He screwed on the lid. “Uh huh.”
“And she’s going to set up a meeting with her uncle?”
He scratched the back of his neck. “Yep.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He shrugged.
“Spill it.”
Christian swallowed. Maybe he’d come here because he wanted to tell her. He needed to tell someone. Maybe she’d talk some sense into him. “I’m engaged.” He held his hands up in feigned celebration. “Surprise.”
She didn’t bite. "You're joking.”
“Isn’t this what you and mom wanted? For me to find a nice girl and propose.”
She frowned. “Is this about you wanting to meet her uncle?”
He let his shoulders relax. "It sounds strange. I know. But getting my products into Holland's would change everything for me.
“So you proposed to her?”
Memories of the ring in his hand felt like something from a bizarre dream. “She has this idea that she needs to be engaged to go to her reunion."
“So it has nothing to do with the fact that you like her?”
A bead of sweat dripped down his face. "Of course not,” he said sharply.
"But you do like her? You’re attracted to her?"
“You don’t get it. It doesn’t matter if I like her.” Sure, it made things more complicated, but he refused to let anything happen between them. He didn't need to put the brakes on his dreams anymore. When he and Jessica broke up, he’d realized he only got one shot at this life, and he couldn’t make decisions based on what everybody else thought he should do. "Don't get any crazy ideas in your head. This is a business deal."
“Fine, but what are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”
“I’m not going to tell them anything.”
“They know plenty of people who live in Ross. Word will get out. Do you really want someone telling them you’re engaged before you do?”
They already thought he was flushing his life away. They’d really lose it if they found out he was engaged to a virtual stranger. “I’ll figure out something to tell them.”
“Well, you better figure out something fast because Mom’s on her way over here.”
“Now? Why?” He didn’t want to see his mom. He’d come here to clear his head not let her mess with it. “Maybe I could mow another time.”
Lori laughed. “You’re ridiculous. She’s picking up some curtains I made for her.”
His sister was right. He was a grown man. He could handle his mom. Too many years of trying to please his family turned out to be a hard habit to break.
A car door slammed in the driveway out front. Lori’s brows rose. “I bet that’s her now.”
A few minutes later, he was sitting in the living room with his mom while Lori was getting the curtains.
His mother sat a little too formally on the edge of the sofa, her ankles crossed. She wore her usual pressed khakis and white button up. She’d let her hair turn its natural shade of gray but kept it in the same short style she’d had since he was a kid. “How's Jessica? Do you still keep in touch?"
He leaned back in his chair. "Not really."
Her lips formed a tight line. "I thought you ended things on good terms."
"We did, but we're giving each other space."
His mother blinked.
"Mom, that's what people do when they end a relationship."
“But I always thought you two would get back together. She was practically part of the family. Maybe we should invite her to dinner next time she’s in town. It would simply be rude not to.”
He scoffed. “You’re not going to invite her for dinner.”
She glared at him. “Give me one good reason why not.”
There were a thousand reasons why it was a terrible idea. “I'm dating someone new now,” he blurted out.
She leaned back. “Really? Who is it?”
Like Lori had said, his parents would find out eventually. Maybe he could minimize the fallout. “You don’t know her.”
She cocked her head to the side. “How long have you been seeing each other?"
“Not long.” Two days. “But it's getting pretty serious.” We’re engaged.
“Really? I need to meet this girl. We should invite her over for dinner.”
Uh-oh. It would be nearly impossible to keep the charade up in front of his family. "Not yet."
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you embarrassed of her?”
“Of course not.”
His mom jutted her chin out. “Then you’re embarrassed of me?”
“Mom, stop it.” From the coffee table, his phone rang.
His mom craned her neck to look at the screen. “Mary Beth? Is that her? The new girlfriend?” It rang again. “Well, answer it already.”
He jumped out of his chair, grabbed the phone, and answered it.
“Hi, Christian.” Mary Beth said.
His heart beat faster at the sound of her voice. “Hey,” he said as his mom stared at him.
“I think we should get together to talk through some of the details of our”—she cleared her throat—“arrangement.”
He took a few steps away from his mother. “I think that’s a good idea. How about tomorrow for lunch?”
“Do you know someplace where people won’t overhear us?”
“My buddy is going to have his food truck down by Little Creek Park. Noon?”
“That would be perfect. I might need to bring my dog.”
She had a dog? That was the kind of thing a fiancé should probably know. Could they really pull this off? “Should I pick you up?”
She paused a little too long. “Let’s meet there.”
A lump of disappointment formed in his chest. He would have liked to see where she lived, but he couldn’t blame her. She still didn’t know anything about him. He needed to earn her trust—and vice versa—if this was going to work.
5
Mary Beth clipped the leash on Pup, and he jumped out of the passenger seat. Between music lessons, Mary Beth had spent every minute trying to track down a new home for the dog. No one wanted him. She couldn’t bear to take him to the pound, and all the no-kill shelters were full and not accepting new animals. She was running out of options, and she’d told Mrs. Sweeney she’d have a new home for Pup by tomorrow. What could she do? Sleep at the music studio?
