Page 16 of Curvy Fake Wife for the Player

She frowned. “I’m pretty sure Jack said that you were not to appear in public with Dixie.”

I shrugged. “We won’t technically be in public. You and Dixie will be in the car while I oversee the guys loading up the truck. No one will even see you.”

She looked indecisive, and I should have just let it go at that, but for reasons I didn’t want to explore, I couldn’t.

“Okay. Let me get Dixie ready and we can head out.”

“It’s not funny,” I growled twenty minutes later as Sasha watched me, laughing as I struggled to get the damn car seat installed.

“You’re right,” she sighed and handed Dixie to me. “It’s hilarious. Watch closely,” she said as she slid the seatbelt through the base easily, as if she created the wretched thing herself. She took the seat from me and held it up. “Listen for the snap,” she said as she shoved the seat onto the base, and a loud snap sounded. “And she’s safe and secure.” Her proud smile took the sting off the fact that she was able to do it easily.

“Yeah, sure.”

She laughed, the sound sexy and lyrical as she rested a hand on my shoulder. “It takes some practice, that’s all. But you will have to learn it eventually.”

I appreciated that Sasha didn’t rub it in or admonish me for my inability to do something so simple. Her words of encouragement with that hint of challenge was just what I needed to hear. “You would be a damn good coach.”

“A hockey coach?” She frowned in the passenger seat. “All I know about hockey is you put the black thingy into the net.”

“Thatthingyis a puck, and not necessarily hockey but anything. Tennis coach. Life coach. Figure skating coach. You’ve perfected tough love without being an asshole about it.”

“Thanks,” she laughed. “I think.”

We pulled up to the pickup station and I left Sasha and Dixie in the car, finally calm after the company’s earlier mistake. Five minutes later, my expression was thunderous as I stomped back to the car. “The entire order is wrong.”

Sasha frowned. “It’ll be faster together, but I think you should stay in the car while Dixie and I do the shopping.”

“I can’t ask you to do that again.”

“You’re not asking, I’m volunteering. Do you have a better plan?”

“You know I don’t.”

“Then you stay here and I’ll rush through the store and scan everything again. Let’s hope this time it works.”

She was right. Of course, she was right. “Fine.” I watched the swing of her hips as she moved to the store’s entrance, angry that Jack had put these restraints on me.Don’t do it,my conscience warned after about fifteen minutes of sitting in the car and doing nothing.

At the twenty-minute mark, I went inside and found Sasha chatting with Dixie who smiled and babbled as if she understood.

“What can I do?”

Sasha let out a shocked gasp and turned, punching my shoulder before she could stop herself. “Sorry, but stop sneaking up on me!”

I smiled and rubbed the spot she’d hit. “Nice jab.”

“Thanks. Self-defense classes.” She turned back to Dixie and pushed the cart forward. “What’re you doing here?”

“Helping.”

“This is a bad idea,” she said in a sing-song voice meant for Dixie. “But he’s gonna do what he’s gonna do, am I right?”

Dixie’s smile grew and she responded with a loud series of shrieks and gargles.

“See? Even Dixie knows.” Her playful smile made me relax as we went up and down the aisles, replacing every single item that had been in the shopping cart just last night.

Being with Sasha was easy. She was funny and easy to talk to, and she wasn’t at all in awe of me for being a celebrity.

“No one even notices me,” I assured her when she spotted two young women staring in our direction. “They just see a good-looking man.”

---