by Susan Hatler
Bright sunlight filtered through the lush green leaves of magnolia trees and it was the picture of beauty. Leaning against the window frame, I could understand why the South had a reputation for a slower pace of life. The humidity alone was enough to make me want to lounge under one of those huge trees, while fanning myself and drinking lemonade. I marveled at how different it felt here than in California.
I was lost in thoughts about life in the South when I suddenly remembered Ben and I had a mission. We had to be the best fake couple ever so we could get the wedding charm for Jill. Part of me got goosebumps at the thought of faking love with Ben, but another part of me felt shocked that he didn’t even believe in marriage. His parents’ divorce had obviously scarred him.
Shaking myself out of my stupor, I decided to get dressed. Every second we weren’t working to get the wedding charm was one second we were wasting before the wedding. There was no time to spare and we couldn’t return empty handed. It would break Jill’s heart.
I slid on a white sundress with big cabbage roses embroidered on it. I hoped it would send the right message that I was a blushing bride-to-be in desperate search for my grandmother’s wedding broach with my devoted fiancé. Speaking of Ben, I felt a strange flutter in my belly as I stepped into the hallway. He had crashed in another guest room and I wondered if he was awake yet.
“Ben?” I descended the stairs, running my hand along the polished wood of the bannister. When I didn’t hear an answer, I wandered into the living room. He wasn’t in there either. I felt an odd flash of panic as my competitive side flared. Had Ben gone out to find Ida without me?
“Sarah? Is that you?” Ben’s voice came from the kitchen.
My worry dissolved instantly. “Yes,” I replied.
“Meet me in the kitchen,” he called.
“Coming.” I scooted through to the kitchen where Ben was setting a take-out bag on the counter. “Where have you been?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light.
“I went out to get us a proper Southern breakfast,” Ben said, with a shrug. “Mama Ellie’s has the best cheesy grits this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Or so I read.”
I stared at the feast he’d brought home. “I can’t believe you went out and bought us breakfast. I usually just have coffee and a banana.”
“No bananas, but I do have coffee,” he said, transferring the food from containers to plates.
“Thank you.” I sat at the breakfast bar, grasping the cup of coffee Ben handed me. I took a long sip of the hot liquid. “Ah, that hits the spot. That was really nice of you to get breakfast.”
“Not a problem.” He sat down next to me, tipping his chin toward a frame sitting on the counter near the window. “Have you seen the pictures all over the house? I feel like Jill’s grandparents know what we’re doing and they’re watching us.”
“We’re doing this for her granddaughter,” I reminded him, lifting a frame and studying the picture of an elderly couple posing by a lake. “Jill’s grandparents were so cute together. Look at how in love they seem after over fifty years of marriage. I want that one day.”
Ben made an audible noise and when I glanced at him, he shook his head. “Sorry,” he said. “I know you probably think it’s romantic, but it’s unrealistic to think that will happen. Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce.”
“If you keep talking like that, I’m going to have a hard time faking being in love with you,” I said.
He slipped his arm around my shoulder. “Aw, sweetheart, don’t be like that. Just remember all the good times we’ve had.”
A jolt of electricity shot through my veins. My cheeks heated and I had to look down at my coffee so Ben wouldn’t see the look of longing in my eyes. “We should probably decide what story we want to give Ida in case she asks questions. Like how we met and that kind of thing.”
“Elementary school,” he said, dropping his arm from my shoulder.
My skin suddenly felt empty and cold with his arm gone. I licked my lips. “Not us. I mean, us as Jill and Ryan,” I said.
He shrugged. “We could still use school.”
“But you know that’s not true,” I said. “They met when Ryan was promoted to the supervising attorney position that Jill was supposed to get. Then they had to work together, which had been so awkward because they’d been attracted to each other, but—”
“Too much detail.” He shook his head, before scooping grits onto his fork. “Let’s just keep it simple. We’ll say we met through friends,” he said.
I wrinkled my nose. “I guess that works. Doesn’t sound very romantic, though.”
