I’m winning. He’s going to cave. “Pretty please with sugar on top. And I’ll make your favorite cupcakes every day for the next two months.”
“Fine. But they better be the best cupcakes you’ve ever made. What do you want me to do?”
Yes! “All you have to do is come to the bakery on occasion and talk about us going on a date. Pretend to be my boyfriend.” Wait. No one will believe us if we don’t actually touch. “You can put your arm around me.”
“Fea?”
“It’s fine. Please.”
“I’ll do it. But if I find out you’re lying, I’m going to kill him painfully.”
Since I’m not worried about a guy, that shouldn’t be as scary as it sounds. “Deal.”
“When do you want to start?”
“Now. Today.”
“Are you sure about this?”
No, absolutely, positively not. “Definitely. I’m heading to the bakery. If you want to meet me there in like five to ten minutes, we can get started.”
“Fine. But this is going to end badly…”
What could go wrong?
I walk over to the bakery with a bit more pep to my step. Everything is going to be just fine. You’ll apologize to Max, then introduce Hope to your boyfriend, and the world will be back on its axis again.
Max is in his favorite seat with his nose tucked into his laptop and that same lock of hair in his face. That man is too good-looking.
You can do this. All you need to do is walk up and apologize.
You tell the kids to do it all the time.
Practice what you preach and all that nonsense. I take a deep, steadying breath and walk over. “Morning, Max.”
He looks up, brushing back that lock, and smiles. “Morning, Fiona.”
I slide into the seat across from him.
“Where’s Dash? Did Hope already grab him?”
Huh? “Dash is in daycare.”
“What? Why?”
Huh? Why does Max care where Dash is? “Because I had to work. They didn’t have room for him until today.”
“Go get him back. Hope and I will take care of him while you work.”
What? “Dash isn’t your responsibility.”
“I know that.”
Is he afraid someone at the daycare might hurt the baby? “The daycare here is really nice.”
“I know that.”
Do you? Because you really don’t sound like you do. “Dash will be just fine in daycare.”
