Molly stared up at the blazing inferno in front of their car, already two stories high, leaping and cracking. “I’m calling 911.” She pulled out her phone.

Just then, they heard sirens in the distance. “I think they’re already on their way,” stated Vicky. She glanced over her shoulder and reversed the car further down the street.

Molly shoved her phone back into her purse and got out of the car, quickly scanning the street. Curious onlookers had gathered on the other side of the road. Some had raised hands to cover their mouths in horror. The house itself looked as though it would crumble at any moment. Only the shell remained and savage flames leaped from the empty eye sockets that had once been windows, curling the shingles on the roof and sending soot into the air to drift to the ground like black snow all over the neighborhood.

She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed everyone had gotten out. There was no way anyone inside would be able to survive.

A police car flew up the road, siren keening and lights flashing. It parked across the street and an officer leaped out. “Step back! Everyone stay back!” he shouted, arms outstretched. His partner climbed from the vehicle also, a radio to her mouth.

“I’m going to talk to the people across the street,” called Molly over her shoulder. She trotted toward them just as a long fire truck with a ladder rounded the end of the street.

The fire finally contained, Tim wiped away the sweat that soaked his hair and trickled down his temples. He sighed and leaned against the side of the truck. It had been a giant blaze, and now they’d have to investigate and write a report on what had started it. He couldn’t be sure, but by the way the fire had burned and the color of the flames he suspected some kind of accelerant.

He squinted against the afternoon sun. Most of the onlookers had moved on now, sated by the excitement of the blaze. He understood their interest – everyone dreaded the idea of a house fire taking all that they had, so when one happened in their neighborhood, all they could do was watch in dismay as it burned, being grateful it wasn’t their home.

“Need water?”

He spun to find Molly Beluga holding a bottle of water out to him, and smiled. “What are you doing here? Are you following me?”

She chuckled. “Yes, I’m officially your stalker.”

“Thank you for the water. But how about I just text you where I’m going next, save you the trouble?” He uncapped the bottle and took a giant swig. “Mmmm … just what I needed.”

She smiled. “I’m glad to be of service. And if you could text me, I’d really appreciate it. Being a stalker is exhausting.”

He grinned and set the bottle on a step on the side of the truck.

“So do you know if everyone got out?” she asked.

He cocked his head to one side. “Ah, you’re on the job.”

She nodded, her cheeks coloring slightly. “Just covering a neighborhood tragedy. It’s important people know what happened.”

“Hmmm … I’m sure it is. But I’m just here to put out the fire and figure out how it started. Likely the police will have information about the house’s occupants.” His voice sounded more official than he’d meant it to, but something about Molly always threw him off his game. She made him nervous – in a good way.

“Okay, thanks – I’ll ask them about that.” She chewed the end of her pen and let her gaze wander.

He coughed. “I was going to call you, so it’s good to see you.”

She swiveled to face him, one eyebrow arching. “Oh?”

“Yeah. My parents saw the picture in the paper.”

“Saw it? Didn’t they publish it?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess they did.” He grinned. She wasn’t going to let him get away with anything. “Anyway, I told them we were dating, and they want to meet you.”

“I told my family the same – I figured we couldn’t just spring the whole fake-wedding thing on them right away. They need to warm to the idea.”

“Yep, me too. So they wanted me to ask you to come over for dinner Friday night at their house.”

“That sounds good – what should I wear?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Whatever you like.”

She nodded. “So I guess I’ll see you Friday night. Let the reconciliation begin!”

He chuckled. “I’ll pick you up at your house at six.” She gave him her address and he watched her walk away.

He realized that his fists were clenched and his stomach a fluttery mess. What was it about her that made him feel so off-kilter? He wasn’t used to it. Generally he was relaxed and confident around women – they never made him feel like she did, as though he was a teenager again, working up the nerve to ask his crush to the prom.

But she was so strong, independent and smart. She knew she didn’t need him or anyone and wasn’t easily impressed. He wanted to impress her – the feeling surprised him and made him nervous all at once. If it wasn’t for his bet with Callum, he’d probably have backed out already. As it was, the whole thing made him nervous, but there were five hundred good reasons he couldn’t walk away now.

