Page 37 of Maybe We Can Fake It

“Thank you,” she says proudly, and I beam at her.

“Can I do anything?” I ask Travis. Though I’ll admit, I’m relieved when he shakes his head.

Spinning around, he offers me a whole strip of pepper. “Just sit down and look pretty.”

His eyes are playful, and I’m glad I’m getting the chance to see him this way. Less grumpy, more carefree.

I accept the veggie, giving him a shove for good measure, then munch on it while I sit and watch him cook. I watch him teach May how to pour the pancake batter and add the blueberries and when to flip them. He looks comfortable in my kitchen. I don’t know how he knows his way around it so well, but it’s like he’s been cooking meals here for years.

It would be easy for me to start imagining that he really is my boyfriend.

Andthatis a very dangerous thing.

WalkingthroughtownwithMay and her grandparents, I’m hyper-aware of my phone in my pocket. Every time it jostles against my thigh, I jump, thinking for a second that I’m getting a call. Then I reassure myself that Danny and Addison have everything under control at the inn.

Today is the last day of the retreat, and I desperately want to be there, but I figured Elise and Grant wouldn’t appreciate me working on their first day in town. At least the retreat schedule is pretty light today, as the group will be leaving late afternoon.

Spending the day with Elise and Grant, though, poses another challenge for me, because I have to feed them. Normally, I would’ve just taken them for lunch at the inn, but there’s no way I’m going to distract Addison and add to her workload by making her cook for us today.

When I explained how busy the inn would be, Elise immediately jumped in with the suggestion of having lunch at the diner. And before I could come up with a plausible reason to keep them away from there, May enthusiastically agreed. The little traitor. I think she’s enjoying seeing me and Travis squirm as we navigate this fake relationship.

All I can do to minimize the potential damage that might come from me and Travis having to put on a show in public—where other people in town could witness it, and either find out about him or blow our cover—is stall in getting there. I figure if we go for a very late lunch, during a typical lull, there shouldn’t be too many other customers.

So I’ve made sure to take a meandering path around town on the way to the diner, under the guise of giving a town tour. As if Elise and Grant haven’t been here before. And also, as if they even give a crap about Mayweather.

“Hi, Barbara!” I call out, pausing as we walk by the elderly woman’s pastel green house. Yes, I’m still stalling. But I also genuinely like her.

She’s sitting on her porch in a rocking chair, but she stands (very slowly) to greet me. “Brenden, dear! How are you?”

“I’m great!”Lie.“How are you?”

“Oh, you know,” she says, shrugging one bony shoulder. “Same old, same old. That’s how it is when you get to be my age.”

I wave my hand at her with a smile. “Nonsense. You’ve still got plenty of excitement in your life. Have you finished your cats in outer space puzzle?”

Grant chortles behind me, but I ignore him.

Barbara’s face lights up. “Yes, a few days ago! Thanks for asking! I’m working on one with a bunch of cowboys now.”

“Shirtless cowboys?” I ask, waggling my eyebrows playfully.

“You know it.”

“You’ll have to take a picture for me when you finish it,” I tell her.

“I will,” she says happily. “Thank you for stopping to chat! You’re so sweet.”

As we move on, Elise asks me, “Was that a friend of yours?”

“She’s just someone I like to talk to.”

May squeezes my forearm as she walks beside me. “Dad’s friendly with everyone in town. Everyone loves him.”

“I can see why,” Elise says, and I can’t help but preen a little. Though I’m not sure how sincere she’s being.

When we reach the town square, I do a lap around it, rather than heading straight to Reed’s. Most of the storefronts have flowerboxes outside, which are filled with spring blooms thatadd pops of color to the street. Several people stop us to say hello, and I introduce them all to May’s grandparents. Elise does seem delighted at how friendly everyone is here, but Grant’s face remains impassive the whole time.

Once we’re standing in front of the diner, I know I can’t stall any longer, so I turn to Elise and Grant. “All right, we’re here. Just please, let’s all remember that Travis is working. I don’t want to bother him too much. We like to keep our private and professional lives separate.”

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