Page 28 of Faking It with my Billionaire Grump

“Yes. And she wouldn’t lie. In fact, I actually think she hasn’t told me how negatively they truly feel so she doesn’t upset me.”

“And this is recently?” Jake frowns.

“Well, no, obviously. Most of it—well, all of it was not long after I left.”

“Right,” he says. “So basically, you’re going off ten-year-old information.”

“Oh, come on, Jake. This is Baskington. People don’t forget.”

“No, but they do forgive.”

“Not that I’ve seen.”

“You haven’t really given them a chance, have you?” he counters. “When you come back to visit, you stay for no more than three days, and you spend most of it with your folks.”

“And you think telling people that we’re engaged is going to help?”

Jake smiles and shakes his head. “No. I think we should tell them that we’re pretending to be engaged and why.”

“Did your momma drop you on your head when you were little?” I blurt. “That will be even worse.”

“I don’t think so. You know how close knit we are here. What they need is a joint purpose. Imagine it. The whole town working together to get rid of an outsider.” He’s grinning from ear to ear and clearly thinks he’s just stumbled onto a perfect idea.

I, on the other hand, think he’s lost his darn mind.

On the way home, I stop by the store for a few groceries. When I get to the register, Mrs. Windrow is eyeing me carefully.

“So, you and Jake, huh?” she says, scanning my items.

Clearly, word has traveled about our date the other night, just like I knew it would. It’s on the tip of my tongue to change the subject when I hear Jake’s words playing in my head.

What they need is a joint purpose. The whole town working together to get rid of an outsider.

Is he mad or a genius? I suppose there’s only one way to find out, and who better to try it out on than Mrs. Windrow? I have a strong feeling she wouldn’t be keen on outsiders. Besides, if I tell her our plans, it will save me from having to tell anyone else. The whole town will know about it by the end of the day.

“Actually, it’s all a ploy, Mrs. Windrow,” I say with a smile.

Just like Elsa when she hears something of interest, Mrs. Windrow’s ears prick up.

“Really?” she says, bringing her scanning to a complete halt as she looks at me with wide eyes of interest.

“Uh-huh.” I nod. “My ex-boyfriend has followed me from the city. He’s not a nice man, and is now stalking me.”

“No!” she gasps. “How awful.”

“It is. So Jake and I have come up with a plan to try and get rid of him. We’re pretending to be engaged.”

Biting back a smile, I watch as Mrs. Windrow leans across the counter. “Well, if I see this stalker of yours, I’ll be certain to put him right. He has no right to come after you like that.”

I’ll be honest, I’m surprised. I expected quite a different reaction. Something like, “Well, it serves you right for what you did to Jake.” Clearly, Jake knows the townsfolk far better than me, and it occurs to me that I might have misjudged them all this time.

Walking across the parking lot, I hear my name being called. As I spin around to look, my gut clenches as I watch Bryan running across the street toward me.

“Oh, Lord.”

“I’ve been trying to call you,” he says, even before he reaches me.

“I know,” I reply when he comes to a final stop. “I’ve been ignoring you.”

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