The Gratitude Guarantee (Boyfriend in the Bargain #4)

7. Zach

7

ZACH

W hen Brenna pulls into my driveway, I count to fifteen before hiking my duffle bag onto my shoulder and walking out to meet her. I don’t want it to look like I’ve been sitting around waiting for her, even though—or maybe because—that’s precisely what I’ve been doing. I did go to the gym this morning and ran a few loads of laundry after that, but mostly I’ve just been waiting.

Waiting and realizing I don’t have any hobbies. Being self-employed means I work a lot since I wear many different hats in my business. I don’t make time for a lot of extracurricular activities, so on the rare occasions when I find myself with some free time, I don’t know what to do with myself.

“Hi,” she says as she exits her car and pops the trunk for me to stow my bag. “Ready to rock and roll?”

“I think so. I packed according to the activity list you sent over. Thanks for the extra tips, by the way.”

We’ve been texting on and off this week to get all the details for the trip in order. One of the first messages I got was a schedule of events for the two days we’ll be spending with her family. Even though she hinted at it during our initial conversation, I marveled anew at the level of organization. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good plan. I’m not generally a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants guy. But the Hartfords take scheduling to a whole new level, and Brenna even included some extra notes about a few activities to make sure I could be prepared.

“No problem,” she replies with a smile as I settle my practical black bag in the empty spot beside her paisley one. “I’d hate for you to ruin your favorite shirt washing dishes like I did a few years ago.”

She closes the trunk and we slide into our respective seats. I watch her buckle up and check her mirrors, even though they presumably haven’t moved since she last drove five minutes ago. I wonder if the rest of her family is as conscientious or if that trait is unique to Brenna.

“Do you do all the yard work for this building?” she asks, surveying the row of five townhomes. She puts the car in reverse and backs out onto the street. “It looks good.”

“I do.” Her compliment pleases me. It’s always nice to have someone appreciate your work. It’s not like I’m an artist or anything, but I take pride in a job well done. “Before I moved in, I got the landlord to lower my rent in exchange for free mowing and basic landscaping. It was a good deal for both of us.”

“Smart.” She nods approvingly, her eyes never leaving the road. “Most people probably wouldn’t have thought to negotiate that way.”

“Negotiation is a valuable tool, especially as a business owner.”

“You should have used your negotiation skills on me,” she says with a grin. “I was desperate enough for a date that you probably could have gotten a few more concessions out of me.”

“Nah, I got what I wanted.”

She snorts. “Three days of pretending to be my boyfriend for no compensation?”

“No, an all-expenses paid weekend away. I haven’t taken a vacation in years.” Then I register what she just said. “Um, what’s this about being your boyfriend? I thought I was just coming as a friend to keep your mom happy.”

Brenna winces. “She kind of assumed you were my boyfriend and I kind of…didn’t tell her she was wrong.”

“Okay…” I take a minute to process this unexpected development.

“But I’ll clear up the misunderstanding when we get there,” she tells me. “I thought that would be easier than explaining by text. Also, that gives her less time to manipulate the situation. I know me basically bringing a friend is not what she wanted since her main objective in life is seeing me married with kids like my siblings.”

I take this in, nodding slowly. “Actually, what if we just left it alone?”

“Really?” She cuts a glance my way. “Why?”

I shrug. “It would make things easier for you, right? And it doesn’t really change anything between us. Like you said, all we’d have to do is just not correct her.”

“Well, yeah, but…I’d hate to be dishonest.”

“It’s totally up to you,” I assure her. “I get wanting to be truthful, but if you decide that you want me to be your boyfriend for a couple of days, I’m okay with that too. I mean, what is a boyfriend, anyway? Someone you spend more time with than other guys?”

“Yes…but there’s also supposed to be a romantic component to it, getting to know each other to see if you want to make the relationship long-term.”

“True,” I concede. “But people date and then break up all the time. I’ll be the one to break up with you at the end of the trip, if that would make you feel better.” I’m not sure why I’m arguing this point. I guess once I get started playing devil’s advocate it’s hard to quit.

She’s quiet for a minute, and I can practically see the gears turning in her head. “And you’re sure you’d be okay with that? Won’t that break your no-dating resolution?”

“That’s the beauty of it,” I say, ignoring the niggling feeling that I’m creating a suspiciously convenient loophole. “It’s not real, so it doesn’t count. We’re just pretending. Didn’t you ever play pretend as a child?”

She grins. “I was the queen of pretend. I had a whole gang of imaginary friends.”

“So think of me like an imaginary boyfriend,” I say, returning her smile. “I’m just temporary until you outgrow me.”

“Even though I’ll ‘outgrow’ you in like three days?” She quirks a sardonic eyebrow.

“Yep.”

“Okay, then.” She nods as if confirming her decision with herself. “Let’s do it.”

“I do have one rule though,” I say, belatedly realizing that there should probably be some boundaries for our fake relationship. “No kissing.”

This seems to surprise her, though she keeps her attention on the road. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect you to say that. Most guys would try to take advantage of the opportunity to sneak a few in.”

I hear the unspoken question in her voice, but I don’t feel like revealing the fact that I’ve never kissed anyone or my reasoning for why. The other perk of this being a phony arrangement is that we don’t have to go beyond surface level topics, a fact I’m leaning into here.

“I don’t want you getting addicted when this is only temporary,” I tell her solemnly. “That wouldn’t be fair.”

We pause at a stop light and she looks over at me incredulously, her brow creasing until she sees the teasing smile tugging at my mouth. There goes her eyebrow again, complimenting her sassy tone of voice as she says, “Oh, I see. Thank you for sparing me such a fate.”

“I’m nothing if not a gentleman.”