Page 34 of Steeped In Problems

They sat there, not talking, while the hum of the fridge filled the silence. It was the kind of silence Kristy usually hated, but this one felt almost okay.

“So,” Tanner said finally, “we should probably have a story.”

“A story?”

He nodded. “If you want this fake boyfriend thing to work, we have to get the details right. How long have we been dating? Where did we meet? Stuff like that.”

Kristy straightened, all business. “We met here. Obviously. You hired me, fell instantly in love with my quirky charm, and the rest is history.”

He grunted. “Could be worse.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, so we met here. How long have we been dating?”

Tanner considered. “A couple of weeks? A month?”

She thought about it. “A month. Long enough to be serious but not long enough for people to wonder why they haven’t seen us together.”

He nodded. And made a note on his phone. “Makes sense.”

She tried to peek, but he held it at a military-issue angle.

“We should know each other’s basic info,” Kristy said, reaching for a stack of napkins and a Sharpie. “Favorite color?”

He looked at her, almost annoyed. “Blue. Yours?”

“Depends on the mood. But yellow, I guess. Or anything that doesn’t stain.”

He made a small smile at that, then went back to his phone.

“Pets?”

He shook his head. “Did as a kid. None now.”

“Same.” She scribbled down more notes, letting her curls fall in front of her face. It was easier to hide that way.

“What about hobbies?” he asked.

“Failing at rescuing coffee shops,” she deadpanned.

He snorted. “You’re not failing.”

She tilted her head to the side with a disbelieving smirk. “Is that so?”

He nodded. “You’re keeping the place alive.”

She let that sit, warm and strange, before moving on. “Okay. So, boundaries.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“For the act,” she clarified, cheeks burning. “Hand-holding, yes? Arm around the shoulders?”

He looked away, then back, like he was trying to read the fine print on a prescription bottle. “Whatever works. Just—don’t overdo it.”

She grinned, relieved. “No public makeouts. Got it.”

He drank his coffee, then said, “What if he doesn’t believe us?”

She looked up. “Then we’ll have to be convincing.”

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