“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” she says.
Monica rushes back out and we both stand.I reach out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and Cameron stares at me in shock.
“I’m going to have to practice a lot,” I whisper.“We can’t have you looking so shocked every time I touch you.”
She nods and my heart leaps in my chest.
Maybe my plan to win my girl over is already working.
“I should get back to work,” she rasps, and I nod.
“I’ll come out and help in a minute.”
She nods and hurries out.I wait until she’s gone to drag my hands through my hair and try to get myself under control.Then I turn and follow after my woman.
I can’t help but think this fake dating might just be the best thing to happen to me.Now to show Cameron that we should remove the word fake from our relationship.
FOUR
Cameron
“Grams!”I call as I jog outside to greet her.
“There’s my favorite granddaughter,” she answers, and I laugh.
“I’m your only granddaughter,” I say, and we share a smile.
We’ve been greeting each other the same way since I was a little kid.My mom is my grandma’s youngest daughter, and we were close growing up.She practically raised me since my parents were both always working.
When I graduated high school, she left town and went down south.She comes back every few months for a visit, but I don’t get to see her nearly as much as I’d like to.
“I like your new place,” she says as we head to the house.“It’s cute.”
“It’s tiny, basically a closet,” I correct, and she laughs.
“It’s the perfect size,” she tells me, patting my hand as I support her up the front porch steps.
I open the door for us and lead her into the living room.My house really is tiny, and you can see the kitchen, both bedrooms, and the bathroom from the living room.
“I like how you decorated it, but where are all of your paintings?”My grandma asks.
“They’re in the spare bedroom right now.I set it up as my art room after Ruby moved out.”
“I’d love to see it.”
“Let me get your bags and then I’ll show you around.”
I jog out to her car and grab her suitcase out of the back of her car.She’s still driving the same old maroon Buick LeSabre that she’s had for as long as I can remember.My grandpa bought her the car before he passed, and I know that’s why she’s still so attached to it.
I’m closing her trunk and I jump when I realize that Ford is standing on the other side of the car.We haven’t really talked since my shift yesterday.
Things are so weird right now.He spent the second half of my shift at the diner using every excuse he could to touch me.Every time he brushed his hand against my lower back as he scooted past me or tucked some hair behind my ear, a shiver would run down my spine.
I was so turned on by the time I clocked out that I had to run home and grab one of my toys to take the edge off.I ended up imaging it was Ford and screaming his name as I came.
The problem is that I don’t know how to act around him today.I mean, I know that I should be treating him like my boyfriend, especially because my grandma is here, but part of me is holding back.I know that it would be all too easy to fall into that pattern, and it’s going to be hard to stop once our pretend relationship is over.
That’s my greatest fear.That I’m going to fall even more in love with Ford while we’re pretending and it’s going to crush me when it’s over.
