Page 24 of For Butter or Worse
Leo flipped the mirror back up, then turned and leveled her with an unwavering glare. “My business is at stake, too, Nina. Not only do people thinkI’mthe bad guy now, but if I lose the show? There goes my platform to sell the restaurants. People depend on me the same way they depend on you, so don’t act like you’re on an island.”
Her eyes flickered down to where Leo’s hand was clenched. She swallowed. He was right—theywerein this fake relationship together. And she’d brought the idea to him, not the other way around. Leo was doing this for himself, but also to help her. When she looked back up, his expression softened.
“Whether we like it or not,” he said, “you’re stuck with me.”
She definitely did not like it, but he wasn’t wrong. She needed to get the pretend date over with.
She got out of the car, and the slightly cooler October temperature—well, seventy in Los Angeles was cool by their standards—sent a buzz through her. She’d take any little bit of extra energy she could get.
“Remember, we’re just two very attractive people going to pick out festive gourds,” Leo said as they walked through the parking lot.
Okay, so he could occasionally crack a non-corny joke and she’d never noticed before—big deal.
As they approached the entrance it was hard to ignore the two bulky cameras pointed their way. Nina tensed. These were professional celebrity stalkers who’d probably seen every variation of a relationship in Hollywood. What if they could instantly sense the lack of connection between her and Leo?
Then, as if detecting her fight-or-flight response, Leo unexpectedly reached for her hand. She pulled back in surprise, but he held her steady there.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. His grip remained confident, while her hand felt as stiff as a week-old bagel.
“Dating you,” he said through a smile so wide and fake it may as well have been painted on.
She took in a deep breath and blew back out as she nodded at him. Okay, she was going to follow Leo’s lead because she was working on trusting him. Baby steps.
They paid the entrance fee and walked into the pumpkin patch. Well, “pumpkin patch” was a stretch. They were in the middle of a city, and nowhere near farmland, so Mr. Bones took over a parking lot every year. The lot was covered in hay and decorated with cobwebs and orange twinkle lights to set the fall mood. Every style of pumpkin imaginable was placed on top of neat rows of hay bales, and a Dolly Parton scarecrow, complete with pumpkins for boobs and an impressive blond wig, greeted them as they walked in. This was Hollywood, after all.
“Halloween is weird, isn’t it?” Leo released her hand so he could pick up a pumpkin.
She should’ve been relieved to not have to touch him anymore, but Nina fidgeted. Her mind went blank with what to do with her free hand, as if she hadn’t been single for years. It was unnerving how easily her body could fall back into the habit of having someone to lean on, and how good the human contact—even from Leo—had felt. She picked up a pumpkin of her own, white and speckled with green, to keep her hands occupied.
“A whole holiday built around begging for candy.” He inspected his classic orange pumpkin for flaws.
“What are you going on about? Candy is what makes it the best holiday,” Nina responded. “But I guess demons don’t eat candy?”
“Not if I want to keep these pecs in shape.” He winked at her.
The mention of his pecs sent her thoughts back to how she’d fallen against them. She could almost feel the warmth of his shirt along her cheek. Why did he have to go and mention his pecs?
She glanced around to keep herself from eyeing his chest. There were plenty of people nearby, but were any of them buying that she and Leo were a couple? They’d walked in together, held hands, were shopping for festive gourds...all things that could happen if they were on a real date.
“Should we do it?” Leo’s low voice hummed in her ear.
When she turned toward him, very much confused, he nodded at a towering inflatable slide just behind them, a double-wide made for people to slide down two-by-two. The slide was Halloween-themed: it had a looming jack-o’-lantern fixed to the top, with multiple spooky ghosts at the bottom. A father and son slid down, screaming with glee, just as she turned back to face Leo.
“You spent all that time on your hair—aren’t you afraid you’ll mess it up?” The truth was, she would absolutely go down that slide, any day and anytime. She just didn’t think Leo would be game to do an activity that might make him look less than perfect.
“Quit stalling.” He walked past her and toward the ride. “Come on. Last one up there has to ride down face-first.”
She wasn’t about to lose that bet, and she’d pay all the money she had left to watch him do a belly flop on a slide. She started to sprint. She went right past him, and then felt him immediately nipping at her heels.
“You’re cheating!” he shouted as they ran.
And she laughed as she beat him to the entrance because, really, beating Leo at anything, even if it was a silly bet, was extremely satisfying.
They went down twice. The first time, Leo had accepted his fate and gone face-first. When he reached the bottom, his swoop of hair looked more like the flat top of an eraser. She’d laughed so hard she’d nearly peed. The second time was just fun. Why not go again?
“I’m not going again.” Leo shook his head.
“Third time’s the charm.” She smiled wistfully up at the slide.
