CHAPTER SIX

 

 

The afternoon sun bathes the beach in warm, golden light that glitters atop cresting waves. The sea air and hypnotizing sound of the ocean envelops us, reminding me how lucky I am to live where I do.

Boone strolls slightly ahead of me, my hand tucked in his and our fingers are laced. His broad shoulders sway back and forth with every long stride he takes, and he occasionally steals a glance at me to make sure he isn’t walking too fast and that I’m keeping up with him okay.

This whole fake relationship thing is coming so naturally to the both of us that I have to keep reminding myself that Boone isn’t actually my boyfriend.

For now, I think that blurred line is going to do more good than bad. I mean, who can give a really powerful performance without leaning into the role a little? That’s like rule number one in acting school. Some would even say that method acting is how you get the best scenes.

“I’ve never heard of this place before,” Boone muses as he takes in the little burger shack nestled on the golden sands up ahead of us.

The building is small with a red roof that you can see for miles down the beach. Its walls are dotted with lots of big windows and the doors are always propped open so that the ocean breeze can blow through the tiny restaurant.

“It’s about to change your life,” I say with a grin. “Franco makes the best burgers in SoCal. Scout’s honor.”

He chuckles and slows to a stop so I can reach his side. “You, a girl scout? Darlin’, I have trouble imagining that.”

I tilt my head to the side, giving him a bigger smile as I gaze up at him. “Darlin’,” I repeat playfully with my best southern twang, “there’s a whole lot about me you don’t know yet.”

Squeezing his hand, I dart across the sand toward Franco’s Burgers, hauling him after me. Boone laughs again, the sound rises above the crashing waves, making my pulse skip a beat.

Franco’s Burgers isn’t my usual cup of tea when it comes to a date spot, but it’s definitely low-key, which is what I’m looking for. The girls might have had a point when they claimed that I don’t do subtle well, so I decided that having our first date at a tiny burger shack would prove them wrong, even if my true intention is for us to get spotted at some point. Boone and I can pretend like we don’t want anyone to notice us until we’re ready for our big reveal as the hottest new couple in LA.

It’s like a perfectly crafted movie script.

Franco’s isn’t crowded yet, but that makes it only more perfect. It will give Boone and me a chance to not only chow down on some amazing food, but also to iron out a few details of our fake relationship.

My bogus boyfriend and I had been texting the past few days about when to make our big announcement and exactly how we should do so, but we hadn’t come up with a concrete plan quite yet. We figured once we met up for our first “real” date we’d play it by ear from there. I love that Boone is cool with winging it when it comes to doing things. Just like me. It’s refreshing to meet someone who is as spontaneous and relaxed as I am. He just seems to get me without even trying.

The half dozen or so people in the restaurant enjoying an early dinner glance up as Boone and I head over to a booth, but no one pays much attention to us. This is probably because we’re dressed suitably to play-up our stealthy act, but it almost makes me ache that I can’t throw back the red bandanna headband concealing my hair and command all the attention in the place.

I was born for the spotlight and playing coy doesn’t come naturally to me.

For his part, Boone hides his identity with a baseball cap and dark sunglasses. Unsurprisingly, he’s dressed much more casually today than he was at the party in LA. In a fitted blue button-down shirt that makes his eyes look even more radiant than normal and knee-length shorts that show off his perfectly tanned, perfectly toned legs, he is a sexy sight to behold. I’ve opted for a thin but oversized cardigan that hangs around my thighs, concealing a denim miniskirt and a red tank top to match my headband. My long, dark hair is held back in a loose bun.

We settle down at a cozy booth in the back of the tiny restaurant and a lithe, blond-haired guy immediately darts out from the kitchen to set down the biggest tray of fried mozzarella sticks I’ve ever seen in my life. Just the sight of them has me drooling. The golden slabs of cheesy goodness smell like heaven, but I have no idea why the server is giving them to us since we didn’t order them.

“I think you have the wrong table,” offers Boone with a smile, but the server shakes his head and jerks a thumb over his left shoulder toward the kitchen.

