Page 14 of Fake To Forever

“Great,” I assure him. “He’s making friends quickly and seems to be feeling more at ease every day.”

“Good,” he sighs, looking relieved. “I’m glad.”

“Has the move been difficult for him?”

He shrugs his shoulders and slips his hands into the front of his jeans. Damn… he looks good in jeans.

“It hasn’t been too hard,” he says. “Oliver likes the new house and having more space to play outside. I think he’s just adjusting. It’s a big change going from the city to the country.”

“Of course,” I nod. “That’s to be expected. Um… how’s the move been for you?”

He flashes me a half-grin that makes my heart flutter.

“Better than I anticipated,” he answers, holding my gaze. I can feel my cheeks heat, and I duck my head, hiding my blush and coughing into my hand to give me a moment to gather my thoughts.

“I’m glad to hear that,” I murmur, looking back up at him with a slight, shy smile. “Oliver’s been making friends, but how about you?”

I can’t help my curiosity. He’s attractive, charming, and sweet. There are plenty of single girls in town who would happily scoop him up if given the chance. Has he already had some approach him? Hitting on him in the grocery store? Flirting in the park when he takes Oliver to play?

Suddenly, I’m painfully aware of how many places in town he could bump into a single woman on the hunt. I shouldn’t care because I don’t actually want to date him, as I told Marie over and over, but there’s still a strange churning in my gut that I can’t ignore.

“I’ve met a few people,” he says, and it seems as though he’s choosing his words carefully. “I wouldn’t say I’ve made any friends yet, per se. It's much harder to do that as an adult than a kid, isn’t it?”

Is he dodging the question? Strange… but here’s also a sense of relief pulsing through me.

“Well,” I begin, “if you need anyone to show you around town and point out all the sites, I’d, um, be happy to help.”

His eyebrows rise and his eyes widen slightly in apparent surprise.

“Oh! That… that would be great. I’d like that very much, actually.”

I have to keep my smile from getting too big so he doesn’t see how happy his response makes me.

“Great,” I say. “We can arrange for a little tour, then.”

“I appreciate it,” he replies, his lips curling into a small grin.

We stand there, staring at each other for several moments like two dorky teenagers giving each other eyes.

At last, I clear my throat and nervously chuckle, “I should get in there with the kids. We need to get our day started.”

“Right.” He nods. “Yeah, of course. I won’t keep you. We’ll talk later?”

“Definitely,” I assure him.

“All right… I’ll see you later.”

I give him a small wave as he turns and makes his way back down the hallway. Before he turns a corner and disappears from sight, he pauses and glances back at me from over his shoulder. My heart is racing again as I give him another silly wave that causes a smile to cross his lips.

God, he’s so good looking.

Once he’s gone, I release a long breath and shake my head. I can’t believe I just did that. I can’t believe I basically asked him on a date… well, it’s not actually a date. Not really. I’m just being a good neighbor and helping him get to know Blue Ridge. That’s all.

And if some flirting happens on our outing, it is what it is.

Shaking my head, I try to force all thoughts of Chris out of my mind so I can focus on the rest of the day. After all, these kids aren’t going to wait for me to get my mind straight. Raising my chin, I slap on a bright smile and turn, making my way into the room to join my kiddos and act as though I’m not at all affected by the charming, sexy, and oh-so irresistible Chris.

Even though I’m sure that’s going to be much easier said than done.

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