Page 4 of Dare to Love

We eventually found ourselves at a bench overlooking the bay with the morning sun casting a golden glow across the water. Without discussing it, we both sat down, still maintaining our proximity though there was plenty of room for space between us.

“So, what else should we know about each other? What other rules or thoughts should we have pre-determined as you, lawyers would state?” Lilian asked. “If we’re supposedly dating, people will expect us to know basic things about each other, right?”

“My favorite color is navy blue,” I offered as an ice breaker. “My birthday is November 17th. I’m allergic to chocolate and I hate reality TV shows. How’s that to start with?”

“My favorite color is emerald green,” she replied back. “Birthday is April 2nd. No allergies, but I can’t stand the taste of liquorice and try to avoid it in my recipes. I still can’t believe you are allergic to chocolate—ironic really—the two of us doing this together. And I secretly love trashy reality dating shows, which I can already tell you’re judging me for.”

I was, but I found it more endearing than I wanted to admit.

“Everyone has their vices,” I said diplomatically. “Mine is a good mature single malt and watching a historical documentary that can put the majority of people I know to sleep. Plus, on that note—you don’t need to worry about the allergy. I take enough medications as a precaution.”

“Thrilling,” she said with a laugh. “Plus, that’s a good point to know about the medications as you know someone may ask about it after all. Your allergy is common knowledge around town. What about family? People will ask about that too.”

I felt the familiar tightening in my chest at the mention of family. “Not that much to tell. My parents divorced when I was twelve and then my father remarried before passing away recently. My mother lives a good few hours away and I’ve no siblings to cause havoc with.” I kept my tone deliberately casual but inside rage was building. It was a topic I stayed well clear of at all costs.

“I’m sorry about your day.” She uttered, shaking her head at me. “I’m close with my mom and a cousin and I usually visit them for National Dare Day but they’re traveling this year—hence why I couldn’t escape Paisley’s scheme.” Lilian interrupted if she sensed the subject was a struggle for me and thought it was best to quickly divert away from it.

“Speaking of which,” I said, “how did Paisley convince you to go along with this haywire crazed idea of hers? You didn’t exactly seem thrilled by the idea at the chocolate shop.”

“It was either this or the forfeit—hosting a tour of Starlight Bay wearing a baby costume and giving incorrect facts about the town.” Lilian sighed loudly. “Paisley has a flair for the extremes shall we say.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I’m the lesser of two evils.” I laughed out loud when I thought of the potential mental image. “Paisley’s meant to be your best friend too. I’d hate to be her enemy.”

“Barely,” she quipped, but there was a lightness to her tone that hadn’t been there before. “What about you? What did Paisley offer you to agree to this madness?”

“Let’s just say she made a compelling argument about how this arrangement could benefit us both. You avoid a humiliating forfeit, and I get a brief respite from being the object of the town’s matchmaking efforts.” I admitted hesitating how much more I should actually reveal of the reason I said yes.

“Ah, the eligible bachelor problem,” Lilian nodded knowingly at me. “I’ve seen the way some of the women around here look at you. It’s like you’re one of the last few pieces of prime real estate left on the market.”

“It’s exhausting,” I admitted, surprising myself with the candor and ease to her. “Ever since the... well, since I moved here, it’s been a constant parade of not-so-subtle setups and accidental encounters, shall we say. Just by having a girlfriend—even a fake one—should put a stop to that, at least temporarily for the moment.” I replied watching the way Lilian narrowed her gaze at me with curiosity.

“You were about to say something else. Ever since what?” She cut in as I immediately shook my head and bit down hard on my lip, welcoming the pain.

“Nothing important. Just... past history.” I forced the words out through gritted teeth.

“The mysterious heartbreak that turned you into the town grouch?” Lilian gently mentioned despite still an air of teasing in her words.

“Gossip definitely travels fast in small towns. I thought Mrs. Henderson had just been toying. I guess there was a bit more to her words earlier.” I uttered as I stiffened slightly.

“It’s not gossip so much as observation from my perspective,” she replied. “You give off a very distinct ‘love burned me and now I hate the world’ vibe. I can’t speak for the likes of Mrs. Henderson or the town gossip Reid. Their words don’t matter at this moment.”

“I don’t hate the world,” I corrected her. “I just hate specific parts of it—like deception, false promises and empty words.” I poised swallowing harshly as I watched Lilian still in the silence and her gaze take in the horizon.

“Is that why you’re a divorce lawyer? To fight against the deception between two people?” She queried.

“Partly,” I acknowledged as I double blinked realizing that Lilian had actually caught me slightly off guard with her line of questioning. The thing was I hadn’t minded and she was the first woman or person who had seen the real me—maybe that could be seen in a positive or negative light—but to me it showed interest and intrigue, a premise that she was different from the past woman who’d been in my life? Then scrap that this was all fake. Why had I even gone down that train of thought… “I believe in the truth and in people getting what they deserve—whether that be good or bad.”

“That’s why you take on all the tough cases,” she retorted, not as a question but as if she were piecing something together in her mind. “The ones where someone’s been wronged or have a lot to lose potentially.”

I nodded, uncomfortable with how easily she seemed to read me. “We should probably start heading back. You have a shop to run, and I have a client meeting at eleven.”

We stood and without thinking I reached for her hand again. It felt strangely natural now as if my body had already forgotten that this connection was fabricated.

As we walked back toward Main Street, I caught sight of the mayor and his wife approaching from the opposite direction. Instinctively, I drew Lilian closer to my side.

“The mayor,” I murmured under my breath. “This is a big one. His wife has just started running the town’s social committee on a Tuesday night.”

“I know,” Lilian whispered back. “If we convince them, the whole town will know by dinner.” When they were just a few feet away, I turned to Lilian and acted on pure instinct caressed my thumb across her cheekbone.

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