They skated a bit out onto the ice, and Josie seemed to get the hang of it. “You’re doing great. I thought you said you weren’t good at this.”
“That’s only because you’re letting me hold your hand.”
“Oh, no. What a burden. I have to hold a pretty girl’s hand while I skate.”
“You think I’m pretty?”
“I agreed to fake date you, didn’t I? You think I would have done that if I weren’t attracted to you? I have my reputation to uphold here.”
“You’re ridiculous, but thank you for the compliment.”
“Anytime.” And he meant that. Josie had a lot to compliment. She was a great girl. He’d thought so for a long time. He probably would have asked her out himself a long time ago if it hadn’t been for the terrible marriage he’d ended four years ago. His ex-wife had abused him, and he’d been cautious about relationships ever since. He’d gotten used to the years alone and grown comfortable with being a bachelor. But lately, he was restless.
“I was just thinking,” Josie said. “We need to establish some rules for our fake relationship.”
“Okay.”
“We can’t tell anyone it’s fake, especially not Dustin.”
“All right.” That wouldn’t be too hard. It wasn’t like his family was around. His dad had died five years ago, and he wasn’t in contact with his mom since she’d left him when he was young. Last he’d heard, she was on drugs in Michigan or someplace. “I’m guessing not Sapphire, either.”
“Definitely not Sapphire.”
“Any other rules?”
“The point of this relationship is to get rid of Sapphire. We keep focused on that and no getting out hand.”
“What do you mean by getting out of hand?”
“No funny business. Like getting feelings involved. This thing needs to stay fake.”
Too late. He already had feelings for Josie. But he was determined to keep that under wraps. How could he not have feelings for her? She was warm and caring. Gorgeous and charismatic. She could charm the socks off the grumpiest, caffeine-starved customer. She was good to him, too—always eager to lend an ear if he was struggling. She’d been one of his most constant friends since high school. She didn’t know he felt anything for her other than friendship. And he hoped to keep it that way. Because he was sure she didn’t feel the same way about him. It was clear in the way she was adamant about things staying fake.
The last thing he wanted was to be made into a lovesick fool, alone and rejected. So he had to keep his feelings safely locked away in a deep, dark corner of his heart. The challenge was keeping it that way.
Chapter 5
Josie pulled up to Noah’s house and turned off her engine. He’d texted her earlier that day, letting her know he’d gotten some stuff to help them sabotage Sapphire and Dustin. She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but she was curious to find out.
She stepped out of her car and took in Noah. He was leaning over his truck with the hood up. He was covered in engine grease and even had a little smear of it on his forehead. When his biceps flexed, and she bit her lip. She’d always thought Noah was hot, but he’d only gotten more attractive over the years. He was definitely the best-looking guy in the fire department.
What was it about telling Noah that he wasn’t allowed to have feelings for her that made her want him? It was as if by telling herself no, she wanted what she wasn’t supposed to have. She waved away the disruptive thoughts. She needed to focus on the task at hand. And it didn’t have a thing to do with how good Noah’s abs must look under his thin cotton shirt.
“Hey, Noah.”
He looked up and smiled, showing straight white teeth. “Hey, Josie.”
“How’s the truck restoration going?”
“Slowly, but surely.”
That was something they both had in common. They had a soft spot for restoring old things.
He wiped his hands off on a towel streaked with black grease. “Sorry I’m such a mess. I thought I’d get some repairs in. I got some new parts for my truck this morning, and I couldn’t wait to put them in.”
“No worries.”
“Do you mind hanging out in the living room for a minute while I go take a quick shower? I probably smell awful.”
He really didn’t.
She followed him into the house through the kitchen. It was a disaster. Burned cookies lay on a baking sheet on the stove, and cooking materials lay dirty and strewn across the countertops. Flour dusted the floor, and globs of cookie dough were stuck to the backsplash. Josie had never seen Noah’s house look this way before.
“What happened in here?”
“Sapphire happened. She wanted to surprise Dustin with cookies today, but then she got distracted by the tv and forgot to set a timer. I came in from working on my car and pulled the burned mess out of the oven. She didn’t seem too apologetic about it either.”
“Where is she now?”
“No idea. She just took off.”
“Maybe she ended up going to the bakery to buy cookies.”
Noah laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“You go take your shower. I’ll clean up this mess.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I have nothing better to do. Now shoo, shoo.”
Noah disappeared down the hall to the master bedroom. Josie took off her coat and draped it over the back of the couch. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work. First, she dumped the burned cookies into the garbage, and then she filled the sink with sudsy water. By the time Noah emerged from his bedroom with damp hair and dressed in clean clothes, she had the kitchen sparkling clean.
“That was fast.”
“It wasn’t actually as big a mess as I thought it was. I just had to scrub the dishes and wipe everything down.”
“And put all the stuff away.”
“Yeah. And put everything away.” Sapphire had left the containers for the flour and sugar and cartons of eggs and butter all over the countertop. Josie had cooked in Noah’s kitchen enough to know where everything went.
