He gave her his crooked smile. “Thanks.” When she passed the donuts to him, he took one and then offered the bag back to her. They sat down at her little metal table and munched companionably. He looked lighter than usual and it warmed her heart. She wished things were different between them and she hadn’t made him think she was a lunatic. She longed to know what lay beneath his seriousness and intensity. He had a kind heart. Not many people—especially not people who were as hostile to bullshit as he was—would’ve agreed to be her fake boyfriend. She slipped into a daydream where she was caught up in some kind of emergency. Not the Silly Selma type of emergency she created for herself, but something outside of her control. Like her bag getting snatched or something. Frankie would be the hero who saved her. He was that kind of guy—strong, protective and loyal. Then she’d invite him for dinner to thank him, take him somewhere classy, and she’d impress him with her smart and interesting conversation, and she wouldn’t say anything ridiculous .
He got up to return to his work. She had to tell him now. She bit her lip .
“I don’t know if I mentioned,” she began, trying to make her voice sound light and careless. “The party I was telling you about is tomorrow. You’re okay to come, right ?”
His head snapped in her direction. “Tomorrow?” He let off a sigh. “No, you didn’t mention that, Selma .”
“I’m sor — ”
A sound escaped his throat, so wild and fierce that it cut her off mid-word. She trembled and released a little whimper .
He coughed and laid a hand on his throat. “Sorry. My bear just got stressed. It’s fine. Really, it’s fine .”
She nodded. “Okay. Well, I’d better get back to the office.” She got to her feet and fled .
4
F rankie clumped into Valentina’s, a bar on Hope Valley’s main street, and went up to the upper level that Selma’s work friends had hired out for the party. A big banner hung over the entrance to the room that read Congratulations to Emily and Dave on their engagement! Inside, pale pink and gold balloons and streamers hung from the ceiling, and the room was buzzing with many voices, chatting and laughing. Frankie cleared his throat and smoothed down the front of his navy polo shirt. He wasn’t a fan of big gatherings—barbecues with the guys excluded—and being the only shifter around a bunch of humans made him very nervous. You’re doing this for Selma, and right now, you’re working as her employee, he reminded himself. His bear baulked, desperate to escape the urban environment that was so alien to it, but Frankie forced himself to enter the room and look for Selma .
She was standing fifteen feet away from him among a group of women. She must have been looking for him too since she immediately caught his eye, in a way that made his breath hitch in his throat. Her hair was in that fancy curled style again, and she was wearing a lacy black dress in an off-the-shoulder design with a loose skirt and a tight waist that made the most of her sexy curves. And the smile that lit her face at the sight of him made her look even prettier. He moved toward her, but she was faster, practically running to him. Her arms wrapped around his waist and her chin tilted up. She wants me to kiss her , he realized. He dipped his head and aimed a peck at her right cheek, but she moved her face at the last moment and it landed at the corner of her mouth instead. His cock jerked. Crap . He wasn’t supposed to be reacting to her like this. I’m not looking for a mate , he reminded his bear, which was prowling beneath his skin, its muzzle lifted to inhale her scent. “You made it,” she said softly, her big gray eyes full of relief and gratitude .
He shrugged. “I said I was coming, didn’t I ?”
Her smile got wider. “You did,” she said breathily .
“I never quit when I’ve got a job to do,” he continued, but the smile dropped from her face. He’d hurt her somehow. He didn’t know how, but he felt bad. “Who are all these people?” he asked, rapidly changing the subject .
“Pretty much all work people,” she said. “These guys work on the complaints team, too.” She indicated the group she’d just been speaking to. “And those guys”—she pointed to a rowdy bunch of men—“work in new customer sales .”
“And they’re all in shirts and ties .”
She cast an approving eye over his outfit. “Because they’ve been in the office all day. You look way better than they do .”
