“About?”
“About how insane this is. About how I’m bringing a fake boyfriend to my sister’s wedding and somehow convinced you to spend your Olympic break pretending to date me.”
“You didn’t convince me. I volunteered.”
“Which is even more insane.”
The flight attendant appears with champagne and Rodriguez thanks her with that easy smile that probably gets him whatever he wants. She actually blushes before walking away.
“You do that a lot,” I say.
“Do what?”
“Charm people. Like it’s the easiest thing in the world.”
“It kind of is though.” He shrugs. “People like feeling noticed. You smile, say thank you, treat them like they matter. It’s not complicated.”
“It is for some of us.”
“You’re charming when you want to be.”
“I’m really not.”
“You are with the kids you teach. I’ve seen you.”
I look at him sharply. “When have you seen me teach?”
“I might have stopped by the rink a few times when I knew you’d be there. Purely coincidental.” The grin on his face tells me it was absolutely not coincidental. “You’re patient with them. Encouraging. They love you.”
“That’s different. Kids are easy.”
“And adults are hard?”
“Adults have expectations. Kids just want to learn how to skate backwards without falling on their butts.”
He laughs at that, and I realize this might actually work. He’s easy to talk to when I’m not actively trying to avoid him.Funny without being obnoxious about it. Present without being pushy.
It’s kind of disarming.
“So,” he says, settling back in his seat. “Tell me about your family. What do I need to know before I meet them?”
“My mom is going to love you,” I start. “She loves everyone though. She’ll ask you a million questions and feed you too much food and probably show you embarrassing photos of me as a kid.”
“I’m great with moms.”
“My dad is going to be more skeptical. He’s protective. He’ll want to know your intentions, your job stability, whether you’re serious about me.”
“Also great with dads.”
“My sister Olivia is the bride. She’s two years younger than me, very bubbly, very in love. She’ll be distracted by wedding stuff but she’ll definitely interrogate you at some point.”
“Looking forward to it.”
“Owen is her fiancé. He’s great. Kind of quiet, works in finance, worships the ground Olivia walks on. They’re disgustingly perfect together.”
“And Garrett is Owen’s best friend.”
The name sits heavy between us. “Yeah. He’ll be at everything. Best man duties. And his fiancée will be there too.”
