had leant that little bit closer into him as they had shared a conversation. Harvey must have sensed what she was trying to do and had decided to play along. She could still feel his touch the time he had whispered gently in her ear, affectionately tucking her hair behind it.
Donna sighed and absently bit down on her lip as she thought about Harvey. Thankfully he didn't seem upset or awkward around her after the kiss they had shared earlier tonight. In fact, he had never even mentioned it. In a way she was a little disappointed about that. It was like the kiss between them had never happened. But it had happened and every time she had looked at him tonight, she knew she wanted it to happen again. She'd never felt so much from one kiss in her life before. And to think she'd always laughed at those fictional romance stories where the characters embrace and the fireworks supposedly go off. But now she wasn't so sure that those types of kisses didn't actually exist. All she knew is that when her lips had met Harvey's, her whole body had come alive and she had found herself struggling to breathe. And what scared her the most was the fact that it had felt so right too.
Shaking that thought from her head, Donna reached across for her purse. She opened it up taking out her cell phone. Her manicured thumb quickly dialled the number and she flicked her hair back from her shoulder as she placed the phone to her ear. She picked a loose thread at the bottom of her black shirt as she listened to it ring before she heard the mumbled hello.
"I kissed him, Rachel." she quickly blurted out.
"Who? Harvey?"
"No. The other stranger I'm spending five whole days with." Donna replied sarcastically. "Of course it was Harvey."
"Sorry but you have to forgive me for being a little slow here. I was sleeping until you called. My brain isn't quite functioning yet. Although by the time Nicole is one, I'll probably have killed any brain cells I have left by watching mind-numbing children's programmes. I spent the better part of three hours watching Sesame Street today. I counted to ten with the Count and watched Ernie play with his rubber duck in the tub."
Donna chuckled. She uncrossed her legs and began to make a circle in the grass with the toe of her sandal feeling the cool breeze on her bare legs. "Well we could always trade places. I'd take Ernie and his rubber duck over Andrea any day of the week."
"Who is Andrea?"
Donna rolled her eyes. "Don't you listen to anything I tell you? She's the bride and Harvey's ex. She's also a total bitch by the way. What he saw in her, I will never know. Even her voice grates on my nerves."
"But I bet she makes up for it by being very pretty and having a great rack."
Donna laughed at her friend's accurate assessment. "How did you guess?"
"Men are such predictable creatures my dear. I bet Andrea flashed Harvey her whiter than white smile and pushed her cleavage in his face. After that, he'd have forgotten the fact she had the personality of a dish rag."
Donna snorted and tucked her hair behind her ear as she brought her knees together. She hunched forward resting her arm across her lap.
"Anyway, enough about her. I want to know all about your kiss with Harvey."
Donna let out a heavy breath down the phone, puffing out her cheeks as she did so.
"Is your blowing down the phone a good sign or a bad one?" asked Rachel, chuckling.
"It's bad. Kissing Harvey was wrong. I should never have done it even if it did wipe the grin off that smug bitch's face."
"So you kissed him to piss her off?"
"Yeah but I think I ended up getting more than I bargained for." Donna sat back up resting her back against the bench. She pushed back her hair from her forehead. "I liked kissing him, Rachel."
"I don't blame you. He is pretty hot. And I bet he's a damn good kisser too."
"Rachel! You're not helping me here. You're meant to be telling me I made a huge mistake."
"Donna, you made a huge mistake."
Donna shook her head. Her lips turned upwards into an amused smile. "I'm being serious here. I mean this is a job, for God sakes. I'm not supposed to get personally involved. What am I thinking, Rachel?"
"So this is where you disappeared to."
Donna's breath hitched in her throat at the sound of his smooth deep voice. She whipped her head round and her eyes were wide as she watched Harvey walk down the small path towards her. "Rachel, I gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow."
She quickly hung up before she could hear her friend's protests. As she cleared her throat and tried to find her composure, she forced a smile as Harvey approached the bench to sit beside her. Her hand still clutched her phone and as his shoulder rubbed against hers, she could feel his gentle heat through the material of her shirt.
"You didn't have to hang up on my account." said Harvey, gesturing to her cell phone.
