“I get that. But guess what? I don’t mind. And I’m busy too. Plus, tonight was fun.”
“Yeah?” he asks, sounding hopeful.
“It was. I had a great time.” I wag a finger in warning. “But don’t think that I’m ready to admit we’ve been fake-dating since the first Christmas tree farm.”
“Oh, I know. And I’m going to earn that admission. I told you I’m going to be the best fake-dater ever. Wait till you see what I have planned for tomorrow.”
My heart stutters. I can’t wait. But I also can’t stray too far from our mission. This is a performance. This is a means for us to safely explore this wild spark between us. It’s also a chance for me to help. “You were great today at the sledding hill with the whole ‘sunshine’nickname, even though it caught me off guard at first. I didn’t know you’d told your teammates. But I figured it out quickly.”
“And did you like it?” He sounds hopeful, and it’s sweet.
“I did,” I say. “I never got that sort of affection from JD. Not in public, that is.”
His irises flare. “You should be kissed often. In public and in private. You should have your hand held, your cheek kissed, your hair tucked behind your ears. Any man lucky enough to get even one date with you should let the world know he’s with you.”
Wow. I’m off balance again, but in the best of ways. “Thank you. That’s…one of the nicest things anyone’s said to me.”
“Just to prove my point…” He ropes an arm around my waist, hauls me close, and drops a hot, unexpected kiss to my lips. His fingers find my hair, twisting around some strands. He deepens the kiss, tasting more of me, his tongue skating with mine. My head goes fuzzy. My stomach flips.
And I believe he’d kiss me often and anywhere.
When he breaks it, I’m a little wobbly and a lot caught up in him. He clasps my hip, steadying me. “Like I said…I’m going to be the best at fake-dating.”
Right. The reminder I need. This is fake, even if the kisses are very,veryreal.
“I guess we’ll see at the end of this,” I say, sticking to our challenge, and to the reminder of the ticking clock.
“We sure will.”
He turns to untie the tree from the roof. I should say goodbye. I’m just the driver after all. Besides, it’s family time now.
But when Rowan nods toward the door, his eyes flickering with hope, my chest fills with hope too.
“I swung by the thrift shop earlier. The one that’s connected with the local animal rescue,” he says. “Picked up some ornaments. Want to…help? I mean, I could use a little social interaction evidently.” His gaze drifts down to his T-shirt with the line from the movie.
“Yes, Grinch,” I say.
“Thanks,Elf.” He stops. “Shit. Did I just name us after Christmas movies?”
I grin, far too pleased. “You sure did.”
He grimaces. “Pretend that didn’t happen.”
“Oh, it happened. It so happened.”
“Did not.”
“Did so. And it’s going in one of my notebooks.”
“Of course it is,” he grumbles as he heads up the steps with the tree.
As I follow him, my heart feels glowy. I’m liking this whole moment far too much.
Inside, Wanda dances at the door, saying hello with a friendly whimper. “Hey, wonder pup,” I say to the little cutie as Rowan carries the tree to the living room.
While he sets it up in a tree stand he snagged at the farm, Mia shows me around the main living area. Their place is simple and practical, like his home in San Francisco. A stone fireplace anchors the living room, but it’s electric, which makes me happy for the earth. A huge soft beige couch fills the space, the kind you watch family movie nights on, huddled under blankets while eating popcorn. In the spacious kitchen, cast-iron pans hang from hooks above the stove, and Mia shows me a set of kitchen towels with cookie illustrations on them. “I bought these at the school holiday fair. All the moneygoes to a local food bank in San Francisco,” she tells me. “Oh! And the food bank works with Little Friends Animal Rescue to raise money for people who need help with their pets too.”
“That’s lovely.”