“I really appreciate you right now. I wasn’t looking forward to tackling that mess after working so hard on my car today.”
“It’s no problem. Now let’s see these sabotaging supplies you bought.”
“They’re back in my room. I have to keep them top secret. Let’s go back there in case Sapphire or Dustin come back to the house soon.”
“Ooh, scandalous. You’re taking me back in your bedroom.”
“Don’t get any big ideas.”
“I’ll try to behave myself.” Josie wasn’t that kind of girl. She was still a virgin. That might have been why Dustin was so eager to move on from her. She doubted Sapphire was so strict with her morals.
She’d never been in Noah’s bedroom before. His bed was neatly made, and the room was tastefully decorated with older furniture that still seemed to be in excellent condition. He crouched next to his bed and pulled out a few shopping bags. “I got these from that hobby shop on Sycamore Street. I used to love that store when I was younger.”
Josie remembered. Noah was known for being the biggest prankster of the school. She figured if anyone knew how to sabotage, it was Noah. And he seemed to have the best supplies all lined up: from whoopie cushions to fart spray to itching powder. He even had a rubber snake that looked just like Dustin’s pet snake. Josie loved Stephanie, the snake. They’d bonded.
“How does Sapphire feel about Stephanie?”
“She’s terrified of her.”
Josie grinned devilishly. “Perfect.” They really could have some fun with this. “So when do we start?”
“I was thinking tomorrow night. Sapphire wants to go sing Christmas karaoke in ugly Christmas sweaters at Dixie’s Tavern.”
“That sounds fun. I still have my ugly Christmas sweater from a party I went to last year.”
“That party Onyx threw? I was there too.” Onyx was one of her best friends from high school. Sh
e owned a local wedding dress shop.
“Yep, Onyx’s party. I remember seeing you there.”
“Speaking of parties. I need a date for the fire department party Sunday night. Since you’re my fake girlfriend now, I figured I ought to invite you to come along.”
“Are you asking me out on a date, Noah?”
She giggled when she saw a blush creeping across his cheeks. “You’re cute when you get embarrassed. Of course, I’ll go with you.”
“Do you think Dustin will think it’s weird that we’re dating?” Noah asked.
“Who cares what he thinks?” Josie knew very well that she cared way too much what the guy thought. She wished she didn’t. She looked over the pranking materials spread across Noah’s bed. She wasn’t the pranking expert like Noah. She’d never pulled a prank on someone before. She just hoped none of it backfired on them.
“I care what he thinks,” Noah said. “I’m his roommate. I feel like I’m breaking some bro code.”
“That doesn’t count in this situation. He and I are over. He made that perfectly clear when he started dating Sapphire two days after our breakup.”
“Keep in mind, he saw you kissing me two days after your breakup too. So in his mind, you’ve done the same thing he has.”
Josie hadn’t thought of that. Noah had a good point. But she couldn’t worry about that right now. There was nothing she could do about her impulsive kiss. It was in the past. And she didn’t regret it either. It was a good kiss. Surprisingly good. She might just have to try it again sometime. She just wasn’t sure how Noah would feel about something like that.
And she wasn’t sure she had the guts to ask him how he felt about it either.
On Saturday morning, the door to Josie’s coffee shop jangled, and Sapphire came inside. “Josie! I didn’t know you worked here. Did you know I just work next door at the bookshop?”
Josie plastered a smile over her face, hoping it covered her annoyance. “I own the place.”
As if she hadn’t heard her, Sapphire said. “Can I get an iced latte with almond milk?”
“Sure thing.” Josie eyed the ancient-looking book Sapphire held. “Whatcha got there?”
“Oh, just something Mrs. Ellison gave me.”
“The Count of Monte Cristo? Early edition?” Mrs. Ellison would never have given Sapphire a book like that. It must have been worth a fortune. Josie didn’t even have a book that rare, and she had a decent collection.
“She said it was fantastic. All she had was this older copy, though.”
Mrs. Ellison was known for carrying rare books. Book collectors traveled far and wide to visit her little book shop. Josie knew because her grandfather had been one of her most faithful customers for over forty years. Her little bookstore was a diamond in the rough.
Josie handed Sapphire her latte.
“Do you have change for a hundred? It’s all I have on me right now.”
“Of course.” Josie handed her the change, and Sapphire disappeared with the book tucked under one arm and the latte in the other.
Josie wiped down some tables.
“That was weird,” her employee Rachel said.
“What?”
“How did she get such an old copy of a classic like that?”
“She claims Mrs. Ellison gave it to her.”
Rachel shook her head. “No way. Mrs. Ellison wouldn’t have done that. Callie said Sapphire’s been acting shady lately.”
“How so?”
“She’s been going in the back alone with Mrs. Ellison and not coming out for a long time. And every time Callie goes back there, Sapphire drops the conversation cold like she’s trying to hide something from Callie.”
That was suspicious behavior.
“And then all she had was a hundred to pay with.”
“So what? That’s not a crime.”
