Festive Fake

4 - Go with that.

"How do we start making this up?"

Nate moved his seat back, creating room to straighten his legs. "Well, how long do you think we'd need to be together before you'd take me with you to Christmas?"

"Umm." I tapped a rhythmless beat on the steering wheel with my nails. "Long enough that they couldn't scare you off. Twenty years and a few kids, maybe?"

He chuckled. "They might catch us if we tried to tell them that. What about if we met when I moved to town? Oh! We can say you and Laurel helped me find my loft. If they know I'm friends with her, will that cause problems?"

After a few seconds of thought, I said, "No, that could help. That way we already knew a lot about each other, then when we met in person, we hit it off. Four months ago, maybe? Any less might seem weird for a family vacation."

"Sure, sounds perfect. So, it was love at first sight, and we've seen each other almost every day since. Is there anything else they'll ask?"

"Nothing that needs lies, but we definitely have to learn more about each other. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a physical therapist."

"Oh, that's cool."

"It's alright." Nate crossed his arms and stared out the window at the blur of trees, and I caught his frown in the reflection on the glass.

"You don't like it?"

"At first, I did." He rubbed his knee. "When I tore my ACL playing basketball Freshman year of college, I needed surgery. Missing the rest of the season sucked, and my attitude about it was awful, but the physical therapists were so upbeat it made all the difference in my recovery. They were awesome, and I thought it'd be nice to help people that way."

"But it's not?"

"No, it is." His smile was tight. "So many of them are hard to deal with because they're in pain, I get that. And it's wonderful when I'm able to help them, but also... kind of an emotional drain. Does that sound awful?"

"No. It'd drain me too. You should enjoy your job. When Laurel hired me, I wasn't sure I could do it, but realty hooked me after my first sale. I found exactly what the family was looking for and they were thrilled. They bought their first home, and it felt special to be a part of that excitement."

"That's awesome." Nate patted my leg. "You're a sweet person."

"Aww, thanks. Laurel loves realty too though."

He snickered. "Yeah, because she's a stellar salesperson, and she loves making money."

"True." I laughed and sipped my coffee, frowning as I glimpsed the bottom of the cup.

"What are all your favorites? Color, food, whatever I should know."

"Smart." I nodded. "You have to tell me yours too. Umm, I don't think I have a favorite color, it depends on what it's for. I love all kinds of food. I try to keep healthy stuff in the fridge for dinner. If I'm going out, I'll eat anything."

"Me too. Do you cook?"

"I follow recipes, nothing impressive. I'm not someone that whips it up as I go, and ends up with a great meal. What about you?"

"That's the only way I cook." Nate grinned. "When I use a recipe, I always miss an important step and ruin it. That's why I can't bake; it's too strict. I make a mean pecan pie bread pudding, but that's not real baking."

"Sounds amazing! It's my brother Joby's favorite too. It doesn't matter how much he's had to eat, if bread pudding is available for dessert, he'll find room."