She was going to miss having him here, but she shouldn’t have brought him in the first place.
They walked back to her room. This time, she didn’t shut the door all the way but left it open an inch. Her hand slipped from the cold knob, and she spun around. “I’m so sorry, Cliff! I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I was selfish. I shouldn’t have lied to you. Please tell me we’ll still be friends—even after I drop you off tomorrow. You don’t have to. You can say no. But I really hope you’ll say yes.”
His whiskers lifted in what she thought might be a smile. “We’ll still be friends.”
In a rush of relief, she jumped and threw her arms around his neck. “I promise I’ll get up early and we’ll sneak you out of here before anyone even knows.”
His chest rumbled. “I thought you said I had a choice in all this.”
“You do.” She dropped to her feet and released him, mentally preparing herself for his absence. The few hours they’d spent here were the best she’d had in a long time.
“So what happens if I stay?”
She chewed her lip. “Stay as my fiancé? Or as my friend? Because I’m not sure I can tell my mom the truth. She’d be devastated. I mean, yes, she drives me insane with all this marriage talk all the time, and the way she and Aunt Willow pick me apart is hurtful—but that’s just her. She’s not going to change.”
“So if we’re engaged now, what happens after Christmas? What were you going to say then?” He folded his arms.
She rubbed her palms together, the feel of his strong back under her hands lingering. “Um … I’ll tell them whatever story you want. I was just thinking that we’d decided we weren’t soul mates or something and parted ways as friends.”
“That’s amicable.”
“I know, right?” She wrinkled her nose. “Of course, I’ll still be getting over you by next year, so that will buy me another holiday without the stress. And who knows? Maybe by then I’ll meet the man of my dreams.” She lifted her palms. She had no idea how that would ever happen and worked to push the gloom away from her thoughts. What mattered right now was salvaging their friendship and taking care of Cliff.
His chest seized at the thought of Diana bringing someone else here. Images of another man walking her to her door and kissing her good night made him want to run the guy off with a pitchfork. He gulped before taking a leap. “I guess we’re engaged.”
She squealed and threw her arms around him again, laying her head on his chest. “Thank you!”
He slowly put his arms around her, not sure if she was going to bounce away.
She snuggled into him and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Her muscles relaxed. “I knew flannel was soft.”
He chuckled, enjoying the way she fit against him. “You say the strangest things sometimes.”
She lifted her face, resting her chin just below a button and smiling up at him. His eyes involuntarily dropped to her lips. They were soft and pink—inviting. And they were alone in her bedroom again. His inner gentleman scolded him. He dropped his arms and stepped back, running his hand through his hair.
Diana giggle. “You are the sweetest guy in existence. I can’t believe you’re not married.” She smacked his arm before heading to the small desk and sliding onto it, her feet dangling.
The warmth that had filled the room whooshed out, replaced by an icy chill. He glanced down at his left hand, the one that should have worn a silver band with the inscription: Always and Forever. “I almost was.” The words were out before he had the chance to stop them. For a second, he was horrified. He’d kept the secret for so long. Right on the heels of the fear was a sense of relief. If there was anyone in the world he could tell, it was Diana.
“What?” Diana dropped to her feet.
A million questions raced through her mind, but Diana couldn’t grab on to any of them. She was acutely aware of the change in temperature that happened when she teased him about being married, but she’d never thought he’d been engaged before. He was so handsome and the type of guy who would do anything for anyone. She couldn’t imagine him breaking off an engagement. Maybe there was a whole other side to Cliff she didn’t know. “What do you mean, almost?” A scene from a movie came to mind where the groom got cold feet and didn’t show up. “Please tell me you didn’t leave her at the altar.”
“No,” he scoffed with malice. “She got there, all right.”
The answer would have made her believe he left her there, but the bitterness in his tone gave her second thoughts. He’d obviously been hurt, maybe devastated. She softened her voice and asked, “What happened?” Her heart stopped beating as she waited—afraid of what he was about to say. She didn’t want to hear something that would change the way she felt about Cliff. Her opinion of him was so high, it could only tumble down, right?
“She found me before the ceremony and confessed she was in love with my best friend—who happened to be my best man and standing in the room.”
“No!” she gasped, her hands covering her mouth.
“Yes!” He copied her gasp, throwing his hand over his heart.
She grunted a laugh and swatted at him. At least he could joke about it.
“I walked out while they hurriedly adjusted the ceremony so they could be married right away. My brother met me in the hallway.” His face grew thoughtful.
She hurried to bring him back to the conversation, not wanting him to drop into a stupor of thought. His openness was … delightful and made her feel like she was something special. Especially since he was telling her something so personal. “When was this?”
“Three months before you moved in.”
That explained so much! She pressed her palm to her forehead. “What did you do? I think I would have knocked over the chocolate fountain or something.”
His lips twitched. “I left the buffet tables standing.”
She frowned, disappointed in his levelheadedness.
“I took the limo.”
A sly smile crept across her face.
He gave her a matching one, and her heart flipped. “I figured she at least owed me a ride home.”
