Dammit, I was running late and I never run late. But tonight, Chase is coming over so we can plan out our fake engagement. I was running around in nothing but lingerie and a robe. I snorted because that sounded like the beginning of a very average porno. But I’d gotten sidetracked after he’d left earlier with some new products I’d been meaning to get started on, and had simply lost track of time.

After a quick shower, and a far too brief moisturizing session, I slipped a robe over my bra and panties, purposefully only mildly sexy which was the best I could do since I had a thing for sexy lingerie, and headed to the kitchen. I cranked up some Janis Joplin and got to work, peeling and chopping potatoes and turnips for mash, avocado salad with mint and garlic and bulgur. It was a little bit of everything and probably too much, but at least there would plenty to reach for if the conversation took a wrong turn. With twenty minutes left to spare, I put together a quick blueberry crumble, shoved it in the oven and ran upstairs to change.

When the doorbell rang I smiled, relieved I’d at least gotten the dress over my head. Since the pink and yellow maxi dress hung to the floor, I didn’t bother with shoes and my hair was half dry, but that was good enough for me. I did a few deep breathing exercises on my way to the door and slapped a polite smile on my face. Thank goodness I did, because the man did dirty things to jeans and a checked shirt. The brown, blue and gold made everything about his face seem hotter. Ugh.

“Come on in.”

“You look great.”

He said it so simply, like we didn’t have all kinds of history between us. I hated that my skin tingled at his compliment.

“Thanks. What did you bring?” I checked the oven and a pot on the stove, all in an attempt to avoid looking at him.

“Not much, just beer and steak. Tequila and mint chocolate chip ice cream.”

“That’s a pretty impressive stash you’ve got there. I love mint chocolate chip ice cream.” It was my favorite. There were two pints in my freezer now.

“Yeah, I know.”

Damn him. “Yeah, you’re just a regular Olivia Benson, aren’t you?”

His laugh was deep and rich. “I’ve seen Law & Order: SVU in at least forty different languages.”

“No way! That’s kind of cool.”

“Yep. I swear, that show plays once a day everywhere on earth. I’ve fallen asleep to it more than any other show.”

“Where was your favorite place to visit?” If we were going to do this right, we needed to know each other. That was it, I wasn’t really interested.

“I loved Morocco and New Zealand, best. The cultures are so rich, the food was delicious and the scenery was magnificent. I’d love to show you some photos.”

I would love that too actually. “What did you do in Morocco?”

His skin blushed red, but he puffed his wide chest out. “Camel racing.”

I cracked up laughing. “No way! Is it as fun as it looks, because I’ve seen it on YouTube and it looks wicked scary.”

“It’s hella scary. They’re not like horses. At all. It’s like a roller coaster, but without all the safety features.”

That got another giggle out of me as we switched spots so he could take care of the steaks. “Sounds terrifying, but it also sounds like you really enjoyed it.”

“I did.” I watched his ass move as he bent to pull the tray out and place the steaks on them. He’d marinated them and I hated that I was impressed. “Even the things that I didn’t enjoy, had their moments. What about you, how’d you get into the all-natural thing and the store?”

“I came home because Gran was sick and needed someone to take care of her. My mother wasn’t going to be that person, so I quit my job at SkinFactor and came home. She’d gotten a bit better for a while, so I figured I needed to find a way to support us here in town.”

“And you thought you’d make natural skin and hair products?”

I shrugged. “That’s what I went to school to do. I have degrees in biology and chemistry for that reason. It’s a natural fit, actually.”

“It definitely is a natural fit. I wasn’t all that surprised to see your store, but I just thought you’d do it in a big city.”

“Make plans and see what life has to say about it.” I’d learnt very early in my life to just roll with the things you couldn’t change. I did it when my mom dropped me off with Gran, every time I couldn’t get something because we didn’t have the money, and every day at school. “What about you, how’d you get into travel writing?”

He sighed, shoulders relaxing with the reprieve offered by the timer as he stood to remove the steaks from the oven. “It’s funny you should ask. Remember that night?”

“We don’t need to talk about that.” I cut that train of thought off immediately, because I didn’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to hear about that night. Not ever again. “Seriously, Chase. We don’t have to go there.”

“We do and we will, sweetheart. All you have to do is listen.” He brought the steaks to the table and took his seat. “We talked about a lot back then, but there was one thing I didn’t tell anyone about. Ever. My writing. I’d applied for this writing gig that I had no chance in hell of getting because I didn’t have any professional experience and an unused passport. I was so giddy about the possibility, even though it was a long shot, that when I saw you that night...I just couldn’t help myself.”

“Clearly,” I snorted.

He rolled his eyes, a smile ghosting around his lips. “Anyway, after that, you were curled in my arms and my phone rang. The writer they’d picked broke her leg and they needed me on an overnight flight. I didn’t want to-,”

I couldn’t hear anymore. “That’s enough.” We finished our meal in a tense silence that made me sick to my stomach. “We can do this together, this fake engagement thing, but we should leave that night where it belongs.”

* * *