Chapter Five #3
Landon was wrestling with the question of how to proceed.
He was totally boxed into a corner. His grandmother and Caleb both believed that he was in a relationship with Bailey.
Ha! That was the furthest thing from the truth.
They were strictly co-workers, and he barely knew the woman.
It was only a matter of time before word got out that they were an item.
He ran a hand over his face. What had he gotten himself into?
The stress of Hattie’s terminal illness had made him feel as if time was slipping through his fingers, and he’d wanted to make her happy.
As a result of his own foolishness, he had to find a way to tell Bailey what he’d done. He cringed at the thought of it.
I’m so sorry, Bailey. You won’t believe it, but Hattie and my brother think we’re dating. Isn’t that hilarious?
He covered his face with his hands. Well, this was going to be awkward. It had been his goal to make a good impression on Bailey, but this certainly wasn’t going to help matters. At this point they barely knew each other. Landon wouldn’t be surprised if she laughed him right out of the lab.
Bailey headed into work on Monday morning, her thoughts still filled with the events of this past weekend.
Her family had delivered the goodies to the senior home, which had been a great experience.
Seeing the joy on the faces of the residents had been uplifting.
She’d seen some familiar faces there, including Sam Robinson, a gentleman she had met on previous visits.
Every time he saw her, Sam flirted with her shamelessly and called her his girlfriend.
He was a harmless older gentleman whom she viewed as lonely since he’d lost his wife a few years ago.
He served as a good reminder that this time of year could be difficult for lots of folks.
Being at the center provided some much-needed relief from her family dynamics.
Bailey was sick and tired of nothing ever changing.
She might be a mess at times, but she wanted things to improve.
She craved openness and dialogue about her dad.
Not just about his death, but being able to honor his life.
For her it was impossible to celebrate Christmas with all this swirling under the surface.
After all, their lives had come to an emotional standstill twenty years ago.
After she pulled into the parking lot for Yukon Cider, she glanced at the clock on her dashboard.
She was fifteen minutes early, which meant she had time to grab a coffee and doughnut in the café before heading to the lab.
She felt goose bumps on the back of her neck just thinking about seeing Landon this morning.
Talking to him. Working in such close proximity to him.
He had a natural love of learning all about the cider-making process, and his raw enthusiasm was contagious.
Bailey had always loved her job, but lately she had a new appreciation for it.
All of a sudden Landon was standing beside her driver’s-side window, knocking on the glass. It was almost as if she’d conjured him up simply by thinking about him. Startled, she rolled her window down. “Hey there. Morning.”
“Good morning,” Landon said. “Sorry if I startled you.”
“No worries. It’s so cold I actually don’t want to get out of my vehicle, since it’s nice and warm in here.”
“Can I join you?” he asked. For a moment she was so floored by his request that she didn’t know how to respond. “I need to talk to you about something. In private,” he said, emphasizing the word private.
“Sure,” she said, trying to appear unfazed. Landon needed to talk to her in private. Her mind was whirling with questions. Was he unhappy at the cider lab? No way! So far, he’d seemed like a kid in a candy store. A person couldn’t fake that type of excitement.
A few moments later the passenger-side door opened, and a slight chill momentarily crept into the vehicle as Landon settled himself next to her. He sat back and rubbed his hands together.
“Thanks for being open to listening,” Landon said, turning to face her. It was so cold outside his glasses were a little fogged up, which she found adorable.
“So, what’s up?” she asked. She couldn’t read the expression etched on Landon’s face. No doubt because she didn’t really know him all that well. She thought she heard a little sigh slip past his lips.
He had a shaky, lopsided smile on his face. He let out a brittle-sounding chuckle. “Hey, something pretty funny happened.”
Bailey frowned. Her antenna was way up based on the nervous energy Landon was exuding. Why did his laugh sound so forced? As if he was being held at gunpoint. He seemed like a really genuine guy, so the fake laughter didn’t compute.
“Mmm. Do tell,” she said, waiting for him to explain what he was doing here in her vehicle. Not that she minded, but her curiosity was getting the better of her.
He cleared his throat. “As you know, this is Hattie’s last Christmas. She’s been pretty open about the fact that her illness is terminal and progressing, so I don’t feel like I’m divulging any personal information,” he told her.
Just hearing the words come out of Landon’s mouth and seeing the pain he was trying to hide caused her own emotions to rise. It was hard to grieve for someone who was still alive.
“Hattie has been amazingly transparent with all of us.” Bailey shook her head. “I can’t even imagine dealing with something so earth-shattering and doing it with such grace and openness. She’s such a boss.”
He nodded. “She’s one of a kind. Most of the time, I feel like she’s consoling me rather than the other way around, which in a roundabout way leads me to what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Bailey drew her eyebrows together. She decided to keep quiet rather than asking any questions. She hoped he would just spit it out, whatever it was.
“My brother Caleb is a bit of a pot stirrer. He told Hattie about our moment at the smoothie shop,” he explained. “I’m not sure how this even happened, but somehow or other they got the idea that we’re… romantically entangled.”
“Romantically what?” she asked. Now Landon was talking in riddles. He couldn’t possibly mean what she thought he meant. Could he?
“Together. They think we’re together as a couple, an item.” He cleared his throat again. “And rather than dispel that notion, I leaned in to it.”
Was she being punked? Surely Landon wasn’t being serious. “You did what?” she asked, her voice sounding loud in the small confines of her vehicle.
