“Oh, that’s...good.”
She bit the inside of her cheek until it hurt, wishing she didn’t sound like such a babbling fool. “How’s K-State? Have you been to any football games this season?”
“Been to every home game this year.” He puffed out his chest and grinned. “Snyder’s going to take us all the way this year, I can feel it. Nobody beats our coach.”
She combed her fingers through her hair, unsure of what to say next. That was the entirety of her football knowledge. Most of her conversation points these days surrounded education, books, and cat memes. She doubted Garret cared very much about education or reading. He’d never been the best student and had spent more time on the field than in a library. And she’d rather die than bring up cat memes to Garret Smith.
There was one topic left that they both had in common and it was the only thing she could think about in the moment.
“You said earlier that your brother’s been staying home a lot lately. Has he been like that since he got out of the military?” She glanced up at Garret’s face, her hands still nervously running through her hair.
He shrugged and leaned back on the picnic table behind him, pushing himself up to sit on it. “Ever since he got home, he’s been a different person. Won’t go out. Shuts himself in Dad’s study. I mean, I know the military was tough on him, but he can’t exactly disappear in our home forever. I was really surprised he came out tonight. I’m not sure what you said to him, but it worked.”
She shook her head, taking a seat on the table next to him. “I didn’t say anything. It was all his idea.”
It was the closest she’d ever been to Garret in a long time. She could practically feel the heat from his body in the inch that separated them. It was a strange feeling. She never thought she’d speak to him again, let alone be sitting right next to him on a picnic table at the town carnival.
“So, what is it with you and Joey?” Garret leaned back, splaying his hands on the table top. “You two got a thing going?”
His voice was steady and noncommittal, but Michelle knew that if what Joseph had claimed about his little brother was true, a lot was riding on her answer.
“I don’t know,” she answered with a shrug. She peeked at Garret from the corner of her eye and was thrilled to see him watching her closely. “He’s a nice guy, but we’re just friends.”
At that moment, Joseph returned with the tickets in hand. He stopped short when he saw the two of them sitting so close, his expression unreadable. Michelle jumped from the table and brushed off the seat of her pants. She couldn’t help but feel like she’d been caught doing something wrong, which was absurd. The whole idea was to make Garret jealous. She’d been following the plan.
“Ready, Michelle?” Joseph spoke quickly, his voice breaking. “Last ride of the night?”
“Last ride,” she repeated, glancing between the brothers. “Who’s going with me?”
They both tried to speak at the same time. Michelle could’ve sworn that Garret was jumping in to ask her, but Joseph cut him off with a punch on the shoulder. “Only room for two on this one, bro. Guess you’ll have to go solo.”
“Nah, you guys go ahead.” Garret’s eyes glittered with unsaid words. “I’ll sit this one out.”
“You’re a good man.” Joseph nodded and offered his hand to her. “Shall we?”
She couldn’t help feeling confused in that moment as Joseph led her away from his brother. Their plan seemed to be working. Garret had almost asked her to ride the Ferris wheel with him. Hadn’t that been what Joseph was planning all along? But now, he was leading her away from him. It didn’t make sense.
“Why didn’t you let him take me?” she asked, skipping to catch up with Joseph’s massive strides. “He was about to ask.”
“All in good time.” He gave her a tight-lipped smile, his grip on her hand softening. “Believe me, I know my brother. The bait’s been cast. Now, all we have to do is wait for a solid strike. We don’t want to reel in the worm too soon.”
She wasn’t all that familiar with fishing metaphors, but Michelle had to wonder about the wisdom of being compared to a wriggling worm on a hook.
It never ended well for the bait.
Chapter Four
Joseph stood silently in line to the Ferris wheel, his head reeling. By all accounts, their mission today was going according to plan. Garret had certainly noticed Michelle and had even joined in teasing her a few times today as they wasted their money at the carnival booths. He’d kept a healthy distance from her when Joseph was around, but had swooped in as soon as Joseph left to buy tickets. That had been the idea, so why was he feeling so grumpy?
