Page 27 of Maybe We Can Fake It

“I’m happy to be here for anything they need,” I tell her as I squeeze Brenden’s thigh lightly. “But there’s nothing for you to worry about. Brenden is more than capable of taking care of May and himself. I don’t know anyone else who can handle as much as he does. He built a life here for the two of them, all on his own. Gave her a home and everything she needs while working his way up in his career to get where he is now. He and May have an incredibly close relationship, and everyone in town loves both of them.”

Brenden exhales loudly, like he was holding his breath. Then, very slowly, his palm slides along the back of my hand until he laces his fingers with mine.

“Well, we did help him out significantly with purchasing the inn,” Grant says, “but I’m sure you’re right about everything else.”

Brenden tenses again. “I hope you know how much I appreciate the two of you offering me a loan.”

“Yes, we know, hon,” Elise tells him.

“But it’s still his good sense for business and hospitality that’s keeping the place so successful,” I remind everyone. Maybe Ishouldn’t be causing waves here, but I want to make sure May’s grandparents know how smart and capable Brenden is. I want to make sureheknows it too.

“The inn’s always been a lovely place,” Elise says. “We’re excited to see what it’s like now that it’s yours.”

“It’s, uh...” Brenden starts. “Things are going great. It can be stressful, because something constantly comes up that I have to figure out and adapt to. But I love the work, and the guests are always happy.”

Elise idly taps one manicured nail against her mug. “I’m sure they are. I hope we can still have some meals there, even if it’s not where we’re staying.”

“Yes, absolutely!”

I can tell by Brenden’s face that he’s relieved she wants to eat at the inn. Because he certainly has no business cooking for them.

“And we’ll have to eat at your place too,” Grant adds, turning toward me.

Brenden hastily shakes his head. “No, you don’t have to do that. It’s not your kind of restaurant.”

“Maybe not exactly,” Elise admits. “But we’d still like to see it.”

“Of course, you should stop in,” I say, giving Brenden’s fingers a squeeze to let him know it’s okay.

It’s going to be tricky, navigating how to keep them believing we’re a couple while not letting anyone else in town catch on to us. The diner is like gossip central, so we’ll need to be careful. But we can do it. I promised him we’d do this.

This handholding is already messing with my head though. We should’ve talked about touching and boundaries. If I’m doing this, I want to make it believable, but I don’t want to do anything that would make Brenden uncomfortable. And I didn’t really prepare myself for the way acting affectionate with him would makemefeel.

But it doesn’t matter. Right now, he seems perfectly content to keep our hands together on top of his thigh. I think the contact is keeping him from spiraling. So I’ll hold his hand and try to tamp down the warmth that’s sneaking up my chest.

After everyone has finished their drinks, Brenden gets up, his fingers slipping out of my hold, and collects the mugs to bring them to the sink. May steals his seat as her grandparents turn all their focus on me. They ask about my life (boring), why I chose owning a restaurant (not entirely a choice), and my family (a dad who doesn’t really know me).

I don’t say this about my dad, of course. And when I mention that he also lives in town, Elise and Grant insist they need to meet him. But I apologize, letting them know about his injury and how he’s staying with his sister for at least another few weeks until he recovers. No chance of that meeting happening,thank fuck.

The conversation still makes me squirm a little though. Not necessarily the questions, but the utterly bland impression I must be giving them. Brenden clearly seeks their approval of him and his life choices. I don’t want them to thinkI’ma bad choice. Even if this isn’t real.

I find myself standing and drifting over toward Brenden when I run out of things to say. He’s at the sink washing dishes, so I step up behind him and place a hand on his hip, hoping the move doesn’t startle him. It needs to look natural. His jump is so tiny, I’m sure everyone else missed it, then he quickly settles into my touch.

Stepping closer, I rest my chin on his shoulder. And I swear I’m doing this for him. To sell this thing. I’m not doing it because I like how it feels. “Need any help?”

He shakes his head, his cheek briefly brushing mine. “Almost done.”

We stay like that a minute while he finishes up, and when he turns to reach for a dish towel, I grab it for him. It’s a slight disappointment that I have to step away to do it.

Then Elise says, “Well, it’s getting late. I think we’ll head up to bed. Travis, you’re staying right?”

I’m hit with a flash of panic.

“Don’t let us get in the way of whatever it is you two would normally be doing,” she adds.

“Eww,” May says.

“Hush,” Brenden tells her, face flaming. He glances nervously at me, and we attempt to have a silent conversation.

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