Tim shook his head and strode for the house – time to investigate the source of the fire. But as he did, he heard a wolf whistle followed by raucous laughter. He turned and stared back at the truck, where his crew laughed and waved at him. He rolled his eyes – he could always count on his crew to act mature.

Molly heard the firefighters teasing as she walked away. She hurried her steps her face burning. She wasn’t running away, she just wanted to get back to the office to type up the story. But first she had to interview one of the police officers – she could only hope they’d cooperate. She frowned and climbed into her car. If only her sister would let her file it for the digital edition, they couldn’t be scooped by the Chron. Their rival didn’t appear to have sent anyone to cover the tragedy, though that didn’t mean much.

After talking to the police, who confirmed there was no one inside the building when it went up, she climbed into the car and laid her head against the headrest with a sigh.

Vicky was already there, making notes on her laptop. “Ready to go?” Molly nodded and Vicky put the laptop into her carrying case. “Was that …?”

“Tim Holden, yep.”

“Wow, it’s like God is trying to tell you something,” said Vicky with a smirk.

Molly glared at her friend. “Let’s just go.”

Vicky started up the car and maneuvered out of the parking space. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just that … I don’t trust myself around him. He’s too good-looking, too charming …” She sighed again. “I don’t think I’m ready.”

“Too good-looking … is there really such a thing?”

“You know what I mean. He’s a player – or maybe not, but he looks like one. He’s so sure of himself. Confident, attractive men aren’t my type – or more like I’m not theirs.”

Vicky steered them onto a main road, then relaxed in her seat. “Is he a Christian?”

“Yes. He’s pretty open about his faith.”

“So what are you afraid of?”

“I’ve just come out of a relationship …”

“Two years ago. And Andrew didn’t care about the same things you do. I know you didn’t see it at the time, but surely you can see it now. It would never have worked between you two.” Vicky shook her head.

Molly shrugged. “It takes time to get over a fiancé. He broke my heart.”

“That doesn’t mean Tim will.”

“It doesn’t mean he won’t.” Molly’s thoughts whirled, and she stared out the car window as they drove. She should never have agreed to this ridiculous arrangement. She could see herself falling for him, and if she did and he walked away, she’d get hurt. Again. She didn’t know if she could take another break-up like the last one. Andrew had been her fiancé for two years, but when she’d finally pushed him to set a date, he’d told her he didn’t want to get married and moved to New Orleans. She couldn’t face that kind of heartbreak again.

Anyway, she’d already decided to give up on finding the one and focus on her career. So why couldn’t she get the image of Tim Holden out of her head? He was her friend – that was all. Nothing more.

“You what?” Callum leaned against the window of the white Chevy Silverado pickup, peering in at Tim behind the wheel.

Tim combed his fingers through his hair in embarrassment. He was borrowing Callum’s truck to take Molly to dinner at his parents’ house, thinking his Harley-Davidson wouldn’t be appropriate. “We’re pretending to be engaged.”

Callum grimaced. “Why would you do that?”

“I made a bet with you and I didn’t want to back down. Plus, I’ve been praying God would show me a way to help my family put their bitterness with the Belugas behind them, and this might be it. But I guess this means our bet is off.”

Callum laughed. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? No, it’s not off. I still maintain you can’t even hold down a fake relationship for more than a month.” He set his hands on his hips.

Tim gaped. “What? I thought …”

“Nope. You’re not wriggling out of this. If you can’t stay in your fake relationship for more than a month, I win.”

Tim’s brow furrowed. “Fine. You just made the bet a whole lot easier for me.”

“I doubt that, but I guess we’ll see. Given this new information, I reckon taking her over to your folks’ for dinner is a bad idea, brother.”

“Yeah, you might be right.” He managed a shaky grin. “But it’s too late to back out now.”

“No, it’s not – make the call. You can say you’re not feeling well or something.”

Tim shook his head. “No, I don’t want to do that to Molly. She’s expecting me. Besides, the whole reason we’re doing this thing is to bring our families together. Might as well get started tonight.”

Callum grinned. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re starting to develop real feelings for this woman.”

Tim frowned. “Just as well you know better. Wish me luck.”

“I know you want to heal the rift between your families, but couldn’t you two come up with a better plan?”

