“I brought you something.”
She narrows her eyes playfully at me. “You’re not trying to buy me, are you, Mr. Hawthorne?”
“Oh. I know better than that. What did you say your name was again? Betty Copperfield?”
She snorts a laugh, and I’m delighted. She’s in the mood to have some fun, and it will work right along with what I’m about to propose.
“Yes, I’m Betty, and I’m so curious about what you have for me, a person you just met on this bench.”
I grin at her. Her fun side is really out to play today.
I grab the white paper bag that has been sitting to my right and hand it to Ivy. She looks excited as she opens the bag and pulls out the wrapped pasty.
“What is it?”
“It’s a Cornish pasty. It has beef, vegetables, and seasonings. Have you already tried one?”
“No. This will be the first.”
“Good. I thought, as a restaurateur, you might like to try something new. I noticed how you enjoyed trying the different foods at the restaurant the other night.”
“I do love trying new foods. I also have problems hyper-fixating on foods, which keeps me from trying new things. You never know with me.” She shrugs and pulls back the paper and takes a bite. She groans. I simply watched as she closed her eyes, enjoying the flavors. “Holy smokes, that is delicious.”
“I'm so glad you like it. Did you do anything exciting yesterday?” Ivy handed it to me, and I took a small bite. It was very good. I knew it would be. Growing up, my family frequented the pasty shop near our house, and I was excited to find it was still up and running. I handed the pasty back to Ivy, who took it with glee.
“We went to Buckingham Palace.”
“Really? I was there yesterday too. Albeit briefly. It’s too bad I didn’tbumpintoyou.”
Ivy snorts a laugh as she chews. Wow, I like her.
“So, I have an idea,” I start. For the first time since she sat down, I’m unsure. Not only that she might think it’s a terrible idea, but that it might actually be. I could be setting us up for heartache in a week or so. But I feel like it’s my only chance.
“What is it?” she asks at my hesitation, before taking another bite.
“Let’s pretend we’re in a relationship. Knowing it isn’t real.Knowing at the end of your trip, we will go our separate ways. I just … I want to spend time with you. I like you; the reasons we wouldn’t work are valid, but I don’t see why we can’t enjoy some time now while we have it.”
“You … so … what? I thought you might suggest we be friends while I’m here, but you want us to pretend we are dating?”
“Yes. We have meals together. I can show you around a bit. Maybe you can help me with my riddles, whenever I get another one of those.”
“Friendsdo those sorts of things,” Ivy said.
“They do,” I concede. “But I think we have too much chemistry to stop at friends. We would be fighting it the entire time. Why not embrace it?”
She turned to look out at the grassy park. “But … what about other things couples do? Like—”
I slide my arm around her shoulders and pull her to me. “Like this?”
“Yes.”
I turn and nuzzle my cheek against hers and whisper, “And this?”
“Mmm hmm,” she breathes.
I lean back and catch Ivy’s eye as I twine my fingers with hers. “This?”
She nods, looking back toward the park.