“Look at those two,” Michelle cooed, bumping him gently with her shoulder.
She pointed at an elderly couple three spots ahead of them. The gentleman had carefully combed white hair and his wife a short perm. They were holding hands, swaying in time to the music playing over the loud speakers across the town center.
“They’re cute.” He couldn’t help but smile. “It’s nice to know that some people get their happy ending.”
She glanced up at him, her brow wrinkling. “You make it sound like it’s a rare thing. Don’t you think you’ll ever find your happy ending?”
“I don’t know.” He leaned against a light post and pursed his lips. “After the things I’ve seen overseas, I’m not sure it’s wise to expect one. There’s a lot of hurt in this world. The people in Blessings have it so good.”
She went silent for a long moment. Mentally, he wanted to kick himself. He needed to learn how to leave the scars from his military service at home. People didn’t want to hear about those kinds of things. But he hadn’t yet learned how to separate the military man from the civilian.
“Well, I’m glad you can appreciate how lucky we are living here.” She put her hand gently on his arm, eliciting goosebumps up and down his back. “Not many people realize what a precious thing it is. But unlike you, I believe you’ll find your happy ending. You’re a good guy, Joseph. You deserve to be happy.”
He didn’t have time to respond to her kind words. The carnival worker waved them onto the platform as he filled the next three carts of the Ferris wheel with people. They soon found themselves sitting together in a swinging cart, their thighs brushing. His stomach dropped as the Ferris wheel began to turn and raised them high into the air.
“Are you okay?” Michelle looked down at his hands gripping the lap belt.
“I’m not a huge fan of heights,” he responded through his teeth. It was higher up than he’d expected. The people down below were looking a little too much like ants for his liking.
“Then why did you come?” She gave him an exasperated look. “We could’ve skipped this one.”
He swallowed hard. “Because you wanted to. And that was reason enough for me.”
She shook her head, but smiled at the same time. Looking down over the edge, she pointed at the elderly couple in the bucket two rows ahead of them. “Oh my goodness, they’re kissing! Can they be any cuter?”
He wasn’t going to take the chance and look over the edge, so he was going to have to take her word for it. Instead, he examined her face, appreciating the soft curve of her lips as she smiled happily. She’d always been pretty. Even as a young boy, he’d noticed her. He’d also admired her courage to be her true self. She never hid her intelligence. Never tried to dumb herself down to fit in. She’d always seemed so sure of her future and where she was going.
Joseph had none of that. He’d entered the military straight out of high school hoping to gain some of that same assurance of the future, but had found it lacking. And now, he was back at home, still floundering. Still spinning his wheels. Living life in the shadows of his family home.
“You’re graduating in the spring, right?” He turned from her to focus on his shoes, the funnel cake and soda he’d eaten earlier sloshing around in his stomach as their cart rocked. “What’s next for you?”
“I want to get a job at a
school in the Kansas City area.” She laughed, the sound like the soft tinkle of piano keys. “Let those inner city kids teach me a thing or two. Eventually get into administration and help make a difference.”
“Wow.” He shook his head. “That sounds amazing.”
“Well that’s the plan, at least. My parents say they’re happy I’ll be close to home again, but I’m not so sure. They already turned my room into a home gym slash craft room. I guess I’ll be getting my own apartment.”
He laughed, imagining her parents sewing quilts and running on a treadmill at the same time. “You might be better off. I’ve never lived on my own. It was always the barracks for me.”
She grimaced. “I’ve been told they’re worse than college dorms.”
“Probably,” he added with a shrug. “But I survived the hazing as a junior enlisted. Nothing like an ice cold shower in the AM when a private decides to turn off the water heaters.”
He felt her shudder. “That’s definitely not for me. I like my showers boiling hot, thank you very much.”
