“Good,” he said with a firm nod. “I asked the detective to look into Niko and to make sure he has no part in all this. I hope I wasn’t overstepping there.”
A heavy weight on her shoulders that she hadn’t known was there lightened slightly. “You weren’t, thank you,” she told him honestly.
“Your safety is the most important thing right now,” Eli said firmly. His presence was a force, the intensity in his eyes impossible to ignore. “I was thinking...” He paused, as if weighing the weight of his words. “What if I acted as your boyfriend for a while?”
Her breath hitched in her throat.
“Boyfriend?” Willow finally managed after a long moment. It wasn’t just the suggestion, but the man behind it—Eli Cole, whose rugged exterior housed a tender core she’d glimpsed only in fragments.
“Listen, I know it’s an unusual situation,” he continued, the timbre of his voice grounding her fluttering thoughts. “But it could help throw off whoever is behind this. They might think twice if they see you’re not alone, that you have someone watching out for you.” He paused to inhale deeply. Then added, “It also improves how folks see you. A lot of old-minded people in town respect the idea of somebody having a partner. It’s messed up, but it’s true.”
“Would you be okay with that, though?” she asked him. Was she okay with pretending?
“Willow,” Eli said, his gaze unwavering. “Whatever we have to do to stop this, we do.”
She nibbled her lip, her eyes searching his. Was this insanity? Possibly. But Eli was a strong force, and maybe knowing she was with him was all that was needed to get this person to back off.
Real dating? No, she wasn’t ready. But fake dating? What could go wrong?
A seed of hope began to sprout. Could this charade actually work? She needed this person to back off. One anxiety attack was enough to remind her of that. “How on earth will we ever get people to believe we’re in a fake relationship,” she countered, though the protest sounded weak even to her own ears.
“Willow,” he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, “they’ll believe it because I want them too. Because we’ll make them.” His confidence was magnetic, pulling her toward the idea despite her reservations.
“Protecting my reputation with a lie?” she mused aloud, the irony not lost on her.
“Sometimes,” he said, stepping closer, close enough for her to feel the warmth radiating from him, “a little deception can stop any rumor or small-town talk in its tracks.”
“Could it work?” she whispered, more to herself than him.
“Let’s find out,” Eli said, offering his hand, a silent vow hanging between them.
Willow hesitated, the weight of the decision pressing down upon her. But there was something in Eli’s eyes, a fierce determination mingled with an unspoken promise of protection, that tipped the scales.
“Okay,” she agreed, placing her hand in his, feeling the rough calluses of his palm against her skin. “Before we do anything,” she started, pulling her hand away, “we need rules. Boundaries. If we’re doing this...this facade, we need to be clear on what’s okay and what’s not.”
Eli nodded. “Agreed. So, what are you thinking?”
“Firstly,” she said, dusting off snow from the porch railing with her index finger, “no surprise physical affection. If you’re going to... I don’t know, hold my hand or something in public, I want a heads-up.”
“Fair enough,” he replied, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets as if to show his compliance. “What else?”
“Second,” she continued, “this doesn’t go behind closed doors. We’re a ‘couple’ to the world, but when it’s just us, we’re just...us.”
“Understandable,” he murmured, nodding again. “No playacting in private.”
“Communication,” she insisted, meeting his gaze squarely. “If either of us feels uncomfortable or wants out, we say so. Immediately.”
“Communication is key,” he echoed solemnly. “I can do that.”
“And...” A hesitant pause hung in the air. “We end this after New Year’s, regardless of how things seem. It’s a deadline. Nonnegotiable.”
“Until New Year’s,” he agreed, his voice softening ever so slightly. “That gives us what, a little over a month?”
“Right,” she confirmed, her lips pressing together in a thin line.
“Anything else?” Eli asked, his eyes searching hers for any signs of doubt.
“Lastly, no more kisses like that one kiss,” Willow declared, the words slicing through the chill air like a blade. It was more for herself than for him.
