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They started to leave, but Sunnie turned around just as they reached the door. “Oh, I almost forgot. Landon and I are pretending to be a couple to scare away all the single ladies who’ve been swarming since his Hot Cop debut. Do not become alarmed,” she said casually. “It’s all make believe.”
Sunnie turned away, not noticing the narrowed-eyed, suspicious looks her uncles shot in his direction. He gave them a subtle one-shouldered shrug, then turned to follow Sunnie.
They walked hand in hand to the coffee shop. There were no cameras, no fawning women, no one watching. There was no one on the street with them besides people rushing to work, so he didn’t need to hold her hand.
But he wanted to. Mercifully, Sunnie didn’t give him shit for it or try to pull away.
Once they got their coffee and breakfast sandwiches, they found a table in a quiet corner.
“I suspect they’ll ask about our relationship, so I was thinking—” Sunnie started, her eyes bright. If he knew her—and he did—she was ready to concoct the mother of all stories, something over-the-top and probably ridiculous.
Landon headed her off at the pass. “I was too,” he interjected. “The safest, smartest bet is sticking as closely to the truth as possible.”
Her shoulders slumped and it was clear she didn’t care for that suggestion. Regardless, he pressed on. “We just say we’ve known each other since we were kids. After the mugging, we realized our feelings had changed from just friends to something more.”
She feigned a yawn. “Oh, I’m sorry. What did you say?” she said sarcastically. “I fell asleep halfway through that thrilling tale of our romance.”
Landon closed his eyes, pretending to be annoyed. It was a look he’d perfected over the years, simply because he’d seen it repeated on Aaron’s and Finn’s faces so often. The Young men had a patented look whenever Riley or Sunnie or Darcy said or did something outrageous. And they, like him, used it to hide the fact that rather than exasperated, they were entertained.
The Young women had an energy, a love for life that was undeniably fun. Landon used to laugh at Sunnie’s antics, until Finn insisted it only encouraged her to go even wilder. Somewhere along the line, Landon had chosen his side, crossed over and joined the men, adopting their fake impatience.
“We’re not making up some asinine story, Sunnie. For one thing, too many people know us and someone, somewhere, would contradict it. And for another, we don’t have time for it. We’re going on air in just a couple of hours.”
“Landon—” she started.
“Nonnegotiable.”
She leaned back and crossed her arms, though he didn’t think she looked angry as much as confused. “So our story is we’ve been friends forever, you kissed me after the mugging, and that was it? It was a lights-on moment and now we’re head over heels?”
From her tone, Sunnie seemed to think that concept implausible.
Landon knew better. Except his lights turned on at the April Fools party.
“Why do you find that so hard to believe?” he asked.
“Because we do know each other so well. If we were going to fall in love, it wouldn’t have been because of a kiss—or two kisses,” she corrected, recalling the April Fools party.
“How many kisses do you need to know you’re in love with someone?” It would have been a practical question if he’d been asking anyone besides Sunnie. But he knew her dating track record. She reminded him of the damn Tootsie Pop owl. She didn’t know how many kisses because she’d give a guy three licks, then crunch. End of the line.
She shrugged. “More than two.”
Sunnie was very good at saying things with absolute confidence. It gave people around her this misguided sense that she actually knew what she was talking about.
“How many?” he pressed, calling her on it. No guy had ever pushed the envelope with her. Primarily because she only accepted dates with men whose biceps were bigger than their brains. None of her previous boyfriends had challenged her, forced the issue of feelings and commitment because they were shallow vessels.
Sunnie was smart enough to know that, so she’d found the perfect way to guard her heart.
There was a small part inside him that thought he should have his head examined for even thinking about dating Sunnie, simply because he had a healthy dose of self-preservation himself, and he had no idea how this was going to end up.
All he knew was what he wanted.
Her. Forever.
However, her confidence was only overshadowed by her stubbornness. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“A ton of kisses. Close to a million.”
Landon shook his head and made a buzzer sound to indicate he was calling her on her bullshit. “Nope. I’m going to need a more practical answer.”
