Page 3 of The Santa Swap

“Trust me. This place is the best.”

A waitress appeared from behind a large swinging door, carrying a tray filled with plates heaped high with food. She set the plates down on the table in front of a small family and stepped back while a small boy reached for his fries. “Enjoy!” Then she turned to Olivia and Jake.

When she saw Jake, her face lit up. “Welcome back to the Frisky Cow Cafe, Mr. Stringer,” she said.

Confusion swirled through Olivia’s stomach. “I thought you said your last name was Tanner.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I did.”

The waitress stepped forward, her cheeks bright red. “I did it again. I’m always mixing up my customer’s names.”

“I’m impressed you even try to keep us straight.” Jake glanced around the room and then pointed to a table near the back. “Do you mind if we sit there?”

The waitress shook her head and grabbed two menus from the podium nearby. “I was saving it just for you.” She winked at Olivia and led the way to the table. “We like to take care of our best customers.”

Jake smiled, his eyes lighting up. “What can I say? I like great food and you guys are the best.”

Olivia slid into the booth and Jake slid in beside her, leaving just enough room between them so that their legs wouldn’t accidentally bump together. She took the menu from the waitress and laughed. The restaurant clearly had a theme.

“Alright, Mr. Best Customer. What do you recommend?”

Jake tilted his chin towards the menu, studying it for a minute before he looked up with a grin. “Can I order you my favorite cocoa?”

She nodded, pushing down the tiny flutters that were starting to tingle in her stomach. No daydreaming about his handsome eyes allowed. This was just a little way to say thank you to a stranger who had helped her out.

When the waitress appeared with two steaming mugs of cocoa, Olivia’s mouth began to water. The first sip sent a blast of warm chocolate over her tongue, followed by the strong taste of peppermint. If this was a basic offering of the local restaurant favorite, she was in for a treat.

CHAPTER2

Luke was mentally kicking himself. What had he been thinking? When he opened his mouth to tell Olivia his name, the name of his best friend popped out instead. Jake Tanner was a real person. He just happened to be living in Malawi at the time. Jake was the perfect alibi. No social media presence, no pesky friends bopping around, and as an only child, no real ties to the US other than Luke. He had once given Luke permission to borrow his name when the paparazzi were being especially aggressive. Luke was pretty sure Jake didn’t know how many times he had used it since.

It wasn’t that he was ashamed of who he was. As the son of a powerful business mogul, Luke was focused on making his own name in the world. He was the president of a rapidly growing company, but the fact that the company was started from a trust fund meant he was often in the public eye. The press was waiting for him to mess things up. He hadn’t used his resources wisely when he was a teenager, and now he was plagued by stories that would never go away.

When Olivia stared up at him with her deeply delicious brown eyes, he panicked. There was something special about her, and he didn’t need her doing a quick google search about his past to ruin any chances he had of a future relationship. He was a different person now.

Taking Olivia to the Frisky Cow Cafe had been a risk. He knew the chances of running into a waitress he knew were high, but he hoped they’d play along. Luckily it was Samantha that greeted them. She’d smoothed the name blunder over fairly well. Now he was seated in a booth next to Olivia, watching her study the menu with increasing amusement. Her lips twitched as she read the food titles. Finally, she dropped the menu and looked his way.

“Are you sure about the Sneaky Chicken Spy? It sounds a little, well, intense.”

“Do you like food with a kick?”

“I do, but I don’t want my mouth to be on fire.”

Luke needed to steer the conversation away from her temptingly kissable mouth. “Then I’d recommend ordering one of the Moost Delicious Milkshakes. They will calm that heat right down.”

Olivia’s brow wrinkled. “I’m so hungry, everything looks good.” She flipped the menu to the back and ran her finger down the page, stopping to point to a picture of a cow playing the ukulele. “Howie’s Harvest Burger looks divine.”

“It is another one of my favorites. I have an idea. Do you want to split a couple of meals? You could try more things.” He crossed his fingers under the table. Sitting with her felt natural, as did the idea of sharing a meal.

She raised an eyebrow. “How do I know you aren’t going to steal all the best bites?”

Luke laughed. “Cross my heart. I’ll let you both cut and pick which part you take.” He studied her face, trying to hide his smirk. “Deal?”

“Deal.”

Relief flooded through Luke’s body. He had forgotten how good it felt to be on a regular date where he could act like himself. The paparazzi had stopped following him months ago when they realized he had cleaned up his act, but he still found it difficult to relax. Being with Olivia was good for him.

When Samantha came back with a tray piled high with food, Luke glanced at Olivia. Her eyes were wide. “Um, I may have overestimated how hungry I was. That’s enough food to feed a small army.”

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