Chapter 4 #3
I nodded slowly. “Ah, I see. And my name came to mind because you’d just been talking about me.
” I looked around the cab of the truck, gathering my thoughts.
“Okay, well. I mean, we can’t disappoint her.
I’m only here for a month, so we already have an exit strategy.
Bring me to meet her on a day Vicky is at work.
We can pretend for a week or so, then say we decided not to do the long-distance thing. ”
“Ren, are you serious? You would do that?” His dark, thick brows rising and that killer smile beginning to blossom again. There was an undeniable attraction in his eyes as he scanned my face.
My thoughts confirmed, I feared this little charade could be awkward.
He was very sweet, as evidenced by the care and love he had for his grandmother, but beyond admiration, the attraction wasn’t mutual.
Well, there was a slight attraction, but no sparks.
I was still foolishly dreaming of finding sparks one day.
“Of course. I mean, I hate lying. I’m not perfect, but I try to be honest. But as long as we don’t go overboard or do anything outrageous, we can sell her on the idea that you’ve met someone.
I’m guessing you’ve already thought about how she will react to us ending things.
I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. ”
He shook his head, making a rogue lock of hair fall across his forehead.
“No, I’d never do anything to hurt her. I hadn’t thought this through, I’ll admit, but your idea has merit.
She will be happy for a week or so, but she will understand it could never work.
I’m sure she’ll be fine. It buys me a little time.
” His growing frown and vacant eyes made me feel like he really might not be convinced this was the right thing to do.
“Well, you think about it some more and let me know. But will we need to explain how we met? Did you explain why I’m in the US? Also, do you see her often?”
“Yes, I see her at least twice a week, so blurting out your name and announcing that suddenly I have a girlfriend took some explaining. I’ll tell her about you and Vicky being friends, and that’s mostly why you’re visiting.
Maybe I can say we’re exploring what our feelings are while you’re here.
And I don’t like lying either, but I did tell her the truth about how we met,” he said, suddenly sheepish.
“I’m not following. Truth about what?” I asked, my hands going up in question. I used them a lot when I was communicating, so he’d have to get used to it if we were going to be friends.
“I, um, told her I met you by video call, just like it happened, and that you had rendered me breathless. I skated around the details of us since then, and that I was picking you up from the airport tonight.”
I tilted my head and frowned. “Breathless?”
“Well, yes. I mean, you’re a beautiful woman, Ren. You were fun to talk to on the phone. So, yeah. I just need to build a believable story from there.”
“We talked for about a minute, Mike,” I said, my eyebrows lifting.
He stared into my eyes and shrugged. “It was enough.”
Whoa. That was not what I thought he was going to say. “I’m flattered, but you know that this will just be for her benefit, right?”
He held up his hands like he was surrendering. “Yes, yes, of course. I’m just trying to justify my little white lie to help this crazy scheme I’ve gotten us both into.”
“Oh, okay. And hey, who knows? Maybe this little stunt will get you to rethink looking for that special someone for real?”
His smile vanished. “Yes, sure, um, you might be right. I can’t thank you enough for this.” He reached for his door handle. “I’m sure you’re exhausted. Let’s get you settled, and in a few days, I’ll reach out to make a plan. And if you don’t mind, let me tell the group?”
I knew he meant Vicky’s friend group, so I nodded.
Suddenly, just mentioning the fatigue, I could feel myself drifting towards sleep.
“Sure, I get that. Good luck with that. Vicky is going to lose it. I know she and I will at least text tonight, so I won’t say anything, but all bets are off after tomorrow.
She has a way of knowing when something is up with me.
” I snorted at the thought of what she was going to say and let him help me out of the truck.
“And you’re very welcome. I don’t know about all this, but if it makes your grandmother happy for a few days, I’m happy to help. I’ll wait for your text.”
As we got my luggage inside the cottage, using the keypad to open the door, he lingered for a moment at the front door when he turned to leave. Then he swung back around to face me, making me step back.
“You’re a very special woman to do this for me. For her. Thank you again. Good night, Renata.”
Suddenly, jetlag seemed to bleed out from me, something akin to fluttering taking its place inside my body as my full name left his lips. As I closed and locked the door, I leaned against it. His words affected me more than I could have imagined.
“Well, that was odd.”
I could hear my mother’s shrill voice above the fluttering inside me, competing with the ocean waves in the background. “Never let a man make you do anything with your life you don’t want to do.”
The problem was that something in me did want to help Mike, even though it made no sense. I rolled my suitcase down the hall until I found the bedroom, turning on lights as I went, my thoughts in an uproar.
What in the world had I just gotten myself into?