Sabrina felt the impulse to assure him that she would be happy to make this a long-term gig, but stopped herself, because, again: she'd onlymethim a couple hours ago. "The Girls think I'm too focused on my career. I guess I just wanted to prove to them I could have it all, even just for a minute, so I stupidly said I'd met somebody. I think I kind of figured I hadmonthsto actually meet somebody in, as if my track record suggested it was that easy."
"Turn left up there, and then the next right. The fairgrounds are about two miles out after that. I think it's a sign of a romantic soul."
"Hopeless romantic, maybe."
"Hopeful," Luke corrected with a smile. "So: too busy for a boyfriend, especially one who isn't supportive of your obviously-important career goals, but we met at the parade and I'm a bum?—"
"I thought you said you were a personal trainer!"
"Which, compared to lead architect, is basically a bum."
Sabrina snorted. "No, it's not. It's a completely different kind of commitment, but it's a serious, people-oriented profession that requires significant personal effort and, I suspect, a lot more hours of client investment than most people think."
Luke studied her for a long few seconds before saying, "Thank you," in a strange voice. "A lot of people see it as a real…vanity job, I guess. An easy thing that lets a dumb gym bro spend all his time in the gym, getting close to scantily-clad women who are looking for a hot guy to flirt with while they put in the minimum effort. I guess I've gotten in the habit of leaning into that, especially when I don't want to…" He hesitated, then shook his head. "Basically it's easier."
Sabrina glanced curiously at him. "When you don't want to…? But yeah, I guess it could be that kind of job. On the other hand, I've known you since just before lunch and you've already proven yourself to be thoughtful, considerate, and dedicated. It's not a vibe that suggests 'dumb gym bro trying to get laid.'"
There was another silence before Luke said, "Thank you," again, even more quietly than before. Then he took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and said, "Okay, so, we met at the parade and the fact that I'm self-employed as a personal trainer has made it a lot easier to work out the ups and downs of dating a highly motivated career architect?"
Sabrina beamed at him as she saw the sign for the fairgrounds parking. "That's a much better spin, yeah. And you're getting me out of my head and out of the office for hikes and fairgrounds, which is starting to feel like a good work-life balance?"
"Exactly. Have I met your family?"
"Oh, God, no. The Girls are as close as you're getting. I mean, my family's okay, but we're not close. I, however, have met yours, I guess." She found parking and they made their way to the fairgrounds, which were loud and cheerful with music,voices, and laughter. Sabrina bought her own day pass, but once inside, Luke got a huge stack of tickets to ride for both of them, and the next thing Sabrina knew, they were in a Ferris wheel, taking pictures and laughing as Luke screwed up his face and tried not to look down.
"I actually hate these things," he breathed. "I'm a feet on the ground kind of guy."
"You should have said! We could have just done the teacups! But look at the view," Sabrina said with a happy gesture toward the distant mountains and the shaded tones of forest, rivers, and towns set into them.
"Looking at the view is exactly what I don't want to do," Luke said strenuously, then made a show of gazing directly into her eyes. "Unless this is the view I can look at."
He had such incredible dark eyes, and his gaze was warm and gentle and unexpectedly sincere. Heat rose through Sabrina, softening every defense she might have had, and she found herself smiling dippily at Luke before mumbling, "You're really very good at this.Whyis it you're single?"
"I'm not," he said, still very sincerely. "I'm here at the fair with my girlfriend."
Sabrina giggled, but shook her head. "Fake girlfriend."
"Yeah, but if we want to be convincing, we can't go around reminding each other of that every thirty seconds." He squinted upward, face screwed up nervously again, then glanced at Sabrina. "How romantic are we as a couple? I only ask because top-of-Ferris-wheel kissing photos seem very on brand for people who go to fairs on dates, but I don't want to make this weird. Er. Weirder."
That blooming heat inside Sabrina caught fire and burned out every lick of sense she'd ever had. "One little kiss probably can't hurt, but I'm terrible at that kind of selfie. No practice."
Luke produced his phone, said, "I don't have much practice at smooching selfies, but as a bonafide gym bro with a social media account, I can rock the generalized selfie. I think I can make the adjustment," and slid his arm around her so they were snuggled up while he adjusted the phone's angle. "Cutesy photo booth type smooch?" He puckered his lips exaggeratedly, and Sabrina laughed.
"Yeah, that's perfect." Their cart creaked toward the top of the wheel's turn, and they squirmed around a bit to get into the right position for performative kisses while Luke snapped pictures.
They were not great kisses. They weren'tsupposedto be great kisses. But Luke's mouth, even all pursed up and silly, was soft and warm and inviting, and Sabrina had to fight down the urge to stop being silly and reallykisshim. His arm around her made her feel safe and protected, like she never really wanted to stop being cuddled up against him, and as they broke apart, she had that awful thought again: she was going to fall in love with Emmy's brother.
Emmy probably wouldn't mind, she told herself. But Sabrina was only going to be in Virtue for a few more months, and the idea of opening herself up to the kind of heartbreak she felt was sure to follow a brief-but-intense relationship with this gorgeous, kind man, was…
"Hah! Here, how's this one?" Luke showed her what was actually a really terrific picture of them kissing, even if it was obviously for show. But they both looked happy, comfortable, and like they were genuinely having fun.
Maybe, Sabrina thought, maybe the heartbreak would be worth it.
CHAPTER 6
Kissing Sabrina, even in silly showy ways, was a dream come true. A dream Luke hadn't even had, a few hours ago. But now spending the rest of his life stealing kisses seemed like the best possible future imaginable.
Except she looked a little sad, even as she smiled at the pictures and murmured, "These are perfect." The last thing he wanted was for his mate to be sad, but he wasn't sure there was any polite way to ask what was wrong. He hadn't thought the kisses werethatbad.
