The Love Wager

Hallie and Jack texted more than usual the following week as they finalized travel plans and lodging details. Her entire family was taking the same flight, so she was absolutely dreading that, but she made sure to request a room on a separate floor from everyone else.

She was a little nervous when she woke up at four a.m. on the day of the flight. Could they pull it off? Would Jack be able to pretend he was in love with her? Actually, as long as he managed to pull off a solid she’s-kinda-cool disposition, Hallie would be thrilled.

She was zipping up her carry-on when Jack texted.

Jack: Good morning, my love. May I pick up a donut for you on the way to your place?

Hallie: Careful, I may ACTUALLY fall in love with you if you say things like that.

Jack: I will shower you in chocolate donuts for the rest of your life, my darling.

She laughed and texted: I think I just had a tiny orgasm.

Jack: On my way.

Just like that, her nervousness turned into excitement. She was going to Vail with Jack—how could it not be fun? She double-checked that she had absolutely everything she’d need and stacked her bags beside the front door.

She got a little choked up saying goodbye to Tigger, because she was afraid he’d feel abandoned. Ruthie was going to “take a crap-ton of Claritin” and come over every day to feed and play with him, so that made her feel a little better, but she still hated leaving him behind.

Jack, on the other hand, said he desperately needed a weekend away from Mr. Meowgi, who kept peeing on his bath mat.

Jack rang the buzzer when he got there, and she brought down her luggage. When she exited the building, he was waiting out front with his trunk open.

And he looked hot in his jeans and black hoodie. The man had the kind of chest you wanted to rest your palms on, if that made any sense at all.

“Good morning, boyfriend,” she said, dragging her bags to where he stood. “Ready for a weekend away with the love of your life?”

His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. Specifically, at the spot just above the V-neck of her black sweater. “Please tell me that I’m not inside that locket.”

“Open it and see,” she teased, the chilly wind blowing her hair in her face.

He rolled his eyes before reaching out and opening the silver locket that hung on a chain around her neck. She could tell he didn’t think there would be anything in there, and his mouth dropped wide open in shock.

“You fucking weirdo—explain yourself,” he said, laughing.

She grinned and moved around him to lift her bag into his trunk. “I took that selfie when you fell asleep on the floor watching Pride & Prejudice. I forgot to delete it, but then it was super easy to print and jam into my necklace. So yay for my horrible memory.”

He just kept looking at her. “This is terrifying behavior.”

“Says you.”

“Says the laws of polite society.”

“Whatever. My mother will lose her shit over this adorable pic of her daughter clowning with her boyfriend.”

“Too bad I didn’t think to snap a photo of you crawling out of my hotel room,” he said, his eyes on hers as he grabbed the locket again. “Your mom would’ve loved that.”

Hallie pictured him facedown and asleep in that bed as she looked at him and shook her head. “I still can’t believe you saw that.”

His eyes raised to hers, and his voice was quiet when he said, “Have I ever told you that I’m dying to know what you remember from that night?”

She stared into his blue eyes, and her voice came out a little breathy when she said, “What do you remember?”

“Every fucking thing.” He said it fast and sure, and then his lips turned up. “But perhaps we should discuss this later. When we have time to compare notes.”

“Yeah,” she said quickly, pushing her hair back. Compare notes. “Later.”

As they drove to the airport, they went over the details. Hallie thought she was going to have to coach him on stories, but everything about their actual relationship translated into their fake relationship.

They met at his sister’s wedding, reconnected on a dating app, and had been texting and going on taco dates ever since.

It was too easy.

“So as soon as we hit the security line, we become boyfriend and girlfriend.” Hallie wanted to make sure he realized that she needed him to be pretending the whole time. It wouldn’t do for someone to see him chatting up some other girl outside the airport bookstore. “You know, just in case someone is watching and we don’t see them.”

“The minute we hit security, it is on.”

“I just wish we didn’t have to sit by all of them,” Hallie said, picturing her aunt Diane’s nosy stare. She loved her family, but they were always up in everyone else’s business.

“We can upgrade to first class,” he said, following the sign that directed him toward long-term parking.

