Page 9

After a quick ten-minute drive through the back country roads, we reach Main Street.

It runs right through the center of downtown Pine Falls, past the grocery store, bank, a coffee shop, and a few restaurants.

Add to that a gas station on the far end of the block and a flower shop on the other and you’ve got Pine Falls in a nutshell.

I pull into the alley between the bank and gas station and veer right into the parking lot.

Tucked back in the corner off Main Street, The Italian Place is a hidden gem known mostly by locals—one of the well-known secrets we keep from the out-of-towners who migrate north all summer long on the weekends.

I hold the front door open, savoring the blend of basil, sage, and rosemary that wafts out of it.

“After you, my precious, the queen of my heart and sole reason for my being,” I croon.

“Yeah, yeah. Tone it down there, Casanova.” I don’t miss her eye roll and huff of a smirk.

“Two, please,” I tell the hostess, discreetly doing a quick perimeter check to make sure nobody in my family is here. “And we wouldn’t object to a cozy, dimly lit corner booth.”

“Right this way.”

As I follow closely behind Naomi, a myriad of questions hit me at once.

Should I hold her hand? Slide my arm around her shoulders?

I feel like maybe I should, to really solidify our image.

However, given the half-annoyed look on her face, she could very well straight up punch me if I tried that right now.

I opt for keeping my hands in my pockets until we arrive at a booth that’s nestled along the back wall of the restaurant.

She slides two menus in front of us and gives us the name of our server before turning to leave.

I wait politely for her to be out of earshot before broaching the subject right away.

“Alright, let’s get into it.” I slide my palms together.

“Already? Jeez, you don’t want to wine and dine me first? Loosen me up to see what I agree to?” she teases.

“Nah. You’re too much of a lightweight anyway.

Okay, first things first.” I tap both palms atop the table and lean in slightly.

“We should probably talk about ground rules for this whole relationship thing—so it looks smooth and effortless, right? We need to be on the same page as far as expectations go, otherwise it won’t be believable.

These people already know us too well to begin with, so we need a solid plan. ”

“That’s probably a good idea. This was your brilliant idea…you start.”

“That’s fair. So, we probably need to, say, hold hands occasionally.” I smirk at the look on her face. “Without looking like it physically pains you to do so.”

“Sorry.” She shakes her head as if to clear her mind. “This is just weird.”

“Which part of it?”

“All of it.” She points a finger at me. “I mean, you’re Robbie. One of my best friends.”

“So?” I shrug.

“I mean, this is kind of ridiculous, don’t you think? Why do we need to pretend to be in a relationship in order to do this?”

“Well, I hate to remind you, but your dad already thinks we’re dating—my bad on that one. You can blame my big mouth.”

“You know, maybe I’m fine staying a people pleaser. I’ve survived this long as one. There are worse things to be, right?”

“Oh, no, no. You should have thought of that before you jumped on the couch to wake me up that morning. You asked for my help, and now I’m committed.

I thought about this the whole flight home.

” Brainstorming on the plane was surprisingly enjoyable.

It served to be a good distraction from the negative cloud that always hovers when I’m on my way home.

“Oh my gosh. What are our friends going to say?” She gasps in horror as if it’s the first time she’s thought about it. Her hands fly to cover her mouth, and her eyes go wide.

“They’ll be fine. I’ll just tell them I’ve had a crush on you since high school.

” To be honest, I haven’t given much thought to our friends either.

I’m hoping they’ll just be stoked that I’m home more often as a result of this whole thing and not read too much into it.

They’re the very least of my worries at the moment.

“Hello. What can I get you two to drink?” our waitress asks with a smile.

“I’ll have a glass of red wine, please,” Naomi says.

“And I’ll have a scotch on the rocks.” Again, I wait for her to leave before turning my attention back to Naomi.

“Alright, what else? I should probably plan to come into your office frequently so we can get some good interactions with your dad. Obviously, we can go to your parents’ dinner if and when that becomes a real thing.

And we should definitely go on a few dates like this to really solidify the look for everyone else.

“Okay.” She nods slowly, taking it all in.

“Oh, and don’t think I didn’t come up with some practice sessions for us to do together to build up your confidence level. I’m fully committed to this.”

“You've got this all figured out, don’t you?”

I nod. “Yup. So, we said yes to occasional hand holding. I’m assuming that also includes some light touching of the back, especially as we walk—arms-around-the-shoulders kind of thing. What about kissing?”

She blanches. “Absolutely not. I don’t see how that would be necessary.”

I can’t help but snort. “I mean, that would leave no doubt in everyone’s mind if we kissed in public—even just a peck on the lips?”

“Nope.”

“You look like you’re about to throw up,” I point out.

“I might,” she retorts back. “How about we just play that one by ear?”

“Fine.” Not that I’ve ever given much thought to kissing Naomi, but I’m realizing that I don’t entirely hate the idea of kissing her.

Imagining it is definitely less repulsive then, say, kissing any of my other friends.

“Now, I wanted to ask you about me staying on your couch. I realize the whole point of this charade is to get you comfortable saying no to the leeches in your life. I’m a leech to you, aren’t I? ”

She relaxes back into the booth and smirks. “Like I said before, I really don’t mind you staying with me. How about you do your best to contain your mess this time?”

“Done,” I promise. “See? Boundaries. This is good. What else?”

“Hmm. No coming in at crazy hours?”

“Absolutely. Besides, I’m in a blissful relationship. I shouldn’t be out on the town at all hours of the night anyway.”

“Maybe you could keep your stuff in my office so it’s not out in the open?”

“I can do that.”

“Perfect. Then I’m good with you staying. Truly.”

“Sounds good.” I take a sip of my scotch and hit her with another look. “Now let’s discuss your personal goals for Operation Make Naomi a Boss .”