“Good counting.”
“But if you thought I wasn’t coming…” Understanding crossed his face. “Oh. You tell your parents I’m sick, and they invite Tony, a guy they’re still trying to set you up with even though you’ve made your feelings clear about him.”
It sounded even worse when he said it. “Becket, why are you here?”
He lifted her glass of wine and sipped. “They know I live next door. Even if I was sick, it would be weird for me not to stop in and say hi. Besides, what exactly did you plan to tell them at every future get-together?”
“Well, I was going to wait until Tony left town and then tell them our sad but simple breakup story.”
“Was I going to come off the asshole in this story? I was, wasn’t I?”
She rolled her eyes and moved into the kitchen, where she grabbed a fifth place setting. “It doesn’t matter. They’re not your parents.”
“Itdoesmatter. I have a reputation to uphold in this town.”
“Good God, it’s a wonder you have the energy to get out of bed with that big head on your shoulders.”
“I’ve been carrying this big head my entire life. I’m used to it.”
Her lips twitched, and she hated that she found him funny. He wasn’t. Not even a little bit.
Once the fifth place was set, she turned—only to freeze. Becket was adding olives to her salad. And he looked far too comfortable working in her little kitchen.
She opened her mouth to tell him she couldn’t do this. That asking him to pretend to be her boyfriend in the first place had been a gigantic mistake…but the doorbell rang.
Too late now.
She sucked in a shaky breath before turning and heading to the door. She pulled it open and forced a smile to her lips. “Mom. Dad…Tony.” Okay, Tony’s name didn’t just slide off the tongue.
She gave each of them a kiss as they came inside, making sure to hold her breath when she greeted Tony.
“Becket,” her father said, sounding shocked.
Sky took her time closing the door before turning.
Becket didn’t look fazed at all.
“Hi.” Becket dried his hands on a dish towel before crossing the room. He kissed her mother on the cheek, then shook her father’s hand. When he shook Tony’s hand, just like at the ball, the other man cringed.
How hard was Becket shaking the guy’s hand?
“We thought you were sick,” her mother said.
“Fortunately, I started feeling better just in time.” He slid an arm around her waist as she moved to stand beside him.
Why on earth did she have the sudden urge to lean into him? Her body was betraying her, dammit.
Her father’s eyes narrowed on Becket, while her mother looked intrigued, and Tony just kind of looked angry. At least that was one positive to having Becket around.
When the awkward silence stretched, Sky cleared her throat. “I’ll slice the roast, then we can sit down to eat.”
“I’ll do that,” Becket offered. Then he freaking kissed her on the cheekagain, this time also squeezing her waist.
She told herself she didn’t like it, but her pulse picked up speed.
The next ten minutes were a mess of her and her mother trying to make small talk, her father and Tony sulking, and Becket acting like everything was normal and he’d been in her kitchen a million times before.
She felt like she was on a freaking sitcom. What had happened to her quiet dinner with her parents?