“Shut up.” Hallie had never been in first class. She turned toward him in her seat and asked, “Would that cost a lot?”

“As long as they have availability, it won’t cost me anything.”

“Because of all those miles you have?”

“Bingo.”

“Oh, my God, Jack, you are making it so easy to fall in love with you.”

He glanced over at her. “Glad to hear it.”

•   •   •

By the time they headed for security, Hallie was cackling.

In the shuttle bus, the driver kept yelling at Jack to duck because he was just too tall and the guy couldn’t see out the back. They hadn’t been sure exactly what the driver had been looking for, but his inability to see through Jack and out the back window had really set him off.

The faces Jack made at her while getting screamed at left her crying with laughter.

Then, when they got inside the terminal, Jack realized he’d left his keys on the roof of his car, so he’d had to take a cab back to the long-term lot to retrieve his keys. When he walked back in, looking around for Hallie, his face was so full of irritation that it’d cracked her up again.

“You’re a damn hero, Jack,” she said as they approached the TSA line. “I appreciate you.”

He looked offended when he said, “You shouldn’t enjoy my suffering so much.”

“I know. It’s a character flaw.”

“It really is.”

When they joined the line, Hallie felt Jack’s fingers slide in between hers. She looked up at his face, but he was looking straight ahead, as if holding her hand was something he was used to doing.

Ohhh. He’s in character.

Hallie knew she should be good, but something inside her wanted to mess with him. Or play with this situation. Whatever the reason, she started moving her thumb, letting it stroke over the heat of his big hand.

“Hal,” he murmured, still not looking at her.

“Hmmm?” she replied.

“I’m great with you doing that,” he said, squeezing her hand a little tighter. “But just know that if you’re still doing it when we get past the guy scanning boarding passes, I’m kissing you.”

“What?” she squealed, a little too loudly.

He looked at her then, his lips sliding into a dangerous smile. “I like this game. I’m a big fan. What could make this day more fun than a one-up challenge?”

She grinned. “What’s a one-up challenge?”

“A truth-or-dare of sorts. One-upping each other. I hold your hand, so you stroke that thumb of yours in a way that makes me fucking crazy. I kiss you, and you . . . one-up me, somehow.”

“Somehow.” Hallie couldn’t look at him, turning her warm face so she was looking at the line in front of her. “Interesting.”

“Isn’t it, though.”

They both stood in silence, her thumb still moving over his skin, as they got closer to the front of the line. She kept telling herself to stop, that it wasn’t a good idea, but she was giddy with an electric anticipation as they stood in line to embark upon their vacation.

She swirled her thumb across his skin, making a figure eight, just as the man in front of them got his boarding pass scanned. Her heart was pounding as Jack let go of her hand so they could each hold out their passes to be scanned, and she realized he’d been kidding, because they’d reached the front and he hadn’t kissed her yet.

“Thank you,” she said to the TSA official, shoving her phone into her coat pocket.

“Thanks,” Jack muttered.

Hallie had taken one step toward the area where they’d be removing their shoes when Jack grabbed her hand and turned her around. She looked up at his face, at those intense blue eyes, and before she could formulate a thought, his hands were on her face, his lips on hers.

She thought she heard him growl as he angled his head just a little and bit down on her bottom lip, and then she might’ve made a sound as he opened her mouth with his own and did something wicked with his tongue. Her hands came up to squeeze his upper arms—or grasp for leverage, she wasn’t sure—as his tongue dipped into her mouth and he kissed her like he was sampling dessert, dessert he’d been denied his entire life and now he couldn’t get enough of it.

Was starved for it.

He pulled back, looked down at her in a way that made her knees weak, and said, “We better move before we clog up the line.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Um, yes.”

Once they passed security, Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her off to the side of the foot traffic. He looked down at her with an unreadable expression, his eyes serious, and he said, “Are we okay?”

She nodded and said, “We’re amazing.”

His eyes softened then. “It was a fucking great kiss, wasn’t it?”

“Holy shit, Jack,” she said, shaking her head with a grin. “I almost passed out.”

He threw his head back and laughed, a sound that made her want to curl up and take a nap in it, and he said, “I think I’m going to like being your fake boyfriend.”