Page 4 of A Christmas Collin

That affects me more than I let on. She’s always believed in me, even during those days when I didn’t believe in myself. "So let me do this for ya. I'll come to dinner and be your boyfriend. It gives me a chance to show your mom that I made something of myself. She'll get to see that what your dad wanted has actually happened. I'm not struggling. I'm doing way better than the 17-year-old kid you all met ten years ago."

Danielle locks eyes with me, the gears turning in her pretty head. I can't believe that of all the calls I get into the shop, this one is to rescue the girl of my dreams. It's been too long, but I never stopped thinking about her. She's all I've ever wanted, and I can't seem to shake that feeling no matter how much time passes. Now that I've got her here in front of me, this is my chance to make her mine. Sure, it’s fake dating, but I’ll take whatever I can.

That’s one foot in the door, at least.

"You know my mother has a hard time seeing potential in people. I have to admit that it would be nice to see the look on her face when I show up with you—my boyfriend who runs his own business." She tilts her head to the side and lifts a brow. "What about my car?"

I chuckle, happiness blooming in my chest—something I haven’t felt in a long, long time. "Talking to you is like a ping pong game. You got enough oil to get you to your mom's place. But I still want to get it in the shop and take a look at everything else. I'll top off your fluids, check your brakes, and make sure the lack of oil ain't damaged your engine. Now, about this boyfriend situation. How long have we been dating?"

She laughs and shrugs. "I don't know, six weeks? I don't want to say much longer than that because I had lunch with Josh, and ifI didn't bring you up then, he's not going to believe it now. He already thinks I made you up."

"There's nothing imaginary about me, Jelly Bean."

She turns red again as she looks away. "We gotta set some rules for this dating thing."

"Why do we need rules? I thought you said this was only for dinner, Danielle."

"Collin, we're going to be a couple. We have to behave like a couple." She chews on her bottom lip and digs the heel of her shoe into the ground. "There has to be kissing and stuff."

Well, shit. Sign me up. "And stuff? I'm interested in the stuffing part."

She shoves me back playfully. "Don't be a pervert."

I wrap a hand around her wrist to keep her palm on my chest, right above my heart. "I'll have to work on that. I thought I was flirting. You know we can date for real? How about you bring the car to my shop tomorrow? While it's there, I'll take you out to lunch or something."

"Stop joking around. How is this going to work, by the way?" She sighs, her eyes avoiding mine and the question of taking her out tomorrow. "How did we meet?"

"I was in D.C., and we ran into each other."

"When were you in D.C.?" Reality breaks the facade she's trying to create, and her eyebrows furrow. "Visiting your girlfriend?"

"Jelly Bean." My voice is firm, my thumb rubbing circles on her wrist. "If you're my girl, you're the only one." I hesitate a bit, wondering how far I can go, how much I can tell her. I want totell the truth—that this isn’t just a game to me—but I also don’t want to scare her away. "If I'm being honest, you've always been the only one for me. My ambition to make this business work took over, and before I knew it, ten years had gone by."

"Think of that time as getting us ready for what's about to happen."

"Pretending to be your boyfriend, Jelly Bean?" I reply with a laugh, finally lowering her hand. "I'd rather be the real thing, but for now, we'll stick to your plan. As far as when I was in D.C., we'll keep that to about six weeks ago, like you said. If you want to sprinkle some truth over the lie, I actually travel back and forth to D.C. a few times a month."

"Oh? What brings you out there so often?"

"I do charity work for an organization that works with foster children. I teach shop and HVAC skills to at-risk youth."

Her expression shifts like I just pulled out a puppy. "That's so admirable. All I do is help people manage their fears."

"That's amazing. I know a few kids who can use that service."

"Oh, I usually treat adults. I can give you a free session. Yes! Let's do that while my car is in your shop. I'll help you get over whatever you're afraid of in return for being my fake boyfriend. I would pay you cash, but money is tight. I don't even know how much getting my car roadworthy is going to cost."

"Don't worry about the car. I'll take care of it. But what do you do if you have a client that's not scared of anything?"

"That's impossible." She scoffs and mildly shivers as a cold wind whips through the air. "Everyone is scared of something."

I reach behind her waist, leaning in so close our mouths are almost touching. Goddamn. The urge to taste her lips is overwhelming, and it takes every ounce of self-control I didn’t know I had not to cup her face and shove my tongue inside her warm mouth.

But then…

She reaches in the rest of the way, kissing me softly on the corner of my lips as I gently pull the door's handle behind her ass, shocking me to my core.

"I'm sorry," she blurts out, an even deeper shade of red covering her beautiful face. She covers her face with her hands while I stand stock still. "Shit, I thought you were leaning in for a kiss."

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