Five days later, I was in the store, organizing the shipment of sexual bathroom products that arrived that morning. Had I seen Travis since we had sex?

Nope. He had slipped out during the night—as I’d expected he would.

Now, some girls might feel offended if a guy they’d fucked did that. For me? The complete opposite. My ex couldn’t have escaped my apartment faster unless the building had been about to explode—I had learned from the best in that regard.

Travis had at least waited until I fell asleep.

He had held me in his arms—allowing me to pretend I meant something to him.

Don’t worry. Like everything else, I realized that night with Travis hadn’t been real. I mean the sex was real. Poor Alejandro had gotten a complex because it had been so freaking real—as in the no-longer-working kind of complex.

I mentally added, “Buy replacement Alejandro” to my To-Do list, although the new one had a lot to live up to. With Alejandro the First, there hadn’t been any expectations on my behalf. But after last week, I now knew how wrong I had been.

But while I might not have seen Travis since that night, the same couldn’t be said about hearing from him. He’d sent me daily texts to check up on me, and to update me on the rehearsals and the mural.

Even though I’d promised to help him with it, things hadn’t gone as planned. The first night he’d worked on the mural, I couldn’t make it because Lisa called in sick. Since my weekend girls weren’t able to cover her shift, I had to. By the time I got home, I was only capable of doing a face-plant on my bed and not moving until morning.

Tonight I could finally help him.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite future granddaughter-in-law,” Fanny said from behind me.

I spun around to find her, Abigail, and Hazel beaming at me.

“I’m just dating Travis,” I reminded them. “It’s definitely too early to be considering marriage.” Especially since it would never happen. Not when Travis was commitment phobic.

“Ah, but I’ve seen how he looks at you,” Fanny said, still grinning.

Right—he’s been looking at me like a guy who wishes to get laid.

“I’ve seen how he looks at me too,” I said, “and it has nothing to do with marriage.”

In spite of my words, Fanny continued grinning as if she knew a secret.

Well, that made two of us—and my secret was one she wouldn’t like.

Okay, two secrets she wouldn’t like—not unless she was pro commitment-free sex.

“Am I too late for those mouthwatering cookies of yours?” Abigail asked.

“I haven’t been able to make them. My oven stopped working on the weekend.”

Just like Alejandro. Maybe it was a conspiracy. I finally get laid and my appliances quit working.

The way the three women gasped, you’d have thought I had announced I was joining a sex cult.

“You’re welcome to come over and use mine,” Fanny said. “In fact, I insist on it.”

I opened my mouth to graciously decline the offer, except Hazel cut me off before I could say anything. “You can’t say no. It’s your duty, Emma, to ensure your customers are happy. And those cookies make us very happy.”

“That’s right, dear,” Abigail said. “We’re three old women who haven’t had sex in an extremely long time, and with no prospects of getting any in the near future. So it’s your duty to provide us with an alternative in the chocolate department.”

Fanny and Hazel laughed while I mentally cringed at the image now residing in my head.

“I’m not—” I began.

“Uh, uh,” Fanny said. “No excuses. Plus, Travis is dropping by later to check on me. And I know he’ll be happy to see you there. Maybe you can even distract him with another of your hot kisses.”

“Distract him from what?”

“From keeping me from living my life.”

That was what she got for having an alpha male for a grandson. He was overly protective to the core. Especially since he had already lost his parents, and almost lost his grandmother when she had a stroke.

“He only does that because he loves you,” I said.

She smiled. It wasn’t as bright as when she’d called me her future granddaughter-in-law, but it was still just as warm. “I know. And because of that, you can’t say no about coming over to bake those cookies. I’ll even help you if you’d like. Life is way too short to spend another day at war with yourself.”

“Did you make that last part up?” Abigail asked, chuckling.

Fanny’s smile widened. “Nope—I found it on Google images this morning. But I thought it was perfect for this discussion.”

“Are you sure about me coming over?” I asked, fighting back a grin.

“Of course I’m sure. Especially if I get to sneak one.”

“And Abigail and I can pop in to make sure they’re acceptable to sell here.” Hazel winked at me and I laughed.

“Okay, I’ll come over after work.”

The bell above the door jingled, and my mouth dropped open at the sight of the five people who entered the store.

Three of them I had already met…including the adorable toddler. The man and woman with them I didn’t know. She was pretty and blonde with shoulder-length hair. He was dark-haired and definitely hot. And it didn’t take much to see that she was the center of his universe.

Normally when I saw two people very much in love, a dreamy sigh would escape me. Not this time. This time panic charged through me like a participant during the running of the bulls. Were Holly and Josh aware that Travis and I were in a fake relationship? Nope—not at all.

As far as they knew, Travis and I were just friends and he had offered to help with the fundraiser. They had no idea he was also trying to save my store.

How was that going?

Let’s just say I was wishing on every shooting star that I spotted. Or at least I would be if I could find any. Apparently they were in short supply these days. And maybe that was why Travis still hadn’t found me a suitable location to move to and he hadn’t yet convinced the building owner to let me stay.

