Her best friend of twenty years stopped walking and blocked her path, forcing Faye to stop too. “But Margo told me that Jeff told her that you told him you were engaged to the hot new guy I didn’t get to meet on New Year’s because I was sick.”
Faye rolled her eyes. “That part is true.”
Jules frowned, confused. “Which part?”
“All of that,” she told her. “I did tell him that. But only to get him off my back.” Grabbing her friend’s arm, she started walking toward her car parked just down the street. It was only late afternoon and already the temperature was dropping, and she wanted to get to the museum and get through a box or two before it got colder. Faye worked at the South Park City Museum—a recreation of the historic 1880s gold rush town Fairplay had grown from—when it was open during the summer. In the middle of winter, like it was now, it more resembled the ghost town it actually was, and she didn’t like to be there by herself after the sun went down. Besides the fact that there was no heat in the buildings, it was just downright creepy being there alone with the ghosts of the past.
“I don’t understand,” Jules told her. “So, you’re not engaged?”
“No.”
“Okay, well, that’s going to be a problem because Margo is, at this very moment, running around town, telling everyone the good news.”
Faye shot her friend a worried glance. “I had to do it. Jeff is getting seriously creepy with me.”
Jules stopped again. “What has he done?”
Faye sighed, glancing up and down Main Street to make sure no one else was within hearing distance. Then she threw her hands up with a shrug. “Nothing, really. At least nothing that I can point a finger at. But he came into the shop today and was giving me the third degree about Adam.”
“The fake fiancé.”
“Fake boyfriend, at the time,” Faye clarified. “But nothing I said was making Jeff back off, so I blurted out that we were engaged.”
“Did it work?”
Faye shrugged again. “It threw him off and he left.”
Jules pulled her coat closed as a gust of wind kicked up around them. “You know this is all gonna blow up in your face as soon as the rumor gets to Adam and he shuts it down.”
She did know that. Unless… “Unless I can talk him into going along with it. At least temporarily. Just until Jeff finds someone else to obsess over.”
“Good luck with that. He’s had the hots for you since we were in eighth grade. He’s just never had the guts to pursue you until now.”
Faye chewed on her thumbnail as she desperately tried to think of another way to get Jeff off her back, but she honestly couldn’t think of anything else that would. “The only problem is, I have no idea where to even find Adam to talk him into doing it.”
Jules grinned. “I know exactly where to find him.”
Faye’s eyes snapped up to her friend’s face. “You do? Where?”
“He works at the garage with his scary looking friend. I just took my car in to get an oil change.”
“That’s great!” Faye continued walking toward her car with Jules right beside her, her stomach twisting up at the thought that Adam worked just down the road from where she lived. “Maybe I can get there before Margo thinks of doing the same thing so she can get details from him.”
“Except…”
Faye stopped. She didn’t like that tone. “Except what?”
She grabbed Faye’s hand. “Except I might have already said something to one of the other guys at the shop.”
“Who?”
“That other new guy. The scary one with the hot neck tattoo. Lex.”
“Jesus, Jules! Why the hell would you do that?”
“Because I got the text from Margo when he was ringing me up. You know how she likes to run to me with news about you. It’s like we’re still in high school and she’s trying to prove to me that she’s better friends with you or something.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I was so shocked I read it out loud and he was right there.” She gave Faye an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. If I’d known what was going on, I wouldn’t have done that.” There was no accusation in her tone. No hurt feelings. But Faye still felt the need to explain.
“I’m sorry, too. I should’ve told you right away. I wasn’t trying to keep it from you or anything; I just knew I was gonna see you today and I could tell you in person.”
