Chapter 1
North
"Idon'tknowwhythe fuck you’re going to this wedding," my best friend, Ben, says as we sit at the diner for lunch.
How many times have I asked myself the same question? I sure as hell don’t want to be at my brother's Christmas wedding. Why? Because he's marrying my ex.
Finding out Vikki was cheating on me with Jake was bad enough, but now my parents are insisting I go to their wedding as if nothing has happened.
"I'm going because my grandparents, who I haven't seen in two years, will be there. With my grandfather's health, this might be the last time they can make the trip, and I'd never forgive myself if I didn’t see them. But I’m sure as hell not going alone."
I hope Ben has an idea of who I can ask. He’s a cop and seems to know everyone in the small town of Walker Lake, Texas. He’s in full uniform, and it doesn't go unnoticed by the locals—especially the single ladies. Not that he has eyes for any of them. He's keeping his head down and working toward getting his own ranch.
He looks around the small diner where we're having lunch—the only decent place in town to grab a bite. "Why don't you ask Candy? She's the town librarian."
He nods to a corner of the diner behind me, where a woman sits, eating lunch alone and reading a book. She's gorgeous, curvy, and looks sweet enough to eat. Dark brown hair flows in waves over her shoulders. Is she as sweet as her name suggests? Whatever she's reading in that book has a smile on her face.
"You think she'd go for it?" I ask.
Ben shrugs. "Only one way to find out."
He's right. I stand and take a deep breath before walking over to her table. She’s so wrapped up in her book that she doesn't notice me, so I sit in the seat across from her.
Only then does she look up at me, putting the book down and offering me a sweet smile. "Oh, you're Ben's friend. Your name is North, right?"
I don't know why I take pride in the fact she knows who I am, but I do.
It's a small town, and everyone knows Ben. Hell, everyone knows everyone. I generally keep my head down, but even I know most people in the diner.
"Yes, and you're Candy, the librarian."
She nods and offers me a small smile.
I look back at Ben to see he's watching our exchange. "Okay, so long story short, my brother is marrying my ex, and my parents are insisting I go to the wedding, plus I want to see my grandparents who will be there. It's a weeklong event here in town, mostly in the evenings. And we’ll also be taking part in some of the town Christmas events. I don't want to go to this wedding alone. Would you be willing to go with me? I'll pay for everything, and I'll even pay for your time." I know I’m rambling as I rush to get all the details out.
I almost expect Candy to laugh, thinking it's a joke, but she doesn't. She looks at me like she's seriously considering my offer, but she doesn't say anything.
"What do you think?" I’m desperate to know what’s going on in that beautiful head.
"Well, I could use the money with my sister in school."
That wasn't a no, so I push my luck a little more. "Maybe we can pretend we've been dating for a little while?"
Candy purses her lips. She thinks for a minute and then looks over at Ben. I don't dare take my eyes off her to turn around and see what his reaction is.
Then she looks over at Austin, who runs the diner. She's back behind the counter, and I'm pretty sure the two of them are friends.
Candy smiles. "Okay, but I’m a writer, so I make no promises that I won't write this into a book."
I let out a breath and realizing that there's nothing I wouldn't do to get her to agree hits me hard. "Deal. Can I take you to dinner tomorrow so we can get our story straight?"
"That's probably a good idea. Let me give you my number."
We exchange phone numbers and make plans for tomorrow. I couldn't have asked for a better fake date. She's sweet and gorgeous and everything my ex wasn't.
Having to go to this wedding suddenly doesn't seem so bad.
Chapter 2