CHLOE CAME TO SIT DOWN, slipping off her high heels and folding one leg up on the bed while letting the other dangle. Her eyelashes were thick and dark, and she lowered them almost shyly. “I guess since you got out of there like a bat out of hell, you know what I’m going to ask you.”

Brent forced himself to speak through the block in his throat. “I’d... I’d be terrible at it.”

Her eyes flew up, as if what he’d said surprised her. “No, you wouldn’t. You’d be fine. I don’t need a good talker or someone to charm Mima. I just need a male body.”

Maybe some guys would think her words were an insult, but they actually made Brent feel better. She knew him well enough to understand his concern. “I get so nervous sometimes I can barely talk.”

“That’s okay. I’ll just tell Mima you’re shy. She’ll probably like that. You’re not going to have to say much of anything. Just let me introduce you to Mima as my fiancé. That’s all.”

“Just the one time?”

Her face twisted. “Well, no, it will probably have to be more than once. She’s going to stay for a couple of weeks, so we’ll need to have a few meals with her and maybe you’ll come to Mass with us on Sunday morning and maybe... It will be a couple of weeks’ worth of pretending. I know it’s a lot to ask.”

He breathed in and then out slowly. He desperately wanted to help her, and she seemed sincere in her belief that his social inadequacies wouldn’t be a major obstacle. “So I could just sit there? Not talk or anything?”

“Yes!” She reached out to touch his knee, and it caused his skin to tingle, even through the thick fabric of his jeans. “You could just sit there. You’d probably relax a little after a few days, so you could answer direct questions and everything. But I would cover for anything you had trouble answering. And I’ll just tell Mima you’re shy and it takes you a while to warm up with new people. It wouldn’t even be a lie, right?”

He gave a huff of dry amusement. “Right.”

“So you’ll... you’ll think about it?”

“Yeah.” He swallowed hard, wondering what the hell he was getting himself into. “I’ll... I’ll do it. If you can’t find anyone better.”

“I don’t want anyone better. You’ll do just fine. Thank you so much!” She was beaming at him, and it was starting to go to his head. “What can I do for you to repay you?”

He dropped his eyes. “You don’t have to repay me,” he mumbled.

“Yes, I do. I want to. Is there anything I can do for you?” She paused, obviously thinking quickly. “Do you want me to set you up with a friend of mine? I could find you someone really cute and sweet.”

He rubbed his beard, feeling his cheeks flush. When he couldn’t get a sound out, he shook his head instead.

“Are you sure? You don’t date very much. Oh. Are you into... into guys?”

“No!” He cleared this throat, embarrassed by his vehemence. He just didn’t want Chloe to get the wrong idea. “I like girls.”

He risked a glance up at her and saw something like relief on her face. He didn’t understand it, but it made his heart skip a few beats.

“So let me find you a nice girl.”

“I’m... terrible with girls. You wouldn’t want to do that to one of your friends.”

“Well, that’s okay. A lot of girls don’t mind—Oh, I know what I can do to repay you! I can help you with girls.”

“Help me?”

“Yes, help you. Help you get more comfortable around them. Help you talk to them and everything. How about that?”

“I don’t need...” He didn’t finish the sentence since it would be an obvious lie.

He needed all the help with girls he could get.

“It wouldn’t do any good,” he managed to say instead.

“Yes, it would. I’m good at that kind of thing. I’ve dated tons, and I know girls a lot better than you do. Why shouldn’t I be able to help you?” Her eyes were wide and questioning.

She clearly had absolutely idea that he was totally gone on her.

Since she was waiting for a response, he made himself mutter, “Okay. Thanks.”

She clapped her hands excitedly. She was always like that. Bright as a ray of sunshine. Spilling over with whatever she was feeling. He’d never known anyone so full of light, bursting into a room and filling it with her warm glow.

“So have you ever had a real girlfriend?” she asked.

“Yes.” He was glad he was able to answer at least this question in the affirmative. “I got together with a girl in my senior year of high school and we dated all through college.”

“Oh. Wow. You were with her a long time. Was she your only serious girlfriend?”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“When was the last date you went on?”

“I don’t know. About a year ago. I tried online dating and did okay until it got time to actually meet them in person. Then I always... blew it.”

“So what do you need most help with?” she asked, clearly ready to get to work.

Half-embarrassed and half-excited, Brent was too flustered to be speechless. “Everything.”

“I’m sure that’s not true. You seem to warm up once you get to know people. Is it just meeting women at the beginning that’s the hardest for you? Approaching them? Making the first steps?”

“No. It’s everything.”

“Everything?” Her hand had returned to his knee, and she was just resting it there.

The touch felt like it branded him, and it was so distracting that he didn’t guard his words. “Everything. I haven’t done... anything.”

He always did this. He couldn’t seem to talk when he wanted to, and then he’d end up blurting out the most inappropriate thing he ever could have said.

A wave of heat washed over him, killing his earlier chill of nerves.

Chloe’s eyes were bigger than he’d ever seen them. Her full lips parted slightly as she stared at him.

She knew now.

She knew.

“Brent?” she asked after a minute. “Are you saying... Have you never...”

His shoulders slumped. No sense in pretending. He was the world’s worst liar. “Never.”

***

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