15. Grant
FIFTEEN
GRANT
Rhett wouldn’t just be proud of me, he would build a statue in my honor.
Agreeing to pretend to be her boyfriend? I’ve already started pretending because that’s not remotely what I want. We were supposed to come back to town, get that boba tea she’d talked about, and I would set my caution aside to ask her on a date. An actual date, not some ruse to save face in front of her mother and her ex.
But maybe this is the better option. We can spend time together and enjoy ourselves—and I’ll know where I stand with her from the beginning. Not especially comforting, but I’m not ready to simply walk away. At least like this, I’ll know in advance exactly when our cozy little bubble will burst.
It’s better than being blindsided.
“Hop in.” I gesture at the SUV and climb inside. I plug Moonlight Lodge’s address into my phone while Lila gets in on the passenger side. After being closed up in the sun for several days, the rental’s new car smell is overpowering.
She starts to dust off her leggings, but stops herself. “ I feel bad for the guy who has to detail this car later. My boots are filthy, and I stink.”
I back out of the parking space and head down Maple Street. “You smell great. Where do you live?”
“Uh, back there.” She tosses a hand behind us. “An apartment on Maple. But it’s okay—I can get a ride share from Moonlight Lodge.”
“I’ll turn around and take you home if you want.”
“That’s okay. My mom’s probably hanging around my door to ambush me with more questions. I don’t mind going up to the lodge.” She faces me as much as she can. “Unless you don’t want me to go with you. I know this is a crazy thing to ask of you. We don’t have to?—”
“Princess.” I side-eye her at a four-way stop. “Relax. I want to.”
“Oh. Okay.” She settles against the car seat again. “I keep saying okay. I swear I know other words.”
I grin at her. “It’s okay.”
Her laughter doesn’t last. “We should probably talk about how this is going to go.”
“Going to the lodge?”
“The fake dating.”
The concept already sits wrong with me, and it’s only been five minutes. “Right. What do you want to talk about?”
“Well, most rom-coms make it kind of transactional—you’ll be my date to my sister’s engagement party if I’ll be your date to the big company event that will get you a promotion, something like that. Except, in this case, both those things are mine.”
“This is a common theme in the books you read?” And yet she teases me about the magic and swordsmen in my books.
“Sure. It’s one of the biggest trope pillars. It would be juicier if we were enemies to lovers, too, but we didn’t really hit those notes.” She shakes her head. “Never mind all that. The point is, you don’t get anything out of this. What’s in it for you?”
Oh, nothing. Just the chance to spend more time with the most enticing woman I’ve met in years.
“I can’t do it because I want to?”
She makes a face like she’s weighing that possibility and finds it lacking. “That would feel a lot like pity. And no rom-com heroine worth her salt wants to be pitied.”
If she’s the rom-com heroine, then this hero doesn’t want to be pitied, either. Which, strangely enough, is exactly why this absurd situation holds any appeal for me. If she knew my past, I’d be tempted to think she suggested this pretend relationship to get me back in the dating game. As it stands, she’s doing it for herself. I can live with that.
Following my phone’s instructions, I take us out of Sunshine proper and back into the forest. We’re headed in the opposite direction from where we camped, winding our way up into the foothills. Foothills I intend to explore over the next few weeks.
If she would feel more comfortable keeping this an even exchange, I have a few ideas for her part, after all.
“I have some things I was hoping to do around here on my vacation. Might be nice to have someone with me.”
She stares at me until my skull prickles. “What kinds of things?”
“Just a few fun things. Rafting. Biking. Visiting a lake.”
She sighs so heavily I’m surprised she doesn’t collapse from lack of oxygen.
“It might help with your website and presentation.” I sound like my sister-in-law when she’s wheedling. The thing is, wheedling works a surprising amount of the time. Even when I think I’m going to hold my ground, Eliza’s skilled at getting her way.
“You play dirty. ”
“Are we enemies to lovers now?”
“Depends on how many outdoorsy things you ask me to do.”
“Think of them as add-ons to your hike.”
Sarcastic laughter bubbles out of her. “I hate this whole idea, but…more research might help me get that promotion. Ugh. This is the worst. Okay. Fine.”
“Great. That’s solved. What else?”
Another long pause, but this one’s punctuated by a deep breath in. “We should probably talk about how physical we’re going to be.”
Heat rushes down my spine. I’m all about enthusiastic consent, but this feels more like hammering out a business deal than anything else. It’s not how I would have envisioned this conversation going.
“How physical do you want to be?”
I follow a long drive deeper into the woods to a log cabin-style building. A wrought iron arch over the main entrance spells out Moonlight Lodge . As secluded as it is, the full parking lot gives away its popularity.
I turn off the engine and face Lila. She’s still staring at me, but this isn’t the death glare when I proposed my outdoor activities trade. Her eyes hold a spark of heat that lights an answering flame inside my chest. I would pay good money to know the thoughts dancing behind those eyes.
She swallows, and my gaze is on her lips when they part. “Maybe we should figure that out as we go.”
Probably for the best, since right now, I’d be tempted to practice absolutely anything she suggested.
Inside the lodge, everything from the massive central fireplace to the stout wooden furniture hits a note of rustic upscale. Even the rustic parts are more luxurious than the types of places I usually book for myself.
