Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
I nod.
“Six people asked if I was excited she was coming home last Friday.”
“Six doesn’t seem so bad for a whole day…”
“It wasn’t the whole day. I stopped at the bakery to buy a bumbleberry pie,” he clarifies. “Wasn’t in the store for more than five minutes.”
My brows arch high. “Six people asked about her in the space of a five-minute pastry purchase?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not great.”
“No. Grandma said you’re new to the area,” he says out of nowhere. “That you grew up in the city and moved here from out of state.”
“That’s right.”
“Small towns can be hard. People have often known each other forever. They’re not always open to strangers.”
“Okay.”
“I’m just saying, it can be difficult.”
“Where are you going with this, Connor?”
He’s staring at me again, but not in an appreciative manner. More of an assessing one, like I am a bug beneath a microscope. Something that bites and is possibly poisonous. “Just thinking about something Grandma said…”
“What did she say?”
“People already think we’re together. What if we just let them keep thinking that?”
Surprised laughter bursts out of me. “What? Why would we do that?”
“I think there’d be benefits for both of us.”
“Please explain,” I say. “I understand that your ex returning, and everyone being so enthused, is annoying. But isn’t lying to everyone in town a little extreme?”
“No. For reasons I don’t fully understand, they fucking love the idea of me and her being together. But they need to know that we’re through, so they can get off my back and we can all move on. Seems like the best way to do that is for me to be with someone new.”
“Mm.”
“What do you think?”
“Have you tried telling people how you feel? Asked them to cut this shipping crap out?”
“Yes.” His brows draw tight together. “But we’ve been breaking up and getting back together since we were sixteen. Most of them don’t believe me. They don’t want to believe me.”
“Seeing someone new could work. You’re right. But that someone will not be me. I do, however, have every faith in your ability to find the perfect person to hang off your arm. Flutter your eyelashes at them. Lord knows they’re long enough.”
“But everyone already thinks I am dating you. The hard work is done. It just makes sense to keep up the ruse.”
“Not to me, it doesn’t.”
“I could take you out,” he offers. “Introduce you to people.”
“And that would help with these hostile small town social circles you mentioned?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you really that popular?”
He nonchalantly lifts a thick, muscular shoulder. It’s the assured mannerism of a former prom king and hometown hero. A man who has always belonged and never even thought to question it. Must be nice. “I know you said you don’t like that this happened, but the damage is already done. Our names are linked in their minds now. Even if we tell them the truth, some people will still think something is going on. They enjoy the drama.”
“I’m not convinced.”
“Hear me out.” His expression is super sincere, his gaze intense. Like if he could coerce me with the power of his mind he would. One of his ancestors was a snake oil salesman for sure. “We could make it work for us. Being known around town as my girlfriend does have its advantages.”
“Or they could continue seeing me as the man-thieving ho who ruined everything,” I say. Connor opens his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it. “There were dueling tip jars with my and your ex’s names on them in the coffee shop downstairs this morning. My jar had a nickel. One whole shitty nickel. Some of the locals might be willing to welcome me as your new girlfriend. But not most of them.”
“You didn’t have me publicly backing you before. Once we’re seen together things will change. This will end up working out well for you too.”
I raise a skeptical brow. “How so?”
“I’ll show you around town, introduce you to folks. Fast track you into knowing everything there is to know about Port Stewart. I’ll warn you about the bullshit you should avoid and get you in with the locals. And that’s on top of helping you shake off this nonsense with my ex. Once I vouch for you, they’ll be lining up to fill your tip jar.”
“Oh, really? They love you that much, huh?”
“I think, at heart, they want me to be happy,” he says. “We show them that you do that, and they’ll put out the welcome mat. Which is what you want, right?”
I don’t answer due to thinking deep thoughts. As tempting as I find fake dating as a trope, I don’t know about trying it in real life. And with Connor. Though I am curious.
“It would also be good research for your writing,” he says. “How many people in your field can say they’ve actually fake dated someone?”