Page 45 of (Not Really) Faking It With My Best Friend's Brother

"Oh?" I turned to look at him.

He nodded. "She thinks I could make a real difference, providing quality care to underserved families. I've been so focused on my work at the hospital that I haven't seriously considered it until now."

"That's amazing, Nate." I could hear the excitement building in his voice. "I'm so happy you talked to her about it, and she encouraged you to move forward.”

"The only problem is the start-up costs." He furrowed his brow. "Renting a space, buying equipment...it adds up quickly. I may need to take out a business loan."

"Hey," I said gently. "If it's really important to you, we'll figure out the money." An idea struck me. "Why don't I help you start researching small business loans and non-profit grants? I just read a great blog post on financing community programs."

Nate's eyes widened. "You'd do that?"

"Of course," I said, squeezing his hand. "This is an exceptional cause. And I have faith in you."

Nate's face softened, his gratitude shining through his blue eyes. "Thank you, Susan. You're... remarkable."

I grabbed his laptop and pulled up a search engine. We spent the next hour huddled over his computer, searching for financing options. Nate explained the details he was concerned about, and I offered suggestions from finance blogs I'd read.

With the loan applications pulled up for Nate to work on, I grabbed my laptop out of my bag and opened a new document.

"Do you mind if I work on something else for a bit?" I asked.

"Go for it," he said with an encouraging smile.

Seeing Nate in his element, dreaming about the clinic, had sparked my own ideas. I had considered starting a literacy blog for a while now, and our deep dive into research was just the push I needed. As a children's librarian, I was passionate about instilling a love of reading in kids. With Nate working beside me, I started drafting my first post on the importance of reading with children from an early age.

I wrote from the heart, weaving in anecdotes about how books had shaped my childhood. My parents read to me every night, getting lost in the library stacks, and the teachers who encouraged my love of literature—all of it spilled out onto the page.

I hoped my sincerity would resonate with parents and kids in our town. My goal was to get more families engaged in reading together. I knew firsthand how magical shared story time could be for forging connections.

After polishing the draft, I turned to Nate. "Would you mind looking this over? I want it to speak to people."

"I'm sure it's great, but I'm happy to read it," he said.

As Nate reviewed my post, his eyes crinkled at the corners. "This is moving, Susan. You have a gift for capturing the power of reading."

I smiled, thrilled he appreciated my words. With Nate's encouragement, I was ready to share my passion with the broader community. Another new chapter was unfolding.

With Nate's help, I published the blog post on the Rivermint Cove website and held my breath, waiting for a reaction. To my delight, comments quickly flooded in from parents, teachers, and fellow book lovers.

"This brought tears to my eyes remembering reading with my daughter," one mother wrote.

"As a teacher, I couldn't agree more about the importance of early reading," an elementary school teacher added.

My heart swelled reading the supportive words. I turned to Nate, who was grinning. "Looks like you struck a chord," he said.

Just then, my phone buzzed with an incoming text. It was from Frances:

"I edited all the photos for the gossip site. I wrote a story about how your fake engagement turned into real love. I hope you're okay with me posting it all tonight—I just want to help get the truth out there!"

I laughed and showed Nate the text: "Frances is going all in as our PR manager. But I'm relieved everyone will finally understand how we went from pretend to romance."

Nate nodded, pulling me in for a quick kiss. "I'm glad too. No more hiding how I feel." His eyes gazed at me tenderly.

With Frances's post going live soon, our whole journey - fake turned real - would be out there for the whole world to see. But Nate and I were ready to share our love story with the world.

Nate insisted on walking me to my car even though it was just outside. As we stepped into the evening air, my feet felt lighter. My steps were no longer weighed down by secrecy.

"I know it was rocky for a while, but I'm thankful we're here now," Nate said, taking my hand in his.

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