“Yes. We won’t be an actual couple, but they won’t know that. We’ll be friends that hang out without any of the pressures of dating,” he clarified.
“I’m not sure. We hardly know each other. What if we find out we don’t enjoy each other’s company?”
“We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it, but I think we’ll get along just fine.”
She looked at him intently. “There will be no expectations of any romantic notions, right?”
“None at all. I was serious when I said I’m not looking for a relationship, but honestly, I could use a friend here.”
“It sounds feasible. It might just work.”
He let out the breath he’d held. “I stayed up later than I should thinking this through. It’s not ideal, but it is a solution.”
“How long would we keep up the charade?” She absently twisted the ring on her right pointer finger.
“Indefinitely, I guess. At some point we’ll have to end the fake relationship, but I don’t see that we need all the answers now.”
“True.” She leaned back and sighed. “There’s only one problem. I’m not comfortable with the deception. I respect Nancy, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt her.”
“I appreciate that, and I feel the same.” He sat up straight. “That’s one of the arguments against this scheme that ran through my mind last night.”
“Did you find a way around it?”
“I think if we spend time together then we aren’t being deceptive. If- when- they say anything to us, we can simply say we enjoy each other’s company. I don’t know about you, but that wouldn’t be a lie on my end.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “I suppose spending time with you wouldn’t be a hardship.”
“Then you’re in?”
She nodded. “My gut tells me I’ll regret this, but for now, yes. Let’s do this.”
“Perfect.”
“Do you have plans tonight? I was going to grab dinner at the diner across the street. If you’d like, we could go together and get the tongues wagging.”
He lifted a brow. “That optimistic?”
“You don’t know Dogwood Creek. Within twenty minutes of showing up at the restaurant together, word will get out that we’re there together. Withing thirty minutes, seventy-percent of the town will think we’re dating, and by the end of the first hour, someone will have started a rumor about us getting married. This town has an incredible community that looks out for its own, but gossip runs tight here.”
The blood drained from his face and he felt dizzy. Good thing he was sitting down. “Married?”
“Nonsense, obviously, but people like a good romance. And unfortunately, since I haven’t dated since the Jess fiasco, once word gets out, people will jump on the news.”
“The Jess fiasco?”
Her face froze mid-expression. For several seconds she sat silent. “Jess was my fiancé.”
Taking her cue, he sought to put her at ease. “You don’t have to tell me anything about him. As far as I’m concerned, you never brought it up.”
She sighed. “I rarely mention him, so I’m surprised his name slipped out so easily.”
“If you want to share, I’m a good listener, but I’m also fine if you want to drop it. Whatever makes you most comfortable.”
“You’ll find out sooner or later from some well-intentioned soul, so you may as well hear it from me.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head back while drawing in a deep breath.
He could imagine how she felt. On the rare occasion Alyssa’s name came up in conversation, he had to brace himself for the onslaught of emotions. “Only if you want to share.”
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. “Jess and I dated for four years. We had talked about marriage, but he was moving up in his career and trying to make partner at his firm. The day he earned his promotion, he proposed. We were happy, or so I thought. Then two weeks before our wedding, he suddenly called it off. At first, he told me he knew I’d never leave Dogwood Creek, but he couldn’t handle the long commute to work, and he wasn’t willing to give up his career. The thing is, I never asked him too. We’d discussed the possibility of moving and he was the one who suggested he would commute. When I reminded him of that, the truth came out. He’d fallen in love with his assistant.” She huffed. “Tale as old as time, right? All those late nights he spent working weren’t actually working.”
