Page 71 of Fall Fake-Out

This causes his brows to drop. “I would’ve thought you’d be excited to get all dressed up and go to a fancy party with your new boyfriend. I thought girls liked that kind of romantic stuff.”

That’s just the problem. Girls do like that sort of romantic stuff. Yes, I’m nervous about whether we can pull this off, but I’m also nervous about Wade being Wade.

He’s a charmer, and I need to make sure I have my guard up tonight. There’s no room for error around him. My head needs to stay in the game at all times if I’m going to come out from this fake-dating scheme alive.

There’s a knock at the front door, making my pulse jump stupidly hard.

“Enjoy your football games,” I call to my dad as I walk to answer it.

The knock comes again—two quick taps.

I smooth my hands down the front of the dress one last time before opening the door.

Wade stands on the porch with one hand tucked into the pocket of his black suit pants, the other holding his truck keys loosely between his fingers. The white t-shirt under his black sports coat should not look as good as it does. It’s just a cotton t-shirt. But somehow, with the combination of a suit jacket, it looks dangerously upgraded.

His eyes drop down my figure.

And for once, Wade Stevenson doesn’t immediately say something.

His gaze moves slowly over the dress, the sleeves, the sparkly floral details, before coming to my face like he’s trying to get his brain to catch up to what his eyes just took in. The silence stretches long enough to make me suddenly aware of every inch of exposed skin from that slight V in the front of the dress.

“It’s Landrie’s,” I say, as if that will somehow explain everything while simultaneously taking away my insecurities.

His mouth finally curves. “It’s you.”

Those two words come out softer than anything I’ve ever heard Wade say, and now I’m blushing.

“Sheesh, woman,” he says reverently. “I didn’t adequately prepare my head for you to look this incredible. I think you just ruined every other girl in Vermont for me.”

My stomach flips so hard it’s humiliating.

“Well, at least you have the other forty-nine states to choose from.” I bob my head back and forth, still entirely shook up. “And I guess the rest of the world too.”

His eyes stay on me another second too long. “You look really beautiful, Ari.”

Beautiful.

It sounds more intimate than it should. And it definitely means more to me than it should, especially coming from Wade.

Heat crawls into my cheeks before I can stop it so I immediately point at him instead. “You look nice as well.”

He glances down at his clothes like he forgot what he put on. “How about not wearing a tie to a black-tie event?”

“I hate how much I like that.”

“Me too.”

He steps aside, offering me the porch steps with a small motion of his hand. “Shall we?”

I close the door behind us and follow him to his truck, surprised when he gets the door for me.

This is not a real date, and I’d do well to remember that.

The second Wade climbs into the driver’s side, I’m ready with a carefully placed wall around my heart. “So, once we get there, I think it’s best if I do the talking. You know, because this is my territory. It’s Ashtyn and Lisa Ellis. My side of the bet.”

“Okay.” There’s an edge to his answer…or maybe there isn’t. I’m not really sure. Things just don’t feel as light as they did ten seconds ago.

“So, follow my lead. Just keep a low profile. I don’t even care if you come off as shy the whole night.”