I felt like a stalker, pacing on the sidewalk outside Jimmy’s house, mumbling to myself. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been here before. When I was a kid, I would ride my bike past his house every summer day. His mom used to hand out frozen popsicles to the neighborhood kids. Everything about the house looked just as I remembered from my childhood, but something was off. Something I couldn’t put a finger on.
Probably had something to do with making out with Jimmy during lunch today.
My gut twisted with nerves, and I groaned in embarrassment. How could I have let things get so out of hand like that? Lindsey Beck was just so good at pushing my buttons. In that moment, the last thing I’d wanted to do was let her win.
So I’d kissed Jimmy, in front of all of his friends.
Someone needed to slap me.
But probably worst of all, I’d felt that kiss to my very toes. It had made me tingle with a desire that I hadn’t felt before today. Jimmy had been surprisingly patient and giving in that raw moment. Not at all what I’d expected him to be. I could still feel the insistence of his fingertips, pressing slightly into my hips and the magnetic way his lips moved against mine.
Ugh—I couldn’t stop reliving that moment. It had been a total mistake. A professional mishap in this thing called a fake relationship. Something had to be done, so I’d made up my mind to march over here and apologize to Jimmy.
If only I could get myself to the door.
With a final deep breath, I forced my feet forward and up the steps of the wide front porch. My arm reached for the doorbell, pushing it before I could chicken out. This was not a ding-dong ditch. There would be no running away. I kept my feet planted solidly to the floor, ignoring the wild sensation in every one of my nerves to flee.
It took a few seconds for someone to answer the door, but finally, the screen door swung open to reveal an older man who resembled Jimmy in nearly every way. Same tall, athletic build. Same strong jawline and piercing gaze. The only differences were the crinkles around his mouth and the gray streaks in his hair. But most striking were the eyes—green, just like Jimmy’s. They were filled with curiosity as he looked me over.
“May I help you, young lady?”
I swallowed and gave him a nervous smile. “Hi, Pastor Alston. I’m Mia. Is Jimmy home?”
A knowing smile lit up his face, and he rubbed a hand across the five o’clock shadow on his chin. “So, you’re Mia, huh? It’s nice to finally meet you. Come on in. I’ve got James doing some painting in the basement.”
I followed Pastor Alston into the house. It was a cozy place, with lots of pictures hanging on the walls in wooden frames. I recognized Jimmy’s mom in several of them. She’d always had the kindest smile. There were also a few pictures featuring a tiny little boy with crazy black hair and an ornery grin. Jimmy had been a surprisingly cute kid. I mean, he was still cute, in a rugged kind of way, but now, he had the muscles and the jawline and the sexy grin that could seriously confuse a girl.
Shaking my head to get rid of that image in my head, I followed Pastor Alston down a flight of stairs. It struck me suddenly as strange that he’d known my name. I never would’ve expected Jimmy to tell his dad about me, but I guessed it made some sense. If Jimmy was dating a girl, even fake dating, his dad would want to know the details. He probably even had a curfew and chores and got in trouble when he stayed out too late. That’s what dads were supposed to do.
“James, your friend is here,” Pastor Alston called as we got to the basement.
It was a large space with cement floors, bright fluorescent lighting, and bare drywall. Paint fumes stung my nose as I turned to look for Jimmy.
When I finally spotted him, my heart almost jumped into my throat. He was using a roller with white paint on one of the walls. With earbuds jammed in his ears, his attention clearly so focused on the job and the music that he didn’t even hear his dad calling him.
But what really made me gulp was his bare chest and abdomen, and the paint speckled shorts that hung dangerously low on his trim hips. As if I hadn’t been nervous enough, coming here. Now, all I could do was stare at the way his back muscles rippled as he added another coat of paint to the drywall.
“James.” Pastor Alston tapped Jimmy on the shoulder, making him pull out his earbuds. “Mia’s here to see you.”
