Page 54 of Just Act Natural

Stareis probably too polite a word for what I do. Igoggleat him. “You shaved.”

He runs a hand over his silky-smooth jaw. “Did you prefer the stubble?”

I’m not sure I could choose which version I like better. The thick stubble added to his rugged appeal, but this clean-shaven version is devastating. Plus, it gives an unhindered view of that dimple. I probably shouldn’t be trusted with unlimited access to it.

“You look great both ways.”

His boyish smile appears like a sunburst peeking out of the clouds. “Good to know.” He sits at the other end of the not-terribly-large couch. “Is anything wrong? You were scowling at your phone just now.”

My dimple-addled brain needs a second to catch up. “I was checking my texts. My sister already knows about us. My mom has probably visited half the stores in town by now relaying the news.”

If she had a bull horn, she could work twice as fast.

“You expected that, right?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s just unsettling how desperate she is to get my sister and me married off.”

Panic flickers briefly across his face. His reaction hurts just a little. Which is dumb. This whole thing between us is fake—of course he would freak out at the idea of marrying me. He doesn’t even want to date me. The reminder squeezes my stupid little heart.

“Hope’s wedding should be enough to keep her busy. She just wants us to be happy.”

“You’re not happy?”

“I mean romantically happy. You know how moms get, eager for their kids to have love and marriage and babies.”

He looks like I’m speaking gibberish. “Not really.”

“Your mom isn’t like that?”

Is there a mom out there who isn’t excited for her kids to have all those things? My experience says no, but maybe things are different in Texas. I doubt it, but maybe.

He lifts a shoulder. “She wants us to be happy, but she’s not pushy about the rest of it.”

“She wasn’t out of her mind with glee when your brother got married?”

“Dean and Eliza eloped, so there wasn’t a whole lot to get worked up about. She’s happy for them, but it’s a normal amount.”

“A normal amount of happy?” My mom almost passed out from joy when I told her Josh and I got engaged. She sent me endless links to potential wedding venues, dresses, and hairstyles. She passed on ideas for honeymoon locations, and oh-so casually dropped potential baby names into conversations. “I don’t know what that’s like.”

“It’s like this.” He pulls his mouth into a closed lip, unenthusiastic smile.

My mom’s been happier over getting brunch with me and Hope on a random Saturday. I am weirdly sad for Grant, imagining a lifetime of mid-range smiles.

“My mom’s more like this.” I slowly drop my mouth open into the biggest, goofiest grin. Eyes wide, I flash jazz hands at either side of my face.

“You’re right, that is a lot.”

I let my crazy clown smile fade. “You don’t have to do this for me.”

“I know.”

“It’s your last chance to back out.” I don’t know why I keepgiving him the option—I don’t want him to change his mind. It would be mild to moderately humiliating to face everyone Mom’s already gossiped to around town.

Plus, I just want to spend time with him.

Craziest excuse for spending time with a man so far, but it’s been that kind of year.

“I’m not backing out. This will be fun.”

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