Page 17 of An Engagement Pact

“What do you mean?”

“I mean he’s crazy about you.” She gives a little twitch when she sees me blink, her expression changing. “Shit, you already knew that, didn’t you? It’s been obvious from the beginning. Even before he met you, he’d stare every time you walked down the street. But if he’s been trying to play it cool with you, he’s going to be so mad at me for saying something.”

Flushing hotly now, I’m trapped by confusion and embarrassment (and emotional pleasure I can’t seem to deny). I have no idea how to respond to her. Dan has clearly done a very good job of pretending to be swept away by feelings for me. He’s evidently concocted an entire backstory of feelings for me that is convincing Paige at the very least. “Oh,” I mumble. “I mean...”

Paige laughs again, clearly reading my confusion for an admission. “So you do know. I didn’t think he’d have much luck at playing cool.”

With great effort, I manage to find my composure again. “It has happened pretty quickly for us. And the truth is I’m completely into him too.”

Paige grins. “Thank goodness. I don’t usually put my foot in my mouth like that, and Dan might not forgive me if I said something to scare you off.”

“I’m definitely not scared off.”

I’m a nervous, fluttery mess, and if this relationship with Dan was real, I might, in fact, be scared off by it moving so fast. But it’s not real. None of it is. So I have nothing to be scared about.

I’ve told Paige I’d see her in a few minutes, right after I drop the dogs off, when a voice calls from down the block. “Vicky!”

It’s Dan. He’s obviously driven downtown right from work. He’s still wearing nice trousers and a sage-green shirt and carrying his laptop case. He’s jogging to get over to us.

With a chuckle, Paige reaches for the door of the coffee shop and nods toward Dan. “Case in point.”

While I know he’s not running over to me with that look on his face because he’s falling in love with me, he is doing a very good job with the pretense. He’s flushed and smiling when he reaches me. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I clear my throat when Ajax once again tries to jump up in greeting.

The dog sits, slants me a dirty look, and then peers up expectantly at Dan.

He immediately leans over to greet Ajax and then the other, less demanding dogs.

“I thought you’d have been done by now,” he says after straightening up.

“I should be, but I picked up this one last walk. I’m on my way back to drop them off.”

Dan walks with me the half block to Lock-N-Leash and then waits outside while I bring them inside and then sign out.

When I come back out to where he’s standing, he asks, “What were you and Paige talking about?”

“She was asking about how things were going between us. You’ve clearly given her the impression that you’re crazy about me.”

Dan’s expression is utterly unfazed. “Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”

“Yes. But I think you’re doing it better than me.”

“You’re doing just fine. I think it’s probably realistic that I’d fall first.”

“Why is that more realistic?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. It just is.”

“Your friends know that you need to marry to get access to your trust fund, don’t they?”

“Sure, they know.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask one of them.”

“What do you mean?” He’s frowning slightly in visible confusion.

Embarrassed I brought up the topic at all, I reply in a slightly stretched voice. “I don’t know. Just that it would have made sense for you to ask a friend to marry you—just as a friendly, practical thing—instead of asking me.” When he doesn’t answer, I feel even more frazzled, so I babble on, “That would probably make things awkward, so I guess I can see why you wouldn’t do that. I know I’m the person who most needs the money, but I’m still surprised I’m the first person you asked.”

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