Page 19 of Fake Spring Fling

Thank goodness Wyatt snagged us a cozy table by the window with a view of the lake, half-hidden from most of his family.

I do like them. Really. They’re just…louder and chattier than I want to deal with right now. They’re also extremely social in the mornings, which I find a bit jarring. But I guess the entire family doesn’t get together very often.

Wyatt reaches over to pat my hand. “Hey. You’re a million miles away. Everything okay?”

“Oh, sure.” I flip my hand to catch his and squeeze it. “It’s just a lot of people to deal with this weekend.”

His head cocks to the side, giving me his best “confused puppy” expression. “Madison, you’re the front desk clerk at a busy hotel. You deal with people all day long.”

“That’s different. It’s just me solving their problems and sending them on their way.” I release his hand and lean back with a shrug. “It’s like everyone here is up in my personal business, and honestly it’s kind of exhausting.”

Wyatt’s lips quiver as he stares up at the ceiling while muttering “Do not make a filthy joke about being all up in her business. Don’t do it.Do not.”

My hand barely makes it in front of my mouth to stifle my laughter to a respectable level.

He looks around the room, then sighs. “Look, there’s a few relatives I haven’t had a deep conversation with yet. If I don’t do that soon, they’re going to descend on us. Why don’t I leave you alone for a bit of quiet time with your coffee?”

“Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”

He leans in to lower his voice. “And I’ll keep an eye on Mom to make sure she doesn’t corner you.”

“You’re the best.”

Yes, I’m openly ogling his ass as he walks away. Yes, I’m still thinking about everything that happened last night. I had no idea that my first time would be so perfect. It’s hard not to giggle when I realize my hip and outer thigh muscles feel like I had a bit of a workout yesterday, above and beyond our hike.

Last night was so much more than sex, though. So much more than taking advantage of a romantic opportunity and perfect timing. Wyatt truly cares about me. I can feel it in every touch, see it in every long, soulful glance.

But this weekend was not supposed to be about the two of us falling for each other. I was supposed to help him avoid his family a bit, nothing more. How could I possibly let his mother get her hopes up?

Sipping my coffee slowly, I look out across the peaceful waves of the lake as they lap on the stony shore. For that matter, how could I deceive my friends? Just because we’re more colleagues than close friends anymore, it still doesn’t mean I should be pulling the wool over their eyes about this whole thing.

And the biggest question of all: if Wyatt and I started out as a fake relationship for the sake of convenience, can we just flip a switch and become real? Would he evenwantto? I feel deep in my heart that he deserves someone who is forthright from the very beginning.

I’m also not entirely positive that a convenience-based relationship wouldn’t flip from fake to real then back to fake, no matter what Wyatt’s good intentions. I want to believe in us… but people are fickle…and things that move too quickly don’t seem as grounded in reality to me.

“Hey, may I join you?”

I look up to see Tanya sliding into Wyatt’s chair. “Of course. How are you?”

She beams, showing off her professionally whitened teeth. “Thanks to you, I’m fabulous. I double checked some of the tea and dessert footage from last night, and the color was amazing. Thank you so much.”

“No problem. Happy to help.”

Christie and Andrea, Wyatt’s other sisters, join us, dropping into the nearest available seats. “Yes,” Christine says with a strange, tight smile. “You were very helpful last night indeed. But it’s strange that I’ve never seen you at Wyatt’s shop.”

“Oh.” The three sisters are all studying my face. It’s completely unnerving. “It’s not like I hang out with him when he’s working.”

“Have you even been to his pharmacy?” Andrea asks.

Thank goodness I looked up the address of his workplace on the drive on Friday. “Only a few times. I work at the Kingsview Riverview Suites, so I’m not often near Robinson Street.”

Tanya looks oblivious, but Christine and Andrea share a glance. Christine leans closer. “It seems strange that he’s never mentioned you before Friday morning.”

I hope my smile doesn’t look as forced as it feels. “You know what Heather’s like. Wyatt said we should keep things quiet for a bit so she didn’t get overly excited?—”

“Look, we just want to know if you’re after his money,” Andrea blurts flatly.

Tanya turns to her. “Andrea! You can’t say things like that!”

---