Chapter 4
Hattie
It didn't matter that I'd worked late last night at the Illuminary; I still opened my food truck in the morning in Christmas Town, hoping to catch the morning crowd. I worked a lot of early mornings and late nights. If I wanted to build my business, I needed to work long hours.
The morning was cold as I unlocked the back door of my truck. I made a new batch of hot chocolate and pulled out the toppings so that everything was accessible.
When there was a knock on the window, I opened it. "Clara."
She wore a dress with tights, boots, jacket, and knit hat. "I can't believe you are engaged to my brother, and you didn't tell me."
I wasn't ready for this conversation. I had to remember the story we'd discussed. "You know we used to be friends when we were kids, and we recently reconnected. Row wanted to keep it under wraps while he was renovating the brewery."
Clara's brow furrowed. "How did you keep it a secret?"
I poured a mug of hot chocolate for her and handed it over. "I suppose the same way you did with Beck."
Her cheeks flushed. "That was because he was my brother's best friend."
"Row didn't want it to detract from the opening of the brewery. But the reporter last night, Jane, suggested some kind of contest for one of the single ladies in town to win a brew bath with Rowan."
Clara's eyes widened. "You're kidding?"
"Rowan didn't want single women throwing themselves at him." That was a little surprising. If he'd gone along with the plan, he would have gotten more publicity. Instead, he'd disappointed women by announcing me as his fiancée.
She tilted her head to the side. "Were you okay with him keeping it a secret?"
"I understood why." I couldn't believe he'd want me to be his fake fiancée. I didn't add anything to the relationship. I wasn't rich or particularly successful.
Clara shivered. "Can I come in there? It's freezing out here."
"Of course," I said as I moved toward the door and unlocked it. I pushed it open, and she climbed inside.
She leaned a hip on the counter, grabbing a mini marshmallow and popping it into her mouth. "This is much better."
"As you can see I'm very busy—" I began sarcastically. This morning, most people were stopping at Meg and Reina's for coffee and pastries.
She hugged me. "I won't keep you long. I just wanted to welcome you to the family. I love that you're dating my brother. You know, this means we're going to be sisters."
Tears stung my eyes. I thought we were friends but didn't think she'd love that I was dating her brother. Her supportive reaction made everything worse. I was lying to her and her family. I pulled back, my chest tightening with every word. "I guess we are."
Clara rested a hand over her heart. "I just love this for Rowan. He's opening his brewery, and he found the love of his life."
I should correct her, tell her it was an accident.
That we were only engaged by crazy circumstance and that it didn't mean anything.
I wouldn't be her sister-in-law. I wasn't part of her family and never would be.
Rowan deserved someone so much better than me.
The darkness in my family permeated everything.
I wouldn't expose the Hart family to that.
But I was in too deep, and there didn't seem to be a way out.
I didn't want to go back on my agreement with Rowan.
Over the years, I'd kept myself apart from my friends, not sharing anything personal. I worried if I was close to anyone, then they'd know details about my family, and I wasn't willing to share those with anyone. I kept everything tucked away.
But Rowan had unknowingly thrust me into the public eye.
I was associated with the Harts, which would naturally bring more scrutiny, especially since he was opening the brewery soon.
I wasn't prepared for any of it. But I couldn't talk to Rowan about my concerns without telling him everything that had happened in my life since we stopped being friends.
"I had no idea you were even interested in him, much less were dating in secret. Whatever happened between you guys?"
"We grew up. It was awkward to be friends with a boy. You know how it is. You have different interests, and you grow apart."
"I remember Rowan being upset about it. He used to ask Mom why you didn't want to be friends anymore. As if he was worried that he'd done something wrong."
My heart squeezed at the idea of hurting Rowan. I hadn't wanted to. But it had been necessary at the time. "He didn't do anything wrong. I was a teenager, and I probably didn't handle it like I should have. I feel bad about it."
"When did you start seeing each other?"
