Page 10 of Terms and Traditions

By the time I got the hood up, fiddled with a few things, and admitted defeat, I was five minutes away from being late to meet Nash. Gabe had ensured I learned car basics, but whatever was going on exceeded my skill set. Time to call an expert.

I punched in Ben’s number—perks of having my bestie engaged to a mechanic—and he promised to come take a look at it on his lunch break AND swing by the store to grab the white chocolate for Liz. The gem of a man. Thank you, Lord, for giving my bestie a mechanic fiancé. After locking the car, I trekked down the slushy sidewalk. I was now officially late and still fifteen minutes away on foot.

New problem. Did I text Nash and tell him I was running behind? What if he didn’t plan on showing and my text guilted him into it? What if—

“Stephanie Addams, pull. Yourself. Together,” I scolded, huffing with cold. My fingers numbly fumbled for my phone in my purse because, of course, I hadn’t planned on needing gloves.

ME

I’m so sorry. I’m going to be about 15 minutes late. Something came up, but I’m on my way.

The reply was immediate, like he’d been waiting for me to reach out.

NASH

No worries. I’ve saved us a table.

Okay, so he wasn’t standing me up. Why did that have my nerves twitching more than if he had?

Normally I’d have enjoyed a jaunt through downtown Spokane, taking the time to fully appreciate the seasonal décor and the whimsical, winter-themed window paintings, which always reminded me of Paisley, one of my other besties, a librarian who moonlighted as an artist. I tried to hurry since I was in danger of turning into a popsicle and didn’t have the time to linger, but the window art for Mad Hatter Wonders, my favourite bookshop, was too beautiful to ignore.

I snapped a quick picture of the Who Village and Mt. Crumpet and shot it off to Paisley.

ME

Missing you. *kissy face* This should totally be your next library window painting.

PAISLEY

Ha! Too bad my boss would totally take it personally. Miss you, too. With all my grinchy heart.

ME

We both know you’re Cindy Lou, and Juliet is the Grinch.

PAISLEY

Haha, truth! Love you.

Paisley and Juliet, who completed our best friend quartet, had each other and their husbands in Serenity Springs, Idaho, and Liz and I had each other here in Spokane. I missed the days of us living together in the same town, but that hadn’t happened since college, and I didn’t have time to linger at the windows with my thoughts any longer. Nash awaited, and I was without proper winter attire. The only thing going for me was that I’d had the sense to wear boots, so my feet, if nothing else, were warm. But I nearly cried with relief when the faded royal-blue of Maisie’s Café appeared, a beacon in a sea of red brick, as I stumbled around the corner onto W 1st Avenue.

Finally, the end was in sight. I flung the door open, letting the warm air and yeasty cinnamon-bun aroma wash over me. Now to find my new fake boyfriend.

Chapter four

Nash

Panic wasn’t a familiar feeling for me. But when ten o’clock rolled around and Maisie’s bustled with the usual midmorning rush with no Stephanie in sight, I got a rapid-fire introduction to the emotion.

Stephanie was a rarity. The woman was a colour-coded machine of capability. If I’d had a PA as competent as Stephanie earlier in my career, I could have been a millionaire much sooner. Smart, capable, and steady under pressure—my ideal assistant. Foreseeing needs and effortlessly working behind the scenes. She was quiet and didn’t linger around the water cooler. If I had to hazard a guess, she probably dealt with some sort of anxiety she kept under wraps. But in a business setting, she was a rock, levelheaded and… Yeah, she was gorgeous. I was only human after all. Point being, in our two-year history, her being late had never entered the realm of possibility.

Relief tasted sweet when my phone chimed with a text, and her apology about being fifteen minutes late eased the nerves in my stomach. I wasn’t sure which had me more terrified—that Stephanie had never been late before or if I didn’t want to admit to myself I was afraid she’d back out of needing a fake boyfriend. Of needing me.

Taking advantage of the few minutes I had to wait, I shot off a quick text to Emmett. He was head of finance at Genesis and was one of the only employees who missed the office party last night.

ME

How are the girls feeling this morning?