Frank stood, touching my shoulder. "Keep up the good work. I think you'll be the fire chief soon.”
"Thanks, sir."
Frank nodded before walking off, and I let out the breath I'd been holding. He wanted me to keep seeing Eve. Real or pretend, it didn't matter. He wanted the council to think we were together. I could do that. It would be worth it to get what I wanted. I'd make a good fire chief, widower or not.
The question was, could I keep my feelings in check? Sofia wasn't ready for me to date, and I didn't think I was either.
I was worried about how it would look to others if I did start dating, but Frank was telling me that people wanted to see me happy again.
Now I needed to ask Eve if she'd go along with this pretend dating situation for a little bit longer. One date to a party was different than being seen together all the time. It was a big ask. I had a feeling I was going to end up being the Santa on that fire truck whether I liked it or not.
CHAPTER 9
EVE
Ikept an eye on the bar, the kitchen, and the food table throughout the night. I wanted everyone to get whatever they needed and have a good time. I thought I accomplished that goal. Although Frank was talking to Maddox, and he looked pensive.
Did nothing work to convince those at the fire department that Maddox was the right guy for the position?
That didn't sit right with me. I was used to getting what I wanted. Except this time, I wanted something for Maddox and Sofia. I wanted Maddox to get the job he wanted and for them to be happy.
When Frank walked away, I sat next to Maddox. "Is everything okay?"
His gaze was on the table in front of him. "He likes us together."
Relief shot through me. "That's good, right?"
His gaze lifted, meeting mine. "It's too good. He thinks it would help if we continued to see each other. Let the town council see that I'm handling everything in my life."
My brain snagged on his words. "He wants us to continue to see each other? Like keep dating?"
He cleared his throat. "Yeah, but we don't have to."
I chewed my lip. "Do you think it would help you get the job?"
"He thinks so."
"What do you think?" I asked, unsure how I felt about pretending to date Maddox.
He shrugged. "It can't hurt.”
"I'm not seeing anyone else at the moment.” I wanted to pull back from Maddox and Sofia. I was in danger of getting too close and falling for them. Maddox was grumpy enough to keep people away, but I saw through all of that now. I saw the man underneath.
His brows furrowed. "Are you sure about this?"
"We just have to be seen around town a few times, right?" I asked, thinking I could pull it off. I was good at this kind of thing. I could pretend that everything was fine and that I wasn't falling for a man I was pretending to date.
"I would think so."
"There's Thanksgiving and the parade coming up. I'm going to be busy with holiday events around town. But I think we can be seen together a few times." It would be easy and very much pretend, so there was no danger of me falling for him.
"I don't want you to do anything that you aren't comfortable with."
I shrugged. "It's not a big deal, and you deserve that position."
"Appointments like these are more about who you know and how they perceive you than anything else. It feels like a game I have to play."
"It has nothing to do with the fact that you're the right man for the job?" I asked, slightly amused at his characterization.