My face heated. We definitely hadn't discussed specifics. Beck would remember that we ran into each other at Hart's Restaurant. Weren't lies better if they were based on truths? "I ran into Rowan at one of his tastings, and we started talking again."
Clara's eyes lit up. "Beck said something about that last night. That Rowan seemed interested in you at the time. He'd wondered if there was something there."
"Well, he was right about that." Beck thought Rowan was interested in me? We'd stopped being friends before I felt any sort of a crush for a boy. What I had with Rowan was just friendship.
Had he crushed on me when we were younger? If so, I had no idea. Maybe he was just an old friend wondering what happened between us. We were kids back then, and we hadn't talked in years. There was no way he liked me. He didn't even know me anymore. So much had changed in my life.
There were things that Rowan and the Harts would never have understood.
They never had to deal with personal tragedies or even struggle with anything.
Everything they touched turned to gold. If they opened a new business, it was immediately successful.
They were the community's golden family, and I didn't want to tarnish their reputation.
Rowan was the one who'd thrust me into this situation, and he needed to get me out of it.
Because I was lying to the one friend I'd allowed myself to have over the last few years, and I hated it.
I needed to talk to Rowan, but at the same time, I wanted to stay away from him. Every moment we spent together only enhanced the lie and made everything worse.
"I need to open the store, but I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you." She hugged me again and paused to top off her hot chocolate. She pushed open the door and looked back at me. "I still can't believe you're dating my brother. It's so crazy."
I laughed weakly, wondering how long I could keep this going.
Then she stepped out of the truck and closed the door.
I crossed the small space to lock it. I didn't feel comfortable being in the truck on early mornings and late nights without the added protection.
Security was one more reason why a storefront would be the more logical choice.
But who would buy that much hot chocolate?
The truck was the best option for now. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to work in it forever. And eventually, I could hire someone to sell for me, so I wasn't covering all the shifts. It was a dream, but I could almost believe it would come true someday.
I just needed to deal with the pesky issue of a certain Hart brother who'd thrust me into the spotlight I didn't want. I needed to get through the next few weeks, and then he'd be out of my life.
I tried not to think about how good it had felt to be in his arms last night when we were dancing. Or how protected I felt sitting next to him in the carriage with his arm over the back of my seat. He'd been so attentive, so interested in what I had to say. It was nice.
A few people stopped by for hot chocolate, commenting on the flurries that were starting to fall.
Apparently, the forecast called for accumulation later in the day.
I tried not to think about it. The cold weather was good for business, but snow made it difficult for me to get to and from work.
I didn't have a car, so I couldn't leave the truck in town.
I mixed more hot chocolate and sipped it while I waited for things to pick up.
I usually got customers before the stores opened for the day, and then, if there were moms or dads shopping with their kids, I might get a few more customers later in the morning.
Then there was the afternoon crowd, but they usually needed the caffeine pick-me-up that only coffee could provide.
Nights were the best sales times for me if I could get a gig with a winter festival or light trail.
I'd been parked next to the holiday light trail in Christmas Town most nights for the season.
Everyone worked hard at the beginning of their businesses.
I had to make this work. I didn't have a backup plan, and I wanted to make people happy.
I was just cleaning the counters with a warm rag when there was a sharp rap on my window. I frowned when I saw it was Rowan.
I opened the sliding window. "What are you doing here?"
He considered me for a second and tipped his head to the side. "Is that any way to greet your fiancé?"
I groaned because he wasn't my real fiancé, but he was just as annoying as one. "Come around to the door. I'll let you in."
He grinned as if that's what he wanted to happen. I unlocked the door and held it open for him. He stepped inside, his size dwarfing the space.
I locked the door behind him and moved as far away as I could get from him. "Your sister stopped by this morning to congratulate me."
"That was nice of her," Rowan said as he leaned a hip against the counter. His shoulders were relaxed as if he didn't have a care in the world.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "No, Rowan, it's not okay. Your sister thinks we're actually engaged."
He frowned. "Isn't that the point?"
