Page 73 of When the Fake Snow Falls

“Let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Candace.” He places his hand on the small of my back. “Candace, this is Jeff and Sherry.”

Shaking each of their hands, I give them both a polite smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Sherry says, suddenly looking more awake. “Seeing Chase happy with someone is long overdue.”

“Yeah, I hardly complain about anyone workingtoo hard,but I was starting to think he’d work himself to death in that office,” Jeff adds with a laugh.

I feel like I’m missing something, but Chase just squeezes me tighter and smiles down at me. “See, you practically saved me.”

He’s so convincing in the way he looks at me. I almost get lost in his gaze until I remember to play the part. “Please.” I wave off his comment and wrap my arms around him. “I’m the lucky one.”

Chase dips his chin. “Well, if you two will excuse us, we still need to find our table.”

“Of course,” Jeff says with a nod. “We’ll see you once you have more awards than you can carry.”

“You’ll help bring them to the car, won’t you?” Chase asks with a playful smirk.

“Only if he’s not carrying me,” Sherry adds with a laugh. “Have fun, you two!”

“It was lovely meeting you,” I say again. “And congratulations.”

The couple beams and continues to work their way through the crowd. “Not your boss, I take it?”

Chase forces a laugh that sounds more like a scoff. “No, but she’s around here somewhere.” He does a quick scan of the room but doesn’t react to anyone.

“Your friends?” I ask as soon as it’s just the two of us in a room of strangers again.

A faint smile pulls at the corner of his lips. “Yeah. They were just colleagues for the longest time, but after so many years, they’ve become good friends.”

“What did they mean by your happiness being long overdue?” It feels like too personal a question, but if him bringing me here is abig deal,I should probably know.

Chase grips the back of his neck before slowly rubbing his palm over the nape. He looks around the room. “Here, let’s sit.”

We find our names on the seating chart and settle into our chairs. Turning to face me, he leans his arm on the back of my seat. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a girlfriend.”

“Oh?” I remember all the women who tagged him in photos on social media, but I guess that doesn’t mean he actually dated any of them. Technically, it’s been a while since I’ve had a boyfriend.

He shakes his head. “Things didn’t end well with my ex,and ever since, I’ve sort of been . . . coasting.” He levels me with a stare to make sure I’m following.

“Coasting,” I say with a slow nod.

“You know, go to work, and go home. Tried going out with people when they asked, but I didn’t want to be there. I’d been in a fog, but after seeing how things went last year without a date, I needed to find someone.”

A placeholder. That’s what I am. Iknowthat’s all I am, but I still have to fight the urge to shrink when I cautiously say, “Well, you found me.” Leaning my elbows on the table, I add, “I’m glad you were looking.”

I said it because it’s true. I’ve had more fun with him during these past few weeks than I have in a while, but the way he looks at me, like I’ve just spilled my biggest secret, has me fighting a smile.

I shake my head. “Don’t gloat.”

He holds a hand to his chest and leans forward. “Me? Gloat about the fact that I’ve somehow snuck through your defenses?”

“You haven’t snuck through anything,” I say with a playful sideways glance. “These defenses were built for you.”

Chase gets to his feet, and when I look up at him, he hooks a finger under my chin. “Nowthatis something I will gloat about.” He presses a kiss to my lips, and my entire body warms. “Let me buy you a drink.”

“From the open bar?”

Chase grins. “Yes, but buying you a drink sounds better.” He turns to go, and over his shoulder adds, “I’ll tip well to make up for it.”

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