Page 44 of Real Fake Husband

I gesture to the bright-pink walls which match my T-shirt. “Well, what do you think?”

“It’s a nice place. Cozy. Have you taken your break yet?”

“No.”

“Join us.”

It’s a sweet offer. “Thanks, but I don’t have a break yet.”

“I don’t mind if you want to,” Kaylin says earnestly. “The lunch rush hasn’t started yet, and the other girls are here to cover when it does.”

“See?” Cal moves over and pats the spot next to him. “Come on.”

My stomach growls and suddenly lunch sounds like a wonderful idea. Aside from the coffee I shared with Matilda, I haven’t had anything else.

“Can you tell Deacon I want my usual?” I ask. “And let Matilda know I’m taking my break.”

“I’m on it, honey.” Kaylin gives me a cheeky grin as she turns her back on them on her way to the kitchen.

I sit next to Cal, noticing Theo watching Kaylin while she walks away. He isdefinitelynot her parents’ type, but then again, her parents’ type hasn’t exactly been working out for her.

“Everything okay at the dealership?” I ask.

“We haven’t gone yet. Getting a bit of a late start,” Cal says. “By the way, when I woke up this morning, you were gone. Why did you leave so early?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Figured I’d make myself useful and get some work done.”

Cal shifts his gaze to Theo. “Theo, tell Josie she works too much. I’d do it, but she never listens to me.”

“No way, dude. I’m not getting in the middle of whatever this is,” Theo says, gesturing between us.

“Let’s stop talking about me,” I say, not in the mood to have my life choices aired out in my place of work. “Tell me about the dealership. Is everything going okay with the new contractor?”

“Oh, a thousand times better than the last asshole,” Theo says.

Cal nods in agreement, resting his arm on the back of the booth. It’s not quite around my shoulders, yet I can feel the heat of him. “We’ve made up some time and it’ll be good to open by the end of the month. Everything is back on track.”

“That’s awesome!” I’m genuinely happy for him.

“Speaking of the dealership,” Theo says, sitting straighter and wrapping his hands around his coffee mug. “Now that I have both of you here, as well as witnesses, I have to tell you something.”

Uh-oh. I don’t like his tone or the fact that he wants to talk to both of us. What does the dealership have to do with me? Cal also appears confused, his brow furrowed as he stares at his best friend.

“What did you do?” he immediately asks.

“And what does it have to do with me?” I add.

Theo takes a sip of coffee before he speaks. “Well, I ran into Mr. Osborn,” he says carefully.

“Who’s Mr. Osborn?” I ask.

“Main investor,” Cal clarifies.

“We got to talking about the shop and his investment. One thing led to another, and…I may or may not have accidentally referred to Josie as your wife.”

There’s silence.

We both stare at Theo.

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