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“More like interrogating,” she mumbles unhappily.
“Oh wow, look at the time,” Olivia says, pushing her sister to get her out of the booth. “We should really be on our way.”
“I see how it is,” Piper mutters. “I showered this morning, you know. No need to rush out on my account.” She follows them with her eyes before sliding into where they were sitting.
“They were quizzing you about me, weren’t they?” She turns her head to the side with a sigh.
“Yes, and I passed with flying colors. I knew your favorite color, your biggest dream, and more,” I tell her, noticing the cute flush rising on her cheeks when she’s worried or embarrassed.
“What is my favorite color?” she asks, seeming intrigued.
“Sage—like an earthier green, is what I told them. Am I right?”
“Yeah,” she looks at me with wide eyes. “They’re trying to break us up—I mean the fake version of us.”
“Nothing fake about it.” I stare right into her ocean-blue eyes. “I’m your date for the wedding, and they aren’t going to deter me,” I say as I take a bite of my avocado toast.
“Caleb, this isn’t the last interaction like that you’ll experience,” she sighs. “Wait, where did you get avocado toast?”
“Mrs. Larson fixed it up for me. I thought it was really kind of her. I just mentioned it the other morning, and she had the ingredients today to put it together for me,” I explain.
“Wow, she must really like you.” Piper glances over to Mrs. Larson who’s sitting behind the register. She waves to us. “You are winning people over and making new friends, I see.”
“I try to blend in.” I shrug.
She snorts. “You’ll never blend in here, and I bet you stand out wherever you go.”
I cock my head to the side to stare at her.
“In what ways? I can totally blend in,” I defend myself.
“You look like a model even after you run, and you definitely don’t have that small-town look,” she tells me.
“So you think I’m model material, huh?” I joke with a wink. “I’ve never considered it as a career option, but if my company doesn’t work out, I might have to give it a shot.”
“Funny, I think you’ll be okay though.” She laughs, then sighs and leans closer to me across the table. “You know, maybe we should stop pretending to date. My family will figure it out eventually or at least drive you crazy in the process. I didn’t think things through when I impulsively announced we were dating, and now it’s getting complicated.”
“Life and relationships are complicated,” I confirm. “Seriously, though. You want your mom and sisters to resume trying to set you up for the wedding?”
She lets out a sigh and rests her head on her arms, which are propped up on the table.
“No, I just want everyone to leave me alone to do my own thing,” she complains.
“That seems unlikely,” I tell her. “So I’m your plan B and happy to do it. Breakfast?” I ask with a smile.
“Wish I could. I was running an errand when I saw Missy and Olivia in here but I really have to get to the bakery. But I’ll see you later?” She smiles at me.
“Definitely.”
She stands up from the booth and is immediately stopped by several people who want to talk to her. I wish her family could see this side of her—kind, considerate, and giving. She doesn’t just take care of her family but she takes care of her community and gives her all to her customers. Piper will find someone who loves her and accepts her just the way she is, and until then, everyone just needs to leave her alone.
But I have no intention of doing that. I can’t resist being a part of her everyday life right now. A small voice in my head warns me how hard it will be when I eventually go back to my solitary life in Chicago without her. But that’s a problem for another day. For now, I’m going to embrace every moment in this wonderful town with my beautiful “girlfriend.”
10
Piper
“How many of the chocolate with peanut-butter chunks do we have?” I ask, scanning the rows of cookies that Mia is counting.