“What did you have in mind?” Ben asked, taking a bite of his grits. “Our eyes met across a crowded room?”
I set the picture back down. “Sure, why not?”
“That’s so cliché,” he said. “Besides, I’m not using a line like that when my own parents can’t even be in the same room together.”
“I’m sorry about your parents, but I like romantic stories,” I said. “My parents had an eyes-locking-across-a-crowded-room first meeting, and they’re still married.”
A line formed between his brows. “That’s great for them, but the majority of couples meet in bland, routine ways, that don’t have a happy ending. For most people, the relationship ends in a mess of lawyers and property division.”
“Don’t you think Jill and Ryan will be happy together?” I asked, taking a sip of coffee, which tasted as bitter as Ben’s attitude about marriage.
He cleared his throat. “They’re great together. But—”
“But, what?” I asked, feeling a flash of defensiveness. “But you really think they have just as much chance of becoming a divorce statistic as the next couple?”
“I hope they come out on the positive side, but realistically every couple has the same fifty-fifty chance,” he said.
The man was truly pigheaded. “Is that going to be in your best man speech?” I asked.
Ben pressed his lips together, and for a moment I thought he might be irritated with me. But then I realized that he was trying not to laugh. “I think I’ll leave that part out,” he said.
“Good idea.” I stood to clear my take-out containers. When I reached for Ben’s plate, my hand brushed against his arm, giving that warm rush of tingles that was so pointless. Not only was Ben not interested in me, but he didn’t believe in marriage. I turned to him. “Are you really that jaded about love and relationships. I mean, don’t you want to get married someday?”
“No.” Ben met my gaze and we stared at each other for a long, painful drawn-out moment. A flash of vulnerability crossed his features, which made me ache for the boy who had been hurt by his parents divorce. For a moment, I thought he might open up to me, but then he said, “I promised Ida we’d be at her house by nine. We should be on time if we want to win the wedding charm for Jill and Ryan.”
“Of course,” I said, feeling my insides tense. He was here to fake a relationship, not open up to me. “The wedding charm is the only reason we came.”
“Exactly.” He turned away from me, dumping the rest of the trash into the garbage can under the sink. Without another word, he disappeared into the living room. I watched his retreating figure with a feeling of sadness at how deeply his parents’ divorce had affected him. I only hoped it wouldn’t affect us pulling off this masquerade of a lifetime.
****
We started walking down the street toward Ida’s house, and I couldn’t help but admire the large stately homes with big magnolia trees in the front yards. There was something impossibly charming about the South and I found myself feeling at home here.
“I think Ida’s address is just over there,” Ben said, pointing to a large stately house that had been painted a vivid shade of blue. Among the other homes in the neighborhood the color seemed out of place, and I had to wonder what we were getting ourselves into.
Suddenly, a small chocolate-brown dog darted out from beneath a neighbor’s bushes, making a beeline
for us. I loved dogs and ran a rescue shelter out of my house. So, even though we needed to keep moving, I couldn’t help kneeling down to say hi to the little pooch. The dog bounded right up to me, and leapt right into my lap.
“Aw, where did you come from?” I asked, scratching him behind his ears. He was an adorable little mutt with short legs, some kind of dachshund and pomeranian mix, with a long mane coming from his neck. “Where’s your collar, huh?”
The dog cocked his head as if he understood what I was saying, but didn’t know how to answer. He was a cutie, but seemed thin and in desperate need of a bath. Judging from the lack of tags or a collar, I assumed he was a stray.
“Who have we got here?” Ben asked, crouching down beside me to pet the dog.
“He doesn’t have any tags or anything,” I said. “Oh, I hate it when dogs are lost or dumped. That’s why I opened my dog rescue shelter at my house.”
“I didn’t know you did that,” he said.
“Yeah, I have about five dogs at a time so it’s a lot of work. But it feels great when I find a dog a good home.” I gave Ben a look, hoping he wouldn’t freak out at what I was about to do. “We’ll have to bring this little guy with us until we track down his owner, assuming he has one.”