He let off a dismissive rumble. The truth was, if she’d insisted he dress in a shirt and tie, he probably wouldn’t have come at all. “And I’m guessing that’s the happy couple?” He angled his chin toward a very lively-looking girl with brown curly hair and big eyes and a tall, skinny guy, who were receiving lots of kisses and hugs .
“Yes! Come on, I’ll introduce you .”
Selma’s small, soft hand slid into his own before she hauled him across the room with surprising strength .
As they approached the group surrounding the engaged couple, everyone turned in their direction and seemed to stop talking at the same moment .
“Everybody, this is Bert,” Selma announced .
Frankie stiffened. Bert. He’d forgotten that there was a new name to go with his new identity. It was just for one night, though. He’d have to suck it up .
Everyone looked as delighted as if Selma had turned up with a movie star on her arm .
“Congratulations on your engagement,” Frankie said to the couple, swallowing down his discomfort .
“Thank you!” the woman, Emily, said with a huge grin. “It’s lovely to meet you at last, Bert.” She took a step forward and, to his surprise, gave him a full body hug. “You’ve made my sister very happy .”
Frankie’s throat tightened. Sister? As Emily drew back, he scanned her features. She had a skinnier face than Selma since she didn’t share her luscious curves, but the prominent gray eyes, snub nose, and mischievous tilt to the lips were similar to Selma’s. Yup, they were sisters all right. He gritted his teeth. What else had Miss Flaky “forgotten” to mention to him ?
“You’re coming to the wedding, aren’t you?” Emily continued .
He was too taken aback to hide the surprise in his eyes .
Emily laughed. “It’s in three weeks. I know we’re not leaving a lot of time in between, but we have a very special reason.” She smoothed her hand over her belly, and he noticed the little bump there .
He nodded. “And congratulations on the little one, too .”
Emily gave him a radiant smile, and before the conversation could get any more complicated, the rest of the group began to greet him individually, saying how excited they were to meet him at last. He kept a polite smile affixed to his face, returning their good wishes, and at the first possible opportunity, he excused himself to get a drink. He kept hold of Selma’s hand, bringing her with him, but instead of going to the bar, he led her across the room, down the stairs, and out of the building .
When they came to a stop in the parking lot, the eyes that met his flashed with guilt .
“Sister! Are you kidding me, Selma? Give me one reason why I don’t walk out of here right now !”
She bit her lip. “I-I’m sorry. I thought there was no way you’d come if you knew you were meeting a member of my family. And it’s not a big deal, is it? Emily was real happy to see you .”
He let off a snarl and raised his hands, on the point of grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking some sense into her silly head. He saw a flicker of fear in her eyes so dropped them again. “That’s because she thinks I’m your boyfriend,” he said, speaking very slowly. “I thought we were meeting a bunch of your workmates, people who won’t think it’s a huge deal when they find out we’re no longer together in a few weeks’ time, or whenever you decide to tell them. Your sister obviously cares about you a lot.” He shook his head hard. “I can’t believe you, Selma.” He was a second away from punching the wall in frustration .
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad at me again,” she said, her voice almost a whisper .
He sighed loudly. “It’s not about ma
king me mad. It’s about lying. Why can’t you see that?” He cracked his knuckles in exasperation. “I’ve already told you I have a big problem with lying .”
“I know, I know. I — ”
“Yoo hoo! Silly, we’re here!” a loud female voice called from behind him. He turned around and was greeted by the sight of a short woman in her mid fifties with short brown curls, oversize glasses, and bright pink lipstick. She was accompanied by a clean-shaven man of a similar age who had graying dark hair, neat, square glasses, and a kind expression on his face. He was wearing a sports jacket with gray slacks and a beige button-down shirt while the woman was in a very colorful, voluminous dress .
“Mom, Dad! I didn’t know you were coming!” Selma replied in a strangled tone .
Frankie shot a glance at her and registered that her eyes were huge with panic .
“Well, I know it’s more for the younger ones tonight, but we weren’t about to miss Emily’s engagement party!” the woman said. “Now, is this the young man you’ve been telling me so much about ?”
