Take A Number: A Fake Dating Romantic Comedy

by Amy Daws

  Max hits me with a sympathetic smile. “Maybe because Dean’s a good guy.”

  “I know he is.” And that’s the part that kills me inside.

  Max huffs out a noise and hits me with an all-business look. “Congratulations, Norah Donahue, you are now the proud owner of two Rise and Shine Bakeries.”

  I smile, but it doesn’t feel as sincere as it should. “Thanks, Max. Tell the chamber people I’m right behind you.”

  He takes the contract and gives me a tight nod before I steel myself to walk outside and live in the moment, no matter the emotions warring inside my heart.

  Norah steps out the front door of Rise and Shine-Denver, and the small crowd of people gathered in the roped-off area applaud, along with the hundred people lined up around the block for a croinut. I duck behind the large speaker and notice that Norah’s face falls when she spots the giant stage setup with rock-concert-level equipment right in the middle of the blocked-off street.

  She points out the setup to Max, and he waves her off as he introduces her to the chamber people. They have a small microphone with a tiny amp that makes the professional equipment I’m hiding behind look obscene as they do their little welcome speech.

  I spot Norah’s parents front and center along with Nate and his parents, plus Kate and Lynsey, and Miles and Josh, who’s got a squealing Julianna on his shoulders practically frothing at the mouth for her next sugar fix.

  My eyes drift back to Norah as she listens to the chamber person rattle on about her business. She looks stunning in that white suit. It’s sexy but professional and gives me vibes of those stupid baker’s ponchos she normally wears but a million times better. She’s smiling and nervous, still trying to figure out what the hell the setup is behind all her guests who are seemingly here for her. My gut twists because I know this crazy plan Kate, Lynsey, and I dreamed up could go epically awesome or epically horrible.

  Norah takes the microphone and welcomes everyone to Rise and Shine Bakery. She tells them about her recipe and the different flavors she will have to offer. Today’s flavor is caramel apple with a flaked dark chocolate finish. She says a lot of the things she said during her morning show feature that I watched with rapt fascination.

  God, she’s incredible.

  It was at that moment I knew I had to sign her stupid buyout contract. Even if it was unnecessary for her to buy me out, she deserves to own this success all on her own if that’s what she wants.

  Finally, the crowd applauds as Norah cuts the ribbon and laughs along with everyone as she holds up the giant scissors. There’s a TV crew and a photographer nearby, snapping photos like crazy, but before she steps back to let everyone inside to enjoy the party, Max reaches for the microphone, much to Norah’s confusion.

  “Thank you all for being here today,” Max says, yelling into the mic so I can hear him from my location. “And I promise we’re going to let you eat very soon, but first, we have a special surprise for you that even Norah doesn’t know about.”

  Norah’s face is fucking adorable as she attempts to look amused and not totally fucking freaking out. But I know Norah, she had a list of everything that needed to be done today, and whatever is happening was not on the list, so she’s losing her shit.

  Max smiles and continues, “A mutual friend of ours was able to pull some strings to make this treat happen…so, while you’re inside getting your sweet treats and helping yourself to some complimentary champagne, please put your hands together to welcome the musical stylings of Foreigner!”

  Norah’s face contorts into this strange mix of anger and confusion. Honestly, it’s not attractive, which attracts me to her even more. I step out from behind the speakers as the band all take their places. Their road crew got here an hour ago and busted ass to set up, bitching about our shitty stage quality while I profusely apologized and told them I did the best I could in only twenty-four hours. I made sure to repeat how glad I was they could be here. Even if I had to pad some lady’s pocket at the city hall in order to rush a permit request for live music. And, holy shit, Foreigner is playing at Norah’s grand opening right now!

  The lead singer walks up to the mic, and says, “Who’s hungry?”

  The crowd of people in front of the ribbon and wrapped around the building all cheer so loudly, people from nearby streets begin walking over to see what’s going on.

