Page 12 of Fake To Forever

“Oh, yeah, because we’re such a hotbed for drama.” I snort and shake my head. “You both need to get hobbies.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” she replies, arching a brow. “Is the new dad hot or not?”

I sigh and reluctantly nod. “Yeah… he’s really hot.”

Marie claps her hands together in glee. “Oh, yay! It’s about time we got some fresh meat around here.”

I straighten and put my hands on my hips.

“You can’t drool over the hot dad,” I tell her.

“Why not?” she asks. “He married?”

“No,” I hesitantly answer. “It’s just… you know… not appropriate.”

She releases a huff of breath. “Oh, don’t be such a prude. There’s nothing wrong with looking. Now, spill! What’s hot dad look like?”

“Okay, first off, his name isn’t hot dad,” I correct. “It’s Chris.”

Marie smiles. “Oh, Christopher, a good name. Strong. Manly. What else?”

“It’s Christian.”

“Even sexier,” Marie replies, but I ignore her little comment.

“And he’s… tall,” I admit. “In shape. Nice, broad shoulders and a slim waist. He’s got brown hair, but it’s not super dark. It’s kind of milk chocolatey. And his eyes are so blue, you can hardly look away from them. They’re so gorgeous…”

I trail off when I notice that Marie’s eyes have gone wide, and she’s staring at me with a surprised grin.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

She chuckles and shakes her head. “Oh, you like him.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” I exclaim as I feel my cheeks flush and my heart race. “I don’t like him… I mean, I do, but just as a person. He’s nice and Oliver is an adorable kid.”

Marie doesn’t look convinced. In fact, she looks rather smug as she crosses her arms and holds my gaze.

“Mmmhmm… you know, I have noticed you’ve been putting a little more effort into your appearance the last three days,” she says. “You always look good, don’t get me wrong, but your makeup has been more precise and you’ve been curling your hair. Sure you’re not trying to impress hot dad?”

“Chris,” I state again. “His name is Chris, and no, I’m not trying to impress him.”

“Whatever you say,” she replies flippantly.

Her easy dismissal of my words irks me a bit, but then again, I can’t fault her for the suspicion. If I’m being totally honest, Chris intrigues me. Apart from his looks, he appears to be a good man and an excellent father. Oliver is always clean, and well-dressed, and he looks properly fed. More than that, he’s a very happy little boy who, despite being shy, makes friends rather easily and is also excited to see his dad at the end of the day when Chris comes to pick him up.

It’s actually adorable watching them when they’re together. They look so much alike… Oliver is basically Chris’ mini-me.

I glance back up at Marie and hesitantly. “Hypothetically speaking… if I were trying to impress him…”

Her eyes widen and light up. Her grin is as big as the Cheshire Cat’s.

“How would you go about doing it?” she says, finishing my sentence.

I clear my throat and shrug, trying to seem nonchalant, though I’m pretty sure I’m failing at it miserably.

“Sure,” I murmur.

“Well, you’re off to a good start,” Marie declares. “You’re hot, brilliant, and charming. Honestly, if you are just a little forward with him, I’m certain he’ll be putty in your hands.”

---