Page 30 of Ice Mechanic

Three sounds like a pittance, but my role here is not as a negotiator.

“Speaking of being all over each other,” April says, clearing her throat, “there will be no mouth-to-mouth kissing, touching above the bellybutton or touching below the waist. There will also be zero overnight stays at anyone’s house.”

I nod slowly. “Whatever makes you comfortable.”

“I’m serious about that,” April says, eyeing me like I’m a dog with no self-control. “We’re going to write it down too, so you’ll have to sign.”

“Sure.” I nod.

The women glance at each other. They seem surprised by my easy agreement, but that’s fair. They don’t understand mypredicament or how relieved I am that this crazy plan is progressing forward.

“I don’t want to disrupt your life any more than I have to. Whatever you want, whatever makes you comfortable, I’ll respect it.”

April’s shoulders relax a tinge and I know it was the right thing to say.

“Finally…” May smiles the way my older sister’s Labradoodle does when it’s five a.m. and he’s about to howl the entire neighborhood awake, “none of these no-touching rules apply around Evan.”

April whips around. “May!”

“Listen, you can be as stiff as a board all you want otherwise, but with my sister’s ex-boyfriend, I want you tosell it. Hard. I want him to think you guys are blissfully in love and you’re about to get engaged tomorrow. I want him to really,reallyregret it, do you understand?”

April’s mouth opens and slams shut in disbelief.

I chuckle.

“That’ll be written in the contract too,” May sings.

“No, it won’t.” April side-eyes her sister.

“Yes, it will.” She turns in her chair and faces April. “Evan was cheating on you for ayearand all you did was throw his promise ring in the lake and cry. It’s bad enough that he had you fired from your old garage but what he did after?—”

“May,” Rebel warns.

April’s sister glances at me and then pins her mouth shut.

This new information makes me stiffen. I already knew I despised Evan, but now I want to burn the ground he walks on and sprinkle disinfectant over the ashes.

April stares me down. “Do you agree to my terms?”

I walk over to her, noting how her chin has to tilt back several notches the closer I come.

“I do,” I say quietly.

She blinks a couple times, swallows hard and then says, “Well, Mr. Chance McLanely, you’ve got yourself a girlfriend. For three dates anyway.”

She stands, offers an oil-stained hand and then retracts it sheepishly. “Oh, I… let me wash my hands?—”

I capture her fingers in my palm, swallowing them whole. Her callouses scrape against mine and something slips into place in my heart when I give her hand a squeeze.

In that moment, I make a silent promise to myself. I’m going to be the best fake boyfriend I can be.

Because this beautiful, precious woman deserves it.

CHAPTER

TEN

APRIL

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