Chapter 5
Beth
“So,” Mama stands in the kitchen with her hand on her hip, “when were you planning on telling us you’re datin’ someone, hmm? First, I had to hear gossip about some man with his hands around you from Clarabelle, and now, you’re sneaking him out before we even get to meet him?”
“Mama, I wasn’t sneaking him out,” I respond in a hushed tone. “He just stopped by for a minute and…” I glance behind us at the kitchen table where Matthew and my dad are sitting.
“Oh, honey, you know I’m kidding!” She begins laughing. “I want to hear everything. He’s a cutie. How did y’all meet?”
“Okay, but after we rescue him from Daddy. Look at him.”
My dad has his arms crossed, leaning back against the chair, holding a straight, stern face while Matthew’s leg bounces nervously underneath the table.
“Daddy’s scaring him.”
“Alright, come on.” She grabs the tray of goodies and walks toward the table. “Here we are,” she says brightly as she sets down the tray.
I sit next to Matthew and reach for his hand underneath the table. He looks at me, and I give a reassuring smile. The poor guy didn’t ask for a stare down. And I didn’t get to warn him that Daddy is all bark and no bite. I’ve never brought a guy home before, but he’s a literal cinnamon roll, sweet as can be. Right now, he’s just putting on a show.
“Try this one. It’s my favorite.” I hand him a chocolate eclair.
“So, Matthew, tell us how you met our little girl,” Mama asks.
Matthew freezes for a moment, his gaze darting to me. For a moment, I see a flash of panic, as if he wants nothing more than to leap up and bolt out the door. We didn’t get a chance to discuss our cover story yet. He takes a bite of the eclair for refuge.
“We sort of bumped into each other,” I say, shrugging. I’m a terrible liar, and they’re gonna find out if I don’t choose my words carefully. Find words that aren’t a lie. “In a coffee shop.”
Matthew swallows. “And I couldn’t believe how little coffee she takes with her sugar.”
I shoot my eyes at him. “Well, at least mine isn’t plain black. Gross.”
Matthew chuckles, shaking his head. “Some of us appreciate the real taste of coffee.”
“See, Beth. Someone who drinks actual coffee instead of turning it into a dessert.” Daddy grins at me.
Mama clears her throat, failing miserably to hide her giddy smile. “Matthew, what is it you do?”
“I’m a golfer.”
“Really?” Daddy perks up at that. His previous stern demeanor seems to be slowly melting away.
“Yes, sir. I turned pro right after college.”
“Played a bit in my younger days. We’ll have to play a round soon.”
“I’d be honored,” Matthew replies graciously. He looks at me then, a small smile tugging at his lips. I can’t help but return it.
I feel a little relieved. Maybe this whole pretending thing won’t be as hard as I thought. It’s clear he’s starting to win them over. If we can convince two people who know me well, we can convince the world, right?
His thumb traces circles on the back of my hand, warm and steady. My heart starts beating rapidly. I grabbed his hand as a silent reassurance about my dad but neither of us have even tried to let go. Suddenly, this feels too real.
What have I gotten myself into? Playing pretend girlfriend? Lying to Mom and Dad? Lying to the town—to the world? Traveling with a complete stranger for months?
My palms begin to sweat.
I feel his hand squeeze mine, and I look up at him. His smile fades as his brows pull together.
“Another, Matthew?” Mama asks.
He straightens his features and turns to my parents.
“I do apologize, but it’s getting late,” he says. “I have an early tee time tomorrow.”
“Oh, yes. We don’t want to keep you,” Mom says as she stands. “Will we see you at the Fire and Ice Festival tomorrow?”
I try to form words, but nothing comes out. Matthew answers for me. “Yes, we’ll be there.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Matthew.” Dad shakes his hand.
The door closes behind me as he leads me down the path, his hand still wrapped around mine.
We turn the corner onto the driveway, out of sight from the front window, when he looks at me.
“Beth, are you okay?”
I shake my head, feeling a bit dazed. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I say, but it doesn’t sound convincing, not even to me.
“Because you looked like you were about to pass out in there,” he says with concern.
“I’m just...overwhelmed, I guess,” I admit. One minute I was fine, confident we could do this, and the next, it was paralyzing. My stomach clenches at the thought of tomorrow. “I mean, the whole town is going to be watching us and—”
“Hey,” he interrupts, his hand comes up to rest on my shoulder. “If you want to back out of this...I get it.”
