Page 41 of Fake Date with the Mountain Man

“But you’ve been walking on eggshells around me all week, ever since you found out about the foster care thing.”

Ryan scrunches his brows together and searches my face as if he’ll find the answer there.

“That’s not why –” he starts, but cuts himself off. A heavy sigh passes through his lips. “I’m sorry, Marlow. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”

Ryan shifts beside me, pulling me toward him and wrapping his arms around my shoulders. His chin rests on top of my head. It’s a hug that feels a little bit like pity, but it’s so nice to be held that I don’t object.

We watch another episode ofShamelessquietly. We sit closer this time, less worried about accidentally touching, but not intentionally touching either.

When the episode is over, Ryan stretches and says that he’s getting tired. For a split second, I almost blurt out an invitation for him to stay the night.

Not likethatthough.

Or maybe like that.

But I don’t ask him to stay. I’m not sure what tonight was, but it didn’t change the fundamental truth that we are not on the same page when it comes to relationships. A friendship might be in the cards for us after all, but that’s all we’re ever going to get from each other.

Chapter 14

RYAN

Without Marlow, my Saturday morning hike is much less entertaining. I considered asking her to come along, but I figure that showing up at her door unannounced last night was probably about as much as she would tolerate of me over one weekend.

Plus, hanging out alone together two days in a row feels a lot like dating and we’re supposed to be friends.

Just friends.

Fuck, why did I ever ask to be her friend? At the time, it seemed like being friends was better than nothing. And I won’t lie – the words ‘friends with benefits’ were looming somewhere in the back of my mind. There’s no way that sort of arrangement would work for us though. And it’s not just because Marlow isn’t the type to settle for that. It’s me, too.

When Marlow opened up to me about her childhood, everything changed. It was the emotional equivalent of seeing those tiny imperfections when she slipped out of her dress that night in the hotel room. It’s a small crack in her icy façade. And the more I chip away at those cracks, the harder I fall.

So yeah, I’m falling for Marlow. Hard. I want more than a one-night stand from her. But first, I need her to trust me. I can tell she doesn’t yet. Maybe she never will, but I have to try.

As I’m pulling up to my house after the hike, my phone chimes. Hoping it’s Marlow, I grab it out of my backpack before I’ve even thrown my truck into park.

Instead, it’s Bonnie’s name on the screen.

I open the message, which reads:Eric finally asked me out!followed by a string of emojis that don’t make any sense.

That’s great!I type.Our evil plan worked.

By the time I get inside and toss my gear on the table, Bonnie responds with:I owe you big time! If you ever need a fake date to make someone jealous, I’m your girl.

I laugh. It’s a nice offer, but that’s the exact opposite of what I need right now. That would send Marlow packing faster than ordering her a triple bacon cheeseburger with a side of veal.

Noted, I say to Bonnie before tossing my phone onto my bed and heading to the shower.

___

I hang around the office more than usual the following week.

Marlow seems frazzled, like she’s ready to lose it with all of the interns. They do seem like a particularly idiotic bunch. The applications for the program are handled at the regional level, so we never have any say in who they choose. But if the people they send us are the best of the bunch, I’d be afraid to meet the rest of the applicants.

On Tuesday, I catch Marlow in her office with her palms pressed to her forehead, staring down at absolutely nothing on her desk. I rap my knuckles against her already open door before taking a seat across from her.

“Did you fire them all?” I joke.

“Is that an option?” she asks without looking up at me.

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