A comfortable silence fell between them as the Ferris wheel turned. He would glance over at her now and then, trying not to stare. This day had turned out to be more fun than he’d expected. Michelle was a good sport.
“Can I ask you a question?” She was watching him now, the irises of her eye turning liquid blue in the last remaining rays of the day. There was a thoughtful expression on her face, her nose crinkling in the cutest way.
“Sure.”
He hoped she wasn’t going to ask to take the Ferris wheel again. One time was as much as he could handle.
“Why are you doing this for me?” She made a face as if she’d eaten something sour. “You didn’t sound very impressed when you learned about my silly school-aged crush on your little brother. What do you get out of this?”
He harrumphed and flashed a smile. “Good deeds make the world go round.”
“Seriously.”
He loosened his grip on the lap belt and gestured. “I’m a soldier. I need a mission. Yours sounded good enough to get me out of the house. Plus, Garret has terrible taste in women.”
He should know. His brother’s mistakes were often repeats of his own.
She tilted her head in thought and placed a fingertip to her lips. “But you’re not a soldier anymore.”
“No...no, I’m not.” Admitting to that fact sent a dart through his chest. It had been a bittersweet decision not to reenlist.
“What are you going to do now? You can’t play cupid forever.”
“Is that how you see me? As an ugly little baby shooting people with arrows?”
She tried to suppress a grin. “I’d say you’re about as far away from that as possible. But you’re avoiding my questions again. You’re good at that.”
He chuckled and turned his head to look out over the town. The longer they stayed up in the air, the less he felt afraid. The Town Hall was just to the north, built with an impressive limestone facade and a clock tower that dinged on the hour. In front of him was the library. The same pale limestone blocks made up the exterior walls and created a stark contrast to the yellowing autumn leaves of the deciduous trees planted along the road. They were buildings that had stood the test of time, from the days of their town founders to now. The people who built these knew what their future held. He didn’t.
“I’m helping you because I happen to like you. And despite your taste in men, you seem to be a good person.” He hazarded a glance in her direction. She was chewing on her lower lip and staring at the cart swinging in front of them. “And I’m not sure what I’m going to do now. A lot of people thought I was going to be a career soldier, but when it came time to reenlist, my heart just wasn’t in it.”
She nodded her head. “That’s understandable.”
“As for what comes next, I really can’t answer you. I feel so lost. I’m not sure there’s a place for me in this world.”
He’d never told that to anyone. He was shocked when it came so easily off his tongue. Usually, when he tortured himself about thoughts of the future, shame seemed to accompany it. But not now. Not with her. It was easy to talk with Michelle.
She leaned closer to cover his hand in hers and looked up at him. Heat ascended up his arm, completely derailing his train of thought. All he could think about was the sweet scent of coconut wafting toward him in the slight breeze. Was it her shampoo or a perfume? It didn’t matter. The scent was intoxicating. So was the thrilling touch of her hand on his.
“You’ve got a place in this world, Joseph. Believe me. You’ll find it.”
He managed to smile at her, despite the odd combination of feelings tumbling inside his head at that very moment. “I hope you’re right.”
His gaze flicked to her pink lips and then back up to her eyes. She was staring at his mouth too, with an unreadable expression in her eyes. His gut instantly warmed, a tickling sensation accompanying it. He reached out to pull her hair back from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. Her gaze trailed up his face to meet his once again and she blushed violently.
“You’re a little too good at that,” she said, swallowing and turning to look at her hands.
“At what?” he asked, wishing he could touch her again.
“At faking a relationship.” She shook her head. “Or faking an almost-relationship. Whatever this is. There’s no question that your brother will think it’s real.”
He sank back into his seat, feeling suddenly deflated. That was right. They were doing this to get his brother’s attention. That’s who Michelle wanted. That’s who she’d always wanted. The guy who didn’t keep a girlfriend longer than a few months because he’d get bored.
But Michelle was different from those other girls. Maybe this time, Garret wouldn’t get bored. Who was he to say they weren’t a good match?
