Page 30 of Faking It With the Grumpy Single Dad

“Ah. Okay. Uh, yeah, I could probably have my mother watch the boys.”

It blows my mind that he has children. Not that fatherhood doesn’t suit him. It totally does. It’s just… it’s weird to think that, while I was frolicking around West Hollywood in myearly twenties, Joe was getting married and settling down and building a real future for himself.

Then, that future was snatched away when his wife died.

And, for some reason, he’s willing to waste his time pretending to be in a relationship with me.

“Are you sure?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “No problem.”

Everything about his mannerisms tells me that this is no big deal to him. He’s being so incredibly casual about the situation that I almost don’t think he realizes what will be required of him.

We’re going to have to act like a couple in front of my ex-boyfriend. We’ll have to hold hands and be affectionate, and talk like we know each other well.

I guess it’s a good thing that Percy doesn’t think we’ve been dating for that long. Joe won’t need to know my entire life story, at least.

“Cool,” I respond, smiling brightly in hopes that it’ll make this whole thing a lot less weird. “It’s a date.”

Joe simply nods, then hoists the ladder up off the ground to carry it inside.

***

On Wednesday evening, Joe and I arrive at The Ocean House in his pickup truck. When I mentioned the place to him, his eyes widened, and he admitted he’s familiar with the place. Not because he’s ever eaten here, but because everyone knows it’s one of the nicest restaurants on the Cape.

Percy’s rental car—a silver Tesla—is already parked in the lot. Joe carefully maneuvers his large truck into a small space, then comes around to open my door for me. I grin down at him, pausing before hopping down onto the pavement.

He looks nice tonight. He ran home to shower and change after work, and returned wearing slacks, a button-down, and a dark blue tie. His dark hair is combed away from his face and there is a couple days’ worth of stubble on his jaw that makes him look so devastatingly handsome that I feel a little breathless if I think too hard about it.

Joe wraps an arm around my waist to help me down from the truck. I had to dig around in the boxes stacked in the garage for a while to come up with an outfit, but I’m pleased with what I found. A pretty red dress with a frilly hem that still had the tags on it, and a pair of strappy sandals with killer heels.

“Are you ready?” I murmur to him as we walk toward the entrance, hand in hand. “You remember everything?”

During the drive, we grilled each other on the basics. Favorite color, favorite food, childhood nicknames. Things like that.

“I remember,” Joe assures me, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a small smile.

“You look really nice, by the way.”

He opens the door for me, that slight smile deepening. His gaze drifts down the length of my body briefly and I feel my cheeks heat.

“So do you, Poppy.”

It’s fake, I remind myself.Yes, he’s handsome, but none of this is real.

Unsurprisingly, Percy waves us down the moment we walk in. I give the host an apologetic smile and point to him. Her smile back is strained, letting me know that he’s probably already made a few ridiculous requests since his arrival.

This is going to be a rough evening.

Percy rises from his seat, ignoring Joe entirely as he steps forward with a broad smile and places a kiss on my cheek. He moves too fast, yet I still try to jerk away from him at the last second.

Joe places a supportive hand on my lower back, stabilizing me as he guides me into my seat.

“It’s so lovely to see you, Poppy,” Percy says. “You look absolutely gorgeous. Is that Dolce you’re wearing?”

“Yep,” I say.

Percy is well-dressed tonight, too. Thom Browne trousers and another vintage Ralph Lauren shirt.

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