The Art of Falling in Love with Your Fake Fiancé: A small town closed door romantic comedy (Sweetkis

2. Levi

TWO

When you haven’t seen someone you’ve been hanging out with for a while, you would think they’d be happy to see you. It’s not like I’ve been gone playing football for most of the year, or that we won the Super Bowl this year (well, we did, but I digress), so I’m not expecting a parade or fireworks, but a little excitement or even a cheer could go a long way for a guy.

Georgie blinks at me. She points to Duncan, who stands beside me in his usual position: arms crossed with a slight glower on his face. I think it’s mandatory for all ten-year-olds.

“This is your godson?” she asks, her tone oddly accusatory.

“Sure is.” My gaze drifts back and forth between her and Zac, trying to read the situation. I don’t know Zac well, but well enough to know he’s a cop on the Sweetkiss Creek police force. “Got him settled in at the farm today, then came into town for dinner and a few things.” Focusing on Georgie, I give her my best grin. “Duncan wanted to stop by your bookshop and grab something. Did he find what he needed?”

Georgie shakes her head and laughs incredulously before she puts me squarely in her sights and sighs. “Oh, he grabbed what he needed alright.”

Judging by the way Zac’s face twists and the lack of emotion he’s showing, I have this weird gut instinct that Duncan’s done something. I don’t know what, but it’s something that is not good.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” I say to Duncan, turning him around to face me and keeping my hands on his shoulders as I do so.

Duncan’s eyes are blank as he shakes his head and purses his lips together tightly.

Staying in place, I turn my head so my gaze lands on Georgie, who crosses her arms over her chest.

She’s almost apologetic as she waves a hand in the air, but I know her well enough and can tell when she’s angry. She has this crease that shows up in between her eyebrows. It’s like the muscles in her forehead give her away so you always know what she’s feeling. “I caught him trying to steal a book.” She puts her hand on her hip and pushes a few stray strands of hair out of her face.

Man. Probably not a good time to think about this, but she looks amazing when she’s mad. Georgie is what I imagine a bohemian goddess to look like, with flowing, sun-kissed hair and eyes that sparkle with mischief and a hint of rebellion. Normally, she’s a vision of effortless beauty, easily charming everyone around her with her laid-back attitude and free-spirited nature.

But when she’s mad? Those fiery eyes of hers turn into laser beams that I swear, hand on heart, could cut through steel, and her normally serene expression transforms into an intense scowl. It”s like watching a majestic lioness suddenly realizing she”s stepped on a thorn–fierce, yet oddly adorable in her frustration.

“You came after me,” Duncan fires back, pulling me back into the moment, rolling his eyes as he looks up at me. “She snapped my waistband.”

“Let them talk,” Zac interjects, nodding toward Georgie as he stares down Duncan. Again, I don’t know him very well, but Zac has the BEST resting cop face. The RCF…it even makes me a little nervous.

“Is this true?” I say, looking at Duncan incredulously. “Stealing is not what we do. I don’t see you kicking off your summer in a good way if you’re stealing things from my friend’s store.”

This is also not the best way to start out my off-season downtime nor to get to know people who I care about. In the back of my mind, I want to tell on this kid to his parents. But then I remember—I’m the one in charge. I’m his guardian now. And he’s not like a machine you buy at the store; he didn’t come with a manual. I’m figuring it all out as we go along.

Georgie holds up a book and waves it in the air for me to see. “Exhibit A.”

“A cookbook?” My eyes slam back into Duncan’s. He tries to look past my shoulder, but I maneuver so I’m in his line of sight. “Look at me, please. You tried to steal a cookbook by Jamie Oliver?”

This is no way for anyone to make a good impression. I was a kid once, not so horribly long ago, and I can remember testing boundaries and doing things that made my mother crazy. Plus, I have an older brother, so he was always there either cheering me on or acting as a partner in crime. Mostly cheering me on and talking me into things, so I get it. Such is kid life.

Duncan lets his gaze rest on the book, staring at it. He shrugs a shoulder, stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “I wanted it.”

“Well, you should have bought it,” Georgie says. Judging by the look on Duncan’s face, her words are not well-timed.

“If I could pay for it, I would have,” he all but growls. “But I’m a kid and don’t have any money.”

Zac winces as he takes a step back, which Duncan notices. “What did you do that for?”

“Son,” Zac says with a chuckle, “you’re proving to be braver than I would have thought. You realize you are sassing a Sweetkiss woman?” He lets out a low whistle, shaking his head. “If I were you, I’d start running again. Now.”

“Stop it. No one is running anywhere any time soon,” Georgie says. She takes a breath and closes her eyes, a move I recognize from the moments when she’s needed to gather herself. She pauses for a few seconds before allowing her eyes to flutter open, looking at Duncan with more empathy than was there before. “But he’s right. You don’t need to talk to me like that. I’m not mad, Duncan. I just want to know why you did it.”

