Page 17 of Make Her Mine

Me being with someone else. Someone he hates.

“I think I can convince you otherwise,” Zach says, giving me a smile that I’ll bet works for him ninety-nine percent of the time.

I really like being the one-percent exception.

One thing I do know about Zach that has always been true, he’s very used to getting his way. Things fall into place for Zach Nelson. He’s very rarely wanted something he hasn’t gotten. And he’s not above lying, cheating, and manipulating to get it.

This could be a very long week.

I don’t worry about succumbing to his “charms”—at the end of this week I will not be back together with Zach—but avoiding him is going to be impossible and having this conversation over and over is going to be exhausting.

“I’m with someone,” I say.

Jefferson will still go for this. I know it. It was his idea, and he was disappointed I wouldn’t go along with it last night. Sure, when he first opened his stupid mouth, it was with the idea Graham and I would fake it. But our friends seem to think that Jefferson and I can make this believable.

I can fake being with Jefferson for a week.

I could do anything for a week if it makes Zach Nelson sad.

And Jefferson deserves it. Zach was a huge dick to him too.

Did I ever think I’d care if Jefferson got his revenge? No. But it will make this all the sweeter.

Zach frowns. “Someone told me that last night, but he didn’t say who it was and no one in town seems to know anything about you dating anyone.”

Of course he’s asked around.

And of course they’ve all said they don’t know.

“We’ve been keeping it under wraps,” I tell him. “We’re both from here and everyone knows us. We wanted a little privacy as we were figuring out if it was going to go anywhere.”

“But now you’re willing to tell me?” Zach asks, clearly suspicious.

“Seems that you have a direct interest.” I shrug. “I’m not interested in you. I wouldn’t be anyway. But no, I’m not willing to spend any extra time with you and I don’t want any attention from you this week. My boyfriend and I are happy, and I don’t want you messing with that.”

“Who is it?”

I shouldn’t say before I talk to Jefferson again. There are maybe a couple of other guys I could talk into faking this with me if he decides to be a jerk and not do this now.

“You’ll figure it out soon enough.”

“Zach!” someone calls from the back of the diner.

He looks over and his face lights up as he lifts a hand. “Be right back.” He slides out of the booth to go say hi to whoever it is.

I take a deep breath and slump in my seat as he leaves. I didn’t even realize how tense I was.

I pick up my cup and take a long, fortifying draw of Dottie’s coffee. It’s way stronger than what my mom and Adrianne serve. The farmers who come in for breakfast and gossip—heavy on the gossip and light on the eggs and toast—demand “real” coffee. I grin as I take a second drink. I agree with them.

I look out the window at the town square across the street. Preparations are already starting for the festival.

The festival is an annual event. Carnival rides and games roll into town. Booths for everything from food to crafts will outline the square. The two biggest being the dunking booth and the kissing booth, both of which raise money for local projects. There’s also a petting zoo and any number of other crazy, fun, whatever-we-can-come-up-with-and-stuff-into-this-square activities.

Sapphire Falls’ summer festival is famous and people plan their entire summer schedules around it.

It’s why Kaelyn and Carver decided to put their wedding on the Saturday of the festival. Everyone will already be in town and there will be plenty for everyone to do around the wedding. The ceremony will be a simple thirty-minute diversion, in the gazebo right in the center of the square so that everyone who wants to be a part of it can be. Then everyone will have fun at the biggest wedding reception ever. There will be one booth where wedding cake and other wedding themed treats will be served, and they're sponsoring the street dance this year as their wedding dance. But it will look just like every other year with the portion of the street right outside Dottie’s blocked off, picnic tables pulled out, lights strung up from the fronts of the buildings to poles in the square, and a live local band.

The games and rides and everything will continue to run during the dance, and everything will just blend together into one big party.

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