Page 35 of The Holiday Boyfriend

“It really has. How's business been going at the B&B? I heard Austin has been driving clients there all week,” Jim said as he followed me to sit on the other side of the booth.

Levi rolled his shoulders like the thought of all the work from the past week had left an ache in his body. “Don't remind me. We've been at full capacity every single day since December started. It's too much work for just the three of us. I keep telling my dads they need to hire someone, but you know how risky it is with fluctuating busy periods.”

I nodded in agreement. Hiring an employee was a huge risk especially when your business had periods of little customers throughout the year. “Maybe a seasonal worker?” I suggested.

“Yeah, maybe. I'll have to talk to my dads about it,” he said with a shrug. “But we're here to kick back and relax, not stress more about work.”

“That sounds like a grand plan. Looks like the wait staff are pretty busy tonight. I'll go get us some drinks at the bar. Beer okay with you?” Jim asked, turning to me.

I nodded, giving my thanks. Jim leaned in like he was about to give me a kiss. I presented my cheek out of habit, but at the last minute, remembered where we were and pulled back, clapping Jim on the shoulder. “Thanks, bud,” I said with an awkward cough.

Jim wrinkled his nose at that name but took the hint and pulled back as well. “I'll get us a pitcher?” he turned to Levi and asked.Levi studied us. His eyes shifted between me and Jim, and I shifted under his gaze, worried that he would say something. Thankfully, he didn't and only nodded at Jim's question.

“You’re totally fucking him,” Levi said when Jim left the booth.

“Shh,” I hissed as I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to our conversation. One thing you learned quickly about living in a small town was that even the walls had ears here. Secrets were a mythical creature that only existed outside of reality here if one wasn’t careful.

Once I made sure that I didn’t see any of the local gossipers, I sighed a breath of relief and turned back to Levi. He had his arms crossed and was shooting me a pointed look that said that he wasn’t going to believe any bullshit I tried to spew.

“Fine, we’re…doing it.” I said the last part in a whisper. “But that’s all. There’s nothing more to it.”

Could he hear how disappointed I was about that fact?

“There’s no way you two are only fuck buddies,” he said.

“That’s because we’re not fuck buddies. We’re friends with benefits. A situationship, if you will. We have an agreement,” I said, crossing my own arms. Jim had corrected me on that once before and now I had a mild distaste for the casual term, because what Jim and I had was so much more than casual. We were friends before anything else.

“Semantics,” Levi said with a wave of his hand. “The point is that you’re kidding yourself if you believe sex is all there is with no feelings involved.”

I gave him a pointed look. He knew very well that there were, in fact, many feelings involved, except they were only one-sided. He rolled his eyes at my expression. “You know what I mean,” he said, sounding exasperated.

The only one feeling frustration here should be me. This entire situation was frustrating, and I didn’t want to sit here and dwell on how pathetic I’d become to settle for a taste of what was only a dream.

“He’s straight. You know that. Heck, the entire town knows that, so whatever you’re thinking in that head of yours isn’t correct. Now can we drop it please,” I said, looking around to see where Jim was with the beer. I could really use a drink right about now.

I spotted him with his hands full of the pitcher and cups as he tried to shimmy through the wall of people separating us. A pretty brunette said something to Jim, smiling as she pressed closer to him. She was clearly trying to flirt with him. I couldn’t blame her since Jim was the catch of a lifetime, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.

Jealousy flared up inside me as I watched Jim shoot her a bright smile and didn’t immediately reject her advances. I grumbled under my breath and turned back around to face Levi so that I didn't have to watch them together. He had a shit-eating grin on his face.

“It's not nice to take pleasure in other people's misery,” I gritted through my teeth. He laughed, glancing behind me to where Jim and the pretty woman were probably flirting up a storm, then got up and slid into my side of the booth.

“What are you doing?” I asked, watching him with suspicion as he made himself comfortable in Jim's spot.

“You said you didn't believe that the feelings involved were mutual. I'll prove it to you.” He took one last glance behind his shoulder before scooting closer to me until his leg was practically pasted against mine and saying, “Just play along with me.”

As I opened my mouth to question him, he nudged me in the stomach, forcing the words that were at the tip of my tongue to come out as an “oof.”He shot me glare, and when Jim appeared by the booth again, I shut my mouth.

Levi was out of his mind if he thought Jim had feelings—especiallyromantic ones—toward me. But it wouldn't hurt to let him do what he wanted so that he was proven wrong.

That was the only reason I was going along with this.

If only the little glimmer of hope that sparked inside my heart would chill the fuck out.

TWENTY-TWO

JIM

Levi had taken my spot beside Austin when I'd returned to the table. I gave him a questioning look, but he merely smiled back at me.

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