Tim shook his head. “Nope. I guess I’m just not that creative. Anyway, I think it’ll work, and Molly agrees. We just have to get them all in a room together so they can see that they’re not enemies after all. And I’ll earn some vacation money from you as a bonus.” He grinned.

Callum stepped away. “I guess we’ll see about that. Just don’t scratch the paint work.” He waved as Tim mock-saluted and drove off.

When Tim reached Molly’s apartment building, he stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the second floor as his stomach began doing flips. Maybe Callum was right – this night might end in disaster.

She opened the door on the first knock, and his breath caught in his throat. She wore a long midnight-blue dress that seemed to float around her. Her neck was adorned with a sparkling diamond on a thin chain, and her shining brown hair was pinned loosely on top of her head in cascading curls. “Wow. You look beautiful.”

She smiled, her cheeks coloring. “Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.”

“Are you sure you still want to do this? I mean, I could call and say we’re sick … you look too good to waste on a family meal. Maybe I could take you to a nice restaurant or a show or something …” He grimaced, picturing how awkward the evening with his parents might be, versus how great it could be with the two of them linking hands over a romantic candlelit table.

She laughed and put her hand in the crook of his arm, pulling the apartment door shut behind her. “No, we can’t do that to your folks. They’re expecting us. But thank you, that’s very kind – and flattering.”

He could feel the heat creeping up his neck. His arm sparked at her touch and his head spun. He had to keep his wits about him – there were likely to be some difficult conversations in his future and he should be ready for them, rather than thinking about how pale the curve of her neck looked in the moonlight. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

When he opened the car door for her, he almost caught his hand in it. He grimaced and rubbed his face as he walked around to his side. “Pull yourself together, man!” he growled to himself. There was no chance to back out now. He was committed, and he would follow through with it. After the evening was over, if they both decided it wasn’t going to work, they could end things amicably and move on with their lives. He’d be out five hundred bucks, but he could live with that. Their parents would be elated and everything could go back to normal.

But for that evening, Tim would stick with the ruse – he and Molly were dating, they were in love, and he had to make sure his family believed it.

Molly stepped out of the truck, her hand in Tim’s. Her heart pounded and she felt sweat trickle down her spine beneath the silk dress. Great, now it would stick to her back and any chance of passing herself off as elegant would be over.

She glanced up at the house and her eyes widened. It was Tuscan style, with high rectangular windows and painted burned orange, brown and red. Dark green kudzu trailed up one side and across part of its façade, and a narrow porch wound around the second story. The entire place was lit up by soft yellow lights buried in the almost tropical gardens surrounding it. It was colorful, very different from the modern, somewhat sterile gray-brick-and-glass house her parents had built themselves a few years earlier.

The solid wood door swung open before they even had a chance to knock. A woman in a brightly-colored flowing gown stood on the threshold, her eyes wide. Molly recognized Tim’s mother, though she looked older than in the last photograph she’d seen. “You’re here!” she exclaimed.

Tim kissed her cheeks, then motioned toward Molly. “Mom, this is Molly Beluga. Molly, this is my mother Angela Holden.”

“Hi, Mrs. Holden. You have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you, dear. Please just call me Angela.”

“Thank you so much for having me over.” Molly shook her hand, then clung to Tim’s arm as if it were a life preserver.

“You’re most welcome. Come on in – we’ve got appetizers and your father is barbecuing.”

Tim’s eyebrows arched high. “He is?”

“Yes, so I’m glad you’re here, son. We have the fire extinguisher handy, but it will make me feel so much better to know there’s a professional in the house as well.” She laughed, and Tim chuckled along with her as they walked in.

The house was open-plan with only a couple of steps separating the kitchen and dining space from a comfortable-looking living room where an enormous wide-screen television perched against one orange wall like a sentinel. “Can I get you a drink, hon?” asked Angela, one hand on the refrigerator door. “Let’s see …we have sweet tea, unsweetened tea, Coke, Sprite or Dr. Pepper.”

“Sprite, please.”

Angela grinned. “That’s Tim’s favorite drink too. His father, Ben, loves Dr. Pepper.”

Molly placed a hand on her nervous stomach. She hadn’t known what she was walking into – did Tim’s parents hate the idea of the two of them dating as much as hers did? So far, she’d received a warm enough welcome, but she hadn’t met everyone yet. With a long slow breath, she worked to calm her anxiety.