Donna shifted her position slightly to face him. His arm was slung across the back of the bench and his other hand hung between his parted thighs. His brown eyes twinkled as he smiled at her. It was obvious Rachel's description of "pretty hot" was an understatement. Harvey was absolutely gorgeous. She swallowed thickly as she felt the heat rise to her cheeks.
"Rachel had to go anyway. Nicole was crying." she lied. Donna wasn't prepared to admit the truth. That she had been talking about him and couldn't continue the conversation now he was here.
"Rachel." Harvey said, chewing on his lip thoughtfully for a second. "She's the one that thinks I'm a serial killer, right?"
Donna chuckled and nodded. She'd told Harvey all about Rachel on their walk this afternoon. She hadn't meant to divulge as much as she had especially the part about him being a killer but he had been so easy to talk to at the time and she had felt so relaxed in his company that the words had just spilled out. God, even now she could still hear his deep, sexy laughter when she had told him. He had found the whole thing extremely amusing to say the least.
"So was she checking up to make sure you were still alive?"
"Something like that." Donna replied as she lifted her purse that sat between them and placed her phone back it. She snapped the clasp shut and held it on her lap.
"Well I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to check you were okay. You've been gone a while."
She couldn't stop the slow smile that crept across her face at that little revelation. She found it sweet that Harvey wanted to check up on her.
"I thought you might have tried to escape."
Donna grinned and lifted her shoulder in a shrug. "What can I say? I was tempted but my heels would have killed me."
Harvey grinned back making her stomach flutter strangely. Her blue eyes were concerned as she reached across and rested her hand on his thigh.
"What about you? Have you made any plans to make a run for it?"
Harvey's grin faltered. He brought his hand up and rubbed at his slight stubble. Her hand remained on his leg as he gave her a small smile. "Dinner is a bit awkward, huh?"
Donna nodded her head, smiling at him sympathetically. Harvey hadn't spoken to Andrea all night apart from a muttered hello as they had sat down to dinner. Thankfully Harvey's mother had ensured they were at opposite ends of the table. But that still hadn't stopped him from throwing occasional looks her way when her attention had been elsewhere. Donna had seen him watching her on more than few occasions with an unreadable expression on his face or at least it was unreadable to her anyway being that they hardly knew one another. She wasn't familiar with his mannerisms or his moods but she did know that when he looked at Andrea, he seemed preoccupied, sad even.
"I'm sorry if you feel uncomfortable. We can go back to the hotel if you like."
Donna quickly shook her head to reassure him. As tempting as it was to say yes to Harvey's offer, the last thing she wanted to do was give Andrea the satisfaction of knowing they were leaving because of her. The bitch didn't deserve to know that Harvey was obviously finding this difficult despite his best efforts to put on a brave front. Instead she would do what he had paid her to do. She was going to help show Andrea that he was over her and had moved on even though the heaviness in her heart told her that he was probably anything but.
Sighing softly, Donna removed her hand from Harvey's leg. She clutched her purse tightly and smiled at him. "I saw cheesecake on the menu. It happens to be my favourite dessert."
"Then we have something in common. It's my favourite too." Harvey stood up from the bench rubbing his palms on his jeans. He then held his hand out towards her. "You ready to go back inside?"
Donna nodded and took his outstretched hand as Harvey helped pull her to her feet. The breeze blew her hair across her face and pushed the stray strands behind her ears. She smiled to herself as he continued to hold her hand, sliding his fingers through hers as they walked through the small garden.
"I have it on good authority that my mom thinks you're pretty wonderful by the way."
Donna glanced at him. Harvey was smiling at her but his smile didn't quite reach his brown eyes. She squeezed his hand knowingly. "And I bet that makes you feel even guiltier about deceiving her."
Harvey said nothing as he held open the restaurant door for her. However, as they walked through to the dining room, he nudged her shoulder playfully. "So you're smart as well as beautiful, huh?"
Donna felt herself blush as she flashed a crooked smile his way. "Smart, maybe. I'm not so sure about the beautiful part."
"Well I am. I know a beautiful woman when I see one." he replied, winking at her as they walked to their dinner table.
"There you are. We wondered where the pair of you had gotten to."
Harvey looked across and smiled at his mother as he pulled out the seat for Donna. "We were just getting some fresh air." he told her.
As he sat down next to his date, he felt Andrea's eyes watching him from the other end of the table. He deliberately avoided looking at her as he shifted uneasily in his chair and picked up his glass of water.
