by Cat Johnson
In her bedroom, Noelle shook her head at this whole thing. Faking a relationship was a lot of work. It might be easier just to find a real man.
CHAPTER 4
Naked, Nathan fell backward onto the mattress. His limbs were so wobbly he’d been happy to remain upright in the shower long enough to wash off the sweat.
Reaching down, he tugged at the damp towel he’d wrapped around his waist. When he finally wrested it loose, he tossed it to the floor. He wasn’t normally a messy person, but he’d be damned if he had the energy to walk even as far as the laundry basket.
What the hell? He was in good shape. He had to be. It was his job to keep his body in top condition, but damn his CO had worked the team into the ground today. Or maybe he was just getting old.
Old at thirty-two. He snorted out a laugh and felt his exhausted abdominal muscles protest at even that small action.
Maybe command was pushing them so hard because they’d all come back from leave soft. Admittedly, traveling home and visiting his parents for Thanksgiving had thrown off his workout schedule.
Hell, it had more than thrown his routine off. It had put a grinding halt to his PT. With all the food and beer and wine, he’d gained five pounds in not even as many days. He’d weighed in this morning, and the Thanksgiving weight was gone but not the memories.
Turkey, stuffing, candied sweet and mashed white potatoes, not to mention that crazy-good bourbon cranberry sauce he’d taken to eating right off the spoon.
Then there were the leftovers. Hot open-faced turkey and gravy sandwiches. Cold turkey sandwiches. Turkey potpie.
Just thinking of it had him feeling stuffed all over again.
He tried not to remember how many times he’d had to unbutton his jeans after eating during that visit. That was so far from his usual behavior it was like he’d left the base in Virginia and become a different person when he crossed the Connecticut state line.
Luckily he’d left to drive back to base at the crack of dawn Sunday morning, so the culinary debauchery had only lasted for three days.
But how was he going to do it all again next week when he went home for Christmas?
Nathan chastised himself for even thinking that. There were too many years he’d been deployed over the holidays. He should appreciate every day he could spend with family and not in some hellhole on the other side of the world.
That’s what he should do. What he did do was stare up at the ceiling and wish he’d remembered to turn down the bed before lying in it.
With a sigh he rallied his energy and sat up. Getting there hurt like hell, but once he was vertical he was fine. He was behaving like a pussy over a few sore muscles. He shook his head at himself and bent to grab the towel on the floor. After tossing it into the laundry basket, he pulled a pair of boxer shorts out of the drawer and tugged them up his legs.
He was just deciding if he wanted to grab something to eat for dinner or just skip it and rack out for the night, when a text came through his phone. He eyed the cell on the dresser with more than a little suspicion.
Would command have the nerve to call them in for night training after the day they’d had? Or worse, was the team being recalled for a mission?
Crap.
There was only one way to find out. He moved toward the dresser, rallying his optimism in the few strides it took him to cross his bedroom in the barracks.
Maybe it wasn’t anything as bad as what his imagination conjured and his weary body feared.
It could be just his mother saying hello. After he’d convinced her to learn how to text during his past visit, she might finally be embracing the technology.
Sure. That could be it.
Happy with that guess, he grabbed the cell, but it wasn’t command or his mother. On the readout Nathan saw a number with no name, but what really caught his attention was that the area code was from his hometown in Connecticut. The same area code of his own cell, since he’d never changed his number after joining the Navy, not even when he’d gotten stationed in Virginia.
Frowning, he hit to read the text.
Hey, Nathan. My parents are having a big party on Christmas Eve. I hope you can make it. Noelle.
Nathan read the text twice, pondering its meaning.
He knew exactly whom it was from. Noelle of the bourbon berry recipe. Noelle, who got an adorable little wrinkle between her brows when she typed on her cell phone. Noelle, with the really nice curves he’d had to try hard not to stare at in the store that day.
Besides her being pretty memorable, he’d saved her text with the recipe in it, so it was right there on his screen above this new text, leaving no doubt it was definitely from her.
So that left the question of, why now? Why, weeks after that five-minute chance meeting in the produce section in his hometown, did she decide to text him out of the blue?
He glanced at the words again and figured he was overthinking it. The reason for the text was clear. Her parents’ party.
Maybe this invite was a further thank-you for his handing over that bag of cranberries. Best thing he’d ever done. Besides it being the decent thing to do, and his getting her kick-ass cranberry sauce recipe, he was going to get to see Noelle again.
Christmas Eve would be perfect, actually. It fell on a Saturday this year, and he’d already put in for official leave starting a few days before Christmas.
Barring any issues, he’d be in town before his parents went to bed Wednesday night. His parents did the family dinner on Christmas Day, but the night before he was free as a bird. Free to flutter over to Noelle’s parents’ party.
And where exactly was that? He typed in the text to find out.
I’d love to come. Time? Address?
She responded almost immediately with the time and the address. It was in the town next to his, which made sense since they had been shopping at the same store on Thanksgiving.