Tim seemed to sense her unease and laid a hand on the small of her back. She smiled at him, feeling the tension leave her body as her skin tingled under his touch. She could manage this. All she had to do was get through dinner and not make things worse between their families. Piece of cake.

Tim wiped his mouth with the napkin and laid it back in his lap. The dinner had gone as well as could be expected. His brother Stuart was there, quiet as usual. He rarely spoke unless asked a direct question, though when he did speak he generally said something worth listening to. Dad had come in from the grill soon after they arrived, but seemed unwilling to say much more than Stuart. The bulk of the conversation had fallen to Mom, Molly and himself. Which wasn’t a bad thing, given that all three of them were doing their best to make the evening a success.

“Thanks, Mom, Dad – that was delicious,” he said.

Dad gave a brief nod. Mom smiled. “I’m glad, my dear. Dad did his best to burn the fish, but once you scrape off the black parts it’s actually pretty good.” His father grunted.

Tim could sense Molly shaking with silent laughter beside him and resisted the urge to join her. He arched an eyebrow and leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “I think they like you.”

“Really? I’m glad – I like them too. Oh, I can get that …”

Tim had stood and collected Molly’s plate. He shook his head. “No, you relax. I’ve got it.” He carried the dirty dishes to the kitchen, Mom close on his heels with her own load of plates. The countertop was cluttered with trays, baking pans, pots and glasses. He cleared a space and set the plates down. “I can start on the dishes if you like,” he offered.

Mom shook her head and chuckled. “No, I’ll do all that. You just take care of Molly.”

“Okay.”

“Have you had a nice evening?” Her voice sounded strained.

He smiled. “Yes. Thanks for doing this, Mom. I know it’s hard for you and Dad, but you’ve been really great about it.”

She set her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed. “I’m doing my best. But I do have to say something …”

He took a quick breath. Here it comes.

“… I like Molly. She seems like a really nice young woman. But you know what it’s like for your dad and grandpa. There’s friction between her family and ours, it’s been there a long time and it won’t go away just like that. So many things have been said and done, there’s so much water under the bridge …”

“But we have to start somewhere.”

“I just want you to think long and hard about it, that’s all. Is she worth causing your family so much pain?”

His heart hammered and his cheeks colored as anger swirled in his gut. “Mom, this whole feud is ludicrous. When I met Molly, I realized it was time both our families put our disagreements behind us. It’s past time – and it’s something that’s been on my heart for a while. I think all that anger and unforgiveness inside has caused Grandpa and Dad a lot of trouble over the years. If they could only let it go …”

“That’s just it – I don’t think any of us can.”

“Of course you can.”

His mother laughed and slapped her forehead. “Sometimes I forget how naïve you can be.” She cupped his cheek. “I love your beautiful heart. But son, you having a relationship with a Beluga is never going to go well. You should be able to see that it’ll never amount to anything. You won’t be able to get serious, and at your age that’s what you should be considering – where is this going?”

“You don’t think we can have a serious relationship?” He balled his hands into fists. This wasn’t the first time his parents had strong-armed him into ending a relationship they didn’t like. A woman he’d dated in college hadn’t been suitable to them, and he’d always regretted breaking things off under their pressure. Well, he wasn’t so young anymore, and he wouldn’t allow them to manipulate him into doing things their way.

“No! Of course not. She’s not the woman for you, Tim. And once you calm down, you’ll see that.”

“Well, then this seems the perfect time to tell you that we’re engaged.”

His mother’s face fell. “What?”

“Molly and I are engaged to be married. We love each other. And it’s high time you and the rest of the family get on board, because it’s happening whether you want it to or not.”

He heard a noise behind him. He spun around to see his father, brother and Molly standing in the kitchen doorway. Molly’s face was ashen, his father’s mouth hung open and Stuart’s eyebrows arched above wide eyes. “Ah … congratulations?” Stuart offered.

Dad walked into the room and ran a hand through his graying hair. “Son, Molly, I think you should consider the consequences …”

Tim marched to Molly’s side and put an arm around her shoulders, tugging her close. “We have, Dad. We’ve thought it through and this is what we want. We’re getting married, and you’ll just have to get used to the idea.”