[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  He stopped his swing and hopped off, the realization hitting him. He started across the sand toward the bench. He couldn’t feel like this toward Sidney. It wasn’t right. He could not be attracted to an engaged woman.

  Sidney called out to him. “You giving up?”

  “Yep,” he said without turning around.

  She bounded off the swing and jogged over to him. “I guess you admit defeat.” She was smiling and trying to catch her breath, and he forced himself to look away.

  “Yes. You beat me.” He sat down on the bench, as close to the edge as he could get.

  She joined him and gave him a sideways look but didn’t say anything.

  “Are you done with your questions?”

  “Nope.” She flipped to a new page and poised her pen. “What are you most passionate about?”

  “My career. But that’s a terrible thing to say on a dating questionnaire.”

  “You’re right. Let’s explore your answer.” She squinted at him. “Why are you passionate about your career?”

  He stared at the grass. “I want to help people. If I can make them healthy, and prolong life, I’ve not only helped them, I’ve done something for their whole family.”

  Sidney spoke as she wrote. “Saving lives.”

  He wrinkled his nose. “That sounds cheesy. I’m not superman.”

  “But that’s what you love about being a doctor.”

  “I’m just a general practitioner. I’m not a brain surgeon.”

  “All right.” She scribbled out the words on her pad and started writing again. “Helping people live healthier lives.”

  Blake slowly nodded. “I guess that’s right.”

  “Okay. Just one more. What is your most important goal in life?”

  He looked out at the setting sun. “I could say all kinds of things, like having a family, or being financially stable, but I think my most important goal is to live my life with no regrets.”

  She wrote on the paper. “That’s a good one. Okay, we’re all done.”

  Relief washed over him. Now he could take Sidney home and stop feeling guilty for the way he was starting to look at her.

  Maybe she would find him a match soon, and he could get Sidney out of his head.

  Chapter 6

  Sidney typed away at her keyboard, putting in the information she’d gathered the previous night. Blake was looking really good on paper. Too good. She had a ton of women in her database who would love to go out with him, and about a hundred of them matched up closely. The last part was finding someone with whom he’d have chemistry. He’d be in a solid relationship within a month.

  So why didn’t that make her happy?

  She sighed and pushed away from the computer. Blake had waltzed back into her life yesterday, and her school-girl crush had picked up exactly where it left off—with her drooling and tripping all over herself when he was around. Why couldn’t she get over that? What was wrong with her?

  She needed to get him out of her head. If she matched him up quickly, she could push all thoughts of him away and move on. It was the only way to be rid of him for good. She clicked on the icon and scrolled through the matches the computer found.

  Hannah Parsons. Too perky. She’d drive him nuts. Emma Thatcher. Too short. They’d look weird together. Chloe Michaels. Now there was a possibility. Chloe was cute, but not too pretty. She was nice but not too sweet. And she liked classic rock music, and outdoor sports.

  A sick feeling overcame Sidney. Chloe was perfect for Blake. She should make the call. Why was she hesitating?

  She picked up the phone and stared at the buttons. One call. That’s all she had to do. Taking a deep breath, she plunged ahead, punching in the number. Chloe answered on the third ring.

  “Hey, Sidney, what’s up? I haven’t talked with you in forever.”

  “I know. This being an adult thing sure gets in the way of our fun.”

  Chloe laughed. “So, what’s up?”

  “I have a client looking for a relationship. I think he’s a potential match for you.”

  “Ooh, what’s he like?” Chloe’s voice dripped with curiosity.

  “He’s athletic. An outdoorsy type. And he’s got a good heart.” Even though he’s moody sometimes, she bit back, thinking of the way he’d hopped off the swing after she beat him.

  “What does he do for a living?”

  And this would seal the deal. “He’s a doctor.”

  Chloe sucked in a breath. “Are you kidding me? Why isn’t he already married? Is there something wrong with him?”

