Page 38 of Maybe We Can Fake It

That’s totally bullshit. Because for one thing, we’re not really dating, and for another, if weweredating, that would be pretty much impossible in a town like this. But Grant nods like he appreciates the concept.

Elise smiles. “I promise we won’t embarrass you.”

The comment makes me pause. It sounds like something a parent would say to a teenager. And it has me thinking painfully of my own parents, and of Elise and Grant with April, and... Well, it makes me wonder if there’s any reality in which these twocouldsee me like a son. But I shake all that off, because there’s no use dwelling on people who are gone or things that are nearly impossible.

Hand on the door handle, I plaster on a smile and fake some confidence that this is all going to go fine. However, as soon as I step inside and lay eyes on Travis, I freeze, causing May to bump into my back.

“What the heck, Dad, move,” she urges, shoving me forward.

I wave awkwardly at Travis, then lead my group to an empty table. Luckily, my stalling paid off, and there’s only a scattering of other customers in here. May gives me a weird look as she takes a chair beside me, but I ignore it.

Because no, I don’t know why I malfunctioned like that.

Travis is wearing the same thing he wore at my house this morning—his typical jeans, black tee, flannel shirt outfit thathe wears practically every day. Yet for some reason, I was overwhelmed just now by the sight of his total hotness.

Maybe it’s because I kissed him. Which,yes, okay, I’m still realizing was possibly not the best idea. But how was I supposed to know one innocent kiss was going to be so good that it would affect me like this?

While we were at my house, pretending to be a couple, we were sort of in this fantasy-type bubble. One where Travis wasn’t exactly Travis, my friend, the grumpy guy who owns the diner. Now here inside Reed’s, it’s back to reality. And the reality is that I kissed my friend, and I really liked it.

Shit, I just hope I can be normal around him again once this charade is over.

“Hey,” he greets us, coming over and passing out menus. “I’m glad you all stopped by.”

When he sets his hand on the top of my chair, his knuckles brush against my upper back and I malfunction again, letting out a noise that sounds something like, “Glumph.”

He shoots me a concerned look, and May brings her hand up to her mouth, probably to cover an amused expression.

“Are you okay?” Grant asks.

I nod vigorously. “Yeah. Sorry. Had something in my throat.”

Travis is still looking at me like he can’t decide if I need the Heimlich or a mental wellness check. Guess Elise didn’t need to worry about embarrassing me. Nope, I can do that just fine on my own, thank you.

“Hey, Grandma,” May says, drawing everyone’s attention from me. The sweet angel. I take back calling her a traitor. “There are a couple salads on the menu that I think you’d like. They’re really good.”

“How would you know?” I ask. “You don’t eat salad.”

“No,youdon’t eat salad. But I do sometimes, when you’re not around asking if I want a burger.”

Clutching a hand to my heart and laying on the theatrics, I tell her, “I’m so disappointed in you.”

Elise and Grant look appalled at this, but before either of them can comment on how horrible of a parent I am, Travis jumps in with, “He’s kidding.”

“Yeah, totally kidding,” I confirm. They really don’t get my sense of humor.

“Anyway, can I grab everyone something to drink?” Travis offers, gracefully moving us all along. For which I’m so grateful, I could kiss him.

Or not kiss him. It’s not like Iwantto kiss him. Whatever.

He’s quick to get a cup of coffee in front of me, which helps me chill out somewhat, so that I make it through lunch without blowing the fake dating cover. Or blowing Travis’s cover to anyone.

And I swear I don’t think about blowingTravisat all.

Okay, maybe just once, when I turned my head to find him standing beside me with his crotch practically at mouth level.

I mean, seriously. I eat at these damn tables in this diner all the time, and I’ve never noticed this phenomenon before. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was purposefully fucking with me. But no. Pretty sure I’ve fucked with myself by coming up with this hare-brained scheme.

How am I supposed to make it through Elise and Grant’s trip pretending to date this man without doing something stupid and disastrous like throwing myself at him?

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