by Piper Rayne
“They’re changing the format of the show.”
My footsteps halt on the concrete floor and I stop her from walking by gripping the end of the shopping cart. “What does that mean? Changing the format?”
She sighs. “They want us to work together.” Her voice is soft like she can’t believe she said that.
“Together? Us?”
“Well, The Bagel Place and Andrews Bagel Company, yeah.”
I shake my head. Of course. There’s no us, no Evan and Seth. I’m only doing this for my parents anyway.
“Well fuck. Our dads would never agree to that.” I take my hands off the cart and we stroll through the aisles until we hit the cleaning supplies. I grab some vinegar and a bucket and cloths.
“It’s a great opportunity. Klein was impressed with both of our items… individually. They’re trying something different with this episode. For each segment, two businesses will have items that complement the other. We’d be fools not to do it.”
I huff. “You act like I have the final say. My dad isn’t going to agree to working with yours.” I shake my head.
The show was a nice way to get my parents clear of the mess my brother put them in and get me out of ever having to run the shop. But my dad would never sign off on working with The Bagel Place.
“But you do.” Her voice is back to that low whisper as though we’re in a crowded store and she doesn’t want anyone to overhear. “I saw the paperwork. I know you’re a legal owner of the shop now.”
I run my hand through my hair. “Are you sure Nick Klein didn’t want to screw you? He let you see that I’m part owner?”
“He’s really invested in us. I think he’s on our side.”
“Our side? What the hell? There’s no our side.” I walk away, unable to process what she’s asking me to do. She’s asking me to bring all that shit from the past into the present. Make our lives more turmoil-ridden than they already are.
“Come on, don’t act like I’m some stranger to what’s happening. I know you think I’m weak for taking responsibility for my parents’ store, but you’re in the same position now that Trevor is in rehab.”
I never thought she was weak. I might have teased her, but I always felt bad because I saw her as stuck.
She tugs on my arm. “This is our chance, Seth. To make their businesses thrive and allow our parents the financial freedom to hire outside help. It’ll let us do what we love.”
I whip my head in her direction and meet her gaze. “And what do you love, Evan?”
She lets go of my arm and her eyes widen in surprise. “Um…”
“See? You don’t even know. I know my answer. But what will you do when The Bagel Place doesn’t need you?”
Her gaze narrows on me. “All I know is I don’t want to wake up every morning at three and open up a bagel shop. That’s at the top of my ‘what I don’t want to do’ list. So anything else is better than that at this point.”
I nod. I can’t blame her. “Let’s say I somehow go behind my dad’s back. What about you? Your dad isn’t going to agree to this either.”
“Well, one idea popped into my head.” Her voice is tentative, almost like she’s resistant to her own idea.
“What?” I groan.
“If we become friends again, maybe it will spur them to be friends.”
I scrunch up my forehead in confusion. Has she met either of our fathers? They’re two of the most prideful and stubborn men on the planet. The whole reason we’re not friends is because they cast one another as an enemy.
I shake my head. “It’s not enough to sway them.” I stand there thinking, hands on my hips. “We need something a lot stronger than that. What if we work on our moms? I saw my mom’s face when she was asking about your mom. She misses her still after all these years.”
I can’t believe I’m going along with this, but Evan’s right. The last thing I want for my life is to be locked into running the bagel shop. And I know if it came down to it, I would do it for my family if I had to.
She shakes her head. “No way my mom would cause my dad more stress when he’s not fully recovered from the heart attack yet.”
We walk aimlessly now when we should be having this conversation while cleaning my damn car. We end up in the party planning aisle, surrounded by balloons and streamers and cake toppers. I’m reminded of all the birthdays our families celebrated together, all the times our moms would ooh and ahh over us.
We come to the white and black script items with caricatures of a bride and groom on them.
“We could…”
As though the idea pops in Evan’s head at the same time, she says, “Say we’re dating?”
“Dare you to say we’re engaged.”
She blinks. “You dare me? You didn’t even want to do this.”
“You know me. I’m go big or go home. Dating is usually temporary and can be fixed with a breakup. And since I’m not actually going to marry you just to get on some television show, engagement is the only option. Engagement is semi-permanent. It’s a commitment.”
Her face drops, but she knows I have a point. “They won’t believe it. I was just dating Brock until moments ago.”
“Yeah, you’re gonna have to be the hussy in this scenario. You had to have been dating me and Brock at the same time.”
She guffaws. “No way.”
“Yes way. This is your bright idea, and you dated Floyd even after I warned you what he was really like.” I shrug like ‘what are you gonna do?’
She worries her bottom lip for a moment. “I have no idea if we can pull this off.”
“With me? We’re golden. Now, we’re going to have to plan this to make it believable.”
She groans like it wasn’t her idea to do this in the first place.
“Seth?” Just as I rub my hands together, the sound of my dad calling my name at the end of the aisle alarms me. “Evan?”
My eyes widen since my back is to my dad. Evan smiles since she’s facing him. I mouth “game on” to her and turn around.
