Page 4 of Spreading Her Wings

I shook my head as she looked at the large, wooden bookshelf behind us in the living room. It sat awkwardly in the middle of the room, the rug beneath it bunched up. She had been pushing it across the floor by herself. “Are you really so stubborn you won’t ask for help, kitten?”

“Ugh! You and thatnickname!” she shrieked. “Tell me why you’re here or leave, Auston. I’m busy.”

“I need a favor,” I said, looking back at her and trying the charming smile again, only to be met with her annoyance.Not unusual.She didn’t ask for details, just stared at me while she tapped her toe impatiently. “I need… a date.”

Her foot came to a halt, and she dropped her arms to her sides. She stared in disbelief before doubling over in sudden laughter. “That’s rich,” she said, gasping for breath. “No, really, what do you need?”

“I need a date. Well… a fake date.”

“You’re serious…” Her look went from confused to angry, and she narrowed her eyes. “Are you out of your damn mind?”

I shrugged. “I mean, you do kind of owe me one.”

“Sure! Like I’ll make you some brownies or pick you up from the airport. A date?!”

“Look, I know it’s asking a lot. My friends are engaged and having a party on Saturday. Logan, my best friend, and his girlfriend, Simone, wanted to set me up, so I kinda told them I’m seeing someone.” Judgment crossed her face. “It was stupid, and I know that, but now they can’t wait to meet her.”

She threw her arms in the air. “And theheryou want them to meet isme? Auston, we don’t even like each other!”

As if I’m not aware.

I moved away from her to the bookshelf, ignoring her question. I didn’t know how to answer it. “Where do you want this?”

“Moving my bookshelf isn’t going to make me agree to be your fake girlfriend. It’s hardly a fair trade-off.” She hesitated for a minute before pointing, giving me a hint of hope. “You can put it over there by the window.”

I lifted the bookshelf, surprised she had been able to move it as far as she had. The shelves were heavy—it was solid wood and probably seven feet tall. I set it against the wall, turning around to find her staring at me with her lips pursed and her brow creased.

“Why me?” she asked.

“You know me well enough, and anyone else would think it’s a real date. Plus, the way you can’t stand me will make it believable.” I winked at her, my nerves settling when she laughed. “Please?”

She sighed. Walking into the kitchen, she grabbed the bottle of wine off her counter, ignoring the full glass beside it. Moving back to the living room, she took a long pull. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” she said with another gulp, passing me the bottle, “but fine. Just for one night, though, and then I’m going to dump you.”

I laughed, choking on the wine I’d started to swallow. “Deal.”

“Oh, and there’s one more of those shelves in the garage,” she said, tucking her tongue into her cheek.

“Okay, fine,” I said, pausing to brush a loose strand of hair over her shoulder and chuckling when she shivered. “You owe me brownies for that one, though.”

“Idon’t think it would hurt you to have some fun, honey. What’s the worst that could happen?” My great aunt was always overly positive, but any time it came to a man, she was even more so. She called it being supportive. I called it trying to play matchmaker.

“You don’t think it’scompletelycrazy for me to go to this party and pretend to be my best friend’s brother’s new girlfriend?” I dropped my head into my hands, forgetting about the cup of tea on the table.

“I think it’d be crazier for you to stay at home alone on a Saturday night or hang out here with your ol’ great auntie, don’t you?”

I jerked my head up and dropped my arms quickly enough to almost spill the cup. “I love hanging out with you, Aunt June!”

She laughed, the kind of laugh that made you feel instantly at home. Aunt June was always like that. When she ran her fingers through her long gray hair, she sighed with subtle defeat. “Katie, sweet girl, I know that. But you’re twenty-nine. You should be out on a Saturday night, maybe finding a nice man to settle down with.” I rolled my eyes, and she patted my hand. “Is this man nice?”

“He’s probably the most irritating person I know.” How was I going to successfully pretend to be his girlfriend when I kind of wanted to slap him most of the time?

She rolled her brown eyes, the ones that mirrored my own. “So maybe that’s an underlying yes? I don’t know everything, but I know a lot. Go. Have a couple of free drinks, and maybe you’ll have a good time.”

When I sighed, she crossed her arms and tilted her head, surely ready for me to talk back. If I did, she would’ve put her foot down and told me to listen to her, and like I have my entire life, I would have done just that. So instead, I nodded my agreement, swallowing my hesitations with a gulp of cold chamomile tea.

ME

What am I supposed to wear to this thing?

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