“Yeah, you liked that one. Even though you still didn’t say yes,” he says, and wind him up and watch him go. “I’d wanted to ask her for so long.”
Lake blows out a pleased breath—like he’s thrilled the entire table is eating out of the palm of his hand, from my parents to Jameson to Caroline, who’s watching this with avid eyes. “I finally left a big stuffed fox on her desk with a note that saidI don’t give a fox about anything but taking you on a date.”
I blush. I smile. I freaking giggle. It’s such a ludicrous tale, but he tells it with one hundred percent commitment and I nearly believe it.
“So I said yes at last,” I say to him, and Lake leans close, swiping a thumb affectionately across my cheek, then smiles contentedly before he lets go, leans back in his chair, and meets my mom’s enraptured gaze head-on. “That’s probably why she didn’t mention it to you. It took her a while to know I meant it.”
“But when I knew, I knew,” I say.
He squeezes my hand once more under the table. “Andshe finally planned a perfect date,” he says, and I feel bubbly everywhere from the save.
He gave us a whole new story. I give him a smile that saysthank youandI want youall at once.
“And what was the date?” Jameson interjects, and can’t he leave well enough alone?
Caroline waves toward a server heading our way with a picnic basket full of sandwiches. “Oh look, more lunch is coming.”
But her deflection tactics don’t deter the conversation, since Lake’s already answering my ex with, “Costco. We had the best time eating samples.”
Jameson chuckles under his breath.
Lake looks at him sharply. “Don’t laugh till you’ve tried their granola.”
“It’s so good,” I second.
Lake turns back to my mom, flashing a supportive beau smile that just slays me. “Honestly, it was a perfect date, Mrs. Hatmaker.”
Damn, this man can fake-boyfriend ridiculously well. I’m surprised he’s so upbeat, so sunshiny, but I’ll take it. I bump my shoulder to his, getting in on the affection.
“A perfect date,” Mom says happily, then looks at me with fondness in her eyes. “You were always so good at that! Remember that candlelit game night you set up for your father and me?”
I sit up straighter. All the tension slams right back into me. My muscles are tight everywhere. I remember those nights all too well—nights when I tried to fix their marriage. When I tried to help repair whatever was broken for them at the time. But I don’t want to think too long about the dates I crafted for my parents, how long I planned them, how much time I spent making sure everything was just so. “I sure do,” I say tightly as the server sets a tomato and avocado onfocaccia bread in front of me and Lake shoots me a curious look.
“Now comes the true test of our makeup,” Caroline declares from her end of the table, once more taking the reins of the moment, like the host she is.
“Can the lipstick withstand the sandwich test?” I ask, grateful for the chance to talk about something else. Something besides the fake dates with Lake and the very real ones I arranged for my parents once upon a time. Or the look my fake date just gave me.
I bite into the sandwich, and it’s delicious—so good in fact that it distracts me from the bloom of feelings for my fake boyfriend that I didn’t anticipate either.
He takes a bite of his sandwich, chews, and finishes, then leans closer to me, saying, “Score two.”
And I like scoring with him even though I shouldn’t.
* * *
After lunch, Lake tips his forehead to the edge of the gardens. “They have a succulent garden here.”
“They do?”
“Yeah. Want to see it?” His tone is intense, like he really wants to do this.
There’s a tug in my chest. I’d like to see it too. I glance around the scene, unsure if I can just slip away from my sister and everyone else. “I do, but can we take a rain check?”
“Yeah,” he says, all casual. “Another time.”
“Definitely,” I say, then make a mental note to add this detail to my World Domination Notebook—Lake knows there’s a succulent garden here.
Margot calls my name, and asks me to join her and the other bridesmaids. Good thing I didn’t sneak off to the succulents. I meet them at their table, and weoohandaahover allthe wedding events coming up, sayingwe can’t waitandthat’s going to be so funmore times than I can count.
