Page 21 of Just My Fake Husband

“When you need a moment to curse my name?”

She doesn’t miss a beat. “Driving is quite effective for thinking up all sorts of good curse words.”

“Oh, yeah?” I cross my arms over my chest. “So what kinds of violence have you inflicted on me in your mind?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. This isn’t about you. I’m not going to waste gasoline on thinking about you.”

“Well, that’s smart.” I scratch my nose and gently press a tire with my foot. “So, what’s the problem with your car?”

“All of the lights across the dashboard started flashing, and there was a weird rumbling, lurching sound.”

“Let’s take a look.”

She gives a soft snort and steps aside. “Be my guest.”

Do I know what I’m doing? No, I do not. But I could probably YouTube University it just as well as anyone else.

I press my hands on the front and peer inside. Using my phone’s flashlight and having River start it up a couple of times, it takes me less than five minutes to get real with her.

“I don’t have a clue what’s happening all up in here,” I confess. “But I could call Henry and see if he can take a look.”

She frowns. “No, I couldn’t bother you all like that. I’ll call a tow truck.”

“To be honest, that’s probably a good idea.”

This earns me half a smile. I guess I’ll take it. But still, I’m concerned about how things ended at her place.

“I apologize again for asking you to marry me.” Saying it out loud makes me feel even worse.

She digs her knuckle into her forehead and takes in a slow breath. “It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay, but . . .” She tucks a section of hair behind her ear. “It’s whatever.” Her gaze meets mine. “Thanks for stopping to help.”

“Of course. It’s the Longdale way.” I don’t live here, but I’ve heard the rumors about how much the community takes care of its own. I don’t mention that she looked so beautiful standing there, those long, curvy legs in jeans, I couldn’tnotstop.

She calls her insurance company, who gets her squared away with a tow truck. She turns to me. “Thanks, but I’ve got this now. You’re free to go.”

“Are you dismissing me?”

“No. I just have things taken care of.”

“I’m not gonna just leave you here. Those tow trucks can take a long time, especially up this road.”

“I kicked you out of my house. Why would you still want to hang out with me?”

“I don’t. I can’t just leave you here, though.”

She rests against the side of the car. “Fine, I’ll just have to annoy you, then.”

“I’d love nothing more.”

She scoffs but is true to her word. “Alright, so which brother is the biggest tightwad?”

“Oh, we’re going straight to my origins, huh?” I face the same direction she is and mirror the way she’s resting against the car.“Okay I can handle it. The answer to that is Sebastian. How about you? Tell me more about Skye.”

“No, we’re talking about the Tates right now.”

“Alright, alright.”

We discuss the intricacies of my family—the stuff I’m willing to talk about—and, in return, she tells me more about her sister. She also mentions her parents’ deaths so succinctly that it might be easy to make the assumption that she’s worked through her grief. Whatever that means.

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