Page 14 of The Dating Charade

“Now, if you don’t mind, squeeze together for a photo, and my elf will make sure you each get a copy for your pretty frames.”

The girls only too eagerly agreed, several having already popped on the lip balm for shining smiles. And after some pleading, Santa himself jumped in the photo.

Three of Santa’s firemen helpers followed the starry-eyed girls inside, and as Cassie took up the rear, she felt a glove on her shoulder.

“Of course, Santa wouldn’t forget you.”

He winked, and left Cassie with a simple white envelope, following the group inside.

Cassie slit it open. She unfolded the papers, revealing the document stapled together. The header read: Complete Background Check: Timothy Jett Bentley.

6

Jett

“It was just too cliché to bring flowers, then. You had to throw in a fire truck.”

“Well, Miss Everson, if you recall, I did try flowers. The first time.”

“Touché.” Cassie managed to wince and grin simultaneously as she pushed up to the front of the ticket line. Condensation dripped from the tower of windows filling the front of Ripley’s Aquarium, heat from the bustling activity inside melting whatever frost tried to envelop them.

A sweet and almost eerie melody came through the speakers, of strings and keyboard interrupted at random intervals by a whale’s call.

She opened her purse.

“Allow me.” Jett lifted a credit card from his wallet and slid it toward Mrs. Leake, who sat there with a slight and telling smile across her lips. Had Bree not prepped him for every detail of the date Cassie had picked for them—including the involvement of Mrs. Leake, Bree’s own mother—he would’ve been suspicious then and there. Instead, he let the self-satisfaction simmer while the women started the show.

“No need,” Cassie countered, and bypassing her own wallet, she dug in her purse. She set two glass jars in front of his card.

The woman’s brows lifted as she picked up the one closest. The jar was filled with white chocolate, with three black buttons glued down the length, red string wound around the neck, and the sweet Merry Christmas message on the tag tied with baker’s string.

Mrs. Leake clucked as she admired it. “Well, isn’t that just adorable. Is that a snowman, Cassie?”

Cassie seemed to fight off a proud smile. “It is. The girls and I made sixty yesterday at the Haven. Will you pass this one along to Jeremy when you get the chance? He looks like he could use the sugar rush.”

Jeremy, sitting at the ticket counter beside Bree’s mother, was sweating in the thirty-degree weather as he printed a strand of tickets for a family of twelve—all while three of the children hung off his counter, a paper airplane flew dangerously close to his head, and the hand of an infant squatting on top of the counter inched slowly toward the scissors.

“I’ll be sure to,” Mrs. Leake said, then handed a ticket to Cassie.

Jett stepped forward. “Well, ma’am, it looks like I’ve forgotten my snowman jar at home. Do you still take debit?”

Mrs. Leake’s smile grew as she paused, her eyes scanning him top to bottom. Clearly, she had been briefed.

She pushed his card away and pressed the button. The ticket began printing.

“Save your money, honey. With any luck you’ll be needing it for a second date soon.” She gave Cassie a wink and handed him his ticket.

He dipped his head. “I’ll do my very best, ma’am.” With a jaunty grin toward Cassie, Jett opened the door and motioned for her to step through. “Shall we?”

Cassie’s cheeks started to pink, the light blush turning a shade darker as Mrs. Leake added loudly, “And young man? I believe the stingray exhibit is being cleaned this hour. You’d do best to skip right past it, avoiding it altogether.”

Jett grinned. “Cassie, did you hear that? Let’s be sure to stay far away from the stingrays.”

“Yes. Thank you, Mrs. Leake.” Cassie began to reach for his elbow as though to tug him out of earshot, then quickly pulled her hand back. Instead, she snagged a map off the round rack. As he watched her stand there, quietly scanning the pages as if it was her first time in the loud aquarium, Jett calmly took off his thin down jacket and laid it over one arm.

“Looks like the smaller fish are going to be this way,” she began.

“Mmm.” Jett nodded.