Perfect Secret by Molly McLain

Chapter 11

ALANA

“You’re looking especially cheery today,” Nancy says from behind the Mason Creek Market deli counter. Her long gray hair is pulled back in a braid and her red apron is as neat and clean as the moment she put it on this morning. Not because she doesn’t work hard—she’s a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her deli—but because she’s just that tidy.

“It’s a beautiful day and…” I glance down at my Fitbit. “We’re both off the clock in an hour.”

The older woman gives a small smile. “I am, but we both know you’ll hang around for a few more.”

“Nope, not today. I actually have plans for the afternoon that don’t involve work or my classes.”

She presses her hand to her chest in mock shock. “Well, I’ll be darned. Alana Faulkner peeling herself away from this place…”

I laugh. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It’s a huge deal,” she counters. Then, “And I hope it’s just the start of you doing it more often.”

Me, too, but not so much that Marty starts to question my loyalties, now of all times. Hallie and I are meeting on Thursday to discuss my business plan and finance options and I’m crossing all of my available body parts that it goes well.

“By the way, I heard you have a new neighbor upstairs. He came yesterday for a sandwich, I assume before heading to the ranch.” Nancy leans in toward the meat and cheese case, to keep whatever she’s about to say between us and not the market-goers milling around behind me. “Don’t tell my husband, but he’s quite the looker. And he’s got that, what are you kids calling it these days, swagger?”

A warm blush rises in my cheeks. “I, uh, I haven’t noticed.”

Her wide-eyed grin says she expects my nose to start growing or my pants burst into flames. “Uh huh.”

I roll my eyes. “Anyway, I was hoping I could get you to throw some things together for me. Some sandwiches and a couple salads. Maybe pasta and the new vegetable medley. Oh, and if there’s any cheesecake left, a couple slices of that, as well.”

“Sure thing. Anything in particular you’d like on the sandwiches?”

“Um…” Crap. I have no idea what he likes, not that I get the impression he’s picky. “Just whatever you put on Holden’s yesterday, please.”

Nancy’s eyes darn near pop out of her head. “Girl, you’d better be telling me what I think you’re telling me.”

“I’m not saying anything.” I laugh nervously, feeling a little like a giddy teenager while she makes a show of zipping her lips and throwing away the key. “It’s not what you think it is.”

“What isn’t?” a familiar voice sounds behind me and I clench my eyes shut, every guilty muscle in my body tensing.

“Mom.” I paste on a smile and slowly turn to face her. Let it be known that I love my mother to pieces and have no issues with her whatsoever. She, however, has issues with me, mostly stemming from the fact that I don’t get out to the farm to see my parents nearly as often as I should. “Oh, my gosh, you cut your hair! I love it!”

She blinks at me, the rest of her expression blank. “Honey, I cut it a month ago.”

Shit. “Oh. Um, has it really been that long?”

She makes a throaty sound and rolls her eyes much like I did to Nancy just a few moments earlier. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt if it looked exactly the same, given Mom and I are virtual twins, save the twenty-five years between us.

“Is Dad here, too?” I ask, even though I know he isn’t. Just like I’m always at the store, Dad is always working on the farm.

“No, he’s tending to afternoon chores and smoking a brisket for dinner. You know, that thing we do every Sunday around five o’clock? It used to be a family thing, but…”

But Aiden moved to California and I went off to college and, even when I did come back to Mason Creek, I’ve rarely shown up, despite knowing how important this one simple thing is to my parents.

“Please come tonight, Alana. It would make your dad’s day since he’s cooking. He even made homemade coleslaw and potato salad.” Her small, but hopeful smile is like a knife twisting slowly in my gut and, as much as I want to tell her I can’t because I have plans with Holden, I can’t bring myself to do it.

“Nancy, hold up on those sandwiches,” I say over my shoulder, watching Mom’s smile widen in my peripheral.

“You’ll come?” she asks and I nod, the pretty pink coloring her cheeks telling me it’s the right decision. “Oh, honey, thank you so much!” She abandons her shopping cart to rush around and hug me and I find myself smiling, too.

“I assume Aiden and Emma are coming, too?”

“Yes. You know how much your brother loves brisket.”

