Eden mentally reviewed all the texts she'd received over the past few days before shaking her head. "I don't think I've heard from a Hazel."
"She makes beautiful wind chimes. I'd bet she'd be interested in selling them on your website." She pointed her fork at Rudy. "You should take Eden for a walk to meet Hazel after dinner." Alice speared a bite of broccoli and put it in her mouth as if that was that.
Again with a walk?
Rudy's eyes widened and his throat bobbed twice as though the food he swallowed stuck there.
Eden waited a heartbeat before speaking to see if he would refuse to take her, even though she knew he'd never talk back to his mother. "Rudy doesn't need to take me. If you'll give me her address, I can stop by and visit her tomorrow."
Alice waved her hand in dismissal. "Nonsense. Rudy always loved visiting Hazel's gardens. I'm sure he hasn't seen them in ages."
Even though he didn't say a single word, his eyes narrowed on his mom, and his lips pressed into a tight line. He wasn't any happier about his mom's interference than she was.
Eden suspected Alice would have suggested a lot morewalksover the past two weeks if they hadn't spent so much time huddled around Rudy's computer working on the website most evenings.
She'd been so grateful last night when Scott and Kennedy showed up. Judging by the speed Rudy bolted from his chair when Scott asked if he wanted to work out, he was just as anxious to get away from her as she was him.
Ever since they kissed, the tension between them had been thick and palpable. That's why she'd dragged Kennedy to her room and told her everything. From her dad's visit to the lie they'd told, and the way he'd forced them to kiss.
Kennedy had howled with laughter that didn't make Eden feel one bit better. When she finally sobered, she clapped her hands. "I'm so excited for my best friend to become my sister-in-law!"
"What? No way!"
Kennedy grinned. "No matter how hard you fight it or how wrong you think Rudy is for you, you two are bound to fall in love with each other now."
"Nope. Nuh-huh. Not happening."
Now that she knew Rudy better, she no longer felt he was all wrong for her, but she couldn't let herself fall for someone she had every intention of leaving.
"Come on, you've read it dozens of times in your romance novels. A couple fakes a relationship to get an inheritance or get a parent or grandparent off their backs. Then when they are forced to spend time together and show some affection, they can't help falling for each other."
Eden thought about how incredible the kiss was that she and Rudy had shared. If they were forced to do much more of that she'd have a hard time keeping herself from falling for him alright. They spent way too much time together working on the website as it was.
Her brow furrowed as she realized Alice was the reason Rudy was helping her with the website. The woman had an agenda.
Kennedy laughed again. "You know that's how Debbie and Austin got together, don't you. And now look at them. They have six kids with another one on the way."
Eden felt the color drain from her face. "Wait. What are you talking about?"
She knew they were a blended family and that they hadn't been married all that long, but she didn't know they had been in a fake relationship before falling in love.
"When Austin's ex-wife showed up last year threatening to take custody of the kids, he convinced Debbie to pretend to be his fiancé, hoping it would discourage his ex from starting an ugly custody battle. It worked, and now look at them."
Debbie and Austin did look ridiculously happy, but she and Rudy were so drastically different, she just couldn't see the same kind of happy ending for them.
So why did she hold her breath now, waiting to see if Rudy would agree to take her on another walk?
"Sure, I'll take her to meet Hazel." The smile Rudy gave his mother didn't reach his eyes.
Even though Eden knew she shouldn't be disappointed, she couldn't keep her stomach from sinking.
* * *
The moment Edenwalked out of the kitchen to change her clothes, Rudy spun on his mom. "What are you doing?"
She gave him an innocent look as she dried the salad bowl. "What do you mean?"
"You know what I'm talking about. It was bad enough you subjected us to Miss Georgie's cookies and tea. Last time you made me take Eden for a walk, we got soaked in a rainstorm."
