A Very Grumpy Thanksgiving (Wolf Valley: A Very Grumpy Holiday #3)

Chapter 5

FIVE

Saffron

For the first time in forever, I’m actually excited to go home for the day, and I know that it’s all because Nolan will be there waiting for me. He got so much done yesterday, and surprisingly, shopping for supplies with him was fun. The total was a lot less than I was expecting, and I know that I have him to thank for that, too.

We left the lumberyard yesterday with a whole truckload of wood, and I was able to order a bunch of the bathroom fixtures, too. They won’t be in for a few weeks, but Nolan says that’s okay since it will take him time to fix the floor and paint.

It’s so nice to see my vision of the house finally starting to come to life. It’s also a huge relief to not have to worry about that project anymore. I trust Nolan, and I know that my house is in good hands with him.

“I got pizza!” I announce as I step inside my place.

Nolan sticks his head out of the bathroom, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his gloved hand.

“Pepperoni?” he asks, and I smile.

“Of course.”

I had asked him about his favorite foods yesterday when we were driving around together. I figure that the least I can do is feed him. Our deal isn’t really fair. He and I both have to be able to see that it’s heavily in my favor. I mean, he’s fixing up my whole house, and I’m going to one family holiday meal with him in return.

Why does he even need a fake girlfriend? I mean, Nolan is so handsome. I’m sure that he could convince anyone to go out with him. So, why me?

“You don’t have to keep feeding me,” he tells me as he heads into the kitchen and starts to clean up.

I watch the muscles in his back flex as he leans over the sink and washes his hands.

“I don’t mind. I mean, we both have to eat. It will be nice to cook in the kitchen here once that’s finished,” I say, looking around the space.

“I’ll work on that next.”

“Oh, I didn’t… I wasn’t saying that to rush you or anything,” I start, and he shakes his head.

“No, it will work out since the cabinets will be in before the bathroom stuff.”

I nod and grab some paper plates, handing one to him.

“How was work?” he asks as we each grab a slice.

“It was good. Busy. We started up some book clubs, and they all came in today to pick out their next book of the month.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Thanks. It’s helped with business. It was Ginger’s idea, actually. She’s amazing with all this marketing stuff.”

“Does she own part of the bookstore?” he asks me, and I shake my head.

“Nope, it’s just mine. She helps us all out with our shops. She’s still trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life.”

“How did you land on a bookstore?” he asks as he takes a big bite of his slice.

“I’ve always loved books. Out of all of us, I was the shyest. I was the quiet, nerdy sister who always had her face buried in a book, so opening my own bookstore was kind of a no-brainer.”

He smiles slightly, and I grab a slice and add it to my plate.

“What about you? What will you do now that you’re out of the military?”

“Well, I have some time to figure it out. I don’t need much, and I get checks now that I’m medically discharged.”

“You haven’t been getting bored? Just staying home all of the time?” I ask him curiously, and he shrugs.

“A bit. Doing this has been helping,” he says with a small smile, and I laugh.

“Well, I’m happy to help. If you ever feel bored after all of this, let me know and I’m sure that I could find something else for you to do.”

I don’t mean for that to come out so sexual, but it does. My cheeks flame and I know that they must be as red as my hair as I stare at Nolan. He’s staring at me, his pizza slice halfway to his mouth. I can’t tell if I’m waiting for him to say something or if I would rather that the ground opened up and swallowed me whole.

“I—” I start, but I’m saved by my phone ringing. “Oh, thank god,” I mumble as I scramble to answer it. “Sorry, I should take this,” I tell him, and he nods.

“Hello?” I answer as I head out to the front porch.

“Hi, I’m with Cellular Live, and I was calling to see if you would be interested in switching over your phone?—”

I hang up and groan as I scrub my hands down my still-hot face. I need to get it together, I think as I head back inside. Remember that this is just fake to him.

“I was thinking, we should get our story straight,” I tell him as I head back into the kitchen.

“Story?”

“Yeah, you know? Like what we’re going to tell your family.”

“Tell them about what?” he asks with a frown.

“Us? I’m sure that they’ll have questions. My sisters would want to know where we met, what our first date was, who asked who out, that sort of thing.”

“Oh. Right.”

“What have you already told them?” I ask as I finish off my slice.

“Just that you’re new to town too and that you’re my neighbor.”