“Yes,” Selma replied, but her voice came out in a squeak. She coughed. “Mom, Dad, meet Bert. Bert, this is my mom, Jean, and dad, Bill .”
“Pleased to meet you, young man,” her dad said, speaking for the first time. When he held his hand out, Frankie shook it .
“And I’m very pleased to meet you, too,” her mom said, giving him a little hug. “I can’t wait to get to know you better .”
“But in the meantime, shall we go inside and enjoy the party?” Selma said through gritted teeth .
“Yes, dear, but hold your horses. I feel like I’ve been waiting so long to meet Bert. A couple more seconds won’t hurt .”
Selma sighed and hooked her arm around her mom’s elbow. “Come on,” she said and herded them toward the bar .
She let her parents go up the stairs first and hung back a little to speak to Frankie .
“I swear I didn’t know they were coming,” she whispered. “Mom already told me they weren’t going to make it .”
“I believe you,” he replied. “But I sure wish you’d reminded me that my name was supposed to be Bert .”
She gave him a small smile and rolled her eyes. “It had to be something, and chances are my ex-boyfriend wasn’t also called Frankie .”
She kind of had a point, he conceded, clenching his jaw .
“You’re not going to leave now, are you?” she asked, eyes wide .
He exhaled a slow breath. “No, of course not. I’m here to do a job, and that’s what I’m gonna do,” he said at last .
She brightened instantly. “Thank you so much for staying. It means more to me than I can say .”
Against his will, a small smile crept across his lips. Infuriating as she could be, it was hard to be mad at her for long .
As Selma’s parents rushed over to see Emily and Dave, Frankie made a beeline for the bar. He ordered a draft beer for himself and a glass of white wine for Selma. He drank almost half the beer in a single gulp and felt a little better. If he’d known what kind of antics Selma had planned, he would’ve sunk a couple of beers before he arrived .
Feeling Selma’s eyes on his face, he turned his head to look at her .
“I’ve stressed you out tonight, haven’t I?” she said and chewed on her lower lip, her small teeth like little pearls .
“A little. But nothing I can’t handle .”
“I won’t do it again, I promise .”
He snorted. “Somehow, I find that hard to believe .”
She gave him a thin smile that reminded him of Willow when she knew she’d done something naughty. “I’ll work on it anyway .”
He took another slug of his beer. “Tell me something—why does everyone call you Silly ?”
She gave an epic groan. “It started off as Selly when I was a kid, then the more goofy stuff I did, the more people started to call me Silly. I thought I’d finally escaped it when I started work, but one day when it was my turn to bake cookies for my team and I made them with salt instead of sugar, Luciana called me Silly, and then someone overheard Emily calling me it too, and it stuck .”
“Wait, Emily works in the same office as you ?”
Her forehead puckered like a Sharpei’s. “Of course! I told you it was an office engagement party. She and Dave work on the same team—acquisitions and migrations .”
He shook his head. “There I was thinking you made the whole thing up .”
She rolled her eyes. “What do you think I am, some kind of fantasist?” They both laughed. “Anyway, looks like I’m stuck with being Silly forever now. And it doesn’t help that I have these round cheeks and googly eyes. They make me look like I’m up to something even when I’m serious .”
“You don’t have googly eyes,” he said, staring into their gray depths .
She bit down on her bottom lip again. “I so do .”
“No. They’re big and expressive. Very pretty.” Without meaning to, he moved his head closer to hers. She blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering. Then she shook her head dismissively, and the moment passed .
“We should probably go talk to people,” she said .
“Yeah.” He straightened up, slightly dazed. “I’ll just grab another beer first. You want anything ?”
“No, I’m good .”
People liked Selma, Frankie noted as he waited for the drinks to arrive. They eagerly welcomed her into their groups, laying arms around her sweet, bare shoulders. But eyes were fast turning in his direction. He groaned inwardly. Time to go do what he was being paid for .