“Bring him with us?” he asked.
I nodded, turning back to the little guy. “With all of that chocolate-brown hair hanging down his neck, we should call him Moose.”
“You’re naming him?” he asked.
“Just for the time being.” I glanced up at him to see what he thought. The corners of his mouth twitched and I could tell that he was trying to hide a smile.
Ben gave him a side-glance. “He does look like a little moose.”
I held him against my chest. “We have to take him with us until we find his owners, or a good home for him.”
Ben gave him a pat on the head. “Sarah, I think—”
“We can’t just leave him,” I said, holding the little dog up so he was at Ben’s eye-level. Moose wiggled and strained until he licked Ben on the nose. “That would be cruel.”
“Well—”
“See?” I laughed. “He likes you.”
He chuckled, wiped his nose, and gave me a wry look. “He likes me, huh? He’s cute, but we have to get to Ida’s house. Maybe we could—”
“He’s small, so he won’t slow us down. He can fit inside my purse,” I said, wishing I could give him a bath first. No time for that, though. From the way Ben was looking at me, I felt a knot form in my stomach. “We can’t leave Moose behind. It wouldn’t be right. I just think—”
Before I could say anything else, Ben put his finger over my lips. “As your fiancé, I feel obligated to say that you have a listening problem. You’re so busy trying to rescue him that you don’t even notice I’m not objecting.”
I blinked. “You’re not?”
He shook his head. “We’ll make calls to see if we can find his owner as soon as we’re done at Ida’s. I was just going to suggest that we leave him at Jill’s grandma’s house.”
“Oh,” I muttered, when he removed his finger from my lips. My mouth tingled from where he’d applied the gentle pressure. I couldn’t believe how sweet he was being about Moose. “You think we should put him in the backyard?”
“Well, it’s nine o’clock now. We’ll have to take him with us so we’re not late.”
“Done.” I scooped Moose up, and we continued on to Ida’s house. When we arrived, Ben gave Moose a look, before he pressed on the doorbell.
“This is going to be interesting,” he said.
We waited a minute or two, before the door creaked open and a woman greeted us. “May I help you?” she drawled.
“Good morning,” Ben said, nodding to her. “We’re here to see Ida Carter.”
“Who may I say is calling on her?” the woman asked.
“I’m B—”
“I’m Jill,” I interrupted when he nearly made a slip. It felt wrong pretending to be someone else, but I reminded myself that it was for a good cause. “I’m Florence’s granddaughter and Ida has her wedding broach. My fiancé, Ryan, called to let her know we’re coming so she’s expecting us.”
“Wait here please,” the woman said, closing the door.
“Nice save,” Ben whispered.
I nudged him with my elbow. “You nearly blew it.”
“Guess I’m not used to posing as someone else.” Ben rubbed his elbow with a hurt look. “Violence is not the answer.”
Holding back a smile, I opened my mouth to retort when the door opened again.
“Follow me,” the woman said, nodding to us.
We passed through the foyer and into a large breakfast nook situated at the back of the house. Seated at a wicker table was a woman with long white hair, pulled back into a loose braid. She wore a red kimono-style robe. When she turned to us, the smile on her face beamed.
“Jill Parnell!” she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “I haven’t seen you since you were a little girl.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, giving her a small smile. “I don’t remember meeting you, but it’s lovely to see you now.”
Ida laughed. “Sugar, don’t you apologize. You were just a little bitty thing. Now introduce me to this fine gentleman here.”
I held up the dog. “Well, this is Moose,” I said, and then grinned as Ben nudged me with his elbow. I faked a hurt look, just like he’d given me on the front porch. “Just teasing, Ida. This is my fiancé, Ryan,” I said, gesturing to Ben.
An irrational thrill rolled through me at calling Ben my fiancé. But I reminded myself we were just playing a role. Sigh.
