Page 46 of Hoax and Kisses
I crack a smile. She knows she nailed it. Doesn’t erase who she is or who she works for, but I’ll give her that. I was an asshole for jumping the gun.
“Wildly different from what your dad had in mind when he came here a few years ago.”
Her lips twitch. “That’s because I want to build lodging that belongs in the community, not just a fancy block of concrete.”
Eyes narrowed, I scan her face for any signs that would betray her words. But I don’t know her well enough to pick up on them.
“It shouldn’t be too hard to sway the town once they get past the initial ‘she’s Oscar’s daughter’ shock. We’re a stubborn, protective bunch. But that’s where I come into play, right?”
Her gaze flicks to my mouth. “Right.”
A loaded silence falls between us, thick with understanding. We both knowhowI come into play, and neither of us has any idea how to navigate that.
I clear my throat. “Should we go into my office?”
Her eyes widen, and she takes a step back.
“Not like that,” I blurt out. “I meant so we can discuss our game plan for the upcoming weeks.”
“Oh,” she says softly, a rosiness coloring her cheeks. “Of course. Lead the way.”
Once inside, I close the door and sit behind my desk.
She stands in the middle of the room, taking it in. It’s not a grand space. Four walls without windows, a table and two chairs, and an old leather couch for the countless all-nighters I pulled during the first year of business.
It’s simple, but it gets the job done.
“Lola has been begging me to decorate the office,” I tell Zoey as her attention continues to wander across every object and piece of furniture.
“You should let her do it.” She looks at the second chair warily before she eases into it. “It’s a bit… bland and old.”
I cock an eyebrow, suppressing my amusement. “Way to earn my favor.”
“Well…” She crosses her legs, tugging at her skirt, which hiked up with the movement. “At least you can note ‘honesty’ as a very strong personality trait of mine.”
“We’ll see about that.”
I open the top drawer of my desk and take out a notebook.
“First, we should exchange phone numbers. Then I’ll text you my address, just in case. This is information you should know as my fake… person.”
She holds back a laugh, pressing her lips together. “Person? Yes, okay, sure.”
“I made a list of the people we should hit on our fake dating tour if we want to secure the deal,” I say, ignoring her mocking remark. “People who have influence and respect.” I flip to the first page. “And I’ve made another one for the events we should attend together.”
Zoey nods, leaning in, wearing an impressed frown. “You put a lot of thought into it.”
“Not alot,” I retort. “I prefer to stay organized. If I don’t write stuff down on paper, I tend to forget.”
I don’t like the way she’s observing me, as if she’s just cracked a minuscule piece of theWho’s Matt?code. I didn’t think such a small detail would spark so much curiosity in her. I’ve always been like this, so I long ago found a system that works for me, and it’s nothing even remotely groundbreaking.
“That makes sense,” she finally says. “What do you have?”
I turn the notebook so she has a clear view of the outline I created. “In two weeks, we’ll all meet and vote on your proposal for Emile’s land,” I say. “I suggest we build this relationship gradually if we don’t want to arouse suspicions.”
“Smart,” she cuts in.
“However, with only two weeks to do so, it’ll be tricky,” I continue. “So gradual but effective. We’ll start tonight with the last movie-in-the-park of the season. The whole town will be there.”