  “Cool,” the lead singer says. “Hey, can someone please take a number for us because we’d all love a caramel apple croinut after we’re done here?”

  Everyone cheers, and I see Norah making her way through the parted crowd, her face still the picture of confusion.

  “We had a request for some of our power ballads, so I hope you all enjoy a little song we call, ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’.”

  By the time the band hits the chorus, Norah is front and center, gaping at the band with tears in her eyes while everyone swarms around her to cheer the band on. I move to the edge of the stage and can’t help but fixate on Norah as the passion she has for this music falls freely down her cheeks. She’s mesmerized. Rachael begins jumping and dancing as the music picks up, and Norah laughs and half-heartedly joins her, still shaking her head in bewilderment.

  Then it’s as if she senses me watching because suddenly, she turns and finds me through the small crowd, standing down below the left side of the stage back behind the speakers. She wipes away her tears as she weaves through the crowd, passing by Kate and Lynsey. By the time she reaches me, my heart is in my chest.

  She points beside her as colorful stage lights illuminate her silhouette. “That’s Foreigner.”

  “I know,” I reply with a laugh.

  She blinks back and shakes her head. “They want a croinut.”

  “I know.” My belly shakes with laughter. God, she’s beautiful.

  She runs a hand through her hair and glances back to them as they shift over to “Feels Like The First Time” next. “Do you know how this happened?”

  I jam my hands into my slacks and step closer to her so she can hear me over the speakers. “They were supposed to have a show with Kansas tonight in Denver, but the lead singer of Kansas got sick so the concert was rescheduled. And Foreigner was just…I don’t know…chilling at a bar somewhere? Max knows a guy who knows them.”

  “Max does?” she asks, her jaw dropped.

  “Yeah, it’s all kind of serendipitous how it came together, and I had to jump through a million hoops to block the road off and get a live music permit at the last minute. Plus, the band likes Fresca, which is not easy to find, but I found it.” Norah blinks back at me, clearly still too stunned to fully comprehend everything I’m saying so I keep rambling to fill the silence. “And hey, they didn’t have any bandanas, but they have T-shirts, and I bought you a bunch, so I figured maybe you can cut one that’s the size of a bandana so you can wear it at the bakery if—”

  “Dean,” she cuts me off, blinking her wide, tear-streaked eyes at me. “I thought you were more of a yacht rock guy.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” she shakes her head quickly, visibly clearing her thoughts as she refocuses on me. “Why did you do all this?”

  I swallow my pride and say the words I came here to say, “Because I want you back.”

  Norah’s lips part, and she presses her hand to her chest like she might actually be gasping for air. “But you said—”

  I cut her off, not wanting to hear her repeat the horrible things I said. She deserves the truth. “I said nothing because I was too scared to tell you I’m terrified I could hurt you the way my dad hurt my mother.”

  She bites her lip, her eyes bending with sympathy. “Dean, you’re not your father.”

  “I know,” I reply and take a step closer, my hand itching to touch hers but holding back because I still don’t know what she’s thinking. “But I have a dark passenger inside me, you know? That asshole can flare up sometimes and really fuck shit up. I know apologies are fucking bullshit, and the things I said to yo
u can never be erased, but you have to know the truth, Norah, because I’ve been lying to myself for way too long.”

  “Lying about what exactly?” she asks, tilting her head like she’s trying to read my mind.

  “About my feelings for you. Even before you and I started fake dating…all that stupid flirting I did, the reason I invested in your franchise and came to work in your bakery all the time. Norah, my gut knew you were worth taking a risk on in more ways than just business. I’m so sorry it took my head this long to figure out I’m in love with you.”

  She inhales a sharp breath and steps back like she’s going to bolt. “You don’t mean that.”

  “I do mean that.” I step forward and grab her hand with desperation laced in my voice. “And look, I know dropping the love bomb is a lot today and you’re opening a new bakery and going to Paris, and God, I do not want to hold you back from that. But since you forced me to sell my investment back to you, I thought maybe we could do a new contract that says I can be your long-distance boyfriend and visit you in Paris and fight off any Parisians with big baguettes.”

