Page 45 of On the Double

“Since when?”

“Since Gram showed up at the store to chastise me, and Fox told her that Edu is my fiancé!” I said over the roar of the shower.

“And Edu is…”

“A customer.”

“At the grocery store,” he deadpanned.

“Yep!”

“And you know him how?”

“Through the check-out line,” I huffed, grabbing the shaver off the wall. Seriously, was this that hard to understand?

“So…right there, he agreed to be your fiancé?”

“Something like that.”

“Am I in an alternate universe? Did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

I jerked back the curtain just enough to see him. The water from my hair dripped onto the floor in a puddle that I’d have to clean up before we left. “It’s not that difficult to understand. Gram visited me at the store and now I’m engaged to a man. I’m going to a barbecue and she’ll be there.” I frowned as I considered the repercussions of this. “In fact, you should be there too. Otherwise, it would be weird.”

“Yes, that’s what would make this weird,” he retorted.

“Look, I don’t have time to discuss this with you. We need to leave in about a half hour, so get showered and dressed.”

He held up his hands, chuckling as he stepped back. “I’m not getting involved in this weird scheme. Pretty soon, Gram will have me married off to someone, and we both know I’m not mature enough for that yet.”

“Do you want me to end up living at Gram’s where all the porcelain dolls are? Do you want to visit me and see their eyes following you across the room?”

He swallowed hard, shaking his head. “No.”

“Then you’ll go along with this. And make it good.”

I jerked the curtain back into place and rushed through the rest of my shower as I heard the door snick shut. I knew it was a long shot that this would work, but if it kept Gram off my back for the next year, I’d gladly go along with it.

I got dressed in a whirlwind, throwing clothes all over my room as I searched for the perfect outfit. What did one wear to a barbecue to impress her grandparents and her super new fiancé, and meet her future family that would only exist for the night?

Hopefully.

The stress was mounting by the second. I wasn’t sure I could handle the pressure. I settled on something casual. It was a barbecue, after all. I made sure to wear something Gram-appropriate, then did my makeup as quickly as possible. I was no Greta Garbo, but I would do.

I rushed down the hall to the living room, grabbing my purse along the way. Flinging it over my shoulder, I pulled it across my chest,making sure I had my Carmex with me. I slipped another in my pocket, knowing it would be a terrible night if I didn’t have at least two on me. What if I lost one? What if one of them was super low and I ran out? No, it was always best to have a backup with me at all times. Otherwise, the night would be ruined.

Not that it could get any more ruined than it already was.

“Oliver!” I shouted, lifting my arm and sniffing my pits. “Oh God. What is that smell?” I rushed down the hall again, flinging open my bathroom drawer, digging around for my deodorant. “How is it possible to smell when Ijusttook a shower?”

Finding what I was looking for, I yanked the shirt to the side and slid the deodorant on, repeating on the other side. I really hoped I didn’t get stains on the fabric. That would be embarrassing.

I ran back to the living room, grabbing my purse again. Oliver was lazing in the chair, eating something out of a jar. Huffing, I glared at him. “What are you doing?”

“Eating,” he said around a bite of food.

“Why? We’re going to a barbecue!”

“Yeah, but I’m hungry now. I’ve been working all day.”

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