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“And the comforts of first class.” She tossed a smile at him, and their eyes met and held. “Great soda and soft, cushy blankets.”
They’d rehearsed all of this. She’d insisted her parents wouldn’t accept their story at first, and he’d believed her. But he hadn’t counted on the sparks that flew between them every time their eyes met. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced. Her parentshadto be picking up on it.
“Ahem.” Her father cleared his throat as if in answer to his most recent thought.
“So, the two of you are getting married?” her mom asked, her gaze darting back and forth between Holden and Faith. “When?”
“Probably spring.” Faith shrugged. “I’ll be staying in his house at least until I find a place of my own.”
“You absolutely will not.” Her mother glanced over at her father before continuing. “We don’t believe in living together before marriage.”
Holden broke in there, glad they’d prepared for this particular part of the conversation. “I have a mother-in-law suite. Your Penny Pincher friend had that whole wing closed off. She didn’t want to pay for utilities. But I opened it all back up.”
“Best of all, you could always move in someday if you need it,” Faith said with a big smile. She’d mentioned that during their planning too, and they’d both gotten a laugh. “It has its own bathroom and kitchen. Everything you need to live. Besides, I won’t be living there for free.”
She’d agreed to help Holden with his business and his daughter in exchange for a place to stay. It was the perfect arrangement for her right now. She could get some money coming in, as well as boost her resume by including her work with his business.
It benefited him too. He needed help with his daughter and a fake relationship for work purposes. It was the perfect arrangement for both of them.
“I’ll also be helping with his business,” Faith told her mom. “And his daughter.”
That was when her mom took a seat. They’d all been standing, having broken the news as soon as they walked through the front door.
“You have a child,” Mrs. Ardmore said. “I knew that, but I totally forgot about it in all the ruckus.”
Holden immediately went into defensive mode. “She’s eight. No trouble at all. I just need someone I trust to keep an eye on her, especially when I have to go out of town on business.”
He was trying to get this new venture going, but he needed capital. All his other funds were tied up in investments, so he had to track down the cold, hard cash necessary to start up something new.
But Mrs. Ardmore didn’t need to know any of that. She didn’t care about those boring details, anyway. What she wanted to know was how this was going to affect her family. In particular, her family’s reputation. He might have grown up in New York City, but gossip wasn’t limited to small towns. As a divorced single dad, he could speak from personal experience on that.
“I’ll take good care of your daughter,” Holden told both of them. And he meant every word of it. They might not be getting married for real, but she’d be in good hands as long as she was working for him and living under his roof. “She’ll be staying in what could technically be called the nanny’s quarters. I’ll make sure people know we’re not living together like we’re married.”
“Nanny’s quarters,” Dr. Ardmore said. “I’m pretty sure those are two words that have never been uttered within Misty Mountain city limits.”
“Not about real life here,” Mrs. Ardmore said. “I’ve seen it in some movies, though.”
“And that British TV show we were watching.” Dr. Ardmore looked over at his wife. “Remember, we were joking about Faith living like that over there in England.”
“Little did we know, she’d be living that way here in our very town.” Mrs. Ardmore shifted her gaze to her daughter. “So, do we need to talk about the situation in England?”
“Are you going back, you know, to get your stuff?” Dr. Ardmore asked.
“Everything I own is in my luggage.” Faith gestured toward the door.
They’d tossed her bags in the back of Holden’s SUV when they arrived at the Knoxville Airport. They were both exhausted, so he’d let her nap on the long drive, telling her not to worry about a thing. He’d done enough worrying for both of them on that last part of the trip.
“Speaking of my SUV, we really need to be going,” Holden said.
He hated to be a party pooper, but he’d been gone for five days. As jet lagged as he was, he was dying to see his daughter. Besides, he’d burdened the town pastor and his wife enough. Mrs. Murray had volunteered to watch his daughter, refusing to take any money for her trouble. He planned to drop a generous tithe on the Baptist church website as a thank you.
“You have to come back for dinner,” Mrs. Ardmore said, pushing herself to her feet. Her husband, who was still standing, reached out as though to offer help, but she didn’t need it. Not tonight. “I know you both are probably tired, but it’s Christmas Eve.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Holden saw Faith take a deep breath. She knew she had to do the family thing. But they had gotten zero minutes of sleep.
“She’ll be here,” Holden said, looking over at Faith with a smile. “There’s plenty of time to nap this afternoon.”
“You’re invited to dinner too,” Mrs. Ardmore said to him. “I’d love to meet that daughter of yours. She has the most beautiful voice. I heard her sing at the square.”