  “What?” She shakes her head with a pinched smile of confusion, so I elaborate as tears fill her eyes.

  “I just want to see you because I’m in love with you, and I miss you even right now as you stand in front of me,” I rush out and add stupidly, “And I swear I will not hold you back from getting that fat ass in Paris that your mother would hate.”

  She laughs and then kind of groans, and then tears are coming down, and fuck, I can’t tell if I’m winning or losing right now. With a deep breath, she steps into my arms and wraps her hands around my head. Burying her face in my neck, she wafts her perfect sweet, vanilla scent all over me. Her face wiggles against my collarbone, and I pull back slightly to ask, “Are you wiping your lip sweat off on my shirt?”

  “Yes,” she croaks into my neck with a laugh. “There’s a camera crew filming us right now.”

  “Okay, cool, just checking.” I pull back and see a smile that looks very promising. “And?”

  “And I think I might love you too, but I might write a pros and cons list just to be sure,” she says quietly and thoughtfully and so fucking on brand.

  “I’m good with that.” I press my forehead to hers and breathe in the sweetest relief I’ve ever felt in my entire life. “Is it cool if I kiss you now, or would you rather I not because of the cameras?”

  She smiles up at me. “Let’s give ’em a show.”

  “Holy shit, if I knew you were getting a place this nice for your temporary Denver digs, I would have totally agreed to be your boyfriend last weekend.”

  “I’m going to kill you.” I smile through my threat because I can’t help it. Tonight was easily the best night of my life. And not just because Foreigner played at my bakery opening.

  Okay, it’s mostly because Foreigner played at my bakery opening. But it’s also because Dean is here, in my new Denver pad, walking around like a boyfriend.

  “How can you threaten murder on me?” Dean asks, slipping off his suit coat and making his way into my kitchen. “I had Foreigner play for the grand opening of your bakery. There were at least four news crews that showed up tonight because of that surprise performance. How many interviews did you do?”

  “Five.” I cringe as I drape my jacket over a nearby barstool and ditch my heels.

  “And how many did you tell it was your boyfriend who pulled out all the stops for your big day?” Dean lowers his glasses and pins me with a look.

  “Only one, but I was nervous. I wasn’t prepared for any of this tonight, and you know I do better with prep.”

  Dean sighs and shakes his head. “You’re just lucky I love you.”

  My face scrunches up at his words because I still can’t get used to them. Tonight was unimaginably awesome. We danced, we drank champagne, and I gave tours of the bakery to my friends and family while having Dean beside me the entire time. Even my mother gave Dean a very nice hug when she saw him again, a very big step for the ice queen. Nate steered clear of us, which was definitely for the best. I might end up needing a new accountant by the end of all this, but we’ll see how things progress over the next few months first.

  And Kate and Lynsey…my God, you’d have thought they were attending Dean’s and my wedding. They looked so happy watching us holding hands and visiting with customers that I felt like I kind of gained a couple of sisters all of the sudden. Josh even passed off sweet Julianna to me so I could walk her up to the machine to take a number for her and her dad to have a croinut. It was a perfect grand opening.

  And speaking of croinuts, we closed down the night after making four hundred and seventy-two in only four hours. Not bad for a first day. In fact, it was pretty epic.

  And I knew the minute Dean kissed me as Foreigner played behind us that I didn’t need to make a pros and cons list to know I was in love with this man. The proof is in the croinut.

  “I still can’t believe Foreigner came in and had croinuts in my bakery!” I flop down on the long black sofa in the living room that connects to the kitchen and dining room. I swipe through the eighty photos I had Rachael take of me with the band. “This picture is so going on the wall in the bakery.”

  Dean ditches his shoes and socks and joins me on the couch to glance through the pictures with me. “It’s really crazy how well everything worked out tonight.”

