Page 86 of Fake It Till We Fall
Charli nodded slowly. “So, you’re trying to tell me that it was all fake?”
I nodded again.
She inhaled slowly through her nose and sat back in her chair, leveling her gaze on me. After a moment, she said, “Bullshit.”
I sat back, stunned. “Excuse me?”
“Bullshit,” she said again. “You’re forgetting that I saw the two of you together on multiple occasions, and more than that, I knew you both back in the day. And I saw the way you were then, too.”
“Uh, huh. But?—”
“You weren’t faking it,” she said matter-of-factly. “There’s no way that was fake.”
“It was.” It hurt more than I cared to admit, but it was the truth. The only reason Grayson agreed to be my fake boyfriend was for Grandma. “He was just doing me a favor.”
“Because Grayson Lyons would do anything for you.”
It wasn’t a question. Still, I nodded.
“Because he’s in love with you,” Charli said. “He always has been, Harper. And he always will be. You know that.”
I opened my mouth to deny it, but closed it again. There was a time, not too long ago, when I might have agreed with her. But she hadn’t heard the awful things he’d said to me, or the cold look in his eyes when he’d said them. That wasn’t love.
“Nothing about what I witnessed for the last few weeks was fake.” Charli shook her head. “I don’t buy it.”
I blinked at her. “Why not?”
“Because,” she leaned in, “neither of you are a good enough actor to fake the way you both looked at each other. Especially when you didn’t think anyone was watching.” Her voice was steady, her gaze locked on mine. “I know you two,” she continued. “But even if I didn’t, I would have been able to see the love radiating from both of you. Besides,” she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, “from the way I hear it, the fight in the middle of the plaza was pretty passionate, and I don’t think you can have that kind of passion without love.”
Her words struck me in the chest.
“Look, Harper.” Her tone softened. “I don’t know what the fight was about, or why you seem to think that what is, and always has been, love between the two of you isn’t all of a sudden. But what I do know is that life doesn’t always give us a second chance, and when it does, you need to grab onto it with both hands. Because if you don’t, you could be missing out on the best thing to ever happen to you. Trust me.”
Not long ago, Charli and Symon had their own second chance, and it had led to them being happily married, with the cutest baby ever. She knew what she was talking about.
But I wasn’t Charli.
It wasn’t the same.
“I don’t want to overstep any more than I already have,” Charli said. “But something tells me that what the two of you have is probably worth another try. I know Grayson has a lot going on right now, with the store being sold and all.”
“He was going to make Ollie an offer,” I told her. “Of course, I haven’t heard how?—
“Oh.” Charli’s face fell. “I thought maybe you knew,” she said. “You know how news travels in this town.”
“Knew what?” Worry knotted low in my gut.
“Ollie decided to sell the hardware store to a franchise,” she said simply. “Word on the street is that Gray’s pretty upset about it. You didn’t know?”
I shook my head, stunned. “No.” My heart hurt for Grayson. He’d put so much of his life into the store; it was so much a part of him. “He must be?—”
“Devastated?” she finished for me. “Not himself?”
I nodded.
Charli’s smile was warm as she gathered her coat and tote bag. “I should probably grab my lunch and get going,” she said. “But whatever you decide to do, Harper, I hope you remember that you guys aren’t kids anymore. Don’t let history repeat itself when it doesn’t have to. You can tell him how you feel this time. Don’t let him push you away.”
Grayson