“Yeah, she did.” Diana offered him a fist bump. A part of her wanted to find this woman and shake her; she’d had an amazing man and broken his heart. She thought back to when she’d first moved in and the way Cliff hunched over himself as he walked, his head hanging low. He never smiled—ever. And he was always grumpy. No wonder! She should have made him a thousand unicorn cupcakes.
Uncle Tom poked his head in the door. “Christmas Eve ice fishing trip at 4:30 a.m. Lights out.”
Cliff perked up, cocking his head to the side.
She moaned. “Please tell me you don’t like to fish.” She’d gone on the annual fishing trip once, when she was twelve, and she hated every minute of it. The ice was hard. The temps were cold. It was dark. And she didn’t catch a thing. Most boring Christmas Eve morning ever. Sleeping in with loads of homemade quilts and flannel pajamas was so much better.
“I won’t tell you I like it, because I love it.” Cliff smiled.
She reveled in his contentedness. He even leaned against her wall, no longer wanting to bolt from the room. Sheesh—she’d felt like a seductress earlier when he’d accused her of trying to shove him onto the bed. What felt worse was that she hadn’t been good at it. Her flirting skills obviously needed work. But that was a project for another day. Tomorrow would be all about keeping herself between Cliff and her cray-cray family. Which sadly meant she was going to have to get up before the world began turning tomorrow. “Fine. We’ll go.”
The corners of his eyes wrinkled as his smile went all the way to the roots of his hair.
Her heart paused in wonder and delight. Heaven help me!
She pointed a finger at him. “But don’t expect a happy camper. I’m not a morning person.”
He ruffled her hair. “Don’t care.”
She swatted his hand away but smiled. Her chest was all warm again, knowing they we
re back to being friends. She’d gotten used to having him in her life and couldn’t imagine going through a day without Cliff.
Chapter 10
Cliff
When Diana’s family decided to do something, they did it in style. Cliff had been fishing many times with his dad and brother over the years. They took an old, beat-up canoe out on the lake, dropped their lines, and munched on vanilla Oreo cookies. Looking back on those lazy days, he realized what a gift it was to spend time with his dad outside of cell service.
Ice fishing was nothing like canoe fishing.
They’d met in the kitchen, where warm cinnamon rolls filled the air with the scent of the holidays. The group was about a fourth of the size of the Hot Chocolate Social. Not many young families decided to get up before dawn. The kids that tagged along yawned and leaned heavily on their parents.
Diana was adorable in her 23 layers of clothing and beanie. She’d grabbed them a thermos of hot chocolate to take on the lake and held it close to her chest, as if it was warming her.
The night sky was inky with a smattering of stars. It was still dark enough that it felt like the middle of the night. Sunrise wouldn’t be for several hours. The leaders, Diana’s dad and his brothers, fired up snowmobiles with sleds behind them. The rest of the crew piled into the sleds, some of them four people deep, and hung on.
Diana sat in front of him, leaning onto his chest. He breathed in her scent, part sugar frosting and part her. She smelled like a lady: a little floral, a little vanilla, and a little coconut. They fit perfectly in the sled together. They might have been able to fit a child in front of Diana. The idea of adding a kid—their kid—to the mix was all too real and all too beautiful for him to focus on. Like staring into a spotlight, he had to look away.
The snow was three feet deep in places, and the snowmobiles had to forge a trail through the woods to the lakeshore. He expected them to stop and let the riders out, but David plowed right out onto the ice.
“How thick is it?” He had to yell to be heard over the roar of the machines.
“At least fifteen inches,” Diana replied. She gave his leg a reassuring squeeze, and his heart answered with a leap. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall in.”
He hugged her a little tighter in response, only half teasing about being worried.
In less than five minutes they pulled up to a small village of tents, their plastic windows blazing with welcoming light. There were attendants stationed near a set of tables where fishing poles and bait were laid out.
“I wondered how we were going to dig for worms,” he joked.
Diana smiled up at him. “No worms. We use power bait or a lure, thank goodness.”
He nodded. “I can get behind that.” They got in line to get their poles, letting the kids go first. One of the tent doors unzipped and a wave of heat rushed out. The floor had a thin layer of water, and the three holes inside were slushy on top. “This is a little different than my scout campouts.”
“Really? You were a Boy Scout?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.” He faked offense. Teasing with her came easy, and he enjoyed their give-and-take.
She laughed lightly. “I’m not, really. I just have a hard time picturing you without a beard … shorter …” She cocked her head to the side as she took him in. “And wearing a neckerchief.”
“Respect the ’kerchief, ma’am.” He pointed at her in warning, but he was laughing inside and knew she didn’t take him too seriously—ever.
“What tent do you want?” She grabbed a pole and a pole stand and glanced around.
Cliff loaded up on three different colors of power bait and one lure because she hadn’t taken any. “That one.” He used his pole to point to the farthest tent.
“Don’t Boy Scouts do winter camps?” She shuddered as she ducked through the tent flap.
He stepped in and shook his head. Four high-end camp chairs were set up in a semicircle with two holes cut in the ice. “Klondike camps. My mom said they brought her closer to God than any other experience in her life.”
