Chapter 7 #2
The Ednas both point their fingers at her as if they’re telling her something important they want her to remember. She nods, all the while pulling Landrie’s arm to get away from them. I grin as I watch her escape attempt.
“I recognize that look in your eyes,” Sadie smirks, following my gaze.
“What look?”
“Like you just found your next conquest.”
“Ari’s not a conquest.”
“Oh, yeah? What is she, then?”
That’s the loaded question I’ve asked myself ever since we were teenagers.
She’s not like other girls to me. She’s more.
But I shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. “A coworker. A friend.”
“Ha! Until you pursue her, date her, and drop her like every other girl around here. There’s a graveyard of women who wouldn’t call you a friend anymore.”
My expression sours. “There is not.”
“Okay.”
I’m not a fan of the sarcastic tone in my sister’s voice, but I don’t have time to respond before Ari and Landrie are upon us.
“Ah, Ari!” Sadie says with an enthusiastic smile. “Wade and I were just talking about you.”
“Really?” Her brows hike a little. “I hope good things.”
“I was just telling Wade—”
“How happy she is that you moved back to Autumn Ridge,” I cut in before my sister says something that I have to do damage control on.
Ari’s shoulders lift. “Yeah, I wasn’t planning on coming back home, but I guess it’s good to be here.”
“See?” I grin back at her. “This place is already rubbing off on you.”
“Hardly.”
“Sadie, I wanted to talk about my wedding cake with you. We had someone in Burlington scheduled to make it, but now I’m considering Keller’s Bakehouse.” Landrie points to Barb Langford. “Do you mind if we go chat with my mom for a second?”
“Sure, I’d love to.”
As they walk away, Ari turns to me. “Wade Stevenson at church. I never thought I’d see the day.”
“You’ve been gone a long time. It’s you I never thought I’d see here.”
“Yeah, well, I guess we’re both full of surprises. And talk about an entrance.”
“I like to make a big scene. Announce my presence.”
“I noticed.”
“Besides, church is a safe place. Lisa and Ashtyn Ellis don’t attend.”
“Not surprising, I guess.”
“So, I Googled that name you called me, Mary Kay Letourneau—tough name to spell. Anyway, I’m officially offended by that reference.”
“Why?” One brow lifts in the cutest way.
“I’m no Mary Kay who has an affair with one of my students. And did you know there’s a Netflix movie about her? I watched it last night. With all this new information, I’m freaking out about my situation.”
“As you should be.”
“I have a plan.”
“I thought we already came up with a plan.”
“You’re right. We did.”
“I did.”
I love how invested she is.
“Whatever. The plan was that I needed a girlfriend. But I thought about it, and it can’t just be any girlfriend; it needs to be someone that Ashtyn sees me with, or else it won’t work. It needs to be someone at the school.”
“Please, don’t tell me you started dating Mrs. Albany over the weekend.”
“The secretary?” My lips twist. “Ew. No. But I did come up with the perfect person.”
“And who would that be?”
I roll my hand out in front of her. “You!”
Ari’s face scrunches in disgust, and she turns to leave.
Not the response I’d hoped for.
When she suggested I get a girlfriend, she was the only woman who came to mind—the only person I trust with this mess.
Plus, I want to spend time with her, but I don’t want all the hassle of being in a relationship.
It’s just not how I’m built. This little fake romance solves everything from Ashtyn Ellis to my desire to hang out with Ari without all the pressure. It’s a win-win.
I grab her arm so she can’t leave and make her face me.
“Wade, I am not dating you.”
“First of all, you sure know how to make a man feel good. Second of all, you don’t have to date me for real. You can be my fake girlfriend. Just the ruse we use at school to get Ashtyn off my back.”
It’s all the benefits of dating without the commitment.
“Your fake girlfriend?” Her eyes pin me. “Wade, this isn’t a 2000s rom-com.”
“You’re right. It’s much more serious than that. This is a criminal felony.”
“It’s your criminal felony. Not mine. I’m not lying for you. Leave me out of it.” She spins and begins walking away.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I chase after her. “We’re not lying. We’re deceiving Ashtyn. Like you said in your English class last week, deception is a powerful tool that can shape what people believe about us, and I want Ashtyn to believe I’m interested in someone else.”
“Are you seriously quoting me back to me?”
“It was a great lesson. I don’t think you understand what a good teacher you are.”
“We’re not living The Great Gatsby, and I didn’t tell you to get a fake girlfriend.
I told you to get a real one. There has to be another option.
” She stops in front of her car and scans the church parking lot.
Her eyes pause on Mayor Monroe, laughing boisterously with Sharon Price.
“Wow, look at the mayor. Friday it was Lisa Ellis. Today it’s Sharon Price.
He really gets around, doesn’t he?” She smiles over at me. “Almost as much as you do.”
“I don’t get around.”
“Okay, then, name someone in this town you don’t already have a dating history with.”
My smile pushes wide with cockiness. “Just you, baby.”
“Oh my gosh!” Dramatically, Ari swings open her car door and plops down on the seat. “On second thought, you might deserve prison time after all.”
“Don’t be rude.” I hold the car door open so she can’t close it. “There are benefits to being my fake girlfriend.”
“If you say you’re a great kisser or something cheesy like that, I swear I’ll deck you.”
“No, the benefits would be that your mom would be happy.”
“I think you’re overestimating how much my mom likes you.”
“Ouch. I always thought Barb and I had a great relationship.”
“Tell my mom to get a ride home with Landrie.”
Ari pulls on the door, causing me to quickly add, “Wait, your mom would be happy because she’s trying to find you a husband, right?”
“I don’t need a fake boyfriend to get my mom off my back. Unlike you, I know how to have an adult conversation and set boundaries with the people in my life.”
“I know how to have adult conversations. I just don’t like to.”
“Goodbye, Wade.” She yanks the handle even harder, forcing me to let go.
“Just think about it and get back to me,” I say as the door slams shut.
I can’t help but smile as Ari backs her car out and pulls away.
I’ll wear her down.