Page 37 of The Fake Date Deal

“The imagery.” Sean cut in, rude with excitement. “That’s what I like, as well. No other writer does setting like he does. It sometimes feels like the story comes second to the backdrop. Like he’s really writing about places and times, and the characters are tourists. Exploring the settings so we can see with them.”

I’d never thought about it that way, but what he was saying felt about right.

Camille nodded to Eve. “Powder room, darling?”

The women both stood, and they strode off. Sean sighed, rueful. “I think we’ve bored them.”

I watched Eve disappear. “Maybe a little.”

“But, now I’ve got you all to myself…” He set his fork down and leaned on his elbows. “Eve seems at ease with you. I feel like she trusts you.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I said nothing. Sean peered down the hall where the women had vanished.

“She was always standoffish with Rafael. I thought she was nervous, like I was with Camille. We were always on eggshells in the beginning.” He steepled his fingers, as though deep in thought. “Did you know our parents set up our marriage? They’d been close for some time, and they thought we’d be a match. And I fell for Camille. I did, from the start. But I couldn’t relax with her, our first year of marriage. What we had still felt fragile, like one fight might break it. So she’d do something annoying and I wouldn’t tell her, and I knew that went both ways. I was bugging her too.”

I tried to think of a response to that and came up empty. “Eve tells me,” I tried. “When I’m being stupid.”

“That’s good,” said Sean. His gaze had gone distant. “When I see you together, you both seem relaxed. More like Camille and me after our first fight. After it sank in that we could be honest.”

I flinched at that. I’d thought almost the same thing only last week, how Eve was different because she was honest. How our relationship was honest, no hidden agendas. But I hadn’t meant it the way Sean did, where he’d used that honesty to build something real. I’d been thinking of our end date, how easy that made us.

“We thought we’d done well with Rafael. We wanted Eve to have what we have. But she was right not to trust him. Look what he did.”

I swallowed. My throat had gone painfully tight. I could see Sean loved Eve and wanted the best for her, even if he’d gone for it in all the wrong ways.

“I know it’s early days,” he said. “But I have to ask: if all goes well for the two of you, what will that look like?”

“What will that—” My voice caught.

“I suppose I’m asking about your intentions.”

“My intentions. Right.” I felt like he’d just snapped me out of a dream, woken me roughly to what I’d been doing. Here he was, wanting the best for his daughter, and here I was, dating her out of spite. I didn’t want to lie to him, but what could I say?

His mouth drew down. “You must have a feeling.”

I almost laughed. A feeling? I had plenty. I was bubbling with feelings, about to boil over. I felt joy at the sight of her, loss when she left. Elation when she smiled and it was for me. I felt excited and reckless and brave, stupid, unworthy, the whole gamut.

“Eve is wonderful,” I said, not wanting to lie. “I’d love, more than anything, to be worthy of her. I’ve been having the best time getting to know her, so I suppose I’d say… I’d say… I hope I can be what she needs me to be. Whatever that is. However long she needs me.”

Sean seemed confused by my jumbled answer, but he thought it over, then nodded his head. “Dating has changed a lot since I met Camille. But as long as she’s happy, that’s enough for me.”

I followed his gaze out to the terrace. Eve had stepped out there along with her mother, and they were looking at something on her phone. Camille tapped the screen, and both of them laughed.

“She seems happy,” said Sean.

My chest hurt. She did. Could it be she was feeling the same things I was, that same unexpected rush of emotion? Or was that happy flush just the thrill of success? And what was I feeling? What did it mean? It felt like the rush I got when I raced, that last-lap charge — but that didn’t last. It burned hot, burned out, and then it was gone, and I knew it was time to move on to the next race. Was this that brief burn before we blinked out?

Eve caught my eye, smiled at me, and I smiled back. Somewhere behind that smile, she had all the answers. Or maybe she didn’t. Maybe nobody did.

CHAPTER 15

EVE

Ipicked up an ornament and put it back down, a little glass bauble with dried flowers inside. Mother took it in turn and held it up to the light.

“What would you call this?”

I squinted at the thing. “A suncatcher, maybe?”

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