As Mary Beth walked down the sidewalk, nerves fluttered in her stomach. This wasn’t a date. She needed to keep telling herself that. Christian had made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested in her. He was interested in getting his stuff into Holland’s. She couldn’t let herself get emotionally involved. Just like with Pup, she would only be setting herself up for heartache.
Christian was waiting for her on a park bench under a large oak tree. His eyes were closed, and his face was upturned. A small patch of sunlight streamed between the branches like a spotlight. She stopped, not wanting to disturb him, wishing she could find a little of that peace.
The leash jerked, almost slipping out of her hand, and Pup barked like crazy. Christian jumped and gasped. His gaze landed on her.
Pup stared up at the tree, still yapping.
Heat ran up to her ears. Thanks a lot, Pup. “Must have been a squirrel,” she muttered.
He stood.
“Sorry.” For disturbing him and for gawking at him like an idiot. “Were you asleep?”
“Just enjoying the nice weather.”
Laid back. She liked that. She needed that. “It is pretty today. A good day to be out in the park.”
He crouched and scratched Pup’s ears. “Who’s this?”
“Pup.” She almost said my dog. “I’m looking for a home for him. I found him, but my landlord says he can’t stay.”
“That’s too bad. He’s a good-looking dog.”
“I can’t take him to the pound tomorrow. I won’t." Unexpected tears rushed to the surface. She tried furiously to blink them away.
"O
h, gosh." He stood, picking up the dog with him. "Are you okay?”
She took a deep breath, fighting to regain her composure. "I'm really sorry. This is embarrassing."
"It's okay. Why would you have to take him to the pound?"
"My landlord says that he has to be gone tomorrow, or I have to move out.” Her voice sounded hollow.
"That's terrible.” He put a warm hand on her shoulder. "Maybe I could take him for a while."
"You would do that?"
"It would just be temporary—until you found a home for him."
Her heart swelling with gratefulness, she hugged him. “Thank you!”
"Oh!" He hugged her back, laughing. "You're welcome.”
“I don't know how I can repay you," she said.
"You're already doing it by getting me a meeting with your uncle. Have you talked to him yet?"
She stepped back. "My uncle. Right." Remember, this isn't a date. He's not interested in you. "My uncle is in Chicago on business, but I promise I'll get it set up for as soon as he's back.”
Disappointment flicked in his eyes. “Okay. I get it. He’s a busy man.” He reached for Pup’s leash. “You stay here, and Pup and I will get you some food. Do you like tacos?”
She smiled. “Who doesn’t?”
Mary Beth watched Christian walking away with Pup, and she realized that everything he was doing for her—comforting her crying, rescuing her from getting kicked out of her house, taking care of her dog, bringing her food—all left her feeling a little too vulnerable.
* * *
Christian headed back to where Mary Beth waited for him on the park bench. With the dog tugging on the other end of the leash, he concentrated on not dropping the tacos.
What had he just agreed to? Now he was going to her reunion and taking her dog home. Not to mention, her uncle was out of town, so who knew when he’d actually get to meet him.
But Christian couldn't stand to see her cry. He didn't want a dog, hadn't been looking to get one, but in that moment, he would have agreed to anything to see her smile again.
There was something about her that drew him in. She was genuine and sweet, and he had a strong feeling that the more time he spent with her the messier his life would get.
He wanted to be single, independent, and able to pick up and go camping or hiking at a moment’s notice. He wanted to focus on his business. Now he suddenly had a fake fiancée and a dog to take care of.
“Here you go,” he said, handing her a little cardboard tray with two tacos.
“Thank you.” Pup danced around her feet as if they’d been gone for days instead of the five minutes it took them to walk to the food truck and back.
Christian sat beside her and nodded toward her tacos. “If you haven’t had these, prepared to be amazed.”
She frowned and shook her head. “I want to apologize again for getting upset. I’m not usually like that.”
“I would be upset, too, if someone wanted to force me to take a dog I was attached to the pound.”
“With everything going on, I guess I’m a little on edge. Breakups are the worst.”
He shrugged. “They can be a good thing. A fresh start. A new beginning. You get to restart your life however you want.”
“Is that why you broke up? You needed a fresh start?”
“Pretty much. I wanted adventure and to take chances. She thought that all my big ideas were immature.”
“What kind of big ideas?”
“Quitting my job. Starting a new business. Wanting to camp and hike in every state,” he said. “What about you? Why do you need to be engaged before you can go to your high school reunion?”
“This girl, Harper Tulley, bet me that I would still be single when I came back for our reunion.”
"And if you lose?"
She groaned. "I'd rather not say."
"Come on. If I'm going to be in on this whole plan, I need to know the terms of the bet."
Her face flushed. "I have to put on a band uniform and play the fight song on a trombone in front of everyone at the reunion."
He clinched his teeth. “Yikes. And if you win?”
"Harper has to clear my name once and for all. Prom got cut short when someone pulled the fire alarm. The rumor was that I did it because people were laughing about my missing date."
"Did you?"
