She got a little choked up saying goodbye to Tigger, because she was afraid he’d feel abandoned. Ruthie was going to “take a crap-ton of Claritin” and come over every day to feed and play with him, so that made her feel a little better, but she still hated leaving him behind.
Jack, on the other hand, said he desperately needed a weekend away from Mr. Meowgi, who kept peeing on his bath mat.
Jack rang the buzzer when he got there, and she brought down her luggage. When she exited the building, he was waiting out front with his trunk open.
And he looked hot in his jeans and black hoodie. The man had the kind of chest you wanted to rest your palms on, if that made any sense at all.
“Good morning, boyfriend,” she said, dragging her bags to where he stood. “Ready for a weekend away with the love of your life?”
His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. Specifically, at the spot just above the V-neck of her black sweater. “Please tell me that I’m not inside that locket.”
“Open it and see,” she teased, the chilly wind blowing her hair in her face.
He rolled his eyes before reaching out and opening the silver locket that hung on a chain around her neck. She could tell he didn’t think there would be anything in there, and his mouth dropped wide open in shock.
“You fucking weirdo—explain yourself,” he said, laughing.
She grinned and moved around him to lift her bag into his trunk. “I took that selfie when you fell asleep on the floor watching Pride & Prejudice. I forgot to delete it, but then it was super easy to print and jam into my necklace. So yay for my horrible memory.”
He just kept looking at her. “This is terrifying behavior.”
“Says you.”
“Says the laws of polite society.”
“Whatever. My mother will lose her shit over this adorable pic of her daughter clowning with her boyfriend.”
“Too bad I didn’t think to snap a photo of you crawling out of my hotel room,” he said, his eyes on hers as he grabbed the locket again. “Your mom would’ve loved that.”
Hallie pictured him facedown and asleep in that bed as she looked at him and shook her head. “I still can’t believe you saw that.”
His eyes raised to hers, and his voice was quiet when he said, “Have I ever told you that I’m dying to know what you remember from that night?”
She stared into his blue eyes, and her voice came out a little breathy when she said, “What do you remember?”
“Every fucking thing.” He said it fast and sure, and then his lips turned up. “But perhaps we should discuss this later. When we have time to compare notes.”
“Yeah,” she said quickly, pushing her hair back. Compare notes. “Later.”
As they drove to the airport, they went over the details. Hallie thought she was going to have to coach him on stories, but everything about their actual relationship translated into their fake relationship.
They met at his sister’s wedding, reconnected on a dating app, and had been texting and going on taco dates ever since.
It was too easy.
“So as soon as we hit the security line, we become boyfriend and girlfriend.” Hallie wanted to make sure he realized that she needed him to be pretending the whole time. It wouldn’t do for someone to see him chatting up some other girl outside the airport bookstore. “You know, just in case someone is watching and we don’t see them.”
“The minute we hit security, it is on.”
“I just wish we didn’t have to sit by all of them,” Hallie said, picturing her aunt Diane’s nosy stare. She loved her family, but they were always up in everyone else’s business.
“We can upgrade to first class,” he said, following the sign that directed him toward long-term parking.
“Shut up.” Hallie had never been in first class. She turned toward him in her seat and asked, “Would that cost a lot?”
“As long as they have availability, it won’t cost me anything.”
“Because of all those miles you have?”
“Bingo.”
“Oh, my God, Jack, you are making it so easy to fall in love with you.”
He glanced over at her. “Glad to hear it.”
* * *
? ? ?
By the time they headed for security, Hallie was cackling.
In the shuttle bus, the driver kept yelling at Jack to duck because he was just too tall and the guy couldn’t see out the back. They hadn’t been sure exactly what the driver had been looking for, but his inability to see through Jack and out the back window had really set him off.