Page 15 of Fake Dating My Valentine

“Hey, sorry I’m late. Parking’s a nightmare.” Ryan stepped onto the stage, his stiff smile still potent enough to charm the socks off anyone with a pulse.

“No problem. We still have time before it starts.” My voice was cool, distant.

“I tried to call you so we could get together. You didn’t call me back.”

I’d ignored his calls and deleted his messages without listening to them. “We’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

“Torey,” he began, his tone dipping into that universally recognized prelude to bad news. Or worse—the dreaded it’s not you, it’s me talk.

No thanks on both counts. “It’s all good. When we lose, people won’t be surprised when we break up. I’ll be right back.” I left the stage and rushed across the park to the public restrooms before I started crying in front of half the town. It’s okay, I told myself. This only hurts because rejection sucks. Nothing else.

I splashed my face with cold water, glued on my fake happy smile, and made my way back to the stage just as Mayor Stevens took her place to start the show.

“You okay?” Ryan looked at me like he actually cared, and I had to look away before I believed the lie.

“Fine. Let’s do this!” My words were a little too bright, but he didn’t know me well enough to catch the fake cheer. I was determined to keep my distance—other than for show. As long as the town believed we were a couple, we were good.

“This is an easy one.” Mayor Stevens beamed. “When is your partner’s birthday?”

Ryan and I both held up our dry erase boards, but I didn’t bother looking at his answer. There was no reason he should know my birthday.

“Two points for each team!”

I blinked, shocked, and turned to Ryan’s smiling face. “Surprised?”

Hell yeah, I was, but he didn’t need to know that.

“What’s his favorite sandwich?” the mayor asked in her best game show voice.

That was an easy one, and I answered quickly.

“Another point for Ryan and Torey!” Mayor Stevens’ excitement was palpable. “Billy and Jeanie are just three points ahead. You two better catch up!”

It was unlikely, but I shook my fist as if it bothered me that they were winning.

“What’s her favorite song?”

Ryan scribbled quickly, surprising me. There was no way he could know the answer.

I fixed my gaze on the crowd, bracing myself for disappointment.

“Well, Torey, is that right?”

With no choice, I turned to see what he’d written: “Kiss Me.” My favorite song. The one everyone teased me about. “Yep, it’s right.” My voice was stiff, and I ignored the warmth that slid through me at the realization that Ryan knew the answer.

How did he know?

I tried to shake off the shock, but it was impossible with every question he answered correctly. Slowly, the tension floated off my shoulders, and my chilled skin heated. Damn it, I could feel myself softening toward the sexy, infuriating jerk. This was a mistake. I repeated the words to myself every time my body leaned closer to his, every time that dashing smile disarmed me. This was a mistake. I told myself that again when he knew what my dream job was as a kid.

“Firefighting ballerina.”

My heart thudded as I gave a reluctant nod, confirming his answer was right. Again.

It wasn’t hard to answer questions about him, either. We’d grown up together, and his sister was my best friend, so I’d picked up plenty of secondhand information over the years. “Handyman,” I answered when asked who his best friend was, shocking the hell out of him.

“That’s an interesting name,” Mayor Stevens said, squinting as if it were made up.

Ryan opened his mouth, but I smiled and laid a hand on his thigh. “It’s because there’s nothing he can’t fix—from a tank engine to a microwave to a smartphone. He’s a handy guy.” I flashed a satisfied smile at Ryan, letting him know he wasn’t the only one who could play this game.

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