Page 22 of A Very Titan Christmas
Bryce was starting to understand the reason she’d lied.
“For the time that you’re in town?” Eloise inquired. “Not seriously, then?”
“Stop.” She shook her head. “You don’t get to know and plan everything.”
Unfazed, Eloise eyed him instead of pressing Rachel for details of their imaginary relationship. “Will you come to dinner tonight?”
“Mom.”
“I’ll go wherever Rachel wants me to.” This was her game, after all.
“Rachel?” Eloise asked.
“If he’s available,” she said with a slight grimace on her red-cheeked face, “then dinner would be fine.”
Between now and then, he and Rachel would call Jared Westin to explain everything. Bryce nodded. “Now that’s settled, we’ll get back to work.”
“Will any more men show up to meet me this afternoon?” Rachel asked her mom.
Eloise smirked. “Not that I can’t cancel.”
Rachel groaned, but Bryce laughed to himself as he and Roman moved back into position. Rachel had been correct. Eloise Porter would set up her daughter at every opportunity. He didn’t like the idea of lying, but spending time with Rachel wouldn’t be a hardship.
“You want to explain what the hell just happened?” Roman murmured into his comm piece.
Bryce grumbled. “Not really.”
“You two know each other.”
“Yup.”
“And you’re dating?”
“As of two minutes ago,” he confirmed.
Roman snorted. “Boss Man is going to haul your ass off this job. You know that, right?”
“He might.” There was a pretty solid chance that would happen by the end of the day. Pretending to date Rachel was about to screw both of them. Then again, Boss Man might understand if Rachel explained. “Or he’ll take pity on the girl and let it go.”
Headquarters hadn’t known Rachel Porter would be in Silverberry Ridge and was currently adapting its security plan to account for her arrival. A fake relationship might play well into that situation.
“She’s a pretty good-looking woman—”
“Keep your eyes to yourself.”
Roman laughed into the comms. “I am a happily married man. Just pointing out the obvious.”
Bryce rolled his eyes but scanned the holiday shoppers as their group slowly made its way farther down the aisle. Eloise was giving Rachel the third degree, and Rachel was pretending the vendors had her complete attention.
“Do you want to tell Jared what’s going on?” Roman asked.
Bryce snorted. “Instead of you? Yeah. I’ll bite that bullet.”
“Might as well do it now while the ladies are distracted by scarves and sweets. Boss Man will be more aggravated if he has to redo the security plan again.”
Bryce stole another glance at Eloise and Rachel. Having Rachel explain the situation with her mother to Jared was the ticket to getting him on board with her plan. But Bryce wasn’t sure that was reason enough to warrant a delay in updating him. He sighed and studied the women. “I’m not sure anything sweet is happening over there between mother and daughter, but you’re right. I’ll update Boss Man. Be right back.”
The afternoon crowd was growing denser. Bryce wondered if other men were strolling the marketplace, waiting for theirdesignated time to be introduced to Rachel. Eloise’s meddling was mind-boggling.