“Okay, that’s good. We can just stick as close to the truth as possible then so that it’s easier to remember.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll say that we met when I moved in, that you asked me out, and that our first date was at the Italian place in town. Sound good?”

“Sure.”

My phone buzzes, and I look at the screen to see Ginger’s name.

“I have to get back to the bookstore,” I tell him. “I’ll see you later.”

He nods, and I stuff the pizza box in the fridge before I head back to my car and make the short drive into town.

Ginger was covering for me at the shop again today and I smile at her as I walk in and see her behind the counter.

“Hey, thanks for watching things here.”

“No problem,” she says with a wide smile. “How’s your man?”

I roll my eyes at her question. My sisters know all about Nolan and me. I told them as soon as he asked me because I wanted to know if I was making a mistake. They assured me that it was a good idea, but now I’m having doubts.

The way that we talk, the way that he is around me, it all just feels so natural. With such a big family, it’s easy to disappear, but Nolan makes me feel seen, truly seen, for the first time in forever. It’s easy for me to forget that this is all fake, just some deal.

And that’s dangerous.

“He’s good. The bathroom and stuff is coming along really well.”

“And? Has he declared his undying love for you yet?” she asks, and I snort.

“Nope.”

She sighs, and I smile as I join her behind the counter.

“This isn’t a romance book,” I say, trying to remind both of us of that fact.

“I’ve seen the way that he looks at you. Plus, there has to be a reason why he asked you and not someone else.”

“I think that he just lied and said he was dating me because I was there when his mom called. I don’t think he sees me like that,” I tell her.

“Hmm,” she says as she twirls an envelope in her fingers.

“What’s that?” I ask, desperate to change the subject.

“A note.”

“From who?”

“I don’t know.”

I frown at her, and she smiles sheepishly.

“It’s from a secret admirer,” she admits, and I grin at her.

“What!? Why didn’t you tell me when I first came in? How long has this been going on? Is that the first message? What does it say?” I ask her, and she ducks her head, a pink blush staining her cheeks.

“I’ve gotten a few before, but they’ve been more frequent for the last two months or so.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Honestly, I thought that it was a joke at first, or maybe given to the wrong person.”

She passes me the note and I laugh.

“Ginger, it’s addressed to you. How could it be to the wrong person?”

“I don’t know! I just… didn’t believe that it was for me.”

I don’t ask her why. I have a feeling that if it had been me, I wouldn’t have believed it either. It seems Ginger and I both have some self-esteem issues that we need to work on.

“What are you going to do now that you know it is for you?”

“I don’t know. The letters show up in random places, so I don’t know if I should leave one in return somewhere. There’s no guarantee that the right person would get it, you know?”

“Have you tried to figure out who it is?”

“Of course! But they’re so random. One week I get two or three messages, the next one, then four. And they show up on different days, in different places. There’s no way to spy and try to see who is leaving them.”

“Hmm,” I say as I ponder how to solve this mystery. “I can look out for it too. We should tell Maple and Olive too.”

“Maybe,” she says and I quirk a brow.

“You don’t want to know?” I ask her and she shrugs.

“It’s been nice. What if I hate the person who is leaving the notes? What if he’s terrible and?—”

“And the fantasy is ruined,” I finish for her, and she nods. “I get it. Alright, I’ll let you handle it.”

“Thanks. Now, let’s talk about you and your handyman.”

“There’s not much to say. He’s working on the house, and we have our story figured out for when we see his family. A few more days and the deal is over.”

“And how do you feel about that?” she asks me, and I sigh again.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “Scared? My feelings are already out of control for him, and I’m afraid that I’m going to get hurt when this is all over and done with. And then I have to live next door to him!”

“Tell him that it’s not fake for you,” she urges me.

“I’ll look insane. Like a lovesick fool when I just agreed to fake dating him a few days ago.”

“He likes you too.”

“I can’t risk it,” I tell her, and she nods.

The bell over the door dings, and we both look up as a group of four older ladies come in. We both get to work, and I try to forget about Nolan and my growing feelings for him.

I don’t succeed.

I know that this is only going to get worse. The more time that I spend with Nolan, the harder it is for me to separate what’s fake and what’s real.

As I close up for the night and start to head home, I realize one thing.

I’m in trouble, and I don’t know how to stop from falling completely in love with Nolan. I’m not sure that I could stop it even if I wanted to. And that means one thing.

I’m screwed.