The foursome ambled over to us, with Josh carrying Lily.

When some women see a cute baby or toddler, their ovaries send I-want messages to their brains. Well, apparently the same thing happened to old women, too. Except instead of the I-want-a-baby message being sent, it was more along the lines of I-need-my-grandchild-to-give-me-one-of-those. STAT.

The longing in Fanny’s eyes was enough to knock me on my ass. Hard.

“Hey, Fanny.” Josh gave her a one-armed hug, taking care not to squish his daughter between them.

“Hi,” Lily said to her with the cutest smile and waved.

“Oh, aren’t you the sweetest thing alive?” Fanny said.

“Hi!” Lily repeated, which I took to mean she agreed with her.

“Have you met my future granddaughter-in-law yet?” Fanny asked Josh and winked at me. I rolled my eyes. Then cringed at what she had just told Josh and his friends.

The confusion on Josh’s face? Definitely not good.

“No, Travis isn’t engaged,” I said, doing my best to keep everything from blowing up in his face and mine.

“Not yet,” Fanny said. “But give it time. I know you two have just started dating, but like I said before, I’ve seen how he looks at you.”

“This is perfect,” the blonde said. “The four of us are spending this weekend in Napa Valley in a house we’re renting. It’s a couples’ weekend type thing. Trent’s sister and husband were going to join us but had to cancel. You and Travis should come. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

“My mum’s visiting from Australia and will be looking after Lily,” Holly added with her cute Aussie accent. “So it will also be an adult-only weekend.”

“Emma and Travis would love to join you,” Fanny said before I had a chance to decline.

“I’m sure Travis is busy then,” I hurriedly said. “He has a…a thing.”

The earlier confusion on Josh’s face? It was contagious. Now Fanny shared the same look. “What kind of thing?” she asked.

A sudden understanding lit the dark-haired man’s face and he smiled, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “I’m sure Travis will be more than happy to cancel his thing. In fact”—he looked at Josh—“wasn’t he saying at poker night a few weeks ago how he wasn’t too sure what to do about it?”

Josh smirked. Why did I have a feeling I was missing something? “That’s right. He did say that.” Josh leveled his grin at me. “So it’s settled. You and Travis are joining us. I’ll send him the info.”

“I can’t believe how much she’s grown,” Fanny said, her gaze back on Lily.

Josh patted his daughter’s head. “I swear her nanny is feeding her Miracle-Gro for toddlers.”

“Hi,” Lily said to me and waved again.

“By the way, Emma,” Holly said as the three older women fussed over her daughter. “This is Kelsey and Trent. We’ve been dying to visit your store ever since you told me about it.”

Trent laughed. “You and Kelsey are the ones who’ve been dying to come here. Josh and I are just here as the supportive husband and fiancé.”

“Because you know the two of you will benefit from this as much as Kelsey and I will—especially this weekend.”

Kelsey gave her fiancé a shy smile that practically left him drooling.

While Fanny and her friends continued to fuss over the great-granddaughter she wished she had, I showed Holly and Kelsey around the store.

“So that’s how you persuaded Travis to do the Magic Mike routine for the fundraiser,” Holly said. “It’s because you’re dating him. Pure genius.”

I blinked. “I had nothing to do with that. It was all his idea.” I only encouraged him to go for it—mostly because I figured he was kidding.

“That was Travis’s idea?” Holly asked, eyes wide in surprise, but she was also clearly trying not to laugh. “I guess he didn’t realize how tough it would be. Those guys are amazing skaters, but put them on stage and everything falls apart.”

“So you’re warning me not to expect much?” She wasn’t the only one doing her best not to laugh—and barely succeeding. The image in my head of the nine hockey players attempting to dance onstage was amusing—and absolutely adorable.

“Fortunately, they’re all good-looking and rock hot bods,” she said, “so the women in the audience will be more forgiving. Plus it’s the thought that counts, and we still have two more weeks to go.”

“Well, if it wasn’t for you, there would be no show. I’m not sure they could’ve come up with something themselves.”

Holly’s ability to hold back her laugh failed this time. “You’re probably right, but it would have still been fun watching them.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” Kelsey said. “Trent once participated in a bachelor auction to raise money for charity, and it was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m still disappointed I missed it,” Holly said. “I would have paid a lot of money just to watch my colleague make a fool of himself.”

“An adorable fool of himself,” Kelsey amended, grinning.

Twenty minutes later, the girls left with their husband and fiancé. Both men strode out with huge grins, thanks to what Holly and Kelsey had bought.

Fanny and her cohorts had left a while ago.

Five minutes before I was due to go home, a text from Travis popped up on my phone screen. You okay for this weekend in Napa Valley?

Me: As long as you are. Sounds like fun. I like your friends.

Travis: I am. It should be. I do too.

I had to laugh at that.

Fanny was eagerly waiting for me when I arrived at her apartment. She wasn’t the only one. All three women practically drooled at the sight of me—like Pavlov’s dogs.