Jimmy spun to look at me, surprise passing over his face. His eyes raked over me, drinking in every inch of my body. I had the sudden strange sensation that I was somehow underdressed for the situation, which was ridiculous because Jimmy was definitely the one underdressed. Still, my cheeks warmed, and I wrapped my arms around my abdomen. He set the roller down in the tray and wiped his hand on a rag hanging from one of his belt loops.
“Hey.”
I gave him a nervous smile, doing my best to keep my eyes on his face and not his naked torso. “Hey.”
My gaze shifted to where his dad was examining Jimmy’s latest handiwork. It was hard to apologize to a guy for kissing him when his dad was standing in the room. I rocked on my heels and blew out a puff of air, not sure how I should continue.
“Want to help?” Jimmy asked.
I looked back to see him holding out a paintbrush, an intense frown on his face. With a nod of my head, I rushed forward to pluck it from his hand. I needed to do something—anything—to keep my attention off of Jimmy and this awkward situation. Kneeling down to dip it in the paint, I set to work on the nearest corner.
“What’s this room going to be?” I asked, looking over at Pastor Alston.
“Well, for years, my Miranda wanted it to be a sewing room, but I never got around to it.” He frowned at the walls. “But now I think it would make a nice space for James and his friends. Don’t you agree?”
I nodded, feeling sadness wash over me. It was easy to see the loss in Pastor Alston’s eyes. But it didn’t stay long. With a satisfied grunt, he turned to me and smiled.
“I hear you and my son are working on a school project together. How’s that going?”
I glanced at Jimmy, who had gone back to painting the wall and seemed to be avoiding my gaze. “Pretty great, actually. He’s been a lot of help.”
“Good.” Pastor Alston nodded and pursed his lips. “Just because graduation isn’t far off, doesn’t mean James can slack off now. He’s got a scholarship to play baseball at Iowa in the fall.”
My stomach lurched. Iowa was so far from our little town of Sweet Mountain. It might as well have been on the other side of the world. In the fall, Jimmy would leave and never come back. For some unexplainable reason, the thought made me incredibly sad. I just couldn’t seem to shake it.
“I’m not slacking off, Dad.” Jimmy set his roller in the paint and shot his dad a frown.
Pastor Alston held up his hands. “I’m just reminding you, son. Your mom always wanted you to get out and do something with your life. I know you’re on your way, and I’m sure she couldn’t be prouder of you.”
Jimmy lowered his chin to his chest and sighed. “Thanks, Dad.”
This time, my heart was the one doing the lurching. Maybe Jimmy’s family had been torn apart even worse than mine, but the love they felt for each other was still here. And the fact that Jimmy was following his mom’s dreams made it so much sweeter.
“Well, I’ve got to run down to the church for a meeting,” Pastor Alston said, glancing at his watch. He then shot me a serious frown. “Mia, I’m leaving you in charge. Don’t be afraid to crack the whip while I’m gone. I need this room finished if I’m going to do anything with it before Jimmy moves out.”
I laughed and saluted him as he winked at me and then headed up the stairs. He was a good guy. Jimmy was lucky to have him as a dad.
Dipping my brush into the paint can, I continued painting the corners. It wasn’t until the sound of the front door shutting did Jimmy finally put down his roller and turn to me.
“Listen, Mia—”
I held up my hand. “No, wait. I need to go first. I’m sorry about what happ
ened at lunch. I never meant for things to go that far. Lindsey Beck just loves to torture me.”
His eyes flashed with emotions as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against some untouched drywall. “Yeah, it’s weird. I mean, I know she’s always been one of the mean girls, but she’s worse when she’s around you.”
“Yep.” With a sigh, I dipped my paintbrush again. “She hates the idea of me in the newspaper club. I think she feels threatened, like I could dethrone her.”
“She should.” He flexed his jaw. “You’re a good writer. What I said about your article today—it wasn’t fake.”
I stared up at him, unsure how to respond. Had that been the only thing today that wasn’t faked? Or, could there have been some real feelings behind that heated kiss? The way he was looking at me now, as if there was something he wasn’t telling me, made me feel all jittery.
