Page 7 of Boyfriend Material
“Dammit.” He couldn’t believe this, but he probably should have expected it. The weather forecast hadn’t been promising, but it was Minnesota. Snow happened there more than not at this time of year.
“What’s wrong?” Livie asked.
They’d stepped over to the side of the walkway for him to read through the entire message.
“They canceled my flight. And apparently, Duluth Airport is closed until at least Monday due to blizzard conditions.”
“Oh no,” she exclaimed. “Did you know the weather was supposed to be bad?”
“Yes, well, sort of. We get snow a lot, and they’re used to it up there. The forecast wasn’t this bad when I booked the flights. I figured I’d make it home in time. So much for that.”
“I’m so sorry. I know you were looking forward to surprising everyone.”
“Now I’m really glad I kept it a surprise. They won’t be disappointed when I don’t show up.”
“That’s true. But what are you going to do now? Fly back to Virginia?”
Theo gazed into her cornflower blue eyes and made a split-second decision. “Actually, I’m volunteering for fake boyfriend duty.”
Livie’s jaw dropped as she stared up at him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lower lip. “Are you sure? I mean, you haven’t met my family. They’re pretty intense.”
“I’m sure they are, but together we can handle them. You said you were driving home from here?”
She nodded and swallowed. “Ah, yes. I just have to pick up the rental car.”
“All right. Let’s go get it and we can come up with our plan while we drive. How long do we have?” Theo tucked his phone into his pocket and grabbed the handle of Livie’s suitcase, nudging her along.
“Depending on traffic, about an hour and a half to Ellijay.”
“That should give us plenty of time to work out the details.”
“Maybe? I was only kidding when I suggested it. My mother will give you the fifth degree once we get there. Especially since I didn’t tell them I was bringing anyone home with me.”
“Eh, we’ll figure it out. I bet we can have some fun with it.”
“Fun? I’m not sure that’s the right adjective for what we’re walking into.”
“Then we’ll just have to make it fun, won’t we?”
Livie blew out a deep breath. “Oh boy. I was dreading this so badly, but now I?—”
“Now your parents won’t know what hit them.” Theo nudged Livie’s shoulder. “C’mon, stalling won’t change anything.”
“You’re right. One thing is for sure, this weekend won’t be boring.”
Theo chuckled. He’d make sure her parents stayed off her case while he enjoyed the time with Livie.
They got in line to pick up the car, and Theo pulled out his wallet. If he was going to be her boyfriend, he’d be driving the car and paying for it—fake or not.
“What are you doing? I already rented a car,” Livie said as she opened her purse to pull out her wallet.
“They can switch it to my name with you as the alternate driver. I’m. your boyfriend, remember? There’s no way I’d let you pay for this.” Theo watched the expressions play across Livie’s face as she absorbed his words.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s not real,” she whispered, like someone in line might overhear them.
Theo murmured into Livie’s ear, and she shivered. “Let me do this. I don’t want you to have to pay extra to add me as a driver. And I will drive the car. There’s no way your boyfriend would let you drive home. Right? If we are going to pull this off, we’ve got to sell this from the beginning.”
Livie sighed. “Fine, you win. But when we get back home, I’ll buy your meals at the Ready Room for the next month.”