“Why?” Diana removed her heavy coat and hung it over the back of one chair. She had on a plaid shirt over a turtleneck and a scarf wrapped around her neck.
“Because she spent the whole time praying for our lives,” he joked, picking a chair on the end.
She took the one right next to him, and his temperature went up because she was near. The heater in the corner put out just enough warmth that he could take off his coat and get comfortable. He did just that, and the stress from the last year and a half seemed to melt away. “I needed this,” he half moaned. Fishing wasn’t something you could hurry. There were no deadlines, no contractors breathing down his neck, no bidding for the next job. Just peace.
“I need this.” Diana lifted the thermos and took a sip. Closing her eyes in pleasure, she let out a soda-commercial-worthy “Aaah.”
He laughed. “You’re not that cold.”
She rubbed her free hand up and down her other arm. “We’re sitting on ice.”
“Melting ice.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I’m not a fan of hanging out in a pool of ice water.” Her cheeks and nose were a rosy pink, and her bright blue eyes were luminous. He paused in attaching the bait to just take in her beauty.
She blushed and looked down, her dark lashes brushing her cheeks. It wouldn’t take much for a kiss to happen. All he’d need to do was lean over a bit. Then she could lift her chin and he’d get a taste of her scrumptious mouth.
“Hey, hey, hey.” Diana’s uncle Tom poked his head through the zipper. His thin eyebrows shot up. “Shoot, I thought we’d catch you two lovebirds playing Eskimo in here.”
Cliff’s neck burned, because his thoughts had been right along those lines. He glanced at Diana out of the corner of his eye. She rolled her eyes, completely unaffected by the idea of kissing him. Not fair. Because Cliff’s neck was still warm and his hands still yearned to cup her soft cheeks. But then, she was the one who’d thought up this whole fake dating/engagement idea. She hadn’t forgotten that they were pretending.
“Whatcha doing, Uncle Tom?” Diana offered Cliff the thermos. He took it, aware that his mouth was where her mouth had been.
“We need a place to play cards. The youngsters are bored. Since you two have the most space, we’re coming in.” He shoved the rest of the way through the door and was followed by two six-year-old boys. The first one carried an extra camp chair, and the second brought a folding table. “Boys, this is Cliff. Don’t tick him off or trip over his fishing line, or he’ll toss you out in the cold.”
They took him in with matching big brown eyes, wary.
“Stop!” Diana leaned forward in her chair. “Cliff is the nicest guy in the world.”
Cliff’s eyebrows went up. “I wouldn’t say that.”
She smacked his stomach. “You’re not helping. Johnny and Jimmy will never fish with us again if you tease them.”
He smiled easily at the kids, feeling more comfortable by the second because Diana got his humor. He took in the twins as they worked together to set up the table and chair. They were the best of friends and probably the worst of enemies at times—just like he and Asher had been.
His brother probably thought he’d turned into an abominable snowman. He thought back to all the times this year that Asher had tried to cheer him up and he’d refused to be cheered. That had to stop. He’d entrenched himself in grouchiness, but that wasn’t who he really was inside. Happiness shouldn’t be something he had to practice, but if he needed to, he’d schedule in regular workouts with Asher.
“Who goes first?” asked Jimmy.
“I will,” answered Uncle Tom.
The game started off slowly, but soon they were unloading cards and anxiously watching one another’s discard piles. Cliff kept an eye on both rods, but there wasn’t so much as a wiggle from either of them. He’d love a depth finder, and if he was invited back next year, he’d bring one. He paused for a second
, remembering that he wasn’t supposed to be here next year. As far as these people would know, he’d be the long-lost boyfriend/fiancé. That was kind of depressing.
Diana chewed her lip as she watched the game unfold. She shuffled cards around in her hand, moving some to the back and others to the front depending on what a person played. “How do you like school?” she asked the boys.
“My teacher is not as fun as Jimmy’s.” Johnny sniffed and swiped at his nose. “They get extra recess and stuff.”
“Yeah, but you get more gym,” Johnny pointed out.
“Do you guys take lunch or eat school lunch?” She continued to pepper them with questions. She used her same, cheerful smile and can-do attitude to get them to open up. Cliff learned more about first grade at Lakeside Elementary than he would ever need to know.
He also got a look at Diana from a different perspective—one where he wasn’t the object of her attention—and he realized something. “You can’t help but be adorable, can you?” His hand reached up, moving without his permission, and he brushed his fingers down her jaw.
The temperature in the tent went up ten degrees. Diana flushed prettily, and his throat grew thick.
Uncle Tom cleared his throat. “Let’s keep it PG here, folks.”
Cliff dropped his hand and cleared his head, avoiding Diana’s questioning gaze. For a moment there, old dreams of being married and the desire to be part of a couple had surfaced. He could easily see Diana holding a baby, coaching a Little League team, or teaching a teenager to drive. She was the whole package.
And he had no right to think of her that way. They were friends—that was all she wanted from him. For a moment there, it had felt real. More real than the ice under his boots.
Chapter 11
Her Totally Hot Forbidden Fake Fiance Page 5
