Page 76 of Faking It with Mr. Uptight

Jake: I'm looking forward to this weekend.

Me: Amen ??

His words put me at ease. Jake felt what I felt and that was all that mattered. Who cared about time? Just because the average couple waits three months to say they love each other – I Googled it – didn’t mean we needed to, right?

I decided what was considered normal didn’t matter. Normal was overrated anyway.

The rest of the week passed by in a haze of teaching, grading, and end of the year meetings. The energy of the school was palpable, with everyone counting down the days until summer vacation.

At first, I thought it was just the students who were restless, but the teachers were no better. As the final bell rang on Friday afternoon, the entire student body seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. The weekend had arrived, and I was spending it at Jake’s. So much for going home.

My phone buzzed with a new text as I crammed an array of clothing into my weekend bag.

Jake: Meet me at the park.

My eyes narrowed and a slight smile curled on my lips. What was he up to?

Me: Ok?

But he left me un-read. I guess I would have to go to the park to find out.

The park was the same park where we had our first date, or fake date, if I didn’t count the grocery store and the diner. I loved this place. It was just a quaint grassy area at the center of town, but the way the town transformed it for their events and festivals, gave it an almost magical quality, like with a little effort and imagination this place could be anything.

At present, the main attraction was a large gazebo surrounded by lush green grass, dotted with picnic tables and a few towering oak trees.

And there, nestled under one of those trees, was a picnic basket and a blanket. Cue the swooning.

"What's all this?" I asked, trying to play it cool even though my heart was doing backflips.

Jake grinned, looking mighty pleased with himself. "Dinner, of course."

I glanced around, suddenly realizing we were missing a crucial member of our little gang. "Where's Hailey?" I questioned, wrapping my arms around Jake and planting a kiss on his scruffy cheek.

"She's at a friend's house," he said with a knowing grin. "We've got the whole night to ourselves. But don't worry, she'll be back bright and early tomorrow to help with the nursery. That girl is so excited, she's practically vibrating."

I couldn't help but smile at the thought of Hailey's enthusiasm. "Well, I'm glad she patched things up with her friends," I said, plopping down on the blanket beside Jake.

As we dug into the picnic basket, which was stuffed with sandwiches, fruit, and a bottle of wine (hello, perfect date), I filled Jake in on Hailey's recent friend drama. How they had tried to use her to get better grades, and how she had stood her ground like the little boss she was.

Instead of being proud, though, Jake's face darkened like a storm cloud. "She didn't tell me about that," he said, his voice as cold as an ice cube down my shirt. "And you should have told me, Molly."

I felt my stomach do a somersault, and not the good kind. "She asked me not to," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady. "I didn't promise to keep it a secret, but I was keeping an eye on the situation."

"That's not your job," he snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. "It's mine."

I took a deep breath, channeling my inner Zen master. "And what do you think would have happened if I had told you?"

Silence. Crickets. Tumbleweed.

"Look, I'm not trying to be Hailey's mom," I said gently, reaching out to touch his arm. "I'm just being her confidant and adviser, like I am with all my students."

Jake sighed, his shoulders sagging like a deflated balloon. "You're right. I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's been a long day, and with Natasha ghosting Hailey all week, I'm just on edge. I wanted to let it all go and have a nice evening with you, but then this happened."

I squeezed his hand, feeling the tension between us start to dissipate. "I'm sure Hailey is okay," I reassured him. "And the reason she didn't want to tell you was that the whole thing was about us. Just kids being stupid, thinking they could get better grades because we're dating. Dumb stuff like that."

"Really?" Jake's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That's what it was about?"

I nodded, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "More or less. Hailey didn't want to be their puppet."

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