I t actually wasn’t so bad chatting to a bunch of humans who were excited to meet him. If he was a different kind of guy, he probably would’ve loved being in the limelight. He held Selma’s hand and let her do a lot of the talking, telling people their plans for the future—the vacation they were going to go on, their home-improvement plans. He guessed it was all stuff from her relationship with the real Bert, and he nodded along with everything she said .
But halfway through the evening, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. “Sorry,” she whispered, squeezing his hand .
Immediately, her mom appeared at his elbow. “You’re so brave doing the job you do,” she said .
“I don’t know about that. It’s just about making people’s homes look nice,” he replied .
Two vertical lines appeared between her eyebrows. “Homes? I thought it was more about saving their lives .”
“Oh, yes, that too,” he said, his heartbeat speeding up. Goddammit it. He’d already forgotten about his fake career. That last beer had seemed like a good idea at the time, but maybe he shouldn’t have had it. He shot a desperate glance toward the bathroom, praying that Selma would be back soon .
“You are an EMT, aren’t you?” Jean continued .
“Yes, I am, absolutely.” Perspiration broke out on his forehead. He knew nothing about an EMT’s job. If she continued bothering him with questions, he’d be found out in seconds. “And what do you do for work, ma’am?” he said, trying for a swift change of subject .
“Selma didn’t tell you? Goodness me, she’s a flaky one! I’m a secretary at an elementary school .”
“That must be fun,” he said. “I love kids. I’ve got a little niece who’s three—” he broke off, worried this might conflict with something else she knew about Bert. Why was Selma taking so long? He cast a desperate eye to the dancefloor in the corner of the room, which was fast filling up. He wasn’t a big fan of dancing, but anything had to be better than putting his foot in it again. “Would you care for a dance, ma’am?” he asked .
A pink blush came to her cheeks—cheeks that were so much like Selma’s. “Why, I’d love to,” she said, and a second later, she was yanking him onto the wooden floor with a surprisingly strong grasp. She pulled him right into the center of the huddle of people, pushed his arm up high and twirled herself around. He stared at her, aghast. What was that ?
Her eyebrows drew together, the
n a light came into her eyes. “Do you know salsa ?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t know any particular kind of dance I’m afraid.” His throat tightened, and he worried he’d made yet another mistake. Note to self: when working as a fake boyfriend, ensure you’ve been briefed properly first .
She broke into a grin, pushed her spectacles up her nose. “That’s okay, I can show you a few steps.” Grasping his left hand in her right, she began to maneuver him around the dancefloor. He did his best to follow, but all he succeeded in doing was avoiding stamping on her tiny, sandal-clad feet with his huge size fourteens .
He was so focused on his task that he was startled by a burst of applause. He jerked his gaze up from his feet and discovered they were surrounded by a ring of people, cheering them on. Great .
Jean came to a stop and nodded approvingly. “Good job, young man .”
He smiled as relief swept through him. He hadn’t broken any bones, and no-one had laughed at him. In the grand scheme of Selma craziness, he ought to count that a success. He dipped his head. “It was a pleasure, Jean .”
Grinning, she patted him on his bicep. “I like a man who’ll push himself out of his comfort zone for a lady.” She tilted her head in the direction of her husband, who was standing at the edge of the circle talking to his future son-in-law. “Bill here was too shy to come to salsa lessons with me till I gave him an ultimatum—step up to the plate, or I’m running off with one of those dishy instructors .”
He grinned, now knowing where Selma got her impulsiveness from. Then he bowed and stepped backward off the dancefloor, desperate to get away from what felt like hundreds of pairs of curious human eyes. His bear was coiled tight inside him, as if it wanted to burrow its way out of the entire situation .
Someone laid a hand on the small of his back and he spun around, his fight-or-flight instinct on high alert .
Selma swum into his field of vision, her eyes and teeth a glistening blur. “Frankie! You did great !”
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