Page 20 of The Perils of Pretending
“Am I that exhausting?”
“Absolutely.” I have to work to keep up with Max. His wit and cheekiness are part of who he is and come naturally to him, whereas I have to always be on my toes ready for a verbal battle. Add in pretending to be his girlfriend and I’m ready to get lost in a book and escape reality. But we can’t. This flight is a grill session. I can’t have Brody knowing more about my boyfriend than me.
Max laughs. “I appreciate your honesty.”
I grin. “Any time.”
Max gets a stick of gum from his backpack. He holds out the package to me. “Want one?”
Has he always been this sweet and I’ve never noticed because I can’t get past his attitude? Either way, I have to set aside my natural inclination to tear him down and focus on his willingness to help keep Dorian away from me, giving me the space to complete my bucket list. I take a green-wrapped piece out of the box.
“Thank you. Oh! That reminds me.” I reach into my backpack and reverently extract the bag containing my prized caramel apple. If Max is sharing, I should offer too. “I'm willing to sacrifice one slice to you if you want one, but no more. I couldn't possibly risk the stench of Creepy Cowboy spoiling my indulgence, but because you saved me from him, a slice is the least—and the most—I can offer.”
Max chuckles and a sly grin breaks through my own facade of seriousness. “No, Princess, you have earned every bite of that treat, just by surviving how Alice treated you.”
“Ugh,” I sigh in agreement, “so true, babe.” I dislodge the first slice and snap it in half with my teeth. The rush of tart and sweet and chewy and creamy sends me melting into the back of my seat. Isoneeded this experience at this exact moment.
From within my pleasure cocoon I hear Max chuckling.
“You're missing out,” I say through chewing. His dang gorgeous brown eyes take me in with a look just a little bit thoughtful, and I swallow extra hard.
“Are you ready to spend the next few hours spilling your deepest darkest secrets?” I ask.
Max’s lips turn down and his nostrils flare. “Ugh. Can’t we just share our favorite things and leave it at that?”
I wag my finger back and forth. “Sadly, no. We should share our favorites, but we also need a cover story for how we met, how long we’ve been dating, and a few things about each other so this relationship is believable. If someone asks me a question about you, I don’t want to have to look at Brody for help or make something up. I know this isn’t going to last long, but if my grandma senses anything’s awry, she won’t give up on me and Dorian.”
“Who is Dorian? And why are you so adamant that you don’t get set up with him?”
“Some surgeon who lives in Alaska. My grandma would love nothing more than for me, or any of my siblings, to move closer to where she is and marry someone of her standards. I think it’s so she can control us more.”
The passenger sitting next to the window stares at us. He puts on his headphones, turns his back to us, and gets lost in his phone. I feel a little bad that we’ll be talking a lot during the flight and bugging those who want a quiet ride, but my need outweighs their discomfort right now.
“Are you opposed to living in Alaska?” Max asks.
I take a sip of water from my bottle, giving myself a moment to consider life up north. “I’ve never really considered living anywhere but Utah since my family is there. But the great thing about my job is I can work anywhere. Would I live in Alaska? Yeah, if that's where my husband had a job or needed to live to take care of his family. Am I going to move on my own accord? No. What about you?”
“I’d love to move home, but everything’s a lot more expensive in Alaska.”
“Sorry you’re stuck in the Rockies.”
He frowns. “I wouldn’t stay stuck. I’m happy where I’m at.”
A flight attendant comes over the speaker, announcing it’s time to ensure that our bags are properly stowed for take-off.
“Where do you live?” I ask.
“I’m in Herriman.”
I calculate the distance timewise in my head. “Forty minutes from me. Not too bad.”
“I like it out there.”
It’s too suburban for me. I love being downtown, close to all the restaurants and historical buildings. “You know all about my family. Tell me more about yours.” It’s sad I’ve known Max for so long but don’t know a lot about him except his job and snarky personality.
He rubs his palms down his thighs. “I’m the oldest of four boys, and the oldest cousin on my mom’s side, which is why my grandparents are hounding me about getting hitched and providing offspring.”
He’s mentioned the grandbaby thing multiple times now. Is he adverse to having children? “Is it a matter of not wanting them ever or just not wanting them right now?”