“I’m pretty sure there isn’t a man alive who doesn’t.” I laugh and my thoughts go right back to Holden. Before I can think better of it, the question tumbles out. “Would it be okay if I brought a friend?”

Mom pulls back from the hug with wide eyes. “A boyfriend?”

“No.” I laugh again, tucking a strand behind my ear with suddenly shaky fingers. Even though Holden and I aren’t really dating, this feels an awful lot like bringing a guy home to meet the parents, something I’ve only done once before, with Cory. “He’s just a friend, but he’s in town for a few weeks and I’m sure he’d appreciate a home-cooked meal.” Which sparks another idea altogether, but that’s fodder for later, not now.

“Absolutely,” Mom says, her hand curling around my arm. “You have no idea how happy this makes me, honey.”

Actually, I think I do, and it’s doing a hell of a number on my conscience right now. My excuse of needing to close up the store on Sundays expired a long time ago when I trained Susie and Peg to do it so I wouldn’t have to all the time. Still, I chose to avoid time with my family, because so often it ended up reminding me of the past. A past I’ve come to realize maybe I’ve been holding on to, despite thinking I’d let go.

* * *

How do you feel about brisket? I text Holden an hour later when I get back upstairs to my apartment. Since I didn’t have to pack for the picnic, I’d tried to stay a little longer, but Nancy dug her heels in and said she wouldn’t leave unless I did, so I gave in.

He replies a few minutes later. Fucking love it. Why? Is that what we’re eating on our picnic?

About the picnic…I hit send and bite my lip before shooting off the rest. Would you mind having dinner at my parents’ instead? Dad smoked a brisket today and he’s sorta known around town for it.

My mouth is already watering, darlin’. Count me in.

Thank god. Not that it would have been the end of the world if he said no, but then I’d be worried about what he was going to eat for dinner, because it dawned on me earlier that he’s been living off of restaurant and bar food, save the sandwiches he gets from the market. I’m the least domestic person I know, but even I realize that’s not good for anyone, never mind how expensive it must be.

Thanks, Colorado. I owe you.

Owe me? Not even a little. See you soon.

And I do. Less than an hour later, there’s a knock on my door. I set my laptop aside and hurry across the apartment, pulling it open to a very sweaty, very sexy cowboy.

“Hi,” I sigh, taking him in from head to toe and grinning at the mud covering his jeans. “I thought you said today was going to be a light day?”

“It was up until a feisty heifer got loose near the watering pond.” He takes off his Stetson and swipes a lock of damp, dark blond hair from his forehead. “I hope I have time for a shower?”

“Yes, of course. We have about forty-five minutes.”

He grins and a dimple pops in his cheek. “So, I’m meeting the parents, huh? Does this mean we’re official now?”

God, he’s adorable. “It means my mom caught me at the store today and reminded me that I’m long overdue for a visit. I couldn’t say no, but I didn’t want to leave you in the lurch either.”

“Hey now, I’m a big boy. I can fend for myself.”

“I may only be your fake love interest, but I can’t keep letting you eat greasy diner and bar food.”

He laughs. “You worried about me getting fat?”

“I’m worried about your arteries.”

“Aww, darlin’, that might be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

I tip my head to the side. “I’m nice sometimes.”

A bark of laughter bursts from his chest. “And I thought the shit in the corral was deep.”

“Stop.” I shove at his shoulder. “You’re giving me a complex.”

His eyes dance back and forth between mine for a long moment, while a small smile settles on his lips. “You’re not wearing any makeup,” he finally says, his voice low, and instant heat fills my cheeks. Not the good kind.

“I need to get ready yet myself,” I rush to explain. “I was doing homework and—”

“I love the freckles, darlin’. Whatever you gotta do to get ready, maybe don’t cover these up.” Holden reaches out and brushes his thumb across my cheekbone, and the self-conscious wave that just rose in my chest whooshes away in a heavy rush of relief.

This guy? He’s got this fake date thing down pat.

HOLDEN

I haven’t met the parents since I took Julia Denning to our senior prom. And back then, my eighteen-year-old self hadn’t even thought twice about it. I hopped out of my truck, looked her daddy in the eye, and promised I’d get her back home by curfew, all the while knowing damn well I’d be getting heroff at some point, too.

