Page 45 of Faking All the Way
I grab my keys, wallet, and phone, take one more look in the mirror to make sure I don’t look like an idiot, and head out.
The walk to the main cabin only takes about thirty seconds, but the cold air feels good against my face. It clears my head a little, helping me focus on something other than the unaccountable nerves churning in my stomach. I knock on the back door and wait, shoving my hands in my pockets.
Kat opens it a moment later, and the sight of her almost knocks me over.
She’s wearing a deep green dress that brings out her eyes in a way that makes them look darker than usual. The fabric is rich and jewel-toned, and it hugs her curves perfectly. It’s not revealing, exactly, but it shows off her figure in a way that makes me very aware of every line and curve. Her hair is styled soft and loose around her shoulders, falling in waves that look natural but probably took effort. She’s wearing makeup too, more thanusual, and it makes her eyes look huge and her lips look full and kissable.
She looks stunning.Morethan stunning.
Her gaze roams over me too, taking in the suit as she tugs that plump bottom lip between her teeth. I don’t speak for a long moment—truthfully, I’m not sure Icanspeak—and as the silence stretches between us, her expression shifts, self-consciousness flashing across her face.
“Is this okay?” She grimaces, gesturing to her dress with one hand. “I wasn’t sure if it was too much or not enough, or if the color is weird, or?—”
“You look beautiful,” I say, cutting off her rambling. My voice comes out huskier than I meant for it to, but fuck, I can’t help it.
She half smiles, color rising on her cheeks. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Really beautiful.”
The words feel inadequate for what I’m actually thinking, which is that she looks like every fantasy I’ve been trying not to have about her. But I can’t say that. We’re fake dating. This is all pretend, and it can’t really ever become anything else. I need to get my head straight.
Her smiles widens, pleased and a little shy. “You look really good too. I wasn’t expecting the full suit.”
I shrug. “Well, I figured I should make a good impression on your grandmother.”
“Mission accomplished.”
She grabs her coat from the hook by the door, a long wool one, and I step forward to help her into it. My fingers brush against her neck as I lift her hair free from the collar, and I feel her shiver slightly at the contact.
As we head toward my rental car, I realize it started snowing at some point. Not a lot, just light flakes drifting down through the darkness, but it gets a bit heavier as we start to drive.
Kat is quiet on the way over, looking out the window at the snow falling past the streetlights. When I glance at her, I find myself searching for words and coming up empty too.
It takes a while to reach her grandmother’s house, but thankfully, we arrive before the silence can to turn into anything too awkward. When we pull up outside, there are already a lot of cars lining both sides of the street, so we have to park about three houses down.
The house itself is impressive. One of those big old buildings that’s probably been in the family for generations, with a wraparound porch and turrets on the corners. The whole place is lit up, lights strung along the railings and wrapped around the porch columns.
I get out and walk around to open Kat’s door, the falling snow dusting my shoulders. I offer my hand to help her out of the car, and she takes it without hesitation.
“Are you ready for this?” she asks, looking up at me with those big green eyes.
As I gaze down at her, snowflakes catching on her hair and lashes and melting almost immediately on her warm skin, I suddenly don’t know if I am. But I nod anyway, injecting confidence into my voice that I don’t entirely feel.
“Yup,” I tell her as she stands up beside me, her hand still wrapped in mine. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Seventeen
Kat
Grandma Beverly’s house is an old Victorian thing that always feels cozy and homey to me despite its large size, and tonight it looks like something from a dream. Warm light spills from every window, casting golden rectangles across the snow-covered lawn. Garlands wind around the wraparound porch columns, dotted with tiny white lights that twinkle in the darkness. Through the tall windows, I can see the party in full swing, adults mingling as they sip on mulled cider as a few children run around.
The sound of laughter and holiday music drifts out as we approach. Usually, my grandmother’s party is one of the things I legitimately look forward to during the holidays, but tonight, my stomach churns with nervous energy.
The fake couple act is getting easier to sell now that we’ve actually gotten to know each other and aren’t total strangers, but tonight still feels like it will be a real test. There will be a lot more people to fool than just my family and my ex.
The front door opens just a few moments after we knock, and my grandmother beams at us from the doorway. At seventy-eight, she’s still beautiful, her silver hair cut short and curling slightly to frame her face.
“Katherine, sweetheart!” She claps her hands together before pulling me into a hug. “Oh, you look radiant. Just glowing, sweet girl.”
