Page 20 of Falling for your Fake Boyfriend

“You’re right.” I realized I was getting thoroughly hooked on her smile. “Here’s a pretzel for being a big, brave knight. And here’s the world’s tiniest container of nacho cheese dip.” We stared at it on her palm. “See what I mean? I asked the woman for two cheese dips, waving the massive pretzel to remind her that it was not a lot of dip for such a big pretzel, but she told me she was running short on the nacho dip, and that was all she could spare.”

“There’s a picnic bench on the side of the market for some shade.” We carried our pretzels and soda to the table. Isla went back to the car for a few minutes and returned with one of her linen napkins, bulging with pieces of ice.

We nibbled the pretzels while she gently held the ice-filled napkin on my knuckles. Something about the gesture felt so intimate, so intense, I could feel it through my entire body.

“How far are we from your parents’ house?” she asked.

“Less than an hour.”

“That close,” she said quietly. She put down the rest of her pretzel and sighed.

“Isla, you’ll be fine. My family is going to be impressed with you.”

She tried to smile. “How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve only spent one, long, adventurous day with you, and I’m impressed as hell … Tommy.”

ChapterNine

Isla

Admittedly, the long day had left me feeling drowsy—even with the amazing company. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to Luke, a man who was so far out of my social circle it was as if we grew up on different planets. But he was fun and down-to-earth and sigh-worthily handsome. Still, even with a tall, incredible, man sitting next to me, I managed to doze off for a few minutes until the car slowed and came to a stop.

I sat up higher and stifled a yawn. “Are we getting closer?”

“We’ve arrived.” There was a little tension in Luke’s tone.

It took me a second to clear my head and my vision. A massive, black wrought-iron gate spanned between two tall stone columns. Luke reached out to the keypad mounted to another stone column. Slowly, and with all the drama of a vampire throwing open his big, black cape, the gates parted and swung inward. A long driveway of dark and light gray pavers led up and around a curve and disappeared around a grassy knoll, hiding whatever was beyond it. Tall cypress trees, perfectly sculpted into columns, lined the long drive.

The electric car rolled forward silently, far enough for the gates to snap shut behind us. Luke stopped the car and held the steering wheel tightly. The swelling on his knuckles had gone down, but they were still red, and there was a small dent in the top of his hand where, we surmised, the guy’s tooth had landed.

I sensed a great deal of hesitation on his part. “Uh, I think I’m the one who’s supposed to be anxious. And trust me, there’s plenty of that right now. I suppose I have enough to spare, so go ahead and have your moment.”

I was far too mesmerized by his Adam’s apple. It moved up his long throat with a deep swallow. He turned to me with a faint smile. “It’s been a few months. My family always manages to sap all my energy.” Unexpectedly, he reached over and took my hand. It was warm and strong, and I hoped he wouldn’t pull it away too fast. “No matter how this weekend turns out, I’ve had a great time on this trip. Probably the best time I’ve had in a long time.”

“Me, too.” I turned forward. “Well, I think if we don’t get going soon, I might hop out, climb that fence and hightail it back to Whisper Cove. So, let’s go, dearest.”

He wrinkled his nose. “That sounds like something my mom would call my dad when she’s angry about something.”

“So, I’m assuming it’s a bignoondearest.”

“Let’s stick with names and see what comes to us naturally.”

We drove along a driveway that felt more like a mountain highway. We rolled past grassy knolls and boxwood shrubs and groves of flowering trees. There was even a small pond where several ducks floated aimlessly about, wondering how they got lucky enough to land in this place. I pulled my gaze from the scenery, and there it was—suddenly in view and more magnificent than anything my imagination could have conjured.

“Holy smokes—” I muttered. I grabbed my phone and took a picture of the sprawling manor. “Ella will fall over dead when she sees this house. The only thing missing is Mr. Darcy standing on the front steps in his black frock coat and tall boots.” The manor seemed to stretch from one zip code to the next. It was three massive buildings, each with dozens of symmetrical windows, stretched out across an incredible landscape. The two outer wings were each one story shorter than the center one. Massive stone steps led to a landing that was framed by carved stone balustrades.

A fountain as big as our cottage stood in the curve of a long circular driveway. The driveway was already filled with cars that were all too fancy for me to recognize. Luke parked.

“Just to be clear—this is your parents’ house and not some big fancy resort?”

“This is their country house,” he said.

“Oh, just their country house.” A nervous laugh burst from my lips. “I think me and my sticker-covered suitcase are just going to sleep out here.”

Luke smiled as he got out of the car. I’d finally figured out the car doors, but I was frozen to the seat. He opened the door, and the fragrance of fresh cut grass and roses swept in on the breeze. He lowered his hand for me to take. I took such a deep breath that I felt a little lightheaded from it.

I placed my hand on his, and he wrapped his long fingers around mine. “Come on, angel, it’ll be fine.”

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