Page 22 of Stuff My Turkey
"Great! Bitsy's got some big news she's dying to share. Can't wait to see you—and meet this mystery girlfriend that's apparently the talk of Bitter Root."
After I hung up, Honey and I stared at each other, the complicated reality of our situation crashing back like a bucket of ice water. This wasn't just about us anymore—if it ever had been.
"Knox and Bitsy," she said flatly. "Today?"
"Yeah. They'll be arriving at four."
Neither of us mentioned what had just happened between us, or what it meant. The unspoken question hung in the air: Had this made our fake relationship more convincing, or infinitely more complicated?
But as I looked at her—really looked at her—I knew one thing for certain: what I felt for Honey March wasn't fake anymore. And that terrified me more than any business deal gone wrong ever could.
Chapter Five
Honey
I'd just finished blow-drying my hair when I heard the crunch of tires on gravel. My stomach twisted into a familiar knot of dread. Knox and Bitsy were here.
I peered through the bedroom window to see a gleaming silver BMW SUV pulling up alongside Heath's truck. Of course Knox would drive something that screamed "successful real estate agent with more money than sense." He always had been image-conscious to a fault.
"They're here," I called to Heath, who was changing his shirt for the third time. After our morning together, things had turned awkward once we realized his brother—my ex—would be arriving in mere hours.
Heath appeared beside me at the window, his warmth radiating against my arm. "Ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be to face the ex who cheated on me with a pageant queen while pretending to be in love with his brother," I muttered.
His hand found the small of my back, a brief touch that sent a rush of warmth through places I didn't want to acknowledge. "We'll get through it. Just remember—"
"I know. Stick to the story." I squared my shoulders and headed for the door. "Let's go greet Instagram's favorite couple."
From the porch, I watched as Knox emerged from the driver's side. He looked exactly as I remembered—tall, though not as tall as Heath, with meticulously styled hair and a smile that belonged in a toothpaste commercial. That smile had once made my heart flutter. Now I felt nothing but mild irritation, like spotting a mosquito bite that had already stopped itching.
But it was Bitsy who caught my attention as she climbed out of the passenger side. Photos didn't do her justice. She was tiny—barely five feet tall even in her heels—with platinum blonde hair cascading down her back in beachy waves. She wore a figure-hugging sweater dress in a rich burgundy shade that screamed 'autumn photo shoot,' paired with thigh-high suede boots and a caramel-colored faux fur vest. A matching felt hat with a decorative pheasant feather sat at a perfect angle atop her platinum blonde hair, and her diamond earrings caught the light with every animated head toss. The entire ensemble looked like it had been styled specifically for an Instagram post captioned #FallVibes.
They were the human equivalent of those plastic couple figurines atop wedding cakes, coordinated right down to their matching Ray-Bans.
Heath stepped forward first. "Knox. Good to see you." The brothers hugged awkwardly, with plenty of back-slapping.
Knox turned to me, his eyebrows rising slightly. "Honey? Wow. I didn't believe the town gossip, but here you are." He leaned in for a hug that I returned with all the enthusiasm of someone petting a wet dog.
"In the flesh," I replied, forcing a smile. "How've you been, Knox?"
"Crushing it, as always." He gestured to Bitsy, who was bouncing on her toes with barely contained excitement. "You remember Bitsy, right?"
Remember her? The woman he'd cheated on me with? The one whose social media photos had appeared in his feed with increasing frequency before he finally confessed? Yeah, I remembered her face pressed against Knox's in countless selfies tagged #blessed while we were still dating.
But before I could respond, Bitsy launched herself at me in a cloud of floral perfume.
"Oh my goodness, it's so good to finally meet you properly!" She squeezed me in a surprisingly strong hug for someone whose arms resembled twigs. "I mean, I know we met that one time at Barton Springs, but that was, like, so awkward, and I've felt terrible about it ever since, and now here we are and you're dating Heath, which is literally the cutest thing I've ever heard!"
She said this all in one breath, her eyes wide and earnest behind a set of false lashes so lush they could have been classified as an endangered species.
I blinked, caught off guard by her genuine warmth. I'd spent two years nursing a grudge against the woman who'd stolen my boyfriend. I'd imagined her calculating and cold. But the reality of Bitsy Crenshaw was disarmingly sincere, like a puppy that doesn't realize it's sitting on your favorite sweater.
"It's... good to see you too," I managed. "Welcome to McGraw Heritage Ranch."
"It's even more gorgeous than the Instagram stories!" Bitsy bounced. "The filters don't do it justice! I'm thinking this would be the perfect backdrop for our holiday card shoot."
Heath rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's get your bags inside. You remember where the guest room is, Knox."