  No. He’s perfect. Sidney shook those thoughts away. “He’s divorced. I don’t know the details of the split, but I’ve known him for years. He’s a good guy.”

  “Great!” Chloe sounded excited. “I’d love to meet him.”

  “Wonderful. Let me know your schedule and I’ll set it up.”

  After she hung up, Sidney sat back in her chair and exhaled. There. She’d done it. Now Blake would be off the market and she could force herself to forget about him. Again.

  BLAKE WAS SURPRISED when he checked his phone and saw a message from Sidney. She’d already found him a match? Wow. She was fast. He set his lunch down on a table in the break room and punched in her number. “Hey, it’s Blake.”

  She hesitated. “Hi.”

  She didn’t say anything else, so he went ahead. “You said in your message that you found a match for me.”

  “Yes! Sorry, brain isn’t working right now. I do have someone who would like to meet you. When are you free?”

  “I’m free tonight.”

  Sidney mumbled something he couldn’t quite hear. The phone rustled and then she came on. “Okay. I’ll call Chloe. Anywhere in particular you’d like to meet?”

  “Alfredo’s.”

  “Oh, brother,” she mumbled.

  “What?”

  “I said, ‘That’s perfect.’”

  “No, you didn’t. Do you have a problem with me taking her to Alfredo’s?” He opened his milk carton and took a swig.

  “It’s...just a little cliché, right? Taking a woman to a fine Italian restaurant. It seems a bit...”

  “Too romantic? Should we start out a little less formal? I don’t want to seem overly eager.”

  “Yes. Somewhere casual is good.”

  He raked his brain to come up with some place that would work. “What about the mom and pop café over by Ben Franklin’s? What’s it called, The White Lilly?”

  “That’s fine. I’ll give her a call. I’ll text you if it works out.”

  Blake hung up the phone, and a light nervousness shot through him. Tonight he would go on his first date since the divorce. He had to remind himself that not all women were like Melody.

  Oh, things had been great, at first. Weren’t they always great in the beginning? Melody had seemed like the perfect woman. Unfortunately, he’d found out the truth about her. He took a bite out of his apple, pushing thoughts of his ex-wife out of his head. It would do no good thinking of her.

  After work, Blake ran home to shower and get ready for his date. They were meeting at the café, taking some of the pressure off. Just a casual meet and greet. If he liked her, he could set up another date. If not, there wasn’t even the awkward ‘take her home’ moment.

  Blake arrived at The White Lilly ten minutes early, but when he mentioned he was waiting for his date, the greeter motioned to a woman sitting alone by the window. “I think your date is already here.”

  He took in her appearance before approaching. Her blonde hair was shoulder-length, and she wore casual clothes. Nice figure. Small frame. Light makeup, which was always a plus. Heavy makeup screamed ‘high maintenance’ to him.

  Blake walked over to the table. “Chloe?”

  She stood and stretched out her hand. “Hi, you must be Blake.” Her smile widened as her gaze traveled over him.

  They shook hands and he sat down across from her. An awkward silence stretched for a few seconds, so Blake blurte
d the first thing that came to mind. “You look nice.”

  “Thank you.” She tugged at her collar. “I’m...a little nervous.” She giggled. “I don’t usually do this kind of thing, but when Sidney put a call out for singles, well, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to put my information in her computer.”

  “So you know Sidney?”

  Chloe nodded. “Yes, we had a class together in college, and we’ve been friends ever since. Nice girl. Unlucky in love, though.” She clicked her tongue against her teeth.

  He cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, you know, that whole Asher debacle. What a jerk.”

  The waitress interrupted them, handing them menus and taking their drink orders. After she left, his curiosity was too high to ignore. “What happened with Asher?”

  Chloe’s eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t know? I thought Sidney said you guys were old friends.”

  “We are. I used to live up the street when we were kids, and was best friends with her brother. But I haven’t seen her for years.”

