Chapter 7 #2
Lydia sat across from Ty at one of the small tables close to the pretty fountains in the park, trying to feel as relaxed as he appeared to be. She took a bite of her massive cheeseburger as Ty bit into his.
“Mmm. This is really good,” he said around his mouthful.
She nodded, putting her hand in front of her mouth as she chewed, pleased that they’d grabbed one of the last tables with an umbrella as the lunchtime crowd stood in a long line at the truck. “They’re my favorite.”
“It’s not hard to see why.” He picked up his large paper cup as he swallowed his bite, taking a drink of the thick, chocolaty shake that he’d ordered. “What’s the seasoning they use on it?”
She shrugged as the warm breeze played with her hair. “I’m not sure, but it’s great.”
“Agreed.”
She snagged a waffle fry, studying his striking face and sexy muscles, still trying to get used to the fact that he was supposed to be her boyfriend. “So, where are your favorite places to eat in DC?”
“It’s hard to pick. I have several.” He went after his burger again.
“I imagine you don’t eat a lot of cheeseburgers in the park when you’re back home.”
He shook his head. “I’ve never eaten a cheeseburger in the park in DC.”
She smiled as he did. “So, what’s your real life like?”
He shrugged. “This is my real life.”
She frowned as she grabbed another fry from their basket, dipping it in the little cup of ketchup. “Nothing about this is real. Everything about this is smoke and mirrors.”
He jerked his shoulders again. “I’m authentic when I can be. With you, that’s pretty easy. I don’t need to keep my guard up because you’re not the scum of the earth.”
“But it’s still pretend.”
“I guess.”
Her frown was back. “We’re having lunch at the park. We’re conversing over a meal. For all intents and purposes, this should be a date.”
“It is a date.” He popped a fry into his mouth.
“But it’s not. This is an exercise in becoming familiar with one another so we can pull off an illusion.”
He shook his head as he wiped his fingers on one of the paper napkins. “Mutual respect and friendship aren’t an illusion.”
“So, that’s what we’re aiming for, then? Friendship?”
He nodded as he grabbed another fry. “It’ll certainly make things easier for both of us.”
She held his gaze, trying to figure out how all of this left him so unaffected. “You make it seem like this is so easy. Like what we’re doing is normal. It’s anything but. We’re strangers who are supposed to be boyfriend and girlfriend.”
He picked up his shake, then set it back down without taking a drink. “If I’m being honest, I’ve never done an op quite like this one before. The whole relationship piece is pretty different.”
“So, you’ve never fake-dated anyone before?”
He shook his head as he chuckled. “This is definitely a first.”
She couldn’t help but grin. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”
Chuckling again, he shook his head as he shrugged. “I’ve asked myself that more than a few times. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a playbook for our current scenario. They definitely didn’t teach me anything about this in undercover school.”
She smiled again.
He picked up his shake, taking a drink this time. “I guess we’ll have to navigate our way through all of this together. Figure it out as we go.”
Somehow, the idea made her feel a little better—like she and Ty were on a somewhat level playing field. Or at least when it came to this fake relationship business. “I guess so.”
He took another bite of his burger, then set it back down, chewing and swallowing. “I know we’re making this up as we go, but I really think we need to make sure we’re spending time together just about every day.”
She winced as she thought back to the disaster in her classroom. Introducing Ty to Camille hadn’t gone well. “This morning wasn’t great. I sort of froze.”
He nodded. “All of this is still new. We’ll find our rhythm.”
“I hope so.”
“We will.”
She nodded, needing to believe him, even when she wasn’t so sure.
“Do you want to grab dinner later?”
She wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. “I don’t want to eat out again.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
“But you could—you could come over if you want. We can make something at my house.” She didn’t love the idea even as she said it, but she’d made a mess of things earlier today.
The last thing she wanted was for Ty and the FBI to change their minds and find a different way to investigate Uncle James and Will.
She couldn’t protect her family if she wasn’t included.
She needed Ty to understand that she was trying to cooperate—that she was truly all in.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Is there anything you don’t like to eat?”
He shook his head. “I’m pretty easy to feed. I’m not into chicken feet or anything weird like that, but otherwise, I’m not picky.”
She laughed. “You’re safe with the chicken feet.”
He grinned as he grabbed another fry. “What time do you want me to head over?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure because I don’t have a lot in the fridge. I usually grocery shop on Saturdays.”
“I know.”
She rolled her eyes, unable to stop another smile as he pointed out her predictable schedule again. “I have a couple of quick errands to run. Then I need to go to the gym and get my laps in. I’ll go to the store after that.”
“How about you run your errands and go to the gym, and I can head to the store?”
She paused as she picked up her cheeseburger. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I already got my workout in, so my day’s pretty clear. Are you into salmon and vegetables?”
“I am.”
“Then I’ll grab us some of that.”
“That would be great. I should be finished right around five.”
“I guess I’ll see you right around five, then.”
She nodded, still unsure about this entire thing. But if she wanted some semblance of control over what happened, she needed to do her part.