“Just so you know…” I turned to look at the wall. It was easier than staring back into those vivid green eyes. “At first, I did write the article about you. I guess I had this image of you in my head—the bad boy of Sweet Mountain who wouldn’t treat a girl with respect. But then, I realized that I was dead wrong. You’ve been nothing but helpful to me this week, even when I blackmailed you into it. You obviously care deeply about your friends. You love your dad. And I shouldn’t have judged you.”
He snorted. “I think it probably had something to do with that stink bomb in middle school.”
A chuckle burst from my lips, and I dared to glance up at him. “Yeah, probably. I guess that kind of cemented my opinion of you in my head over the years.”
“Just for the record, that was a total accident.” He tilted his head. “I was aiming for someone else’s locker. Guess I got the wrong one.”
“Seriously?” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “All this time, I thought you had a thing against crazy, curly-haired blonde girls. Like you’d targeted me on purpose. It made me so mad.”
The humorous glimmer in his eyes changed to something heated that made my insides twist. “Actually, if I’m being honest, I’ve always had a thing for blonde, curly-haired women. Especially the slightly crazy ones.”
A tremor passed over me. For an insane second, I felt like jumping into his arms and repeating the scene on the quad at lunch. I could already feel his lips against mine again and recall the spicy taste of his mouth. It wouldn’t be that difficult. Even now, I couldn’t help but stare at the soft curve of his lips as he grinned at me.
But that was not part of the deal. Our deal had been to get me on the newspaper. Anything else was asking for trouble. If I let myself fall for Jimmy, it would jeopardize everything I’d ever worked for.
Life’s lessons had shown me that love didn’t last. And falling for the bad boy was a life lesson I didn’t need at this point in time.
“Listen, I just wanted to reassure you that what happened today on the quad was all business,” I said, extending a hand as if this were a corporate meeting, and I was some kind of fancy lawyer. “And I wanted to make sure you weren’t affected by it. Are we cool?”
The grin dissolved from Jimmy’s face. He wrinkled his brow as he stared at me for a long moment and then reached out to stiffly shake my hand.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t feel a thing,” he said gruffly. “It’s all business, as you said. I’m just trying to keep the cops off my back.”
Disappointment welled up inside me, and I shoved it back down. Yep, it was all about keeping Jimmy out of trouble and me on the newspaper. It was exactly what I had wanted to hear. I shouldn’t have been feeling this way.
“Good,” I said hoarsely, trying not to let the hurt leak into my voice. “I didn’t feel a thing, either.”
I turned to finish painting the corner, although my heart wasn’t in it anymore. Jimmy had been right about me. I wasn’t a very good liar. That had been like a ball of steel wool coming off my tongue.
I had felt something during that kiss. It was a feeling that still lingered with me, pulling me in Jimmy’s direction. But obviously, he hadn’t felt the same.
Seriously, it was all for the best. If we wanted to get out of this with everyone’s heart intact, no feelings could be involved in our fake relationship.
For once, I needed to take a leaf out of Jimmy’s book.
14
Jimmy
Mia had set the tone for the rest of our relationship. It was a business transaction. That was it.
It didn’t matter if I had fallen for her. It didn’t matter if that kiss had rocked my world. Mia felt nothing for me. She’d made that perfectly clear.
Every day for next two weeks, like clockwork, I met her at her locker before and after school. We ate together at lunch. She put notes in my backpack when she knew people were watching. I held her hand in the hall.
But there were no more fiery kisses. No longing glances. No more flirtations.
Mia had put up a stone-cold wall between us.
If only I could do the same.
Tonight was our last home basketball game before winter break, and the gym was packed with students and fans. We’d made plans to attend as a couple and to meet at the concession stands in the nearby cafeteria.
Another business transaction.