Landon winced and held up his hands. “In my defense, once I saw how excited Hattie was about my finding someone, I just couldn’t see the disappointment in her eyes when I told her the truth.
” He blew out a deep breath. “She’s dying, Bailey.
There’s not much I can do to help her at this point, but this means the world to her.
Xavier has True and now Caleb has Sophia, so it’s only natural that she wants me to find someone as well.
“She wants to see it all play out before she… leaves us,” Landon explained.
She totally understood that Hattie wanted to feel as if everything was settled with her beloved grandsons after she passed away. It was right in line with Hattie’s personality. She wasn’t called the grande dame of Moose Falls for nothing.
“I need your help.” His voice shook as he spoke. “It might be asking for a lot, but—” He stopped talking mid-sentence, as if he didn’t quite know what to say.
“So what exactly are you asking me, Landon?”
“This is awkward,” he said, shifting around in his seat. “First of all, we don’t know each other that well. And we’re co-workers.”
Her impatience got the best of her. “Spit it out, Landon. You’re making me feel a little squirrelly.” It was an unnerving feeling not knowing exactly what was going on. She didn’t like surprises unless it was a spunky rescue dog with a big red bow on it.
“I want you to pretend that you’re my girl,” he said, the words rushing out of his mouth.
She didn’t have a poker face, so she knew her expression showcased the utter shock she felt.
“My grandmother’s happiness means everything to me, especially now. The reality is, she’s not going to be with us much longer. We love her so much, yet we’re all helpless in the face of this. There’s nothing we can do to help her.”
Bailey nodded. “I understand. Really, I do. She’s pretty beloved here in town.
We’re all gutted about her being so sick.
” A wave of emotion washed over her. Hattie had been her family’s guardian angel when they’d needed one the most. She’d helped them without asking for a single thing in return.
Her kindness was permanently tattooed on Bailey’s heart.
She knew it had been a turning point for her family in the aftermath of tragedy.
Because of her many kindnesses, Hattie Stone would always be an important figure in her life.
Landon locked gazes with her. “Bailey, what I’m about to ask you might seem outrageous.
I realize that. I was backed into a corner, and rather than tell my grandmother that we weren’t a couple, I played along.
” A tremor ran across his jaw. He adjusted his glasses.
“So I’m asking you if you would consider playing along too. Not for me, but for Hattie.”
For Hattie. Those words hit her right in her solar plexus. If he’d offered up any other rationale for her going along with his charade, she would have laughed in his face. But Hattie. Amazing, irrepressible Hattie. She would walk over glass for her if need be.
“We can keep this on a week-to-week basis. If you get in a relationship with someone, we can call things off. You won’t ever have to do anything you’re uncomfortable doing.
I won’t be making demands on your time. You can still live your life.
” He paused to take a breath. “And I’m okay with kissing. I fully give you my consent.”
Bailey was listening intently to Landon. Her ears perked up at the mention of kissing. Who in the world would object to kissing Landon Stone for real or otherwise?
“I’ll do it,” Bailey said, surprising herself by agreeing to this wild scheme. “You had me at Hattie. I would do anything for that lady.”
Landon’s eyes widened. “You will?” he asked. “Seriously?” She could see the look of relief pass over his face.
“Don’t sound so surprised. Hattie means a lot to me. She’s not my grandmother, but she’s been my guardian angel for a long time. If I can do anything to make her happy, I’ll do it.”
He let out a deep breath, his shoulders sagging with the effort. “I can’t tell you what that means to me and what it will mean to Hattie. She may seem like a tough cookie, but she’s pure marshmallow at her center. A true romantic at heart.”
“You don’t have to sell me on Hattie. She’s the best that this world has to offer, generous to a fault, hardworking and no-nonsense. She deserves a little joy before she leaves us.”
“I appreciate you, Bailey. And I promise you this isn’t going to be some wild, over-the-top situation that messes with your life,” he told her.
“This will only be until Hattie leaves us, which will only be a matter of months. And I think this should remain between us, unless of course you feel the burning desire to confide in someone.”
Bailey chewed her lip. It would be hard to keep the situation on the down-low, but telling anyone would be risky. She didn’t want Landon’s plan to go haywire because of her.
“I think for now we should keep this among ourselves,” she told him, checking the time on the dashboard. “We have about two minutes to get inside so we’re not late.” She’d never been late once in seven years. “We can pick this up later on.”
He reached out and gripped her hand, causing a warm sensation to spread up her arm. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am. And grateful. I don’t like lying, but I think the good in this situation will outweigh that.”
All Bailey could do was nod as Landon let go of her hand and opened the passenger-side door. Bailey grabbed her purse and stepped out of the vehicle. They walked toward the building in companionable silence. She figured he was replaying their conversation in his head, just like she was.
Bailey bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if she was on board due to Hattie or because of a certain gorgeous scientist that she found irresistible.
Either way, she wasn’t going to have to try very hard to appear as if she found Landon appealing.
As far as the role she’d been given, Bailey felt as if she’d been born to play this one.
Was it wrong of her to get a little bit excited?
Her pulse was racing extra fast, adrenaline in high gear.
Even though it was a fake romance, she was going to be paired up with the hottest man who’d ever set foot in Moose Falls.
Score! And it wasn’t just his outward appearance, she realized.
If that was the case, she would have been crushing on Xavier and Caleb as well.
There was just something about Landon Stone that had pulled her in from the very moment she’d laid eyes on him. And that feeling wasn’t letting up at all. Instead, it only got stronger every time she was in his orbit.