Heat hits my cheeks. Not the fun kind, but the “I am so embarrassed right now” kind. It’s my first week being officially in charge—my third day, actually, into this new life—and already I feel like I’m failing. Maybe some of us are not meant to be parents.

I turn to face Georgie, putting a hand on Duncan’s shoulder. I’m hoping it comforts him, but I also want to be able to grab him if he starts to run away. “It doesn’t matter why he did it, he did it. I’m sorry this happened.”

Natural instinct leads me to reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet. As soon as I do, both Zac and Georgie give me their opinions.

“No way, Levi,” Zac says, Georgie shaking her head beside him. “Not trying to be a buzzkill, but sometimes it helps if you do something more as punishment.”

“I’m not going to let you arrest him…” I begin, and Zac laughs.

“No, not that either. Unless”—he snaps his head toward Georgie—“the owner wants to press charges?”

Georgie, with her arms still threaded tight in front of her, lets her eyes rock to each of us individually for a moment as she processes things. After a heavy thirty seconds of silence, which feels more like five minutes, she shakes her head and lets her arms drop to her side.

“No. I won’t press charges,” she says, letting her gaze rest on Duncan. “This time. But if you do it again, at my store or anyone else’s, I think someone should hold you accountable.”

Duncan’s shoulders visibly drop as he exhales. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen him relax like this since I met him. I’m trying to decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing when I get an idea.

“Can I see that?” I hold out my hand to Georgie, pointing to the cookbook in her hand. She gives it to me, and I open the cover and flip through its pages. It’s just a cookbook about five-ingredient meals. I’m not sure what the cause for all of this is, but it’s something Duncan wants.

“Who did you get it for?” I ask.

“Mrs. Porter,” he squeaks, the ten-year-old beginning to shine through.

Closing the book, I turn to Duncan. “You wanted to get this for my mother?”

Eyes downcast, he nods.

A small group of people walk by us, making their way down the street, singing songs as a group. Duncan eyes them, his face clouding over. When I turn to see why he’s so dark and stormy, I find what appears to be a family: father, mother, and two children all laughing and cajoling, and glowing, literally, with love. Looking back at Duncan, I see sadness reflected in his eyes and suddenly understand his reaction.

“Did Mrs. Porter do something that made you want to get her this book?” Georgie asks. When my eyes meet hers, something in the way she looks at me tells me she’s beginning to understand his defensive ways as well.

Duncan lifts a shoulder, letting it drop heavily as he sighs. “She gave me a picture of my mom and dad. Framed. And put it in my bedroom for me to have on my first night.”

I get a punch in my gut while my heart warms, but the layer of guilt is thick. What a dichotomy of emotions. I should have thought of that. Of course my mom would think to do it, a small thing but something that made him a little more comfortable.

She’s a mom. She knows what to do. She got the manual….although after raising two boys mostly on her own, she probably helped write it.

“That was really nice of her to do,” Georgie says, her voice soft with understanding. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t expect a gift from you as a thank you.”

“I dunno,” he eeks out.

Georgie takes the book from my grasp and hands it to Duncan. “So you know, I do offer a friends and family discount. If you want to buy it, you’re entitled to twenty-five percent off.”

Duncan, who’s kept his gaze on the sidewalk, allows the ends of his lips to begin a slow ascent upward. Now, that’s the trajectory I’m talking about.

“Really?” he murmurs as he looks at Georgie.

“Yes,” Georgie says. “And it’s your lucky night because this particular book is going on the clearance table tomorrow. For fifty percent off. So, if you want to buy it tonight, I’m prepared to give you a good deal.”

As Duncan’s expectant eyes land on mine, I feel this pull. The want to say yes, because that is a good deal, but also I feel like we’re making it too easy on him. I mean, the kid did just try to steal this book and then run away with it, so there’s that.

It’s been a wild ride to get Duncan here, into my care. It was only last year when his parents died. I was still processing the loss of them when my lawyer called and told me that Tom, one of my best buddies growing up, and Katie had made me his official guardian the day I became his godfather.

The part that’s embarrassing here is in my naivety around being a godfather. I didn’t realize this would be the case. I thought my job was to send presents for his birthday and holidays, and to touch base every now and then. I was prepared to be his buddy when he grew up, maybe hang out with him sometimes, take him to a football game or two. But no.

Apparently, while I was right about the fun and games, I missed the important gist of it all: the fact that godparents are supposed to have a special role in a kid”s life, in some cases offering all kinds of lifelong support. Godparents bring experience and mentorship, and they can assist with personal development too. We’re role models and in some cases, we’re needed to help guide a child’s growth emotionally, spiritually, and practically.

The main thing I learned (when I looked it up) is that the role of godparent depends on the wants and needs of the parents and what they expect when they ask someone to step up and be one. In this case, Tom and Katie had left explicit instructions in their wills that if anything happened to them, Duncan was to reside with me––and only me.

