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He smirked. “We’ll think of a way to convince them. Whatever it takes, right?”
“Right,” I said faintly as I attempted to fight off inappropriate thoughts.
He left me there, blushing, to go check on some of the other kids. Even knowing this wasn’t real, my heart raced at the idea of multiple dates with the man of my dreams.
Former dreams, that was.
I couldn’t let myself get carried away. Maybe we would hold hands. Maybe he’d put his arm around me. Maybe he’d whisper compliments into my ear. But he would not be kissing me goodnight, would not be inviting me into his bed or into his heart.
No matter how badly he wanted the women of Granville to back off, Hunter wasn’t interested in anything but putting on a good show.
So I’d enjoy the pretense, but I’d never forget that this was a performance, just as much as Toby’s re-enactment would be.
* * *
HUNTER
When I’d resurrectedthe plan to fake date Clark, I believed I’d thought everything through. I’d considered how Toby would take the news. Considered how I’d feel to have everyone in town speculating about my sexuality.
What I hadn’t thought about enough was what my parents’ reaction would be. Or my coworkers’, for that matter.
Nana started spreading gossip the same evening we had dinner, and Mom called me the next night to ask if Iola had finally lost her last marble. I’d laughed and played it off, unable to totally lie to my mom. “Iola was really excited to get me and Clark together, and he’s becoming a friend, so…”
“So you said yes to a date?” My mother sounded incredulous. “Honey, I know you think you’re being nice, but you don’t want to lead this poor guy on if you’re not interested.”
“It’s not like that.”
“What’s it like, then? Maybe you should talk to Kevin, so he can help you understand why you should be careful here. He’s on the road with Garrett, but I’m sure he’d welcome a call.”
Oh, no.The last person I wanted to talk to was Kevin. The very idea gave me hives. Kevin was a no-bullshit kind of guy, and I was certain he’d see right through me. And not just to the truth that our date was for show, but to something deeper, something I wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge yet.
“I’ll think about it,” I told her. “But don’t worry. Clark and I are on the same page. Just ignore the gossip, Mom, okay?”
She scoffed. “As if my friends would let me. Canasta Club should be interesting this weekend.”
As we hung up, I made a mental note to stay the hell away from Mom’s house on Sunday, no matter how much Toby wanted to go over.
As it turned out, Mom was right to scoff at my suggestion to ignore the gossip. I’d realized during the field trip with Clark that it was going to be tough, but it’d been almost fun to watch Cheryl’s annoyed expression when I paid more attention to Clark than her.
But when Tucker kept giving me strange looks, it was less entertaining. He was my co-worker but also one of Clark’s friends, and the scrutiny began to get to me. By Friday, I finally cracked.
I spun in my chair, catching him staring at me. “What?”
Tucker blinked. “I didn’t say anything.”
“But you clearly have something on your mind. Just say it.”
He stared at me for a long minute, making me squirm even more, before finally saying, “Gossip is a funny thing. Sometimes it’s way off-base and sometimes it’s right on the money.”
“Yeah,” I said, wary. “I’ve noticed.”
“This gossip about you and Clark…”
I sighed. “Is this really appropriate workplace conversation? My personal life isn’t relevant.”
He nodded. “No, you’re right. I’m not asking for work reasons, and you’re free to tell me to shut the hell up. It’s just…Clark is a friend. And, well, I’m a little surprised by what I’m hearing after your reaction to my joke about taking me for a drink.”
“I guess you’re just not my type,” I quipped.
