Dane: Hey. It’s Dane.
I stared at it for a beat, then hit send.
4
SETH
"Okay, but I don't think you fully understand what you're agreeing to."
Dane looked up from his phone. "I don't?"
"No." I wrapped both hands around my iced tea, more for something to do than because I actually needed it. "This isn't just showing up to a wedding for a few hours."
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're making it sound like I'm signing a legally binding contract."
"You might be."
That got a laugh out of him, which did absolutely nothing helpful for my concentration.
"The wedding's out of town," I continued before I could get distracted. "It's at this huge family estate by the coast. Three days, minimum. Maybe longer, depending on when everyone arrives."
“You’ll need clothes for the wedding,” I added. “There’ll be brunches, dinners, and all the other stuff in between. You’ll probably have to take time off work.”
"Okay."
"And we'll have to act like we're actually together."
His expression didn't change. "Right."
"Believably."
"That would generally be the goal, yes."
I narrowed my eyes. "Are you making fun of me?"
"A little."
"Dane."
His grin softened immediately. "I'm listening."
For a moment, I just studied him. "Are you really sure about this?"
The teasing faded from his expression, and for the first time since I'd started talking, he actually seemed to consider the question properly.
I sighed. This was exactly why I'd asked him to meet me. While he sat there quietly, my thoughts drifted back to the day I'd asked him.
I'd been halfway through a double shift, running on caffeine and poor decisions.
My head was still stuck on Glen’s phone call, his mother’s surprise involvement, the wedding, and the lie I'd somehow ended up telling about having a boyfriend.
My life had felt like it was tipping over in real time, and I hadn't exactly been in the right state of mind to ask a near stranger to pretend to date me.
Even now, I still wasn't entirely sure what had possessed me to ask him.
Panic had obviously been a major factor, but it didn't fully explain it. Part of it had been timing. Dane had walked into the café at exactly the wrong moment, or maybe exactly the right one.
And then there had been something about him that had made him feel like the safest choice.
