Page 19 of Faking It with Mr. Uptight

"I bet. So, what are you guys going to do?"

"Watch movies and stuff? I don't know." Again, she seemed uninterested and I wondered why she was going.

"That sounds fun." I tried my best to positive, but it didn’t do much.

"I guess."

Jake repressed a smirk and I swatted at his chest. He had no idea what it was like to be a tween girl. I gave Hailey a quick glance in the rearview mirror. She was doing something on her phone, but she looked up, blushing, and then smiled. "I hope you have fun on your date. Sorry my dad is lame and is only taking you grocery shopping."

I laughed and Jake said, "Hey!"

"Don't worry. When you get old like us, grocery shopping is quite exhilarating."

"Not as exhilarating as washing dishes with a new sponge," Jake countered.

"Ew," Hailey groaned and shook her head. "Molly's too cool. There’s no way. Dad, she's just being nice. You have to try harder."

I laughed and the rest of the car ride passed with Hailey teasing her dad and telling me what not to put up with from him.

We pulled into the Shadlock's driveway a short time later and a plump blonde woman, I recognized as Mary's mother opened the door and waved. A slight 'o' formed on her lips like she couldn't believe she was seeing Jake and me together. This was only just the beginning.

"Thanks for the ride, dad. Have fun, I guess," she said and grabbed her overnight bag.

"Bye," we called after her.

After Hailey disappeared inside her friend's house, I swiveled dramatically toward Jake. "I need to level with you—I realize people think I'm bubbly 24/7, but secretly I run mostly on caffeine. I'm desperately close to stalling!"

Jake blinked then barked out a laugh at my dramatic antics. "Seriously?"

I nodded gravely. "A cinnamon honey latte would save me or things could get uuuugly..." I waggled my eyebrows jokingly.

"Alright, we’ll swing into Hanks first, drama queen," Jake replied with a smile. Wow, he was really giving them out today. "I almost want to see you uncaffeinated. Might turn you almost... normal?"

I gasped theatrically. "I said things get ugly. I never said anything about normal!" We both chuckled as he pulled away.

We rolled up minutes later to the cheery brick cafe downtown. Sara, the owner's wife, stood behind the counter clad in floral apron pulling shots of espresso. The warm scent of coffee wrapped around me already refueling me. "Jake and Molly?!" She took in our linked arms and went slack jawed. I had a feeling this was either going to get old quickly or be a whole lotta fun. "Well, butter my biscuits. I heard talk but look at you two! Congrats!" She tucked girlish brown curls behind her ear, grinning, and insisted our drinks were on the house.

"So, how did that happen, exactly?"

Jake and I shared a quick look.

"We uh, ran into each other at the store and we started talking. Things just sort of... clicked," I improvised. "Like we just saw each other out of school, and it all made sense.”

"Oh," she said. "Well, that's so sweet. I can't believe Jake has a girlfriend. I thought he was going to stay a bachelor forever."

Jake looked nervous. "Me too."

We placed our orders, and I was not at all surprised when Jake ordered a black coffee. He was just that sort of person. The kind that thinks people who put creamer in their coffee only like creamer and not coffee, which is dumb. It’s like saying people who season their food don’t like food and just like seasoning. Snobs.

But much to my surprise, he did not bash my sugary milk coffee order. Sara handed over our coffees and we left with a few quizzical stares from other locals, most of whom I knew by name or reputation. That was the kind of place this was.

"Okay," I said as soon as we were outside. "Grocery store, here we come. What kind of groceries are you buying?"

"The edible kind."

"Wow, I would never have guessed."

"Meat, cheese, milk, fruit, and vegetables. You know. Real food."

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