Page 41 of A Christmas Bargain

“Umm…”

He raised one hand higher, as if to calm me down. “A fake romantic date.” He cleared his throat and stuck his hands back in his pockets. “To really show people that you and I are a couple.”

“Versus…?”

He sighed. “My sister thinks I’m trying to hire you as an after-school nanny or something.”

I laughed. It started as giving in to one bark of laughter but rolled into more. “A nanny? Jeez. I guess we really do need to scale up the effort.”

“Are you interested in that?”

I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head to the side as I studied him. This smile wouldn’t quit on my face. “Okay, now that sounds like you’re really asking me out.”

He shrugged.

What doesthatmean?

“Would you be okay with a dinner date? Just you and me?”

I was more than okay with that. I’d wanted Naomi-free time to talk to him. About his land. About his life. About what parenthood was really like. Excitement filled me at the notion that I could have his unfettered and complete attention. I enjoyed that warm, cozy feeling that swept through me when I caught him looking at me, watching me, or laughing with me.

Just as quickly as I got giddy, I grew nervous.

He’s only asking for the sake of looking like we’re a couple.

Not because he wanted to reallybea couple.

I hated this sensation that I was a fraud, pretending with him like this. Sledding, crafts, butchering Christmas carols, and all, I was having too much fun to be able to say I was faking anything anymore.

“Just us?” he asked, not giving up as I stood here and tried to find the words to reply.

A gentle, almost careful smile curved his lips up. As though he was nervous about what I’d say.

Could he…?

I sighed, knowing it was stupid to wonder and wish he’d actually be interested in me. To want it to just be us, not for the sake of putting on an act.

What am I thinking?

That would only complicate things.

How could we figure out acting onrealdesire when he was not ready to commit to a woman?

How could I keep things clean and clear between business and love when I was only here because I wanted his land?

“Claire?” He raised his brows, expectant as I debated on a response. “Never m?—”

“Just us,” I confirmed. “That sounds like a great idea.”

If only I could mean it for real.

14

DEREK

Ihad no right to be so pleased when Claire agreed to this date. We were supposed to be faking it. And we were. Naomi seemed to think Claire was our friend. Like we shared her.

We did. But over the course of the last week and a half, I realized that I wanted to be greedy. I wanted to be selfish. For the first time in years, I wanted to have quality time with a woman and not be pulled away into “Daddy” mode.

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