He needed to get his head back in the game and keep his hands to himself. Plain and simple.
“Meet me at the parade tomorrow morning,” he said in a low voice. “Outside the cafe. I’ll bring Garret. We can watch the parade and then take a hayride to the Craft and Activity Fair. We’ll seal the deal there, I promise. Then, our fake almost-relationship will be over.”
She ducked her head and nodded. “Right. Okay. Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
As their cart made its final descent to the landing zone, Joseph couldn’t help but bite hard on his cheek. He’d finish this game in the morning and be done once and for all with helping his brother find his dates. If Garret couldn’t see Michelle for the amazing woman she was, then he didn’t deserve her.
They left the gated arena of the Ferris wheel, where Garret stood waiting with Russel and Todd. Garret’s eyes shone when they fell on Michelle walking beside him. Joseph knew that look all too well. His little brother was definitely interested. The plan was working.
So why did he feel like such a failure?
Chapter Five
Michelle tugged on the cowled neck of her chunky beige sweater and readjusted her winter headband for the twentieth time that morning as she waited for the Smith brothers outside of the Home Again Cafe. The previous day was still a blur. Joseph Smith nearly frightening her to death in his family’s study had been shocking enough. But then he went and jumped aboard her harebrained idea to help her get his younger brother’s attention.
Weirdest of all, it seemed to be working. She’d never had so much attention from Garret in one single day. The excitement of that attention was making her jittery. She’d long ago accepted the fact that she wasn’t Garret’s type. Or any guy’s type, to be honest. Dating during college had been disappointing. The few relationships she’d had kind of fizzled out. Coming back home and seeing her old crush was exhilarating. She’d never felt so nervous.
As she fidgeted in place, her gaze swept up the street and landed on the Smith brothers walking steadily toward her. Her heart seemed to jump into her throat at the sight. Garret was wearing a pair of light-wash denim jeans and
a long-sleeved teal blue tee. He was grinning in her direction and running a hand through his wavy hair.
In stark opposition was his brother, wearing a slim-cut navy jacket, dark jeans, and a determined frown on his sculpted face. He too was watching her, his amber eyes glued to her face. Her blood pressure jumped about ten points and she waved a hand at them, doing her best to be cool.
“Morning, doll.” Garret shot her a ten-watt smile and pocketed his hands.
“Hi.” She gazed up at him, her cheeks warming. “How’s it going?”
“Good, now that you’re here.”
That really made her blush. She giggled behind her hand and turned to his brother, who still wore a frown. “Good morning, Joseph.”
“You look beautiful today,” he said in a low voice, leaning in to hug her.
The sensation of his arms around her sent a thrill down her spine, chasing away her case of girlish giggles. As he pulled away, she wrapped her arms around her torso, suddenly feeling very warm and light-headed.
“Coffee anyone?” Garret draped an arm around her shoulder and the nerves were back. “I’m in need of some sustenance before we go to the parade. Michelle?”
She gulped, feeling the weight of him against her. “Sure, I could use a latte.”
“Joey?”
His brother plopped onto a wooden bench set outside the cafe with a scowl on his face. “No, I’m good. I already had a cup this morning. I’ll wait here.”
“Suit yourself,” Garret replied as he opened the door and motioned to Michelle. “Ladies first.”
She tucked her chin to her chest and went inside. The Home Again Cafe was a cozy place, with French chic decor. Someone had tacked colorful turkey decals along the walls and the very strong scent of pumpkin muffins coming from the kitchens made her want to drool. Booths lined the perimeter of the restaurant, with tables filling the rest of the floorspace. A counter stood near the front where they walked in, with a glass display of baked goods and the cash register. The restaurant hadn’t changed much in Michelle’s lifetime. It was still the place to bring a date on a Friday evening or grab a family meal after church on Sunday.
Blessed by the Fake Boyfriend Page 3
