Page 31 of The Mistletoe Switch

"Hi, Murphy." Cherry takes another step toward the phone. "It's nice to meet you."

"You sound so sweet," she says. "We have to be best friends. Xavier, give her my number, okay?"

"Fine. Look, the reason I'm calling is that I need you to tell Cherry what I said when you suggested setting me up on a date with your cousin from out of town."

"You told me you don't need help finding a date, to stay out of your love life, and you laughed at me when I said I had a good feeling about the two of you. But you actually had fun on the date. You still owe me twenty dollars for that."

"Put it on my tab. Thanks, Murph. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Xavier."

I hang up. "I can call some more folks who'll tell you the same story if you want. I'm blunt as hell and it takes me time to adjust to new ideas or change. I'm that grumpy old man who sits in the diner drinking my coffee and complaining about the new big box store they're putting in."

She narrows her eyes, studying me. "I can see it. Old at… How old are you?"

"I'm thirty."

She grimaces. "Never mind, you are old. Four whole years older than me."

I pat the bed next to me. "Try again. Tell me about your great idea and I promise not to laugh. I could tell from the moment we met you're no idiot, even if you tried to make me think you are."

Her eyebrows pop in surprise, but she sits. "It's possible I'm overly sensitive about having my ideas laughed at. It's happened one too many times."

"I promise not to even smile."

She pulls in a breath like she's psyching herself up and I feel even worse for laughing at her. "Alice and RJ won't listen to anything we have to say as long as they think we're still actively trying to break them up, right?"

"Probably not. I mean, it hasn't worked for me so far."

She smiles gratefully. "Right. Because most humans automatically get defensive when you tell them they're wrong or making a terrible choice."

I cross my arms over my chest. "I thought that was just me. Although, defensive isn't the word I'd choose. I prefer right."

"Thank you for proving my point. If Alice and RJ think we've moved on and are no longer interested in their dating status, they might relax and realize on their own they aren't right for each other. And if they think we're no longer trying to break them up, RJ might actually listen when I tell him how much I've changed." She folds her hands in her lap, then re-folds them. "I mean, if he sees what I'm doing for your shop and sees me in a stable, loving relationship, he'llseethat I've changed."

It takes me a moment to stop staring at her lips and focus on her words. I get up and cross the room, because sitting next to her and smelling her sweet scent is making it hard for me to focus on the plan. "And you think dating is the only way we can accomplish that?"

"It's the easiest and the fastest way. I can't afford to stay in this town for months trying to convince RJ I've changed while he's falling in love with the wrong woman."

I pace, considering. Her plan makes sense. "I'm willing to try anything at this point, but we should be clear on the rules."

She crosses her legs under herself. "We're two adults who want the same thing, right? I don't see the point of rules. What we need is a plan for convincing them we're a couple falling in love. We should set up a double date and make sure we get out around town together so the gossip will spread."

She seems way more confident than I feel. Clearly, she's not as attracted to me as I am to her, or worried that real feelings might get involved. I always have rules with the women I date. I'm not looking to catch feelings or settle down until the time is right and I'm not interested in the drama that could erupt if the women catch feelings. "We need boundaries, at the very least. We have to stay strictly platonic unless we're in public. And I need to know how much PDA you're comfortable with. I don't want you getting confused about what this is and creating unnecessary drama. I've got more than enough of that as it is."

Her smile's condescending. "Are you afraid you're going to fall in love with me, Xavier?"

Irritation sizzles over me. Why isn't she taking this seriously? "I'm more worried you're going to get attached to me. If this is going to work, we can't let feelings get involved."

She leans forward and twists her loose hair around a finger. "I don't get attached. Love is for romantics who believe in soul mates and happily ever afters. I know who I want and I'm not going to be stupid enough to fall for anyone else, much less the absolute worst guy in the world for me."

I take a step back, stung. "The absolute worst guy in the world? What's that supposed to mean?"

She shrugs. "Don't pretend like your feelings are hurt. You can't honestly tell me you think we're going to fake date our way into true love like some romance novel."

I cross my arms over my chest. "Of course not. That doesn't mean I think you're the worst person in the world for me."

She rolls her eyes. "It's not personal. It's just facts. First, you're in love with someone else. Second, you're not interested in settling down, you're interested in building a candy empire and traveling the world. I've had stepfathers like you, hell my father is like you. Men who are too ambitious don't make good husbands because they'll choose career and opportunity over their family every damn time. And, three, you're way too grumpy. I need a man who's willing to try new things and have fun."

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