Reese picked up the store’s sign, Griffen’s Christmas gift to her, and moved it out of harm’s way. She didn’t know when he’d found the time to make it, but it was gorgeous. “Outdoor Adventures” it read in yellow-trimmed burgundy letters. The multilayered wooden shingle, a mix of natural wood and hunter green paint, would look great hanging under the green canopy she was adding over the entryway.
He’d seemed pleased with his Catamount sweatshirt, but if Reese had hoped for some kind of moment during the gift exchange, those hopes had been dashed. He’d given her a quick hug, then tousled her hair for good measure.
Across the store, he was now prying the last of the drywall from the studs. The shop was a disaster, even though she’d been cleaning up behind him. The mess was driving her crazy.
She had to admit, the newly exposed brick walls looked great, or would once they sucked the dust away. The brick added the old-timey look she’d been hoping for. That, combined with the thick wooden trusses exposed on the second floor, made for a nice rustic look. The lofted second floor was open now and well supported with a beam.
He set down the pry bar and pulled off his gloves and filter mask. The air was thick with drywall dust that clogged Reese’s throat even through her mask.
“That’s the last of it,” Griffen said, retrieving a bottle of water from the cooler behind the old counter. He handed her one.
“Thank goodness.” There wasn’t a clean surface in the room. Reese pulled off her mask and took a long drink.
“We’ll need to roll up the plastic carefully. The Shop-Vac will handle the rest, but there’s no sense doing that until the dust settles. At least the messy part is over.” He cocked a grin at her. “It’s driving you nuts, isn’t it?”
She thought of denying it, but why bother? He knew her too well. “A bit.”
“A bit.” He chuckled, then tugged her ponytail, releasing a cloud of dust. “Am I making a big old mess for Little Reese Cup?” he said, baby talking.
She gave him a shove that was only half playful. “What else is new?”
He sank down on the dirty floor behind the counter, finished his water in one long drink, then pulled out his cell phone.
“Good grief, what happened in here?” Joshua Campbell entered the shop with a blast of cold air. He shut the door behind him and waved his hand in front of his face.
“Drywall dust,” she said.
What was he doing here? Maybe he’d come to get an early start on their Griffen plan. She peeked over the counter where Griffen was texting from his spot on the floor and scowled. Good luck with that.
She cleared the dust from her throat and beamed at Josh. “I’ve got my outfit all picked out for New Year’s on the Square. I bought a new hat just for—” She stopped as Josh’s face fell. “What?”
“Listen, Reese, about that . . .”
He was canceling, she just knew it. Like she wanted Griffen to hear another man dumping her. Sure, that would make him interested.
“Let’s go outside and get some fresh air,” she said.
“Stop!” Josh stepped back, colliding with the door. “I have mono. I just left the doctor’s office. That’s what I came to tell you.”
Reese saw her plan going up in smoke, watched the mental fire burning and all hope drifting skyward in a great black cloud.
Then she looked at Josh and realized that the poor man faced at least several weeks of illness. “I’m sorry. That’s a bummer.”
Still, she had to get him out of there. He hadn’t noticed Griffen tucked away behind the counter, and what if he said something stupid? “Okay, we’ll talk about this later. You go home and rest up, and don’t worry about New Year’s.”
“You know it’s not just New Year’s, right? I’m afraid—”
Reese shook her head frantically.
“—Operation Jealousy will have to be put on hold indefinitely.”
Josh had never been good with subtleties. Reese winced. Still, at least he hadn’t said Griffen’s name. And he was busy texting, right? He probably hadn’t heard.
She shook her head at Josh again, made a throat-cutting motion.
But Josh was looking out the plate-glass window now at the flecks of snow drifting to the ground. “The doctor said I was contagious, and honestly, I feel like crap, so—”
“Of course you do. You go on home. Don’t give it another thought.” She was about to push him out the door, germs be darned.
“We’ll pick it up when I’m over this if you can’t find someone else to help. I know how you feel about—”
Reese hacked loudly. A prolonged choking kind of hack, accompanied by eyes wide enough to alert the most clueless of people.
Josh jumped, then frowned at her.
“Drywall dust.” She added one more hack for good measure.
Josh’s eyes left hers, moved just to her right, then widened. “Oh . . . Hi, Griffen.” Josh felt for the door handle. “Uh, well, I really have to go. And rest. At home. Catch you later, Reese. You too, Griffen.”
He moved incredibly fast for a guy with mono. The door thwacked shut behind him. He ducked against the cold, crossing in front of the plate-glass window.