"I was going to come and find you but your father stopped me. He thought you two might be having a private moment together."
Harvey's eyes were wide as he glared at Lily. She winked at him and he shook his head taking a mouthful of water. He saw Donna quickly pick up the menu next to him and begin to look through it. He could see the redness across her cheeks as she pored over it, chewing on the inside of her lip.
"I always think it would be nice to be young and in love again."
Harvey sighed as he swallowed his drink and placed his glass down on the table. He knew his mother meant well. She'd told him at least twice in a matter of hours since she had met Donna how happy she was for him. She genuinely thought her son was in a relationship and in love. And unfortunately, her happiness for him only intensified his guilt.
As if she could sense what he was thinking, Donna looked up from the menu and placed her hand over his on the table. She squeezed it lightly. Harvey smiled.
"I think so too, Pat."
Harvey rolled his eyes at the sound of his Aunt Jane's voice making Donna quietly giggle.
"When I see Nick and Andrea together, I know they've got something really special. I'm so happy for them." she continued.
Harvey saw Donna's smile falter and her eyes widen. He heard the table fall silent and forced a smile as he tried to ignore the unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew everyone's eyes were on him and sympathetic glances were being thrown his way. He could feel them burning a hole into him but he didn't want anyone's sympathy especially from the very people who had betrayed him. He could handle the damn truth. Andrea was with Nick and they were getting married. She'd moved on and as far as everyone was concerned, so had he. That had been his sole reason for bringing Donna with him after all. There was no chance in hell he'd been coming to this wedding alone. He was sick of the sympathetic glances at every family gathering. He was sick of being "poor Harvey." He wasn't going to give anyone the chance to pity him.
"You must be happy for Harvey too, Lily."
Harvey glanced over at his mother who was looking back at him. He swore he could hear her cursing under her breath. His Aunt Jane was infamous for her lack of tact but it didn't bother him. So he winked at her to reassure her. His mother smiled and turned towards her sister.
"I am. And he's happy too." Harvey saw her deliberately glance at Andrea. "In fact, I've never seen him happier."
Harvey couldn't help but smile at her obvious dig. Both his mother and sister had become fiercely protective of him the past year. If Lynn had been here, he had no doubt she would have enjoyed his mother's jibe and probably thrown in one herself.
"Nick and I are pleased for you, Harvey. Aren't we, Nick?" replied Andrea.
Nick nodded his agreement and smiled tentatively at his cousin.
Donna's hand fell away as for the first time that evening, Harvey looked directly at the couple. He nodded and smiled in response. As his brown eyes scanned Andrea's once familiar face, he was surprised to feel a wave of regret. They could have had something amazing together. They'd had a great relationship. They'd been in love – or so he had thought. He often wondered what would have happened if he hadn't walked in on her and Nick that night. Or if he had swallowed his pride and forgiven her like she had begged him to on numerous occasions. Maybe they would still be together. And maybe it would be him standing waiting for her at the altar. Harvey looked away. He shouldn't be dwelling on the past. He was sick and tired of wondering about maybe.
"You never know. It might be you two tying the knot before long."
Harvey saw Donna fidget with her hands out of the corner of his eye. He looked across at his Aunt Jane who was grinning at them both. He smiled at her as he placed his hand over Donna's as they rested on her lap and held onto them stilling her movement. "To be honest, we haven't really discussed it."
He watched his aunt frown slightly. His mother smiled almost proudly as she looked over at them. "Donna is a student at Boston University, Jane. I'm sure she is concentrating on her degree for now."
Donna smiled at Lily. And although she wasn't looking in her direction, she knew Andrea was watching her.
"What are you studying, dear?" asked Jane.
Donna replied sweetly. "Business and economics."
"Donna is taking the same course as Harvey did and funnily enough it is at the same university." explained Lily. She beamed in Harvey and Donna's direction.
"How sweet!"
Donna heard the sarcastic tone in Andrea's voice but decided to ignore it. She wasn't going to rise to the bait. Instead she turned and smiled at Harvey and was pleased to see him smiling back at her. She blinked as she felt a loose strand of hair in her eye. She tried to blow it away from her face unsuccessfully so she began to blink rapidly again. Of course the simple thing would be to use her hand and push the hair from her face but that wasn't an option. Harvey still gripped her fingers loosely. His hand felt lovely and warm and really nice. There was no chance in hell she was letting it go.
