Page 35 of Fake It Till We Fall
We popped up together and fired our weapons, pelting Ethan and Delaney in rapid fire until they threw up their hands in surrender.
Grayson whooped in triumph. “Victory!”
And then, while he was still celebrating, I nailed him in the chest with my last snowball.
He froze, brushing snow from his jacket as his mouth dropped open. “You didn’t just do that.”
I widened my eyes innocently and shrugged. “Oops.”
“Oh, you’re in trouble now.” He lunged, and I squealed, dodging him as I darted behind our snowman. He caught meanyway, grabbing my wrist and shaking the snow loose from my palm.
We were both laughing and out of breath. He held me close, and for a second, the entire world stilled. He reached up to brush snow off my cheek with his gloved hand, his fingers lingering.
“Truce?” he asked, his eyes holding mine.
“Truce,” I whispered back, my heart racing.
But neither of us let go right away.
“Now that,” Grandma’s voice called from a safe distance, “is a snowman worth fighting for.”
I startled, turning to see her bundled in her heavy wool coat. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold, her eyes shining. She leaned on her cane, but looked perkier than I’d seen her in days.
Grayson chuckled, stepping back just enough to wave at her, but his other hand gripped mine firmly. “Willa. Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Very much.” Her smile only widened as she looked between us. “Oh, Harper. You look happy. Happier than I’ve seen you in a long time.”
My throat tightened as guilt pressed against my ribs. She was glowing with joy, seeing something real where there wasn’t supposed to be anything at all.
I hated lying to her.
But seeing her smile, so alive in this moment, made it all worth it. This Christmas might be the last one we had like this, and if pretending with Grayson made it special, I’d play along as long as I needed to.
I swallowed hard and turned away.
It was only for Christmas. That was the plan. That had to be the plan.
Grayson
“Are you sure this is okay?”
It was the third time Harper asked me, and the third time I’d said, “Better than okay. We need to eat.”
She smiled softly. It did something to me. Something I had no business feeling, so I swallowed hard and held the door to Willa’s Whisk as she walked through it.
It was the first night Harper left her new chef in charge, and I knew it had weighed on her, so going to the restaurant for dinner seemed like the perfect solution. Especially because I wasn’t done spending time with Harper.
It might be just for show, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t fully prepared to maximize every moment.
Willa’s Whisk had slowed down over the years, but tonight it felt alive again. About half the tables were filled with guests laughing and eating. The scent of garlic and rosemary drifted from the kitchen, and my mouth watered as I followed Harper inside.
I took a moment to stand and watch as she moved easily through the space, chatting with Erin at the hostess stand, and stopping to say hello to diners with a smile on her face, before slipping into the kitchen to check on her new chef.
She looked like she belonged there. Like she’d never left.
“I know what you’re thinking, brother.”
I was startled out of my thoughts when Brody slapped me on the back.