Her being local would be handy if he ended up hitting it off with this woman. What would be even better would be if he wasn’t currently stationed in another state. Even thinking that was really jumping the gun. But that didn’t squash his curiosity about Noelle and her mysterious surprise text.
After considering it for barely a minute, he punched in another text.
Glad you texted. I didn’t think I’d hear from you.
Her reply came through fast, which was a good sign, right? Nathan sighed. What did he know? Dating didn’t exactly fit in his life right now. That was painfully obvious from his lack of any female companionship in recent memory.
Pushing aside his self-pity, he read what she’d written.
I know. I’m sorry. It took me a while to wrap my head around this and get up my nerve.
Hmm. Interesting that she’d been nervous about texting him. He guessed it was just as nerve-racking for a woman to text a man as vice versa. While walking to the kitchenette to grab some leftovers out of the fridge, he typed in a reply.
Nothing to be nervous about. I’m just an average guy.
Her reply came in while the microwave chugged along, heating the piece of steak he hadn’t finished from last night’s dinner.
Good to know. I was a little worried about that part.
He smiled, choosing to take that as a compliment. He could be a little intimating.
Two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle on a six-foot-two-inch frame could intimidate some people. Petite brunettes, in particular.
Nathan was just cutting into his steak, the phone on the table next to his plate, when she texted again.
So what are you up to?
Well, well, well. It seemed his new friend was a talker. He could handle that. He put down his fork and replied.
Eating dinner. Leftover steak. You?
As he put down the phone again and grabbed his bottle of water, she responded.
Watching my favorite Christmas movie.
He rarely had time to watch TV, but he had a television set and he could certainly use a little Christmas spirit. He t
yped in his question, the answer to which would tell him a lot about her.
Which movie?
If she came back with Christmas Vacation, he’d know she was probably the kind of woman he could kick back with and enjoy a beer and some hot wings. If she came back with It’s a Wonderful Life, he’d know she was the serious type. Though he really wouldn’t mind either.
Elf.
Her answer threw him since he’d never seen it. He told her that.
Never saw it.
Her reply came so fast and with so many exclamation points, he had to laugh.
OMG! Turn it on right now! Ch 60!
She thought he was in Connecticut and was giving him the local channel. Getting up, he grabbed the remote, turned on the channel guide, and scrolled until he found the movie. By that time, she’d texted again.
Did you turn it on? Oh wait. Are you at work?
He smiled at her persistence and enthusiasm.
Not at work. Watching now.
Good!! Best part coming up.
Laughing at her excitement, Nathan grabbed his dinner and sat on the sofa. He punched in a quick reply.
Looking forward to it.
He suspected he’d get another text shortly, so after hitting Send he tossed the cell onto the cushion next to him and settled in for a night with Elf and the very surprising Noelle.
CHAPTER 5
The clock ticked closer to lunch than breakfast, but Noelle was still in her pajamas, trying to wake up with her second cup of coffee.
In her defense, this was her vacation.
A knock on the door had her frowning. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Besides, who on earth would be dropping by unannounced so early in the morning?
Noelle glanced at the clock and realized it wasn’t all that early after all. Her butt was dragging today because she’d stayed up too late watching movies on TV last night.
The knock repeated.
Oh well. Whoever had the audacity to stop by without calling first deserved to see her in her red flannel, Santa-print pj’s.
It was probably just Nikki anyway, here to force her into another fake date so they could post about it online.
At least all the orchestrated events Nikki had made Noelle go on so far had prepared her for Christmas.
Noelle now had a tree, and wrapped presents, and all sorts of fancy bottles of wine and champagne that she would supposedly share with her fake boyfriend, Nathan.
Not to mention the cookies she and Nikki had baked just for the photo op. Noelle had enjoyed eating those, at least.
It all made for a convincingly fabulous life—if no one looked too far past the social media posts. Still, there was a sadness shadowing the victory.
The fact that she’d spent a good amount of last night texting the Build-A-Boyfriend employee assigned to her—and she’d enjoyed it—proved how pitiful her life was.
With a sigh, Noelle flipped the lock and yanked open the door. The moment she saw who stood there, she realized she should have remembered to use the peephole before opening the door.
“George. What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to check and see how you were doing.”
“Oh, really. You’re concerned about me?” She folded her arms and leaned against the door frame, blocking his entrance.
Interesting that he didn’t stop by or call or text for those two weeks after the night they’d broken up. That it was only after Nikki had implemented the Build-A-Boyfriend plan that George suddenly darkened Noelle’s doorway.
“Yes, of course I’m concerned about you. We were together for four and a half years.” His gaze swept over her, going from her unwashed hair to the faded flannel.
“Yes, we were.”
Long, wasted years she could have been dating other guys, or not dating at all and just having fun living her own life rather than trying to please George.
And for what?
What did she end up with for all that effort? A man who had no plans to spend the future with her, that’s what. And a Christmas spent single.
