“You can’t bet an $80,000 truck,” I sputtered.
Jake’s jaw tightened. “I already have a truck.”
“You don’t have a truck. You have a dented tin can on its last leg.”
“Bought and paid for by the sweat of my own brow. I have no need for my dad’s bribery toy. I’m not joking when I say that I have fantasies about blowing it up.”
“Sounds likeyou’rethe one who needs a girlfriend,” I said.
“Jake…” Tessa began before she trailed off, at a loss for words.
“So, we get the truck if we fall in love?” I asked, a smile growing on my face. Maybe I was the marrying type.
“Nope. That’s too easy.” Jake shook his head, looking us both in the eye. “You get the truck if youdon’tfall in love.”
8
Tessa
My head hurt. I didn’t understand how I had gone from innocently picking raspberries in the greenhouse to being propositioned for one of Jake’s schemes.
“If you want us to fall in love, why are you betting the truckagainstit?” I asked.
“Because you’ve got to work for it. I’m going to put you through the dating wringer. If I’m right—and I think I am—I keep the truck until I can haul it to a minefield. If I’m wrong and you two can swear to me and yourselves you aren’t in love by the end of summer, you keep the truck. You can sell it and split the profit.”
“What if we fall in love a week later, after we get the truck?” Logan asked, an impish smile forming. That dimple making a fine appearance. I would not be deterred.
“Then you owe me an $80,000 truck. And a thank-you note.”
“What are the stipulations?” I asked. This was crazy.Jakewas crazy. There was no way I was going through with this bet. But I had to know how Jake was going to spin things—it was a sickness.
“I’ll have a list of rules for you two to follow. Basically, it goes like this: you have to go on a date of my choosing once a week. You have to hold hands whenever possible during your dates. You have to kiss at least once—and it has to be a good one.”
“You’re kind of taking the magic out of Tessa’s and my imaginary relationship, don’t you think?”
Jake smiled. “Just setting myself up for an advantage. It’s a nice truck, after all.”
“That youshouldbe keeping, Jake,” I couldn’t help but add. When I thought of Jake, smiles and sunshine came to mind. Betting. Cowboy. Impish. A big tease. When I looked at him now, I still saw that, but underneath the sunshine, there was a hint of sadness. Defiance.
He looked at us both sternly. “This is the last time I’m going to say this. I will never keep this truck. I don’t want the money from the truck. I don’t want a damn thing from my dad.”
Pensive silence stretched between us before I broke it.
“I just got out of a small-town relationship disaster,” I said, rubbing my foot in the dirt. “I have no desire to be the talk of the town again, only to have it end.” I nodded toward Logan. “This time with a well-known serial dater.”
Logan gave me an annoyed look, but before he could say anything, Jake continued, “The dates don’t have to be public. I’ll get creative.”
“You being creative is the main problem I see presented here,” Logan said.
“Just think, I’ve got a 100% success rate on love matches.”
“If you’re meaning Kelsey and Cade, that was not you,” I said.
“They needed a big push. And….”—he pointed toward himself—“big push.”
“So let me get this straight,” Logan said. “We hang out all summer, pretend to date—"
“You’re not pretending anything,” Jake cut in. “You will be dating this summer. It’s just more controlled. Meaning, you have rules to follow, or else the bet is off.”
