Page 86 of Loving You

All in all, this is a very calm Luca response. He’s taking it pretty well.

He opens his mouth and then closes it, pacing the kitchen.

“So, are you still fake dating?’

“Yep.”

“But not fake fooling around?”

“Is that a thing?”

“I don’t know, Miles. You tell me. I didn’t think fake dating was a real thing until just now. That’s movie shit. Not real life.”

“That’s what I told her.”

“And yet here you are.” He puts his hands on his hips and shakes his head at me. “Wow. And we thought I was the one to make rash choices.”

“I came here for help, not for you to point out my current flaws.”

He grins. “This isn’t a flaw. In fact, I think it’s great.”

“What? How? I just screwed everything up between us.”

He leans against the counter and nods toward the coffeepot. “How so?”

As I make myself a cup I say, “Because we were supposed to fake date and then break up, it was an easy plan. Fooling around and oral sex was not part of the plan.”

“Whoa, spare me the details.”

“I just think you need to know details to see the full depth of this fuck-up.”

“You didn’t fuck up, but,” he says and then stops, the biggest smile on his face forming. “I do love the dramatics right now. Is this how you feel when I talk to you?”

“Luca, I need you to be serious.”

“I am. I don’t think you fucked up, Miles. You’ve had a crush on her since the first day you saw her. I’d say this whole thing is overdue. You just had to fake date to get there.”

I groan. “I don’t think you get it.”

“No, I don’t think you do. An opportunity was given to you, and you need to open your eyes to figure out what it is and take it before it’s gone. Now you have two choices: see where this thing goes with Quinn or call the entire thing off. I think we both know which path you’re going to take.”

I hear him loud and clear.

Yeah, I do know. But I’m not so sure it’s as easy as he thinks.

Back at the shop,I get straight to work. I don’t know that my brother helped me all that much, but knowing he knows what’s going on is a weight off my shoulders.

I push back on my roller cart and pop out from under theMustang I'm working on. I glance at the clock; Quinn should be coming to work soon.

I’ve been here almost an hour now.

I’ve got a lot done, so maybe venting to Luca did help.

Maybe Quinn will want to go for an actual hike today. Just the two of us. I can make time for her, and we can decide where to go from here.

Together. Yeah, that sounds smart.

I inhale and stare at the wall for a moment. I can run a business, but when it comes to Quinn Banks, I have no idea what I’m doing.

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