Page 78 of Fake It with You

We’ve spent every summer here since I was a kid, but tonight is the first night since my parents’ passing that the table has felt full. My heart feels the same with Sienna by my side.

“Give me ten minutes before coming upstairs,” Sienna says to me as we stand in the kitchen after putting away the dishes. Roman and Leo have retired to the firepit out back, bundled up with a couple of beers, as Beth and Alex finish their portion of cleanup in the kitchen.

“Do you have a surprise planned for me?” I say to her in hushed tones.

“Yes, but you don’t get it if you come up early. Tenminutes, no more, no less,” and with that, she heads upstairs. Knowing how punctual she is, I set a timer on my smartwatch.

“Hey, Theo.” Beth approaches me from the dining room. “Were you able to turn in my signed lease forms to the owner of that shop?”

After Sienna and I became official, Beth expressed interest in the abandoned shop I had dragged Sienna to. Over the past few months, I’ve been helping Beth sign lease agreements. Getting her set up so she can begin the process of opening her bookstore. It was easy considering I’m close with the owner. I don’t blame her for wanting to rent the space. It’s in a great part of town, and it has potential. Something I hope she remembers when she realizes I’ve been lying to her.

Grabbing the set of keys that rest in my pocket, I hand them to her. “It’s all yours. I turned in the agreement last week, and the landlord gave me the keys this morning.” I pause. “Beth, there’s something you should know about?—”

She raises her hand to shush me. “Unless you’re about to tell me that the lease agreements didn’t go through, I don’t want to hear it. This is the only usable place I’ve found at a price I can afford. I don’t want anything to ruin this celebratory moment.”

“You really don’t want to hear what I have to say?”

Beth grabs the keys from me. “Nope,” she responds. Jumping up and down slightly as she says thank you, I try to shove down the guilt that I feel as she all but prances off upstairs.

Alex approaches me in the kitchen, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You give her the keys?”

I shove his hand off me. “Yes, but I still don’t like this. Sienna is going to tear me to shreds when she finds out we lied to Beth.” I lower my voice to avoid anyone overhearing.

“You didn’t tell her?” Alex looks surprised. “You were supposed to tell her before you gave her the keys.”

“I tried. She wouldn’t let me. She said she didn’t want to ruin the moment.”

“Well, at least you tried.” Alex shrugs.

“Beth is going to kill you when she finds out,”

“And I would happily die by her hand.” Alex fakes getting stabbed in the chest, tumbling back as though he’s hurt. I take that as my cue to walk away, leaving him alone in the kitchen.

The only reason I agreed to help him in the first place was because he helped me in my time of need. I just hadn’t fully thought through the repercussions of my actions until he gave me the keys this morning. Alex doesn’t just own his gym. He also owns the other two buildings attached to it. With the coffee shop next door closing, I appreciated him letting me use it to build a bridge between Sienna and me.

The plan was to offer Beth a killer deal on the place she fell in love with to house her bookstore. We were going to tell her Alex is the landlord when I gave her the keys, but since she refused…this is getting way more complicated than I signed up for. But it’s a problem for another day.

Today, I focus on heading upstairs to find the womanI love and the surprise she has waiting for me. Excitement courses through my veins at the thought of spending each of my nights falling asleep by her side.

With a deep breath and a smile on my face, I pull the blank key from my pocket and head upstairs.