Page 48 of Faking It with Mr. Uptight

"Well, that's not very clear."

"No, it's not."

"Are you happy with the relationship?"

"Yes and no. Like I said, it’s complicated."

He narrowed his brows at me." Okay, well, let's uncomplicate it."

Dan never let me get away with shit. When Nat left, he had come by as often as he could to listen to me vent, saying everything I needed to hear or listening silently when I just needed a sounding board. He was a good friend, and I didn’t know why I was shutting him out. I worried that examining my relationship with Molly too much would curse it or something stupid.

Dan gave me one of his ‘let’s cut the bullshit’ looks so I said, "I like her. She's funny, smart, and we have a good time together."

"That's great. So what's the problem?"

"No one said there’s a problem. You understand how it is. I'm worried about Hailey."

"Your daughter?"

"Yeah, you know that little creature that lives with me? The one that calls you Uncle Dan?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why are you worried about her?"

"I don’t know. It's just that this is all new and I'm not sure how she's going to handle it if Molly and I break up. And with the way her mom left, you know we don't really talk about it. I'm afraid to bring it up because I don't want to hurt her but at the same time, I have no idea what she thinks and she's just getting to the age where I think she can understand more."

"So, what are you thinking?

"I'm thinking that I'm scared. Scared that I'm not doing the right thing and I'm just setting myself and her up for heartache. What if I'm just making the same mistake as her mom did?"

"You're not making the same mistake as her mom."

"How do you know?"

"Because you care. And you're not trying to hide anything from her."

"I know. I just don't want to mess it up.

"Well, it could go right. You never know. We always worry about things going wrong, and we should to a point, but like it could go right. And I think it says a lot that you're out here and you left Hailey with her. I mean I've been inviting you out here for years and you only ever come when Hailey's away. I think this woman is good for you. So, cheers to Molly for giving me my drinking - I mean fishing buddy—back."

I laughed. "I think we caught more beer than fish."

He popped the top on a fresh beer, smacking his lips after taking a long pull. "Just as God intended."

15

MOLLY

My first evening with Hailey was stuffed full of Harry Potter movies, more pizza than should be legal, and an experimental baking mishap that may have permanently changed the smell of Jake's house.

But Hailey and I nearly perfected our British accents. So, all in all, a successful night.

Now she lay asleep, face pressed into the pillow while the credits to the third movie began to roll. I scrounged for the remote beneath the sea of snacks cluttering the table and shut the tv off. I tucked a blanket around her and tiptoed out of the room.

Upstairs, I climbed into Jakes bed on his side. The sheets still smelled of him. I grabbed his pillow and snuggled it, closing my eyes. The events of the past few weeks replayed in my mind, the ups and downs and the way I felt around him. The urge to see him stirred up and I slid my phone out of my hoodie pocket.

In our text thread, I hit the little video call icon and my face filled the screen while I waited for him to pick up. Right away, I caught sight of a piece of popcorn in my hair. I combed fingers through and flicked the little white puff somewhere in the room. Trying to look cute and not flustered as the call connected, the screen eventually filled with a shot of his face. His brows lifted curiously. "Hey, stranger."

"Hi." I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. The cabin around him so similar to what I imagined. Everything was dark brown, with kitschy fishing decorations all around. Fishermen's nets draped the wall, dotted with wooden carved bobbers and lures. A green and read tartan throw lay haphazardly over the sofa behind where Jake rested his head. He looked like he belonged there, completely in his element.

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