She swatted his arm. "I wouldn’t do that. Harper did it in a fit of rage when her boyfriend, the prom king, danced with his ex, the prom queen. I was the only one who saw her. If you come to the reunion with me, she’ll have to own up to it."
Shaking his head, he leaned back. "Ah, high school. I don't miss it one bit." He’d done well in his classes and had plenty of friends, but he’d constantly been trying to prove himself to his parents, his teachers, and his coaches. It had been exhausting.
"Me neither," she said quietly.
"So why not skip it? Leave all this in the past? We'll do something else instead."
She looked down at her hands. “I know it’s silly, but I just can’t stand for her to win. She didn’t believe that I’d had a prom date when he got sick and didn’t show up. She and a lot of other people thought I’d still be alone at our ten-year reunion.”
“Ouch. That’s harsh. But you shouldn’t worry about what someone like that thinks.” He’d wasted far too much of his own life worrying about the opinions of others.
She shook her head and looked down at her tacos. “I know, but I just wanted to be able to show them that I’m not the same girl they knew. I have a great life now.”
There were those glassy eyes again. “Then I’ll be the best reunion date there. I promise.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Now, we just have to figure out how to pull this off. What are we going to say when they ask where we met and how long we’ve been together?”
His stomach tightened. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to lie. “We might as well keep it simple and tell the truth. We met through online dating, and it feels like no time has passed at all.”
She laughed. “Works for me.”
Pup’s head lifted, and Christian looked up to see his mom speed walking toward them with a bright pink track suit and ear buds in her ears. Oh no. What was she doing here? “I’m going to go ahead and apologize for whatever happens next.”
“What? I don’t—”
“Hi, Mom.”
She feigned surprise and plucked her ear buds out of her ears. “Christian, I can’t believe I’m running into you here.”
Sure. “I came to meet Mary Beth for lunch. What are you doing here? Did you happen to overhear me on the phone yesterday?”
Her attention landed on Mary Beth and stayed there. “This is just a happy coincidence.”
So much for being independent and free now that he’d moved home. “Mom, this is Mary Beth. Mary Beth, this is my mother, Gina.”
Mary Beth smiled sweetly. “It’s great to meet you. It’s a beautiful day for a walk. Christian must have gotten his love of the outdoors from you.”
Christian scoffed, and his mom gave him a dirty look. The back porch was about as far outdoors as his mother liked to go, and it had a television.
Beaming, his mom nodded. “Why, yes. I think he did. I was telling Christian yesterday that I want to have you over for dinner so we can learn all about you."
With her eyes wide, Mary Beth looked at Christian. "You were talking about me?"
"Uh…" This was bad. Really bad.
His mom grabbed his chin and shook it. "He sure was. In fact, he said things were getting pretty serious between you two." She wiggled her eyebrows.
"He did?"
Christian clapped his hands together and looked around for a cliff he could jump off of. "Now that we've all introduced ourselves, it's time that Mary Beth and I get back to our lunch.”
She put a hand on Mary Beth’s arm. “You’re both coming over for dinner at our house at six o’clock on Friday.”
Mary Beth cleared her throat. �
��Actually, my ten-year high school reunion is on Friday. But thank you for—”
“Thursday then.”
"Mom, I really don't think—"
“I won't take no for an answer.” She narrowed her eyes at Christian. “Thursday night it is.”
Before he could protest, she stuck her ear buds in and booked it across the park. He shook his head. "Sorry about that. The only exercise she normally gets is shopping. Are your parents as intrusive as mine?"
She shook her head. “They moved to Costa Rica on my eighteenth birthday. We talk on the phone about once a week, but no, they're too busy lying on the beach to spend much time worrying about my love life.”
“Must be nice. I can hardly convince mine to leave the county.” Their idea of a vacation was driving more than thirty minutes to go out to dinner.
"So it looks like we're having dinner at your parents’."
The thought of his mom grilling Mary Beth made his chest tighten. "I'll take care of it. I'll tell her we won't be there. She's like a bomb-sniffing dog. She can sniff out a lie anywhere."
“But maybe it would be good practice. If we can convince your parents we’re legit, we’ll have nothing to worry about at the reunion.”
“And if we don’t convince them?” he said.
“Blame your sister?” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
He laughed. “Sounds like a good plan to me.” Mary Beth didn't have any idea what she was getting into, but then again, maybe he didn't either.
6
Mary Beth was on her way to Christian’s house when her phone rang. She hit the button to answer it on Bluetooth. "Hey, Jo.”
"I was just checking to see if you found anyone to take Pup."
She smiled at the dog sitting in her passenger seat. “I'm headed to drop him off at his new home right now."
Pup’s ears perked up.
"That's great! Who’s taking him?"
"Christian."
There was silence. "Who?"
Mary Beth cleared her throat. "Mr. Not Interested."
Jo laughed. "Well, he sounds pretty interested now."
"It's not like that.” Although, they were technically engaged. “He's doing me a favor."
"Uh huh. Whatever you say," she said with a hint of laughter. "Do you want to come over for pizza and a movie on Thursday night? Carter has to work late."
Matched Online: Anthology Bks 1-4 (Contemporary Romance) Page 25