They made themselves comfortable on the tall chairs on the other side of the kitchen counter overlooking the living room. And while I mixed the cookie dough, Fanny shared more stories of Travis growing up.

No—they weren’t the kind that would leave him blushing, which was too bad. Who wouldn’t have loved to hear them? And yes, I was positive Fanny had tons of those stories to share.

These were the sweeter stories that melted your heart. Like the time he was ten and found some abandoned kittens. When he couldn’t convince his parents to let him keep them, he worked hard at finding them good homes.

They were the kind of stories that were supposed to cause me to fall in love with him.

Was I? No—but I could definitely see myself heading in that direction if it weren’t for the ticking clock on our fake relationship.

My heart pinched—not quite agreeing with me. Maybe that could be my next column for the paper.

Dr. Lovejoy,

I’m falling for my fake boyfriend—the guy who doesn’t commit to relationships. What should I do?

Except I had no answer—other than “Run!”

Sounded like good advice to me, although I was positive the paper would require something longer.

Run fast and far, a voice in my head not-so-helpfully suggested.

My heart pouted, clearly not on board with that advice either.

I’m not falling in love with him, I told myself.

I’m not falling in love with him.

I’m not falling…

My heart, being as stubborn as it was, laughed at me.

I guess the woman at the paint store had been wrong after all. I wasn’t scared of commitment.

Or maybe you’re falling for Travis because there is a ticking clock on the relationship, the know-it-all voice in my head said. You know exactly when it’s going to end.

“Mmm, the cookies smell sooo good,” Hazel said, eyeing the oven where a batch was currently baking. She was right though. The rich, chocolaty smell filled the air, setting our stomachs grumbling.

A few minutes later, as I was removing the cookie sheet from the oven, the apartment door clicked open. Travis entered the living room soon after.

He stopped short, his face betraying his surprise at seeing me there—which quickly morphed into something more heated.

“Hi,” I said as an unexpected awkwardness settled on my shoulders. I swallowed. “My oven’s broken, so your grandmother invited me over to make the cookies here.”

“And we’re the official taste-testers,” Abigail added, not noticing the tension that had sprung up between him and me like the electrical current just prior to a lightning storm…the prelude to something spectacular.

In three long strides, Travis was in front of me, his eyes dark. He grabbed the cloth from the counter and used it to remove the baking sheet from my hand, which he relocated onto the cooling rack.

Then his mouth was on mine.

And instantly the world around us was forgotten.

The dreamy sigh? No idea if it came from me or someone else, though the whimper was definitely mine.

Like a hungry man who hadn’t eaten in several days, Travis continued to consume me. Wow, who knew the smell of chocolate chip cookies could be such a powerful aphrodisiac? Maybe I could bottle the smell and scent the store’s air with it—to increase sales.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t result in strangers suddenly kissing each other. I mean, if that were the case, bakeries would be the new singles club.

“The way those two are going at it,” Abigail said in a loud whisper. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re a great-grandmother in nine months.”

Someone laughed, but I was too preoccupied with Travis’s lips to figure out who.

“If you believe you can get pregnant from just kissing,” Hazel said, “it’s a wonder you had any kids at all.”

“I don’t know about that. Look at those two go.”

“Maybe if we leave,” Fanny said, “they’ll just do it on the kitchen counter. I’ve heard that’s big with kids their age these days.”

“Where did you hear that?” Abigail asked. Her eyes were wide if her tone was any indication.

“I’ve read it in a romance novel or two.”

“No one ever has sex on the kitchen counter in the books I read,” Hazel grumbled.

“That’s because you read thrillers,” Fanny said. “I’d be surprised if anyone has sex in those.”

“Maybe we should hose them down,” Hazel said. The other two women laughed.

That was when Travis finally pulled away. The mischievous gleam in his eyes? He’d also heard every bit of their conversation.

“I’d rather not be hosed down, thanks.” His hand slid to my butt and he gave it a quick squeeze. Thanks to the counter blocking the view, none of the women witnessed it.

“I didn’t realize you were coming over to bake cookies,” he said to me. He removed one from the baking sheet and took a bite of it.

The gazes of the women followed the cookie’s movement from the baking sheet to his lips as if it had been the only cookie there.

“Mmm that’s amazing,” he said around the mouthful.

Fanny’s smile filled her entire face. If there had been angels hanging around, they would have broken out into joyful chorus. But I suspected it had nothing to do with how great the cookie tasted and everything to do with Travis’s reaction. Maybe when she was younger, that was how you landed a husband, which would explain how the saying, “The way to a man’s heart was through his stomach,” came about.

Travis’s declaration was all Abigail and Hazel needed to hear. They each grabbed a cookie.

Not wishing to miss out, Fanny also bit into one. “Oh, gosh. I thought they were good before, but they’re like little bits of heaven when eaten right out of the oven.”

Abigail and Hazel hmm’d their agreement while still munching their cookies.

“Gosh, no wonder Travis is dating you,” Hazel said.

I glanced up at Travis in time to catch amusement and lust in his eyes.

Hot damn.