  “Oh, well, Asher was her boyfriend. Looked like it was getting serious, too. He took her to a fancy restaurant for Valentine’s Day and she thought he was going to propose. But instead, she found out he was cheating on her.” Chloe flipped her hair over her shoulder.

  Blake gaped. “He took her to a fancy restaurant to tell her about the other woman?”

  “No. Sidney found out he had another date lined up for later that evening.”

  He winced. “Ouch.”

  “Yeah. Swore off men for good after that.”

  “You mean, until she met Ted.”

  Chloe’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “Ted?”

  “Her fiancé.”

  She slapped the table making a loud banging noise. “Get out! Sidney’s engaged?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah.”

  “When is she getting married?”

  Blake hadn’t asked. That was probably something important he should know. “I don’t know.”

  “Ted...wait, isn’t that Mia’s brother?” Chloe picked up her water and took a sip.

  He wasn’t sure, so he shrugged. “Dark hair, glasses. Kind of skinny.”

  “Yes! That’s Mia’s older brother. Why didn’t she tell me?” Before Blake had a chance to say anything, Chloe went on. “I guess I’ve been busy with work. We haven’t really talked in ages. I’m going to have to call her.”

  This was bad. He’d been so curious, he’d let the conversation wander over to gossiping about Sidney. He should be getting to know his date. He cleared his throat. “So, Chloe, tell me about yourself. What kinds of things do you like to do?”

  “I love tennis and golf. And I played football in high school. They let me on the boy’s team. Actually,” she said, leaning forward. “I kind of made a stink until they agreed.”

  Blake blinked. “Football?” He tried to reconcile the small woman in front of him with an image of a linebacker, and couldn’t.

  She laughed. “I know, everyone looks at me that way. But I was fast on the field and hard to tackle. And I loved it.”

  He chuckled. He liked her tenacity. “What about sky diving?”

  She shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m afraid of heights.”

  A small disappointment sank in him, and he mentally crossed that off his list. No matter. The perfect woman didn’t have to share all of his passions. “What do you do for a living?”

  “I’m a dental assistant. I spend my day with my hands in people’s mouths.” She laughed.

  “Well, I’m a general practitioner. My hands end up in all kinds of places you don’t want to know about.”

  She laughed even louder and a few people turned to look at them. “What a pair we are,” she said.

  The waitress came to take their orders. Chloe pointed to her menu. “I’d like the Garden Burger, but hold the mushrooms, and can you use ground sirloin instead of hamburger? Oh, and lightly toast the bun, please.”

  The server hesitated. “I’ll have to ask the cook about the hamburger.”

  Chloe frowned. “Never mind.”

  “Would you like anything to drink?”

  “I’ll take a raspberry lemonade, but go really light on the raspberry. And no ice.” Chloe closed her menu.

  The server scribbled on her pad. “Sure.”

  Blake ordered, and after the server left he said, “How long have you lived here in Bishop Falls?”

  “I came here to go to college about seven years ago, and never left. I like the small town atmosphere, and with Omaha not too far away I have everything I need.”

  “That’s one reason I like it here, too.”

  She placed her hands on her lap. “What’s the other reason?”

  “My mother lives here.”

  She hesitated. “You don’t live with her, do you?”

  For some reason, that question irked him. So what if he did? He had looked at moving in with her to help her around the house, but she’d insisted she was fine. “No.”

  “Good, because I dated that guy already and he was a disaster.” She looked out the window.

  Blake found himself counting down the minutes until the date would be over. It wasn’t as if Chloe was bad company, she just didn’t click with him like he’d hoped. The conversation turned strained. He knew she could feel it too, as they ate and tried to think of things to say.

  After the meal, Blake paid the check and turned to Chloe. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

  “This is going to be our last date, isn’t it?” She smiled, but it didn’t last long.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s me.”

  “The old, it’s me not you. I’ve heard that a million times.” She touched his arm, and when there were no sparks, it confirmed his decision.

