A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year

by Jackie Lau

  Shawn lifted his eyebrows. “You went to all the effort of getting a fake girlfriend to avoid their matchmaking plans?”

  “I don’t think you understand how annoying it can be.”

  “Well, no. My mom comments about my single status, but I can’t say I have any experience with my family finding me a surprise date for Thanksgiving.” Shawn slapped Zach on the back. “I hear your neighbor saw her sneaking out of your house the other morning. Are there any benefits to this fake relationship?”

  “No,” Zach said, rather harshly.

  Though he was now thinking about him and Jo in bed together, much to his annoyance.

  Don’t be stupid.

  That’s what his fortune cookie had told him, and it was good advice, even if it had come from a questionable source.

  Zach would not be stupid.

  Chapter 4

  Jo walked into Finn’s and sat at her usual table. She waved at Becky, who was by the bar with a group of friends, and then a minute later, Al came over with a pint of Guinness.

  “Waiting for your boyfriend?” he asked.

  “No, I...” Jo began.

  I don’t have a boyfriend.

  Except as far as everyone knew, she did have a boyfriend, a boyfriend she was very much in love with.

  Too bad it was one-sided.

  “Zach will be here soon,” she said with a smile.

  “You two have been friends for a long time,” Al said. “What happened? What changed?”

  Good question. Jo and Zach had never discussed their how-we-started-dating story.

  “It began last Friday,” she said, having no idea where she was going with this. “After we left Finn’s, he walked me home, and it started snowing...”

  “...and you know when you suddenly see someone in a new way?” Zach came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Well, to be honest, that had never happened to me until last week. Jo looked so pretty, snowflakes in her eyelashes, and before I knew what was happening, we were kissing.”

  Oh, if only.

  If only they had kissed. If only he could see her differently.

  Al brought Zach his usual beer. Zach held up his pint, and Jo clinked hers against his.

  “Cheers to us,” Zach said as he took a seat.

  Jo attempted a smile, but based on Zach’s concerned expression, she hadn’t succeeded.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, once Al had walked away.

  She couldn’t tell him the truth, but he was her friend, and perhaps she could tell him part of the truth. “I didn’t want another relationship after I dumped Matt—”

  “He wasn’t good enough for you. I’m glad you dumped that asshole.”

  The corners of her mouth quirked up. “I’m glad, too. But lately, I’ve been thinking that I’d like to date again.”

  Zach looked at her over his pint of beer, not at all distracted by the Friday night noise of the bar, the laughter from the pool tables at the back.

  She liked how he could make her feel like she was all that mattered.

  “It’s hard, though,” she said. “There aren’t a lot of options in Mosquito Bay. I could use a dating app and try to find someone in one of the nearby towns, but...”

  But I’m in love with you, and I don’t know how to move on.

  She would, though. Somehow, after Chinese New Year, she’d try again. She’d put aside this pathetic crush on Zach and do her best. Or maybe she’d have to go on dates with other men even if she still had a crush on him, and that would help her move on.

  “I know it’s silly,” she continued, the words pouring out of her now. Quietly, though; she didn’t want anyone to overhear. “But Becky was always the pretty sister, the one everyone loved. The one who always had a boyfriend. I was the smart one, the athletic one, though some people told me that I could stand to lose a few pounds. And sometimes, I was envious. Then I felt guilty. I knew I should love myself as I am, but I struggled with that when I was with Matt. I thought I couldn’t expect any better than a guy who didn’t mind having me around.”

  Zach shook his head. “You deserve much more than that.”

  She nodded. She shouldn’t be insecure, but probably most women felt this way at some point, right?

  “Say it,” Zach said. “‘I deserve so much more than that good-for-nothing douche canoe.’”

  “Douche canoe? What does that even mean?”

  “That a bag isn’t big enough to contain the guy, so a canoe is needed?”

  She snorted. “You’re making this up.”

  “No, it’s a thing people say, I promise.”

  “I don’t know if I’d call Matt a douchebag—or canoe. He was just...”

  “As useful and affectionate as a potted fern?”

  “Yeah, something like that. He wasn’t evil; he just put me at the bottom of his priority list.”

  “Douche canoe,” Zach said solemnly. “And I will always be here so you can rant about the not-so-fantastic guys you meet online, but I’m sure you’ll find the right guy eventually.”

  Why can’t you be the right guy?

  “You don’t want to try again, right?” she said.

  “Nah, I like my life the way it is.”

  “You don’t believe in love for yourself?”

  “I don’t know what I believe, but it’s not something I’m looking for. If you want it, though, I want you to have it.”

  Oh, God. It had been a mistake to have this conversation with Zach. This was too much.

  “And just so you know...” Gently, he slid his hand up her cheek and into her hair. His large hand caressed her; she could melt into his touch.

  “You’re very pretty, and I hope you find romance in unexpected places.”

  His eyes were focused intently on hers, and though he looked serious, there was still the unruly lock of hair over his forehead, the hint of a smile at his lips. He was looking at her in a way he’d never looked at her before, but he was still Zach, and she yearned to be with him.

  Maybe he wanted her a little, too.

