I started sweating, and it wasn’t from all the heat Cash had let in when he opened the front door. The second I answered that question, I’d be a disappointment to her again—just like I’d always been. I didn’t know what she would think was worse, the fact that Cash wasn’t my boyfriend, or the fact that the only long-term relationship I’d ever had in my life was with a neighbor I didn’t even like very much.
But did I have to tell her that? Did I really have to dash her hopes and crush her opinion of me? Would a loving granddaughter really do that to her grandmother?
Okay, I’ll admit that I was doing some hard-core rationalization. Part of me knew I was full of hot air, and an even smaller part was disgusted by it.
“What kind of announcement?” Cash asked, still in over his head with this whole conversation. And then it happened. Someone turned on the lights in that big muscle-head of his, and he knew what Grandmother was talking about. “Whoa, wait… you mean Willow and me—”
“Was that the kitchen timer?” I interrupted.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Cash said.
“I’m pretty sure we need to get to the kitchen,” I said through my gritted yet grinning teeth. I tugged his arm and then got behind him and gave him a solid shove. I snagged a stack of books lying on the side table nearby. There was no reason to give Grandmother any more ammunition for pop-quizzes.
A nervous chuckle bubbled up inside me when I looked back at Grandmother. “Enjoy your oysters. We’ll be back with more in a few minutes. Cash is a wonder in the kitchen.”
As soon as we were out of sight Cash turned to face me. “What in the world is going on?”
“Shh,” I hissed before looking over my shoulder to make sure Grandmother was out of ear shot. I flopped the books on the counter and turned to face him. “Okay, new plan.”
“You don’t want Jovie’s couch?”
“No, I don’t want Jovie’s couch. Keep up. But I do need you.”
I struggled to keep my eyes from rolling out of their sockets as Cash’s chest puffed and his cocky smile spread over his lips. “Surprise. Surprise.”
“All right, whatever, can we focus please? You wanted to make some money, right?”
“Absolutely.” It was almost cute the way his lips pulled to one side as he spoke through his grin with his Texas drawl. Almost.
“Well, the job has changed. I need you to be my fake boyfriend.”
“Your fake boy—”
I covered his big mouth with both of my hands. “Hush.” A sudden jolt of electricity shot into me. I pulled back, trying not to show Cash how much touching his lips had affected me. “You don’t have to yell it for the whole building to hear. Yes, I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend until my grandmother leaves this evening. You don’t have to stick around all day or anything. She flies home tomorrow, and I need her to go home with a good opinion of me—everything depends on it.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so, Willow. I can’t lie to your granny.”
My stomach twisted. I didn’t want to lie to her either. I glanced at my outfit and the stack of books I’d snatched on my way into the kitchen. Deep down, I knew I already had. “Well, we don’t exactly have to lie to her. We just don’t have to correct her.Youalready gave her the impression that we’re together.”
“Oh, no! You’re not going to push this—whatever this mess is—off on me.”
“Fine. I’m just asking, is it really that bad not to tell her that she’s wrong?”
Yes, Willow. The answer was yes. It would really be that bad. I shoved my conscience into a dark corner in my mind and told it to cover its eyes because it wasn’t going to like what was about to go down.
“My granddad always said honesty is the best policy,” Cash said, still shaking his head.
“I’ll pay you,” I plead. I grabbed another plate from the cabinet and threw a few more slices of lettuce on it.
“Thirty bucks to make a nice old lady think she’s about to gain a new grandson?”
“Correction,” I said. “Old? Yes. Nice? Not usually. I don’t know what’s up with all her smiling today. I think it’s some kind of a trap.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” Cash knelt to pet the dog who, surprisingly,wasn’ttrying to make a meal out of me. “Who talks about their granny like that? And for the record, I’m no gigolo. I don’t take money for dating women.”
“Eww, no!” I shivered at the thought. “I’m not asking you to actually date me.”
“Eww?”