I threw my arms in the air. "My friend, and your sister, thinks we're engaged for real. We're lying to everyone."
His brows rose. "Okay."
"I can't believe my meager acting skills are actually working."
"My family can be very nosy. If they're convinced, then we must have done a good job last night showing them that we're happy and in love."
I scowled. "We're not in love."
He grinned wider. "Relax, Hattie. It's just for a few weeks."
"I don't want to lie to your family."
He sighed, moving close to me. "I know it sucks. But it's just for a short while and for a good cause. I don't want the community focused on my love life when it needs to be focused on the brewery."
"I want to help you." I felt guilty for how I'd dropped him as a friend all those years ago.
He reached over to brush a stray strand of hair off my forehead. "I won't let there be any blowback on you."
The brush of his fingers sent tingles down my spine. But I knew that any blowback wouldn't come back on him. It would be on the girl from the troubled family. The one that couldn't seem to stay out of small-town gossip.
The skin around his eyes crinkled. "If for some reason Clara finds out the truth, I'll tell her it was my fault. It was all my idea after all."
I sighed heavily. "I hope you're right. I don't want to lose our friendship."
"I won't let that happen." He stood in front of me, blocking the window and the rest of the space. All I could see was him, and the scent of pine and beer permeated the truck.
I tried to move around him, and he shifted to let me pass.
"Do you want a hot chocolate before you head to work?"
"I have a few minutes, and I figured we should give anyone who's walking around town a show. We should greet each other like an engaged couple.
I popped my hip. "And how does an engaged couple greet each other?"
He grinned wolfishly and placed a hand on my hip.
I was woefully unprepared for his head to dip and his mouth to land on mine. I sucked in a breath, which allowed his tongue to slip between my lips.
His hand gripped my hip, pulling me against his body. I had no choice but to rest my palm on his chest, over his heart. He was warm underneath my touch and hard all over. His leg slipped between mine, and I whimpered into his mouth.
What was happening? Was this how engaged couples greeted each other? It certainly was not how I was expecting to be greeted by Rowan ever. And it was lighting something up inside me that I hadn't known existed. The part of me that I'd pushed down deep when I was a teenager.
My needs, my desires, were irrelevant when you had a father who was going through something. Our family rode his ups and downs, the promises and lies. But this right here was for me.
My fingers curled in the flannel of his shirt, and I leaned against him as if I couldn't hold myself upright any longer. I wanted to move over his hard thigh, but that would be out of bounds. I wasn't supposed to want my fake fiancé.
He eased back slowly, finishing with soft kisses, and then pulled away as if he couldn't quite believe what just happened. "That was—"
"Completely unnecessary." There was another rap on the window, and I stepped back as if someone had dumped cold water on me.
My face was burning hot, and my fingers were tingling. My nose was filled with the scent of Rowan, and I couldn't get the press of his body out of my mind. I opened the window. "How can I help you?"
Wynter, the local photographer, stood there with a knowing smile on her face. "I hate to interrupt, but I'd love a hot chocolate. I just have to have one when it's snowing."
I smiled. "Of course. Would you like the special flavor today? I made gingerbread."
"I'd love gingerbread. Do you have those candy-cane shavings too?"
"Of course. Coming right up." I moved around the truck, hyper aware that Rowan still stood inside, just out of site of the window. I'd closed it to keep the cold out. "What are you still doing here?"
"I'm watching you work."
I gave him an exasperated look. "I pour hot chocolate. It's hardly rocket science."
I added whipped cream and candy-cane shavings and sprinkled nutmeg on top. Then I added a cover before moving back to the window. I handed Wynter the cup.
When she was gone, I sighed and looked over at Rowan. "You can't hang out in my truck all day."
He smiled as if he knew how much his presence affected me. "I'll stop by later to make sure you can get out with the snow forecasted."
"You don't need to."
He moved away from me and unlocked the door. "I'll be here."
I touched my still tingling lips. That kiss had been something else.
How was I supposed to remember this thing between us was fake when he kissed me like that?