Page 12 of Keeping You
“Your family’s business is struggling,” she finally states matter-of-factly.
“That’s one way to put it.”
“And your reputation in this town isn’t exactly helping matters.”
Ouch. But fair. In the three weeks I’ve been here, two since I was officially sworn in, I’ve been told more than a few times that I probably should have stayed in Chicago. “Also true.”
“I think we can help each other,” she says.
“Help each other? How?”
She steps close enough that I can smell her light floral perfume, the scent so sweet, I want to lean in and breathe deeper. “I have a proposition for you,” she says, her words awhisper, and she looks around, making sure nobody is within earshot.
“What kind of proposition?” I can think of several I’d like to hear, but something tells me this isn’tthatkind of conversation.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, like she’s preparing herself for some torturous task. “I, ah, I was thinking about my situation, and yours, or your family’s.”
“Our situations?”
“This thing between me and Harper. And the bakery.”
“And?”
“I was wondering if you’d… No, actually, I want you to be my fake boyfriend.”
I blink. Of all the things I expected her to say, that wasn’t even on the list. I buy time with a slow sip of coffee, her request ricocheting around my skull like a bullet with nowhere to land. “Your what?”
“I need you to be my fake boyfriend,” she repeats. “For two weeks. Just long enough to make an impact.”
I shake my head, trying to process this conversation. “An impact on what, exactly?”
Her jaw hardens, and I see a crack in her composure. “Harper and Kirk. I want them to see that I don’t care.”
This isn’t about helping my family’s business. This is about revenge. About making her ex-boyfriend squirm. Well, I don’t give a rat’s ass about Kirk, but I don’t want any part of hurting my sister. “Callie?—”
She raises a hand to stop me. “Before you say no,” she interrupts, “hear me out. This town loves a good love story. And they lovemeright now more than they love Harper. If we’re seen together, if people think we’re... involved, it’ll change how they perceive you and your family. By extension, they’ll think everything’s better, and they’ll start going to the bakery again.”
She’s not totally wrong. Callie Cooperisapparently Cupid’s Creek’s golden girl, carrying the title of librarian as well as a descendant of the town’s founder, the woman everyone is currently rooting for. People have been singing her praises to me at every opportunity. I’d heard through Harper that Callie’s father died not long after she started college, and then her mother a few months later, following a short battle with cancer. Her older sister Nikki was apparently in Europe at the time, leaving Callie all alone, with only Harper in her corner. Until she wasn’t.
“I won’t do anything to hurt my sister,” I say firmly.
“I’m not asking you to hurt Harper,” Callie replies. “I’m asking you to date me. Publicly. Let people see us together, happy. That’s all.”
“And what happens when Harper realizes what you’re doing? When she figures out this is about making Kirk jealous?”
“This isn’t about….” Callie’s smile sharpens around the edges. “Then she’ll understand how it feels to lose someone important to you.”
The pain in her voice hits me like a physical blow. This isn’t just about Kirk. This is about Harper, too, about losing her best friend, her sister in all but blood.
I study her face, looking for any sign that she knows this is a bad idea. Because it is. Getting involved with Callie again, even if it's only a fake relationship, is asking for trouble. But then I think about Harper’s defeated expression this morning. About the stack of unpaid bills. About Anna’s dreams of making the bakery successful. And I think about the way Callie looked at me just now, like she’s barely holding herself together but determined to try anyway. If this scheme could make a positive dent in any of those, it might be worth a try.
“Two weeks?” I ask.
“Two weeks.”
“And all we have to do is act like we’re dating?”
“Hold hands. Share a few meals. Maybe dance at the Founder’s Day festival next month. Nothing too elaborate.”
