Page 9 of Fake Dating My Valentine

“Yeah, Torey’s looking forward to the dance.”

“It’s more than just the dance now,” she said, eyes sparkling. “Nix didn’t tell you about our efforts to engage the young folks so they choose to stay in town?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Well, we have a week packed with romance and fun. Couples’ trivia, a charity cocktail mixing competition, couples’ karaoke, chocolate making, even a dance contest. Fun, right?”

“Right,” I echoed, trying to match her enthusiasm. “Fun.”

“Well, I’m off. Budget meeting,” she explained. “See you around, and welcome home again.”

Welcome home. I was stunned and, more importantly, worried that a week of pretending wasn’t what Torey had in mind. I sent her a quick text and headed to the bakery where she and my meddling sister worked.

Five minutes later, I was inside the bustling bakery, searching for them. “Torey, your boy toy is here!” The teenager at the register announced, drawing everyone’s attention to me.

“I’ll have a black coffee,” I glared at the smart ass kid and took a seat. I waited, wondering if Torey still wanted to keep up the charade. I hoped she did, not just to avoid matchmaking, but because I wanted to get to know her better. Kiss her again. More than kiss her.

“Hey, this is a nice surprise!” Torey appeared at my table, bearing a bright smile and a tray. She set it down and brushed her lips against mine, soft and gentle. “What’s up?”

For a moment, I was captivated by her—those lush pink lips, big blue eyes. This kind of casual affection was new to me. “Hey.” I looked down at the plate. A warm ham and cheese sandwichwith spicy mustard, tomatoes, and sprouts awaited me—my childhood favorite. “You made me a sandwich.”

“I did.” Her lips curved into a beautiful grin.

“My favorite.”

“Yep,” she nodded. “I remember.”

I shook my head, disbelieving. “I haven’t had this in over a decade.”

Her sapphire eyes twinkled. “Then you better eat it while it’s still warm and the cheese is perfectly melted.”

I took a big bite, moaning at the perfectly gooey cheese and salty ham. The bread was soft, perfectly toasted around the edges. “Thanks, Tor.”

“You’re welcome, honeybuns.” She winked, laughter bubbling from her. “What’s up?”

I filled her in on my chat with the mayor and the week-long Valentine’s Day festivities. “It’s all part of some effort to make the younger folks want to stay here.”

“I had no idea.” She sighed, leaning back. “This means I’m taking up an entire week of your leave. I’m sorry.” She reached out, placing her hand on mine. “We can stage a breakup right now.”

“Not necessary.” I turned my hand over, gripping hers. “Don’t apologize. I can think of worse ways to spend a week than doing silly fun things with a beautiful woman.” I’d spent plenty of weeks doing necessary but grim things with my less-than-beautiful teammates.

Torey laughed. “Wait, you think I’m beautiful?”

My brows furrowed. Was she serious? “Of course I do. I have eyes, don’t I?” I let my gaze roam over her, taking in the sight of her in the fitted bakery t-shirt. “Who would’ve thought the scrawny kid who practically lived at my house would grow up so nicely?”

She rolled her eyes, but a blush colored her cheeks. “Thanks. I think.”

“Well, well, if it isn’t the happy couple.” Nix stood over our table, arms folded, smirking. I couldn’t tell how she felt about her brother dating her best friend. “You two are all the town can talk about.”

“You weren’t going to mention the week of activities, were you?” I asked.

Nix shrugged. “I thought it would be more fun this way.”

“Why?” Torey almost shouted, then lowered her voice. “That would’ve changed everything.”

“Would it?” Nix shrugged again. “Like I said, more fun.” She squeezed my shoulder, then Torey’s, before walking away.

“We need a plan,” Torey said, slightly frantic. “We need to spend more time together, get to know each other better. If the Brigade suspects anything, we’ll both be in blind date hell until you go back to your Army gig, and then it’ll be just me in hell.”

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