Thanks a lot, pal.
Reese’s stomach had fallen somewhere between her knees and ankles. She heard Griffen moving behind the counter, heard the crunch of drywall pieces under his work boots.
“What was that about?”
She turned, ready with a fake smile, then remembered her mask and snapped it over her mouth instead. “What?”
Two creases etched the space between Griffen’s brows. He gestured toward the door. “That.”
“He has mono.”
“I gathered that.”
“We were going to spend New Year’s Eve together.”
“I’m not deaf, Reese. Operation Jealousy?”
Oh, you heard that?
Think, Reese. Fast. Something. Anything. Her brain readily dumped all logical thought. Griffen was looking through her with those blue lasers of his, and she couldn’t string together two coherent thoughts.
Something flickered in the pool of blue just before his eyes narrowed. “You are still in love with him.”
“What? Who?”
He reached over the counter and pulled her mask, letting it dangle from the elastic string. “Sawyer.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Don’t deny it. I was there last Saturday, remember? What, you’ve come up with some cockamamie plot to make him jealous? To make him see what he’s missing before it’s too late?”
“Uh . . .” It was the best she could do. Her mind spun with options. Let Griffen believe it, tell him the truth, or tell him it wasn’t Sawyer but someone else. Then he’d want to know who. It all led back to him, and she couldn’t go there. Not yet.
“He’s engaged, Reese.”
“I know that.”
Griffen propped his hands on his hips, looked away. A shadow flickered on his jaw over a streak of white dust.
She had to do something. She couldn’t let him think she still loved Sawyer. But she couldn’t let him know how she felt about him either. It would ruin everything. No more casual games of B-ball, no more friendly chats, no more easy laughter and banter. All of that would be gone . . . and they’d still be stuck working together all day, every day.
He looked at her again, and she swore he could see right to the core. She tried for an innocent expression but feared she wasn’t fooling anyone.
“You and your plans. Have you considered the repercussions?”
“Repercussions?”
“What if you succeed? What if you break up Sawyer and his fiancée—what then?”
“What do you mean?”
“The wedding, Reese. The whole town is counting on it. What’ll become of Smitten—of your store—if there’s no wedding?”
“Hmm. That’s something to consider.”
“You think?” He ran his hand through his hair. Dust showered his shoulders. Griffen paced to the brick wall, kicking a chunk of drywall out of his way. He returned, stopping in front of her. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
She couldn’t either. She thought of what Natalie had said. That she should just tell him the truth. That she had feelings that went way beyond the friendship they’d always shared. That right now she wanted to run her fingers through his hair, melt into his arms, taste of his lips.
She should just pretend she was Natalie and say it. But what if it ruined everything? What if she tore down the wall and there was nothing but a hollow space? What then?
At the thought of failure, adrenaline shot through her, speeding her heart rate, drying her mouth. The temperature of her face had shot up several degrees, and her cheeks burned like fire. She had to say something, do something— and not any of the things she yearned to do.
“Josh is sick.” Okay, so she wasn’t making sense. No wonder he was looking at her like that.
“And now you’re going to find someone else, is that it?”
Was it? “Well . . .”
“You think he just needs to see you with another man, and all the feelings you have for him will magically appear in him?”
“Uh, well . . . that was the plan.” Sort of. Only for you, not Sawyer.
He paced again, shaking his head this time. He breathed a laugh.
Now he thought she was in love with Sawyer and wanted him badly enough to ruin Smitten. Not only was she in love with someone else’s man, but she was selfish to boot. Perfect.
She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.
Griffen turned and shoved his hands in his pockets. “All right. I’ll do it.”
“Do what?”
“You need someone—a date.” He lifted his shoulders.
“I’ll do it. I’ll take Josh’s place.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
Her and Griffen dating? Hugging, holding hands . . .
kissing? All for someone else’s benefit?
Then again . . .
“Why not me? We’re always together anyway. Besides, lots of people say we’d make a cute couple.”
She did a double take. “They do?”
He scowled. “Don’t look so surprised. I’m a good catch.”
“And so humble too.” Reese turned toward the counter and reached for her water. She needed a minute to think without him reading her every thought. She took a slow sip.
Maybe this would work. Maybe this plan was better than her plan. Maybe after a few dates, pretending he had feelings for her, he’d develop real feelings for her. It could happen, couldn’t it? Meanwhile, it would be just this side of torture for her, but what other option did she have?
“What do you think?” he asked.
Reese set her water down and turned, leaning back on the counter. “I think it might be just the ticket.”