Page 134 of The Fine Art of Faking It
“Wait ’til you see what I can do with only five minutes,” he teased, slowly lowering her back to the floor.
“I’m not sure I could survive it. I think I’m going to like for real dating you.”
With a cocky grin, Davis handed over her underwear. “I’m a catch. Everyone’s been telling you for years.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The knock at the door had Eden losing her balance and falling back into the wall.
“Miss Moody?”
“Claudia?
“Yeah. Listen, are you coming into the inclusivity room soon? I want to tell you about the prize packages onGuess Again. I brought pictures in case you’re not an auditory learner.”
Eden looked at Davis and patted a hand over her heart.
“That sounds great, Claudia. I’ll be there in three minutes,” she promised, scrambling to straighten her dress. “How’s my hair?” she whispered to Davis.
“It’s a disaster. I love you, Eden.”
The swift joy that those words brought was humbling and exhilarating.
“Want to join me in the inclusivity room?” she asked. “Rubin’s there, too.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
They started down the hall. “Hey, I know this is moving fast. But what would you say to hosting both our families at the inn for Christmas?” Davis said.
They stared at each other for ten seconds before they collapsed in laughter.
Epilogue
“We’re insane.”
“We need to have our brains scanned,” Eden agreed.
“Why did we think we could do this?” Davis asked peering through the small round window of the swinging kitchen door. “Did you take all the knives off the table?”
“These people could kill each other with dinner rolls. What are they doing now?” Eden whispered.
“They’re sitting there in total silence staring at their plates. Except for Atlantis’s kids. They just crawled under the table with the dogs. I think Bryson’s already under there with them.”
Eden blew out a breath and swiped her damp palms over her ruby red sweater. “At least someone’s having fun.”
It was Christmas Day.
And while the rest of Blue Moon was bellied up to tables laughing with family and singing carols, the Moodys and the Gateses were suffering through their very first dual family function.
The table was set with silver chargers and antique lace. Davis had personally selected the skinny Douglas fir that stood proudly in the corner of the Lunar Inn’s dining room. The food included something guaranteed to please every single family member. A fire crackled cheerfully in the hearth, and classic Christmas carols played on low in the background. The alcohol had been limited to an appropriate amount of wine.
And their guests were behaving as if they were facing life in prison.
It was going better than Eden had expected.
She plucked the open bottle of wine out of Davis’s grip and drank.
“We can get through this. The first time is the worst, right? They have to get used to not hating each other,” she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