Of course this news did not go down well with everyone left in his family. His maternal grandmother is okay with it, but she lives in Hawaii and isn’t in the financial nor the physical position to take care of a young man, but his paternal grandmother is a whole other story. When we’d picked up the last of his things today, she made sure to let me know that they weren’t going to let this go without a fight.

Because, that’s what everyone wants when they’re in mourning. To fight.

“I don’t think Duncan should get off that easy,” I hear myself say, which surprises me and Duncan.

“What?” he chokes.

“I just think you should have to work for it. There are no free rides.”

The mechanical sound of a bell chiming nearby reminds me that Zac’s standing with us. He pulls out his phone and looks at the screen before turning to us. “I’ve got to go guys.” He looks at Georgie. “Etta’s on her way home. I think all of the acts have gone already. You good to wrap up if I go?”

“Go home and be with your wife,” Georgie says, waving a hand in the air. “And thank you.”

We say our goodbyes, Georgie and I turning our attention back to Duncan at the same time.

“I have an idea,” Georgie offers. “I’ve got a shipment of books coming in for a book signing this week. I was going to ask one of my old employees to come in and pull some extra hours to help me get ready for it, but I could use a hand if Duncan’s up to it.”

I guess there isn’t any harm in letting Duncan hang out with Georgie at Pages and Prose, if she’s really okay with it. “Are you sure about that?”

“Positive.” She smiles at Duncan. “You’re on summer break, right?”

He nods.

“Good. I need you here at ten tomorrow morning for your first shift. Wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to work. Lifting, moving tables, you get my drift.”

Duncan nods again, but narrows his eyes. “Will I get paid?”

“Duncan.” This kid. Got to hand it to him; he’s asking for what he wants, but man the timing. “You were busted stealing. I don’t think you get to do contract negotiations.”

“It’s okay, Levi,” Georgie says as she holds up a hand signaling me to stop. She keeps her attention solely focused on Duncan. “Me and you, we’ll discuss your payment and hire terms tomorrow. I don’t want to have any more discussion about it right now because I have a store full of people in there who need me to be back inside. Tomorrow, be here at ten.”

I could kiss her. I want to scream at Duncan, but Georgie has just saved the day…for now.

“What do you say, Duncan?” I ask, nudging him in the back.

“That I’ll see her tomorrow at ten?” he asks with genuine sincerity.

“Thank you is a good place to start,” I hint.

“Oh,” he says. “Yes. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Georgie makes her way back to the store, stopping to give my shoulder a squeeze as she passes by. “It’s good to see you.”

The simple acknowledgement she gives me is enough to send a tiny thrill down my spine. There’s a strange sensation in my chest, like a group of tiny, clumsy acrobats performing somersaults. Like someone is inside the theater of my heart and they’ve decided to do a stand-up comedy routine, complete with poorly timed punchlines and awkward pauses.

“Sorry it’s under these circumstances,” I manage, ignoring my body’s reaction and my internal monologue. “I was going to stop in tonight to say hi and introduce you to this guy, but…”

Georgie giggles. “He managed to meet me all on his own. It’s all good. And it’s nice to have you back in town.”

The warmth of her hand feels nice on my shoulder. Familiar. The heat of her touch spreads through me, starting from the center of my chest and radiating outwards. Like a constant buzz of excitement and nervousness, a feeling that both exhilarates and calms my system.

Since I’ve been back for my off-season, I’ve wanted nothing more than to see her. When I do, my whole day brightens. Georgie’s smile is like a beacon, drawing me in and making everything else fade into the background. In the past year, I’ve found myself wanting to impress her, to make her laugh, to just be around her as much as possible…but it’s so hard to do when I’m on the road for my job. And now, having Duncan, everything’s changed. I have no idea what life is going to be like over the next few weeks, much less the rest of the year.

All of this has led to my own small internal crisis: questioning my longevity in the NFL. My agent has my contract on his desk for five more years and I’ve asked him to hold negotiations. Because I’m not sure I want to keep playing.

Do I stay, do I go? I’m a guardian now. There’s someone else relying on me. How do I navigate these waters?

Plus, there’s this incredible woman in front of me. She thinks we’re friends, and all I want is more. I can give her that, but she deserves someone who is here on a consistent basis. When she’s not around, I catch myself thinking about her, wondering what she’s doing, if she’s thinking about me, too. It’s like this magnetic pull that I can’t resist, this constant longing to talk to her, to be with her.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Georgie calls out, interrupting my thoughts as she wraps her hand around the door handle. “I say ten, Duncan, but I mean nine fifty-five. Where I come from, on time is late. And five minutes early is on time. Remember that, and we’ll get along just fine.”

She catches my attention and winks. “See you later?”

I smile and give her a nod. “You bet.”

She opens the door of Pages and Prose and disappears from our sight, my heart both full from seeing her and also deflated because she’s gone.

I don’t know if she feels the same way about me, but I can hope—and maybe this summer I’ll come clean about my feelings for her.