Though Brayden knew better than to hope this fake relationship might open a real door, a small part of him did anyway.
“Ava!” Cadence Whitmore—soon to be Harris—called from the kitchen doorway. “I was hoping you’d stop by today. I have something for you. I’ll be right back.”
Ava nodded, doing her best to avoid his gaze. It only offered him the opportunity for his eyes to linger a little longer. Ava Monroe was an incredibly attractive woman. It wasn’t just her gentle brown eyes, or the way the sun illuminated the golden streaks in her dark hair. It was everything about her. Her laugh, her determination, her sweet nature.
Ava busied herself with the poufy red ribbon on the smallest basket.
“What areyoudoing here?” Brayden asked, turning his attention to the assortment of baskets. Each was a different size, all filled with Alaskan goodies. Many he recognized from her store—small Alaskan coffee packets, northern lights ornaments, and an assortment of fudge made in Fairbanks. Each basket was adorned with beautiful holiday ribbon and a giant bow.
“Trying something new.”
“Ava, have you seen this bookshelf? Your neighbor is so talented!” Sophie cooed. “The book club will love it. And the best part? The guests will always feel welcome to join in on any current discussion.”
“Clever idea,” Ava complimented. “Leave extra copies of the books out here for them to browse—”
“You got it.” Sophie looked back and forth between the two of them. “You two should join!”
“Oh, I don’t have time to read,” Ava said.
Sophie’s eyes fell on Brayden, forcing an answer from him. “Maybe after the holidays.” He nodded at the bookcase. “Lots of orders still to fill.”
“Well, there’s always room if either of you change your mind.”
“Here you go,” Cadence said to Ava, shoving an envelope at her. “I know it’s short notice, but Ford and I hope you can come.”
Brayden raised an eyebrow, certain the envelope contained a wedding invitation. As kind as the Whitmore sisters were to him when he arrived, he’d been too distant since then to earn an invitation. He liked Ford Harris, but Brayden hadn’t spent much time getting to know him as more than a passing acquaintance. When Brayden thought about it, the only true friend he’d made in Sunset Ridge was the hardware store owner, Harold Davies.And Ava, once upon a time.
“I better grab you a check,” Sophie said to Brayden. “Be right back.”
“A Christmas wedding?” Ava’s eyes illuminated.
“Two days before Christmas, so we don’t intrude too much on anyone’s holiday plans. Besides the fact my sisters are relentless in reminding me that I was the first of us to actually get engaged but the last to tie the knot, we want to make sure Rilee can make it. She has a summer internship next year, so we decided to stop waiting.”
“I have an interview with Rilee later,” Ava said. “I’ll be sure to give her that day off.”
“Wonderful! Bring a plus-one if you like.” Cadence briefly glanced at Brayden, her lips parted as if she were about to say more, but a ringing phone drew her away. She held up a finger. “Two minutes.”
Ava folded her arms, then unfolded them and shoved both hands in her pockets. He wondered what she had to be nervous about. Surely a gentle insinuation that she bring him as a plus-one didn’t have her all jittery. Theirvirtualfake relationship wouldn’t require him to attend.
“What’s with the baskets?” he asked when they were alone.
“Side project for the store,” she answered without looking at him.
Brayden knelt down, taking special interest in them. The attention to detail, from the ribbon to the way each Alaskan-made item was nestled inside, was exquisite. These weren’t simply baskets thrown together without care and precision. “This is what’s in your garage, then?”
“Yes.”
He hated how clipped her answers were and wished he could fix the awkward tension between them. Even if their fake relationship was only virtual, they still had to put on smiles and sit close together for some sweater deal. He wanted her to be comfortable around him.It’s still that letter, isn’t it, Ava?“Hey, why don’t we grab those pictures now?” When she hesitated, he added, “I’m not wearing pajamas, and I don’t know how long that’ll last.”
Ava cracked the faintest smile. “Fine, but make it quick.” She shed her coat and waited for him to do the same. “I have a sales pitch to do.”
The pieces fell together. Ava was here to convince the Whitmore sisters to offer gift baskets to their guests. He wished he could stay to help. Sales pitches were a specialty of his, and these baskets would be an easy sell.
“I’m ready,” Ava said.
Brayden was no selfie master, but he stood next to Ava and extended his arm above them as if he knew what he was doing. Though he possessed a wealth of social media knowledge for marketing purposes, he wasn’t very good at anything personal.
“You’re horrible at this,” Ava ribbed. “Give it here.”
