Page 13 of Faking Romance

“Rough day?” Cam inquires with a raised eyebrow.

“You have no idea. Ava lost her first tooth because some kid at daycare pushed her down and she knocked it out on a dollhouse. She freaked out. I had to leave work and take her to the dentist. Brayden offered to watch her so I could come get coffee. He said I needed a chill moment. And he’s not wrong,” she says as she pushes some hair out of her face.

Cam points to our right. “I think you’re in the wrong place. Go to Joe’s.”

I giggle. Even being new, I know that Joe’s is a local tavern two doors down from the café.

Carly rolls her eyes. “Can’t. Brayden has a shift later, so I need to mom again in about an hour. I’m just hoping Ava will go to sleep tonight and then I can sit in silence and drink a glass of wine and watch the latest season ofLove Is Blind.”

“OMG! It’s so good. Have you started it yet?” I ask.

She shakes her head.

I pretend to zipper my lips closed. “I won’t say a word, but we must debrief when you finish.”

Laughing, she pulls her phone out and checks it. “Noted.” She looks up at me. “How’s everything going with the bookstore? I saw a sign in the window that it’s opening soon.”

I nod. “I can’t believe it.” I sigh. “I wish I had more time to get acclimated here, but I really need the income. I can’t wait any longer. It’s just a bummer that I haven’t had time to do anything else. I’ve barely unpacked. I haven’t even tried going on a dating app in like a month.” I sigh.

“You need a date?” Carly asks, putting her phone down.

I shrug. “I mean, part of me has sworn off men, because…ewww. But another part of me can’t wait to find my happily ever after. I suppose if I don’t put myself out there, I won’t ever be able to find my perfect book boyfriend?”

Carly laughs and looks at Cam and back at me. “What’s your type?”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know if I have one,” I admit as I try to think of what I want in a guy. “I mean. He needs to be funny, kind, financially stable, not a psycho, and smart.”

Carly taps her cheek. “OK, well, in our building there’s Kasen. He’s sort of got this mysterious air about him. He works in cybersecurity. He travels a lot for work. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him in a few weeks. So he must be working. He’s ex-military and he’s sort of quiet. But he’s definitely attractive.”

“He’s superhot,” Cam states with a laugh as she pretends to fan herself.

I giggle. “OK, so the hot-and-silent type?”

“Yes. And there’s Hutch. Hutch is such a sweetie. He’s a total…what do they call it?” Carly continues.

“He’s a cinnamon roll guy,” Cam interjects as she sets my drinks down. I grin. I love that she’s using book terminology.

“He’s a former football player. He was injured. He’s really sweet. And then there’s Brayden. He’s a really good guy, like the absolute best. I don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s always got my back when I need help with Ava or anything at all. And lastly, there’s Gray. He can come off a little harsh, but he’s a solidly good person. He’s loyal as heck and he’s really talented,” Carly finishes.

“I don’t know if I want to date someone in our building, per se. But good to know,” I say as I pay Cam and take my order, walking toward the door.

“Never say never. But I get it,” Carly adds as Cam passes her a drink.

“Maybe Al knows someone,” Cam suggests.

“Al? As in our landlord?” I say with a laugh.

They both look at me deadpan and I press my lips together because I think they are serious. But how can they be? Al is like eighty. He can’t possibly know that many younger guys. I mean, he’s sweet and all, but I think these two ladies are delusional.

“Yeah. Al knows everyone. Like seriously, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone in the two blocks surrounding our building who doesn’t know Al. He’s an absolute legend,” Cam says with a shrug. “Too bad he’s so old,” she adds with a laugh.

We all giggle at that.

“OK, if you say so,” I state.

“We do. Trust us on this one,” Cam says. “Also, us ladies like to have wine nights at Margie and Cornelia’s on Tuesdays if you’re interested. We meet at eight. Maybe we can even talk books again. That was fun at happy hour.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to make it,” I say as I head back over to the shop. I’m halfway across the street when I look up to see those aqua-blue eyes looking down at me. I give a small wave, but he just closes the curtains. What the fuck is his issue?

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