Alana and I aren’t even a real thing. We’ve known each other a matter of days and I have no intention of getting handsy with her anytime soon. My dick might say otherwise, but my twenty-seven-year-old brain knows better. I like this girl. I like this girl a fucking lot and knowing I’m about to meet her folks has me feeling like I should have ten years ago…

Scared shitless.

Deciding I can’t hide out in the bathroom forever, I open the door between the steamy room and her kitchen and holler, “Alana, you decent? Can I come in?”

“Yep! Just finishing my hair!” she calls back, probably from her bedroom, so I go inside, her sugary sweet perfume immediately hitting my nose and making my dick twitch.

Don’t even go there, dude. Not when we’re about to shake her old man’s hand.

And then she saunters out of her room in a short navy sundress and no amount of scolding my cock is going to work. Friendly arrangement or not, he likes what he sees.

“Shit, darlin’,” I mutter under my breath and a big grin splits across her face.

“You like it? I bought it forever ago and haven’t had the chance to wear it yet. I figured my mom would at least be amused.”

“Amused?” I can’t stop looking at her. At the low neckline and all that creamy, freckled skin, at her bare legs that look just about perfect for wrapping around my waist.

“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m not really a girly girl.”

“The hell you aren’t.” She’s kidding, right? I glance up to see her purse her lips and tip her head to the side, like I’m blowing smoke. “I’ve seen all that frilly white bedding in your room, remember?” And I might’ve noticed a lacy bra or two in the bathroom hamper, as well.

“Okay, so maybe I have a slight girly side, but I don’t really advertise it.”

“One of your ‘keep the men away’ measures?”

She blinks.

“You forgot I already figured you out, huh?”

To that, she rolls her eyes and gives my shoulder a playful shove as she strides by. “You don’t know everything about me, Colorado, so deflate that head a little bit.”

I laugh. The head on my shoulders isn’t really the one I’m concerned about right now.

She grabs a pair of sandals from by the door and then takes a seat in the kitchen to pull them on, muttering an almost inaudible, “Oh, and by the way, Aiden and Emma are coming, too.”

Shit. I should have known there was a catch.

“I hope you don’t mind?” She looks up at me, her teeth clasped around the corner of her bottom lip and I swallow down a groan.

“Nope. Not at all.” It’s not seeing Aiden I’m worried about, rather the conversation I promised him I’d have with her. A conversation I’m apparently going to have to start now rather than later.

“Oh, good. I was worried he might’ve actually shown up at the ranch today like you thought.”

“Oh, he most certainly did.”

Alana’s mouth falls open and her hands still around the sandal straps she’s trying to fasten. “Holden, I am so sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be.” I take a seat on the arm of her couch and run a hand around the back of my neck. “But there’s probably something we should talk about before we head out.”

Her amber eyes lock on mine as she finishes with the shoe and places both hands on her knees. “Is this something my brother told you to do?”

“Yes, and he’s right. You should know.”

Her shoulders droop as she exhales a heavy sigh. “Just tell me you don’t have a girlfriend or wife back in Colorado. That’s all I really care about.”

“I’ve never been married and I haven’t had a girlfriend in years.”

Relief eases her features. “Thank god.”

“But that’s not—”

She’s on her feet with my face cupped in her hands before I can say another word. “I’ve already figured out you’re the kind of guy I’ve sworn off. I’m even willing to bet you’ve ridden a bull or two.”

I nod and swallow, and when I speak, my voice is hoarse. “Yeah, darlin’, I have.”

She pulls in a breath and strokes her thumbs over my cheeks, her eyes searching mine. “Then I guess we’re both lucky that my apparent distaste for cowboys diminished at some point over the years, because I don’t care.”

“Maybe not, but—”

“Shh.” She presses a fingertip to my lips. “You’re here for a few weeks. This doesn’t have to be complicated.”

“This?” My hands lift to her hips and she bites that bottom lip again.

“Fake dating or not, I like spending time with you.”

“I feel the same.”

A soft smile tickles at her mouth. “Then nothing else matters.”