“But who carries around large bills like that? Personally, I put money like that directly into the bank, and then I use my debit card.”
“Not everyone does the same thing.”
“It makes me wonder if she has some kind of side gig under the table.”
“We’re not here to discuss conspiracy theories about Sapphire. We’re here to get work done. I need you to run a coffee to Layla at the flower shop next door. She wants her regular order.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rachel went to work fixing Layla’s favorite coffee.
Although Josie considered it unprofessional to gossip about Mrs. Ellison’s employees, she had to wonder herself why Sapphire was acting so suspiciously. Maybe it was even better than she realized that she and Noah were working so hard to sabotage Sapphire.
Dustin was so wrapped up in Sapphire it seemed like he couldn’t see anything else. Especially how annoying she was. Josie wondered how long it would take him to notice that Sapphire wasn’t such a great catch. She was a nightmare to have around the house. Josie couldn’t imagine going into someone else’s kitchen and leaving a big burned-cookie mess like what Sapphire had done. Not to mention the fact that she ate so many of Noah’s snacks without asking.
Chapter 6
Saturday night, Noah pulled his ugly Christmas sweater over his head and stared at himself in the mirror. He laughed at his reflection. He really looked awful in the shapeless green mess he’d found at the thrift store. But that was the fun of it. He was supposed to look terrible. He grabbed his favorite cologne and spritzed it on himself. If he had to wear such a horrid sweater, at least he could smell nice.
He already knew from last year’s party that Josie looked fantastic in her ugly sweater. Somehow, she’d found one that still made her look good, but that wasn’t hard to do. She could wear a burlap sack and still look gorgeous with her fair skin and bright red hair. And that red lipstick that she always wore. She looked kissable, taunting him. Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me.
And then she had kissed him. She’d completely caught him off guard. He hadn’t minded a bit. She was just as good a kisser as he’d imagined. And yes, he’d thought of her that way. He really had hated it when he saw Dustin putting his hands all over Josie. And he hated it worse that he had to put the brakes on his feelings because his roommate had just broken up with her. But it couldn’t be helped.
He’d agreed with Josie that it would look best if they showed up at Dixie’s together, so he got in his car and drove over to her place to pick her up. He parked at the curb and headed to her front door and rang the doorbell.
She opened the door, smiling at him. “Ready for our hot date?”
“You know it.”
“Ooh. Nice sweater. It really brings out your eyes.”
“Hilarious. We both know this thing is hideous.” He looked over her outfit. “But somehow, you make your ugly sweater not that ugly anymore.”
She plucked at her sweater. “Yeah, right! This thing is awful looking.”
It wasn’t, but he just smiled at her. She was too adorable for her own good. If she didn’t watch out, he was going to have a hard time keeping this thing fake. And they couldn’t have that, could they?
“Ready to go?”
“Yep. Let’s get out of here, hottie.”
“Hottie?”
She winked at him. “I’m just practicing for our big performance tonight. We can’t have anyone not believing our relationship status. It could blow our cover. And we need them to focus on us dating so they don’t notice the sabotaging.”
“Oh right, we’d better stick to the master plan.”
“Exactly.” Josie followed him to his car, her skinny jeans hugging her curves in a way that was very distracting.
He opened her door, and she arched an eyebrow at him as she got in.
“What? I’m just practicing too. Plus, it’s always best to be respectful of a lady. You know, by getting her doors and whatnot.”
He rounded the car to the driver’s side and got behind the wheel.
“So what pranks do we have on the agenda tonight?” Josie asked in a businesslike manner.
“Let me see it.”
Noah leaned across Josie to the glove box where he had the bug ice cube stored. She was so close he could smell her perfume. He couldn’t focus on that, or he would go mad. He pulled the prank item out of his glove box. He had it in a sandwich bag so he could tuck it in his pocket easily.
Josie took it from him and examined it. “Ooh! This thing is disgusting. I would hate to find this thing in my drink.”
“As long as she doesn’t look too close, she won’t realize it was put there by someone.”
“So we’ll have to swoop in and remove her drink quickly before she can discover that it’s a fake.”
“That’s what I was thinking too.”
“But how is this supposed to make her want to break up with Dustin?”
“This won’t do that. But it’ll make it so she never wants to go back to Dixie’s. So no more fun nights out. There are basically no other nightlife options in Maple Creek. Everything else is dark and cold this time of year.”
“But then she’ll just want to hang out at your house all the time.”
“I have some ideas for that too.”
“Like what?”
Noah pulled out his phone. “I just ordered these online.” He showed her a picture of a pack of one hundred lifelike plastic cockroaches. “We just have to make it so that roaches fall all over her if she opens the pantry to get into my food. We can put them in the corners of the pantry upside down like they’re dead.”
“That’s disgusting, Noah.”
“That’s the idea!”
“I love how excited you’re getting about this.”
“I’d forgotten how much I’ve missed my pranking days.” He pulled into the Dixie’s Tavern parking lot as he thought fondly on all the people he’d pranked, and they had never known it was him.
“You’ve gotten boring in your old age.”
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