Page 90 of Just (Fake) Married
A couple I knew, Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez, locked up behind us. Mr. Gonzalez had been our sixth grade teacher and Mrs. Gonzalez was the property manager of the museum. They walked hand in hand towards us.
“Harmony,” Mrs. Gonzalez yelled. “You were amazing tonight.”
“She was, wasn’t she?” I said, wrapping my arm around her waist and kissing her on her temple. Right where her red curls met that soft skin near her eye.
I was really starting to get down with safe kisses.
“Thank you,” Harmony said, and climbed into the passenger side of her truck.
I hopped in and started the engine. I cranked the heat, which for some reason only blew out on the passenger side of the truck.
“It’s an old truck,” she said, by way of explanation. She shifted one of the vents harder towards me.
“So,” I said, backing up and then putting the truck in gear to head home. “What are the five ideas you want to implement this year?”
“Well, I think the chili cook-off is a great idea. As are the food trucks, in addition to what Chuck’s providing. I know the woman in Big Horn who organized their food truck festival and so I can pick her brain about it.”
“I liked the 5k community run,” I said.
“You suggested it,” she said.
“I know,” I said. “Because it’s a good idea.”
“Well, I like it too. And that was a good idea to make sure we advertise it in running forums. Is that-” She stopped and looked out the window.
“Is that what?” I asked, when she didn’t finish her thought. In the moonlight streaming in the windows I could see her blush.
“Is that why you look the way you do? You run?”
“Harmony,” I all but purred. “How do you think I look?”
“Like you’re a surgeon on TV,” she said. Which I took to mean…hot? I wanted her to think I was hot. I wanted that a lot.
“Being a surgeon is physically hard because you can be on your feet for really long stretches,” I said. “Most surgeons I know run, or swim, or do something to stay healthy.”
“Well, it was a great idea.”
“You were great,” I said, and she laughed.
“You’ve never even been to a town meeting.”
“I caught the vibe,” I said. “Everyone in that room was Team Harmony Calloway.”
“You’re right. When we split up, you are going to be a serious bad guy,” she said as a joke, and the temperature in the cab got weird. Colder.
“We’ll have to come up with a good story,” I said.
“We can make me the bad guy, I suppose,” she offered, like she was being helpful. “It doesn’t have to be you. What if I cheat on you?”
“No one will believe it,” I scoffed.
“That’s what you think? Maybe I’m a vixen.”
I chuckled. “I know that you’re loyal to your core. You would never cheat.”
However, it was a good reminder that this was temporary.
Harmony cleared her throat and made a valiant effort to change the subject.
