Page 6 of Unbroken (Poplar Springs #2)

FOUR

FIONA

I stared at Eli with open-mouthed shock. He’d stomped off to stand beneath the shade of a poplar tree, out of earshot of the few people passing by on the sidewalk, and I slowly followed after him.

“… What? I thought you’d appreciate it!” My heart pounded at his unexpected reaction.

One look at Eli’s scrunched-up face made it clear he wasn’t even close to happy that I’d helped him save face in front of his ex.

“You’ve been back for less than two days and you’ve already managed to complicate everything , Fiona!

” He started pacing, bumping up his hat to rub his hand along his forehead.

“When it gets out that you lied about being with me, this whole damn town is going to think the only way I can get a woman is to make up a relationship. And that I did it because I’m not over her yet. ”

“Eli, no … no one will think that.” I was tempted to get closer to him, to reach out and try to comfort him, but it looked like that was the last thing he wanted from me .

“You have no idea how bad it got for me after the divorce. The way everyone looked at me as if I was some sort of sad sack loser.” He clenched his hands into fists and glowered at the thought of it.

“I just got rid of the last pity casserole from my freezer. Once this gets out, it’ll all start up again. ”

There was humiliation and pain in his eyes, and it made my heart hurt. I’d really screwed things up this time by acting without knowing the whole story.

No, not just this time … I’d screwed things up again . Just like in Denver. My last mistake was the reason why I was back at the ranch and not sitting behind a desk, enjoying the promotion I’d earned.

My job had fallen apart so fast, and I hadn’t been given the chance to explain, to make it right. I wouldn’t let that happen here. This was my chance to prove to myself that I didn’t set fire to everything I touched.

I took a deep breath, then engaged my big mouth before I could talk myself out of it.

“There’s an easy fix for this. We simply have to pretend date.

A fake relationship. I’ll go to the wedding with you, and we can fake date for a few more weeks afterwards, then we can end things however you want.

We can make it public, too. That way you can frame it however you want so that no one would dream of pitying you. ”

Eli rolled his eyes and shook his head. “That sounds like a terrible idea. It’s ridiculous.

No, the best way to deal with this is to tell the truth.

I’ll call Charlotte and say it was all your idea and you were joking.

” He paused. “I hope it’s not too late. She was probably calling her friends to tell them as she walked away. ”

I considered it and frowned. “Probably. And if she hasn’t yet, she definitely will after you talk to her. What story do you want her to spread? That you are totally over her and have a gorgeous new girlfriend? Or that you’re alone and making up stories to cover it up? ”

“But I’m not the one who opened their big mouth,” Eli tried to argue.

Ouch.

“Sure, but how do you think she’ll tell it?”

Eli crossed his arms and stared off into the distance as if rehearsing the conversation he’d have with his ex. The furrow between his brows deepened as he realized I was right.

“Shaping public opinion is my job, Eli,” I said.

My cheeks went hot when I realized that it used to be my job.

“ Was my job. Either way. If you want people to think you’ve moved on, then let’s fake it until they do.

We’ll agree to the rules beforehand. We’ll plan everything out.

And we’ll make it look good , so that no one doubts that you’ve moved on.

” I gave him a half grin. “You know I’m a great actress. Remember?”

Eli paused, then the corner of his mouth kicked up. “The campaign posters?”

“Yeah, the posters. I’ll never forget your catchphrase: ‘Fiona Forever.’ Sounded like a porno.” He laughed and I lifted my chin triumphantly. “No one believed me when I said it was you, because you had everyone fooled with your good student act. I had to pull out the big guns.”

“Big guns? You went to Principal Thompson and cried all those crocodile tears about how embarrassing it was,” he said, shaking his head.

“They weren’t crocodile tears. Not entirely,” I answered. “I was crying because I was so mad at you. It was a phenomenal prank, and I wished that I’d thought of it to try on you .”

We went silent and stared at each other.

“You made high school hell for me, Fiona Cafferty. You know that?”

The small smile he’d finally cracked said otherwise .

“Same,” I said, cocking my head at Eli and leaving out the part about how he was also a highlight. “Anyway, back to business. Are you in for this fake dating thing or what?”

Eli paced in a circle as he seemed to consider it, then stopped and met my gaze with a determined look.

“Sounds like I don’t really have a choice.”

“Perfect! Now, let’s get to planning. Walk me back to the garage while we figure some stuff out.”

Eli fell in step beside me. I realized that it was the first time that we were going to be on the same team.

We’d spent so much of our youth going head-to-head, but now we were united for a shared goal.

And we actually seemed to be working well together.

By the time we got back to the garage, I felt reasonably confident that we could pull it off …

provided Eli didn’t get a sudden bout of honesty.

I turned to him. “Thanks again for driving me to town. You can head back now.”

“I’m curious to hear the final verdict from the mechanic,” Eli replied. “I’ll wait.”

I felt a spot of warmth spread in my chest when he said it. The move felt … protective. Like he cared about my wellbeing.

“Okay, I’ll be right out.”

Three minutes later, Eli walked inside to join us, looking concerned. “I could hear the yelling from the street,” he said. “What’s going on here?”

“He changed my transmission fluid,” I said to Eli. “He didn’t tell me he was doing it, and it cost two hundred dollars! ”

The guy had started out pompous and condescending, but now that he’d realized I wasn’t the easy mark he’d taken me for, he’d started looking angry. “Your car needed it. I did you a favor! And you signed the paperwork authorizing work.”

Eli walked over, took the invoice from my hands and scanned it.

“Says here her mileage is at forty-five thousand. Transmission fluid change isn’t necessary until eighty.

And at the bottom it says that you will call for approval on all work prior to beginning it.

You didn’t do that, which voids her signature. ”

“Oh, come on. You think you’re a mechanic or something?” The guy puffed up his chest like he was ready for a fight.

“Nope, I’m just someone who reads contracts and follows instructions, unlike you,” Eli said evenly. “She’s not paying for that.”

“Well, I’m not releasing the car until she pays me what she owes me.”

Faster than I could respond to tell him that was theft, Eli pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, putting his call on speaker as it began to ring. “Sheriff Thorne.”

The mechanic began waving his arms rapidly. The sudden look of panic on his face would have made me smile if I still wasn’t so angry with him.

“Hey, Brian. Looks like I hit the wrong contact. My apologies for disturbing you,” Eli said. I had to put my hand over my mouth to cover the grin that I could no longer hold back.

“Eli! Good to hear from you. We need to get together soon. I want a rematch at 9-ball.”

“That sounds great.”

When he got off the phone, the mechanic sighed in relief. “Fine. I’ll take that transmission fluid change charge off. But everything else stays!”

Eli scanned the invoice again before giving him a single nod. “Of course.” He glanced my way, giving me a quick wink. “You good now?”

It had been a long time since someone had stepped up for me like that. I was used to being independent, and I liked it, but I couldn’t deny the appeal of someone else looking out for me. It felt amazing.

It was also sexy as hell and so was Eli.

“Yeah, I’m good. Thank you, Eli.”

I took the opportunity to put our charade into practice. I strode over to Eli, took the invoice from his hand, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Thanks for everything, hon,”—which I meant, at least the “thanks” part. “See you back at the ranch.”

The look of shock on his face lingered, and I widened my eyes at him encouragingly.

“Right, yeah. No problem … babe.” He said the word so woodenly that I almost laughed.

The fake dating charade wasn’t going to be easy, but as I watched him walk away in his form-fitting Wranglers, I realized that it sure was going to be interesting .