Page 33 of Loving You

He turns and walks backward into the shop. “I guess it does.”

Leaving the conversation at that, I make my way into the office and sit down.

I lied to make my life less complicated, and now that lie has complicated my life.

Talking to Miles is all fine and dandy, but I need someone who can talk this out with me who isn’t invested the way I am.

I need Sadie.

As soon asthe clock hit four, I left the office and went straight for B’s Bakery. If I keep this to myself the entire summer, I’m going to lose my mind. I need someone who is familiar with this kind of thing.

The obvious answer is my brother. He writes romance novels with fake dating as a trope. But it’s not for real life.

Which is exactly what he would tell me, and that’s the reason I’m not going to him. I could go to Natalie, but she’s Team Tobias all the way, so that’s a no-go, too. Grandma Betty would read way too much into it, so I can’t do that to her.

Sadie just makes sense because she owns a bookstore based on romance, possibly loves this trope and knows what we need to do, and of course, the obvious reason: she overheard enough yesterday that she knows something is up.

I clutch my purse tighter when I see the bakery’s closed sign.

Shit.

She hangs out here so much that I assumed she’d be here. I turn to my left and go to the bookstore attached to Hudson’s Bar.

I don’t see her when I walk in, so I start to browse the books. If I can’t talk to her, getting a couple of books on fake dating seems like a smart move. Again, I could just borrow books from my brother, but no thanks. Reading the spicy books he writes is a big fat no for me.

I scan the shelves for the fake dating section. I grab the first book I find and start to read the back when a body down the row blocks the sunlight from the front window.

“Ah!” I say and drop the book.

“What are you doing?” Miles asks and then looks around like we are doing something illegal.

I squat to grab the book and start looking for another one.

“I’m doing research. What does it look like I’m doing?”

He marches over to me, takes the book from my hand, and shoves it back onto the shelf.

“Hey now, what did that book ever do to you?”

“Whatever you’re doing here, it looks like you're about to give us away.”

“By reading romance?”

“By being in this section. The big wordsfake datingare above you, and this town is just learning about our new relationship. If anyone were to see you, that’s it. Deal done.”

I look up at the sign, then turn to a different section. The single dad and nanny section shouldn’t set off any alarms.

I sigh and grab a book, but now I’m not reading. I’m just trying to look busy.

“Why are you really here?” Miles asks, hovering around me.

“Why do you assume I’m here for something other than a book?”

“Because I saw how you snuck out of the shop, looking over your shoulder, all suspicious. You didn’t want me to see you leave.”

“Are you stalking me?” I shove the book into his chest before moving to another section.

“No, but I’m learning to read you fairly well, so spill.”

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