  “It was nice to meet you.”

  “Thanks.”

  He wasn’t sure what else to do, so he said good-bye and left. The evening sun had dipped along the tree line, and long shadows filled the parking lot. He hopped into his truck and started the engine.

  Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself sitting outside Sidney’s apartment. Why had he driven there? It was a Friday night. She probably wasn’t even home. And yet, her lights were on, and her car sat in front of her apartment, the words ‘Blissfully Matched’ across the back window. Then he saw the curtain move.

  Oh, busted.

  Sidney came out the front door. “What are you doing here?”

  She was wearing sweats and a T-shirt and he wondered why she wasn’t out on a date with her fiancé. “Just wanted to talk, I guess.”

  She came over to the driver’s side and leaned against the window. Even in her casual clothes she looked amazing. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and it made his fingers itch to pull it down. He pushed that thought away. “How did the date go?” she asked.

  He frowned. “Chloe was okay, but we didn’t exactly mesh well.”

  “Oh.” Sidney looked surprised. “What didn’t you like about her?”

  “There wasn’t a lot, maybe a few little things.”

  “You’ve got to tell me so I can pick a better match for you next time.”

  “She was kind of picky about the food.”

  Sidney squinted up at him. “What do you mean?”

  “She wanted the bun lightly toasted, and the meat substituted...stuff like that.”

  Sidney looked at him like he was being overly sensitive. “Okay.” She dragged the word out.

  “It wasn’t just that, though.” How could he explain it? “We didn’t have any chemistry.”

  Sidney nodded. “I understand.” She looked over at the setting sun. A light breeze carried her scent into his truck and he struggled to ignore it. He shouldn’t have come here. His newly discovered feelings for Sidney needed to be caged. Swallowed. Buried.

  “When are you getting married?” he blurted.

  She stared at him. “Married?”

  “To Ted. Your f
iancé.”

  “Oh!” Pink colored her cheeks. “Sorry. Been a long day.” She tugged at her ear lobe. “We haven’t set a date yet.” She wouldn’t look him in the eye.

  “Are you and Ted...having problems?” Guilt crept in. He should keep his nose out of her business.

  “No.” She bit her lip, which made him question her answer.

  “If you need to talk...” He let the invitation drift off. What was he doing? That was inappropriate. He should let her and Ted work through things together.

  She looked him in the eye, pausing. “Thank you,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. She took a step away. “I’d better...” She motioned toward the door.

  “Yes. Okay. See you later.” He backed up his truck and pulled out of the parking lot, forcing himself to keep his eyes in front of him and not glance back at her.

  Chapter 7

  Blake had a hard time sleeping, and after an hour of tossing and turning, he finally got up at five o’clock. Why couldn’t he get Sidney out of his head? She was taken, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Or rather, should do about it. If she were having trouble with her fiancé, he had to butt out of it.

  His pent-up energy had him crawling out of his skin. In a moment of frustration, he decided this was the perfect time to tear out that useless kitchen wall. It wasn’t load bearing, and there was no real purpose for it. After cutting through the drywall with his utility knife and making sure there was no electricity, he grabbed his sledgehammer and slammed it into the wall. A satisfying hole punched through, and he repeated the process, making the hole bigger.

  He ignored the mess as he worked, enjoying the sight of the wall opening up. He pounded out the drywall and carried large chunks of it to the garbage. Then he worked on removing the studs with his saw. By the time he was done, his muscles ached, but he was glad for the distraction. He hadn’t thought about Sidney for the last three hours.

  A hot shower sounded good, so he put his impromptu renovations on hold and entered the bathroom. As the soapy water cascaded down around him, the answer came to him. He had to call Sidney and quit her service. He’d pay her full price. It wasn’t fair to back out of the contract. He just needed to get away from her. It was a large enough town that he’d probably only bump into her if he went out of his way to. He could stay away. Let her work things out. It was for the best.