Page 34 of Frosted Fakes

Julia's face went hot. "We held hands once. For thirty seconds. Actually, twice, I think."

"In a small town, that's basically an engagement announcement. Oh, and Candice from across the street is telling anyone who’ll listen that it’ll never last." Jamie leaned against the counter. "How's the performance going, anyway? Gabby convinced?"

"Dunno. She hasn't been back since yesterday."

"She will be." Jamie looked both somewhat sympathetic and anticipatory.

"Like a bad penny, always showing up." Julia bit her tongue. She shouldn’t say things like that about her mother.

Jamie laughed. "You two will just have to work a bit harder on being convincing then, won’t you? Yesterday you both looked like hostages reading out a ransom note."

"Any tips?" Julia asked weakly.

"Stand closer. Touch casually, not like you're handling explosives. Look at each other like you actually like each other." He grinned. "Though that last one might be asking too much."

"I like her fine," Julia protested.

"You're terrified of her."

"I'm not terrified. I'm… cautiously respectful of her boundaries."

Jamie laughed. "Right. Well, whatever you're doing, do it better. And quickly. Besides, your mum’s terrifying, and you can hug her, right?"

Julia pulled a face and Jamie left, taking his wisdom and his irritating accuracy with him.

The kitchen door swung open. Elliott emerged, carrying a tray of something that smelled heavenly.

"Raspberry and white chocolate scones," she said. "For the display case."

"They smell amazing."

"They are amazing." Elliott set down the tray. "How's the front going?"

"I've taken three orders I have no idea if you can fill, promised a wedding cake consultation, and apparently the entire town thinks we're madly in love."

Elliott's eyebrow rose. "Efficient."

"Jamie says we need to be more convincing. He says we look like hostages."

"Charming analogy."

"He's not wrong though, is he?" Julia fiddled with her phone. "We're not amazing at this. You almost pulled my arm off this morning when I was talking to that man from the shop on the corner. That’s not romantic."

"You were about to explain our entire fake relationship in detail to a stranger," Elliott said. "Including timelines, motivations, and probably a PowerPoint presentation if you'd had time to make one."

Julia felt her face heat. "I talk when I'm nervous."

"I've noticed." But Elliott's voice had softened slightly. "Look, we just need to be more careful. Your mother is famous. And gossip spreads fast in small towns, especially about celebrity families. If anything seems off, if we slip up even once, someone will mention it to someone else, and eventually it'll get back to her."

"So, no pressure then."

"Exactly." Elliott picked up one of the scones and broke it in half, steam rising from the warm interior. "Here. Try this."

Julia took the offered half, their fingers brushing. The scone was still warm, the white chocolate melting slightly, the raspberry tart and sweet. She bit into it and nearly moaned.

"Oh my God."

"Good?"