  Wishful thinking... Or was it?

  Her heart was hammering in her chest, and somehow, it felt like it was connected to his. She leaned forward and—

  “Dr. MacGregor, hiiii!”

  A young woman stumbled into Jo. Jo reached out her hands to steady her and tried not to curse at the interruption.

  “Hey, Kyla,” Zach said easily, as though he hadn’t been about to kiss Jo. “Having a good night?”

  “These sure are strong. Or maybe it’s because I hardly drink anymore. My tolerance isn’t what it used to be before Savannah was born.” Kyla held up her drink, and a little sloshed over the edge of the glass.

  “Let me get that for you.” Zach wiped the glass with a napkin.

  “Thank you!” Kyla touched his shoulder—she seemed to be an affectionate drunk. “I’m sorry about what happened at Cardinal’s. I told Savannah, no running in restaurants...”

  He laughed it off. “It didn’t hurt, and the stain came out. It’s all good.”

  “But it was your first date, wasn’t it?”

  “And now we have a memorable story.”

  “You can tell it to your children,” Kyla said with a hiccup.

  Becky—she’d been in the same year in school as Kyla—came over and put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Let’s order fries. I think you need some food.”

  “Poutine! We should have poutine.” Kyla turned to Jo. “My ex has Savannah for the first Friday night in months, and I’m going to have fun!”

  Becky smiled. “I’ll let you get back to your date, Jo.”

  Zach placed a hand on Jo’s knee—and Becky definitely noticed—before he held his other hand up in a wave as Becky and Kyla walked away.

  “Sorry,” he said suddenly, removing his hand from her knee. “Was it okay that I touched you? Both now and a few minutes ago when I touched your hair?”

  “I’m your girlfriend,” Jo said. “Of course you can touch me.�
��

  “I don’t have to. I can lean in close, whisper in your ear...” And then he did just that, his voice soft and low. “I can make it look like we’re intimate without physical contact, if you prefer.”

  Well, she liked this whispering business, but she liked the touching, too.

  If only Kyla hadn’t interrupted them.

  “Zach,” she said, “you were about to kiss me, weren’t you?”

  He scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. As part of our act.”

  Her heart deflated, though she wasn’t completely convinced he was being honest.

  “I won’t do it again,” he said.

  She hoped that wasn’t true.

  Chapter 5

  What am I doing?

  Zach backed his car out of the garage on Sunday morning and drove along the quiet streets to Jo’s house on the other side of town.

  There was a new skating trail through the woods, about forty minutes north of Mosquito Bay. Usually Zach only skated when he was playing hockey, but the idea of skating on something more than sixty meters long was appealing. The whole track was over a kilometer, which sounded nice. And romantic.

  And so he’d asked Jo to go with him this morning, and she’d agreed.

  Part of our act, he told himself.

  Except this was different from going to Wong’s Wok or Cardinal’s, where they’d inevitably run into other residents of Mosquito Bay. It was possible they’d encounter no one they knew on this excursion.

  You just want to see her again.

  Well, they were friends. Wasn’t that reasonable?

  But you saw her on Friday night, and you usually only see each other once a week.

  He told himself that he was just trying to get into the role.

  Zach wasn’t in the habit of lying to himself, however, and in truth, he’d felt like there had been a spark between them the last two times they’d met up. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he remembered sliding his hand over her cheek.

  He couldn’t help himself; he wanted to do that again.

  He pulled up to Jo’s house, and she scampered out the door and into the passenger’s seat.

  “Hey.” She was wearing a white toque and her usual blue parka, and she grinned at him.

  He couldn’t help returning her smile.

  They started driving north. It had snowed yesterday morning, and sunlight reflected off the snowy fields, but the roads had been cleared. A cold day—well below freezing and a bit windy.

  “You been to this place before?” Jo asked.

  He glanced at her. Her brown eyes held excitement, even though they were simply going skating, something they’d both done many times before.

  “No,” he said, “but I thought it would be the perfect thing to do with my girlfriend.”

  They arrived at the skating trail around ten thirty and paid the rink attendant. Based on the lack of cars in the parking lot, it appeared they were alone. Probably had something to do with the bitterly cold weather.

  They laced up their hockey skates in the little hut. It wasn’t heated, but at least it offered protection from the wind.

  Jo got her skates on first and tossed an “I’ll race you” over her shoulder before she pushed open the door to the hut.

  Zach finished tying up his skates in a hurry and followed her out. She was already whipping down the ice in long, smooth strokes, and he had lots of distance to make up.

  That was no surprise. He’d played hockey with Jo; he knew she was an excellent skater.

  As it turned out, he couldn’t catch her. He managed to get close at one point, but then she whizzed past him, and when he reached the beginning of the trail, she was waiting for him.

  “I win!” Her cheeks were pink and her toque was slightly askew, and it was just the two of them...and hell, she looked good.

  Usually, Zach was a talker, but right now, he didn’t talk.

  He took Jo’s gloved hand and raised his eyebrows. She nodded before she started skating again, not quite as fast as before, and he skated with her, holding hands.

