Page 13 of The Hookup Situation (Billionaire Situation #5)
“Okay,” he says, grabbing a cart. “Teach me your ways.”
“Oh, this is easy. You push the cart. That’s what hot boyfriends do.”
“Noted,” he says. “And then?”
“And then they tell their girlfriends to buy whatever they want.”
He smirks, moving close to me. “Buy whatever you want, sweetheart.”
The way his voice lowers, along with the pet name, causes a shiver to run up my spine.
“Okay, that was good. ”
He turns the cart and crashes the corner into an apple display, causing three to roll across the floor.
“So smooth,” I say, helping him chase them down. “Relax. No pressure.”
“Right. No pressure.”
He takes a breath, and I slide in beside him. He wraps his arm around me as we walk side by side, both of us keeping one hand on the cart. We look like an inseparable couple.
“You know, Craig used to criticize all my food choices and insist on organic everything while complaining about the prices.”
“What a dick.”
We move through the produce section, and I load the cart with different fruits and vegetables I enjoy. Nick listens like I’m sharing secrets, asking questions about why I choose one apple variety over another. It’s oddly intimate.
In the cereal aisle, I reach for Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and he gasps.
“That’s pure sugar.”
“That’s pure joy, you mean.” I toss it in the cart with a thud. “What do you usually eat for breakfast?”
“Protein shake or eggs.”
“That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“It’s efficient. I was on a super-strict training schedule for years of my life. Some habits die hard.”
“Sounds depressing,” I say. “We’re fixing your breakfast situation immediately.”
“We?”
The word hangs between us.
“Yeah,” I clarify. “Can’t have my boyfriend eating a sad-to-be-alive breakfast every morning. And what if you get hungry late at night? Cereal is always the solution.”
He chuckles.
We’re standing too close in the aisle, as Mrs. Lutcher—one of the librarians—takes photos of us with her phone .
“We should eventually practice PDA,” I say. “Small stuff. It can’t look forced.”
He steps closer, his hand coming to rest on my lower back. It’s barely a touch, but I feel it everywhere. I enjoy the heat of his palm through my shirt and how my body automatically leans into him.
“Like this?”
“Yeah.” My voice comes out breathy.
“And this?” His other hand tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, fingers lingering against my cheek, giving me a smile.
“That’s … that’s really good.”
“Julie?”
“Hmm?”
“At least five people are watching us.”
“I know,” I say with a grin.
We have an audience, pretending to be fascinated by pasta sauce and canned vegetables.
“Should we give them something to talk about?” I ask.
“What do you have in mind?”
Instead of answering, I rise up on my toes and kiss his cheek, letting my lips linger just a second longer than necessary. He smells like expensive cologne and coffee, and I have to resist the urge to capture his lips again.
“Perfect,” he mutters, and I’m not sure if he means my performance or something else.
We finish shopping, the cart full of a variety of foods from healthy to horrible. At checkout, Linda, the cashier, gives me a smile.
“You two are adorable together,” she says. “About time you found someone who matches you, Julie.”
“Thank you.” I try not to blush as Nick loads the bags.
“He’s a keeper,” she whispers. “Any man who lets you pick the cereal is marriage material.”
Nick chuckles, slipping his arm around my waist. “She’s the keeper. ”
The drive back to his cabin is comfortable, filled with easy conversation about nothing important. I help him unload the bags and put everything away.
“This place needs some life,” I say, arranging the fruit in a bowl.
“It’s a rental.”
“Still, you’re here for over a month. Might as well try to make it feel like home.”
His smile slightly fades. “I haven’t been anywhere that feels like home since I moved out of my mom’s house when I was eighteen.”
This hurts my heart. “Why?”
He shrugs. “I’m not sure. Maybe because I haven’t been happy in a long time. Nothing has ever felt permanent.”
“Are you happy now?”
“I’m working on it,” he admits.
“Well, if I were staying here, I’d have already hung string lights and bought a stack of fun throw pillows.”
He’s smiling at me in a way that makes me forget everything. “Tomorrow, I made reservations to do sunrise yoga in the square.”
“You’re joking. I love yoga.”
“Autumn told me.” Nick licks his lips. “Fake boyfriends love doing yoga with their girlfriends. It’s a very coupley thing to do.”
I laugh. “Fine. But it’s going to be hard. You have to promise not to complain the entire time.”
“Are you kidding me? My stamina … unheard of. I can do planks for hours ,” he says.
“I look forward to it,” I tell him as we load into the Range Rover and he drives me home.
After parking on the street, Nick walks me to my condo, and there’s a moment where we both pause. In a real relationship, this would be when he kisses me goodbye. The air between us crackles with that knowledge.
“Thanks for today,” he says instead.
I unlock the door but hesitate. “See you at dawn.”
“It’ll be fun. ”
“That’s what you’re saying now. The instructor, Jessie, is a beast.”
He leans forward and gives me a tight hug. I walk inside and look in the peephole, watching him walk away. He’s grinning, and so am I.
I move to my kitchen, needing water because I feel parched.
Autumn
Saw the grocery store pics. You two are ADORABLE.
Blaire
Linda says he called you a keeper!!!
Autumn
WHAT?! Details. Now.
Julie
Holy shit. I just got home. How did you know any of this happened?
I move to my couch and turn on the TV.
Blaire
Fairy Godmothers are camped out all over Cozy Creek, trying to get a peek of you two.
She sends a photo of Nick’s hand on my back, and me looking up at him with what can only be described as heart eyes.
Julie
Please tell me that picture wasn’t sent to the entire book club chat.
Autumn
I really need to join book club again.
Blaire
It was. It’s like a live action feed of what’s going on with you two.
Julie
We are JUST friends!
Autumn
Friends who look at each other like they’re starving and at a buffet.
Julie
Okay, but he is hot! What do you expect?
Blaire
I want a hot man for autumn. WTF?! I’m so jealous! I’m going to die alone with my cat!
Autumn
No, you’re not. It’s just a matter of time.
Julie
IT ISN’T REAL!
My phone vibrates with another text.
Craig
Really? Already parading him around town? I thought you had more respect for yourself.
My heart immediately races when I see it’s Craig. It’s not a welcoming feeling. I take a screenshot and send it to my bestie chat but refuse to respond to him. I’m not letting him ruin this … whatever this is.
Autumn
Wow, he’s jealous!
Blaire
He should be.
Another text comes through.
Nick
Thanks for today.
He sends me a picture of an oversized bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Nick
Girl dinner.
Julie
Happy for you.
Nick
Happy for us.
I set my phone down and head to my bedroom, already planning what I’ll wear in the morning for our yoga session.
I pull out a sports bra and some sexy leggings with cutouts on the thighs.
For the rest of the night, I’m going to let myself enjoy the flutter in my stomach when I think about his hand on my back, the way he said, “She’s the keeper,” and how he listened to me talk about apples and cereal like it mattered.
I shouldn’t be enjoying myself this much with him, but I am. And I don’t give a single damn about it. Neither does he.