“Nah,” the server says with a grin. “Franco saw you coming in, Sutton. After Kali visited with that dude she’s dating, Franco got interviewed by the LA Times and his sales have been off the charts. He wanted you to have a free app to show his thanks to G&G. Let me know when you’re ready to order.”

With that, the blond guy hurries off to refill water glasses at another table, leaving Boone and me looking at each other in surprise.

“Dating you is going to have more perks than I expected,” Boone whispers teasingly.

My southern sweetheart helps himself to a perfectly cooked mozzarella stick and takes a bite before flashing me that cute, frisky grin that never fails to make my whole body tingle. Boone has a way of making me smile and laugh more easily than anyone else I’ve ever met. I still haven’t figured out how he manages that, but I love it. It takes everything in me to keep reminding myself that I’m not going to be on his arm forever.

We’re friends. That’s where the line has to be drawn in the beautiful, warm California sand.

“Speaking of us dating, I guess it’s time to talk about rules,” I say, fishing my phone out of my pocket and open up the notes document I’ve been working on for the past few days.

Boone leans back in his chair, still nibbling his mozzarella stick, and frowns. “Wait, you’re really putting together a whole list of rules? What is this, the ten commandments of fake dating?”

“I’m going to ignore your sass this time, mister,” I snark back with a barely suppressed giggle. “Now then. Commandment number one—as we’ve already discussed—is absolutely no drama. That leads me to the second rule. No drama. Like, for real.”

A chuckle rumbles up his throat. He folds his arms over his chiseled chest and eyes me behind his shades. “What else have you got on that list, darlin’? I know you didn’t come up with two simple rules and then stop. I’d even be willing to bet you’ve got a whole lot more than ten commandments on there.”

I roll my eyes dramatically and sarcastically retort, “Look at you. You’re well on your way to being the best fake boyfriend around, aren’t you? You’ve already figured out so much about me.”

Again, Boone bursts into laughter. Even though I’m lightheartedly heckling the handsome rugby star, he’s actually right. I really do have at least twenty rules on my list. Maybe I should condense things a little.

I clear my throat and scroll down the document. “I just have a few other very simple things left,” I lie, hurriedly shortening the list in my head. “A—we need to be convincing. If that means some sizzling PDA here and there, I’m fine with it as long as you are.”

Pausing, I look to him for confirmation and he gives a thoughtful nod. I wish he’d take off his sunglasses so I can see his eyes. Besides being the proverbial window to the soul, they’re also the key to what he’s really thinking in that head of his.

“And—once our relationship inevitably gets leaked online, we need to be pretty public with seeing each other,” I continue. “That means you showing up in G&G Instagram posts and videos, me going to rugby things, and us having at least two dates a week where we can be spotted.”

“Simple enough,” agrees Boone without hesitation. “Anything else?”

“Well…” I hesitate, chewing on my lower lip for a second. “There’s one more rule. We’re in this fake relationship to protect ourselves—me from creeps and you from fangirls. We’re not in this to get hurt, so I think it’s best if we keep feelings out of the mix entirely.”

He considers that. “So, if we develop feelings for anyone else—or for each other—it’s time to call it quits?”

It’s my turn to hesitate. “Sounds sensible,” I finally murmur.

“All the benefits, none of the drama. That’s how we’ll roll,” he says. “Right, darlin’?”

When I nod in agreement, he nods as well, then rubs his stubble-covered jaw, his sunglass-covered gaze wandering toward the beach. A few gulls caw and swoop down toward where someone dropped their fries earlier. He watches them peck at the fallen food for a few minutes before turning his attention back to me. Pushing his sunglasses up on his head, he rests his forearms on the table and leans forward. His eyes collide with mine so abruptly that it makes my heart lurch in my chest.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” he states firmly. A slow grin spreads across his handsome face, his eyes gleaming in the sunlight pouring in through the open windows of the small burger shack. There’s a mischievous glint in his gaze that has my stomach doing flip-flops. “Now how about we get people really talking?”