“It started out as a bed and breakfast, with just this building.” Lila gestures around like she’s giving me a tour. “But they’ve been adding cabins to their property over the last few years. You can fish on site, they offer horseback riding, and they have miles of walking trails. It’s like camping.”
I lift an eyebrow at her.
“With toilets and beds and showers, and no marmots,” she adds. “ Better than camping.”
“And here I thought I’d won you over.”
She tips her chin up. “Even you aren’t that good.”
“I’ll try not to take that personally.”
“I was doing pretty well until the ants.”
I laugh. “That was the first day.”
“Yup.”
At the front desk, a red haired woman finishes her conversation with two guests and sees them on their way before she notices us. She straightens her black plastic glasses and pushes her hair behind her ears. “Lila! I didn’t know you were dropping in today.”
“I’m just here to help Grant get settled in his cabin. Grant, this is my friend Charlie Callahan. Her family owns the lodge. She’s behind all their great ideas these last few years.”
Charlie laughs. “You should talk like this to my parents. I could use a raise.”
“Charlie, this is Grant Irwin.”
“Great to meet you, Grant. How do you two know each other?”
“We met on the Horizon Hikes trip I did.”
She doesn’t mention our supposed relationship. Does this mean we’ll only be pretending when we see her mom and ex-fiancé? Am I supposed to keep my story straight from person to person? I don’t know how any of this is supposed to work. Most of the books I read center on adventure quests, not pretend relationships .
“How did that go?” Her gaze drifts over Lila. “Wait, did you just get back today?”
“You can’t tell by how ragged I look?”
“Girlfriend, you always look good. I want to hear more about the trip. It will help me make recommendations to guests. But let’s get Grant checked in for now.” She types around on her computer. “You’re in the Archer cabin. That’s a beautiful spot.”
She slides two keycards and a map of the property toward me. “We’re here.” She circles the lodge. “The Archer is the farthest out, so you’ll take this road and wind your way up. Signs are posted everywhere, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding it. We have fresh-baked cookies in the lobby every afternoon at one. Every evening at five we have a social hour with complimentary cocktails and cocoa. Let us know if there’s any activity we can help you arrange.”
“Thanks very much.” I grab the information she provided, and Lila and I head out.
We don’t get far before she groans. “Seriously?”
She slips her hand into mine. I soak her warmth up for about two seconds before I catch on.
Josh walks through the lodge’s main entrance. A smooth smile spreads over his face when he recognizes us. “Small world.”
“Why are you here?” Lila asks.
“You always talked about this place.” His gaze drifts around the lobby. “I wanted to see it for myself.”
“Why are you in my hometown ?”
His easy laughter sounds designed to irritate. “Relax. I told you—I’m shopping.”
“For what?”
“I’m looking to acquire a start-up in Bend. I thought my presence might sway them to our terms, so—” He spreads his hands wide. “I’ll be in town as long as it takes to seal the deal.”
“Lovely.”
His smug smile is unaffected by her sarcasm.
“Let me take you two out to dinner tonight. As a sign of good will.” He looks to me for the decision, probably because he already knows Lila’s answer. “We can talk business or…whatever it is you do.”
He sizes me up like he’s trying to guess my bank account balance. I don’t have a lot of patience for guys who think they know everything about me based on how expensive my watch is. Then again, there was never much hope I would get along with Lila’s ex.
“I can’t say that I’m interested in that.” I squeeze her hand. “Are you ready?”
“More than ready.”
Josh moves to the side so we can pass him. “I’ll see you around, Lilabird.”
Once we’re out of earshot, I turn to her. “Can I ask you a question?”
She sighs. “Why did I date him?”
“I wasn’t going to be that direct.” I choose to believe she saw something beyond his looks and money—mostly because I want her to see more than that in me.
“Okay. What’s your question?”
“ Lilabird ?”
She makes a face like she might rather talk about her reasons for dating him. “Your real question is ‘Did he know?’, right? He knew. I told him I didn’t like it, but he said it hurt his feelings that I would think he was trying to make fun of me.”
“So, speaking up about a nickname that mocks your fears was you being mean to him? What’s the protocol on fake boyfriends getting into fights with real exes in your books?”
“Always hinted but rarely executed.” She knocks our clasped hands against her thigh. I think she likes the idea. “That’s just how Josh is. He’s really good at turning things around on you until he makes you question if maybe you’re the one in the wrong.”
“What else did he turn around on you?” I probably shouldn’t ask for details—I’m already tempted to go back into the lodge and make a scene.
“It’d be quicker to tell you the things he didn’t make my fault.”
The urge to protect her rears up again. Whether it’s obnoxious trailheads or insufferable exes, I want to shield her from anyone who would make her feel small. “You know it wasn’t your fault, right?”
“You don’t even know me, though. It could have been all my fault.”
I stop her by the rental car and tilt my chin down until she meets my gaze. There’s a hint of sass in her eyes, like she’s willing to argue with me for the sake of being contrary. But mostly, I see a woman who can’t shake the idea that maybe it was all her fault. “I know you well enough, princess.”
My relationship with Kelsey felt like following a to-do list—getting married seemed like the obvious conclusion.
Being with Lila feels like two magnets snapping together. It’s inevitable. Essential. I’m drawn to her heart-first, all-in.
I don’t know much about fake dating, but all I really needed to know was Lila .
She grins up at me. “Come on, mountain man. Let’s go find your fancy cabin.”