“Dad?” I pretend to be shocked and alarmed that he found us here together.
Seriously, someone call the Actors Guild because I’m about to win Best Actor.
Chapter Eleven
Evan
* * *
I haven’t seen Mr. Andrews close up for a few years. He no longer attends the Chamber of Commerce meetings—Mrs. Andrews does. I’m not sure how my parents are with Seth if and when they run into him, but his parents are usually cordial to me.
Seth steps back to meet me on my side of the cart. We’re shoulder to shoulder and all the nausea from an hour ago stirs in my stomach like a witch’s brew.
“Dad?” Seth says.
Mr. Andrews watches his son put his arm around my shoulders. Seth’s smooth movements make it seem as though he’s done this a million times, while I remain stiff and uncomfortable.
“Can I have a word, Seth?” His dad doesn’t wait for a response but heads past us down the aisle and turns.
Seth looks at me and winks before following his dad.
While I slide the cart inch by inch down the aisle, his dad’s deep voice is clear—meaning he hasn’t changed much over the years. He’s still the guy who says what he wants in front of whoever without apology. I’m surprised he even asked to speak alone and we aren’t all hashing this out right in the middle of the decorating aisle.
“What are you doing with Evan Erickson?”
“Listen, this is going to come as a surprise because we haven’t been ready to tell anyone, but we’ve been sneaking around. I’ve been dating Evan.”
“Dating?” I mouth to myself. I thought we were going to pretend to be engaged?
I’m not going to examine why I feel slightly disappointed.
“Your mother told me this evening that she’s dating Brock Floyd?”
Damn the gossip in this town.
“As a cover-up,” Seth says. “They broke up tonight. I’m convincing her to go p
ublic.”
“Public? Who do you think you are? Brad Pitt?”
Seth chuckles but stops because I’m sure his dad doesn’t find this funny. “You’re the first to know. I get that you have to tell Mom, but can you keep it to yourselves until Evan has time to tell Mr. and Mrs. Erickson?”
I shake my head at Seth’s forwardness. I’d probably be pleading with my parents for permission, but he just lays it out there with a “deal with it” attitude. But then again, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I imagine if Mr. Andrews found himself in our position, he’d do the same thing.
“You do understand the trouble this is going to cause?” Mr. Andrews says.
I honestly thought the entire greeting card section would be destroyed by Mr. Andrews by now. His son dating his ex-best-friend-slash-business-partner’s daughter cannot be on his list of favorite things.
“I do.”
“And she’s that important to you?”
Seth doesn’t say anything, but his dad releases a long, anguished breath.
“How have I never heard anything about this?”
“I told you, we were keeping it a secret.”
“This is Cliffton Heights, and I might live like a hermit, but your mother does not. Have you been hiding out in your apartment? People would talk the minute they saw you two out together.”
He has a point. That’s something neither of us thought about.
“We go into the city most times.”
This is where we’re going to have problems. Seth lives on his own, so his parents really don’t know his comings and goings. But I live above my parents’ garage. Sure, it’s a detached garage and I could be gone without them knowing, but I’m at the shop most days.
“And you know, we just have quickies.”
My mouth falls open and my head lands in my hands.
“At The Bagel Place. My apartment. My car if there’s nowhere else.”
I clench my teeth before I scream that he’s making me sound like a hussy.
“I don’t need to know that.” Mr. Andrew’s voice is pained.
“You asked.” Seth’s voice is steady as though lying comes easily to him. Not a comforting thought.
“About how I hadn’t heard that you’re dating her, not about where the two of you are having… just.” He never finishes his sentence, seemingly annoyed. “Come by the house tomorrow so we can talk about this.”
“With Evan?”
“No, Seth. Not with Evan. We need to discuss this as a family.”
There’s a beat of silence and I wait for Seth to round the end of the aisle back to me, but he drops a bomb instead.
“I’m asking her to marry me.”
“What?” His dad’s voice rises. “Marriage?”
“She’s important to me. I want to show her my commitment to the rest of our lives.”
Another bout of silence and I suck in as much air as I can. It’s one thing to be tossing this idea around and another completely to be waist-deep in the plan minutes later. Seth’s bold bravery is something I haven’t witnessed in ages.
“Do not propose to her until we talk as a family. Do you hear me?” His dad’s threatening response squeezes the air from my lungs. The hatred he has for my family is present in every syllable.
“I’m sorry, Dad, I can’t.”
I place my hands over my face and close my eyes. Why is he being so adamant about this in the middle of a big box store?
“Seth, I can’t handle this right now. I have your brother in rehab. I’m already shopping at nine o’clock at night so that I don’t have to face people after your brother stole from us and the entire town knows I raised a druggie. Now my other son is going to propose to an Erickson? I can’t have it.”
“I’m not asking your permission, Dad.”
My stomach drops. I wondered why Mr. Andrews was here so late. I guess maybe I’m not surprised. Why do parents hold so much of the blame when their kid doesn’t turn out perfect?
“Seth,” he warns.
