Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
It takes everything in me not to smack my sister in the face. She’s literally undressing Cruz with her eyes, and I don’t want to stand here and watch. And then it hits me. “What?” I ask him, wanting him to repeat what he just said.
He pulls me flush against his hard body. “I’m sorry for being an ass, and I hope you forgive me. Please.”
He brushes his thumb across my cheek softly, and I lose all sense of self-preservation. “We should talk.”
He nods, and I turn to my sister. “We’ll be right back.”
I grab his hand and pull him toward the back of the shop. I can feel every eye on me, and I’m glad this week I have double the help in the store so I can disappear for a few minutes. As soon as I close the office door, I turn and cross my arms over my chest. “What are you doing here, Cruz?”
He matches my stance. “I came to apologize.”
I jut my chin. “For what?”
“Last night.”
When he doesn’t continue, I wave my hand for him to go on. “And?”
“When I said that no one would believe we were together… I meant that no one would believe you’d choose me.”
My eyebrows lift high. “Excuse me?”
“Look, my life is about to do a big one-eighty. I’m about to be retired, and people are either going to hate me or love me, there’s no in between, and the people that are going to hate me are going to be ten times louder than the people that love me. I’m ten years older than you, and well, I don’t really have a lot to offer. I’m just afraid that us being together is going to cause problems for you.”
I point toward the shop. “Is that why you just told my sister and around ten other people that you’re my boyfriend? You know this is Whiskey Run, right? Everyone in town will be talking about it by tonight.”
He looks sheepish. “I did that because I couldn’t just stand by and listen to your sister talk to you the way she was.”
I lean back and sit down on the edge of my desk. “You realize that I needed you to be my date for one night, and now you’re making it sound like we have a thing.”
He laughs. “A thing?”
I nod. “Yeah, a thing.” I scrunch my face up. “Boyfriend and girlfriend. That thing.”
“Okay, so look, I may have gotten carried away out there, but that doesn’t have to change anything. You can let people think we’re together. I can be your date for the wedding and help you deal with your ex and your sister, and then you can break it off with me.”
I blurt out a laugh. “You think people are going to believe that I broke things off with you?”
He shrugs. “Yeah, I mean, why not? You can let them think you don’t want to be with some has-been.”
“Has-been?” I stand up and stomp a foot. “Has-been? You’re not a has-been.”
“After Wednesday, I will be,” he deadpans.
I can see the pain in his face, and it matches the look he had last night when he was talking about his retirement. “Okay, so one night. Valentine’s Day you’ll come to the wedding with me and act like we’re together.”
“Yes.” He hesitates. “And then you’ll break up with me afterward.”
I nod. “Yeah, okay.”
6
CRUZ
Even as I make this agreement, I know I shouldn’t.
This is going to blow up in my face, but looking at Tara, I can’t seem to make myself care.
She’s everything I want in a woman, and I know I shouldn’t want her, but I can’t let this opportunity pass me by.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
She looks at me like she doesn’t understand the question. “Why wouldn’t I, exactly?”
I shrug and cross my arms over my chest again. Just talking about it makes me defensive. “I wasn’t lying. I’m not sure what is going to happen on Wednesday. If it blows up in the media, then you may not want my help.”
She shakes her head. “Nope, you’re not getting out of it that easy. You just told my sister you’re my boyfriend. There’s no way I can show up without you now.”
I nod. “Okay, want to go back out there?”
She fists her hands at her sides. “Not really… but I have to.”
I hold my hand out to her, and her eyebrows lift as she looks at me. “Come on. I’ll go with you.”
She puts her hand in mine, and I walk with her slowly toward the office door. I feel her take a deep breath and let it out before we walk over the threshold. We don’t get too far into the shop before we’re met with Tara’s sister. She stops in front of Tara and taps her toe at her. “Tara, what is going on here? I don’t know anything about this man. You didn’t tell me you were dating, and you can’t bring a date to the wedding now. You already turned in your RSVP.”