Page 23 of My Silver Lining

He studied me for an uncomfortable amount of time, which was probably just a few seconds, but it felt like forever. “All right. This is helpful.”

“Number two…” I cleared my throat. “Favorite place to travel.”

“If I’m being honest, my favorite place is Rosewood River. I love the mountains and the water, and most of the people I care about are all here. I’m not a big traveler, but I commute to the city most days for work, so I get to experience a very different world when I’m there. How about you?”

I couldn’t wrap my head around that answer. I didn’t even know where I’d call home. I grew up traveling all the time. We had homes on the West Coast and the East Coast. I was homeschooled most of my life before going to boarding school.

“If I were to narrow it down to two places, I would choose Paris and Cabo,” I chuckled. “I like to mix it up.”

“Good answer. Number three. Favorite candy and road trip snack. Now this can tell you a lot about a person.” He took a sip of water as he thought it over like I’d asked him to tell me whatthe meaning of life was. “My favorite road trip snacks and candy are beef jerky, Funyuns, Bugles, pickles, Snickers, and french fries dipped in a chocolate shake.”

My eyes widened. “That was both disgusting and unusually specific.”

“Hey, this should be a judgment-free zone. You can’t judge a dude you aren’t even dating. And those are some top-rated snacks right there.”

“I don’t even know what Funyuns and Bugles are.”

His eyes darkened as he quirked a brow. “Oh, Wildcat, you haven’t lived if you haven’t tried them. They are not only deliciously crunchy, but Funyuns are addicting, and you won’t be able to stop with just one, and the Bugles make perfect finger hats. Now tell me yours.”

My head tipped back in laughter at his ridiculous answer before I shared mine. “Gummy bears. Popcorn. M&M’s. I like the M&M’s in the popcorn. It’s a nice mix of sweet and salty.”

He winced. “Lame. But I won’t judge.”

“Calling me lameisjudging. And you have to know that gummy bears are a big part of my life. I always keep some in my purse, in my car, and in my home. Anyone dating me would know this. I also never eat popcorn without the M&M’s. I wouldn’t have either alone.”

“Gummy bears. Got it. Popcorn and chocolate together is a must. It’s all in the vault.”

We discussed our favorite colors. His was red, and of course, he made fun of mine being periwinkle, which he said should just be called blue.

But I didn’t like most blues.

I was a girl who had very specific tastes.

“So, why is your company named MSL?” he asked, before reaching for another cornbread muffin.

“That’s not on the list,” I said.

“I’m aware. These are very basic. I wouldn’t ask any of these questions to someone I was dating. I’ve dated plenty of women, and I’ve never known their favorite road trip snack or their favorite color. But this would be the first thing I would have asked you if we were on a real date, after asking about your family and what you do for a living.”

I wasn’t a big fan of detouring from the plan, but he had a point.

“MSL stands for My Silver Lining. It’s a tribute to my grandfather, who happens to be my favorite person on the planet. He’s just always sort of gotten me, you know?” I reached for my water and wished it was a glass of wine because I was relaxed and actually having an easy conversation with my fake boyfriend.

“I get that.”

“I wasn’t a particularly easy kid,” I said.

He chuckled. “You don’t say?”

“I was headstrong and always trying to keep up with my older cousins at family events. And when I got frustrated that I couldn’t beat them at tennis or board games or ride on the larger horses that my grandparents kept in the stables because I was much younger and smaller, I would go sulk and sit by Gramps. He’d tell me that if I looked hard enough, I’d see the silver lining. It became a game for us.” I shrugged.

“Like seeing the positive in a frustrating situation.”

“Correct. So, when I didn’t get to ride Bruno, my grandfather’s stallion, he would remind me that I was the only one who would get to ride and train the pony he’d gotten for me, and she’d grow up knowing me the best. Which is true. Penelope is the most beautiful horse I’ve ever seen, and she and I have a connection.”

“She’s your silver lining. I got it.”

“And every piece of jewelry is unique at MSL, and I like to think that there’s something special in each piece for the customer. I work hard on the designs and add custom stones and metals and details to everything I come up with. So the name works.”

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