And Riley was about to take advantage of him.
Her chest tightened with guilt she didn't want to examine too closely.
It's just fake dating. It's not a big deal. We both benefit from this.
Except it felt like a big deal. It felt dangerous and reckless and like she was about to step onto ice too thin to hold her weight.
She pulled the blanket higher and forced her breathing to slow.
Tomorrow. She'd deal with it all tomorrow.
For now, she let the quiet settle around her, the glow-in-the-dark stars overhead fading as her eyes slowly drifted shut.
Down the hall, Tyler's music went silent.
The house settled into stillness.
And Riley dreamed of pine trees and woodsmoke and a boy who used to know her better than she knew herself.
FOUR
Grant
The morning air bit at Grant's face as he crossed the yard toward the goat pen, breath fogging in the cold. Frost clung to every surface, turning the farm into something out of a snow globe. The kind of morning his mom used to love—sharp and clear, with sunlight just starting to break over the tree line.
He fed the goats, checked the water troughs, and tried not to think about the fact that Riley was coming over in a few hours to finalize their completely insane fake dating plan.
Fake dating.
He still couldn't believe he'd suggested it. Even more so, he couldn't believe she'd agreed. He was about to spend the next two weeks pretending to be in a relationship with the one person he'd never fully gotten over.
What have I gotten myself into?
"You're walking around like your head's in a snowbank."
Grant turned. His dad stood near the barn, arms crossed, wearing his usual work jacket and an expression that said he knew something Grant didn't want him to know.
"I'm fine."
"You've been staring at that fence post for five minutes."
Grant looked down. He was, in fact, holding a hammer and standing in front of a fence post he had no memory of approaching. "Just thinking."
"About Riley?"
Grant's jaw tightened. "Why would I be thinking about Riley?"
Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Because you said she's coming over today. Because you've been checking your phone every ten minutes. Because you look like a man who just volunteered for something he's not sure he can handle."
"I'm handling it fine."
"Uh-huh." Thomas stepped closer, studying him with that Dad look that saw through every lie Grant had ever tried to tell. "You two planning something?"
"No."
"Grant."
"We're just talking. That's all."