She also couldn’t forget the other result of her breakup—her fake boyfriend. Though if last night was any indication, having a Build-A-Boyfriend wasn’t too bad. She really had enjoyed watching television while texting him. Probably enjoyed it too much, considering. . .
Noelle would deal with her feelings regarding her surreal relationship with the Build-A-Boyfriend dude later. At the moment she had something more pressing to deal with. Namely one hundred and fifty pounds of entitled, opinionated hot air darkening her door.
Funny how she’d never noticed what a pompous fool he was while they’d been dating.
Now she was tuned in to every passive-aggressive comment he made. Every judgmental glance he directed at her and at her apartment. He looked over her shoulder and surveyed the remnants of her late-night movie session, right down to the popcorn she’d dropped on the carpet and hadn’t gotten around to picking up yet.
“Anything else? I really need to get moving. I have plans for the day.” Bristling at his silent but obvious censure, she had no problem delivering the lie.
Heck, it could be true. She did expect her sister to come up with some excursion to further their ruse.
“Um, no. I guess not. I just didn’t want your parents’ party to be the first time we saw each other since—you know.”
Since she’d broken up with him?
Noelle was trying not to feel any guilt now that George seemed to actually be acting like a decent human being by checking on her. She squelched the feeling as quickly as it had arisen, remembering that she’d only broken up with him because he’d never seen a future with her.
Putting on a bravado she didn’t feel, Noelle waved away his concern with the flick of one wrist. “Oh, don’t worry about it. We were friends before we dated. We’ll be friends after.” She forced a smile. “So, you’re coming to the party then?”
“Yes. I was planning on it. My brothers are going. And my parents.”
“Oh good. I’ll look forward to seeing them.” She pushed off the door frame. “So, not to rush you, but I really do have to shower and get dressed.”
“All right.” He hesitated. “Will I get to meet Nathan at the party?”
That question froze Noelle in place. George had seen the posts and now was expecting to see Nathan in the flesh.
She and Nikki hadn’t really worked out that part of the farce. What would they say when people asked where Nathan was during the party?
Lying on the fly wasn’t exactly in Noelle’s skill set, but she had no choice except to wing it. “He’s going to try his best to be there. You know, prior commitment and all.”
“Oh?” George sounded too interested in the information that Nathan might not be at the party.
“He had plans for Christmas Eve already when we met.” The lies were getting deeper. Before Noelle knew it, she’d be drowning in them.
George’s brows rose. “And how did you meet?”
She had to get him out of here. This was too much pressure. She couldn’t handle it, and this was only George. What would she do at the party when faced with a house full of people asking questions?
That settled it. The moment she closed and locked the door behind George, she was calling her sister and they were going to work out every last detail. She couldn’t go into Christmas Eve unprepared the way she was now.
That resolution wouldn’t help her now. She needed an answer to his question.
“How did we meet?” Her brain spun for a believable scenario. After Thanksgiving she’d been a hermit, but he didn’t know that. An idea struck. “Shopping.”
“Shopping?”
“Yup. Shopping.” Something she loved to do and George loathed, so it was perfect. “You know, ’tis the season and all. Lots of shopping to do for Christmas. So I was out, you know, shopping and there he was. And the rest is history.”
Ready to pass out from her pulse pounding so hard, Noelle made a show of glancing beh
ind her at the clock on the microwave.
“Wow. I didn’t realize it was so late. I really do have to go. But I’ll see you Christmas Eve.” Before he could force any more falsehoods out of her, she took a step back and swung the door closed.
Not until the lock and the dead bolt and chain were secured did she breathe freely again. That’s when Noelle sprang into action. She ran for her cell and punched the button to dial her sister.
Nikki answered on the second ring. “Hello.”
“George was just here.” Paranoid that he might still be hovering outside, Noelle moved farther from the door and cupped her hand around the phone as she whispered.
“What? Why? What was he doing there?” Her sister, having the benefit of being far away, did not keep her voice down. Nikki’s shocked questions boomed through the earpiece of the phone and into Noelle’s ear.
“He was asking a whole lot of questions I didn’t have answers to,” Noelle hissed.
“About what?”
“About my fake boyfriend.”
“He saw the posts? And he believed that Nathan’s real?” Nikki’s jubilant whoop sliced through Noelle’s eardrum.
“This is nothing to celebrate.”
“Sure it is. We created a fake boyfriend and your ex-boyfriend believed it. That’s pretty amazing.”
“What’s not so amazing were my weak lies about why Nathan might not be at the party and where we met.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That we met while shopping, but Nathan has a prior commitment that might keep him from coming to the party.”
“Perfect.”
Things were far from perfect in Noelle’s mind. “Nikki, there are so many things people could ask, and I won’t have answers.”
“Like what?”
“You know Aunt Anna is going to want to know what he does for a living.” Probably what his annual income was, too. And his parents’ tax bracket, as well.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Noelle drew in a breath and let it out on a sigh. “The whole thing makes me want to just walk in and tell everyone that I’m single and proud of it.”