I want to run over and tell Seth to chill out. His parents are in pain and we’re only making it worse. Speak the truth and hope that Mr. Andrews still allows us to work together for the show.
“Sorry.” Seth’s voice grows closer. “We’ll plan a dinner with you, Mom, and the Ericksons. We can all talk about it, but nothing is going to change. We’re getting engaged.”
“Seth.”
Seth appears at the end of the aisle, but he stops and turns toward his dad, waiting for him to say something.
“Just think about what you’re doing.”
Seth’s shoulders falter, and for a moment, he’s not that strong guy who does what he wants. “Believe me, this is good for all of us.”
Seth’s dad takes his cart toward the checkout lanes and we watch him leave through the front door, still shaking his head to himself.
“Maybe this is a mistake,” I say.
Seth throws his arm around my shoulders as I push the cart. “No way, this is brilliant. We’re both going to get out of the bagel business once and for all. But one thing is clear, we need to get our stories straight because I could tell my dad doesn’t believe me. So since his intuition is spot-on, we’re going to really have to sell him on it.”
I nod. But now I’m thinking that although I’m the one who suggested this, there’s a great possibility that it’s going to blow up in our faces. “I don’t know if I can lie.”
He chuckles and steals the cart from me, hopping on it and riding it until he hits the jewelry counter. “Sure, you can. You’ve been acting like you hated me all these years.” He presses his finger on the bell to call an associate.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He peers through the glass as though he’s seriously considering a purchase.
A woman comes over and slides her spiral plastic bracelet with a key off her wrist. “Can I help you?”
“No. I’m sorry.” I tug on Seth’s sweatshirt, but he doesn’t budge.
“I’d like to see that one. First row, third in from the left.”
I peer over his shoulder. It’s a modest carat made out of moissanite. Oval on a silver band. Simple and nothing elaborate. Something I would probably wear if this were for real.
“What size are you?” He grabs some paper sizing thing they have sitting around.
His fingers wrap the paper around my finger, and with every brush of our skin, my heart rate kicks up a notch. He smells crisp and fresh while I probably reek of puke.
“Perfect fit.” He takes the paper and slides on the ring. “What do you think? I don’t think they’ll be able to tell the difference.”
“I think we could tell them that we’re going to shop for the ring.” I slide it off my hand and place it on the black velvet in front of the lady. “Thank you for your time.”
“Yeah, I hate to break this to you because you prefer to put me in the douchebag category, but I would never propose without a ring.” He snatches it back before the lady can put it away.
Her forehead scrunches and we both freeze. I don’t recognize her, but that doesn’t mean anything.
“She’s so concerned about money,” Seth says, another perfect lie falling from his lips. “But we only do this once. Am I right?”
She smiles. “Definitely. Accept the ring, honey.”
I bore my gaze into Seth. We are not going to spend almost two hundred dollars on a fake ring. He tilts his head as though he’s saying accept the ring and let’s go.
Our nonverbal tug of war ends when he falls to one knee in front of me. Gasps echo from the two checkout cashiers. Seth smiles wide at them, winning them over.
“Evan,” he says, and I stop looking around to look down at him. His hand holds mine and his fingers rest on the bottom of my left hand ring finger. “What can I say except that I think we’ve been destined to be together since the womb. All those years we listened to our families and allowed our friendship to grow apart, I never stopped thinking of you. Dare
I admit, I missed you. And now that we’re finding common ground”—he winks and it pulls a smile from me—“I think we’re a perfect pair. Come on this journey with me and I promise you—I’ll get you exactly what you want.”
I shake my head, but I lose my fight with my smile and he doesn’t even wait for me to answer before sliding the ring on my finger.
“Yeah, we both know this is what you want,” he says.
“OHHH…” The two cashiers hug and I swear one wipes a tear from her eye.
Did they actually listen to the proposal?
“Kiss!” the jewelry worker says, clinking on the glass case with the rings on the underside of her finger.
I freeze, but I should’ve predicted Seth being prepared. He wraps his arm around my waist and dips me slowly. My eyes widen the closer he comes, but as soon as our lips meet, a tingling sensation runs through my body. I slide my hand to the back of his head, my fingers weaving through his thick hair.
He licks the seam of my lips and I open, allowing him in. His body heat seems to seep into me and spread through my veins as a tingling sensation starts between my thighs.
I’ve never felt this much from one kiss. Thank goodness he has me because my body practically weakens from how great this kiss is. His tongue tangles with mine and his taste is divine. I can’t help but want more of it. My body pulses with a need I know will never be fulfilled. But in this moment, I don’t care, because seriously how did Seth learn to kiss like that?
I hear a whimper when he closes the kiss and I’m embarrassed to realize it came from me.
Seth laughs and sets me upright. “Damn, babe, your kisses always make me hot.”
All the women bystanders stare at his crotch. Sure enough, he’s fixing his hard-on.
My cheeks heat and I say, “Time to get you home.”
On our way to the cashier, he slaps my ass and I whip my head in his direction. With a chuckle, he shoots me a look to say, “hey, we’re just acting.” And I better remember that because damn, that kiss.