As she tried to toss her hair from her face somehow, Donna watched as Harvey turned round in his seat towards her. His brown eyes were gentle as he lifted his big hand towards her and she bit down on her lip shyly as he swept her hair across her forehead and from her eye. He grinned at her as she mouthed a grateful thank you and she felt her heart skip a beat when he leant across and dropped an innocent kiss in her hair.
"I'll be back in a minute." he told her.
Harvey let go of her hand as he pushed back his chair and stood up. He winked as he threw his napkin on the table.
"And keep your hands off my cheesecake if it arrives."
Donna smiled widely as she watched him disappear in the direction of the restroom. As she turned back towards the table, she saw Andrea looking across at her. She felt a smug sense of satisfaction at the forced smile on her face as she looked away and turned towards Nick.
"Do you and Harvey have any plans for tomorrow afternoon, dear?"
Donna smiled at Jane and shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Good. Then you can come both along to the barbecue I'm having." Jane smiled as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "I'd already asked Gordon and Lily. They're coming. So are Lynn and Adam. Lily thought you might not be able to make it. I'm so pleased you can."
As Donna smiled at the petite grey haired lady, she saw Lily look apologetically in her direction and roll her eyes. She knew what Harvey's mother had been trying to do. She'd been trying to save her son from yet another awkward situation with Nick and Andrea. But unfortunately, Jane was oblivious. She just wondered what Harvey's reaction when be once he found out.
"Will you excuse me?"
Andrea got up from the table, her purse in her hand. Donna swallowed thickly as she watched her walk in the direction Harvey went only a few minutes before. She'd already been to the bathroom less than half an hour ago. Unless the bitch had a severe bladder problem, then it was obvious she had gone to talk to him. Donna ignored the sinking feeling she could feel in her stomach. She wasn't upset about it. She couldn't be. She had no right to feel that way.
As she glanced around the table, she saw Nick looking in the same direction Andrea had left in. He'd probably figured out what his bride to be was up to. As he turned his head, his bright blue eyes met hers and he offered Donna a small smile. She smiled back and actually found herself feeling a little bit sorry for him. She could tell he genuinely loved Andrea. She could see it every time he had looked at her. She just hoped for his sake that Andrea felt the same way.
Thinking of Andrea, Donna picked up her wine. She took a large mouthful as she waited for Harvey to return to the table. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long. Within a matter of seconds, she saw him make his way towards them, his tall frame standing out from the other diners. She watched his face anxiously searching for any sign of what had happened. He didn't appear to be upset or angry. Then again, he didn't exactly look happy either. He offered her a smile but said nothing as he sat down beside her. She took another drink of wine as she watched him fiddle with his fork that rested on the white tablecloth.
As the waiter arrived with dessert, Donna saw Andrea return to the table. She smiled at Nick and kissed him as she sat back down. Harvey continued to play with his cutlery. Donna couldn't help but wonder if Andrea's display of affection was for his benefit. It was pretty obvious something had happened between them. She could feel the tension radiating in waves from Harvey.
As she speared her cheesecake with her fork, Donna glanced up at Lily. She was watching her son with a concerned expression on her face. She obviously wasn't the only one that had worked out something had gone on. God only knows what would happen at the barbecue tomorrow. She certainly wasn't looking forward to telling Harvey the news, especially now. She just prayed this dinner was over soon and they could get the hell out of here. The next four days would be strained to say the least and she was just glad she wasn't personally involved. Because from what she had witnessed so far, it was going to be nothing but one huge horrible mess!
As she swallowed her cheesecake, she saw Andrea glance over at Harvey once more. His head was bowed as he concentrated on his dessert pushing it aimlessly around his plate. His left hand rested on the table beside hers so Donna switched her fork to her other hand and deliberately slid hers over his. He turned his head as she squeezed his long fingers reassuringly. Her heart pounded in her chest as he flashed her a smile she was quickly falling in love with, a smile that caused his incredible brown eyes to crinkle at the corners. That was when Donna realised she was fooling nobody and that included herself. She was personally involved and probably in way over her head because the fact of the matter was she was falling for Harvey. She was falling hard and she was falling fast. So things were definitely going to get messy. In fact they were going to be very messy indeed
