Page 40 of Faking With You

“He’s very much himself.”

She chuckles. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“I’m not sure either. The second I walked into his office it was straight to business. Of course when the topic of my mom came up later he—” I’m not sure how to put it. He was an asshole? He was a mindless prick who fails to see how his actions have consequences? He failed to remember that she’s still my mother and I still love her despite the fact that he drove her away? All of them work really. “He decided his opinion and feelings were the most important thing,” I settle on.

Eliza’s hand finds mine and squeezes. “I’m sorry your father is a prick.”

My head tips back as a loud laugh leaves me. She’s barely met him and has him completely figured out, and I love that.

“I’m sorry,” she says as she tries to drag her hand away from mine, but I squeeze keeping her hand in mine.

“No, don’t apologize. That’s the perfect description of him.”

She smiles softly at me. “Tell me about your mom.”

I take a deep breath, and my phone buzzes telling me that our table is ready. We head back to the restaurant and order drinks.

The second our waiter is gone, Eliza looks back at me and says, “You were going to tell me about your mom.”

“She’s warm. When I think of her, I think of paintings and flowers and warm baked bread. I was close to her even in my early teen years. We grew apart when she moved away and my father and I moved to Canada. I still call her when I can and I’ve told her I’m here for two weeks so I’ll try and see her for a meal hopefully.”

A look flickers across Eliza’s face, one I can’t quite pinpoint, and I take a chance.

“I’d actually love for you to meet her, if you’re up for it.”

“You want me to meet your mom?”

I nod. “I think she’d love you.”

Her entire body seems to do a little shake before she says, “If that’s what you want. I’d love to meet her.”

Something akin to excitement fills me, but it’s also tinged with guilt. I’m going to have to introduce Eliza as my girlfriend to mom and then I’ll have to explain to her why we broke up later. I push that aside, because I do truly think she’ll love Eliza and I want them to meet, even if for just a brief moment it’s in the context of our fake relationship.

“When do I get to meet your parents?” I ask, and pure shock fills her face.

“You want to meet my parents? We’re...” Her hand rolls through the air as though it's flipping through a Rolodex, trying to find the right word. She lowers her voice and practically whispers, “Not actually dating.”

“Do friends not meet parents?” I ask, because I do want to meet them. We’re often said to be a reflection of our parents, whether we end up like them or the exact opposite. I want to know which way Eliza went.

She takes a sip of her water as though buying herself time to run through options in her head. “I’m going to my parents' the weekend after we get back for my father’s birthday dinner if you’d like to join me.”

“I would. Sounds like a plan.”

She takes another sip of her water as the waiter returns to take our food order. When he leaves I move the conversation to sightseeing to hopefully move Eliza away from what was looking like an onset of panic.

She tells me about the places she stopped today before I found her and even shows me the little gift she found for Hannah. She tells me the story behind it, and I once again realize how she’s built herself this family outside of her parents. I love that she’s surrounded by so many people who love and care for her. It also has me wondering for the first time if once we end this arrangement it’s going to mean I need to leave the team. She has more connection to them than I do, even if I’ve been with the team longer than she’s been coming around. The prospect leaves me with a sense of sadness, because I’m finding I like the guys on my team more than I ever realized. They’ve slowly grown into more than just my team, but if Eliza wanted it, I would leave it all behind for her to be more comfortable. I’d leave a lot behind if it’s what she wanted.

CHAPTER 31

Eliza

After lunch, Mac and I make our way to the grocery store where I learn more about him. He doesn’t buy any junk food for his place. He’s not big into sweets, and while he knows how to cook, he doesn’t often because of the crazy hours he works. I fill the shopping cart with ingredients to make some of my favourite dishes and throw in some junk food, too, determined to try to get him to loosen up a bit. I add in things we don’t have in Canada for me to take home to try with the girls, too.

When we’re all done, we both have hands full of shopping bags and we make our way back to the apartment. I put everything away, figuring out where everything like plates and cups are along the way.

“Do you want to relax or go out tonight?” Mac asks, and the way my entire body reacts to the word relax has him laughing softly. “Okay, relaxing it is. I’m sure we can find a movie to watch.”

As much as I want to enjoy everything in the city, I’m also not looking forward to working tomorrow and I’m still feeling theeffects of travelling yesterday. When the groceries are put away, I slip out of my boots and jeans and into a pair of sweatpants before joining Mac on the couch. He’s already got a movie pulled up, and I grab a blanket hanging over a nearby chair. My phone starts buzzing, and I smile, seeing the group chat has started blowing up. They’re all probably just now getting up.