AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Mum, Dad,” she said, threading her fingers through his and standing shoulder to shoulder with him. “You remember Shane.”
“Of course.” Katherine threw an arm around him. She couldn’t hug him properly since Faith refused to let go of his hand. “It’s lovely to see you again.”
“You too, Katherine.”
Darren reached over to shake his hand. “How are you?”
“Good, thanks. I didn’t know you were in town.”
“We just arrived.” Katherine’s statement was followed by a beat of awkward silence. She turned toward the stranger, wearing the oddest expression. “Shane, this is Leon.” Her voice was high, and she cleared her throat, her cheeks coloring to match her hair. “Leon’s parents are friends of ours. They attend the church.” She glanced from Leon to Faith and, if possible, flushed even harder.
“Nice to meet you,” Leon said.
“Likewise.”
Shane got it now. They’d brought this guy, Leon, to town in the hopes of setting him up with Faith. This in mind, he studied the man with fresh eyes. He was good-looking, with floppy hair and one of those faces that looked like he was always on the verge of saying, “Aww, shucks" while shuffling humbly from foot to foot. But wasn’t he too young for Faith? While Shane had five years and a whole lot of life experience on her, Leon could have walked straight out of a university lecture theater. She needed a man with more character than that. Apparently, she agreed, or she wouldn’t be trying to avoid him.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked, envisioning the contents of the refrigerator. He didn’t have any alcohol, but perhaps he had a carton of fruit juice and one of milk. Real, grownup options.
“No, but thanks for the offer,” Darren said. “We just need a key so we can make ourselves at home at Faith’s place.”
At his side, Faith stirred, fishing around in the wallet tucked into the pocket of her dress. She held out a key, and Darren took it. “I wasn’t expecting you, so nothing is prepared, but it shouldn’t take too much effort to get things sorted, and I won’t be far behind you. Just help yourselves to the chamomile tea and I’ll be there in no time.”
Chamomile tea? People actually drank that? He fought the urge to cringe.
“We’ll do that.” Katherine eyeballed them in a way that made Shane squirm. “I’ll have a mug ready for you.”
“Thanks, Mum.” Faith kissed her cheek. “See you soon.”
The three of them trailed out, and Shane closed the door behind them. Finally, he and Faith were alone.
He turned to face her and ran a hand through his perpetually messy hair. “Well, that was unexpected.”
A massive grin split her face, displaying perfect white teeth. The kind of grin that showed she was nervous. He noticed now that her lips weren’t as red as usual. In fact, her lipstick seemed to be smeared. Groaning, he realized the rest of it had probably been transferred onto him. He wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve and prayed Dylan—if he were awake—wouldn’t notice anything amiss.
“Explain,” he ordered, leaning against the wall for support.
She shrugged, one strap of her vintage dress slipping off her shoulder. “You’ve probably pieced most of it together. Mum and Dad decided to come to the bay a week early. You know it’s Erica’s wedding this weekend?”
He nodded. Faith’s cousin, Erica, worked with his friend, Jack, at his outdoor adventure company. Everyone in Haven Bay knew she’d planned a big wedding in the town hall.
Faith fidgeted with the hem of her dress. “Apparently, they decided I’m so hopeless they need to supply me with a date. Hence, Leon.” She sighed. “It’s a shame, because he’s got an adorable One Direction thing going on, but if I give them an inch, they’ll have arranged the marriage before Erica’s wedding is over.”
He folded his arms across his chest, his T-shirt pulling tight. Her eyes dipped, and he thought he saw appreciation flicker in them, but it was gone so fast he might have imagined it. After all, Faith wasn’t shy about her sexuality. If she found him attractive, surely she’d have told him by now.
“So, you said you’re dating me?” he asked.
She nodded, looking miserable. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t think of anything else.” She grabbed his hand and made big puppy eyes from behind her glasses. “Will you pretty please be my pretend boyfriend and come to the wedding with me next weekend?”
“Uh....” Under normal circumstances, he’d be able to list a dozen reasons why that was a bad idea, not least of which was that he didn’t want to confuse Dylan and Hunter, but when she fluttered her thick black lashes at him, all of those reasons fled his conscious mind.
“Please, please, please.”
The sight of Faith begging did curious things to his insides. He was a disturbed man. “I don’t think—"
“I’ll do free babysitting for six months,” she interrupted. “A year—whatever it takes.”
“Huh.” The shrewd, calculating part of his brain kicked into gear. “Make it every Friday for a year, and perhaps some other days if you’re free.”
