Page 5 of Practically Perfect Together

Her fingers are smaller than I expected, softer too. She pulls away quickly, already reaching for her planner.

"We'll need to establish ground rules," she says, flipping to a clean page.

"Let me guess? You already have notes."

"Mockery wasn't part of our agreement," she says primly, but there's a hint of something like humor in her eyes.

"I'm just getting into character," I say with a grin. "Shouldn't your fiancé know how to make you smile? Or is that not in the contract, either?"

She taps her pen against her planner. "Let’s focus on those rules."

"By all means, Ms. Carter. Let's hear them."

"First," she says, ticking off a finger, "this is strictly professional. We maintain the appearance of a relationship only when necessary. Specifically for the dinner with the Bennetts on Friday."

"Second," another finger, "minimal physical contact. Hand-holding if the situation requires it, nothing more."

"And third, this arrangement ends immediately after the Bennetts leave on Sunday."

I lean back, studying her serious expression. "Sounds simple enough. Though we might have a problem with rule number one."

Her eyes narrow. "What do you mean?"

"If we're only pretending when the Bennetts are around, how do we explain suddenly being engaged to my family? My mother knows everyone in town. If she hears we're engaged from someone else..."

"Your family doesn't need to know," she says quickly.

"Evie's friends with Harold Bennett," I point out. "They served on the same charity board. If she slips up or seems surprised about our engagement, he'll know something's off."

I watch the realization dawn on her face. She hadn't thought of that.

"So what do you suggest?" she asks finally.

"A trial run," I say, warming to the idea. "Dinner with my family tonight. We announce our engagement, practice being a couple, make it believable."

She looks horrified. "You want to lie to your entire family?"

"Only Jules knows this is fake, right?" I ask. "We'll tell everyone after the Bennetts leave that we decided we rushed things. No harm done."

"That's..." She shakes her head. "I didn't plan for this."

"Welcome to the Callahan world, sweetheart," I say, enjoying her discomfort perhaps a bit too much. "Not everything can be scheduled in that planner of yours."

She takes a deep breath, visibly gathering her composure. "Fine. Dinner with your family."

"Dinner's at seven. I'll pick you up at your cabin at six-thirty."

"Don't be late,” she says with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it... fiancée."

As she navigates the stone patio with impressive skill despite her impractical shoes, Bear returns to my side, looking up with what I swear is a doggy grin.

"What do you think, buddy?" I ask him, scratching behind his ears. "We're having dinner with the family tonight, and I'm bringing home a fiancée."

His tail wags enthusiastically.

"Yeah," I murmur, watching her retreating form. "This should be interesting."

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