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I can’t help but giggle, too. “That’sadorable.”
“Ugh, are you telling her about my dinosaur phase?” Carter says as he returns to the living room. He has a pizza box in his arms with a stack of paper plates and napkins sitting on top.
“Of course! Don’t be ashamed of it, it was precious!” Honey says.
Carter sets the pizza box on the coffee table. Then he heads off to the kitchen, presumably to fetch some drinks. “It’s embarrassing. I would never shut up aboutThe Land Before Time,” he says.
“I loved that movie, though!” I say.
“It was a cute movie. I remember taking him to the theater when it first came out,” Honey says.
Carter returns with a bottle of cola and a few paper cups. He’s blushing slightly, but I can tell he’s fighting back a smile.
“Anyway,” he says, sitting down beside me. He opens up the box of pizza. “I got pepperoni on one half, and mushrooms on the other half. I hope that’s okay.”
“Mushrooms are fine with me!” I say. I grab a paper plate and place two slices of mushroom pizza on it.
“What about you, Jada?” Honey asks as Carter serves her a slice of pepperoni pizza. “What kind of things did you like as a kid?”
“Well… I guess I was really into sea creatures,” I say. “Especially otters. I also thought I was a mermaid, and I would always try to sing like Ariel when we went to the beach.” I playfully elbow Carter. “So you’renotthe only one who had a weird phase as a kid.”
The three of us laugh. From that point on, Carter loosens up a little bit.
For the rest of the night, we chat and dine together in peace. I feel my anxiety dwindling until there’s nothing left, and soon enough, I feel as if I’m at home. Honey is kind and Carter is funny and charming. He’s so easy to pretend to be in love with.
I help Carter clean up once we’re finished eating. Thankfully, there are no dishes to wash, but we gather the disposable plates and store the rest of the leftover pizza in the fridge.
“I think I’ll be heading home now,” I say once we’ve finished cleaning up. “But I had a really nice time tonight!”
“It’s been wonderful meeting you, Jada,” Honey says as she rises from her rocking chair. She extends a hand my way, and I shake it. “Carter is very lucky to have met you. Please feel free to come over for dinner any time you like!”
My heart melts at hearing this. I’ve never felt so instantly loved by someone. Without even thinking, I pull Honey into a gentle hug.
Honey returns the embrace. Despite looking somewhat frail, she really knows how to give a powerful hug.
When I head out, Carter offers to walk me to my car. We make our way to the driveway, and once we’re a good distance from the house, he places a hand on my shoulder.
“You did great tonight,” he says. “I’m really glad you two get along so well. I was worried it wouldn’t work out, but… I think you’ve made her really happy.”
I smile brightly. I may have had my doubts about this relationship in the start, but considering how much joy I’m bringing into Honey’s life, I begin to realize that this fake relationship wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
11
CARTER
With everything having gone so well with Mom, tonight it’s my turn to meet Jada’s parents. I want to make a good impression, get them to believe that I am worthy of being the man in Jada’s life.
It’s not like I don’t know how to be around a woman’s parents, but because this whole thing is supposed to be fake, I think that just makes it feel more important to have them like me.
Heidi had teased me when I asked her for some advice, asking what I was so worried about. I was truthful, however, and said I wanted her parents to like me because I thought Jada was a good person and deserved a good man.
I was surprised when she apologized, but she gave me some advice.
“Be yourself, Carter. You’re a good guy. If Jada can put up with you on these fake dates and still like you, then you got this.”
I made sure to throw my crumpled napkin at her when she finished, making us both burst into laughter.
I’m still nervous, but Heidi’s right. I’ll turn on the charm and be sincere. If I could win Jada over enough to get her to be in a fake relationship, then I’ll find a way to win over her parents.