I’d put it off for as long as possible. I’d spent nearly three hours in the gym, pumping iron until the muscles in my arms felt as weak as wet noodles. And when I couldn’t put it off any longer, I trudged toward the cafeteria as if I was headed toward a lecture on the use of the Pythagorean theorem. Paper snowflakes hung from the ceilings, and twinkly lights decorated the walls. Sweet Mountain High had gone a little crazy lately. People were pairing up left and right for the big Snow Ball tomorrow. Romance was in the air—for everyone except me.
My throat thickened as I turned the corner into the cafeteria and spotted Mia sitting at one of the long rectangular tables set up in rows. Girls I recognized from school surrounded her like a pack of hungry dogs. That seemed to happen a lot these days. Her column was a raging success. Everyone loved Dear Mia, and she got questions in her inbox every day about love and dating. Of course, Lindsey Beck hated it, but everyone else in school got a kick out of Mia’s daily updates on the blog. There was no way to keep her down.
Mia ate it up. The confidence this column had given her was clearly visible in the way her eyes sparkled as she talked to the girls across from her. I couldn’t help but stare. It was getting harder and harder to be around Mia. Not that she did anything to drive me away, but the way my stomach tilted every time I set eyes on her was becoming a major problem.
“Hey, babe! I was wondering where you ended up.”
I frowned at the sound of Mia’s voice but kept my feet moving until I was close enough to lean down and wrap my arms around her in a hug. The scent of coconut filled my nose as her soft hair brushed against my cheek. It had gotten to a point these days when I couldn’t eat anything coconut flavored without thinking about my fake girlfriend and the soft, delicate feel of her skin beneath mine.
“Ready to go watch the game?” I detracted my arms from around her and put just enough distance between us to snuff out the little thrills of energy that ran up and down my spine every time we got close. “The boys have already started.”
“Sure, sweetie.” She grabbed my hand, and the feelings were back. All I could do was stand statue-still as she waved at the girls. “DM me your questions, ladies. I’ll try to answer them next week before winter break starts. In the meantime, I’ve got to go watch the game with my man.”
They giggled and fell over each other, shooting me shy glances. As we walked away, Mia grabbed my arm with both hands and trilled with excited laughter.
“Can you believe all of this attention? I mean, I didn’t think much about the relationship column at first, but things have gotten insane.”
I smirked at her. “People go crazy about love.”
She snorted softly, her brown eyes locking onto mine. “By people, do you mean women? Aft
er all, you’re definitely not the type to get caught up in all of those emotions. Most guys aren’t.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I swallowed down the words I would’ve liked to say to her. If Mia didn’t notice the energy between us, the way I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, then maybe I was just a fool falling for a girl who wasn’t interested in anything real. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten in over my head. In fact, that was the whole reason we were here—because I’d been a fool with a prank that went wrong.
And now, I couldn’t decide what was worse: the truth getting out about who burned down that shed or knowing that Mia didn’t feel the same way about me. Both possibilities felt endlessly dark.
So I kept my mouth shut.
“Oooh, look. Is that Lindsey and Dale?” Mia pointed to a couple standing at the end of the crowded hallway. “Are they fighting?”
They definitely seemed to be in an argument. Lindsey wore her infamous snarl, and Dale’s face was tomato red. Neither of them looked very happy. Dale threw his arms up in the air and stormed away, leaving Lindsey to sulk in the corner with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
“That’s interesting.” Mia pulled her notebook out of her pocket and began scribbling on a page. “Very interesting.”
I cocked my eyebrow and looked down at her. “You’re not seriously taking notes for one of your articles, are you?”
“Maybe. You never know what’ll come in handy.”
I sighed and leaned against the wall to wait until she was done. Mia must’ve had a million of those tiny notebooks at home, with the way she was always taking notes. It was kind of impressive to see how dedicated she was to this dream of hers. She wasn’t just going to stand back and let life pass her by. She was going to grab it by the horns.
It made me wonder if I’d been too passive in the pursuit of my own dreams. Sure, I worked hard at baseball. I loved it. My over-worked arms could attest to that. But all this messing around I did outside of school didn’t help things. Especially the dumb pranks.
My Fake Boyfriend Page 8