* * *
Somethingcold and wet presses against my arm hanging off the mattress. I open one eye to find Pixel staring at me from next to the bed. I startle out of bed. “Pixel, you creepy dog. You can’t just stare at people sleeping.”
She wags her tail.
I blink. It’s light out. Where am I? Looking around, I realize I’m in one of Karl’s guest rooms—the one next to the master bedroom, to be more specific. It was dark out when we went upstairs to talk and watch a movie. He must have put me to bed. I look over to the door, and my shoes are next to it. I smile. He carried me to bed, took my shoes off, and tucked me in.
I run to the restroom and wash my face and brush my teeth. “Come on, Pix. Let’s go find your sweet, sweet dad.”
We head downstairs together to find Karl making coffee. “Good morning,” he says brightly, seeing us walk in.
“Morning. I’m sorry I fell asleep—”
“I’m glad you did. You feeling any better?”
I sigh. “Yeah. It’s sunk in. I can move on now.”
“Go sit at the table. I’ll bring breakfast over.”
“You cooked again?”
“God, no. I went out for donuts.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course.”
He sets a glazed donut in front of me, and we sip our coffees and eat the pastries. “Thank you for breakfast. I’ll get going.”
His face falls a little, making me smile. He likes me here.
I stare at my coffee, thinking. As much as we talked about everything else, we never broached the subject of his surprise attack boyfriend role and him kissing my forehead. With everything else going on and all the emotions, I haven’t had time to dwell on it. But it had to be just a friend helping me save face, right? It wasn’t a genuine kiss. I decide not to ask him about it. He hasn’t brought it up, so surely he was just helping me out.
I’ll always be grateful to him for that.
“Before you head out, can I ask you something?” Karl asks.
“Sure.”
“Will you reconsider my offer from last week?”
I set my coffee mug down. “What? You mean, about pretending to be your girlfriend?”
Karl nods, his face stern. “You no longer have a boyfriend, so . . .”
“I can’t, Karl. I’m moving in less than two weeks.”
“Push your trip. It’s not urgent, right? Come on, Lola. Where else are you going to make twenty grand in just a couple of months?”
I smirk. “You said one month. Now it’s a couple?”
“I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give.” His statement is full of meaning, and my breath catches in the back of my throat.
I shake my head. “I don’t need your money, Karl. And more importantly, I don’t want it.”
“Why not?”
“I have everything I need. I’m set for my fresh start. I’m ready to move on and start somewhere else. With new people—”
“I’m new people,” he says.