“No.” The word comes out faster than I expect it to. My mind and mouth aren’t communicating properly because mentally, I said yes. Yes to backing out of this. “I mean...this is a lot to take in, y’know? Pretending for everyone else, that’s one thing. But...my family, my town…”
He nods, understanding. “It’s different when it’s people you care about.”
“Lying in general but yeah, it’s different,” I say, suddenly feeling small and vulnerable under the weight of my own doubts.
“We’re in this together. You and I. Teamwork makes the dream work, right?”
His words pull a chuckle out of me despite the whirlwind of emotions inside me. “What makes you an expert on teamwork? You play a solo sport.”
Matthew shrugs, a smile pulling at his lips. “Guess I’m a natural.”
“Guess so,” I say, returning his smile without really meaning to. “Just…let’s set the ground rules now.”
“Why don’t you take the night to think about it, and we’ll sign the contract later. I have a couple of days before I leave, so we have time.”
I could back out. I could call this whole thing off before we even start. But the opportunity for my career and the financial aspects? Those could change my whole life. I would have time to figure out my next step without worrying about money. I really could start my own business. There are so many options with the money he’ll pay me.
“No, I’m in this.” I pull my phone out and open the contract.
“Shouldn’t you read it? Have your lawyer look over it?”
I lift my eyes up to him. “Unlike you, I don’t have a lawyer at my disposal. So I’m trusting you with this one.”
“Are you normally this trusting of people you just met?”
“Not usually.” I move my finger across the screen, signing my name. “There. It’s signed and sent.” I open the notes app on my phone and start typing.
“What are you doing now?” he asks, peering at the screen.
“Ground rules,” I say without taking my eyes off the blinking cursor. “Rule #1: No public displays of affection beyond what is necessary to keep up appearances.”
“You mean like holding my hand when no one could see?” He smirks.
I roll my eyes and smack his shoulder. “That was necessary. I had to express what I verbally couldn’t. Which by the way, my dad is a total teddy bear.”
“Doesn’t make his growl any less intimidating.”
I laugh, my breath fogging up in the cool night air.
“Rule #2 is kind of an obvious one: No dating anyone else. We have to make this convincing, even though it’s not real.”
“That’s an easy one,” he says.
I tilt my head playfully, studying him. Matthew’s handsome and charming, the sort of man who could easily have a flock of women trailing after him.
“Even if I were looking to date someone right now, which I’m not, it would only be one. I’m a one woman kind of guy.”
I nod, then continue, “Rule #3: I get my own room.”
“Agreed.”
“And last but certainly not least, rule #4 No falling in love or real feelings.”
“I think that goes without saying, Beth.” He looks at me like this was an absurd and unnecessary rule.
“Have you never seen a rom-com? Or read a romance novel? This is the perfect scenario for real feelings to develop. We’ll be spending every day together, Matthew. But friends are the most we can be.”
He nods. “Any more rules?”
I chew on my lip in thought before sighing and shaking my head. “No more for now. Initial here.”
He chuckles as he types “MW” then I type “EM.”
“Good,” I say with a final nod, clicking my phone shut and tucking it securely back into my pocket.
Our gazes meet in the dim light of the moon. My mind trails to how this would play out if it were a fictional story. Meet-cute? Check. Physical Attraction? Check. Witty Banter? Check. Then we’d fall madly in love.
“Thank you for doing this, Beth,” he whispers. A breeze ripples through his hair, sending a few stray strands across his forehead but he doesn’t move to brush them away. “I know this is huge and...a little crazy.”
“But it’s the crazy things that make life interesting, right?” I reply, trying to sound more confident than I feel.
“Right.” His mouth lifts into a soft, relieved smile. “See you tomorrow, Beth.”
“Goodnight, Matthew.”
I watch as he walks to his car, then I walk up the pathway. I open the door to reveal a dark house, my parents nowhere in sight. I’m shocked my mom isn’t waiting to hound me with questions. I quietly sneak to my room and close the door.
I’ve barely settled into bed when my phone buzzes. A picture of college freshmen Desi and Beth lights up my screen.
“Where have you been?” she yells. “What happened?”
“You wouldn’t believe me even if you wanted to.” I chuckle softly, running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to untangle the knots.
“Try me.”