“Not her. Paula, the one who works at the flower shop.”
I want to lie to her, but I can’t. Not when she’s looking at me with that cute little smirk.
“She may have texted me and told me you’d be here for lunch. But I really did want to get away from Piper.” I glance over my shoulder at her sister and soon to be brother-in-law. “Did Daniela just call me the winery guy?”
“Yeah, sorry about that. She wouldn’t stop hounding me about my plus one. Then I heard your name and figured I might as well tell her.”
So, she was trying to keep me a secret. It’s a hit to the ego, but I don’t blame her since it’s not serious. Both of us are getting something out of this.
“Good call.” Lisa picks that moment to deliver my food and a fresh beer. She gives both of us a wide smile and winks at me as she turns away.
“You can join us if you’d like. There’s another chair, and it might be smart to start the whole fake dating thing. It’ll be a good test run to see how convincing we are anyway.”
She’s not wrong. We need to see if we’re convincing. We had chemistry that first night, but who knows what will happen when we’re doing it on purpose.
“Sure. I’ll let Lisa know to bring my bill over there.”
“You know the staff by name?” The shock is comical.
“Yeah, we’re a small town. Everyone knows everyone. Besides, I’m a regular.”
She shakes her head and goes back to her table. This is either going to be amazing or a disaster.
Ten
Jasmin
I’m not sure if I should be freaked out or flattered about Parker being here. On the one hand, it feels very bold of him considering we aren’t actually dating. On the other, it’s kind of sweet. Maybe he wanted to see me. Or it could be that he wanted to see how I am when I’m not rushing through phone calls with him.
Parker talks to the server before grabbing his stuff and heading to our table. A small knot in my stomach forms, and I fear I’ve made a terrible decision.
He sets his food down before taking a seat. “Hi Daniela.”
“Hey Parker. I didn’t realize you and my sister were a thing.” She leans forward on her elbows studying his reaction.
Parker grins. “It’s still pretty new.” He turns his attention to Jacob. “You must be the groom. It’s nice to meet you; I’m Parker. Jasmin’s date, and one owner of Starlit Fields, where you’re getting married.”
“Jacob.” He reaches out to shake Parker’s hand. “How did the two of you even meet? No offense, but smalltown boys aren’t really Jasmin’s type.”
“I would have to actively date in order to have a type.” It’s not like there’s been a ton of time between work, looking for a job, and making sure everyone in the house is okay. But Daniela wouldn’t know anything about that. I hate that I sound so bitter.
“We actually met on Valentine’s Day. The winery was doing an event and she was fending off a stream of guys from asking her to dance. I swooped in and saved her.”
“So, you knew he owned the winery when we went to look at it?” My sister sends me a death glare.
“She didn’t.” Parker comes to my defense. “I wasn’t exactly forthcoming with the information. I told her I was working it, but not in what capacity. People get weird sometimes about it, and I was enjoying the conversation.”
“Me too.” I feel like I need to add something because he’s doing all the talking. Daniela will think it’s odd. “That was one of the reasons we let you explore the area. We were both shocked when we saw each other.”
“And the two of you have been talking ever since?” Jacob wags his finger between both of us.
“Pretty much.” It’s not a complete lie. I place my hand on Parker’s to bring out the authenticity. To his credit he doesn’t flinch or anything. He turns it up so now our hands are clasped. All I can think about is how it felt when we were running to his house to get out of the cold. Our hands melded together and laughter filling the air.
“You said you were one owner of the winery. How many more are there?” It’s cute my soon to be brother is curious. He’s a talker, though. I swear he can make friends anywhere he goes.
“Six of us in total. It’s been in my family for a few generations. My siblings and I co-own it. The only one who doesn’t actively work there is Paula.”
“Wait,” Daniela interrupts him. “The same Paula we met this morning? At the flower shop?”
