Bailey was listening intently to Landon. Her ears perked up at the mention of kissing. Who in the world would object to kissing Landon Stone for real or otherwise?
“I’ll do it,” Bailey said, surprising herself by agreeing to this wild scheme. “You had me at Hattie. I would do anything for that lady.”
Landon’s eyes widened. “You will?” he asked. “Seriously?” She could see the look of relief pass over his face.
“Don’t sound so surprised. Hattie means a lot to me. She’s not my grandmother, but she’s been my guardian angel for a long time. If I can do anything to make her happy, I’ll do it.”
He let out a deep breath, his shoulders sagging with the effort. “I can’t tell you what that means to me and what it will mean to Hattie. She may seem like a tough cookie, but she’s pure marshmallow at her center. A true romantic at heart.”
“You don’t have to sell me on Hattie. She’s the best that this world has to offer, generous to a fault, hardworking and no-nonsense. She deserves a little joy before she leaves us.”
“I appreciate you, Bailey. And I promise you this isn’t going to be some wild, over-the-top situation that messes with your life,” he told her. “This will only be until Hattie leaves us, which will only be a matter of months. And I think this should remain between us, unless of course you feel the burning desire to confide in someone.”
Bailey chewed her lip. It would be hard to keep the situation on the down-low, but telling anyone would be risky. She didn’t want Landon’s plan to go haywire because of her.
“I think for now we should keep this among ourselves,” she told him, checking the time on the dashboard. “We have about two minutes to get inside so we’re not late.” She’d never been late once in seven years. “We can pick this up later on.”
He reached out and gripped her hand, causing a warm sensation to spread up her arm. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am. And grateful. I don’t like lying, but I think the good in this situation will outweigh that.”
All Bailey could do was nod as Landon let go of her hand and opened the passenger-side door. Bailey grabbed her purse and stepped out of the vehicle. They walked toward the building in companionable silence. She figured he was replaying their conversation in his head, just like she was.
Bailey bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if she was on board due to Hattie or because of a certain gorgeous scientist that she found irresistible. Either way, she wasn’t going to have to try very hard to appear as if she found Landon appealing. As faras the role she’d been given, Bailey felt as if she’d been born to play this one.
Was it wrong of her to get a little bit excited? Her pulse was racing extra fast, adrenaline in high gear. Even though it was a fake romance, she was going to be paired up with the hottest man who’d ever set foot in Moose Falls. Score! And it wasn’t just his outward appearance, she realized. If that was the case, she would have been crushing on Xavier and Caleb as well.
There was just something about Landon Stone that had pulled her in from the very moment she’d laid eyes on him. And that feeling wasn’t letting up at all. Instead, it only got stronger every time she was in his orbit.