  It was a novelty, skating through the forest like this. The bare branches of the deciduous trees and the green of the conifers were covered in a layer of fluffy snow. Large flakes of snow started falling slowly from the sky, and Jo tipped her head up and smiled.

  It was peaceful.

  They kept skating, hand in hand, around the track.

  He remembered what she’d told him the other night, about wanting another relationship, even after all that had happened.

  He hoped she’d get what she wanted. He was her friend after all.

  But dammit, if some part of him didn’t tense at the thought of her skating hand in hand with another man.

  It had been a long time since he’d felt like this.

  After the fifth loop, Jo came to a stop near the hut. She was about to step through the doorway, but he took her hands and pulled her close, as if in a trance.

  Once again, he raised his eyebrows, and once again, she nodded.

  He kissed her.

  Her mouth was welcoming, hot compared to the air around them. She curved her arms around him and pulled him even closer. It was fortunate that she was only a couple inches shorter than him, or they wouldn’t have been able to make this work.

  And boy, was it ever working.

  She moaned softly as he took her mouth in his again and again, and when she slipped her tongue between his lips, he nearly swore.

  But he didn’t, because he didn’t want to break the spell they were under.

  He touched his tongue to hers; she felt so necessary right now, just as necessary as the winter clothes that were protecting them from the cold.

  Suddenly, after years of friendship, kissing her was just what he needed.

  A snowflake fell on her nose; he licked it off before returning to pleasuring her mouth, each of her precious sighs making his pants a little more uncomfortable.

  She leaned into him, and then, suddenly, she was gone.

  He caught her before she fell onto the ice.

  “Perhaps we should take off our skates,” she said, leading him into the hut.

  She sat down on a bench and unlaced her skates. After she put her boots on, she took off her toque and unzipped her jacket, exposing her Leafs sweatshirt. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was wild, some of it slicked with sweat, and he’d never seen anything more beautiful.

  Once he’d changed into his boots, she slid across the bench, straddled him, and went right back to kissing him.

  Jo was a steady presence in his life, and he’d never imagined she’d be so passionate.

  His imagination clearly needed work.

  Zach slid his hands under her sweatshirt and T-shirt, and he groaned as he touched her hot skin.

  “Okay?” he murmured.

  When she nodded, he moved his hands higher, under her sports bra.

  This time, she was the one who groaned, and that sent a bolt of lust straight to his cock.

  He circled her nipple with his thumb, then tweaked it. She groaned once more, and God, he wanted to hear that sound again and again.

  He kissed her neck and cold cheek before making his way back to her mouth. Her sweet mouth would feel so good on—

  “Daddy, what are they doing?”

  Jo scrambled off his lap and fell backward onto the ground, landing on her ass.

  “Shit, are you okay?” Zach extended a hand, realizing belatedly that he’d sworn in front of a small kid. Actually, three small children, who were all peering at him curiously.

  “They were kissing, you dumb-dumb!” said Kid 2.

  “You said a mean word!” said Kid 1.

  Zach grabbed Jo’s hand and pulled her up, and they scurried out of the hut before they could hear any more.

  Once they were sitting in the safety of the car, she glanced out the window and said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have...you know.”

  He took her chin in his hand and turned her
so she was looking at him. “Yes, you should have. I enjoyed it.”

  She gave him a tentative smile, but it wasn’t enough for him, so he kissed her again, in a way that would totally scandalize those children and their parents.

  “Don’t apologize,” he said, then started the car.

  They didn’t talk much on the drive back to Mosquito Bay. Zach was still trying to wrap his mind around what had happened.

  He didn’t understand it. He’d never wanted to kiss Jo until they’d started this charade.

  He shook his head. It was probably just because he hadn’t had sex in six months, and he was horny.

  Really, that’s all it was. And he wouldn’t let anything come of it. She was his friend, and that would make things weird.

  * * *

  Jo sat at the back of the bakery with her hot chocolate and scone...and a wide grin on her face.

  A few minutes later, her friend Tiffany walked in, her two-month-old baby in a carrier.

  “So, what’s up?” Tiffany asked, sitting across from Jo. “What’s this emergency that required me to leave the warmth of my house?”

  “I don’t understand why you’re complaining,” Jo said. “You’re having a currant scone. Isn’t that worth a little trek outside?”

  “It’s pretty freaking cold out there.” Tiffany bounced her sleeping child up and down.

  Tiffany and Jo had been friends since elementary school. Their friend group used to be bigger, but the other three women had moved away from Mosquito Bay and only came back to visit family a few times a year, so usually it was just the two of them.

  “You’ll never guess what happened,” Jo said. “We kissed!”

  “You and Zach?”

  “Who else could I possibly be talking about?”

  Tiffany wasn’t a fan of Jo’s crush on Zach. Not that she disliked him, but she didn’t like the idea of pining in secret for someone for years.

  “Who kissed who?” Tiffany asked.

  “The first time, he did, but the second time, I made the move.” Jo flushed as she thought of Zach’s hand on her breast...then flushed in embarrassment as she recalled how they’d been interrupted. “We went to the skating trail near Goderich. The first lap, we raced and I won.”