Page 10 of The Replacement Fiance

"I don't know. I haven't seen a movie in years."

"Then we can't use that. We're bound to stumble there." Logan thinks for a few moments. "What about hanging out at the beach or at home? With you and me having our own businesses, let's say we like to just chill at home."

"That should work," I say. "It's more my speed, definitely."

We don't speak for a few moments, Logan's attention on the road ahead and mine on the blur of trees outside the window. I can smell the scent of pine in the air, feel the chill of a Christmas winter in the wind.

"What about you?" I ask. "What do I need to know about your family other than every Friday, you visit your mom at the cemetery?"

Logan doesn't answer right away but I see his brow furrow. "Other than Liam and me being tight, not much really."

"Your dad? Didn't he hand you the shop?"

"Not exactly. He just walked away from it one day and left everyone hanging," he says. "At first, Liam and I took over because the guys hadn't been paid at all and suppliers were threatening to sue the shop. We didn't know much then but we learned on the job and because we already liked tinkering with engines and all that, it wasn't too difficult a transition."

"How old were you?"

"That was ten years ago so I was seventeen and Liam was twenty."

"Oh wow, that was way before I met you."

Logan nods. "By the time you and I met, Garrison Motors was in a better place. Everyone got paid and suppliers were happy. Dad was long gone by then and it was all for the best. The guys who worked for him mostly stayed with us until a few retired."

From the way I see Logan's Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallows, his gaze firmly on the road ahead, I know we're done talking about his family. That's when it hits me. He could have spent Christmas with Liam and Adriana but right now, Logan chose to spend it with me, pretending to be someone he's not.

4

Mariah

The Soraya Lodge Bed& Breakfast is on a 5-acre property nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, less than hour from Lake Tahoe. Besides the main building with twelve cabin-style suites, there are three free-standing cabins around the property that we rent out throughout the year. There's also a round-shaped building where small groups host yoga and meditation classes as well as nature workshops.

The Soraya is usually busy all year round and when we were kids, we all had our chores around the place. While my brother helped Dad with repairs, my sisters and I mastered patching up walls and tidying things up. We had silly competitions like who could make the beds the fastest. These days, Mom and Dad have employees to do most of the housekeeping although Forrest, who lives in his own cabin at the edge of the property, does most of the repairs and maintenance.

"Soraya," Logan says out loud as we drive through the entrance and down the road leading to the private house at the back of the main lodge. Snow has turned the ground completely white. "What does the name mean?"

"It's a Persian name my mother fell in love with when she was younger. It means a very bright light or jewel. It also stands for the Pleiades, a cluster of nine stars in Taurus. You can actually see it in the summer although I'm not sure if we can see it clearly during the winter."

"Will you show it to me one day?"

I nod. "Sure."

The moment I see the main house in the distance, I feel my heart race. My hands become clammy. I glance at Logan whose attention is on the dirt road ahead.Can we really pull this charade off?

"Logan, maybe I should just tell them that you're a friend, just in case–"

"Aren't they expecting you to show up with your fiancé?"

"Yes, but I could tell them that he–"

"–is here with you." Logan rests his hand over mine. "Everything will be fine, Mariah. We're here and no matter what happens, we'll have a good time. Do you really back out now?"

I hear his words the exact moment I see Elliot's parents' home beyond the fence. I shake my head. "No."

"There you go."

Everyone is in the main house when we arrive. I know because I can hear them laughing the moment I open the passenger door. I also realize that no matter how confident Logan feels about my plan, it could fall apart the moment they start asking deeper questions like—

"Wait!" I exclaim, panic setting in for real. "We have to pick a date!"

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