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Ben said, extending his hand. When Ida set her hand in his, he bent down and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
“Charming.” Ida blushed, seeming to revel in Ben’s attention. Then she gestured to Moose, who was in my arms. “Is this Florence’s great-grand fur-baby? She would’ve loved to meet him.”
“He’s actually new . . .” I began, but before I could continue, Ida stood and wrapped me in a bear hug.
“I’m so glad the three of you are here today.” She released me, only to hug Ben next, before sitting down again. “I know why you came, of course. Your grandma was sure you’d want to wear her wedding broach some day. But she didn’t want you to take marriage lightly.” She batted her hands against the table. “Before we get into all that, though, why don’t you sit down and have some breakfast with me? Do you enjoy sweet tea?”
“Yes, please.” My stomach was full, but I didn’t want to be rude and decline.
We both joined her at the table. The woman who answered the door must be Ida’s housekeeper, because she brought us extra plates. The table was spread with a frittata, croissants, jams, rich yellow butter, and a fruit platter.
As we dug in, I realized that the calories shouldn’t matter because it all tasted so good. I buttered a warm croissant and then added jam. As the butter dripped off the side of the croissant onto my fingers, I considered eating more than a banana for breakfast from now on. Ida chattered away about her memories of Florence, and after a while I thought she might never get to the task we needed to perform in order to win the broach.
“Jill, tell me how you two met.” Ida smiled, sipping her sweet tea.
I shot Ben a look, raising my brow.
He choked on his own tea, and started coughing.
I smiled since Ida had just proved to Ben that my preparation had been warranted. Score one for me. Yay! I patted him on the back, and being the good fiancée that I was, I stuck with, “We were introduced by friends.”
Ben recovered and shot me a smirk. “I wish we’d met earlier, though. Like in elementary school. I imagine our eyes meeting across a crowded classroom.”
“You’re such a romantic.” Ida tapped his arm playfully, while my belly did a little flip. In a way, it actually was romantic that Ben had used the scenario I’d liked most. “Tell me what is your favo
rite thing about each other?” Ida asked.
I turned to Ben. “You go first, honey.”
This should be interesting. Maybe he’d say how smart Jill was, or how she’d started the Founding Friendships homeless program on her own.
His face sobered as he paused for a moment and folded his linen napkin on the table. “Honestly? My favorite thing about her is how passionate she is. She’s willing to drop everything for the people she loves. Whether it’s giving up law school to help a family member, jumping on a plane to help a friend at a moment’s notice, or rescuing a dog that needs help. I think that kind of devotion is rare and . . . beautiful.”
Tears formed in my eyes as I stared at him, studying his expression to see if he’d meant what he said. He looked almost shy, making me sure he’d meant it. I couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across my face. “That’s really sweet, baby.”
He reached for my hand. “You’re the sweet one.”
Ida tapped the table in front of her. “Now it’s your turn, Jill.”
With Ben holding my hand, I met his gaze, deciding to be honest as well. “My favorite thing about him is that he’s always able to make me smile. I can take life a little too seriously sometimes.”
“No way,” he said, smirking.
I laughed. “See? Like right now. I let tasks and worries take focus, but he remembers to make life . . . more fun.”
“Thanks, dimples.” Ben winked at me.
“It’s true.” I squeezed his hand, not even bothered this time by the nickname he’d used.
“A good balance,” Ida said sagely. “Your grandparents were well-balanced, too. I remember when they met. Have you heard the story?”
I shook my head, wondering how long Ben would continue to hold my hand. My belly fluttered. The compliments were over and Ida seemed to buy that we were a couple, so we could easily let go now. But for some reason he didn’t.
Ida smiled at us. “Your grandparents met when we were all in high school. Your grandmother had been working on a big bake sale to raise money for the school library. Your grandfather thought it would be funny to eat all of the cupcakes. And he did. Best cupcakes he’d ever had, he said. Your grandmother was furious. I’d never seen anyone with a crazier rivalry than those two, but you know what they say about opposites.”
