Page 18 of Flake It Til You Make It

“What else . . .well, we’ll need to establish how we started dating?”

Rocco considered this. “Better to stick to the truth, right? The first time we met, I was intrigued, and then the other night, I deliberately sat next to you at Rudolph’s. You werealsointrigued and got my number. Asked me out on a date . . .we’ll say, in a few days?”

Taylor leaned back in his chair. “You’re scarily good at this.”

“I am, aren’t I?” Rocco would take the compliment, especially considering how fiercely his ego was smarting over the Jolly Java situation.

“Do I want to ask why? You said your cousin did this . . .”

“Theyweren’t all that convincing though,” Rocco said, not realizing he’d made a tactical error until a frown appeared between Taylor’s eyebrows.

“You said it worked out, though.”

“Well,yes, it did,” Rocco added hurriedly. “In the end, they absolutely convinced my Auntie that they were dating. The rest of us? Well, it was a little bit of an over-the-top performance so we were less convinced.”

“But she was the target, so it was okay?”

Rocco relaxed a fraction. “Exactly,” he confirmed. That wasn’tentirelyaccurate but it was accurate enough. And hopefully Taylor would never need to know the truth about the origin of his cousin Enzo and his boyfriend Will’s very loving, veryrealrelationship.

“Alright. So we stick to the truth as close as possible. We don’t overact.”

“Should be pretty easy, acting like you’re into me,” Rocco said, winking.

Taylor chuckled. “Does that work? Scratch that. Don’t tell me. I bet it does. Ridiculously well.”

“I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Maybe this time you should,” Taylor joked.

“True. So, you’re going to ask me out on a date. Where are we going?”

Taylor pulled out one of the flyers the festival committee had produced, all shiny and glossy, this year’s schedule listed out in black and white, framed in curling red and green plaid ribbons.

“I marked a few possibilities. Like I said, I think the biggest thing is reminding the town that you’re part of us now.”

“Kind of like what you need to do,” Rocco said.

Taylor nodded. “So we’re going to stick to a lot of the festival events. Best way to be seen. Best way to look like we’re a part of Christmas Falls. I’d be going to a lot of them anyway, as deputy mayor, but it’ll be nice to not be alone.”

Rocco wanted to ask if it would be nice to be less alone why Tayloralwaysseemed to keep himself at arm’s length, but he didn’t. That was more of a third-fake-date kind of question.

“Alright, what do we have?” Rocco leaned in, scanning the flyer. Taylor did too, at almost the exact same time, and Rocco glanced up, only realizing a second too late just how close their faces were.

Taylor’s hair was nearly as dark as Rocco’s own, but his eyes were so crystal clear it was like looking deep into . . .

No. Snap outof it.

Goat cheese. Goat cheese. Goat fucking cheese.

“Uh, what about this one?” Rocco pointed at one of the events, not really bothering to read what it was. Did it really matter, anyway? As long as it was in the late afternoon or evening, he’d be able to attend.

“Oh, yeah, well I guess that makes sense you’d pick that one,” Taylor said, and Rocco looked a little closer at what he’d just blindly pointed out.

Holiday Wine Tasting.

It was in three days, at six thirty on Monday night, and hosted at The White Elephant.

“What, because I’m Italian?” Rocco questioned.

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