  “Thank goodness for Max.” I shut my screen down to look at him.

  “You mean, thank goodness for Dean,” Dean corrects me, looking offended. “It was my idea. Do you know how many palms I had to grease to get the permit and the equipment out there with only a twenty-four-hour notice? This whole thing wouldn’t have happened without your boyfriend being awesome.”

  I quirk a knowing brow at him. “This whole thing wouldn’t have had to happen if my boyfriend would have stayed my boyfriend.”

  Dean wilts slightly but then wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest. “Hey, we should try that makeup sex thing again. We were pretty good at that if I remember correctly.”

  I pull back and turn to face him. “I think we should talk first.”

  Dean winces and takes off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose before turning to give me his full attention. “Kate and Lynsey warned me this was something boyfriends had to do a lot.”

  “What else did Kate and Lynsey say?” I tilt my head and eye him curiously. “Seriously, I want to know. I mean…the band and you showing up and saying everything you said was…amazing. But I want to make sure this is real, Dean. That you’re genuinely ready for this.”

  “I’m ready, sugar butt.” Dean reaches out and grabs my hands, twining his fingers with mine in a way that sends goose bumps up my wrist. “I realized a lot of things this past week.”

  “Like the fact that Lala is way too young for you, and you were an asshole for going out with her again?” I pin him with an accusatory stare, and Dean cringes and nods his head.

  “I didn’t mean to be out with her,” he groans, his voice laced with frustration. “I was drinking alone, drowning my sorrows, and she came into the bar. I was so drunk at that point that I didn’t think about who I was with. I ditched her after you left…you have to believe that nothing happened between us.”

  “I believe you,” I reply, the corner of my mouth quirking up with relief over the fact that trusting Dean has never been an issue for me.

  “And you and Captain Douche Cookie?” His eyes turn dark as he asks the silent question.

  I sigh, knowing this was coming. “It wasn’t a romantic outing.”

  “You didn’t give me that impression at the bar,” he replies, his sulky lip sticking out adorably.

  I reach out and tug on it. “You didn’t deserve to know what I was doing because you didn’t want me.” I jut my chin at him defiantly.

  “I always wanted you,” Dean says, running his hand up and down my thigh as his eyes rove over every one of my features. “It just took me a minute to
realize that all the shit my mom has said to me over the years about me being like my father and being bad for women has kind of stuck. I used to think it rolled right off my back, but clearly, it didn’t. I’m planning to have a big talk with her about how her comments are affecting me. Her baggage can’t be mine.”

  “I think that’s great.” I jerk my head in amazement at how mature and adult he sounds. Dean is normally the guy looking to have fun. Peter Pan syndrome through and through. This is certainly something he’s given some serious thought to. “And you know, I’d love to meet your mom sometime if you’re ready for that. Maybe it’ll help to see you with a girlfriend.”

  Dean’s eyes dance with affection. “She would actually love to meet you. And she’s not so bad when she’s not talking about my dad.”

  I squeeze his hand, feeling like we’re already off to a great start. Dean pulls my hand up and kisses it tenderly before adding, “And I want you to know when I told you I felt unsafe with you, it’s because the stakes are high here. I don’t want to hurt you or for you to hurt me.”

  My chin trembles at the vulnerability in his voice. “I feel the same way.”

  He nods and squeezes my hand. “But Kate says love is worth taking a risk, and she has a self-proclaimed PhD in romance.”

  I huff out a laugh. “As long as she doesn’t suggest swinging, she gives out solid advice.”

  Dean kisses my hand again and looks around. “So, you’re selling your Boulder apartment for sure? Is that really necessary?”

  I sigh and sit back to take in the place we’re in. “I kind of want to find a place farther away from the bakery. I need better boundaries in my life, you know?”

  Dean nods thoughtfully. “And…Paris?”

  “Paris,” I repeat with a grin.