Bainbridge Bride

Chapter 5

"So you smashed the vase against his forehead and he asked you to pretend to be his girlfriend in exchange?" Logan says before shelving the last book.

"It's just for a night or two. Until his parents go back to Sweden." I explain. I don't know why I signed up for cleaning the Kiddi Korner. After one last spray of disinfectant, I wipe the last small table.

"I'll let you try your hand at makeup this time. I've done it every other time you had a date." Logan says in a flirtatious tone.

"Okay, okay. So this isn't a date. Got it." she says, winking.

"About that vase.." Logan begins. I cut her off.

"Don't worry about it, I'll replace it as soon as possible."

"No, actually I was saying it doesn't matter. Enjoy your date." she says, walking out the back door. As I walk out, the sunlight blinds me and I almost run into someone.

"Oh gosh, you almost hurt me again!" I notice Kent's accent right away. He smells manly today, like my favorite cologne, Calvin Klein's One. I almost laugh out loud when I see him dressed in his black Starbucks polo and apron.

"Oh no!" I say sarcastically. I watch him dust off his hands after tossing the trash into the dumpster.

"What a lovely day to meet a lovely girl in the back parking lot of her job." he says, running his tongue against his bottom lip.

"What a lovely day for this lovely girl to go home." I tell him before walking to my car and getting in. I hear a tap on my window and turn to see Kent. God, his jawline is sharp enough to cut apples. I roll down the window.

"Yes?" I say, clearly ready to go home. He smiles knowingly.

"I was thinking you could come over so we can discuss dinner tomorrow?" he says with an excited spark in his voice.

"What is there to discuss?" I ask. How difficult can this be? We're just having dinner with his parents. I don't plan on seeing them after this.

"It's not so easy Paige. They'll have questions." Kent pleads softly. His eyes have won me over again.

"Alright, but you better have good snacks sir." I tell him as a negotiation. He snaps his fingers.

"You got it. See you at 6?" he says, half questioning, half demanding. He seems completely oblivious to the fact that I've been rude to him ever since we met. I nod and back out of the park and head home. The whole ride home, I don't think about Kent or the dinner with his parents. I only think about my outfit.
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"Where did we meet?" Kent asks.

"Your house." I say with a mouthful of grapes. Kent wrinkles his nose in disapproval.

"Okay," he sets down the pen and notebook where we're writing out our fake relationship."While we're at dinner you have to exercise some manners."

"And we didn't meet at my house or at least we can't tell them that." Kent finishes. I rub my chin as if I'm thinking of something to say.

"We met at the country club while sipping drinks by the pool." I imitate Kent's accent and pretend like I'm drinking tea.

"That'll actually sound good to my parents." he scribbles something down before closing the notebook.

"We're not done planning out our fake relationship." I say, tossing a chip in my mouth. Minding my manners is the least of my worries, I don't want Kent to catch feelings for me while we're doing this.

"For now we are. I want to know the real you first." Kent says, leaning in closer to me.

"The real me," I start talking with more chips in my mouth than before."Is not special enough to know about. She's really boring." I finish. Kent rolls up the sleeve of his sweatshirt and runs a hand through his hair as if he's stressed.

"Who ever told you that," he kisses my cheek briefly."Is a liar." I wipe the kiss from my face and give it back to him by wiping it on his thigh. He chuckles as if he's amused. But I'm not amused; I'm irritated.

"Why don't we get to know you first?" I ask boldly. Kent moistens his lips with the tip of his tongue.

"What would you like to know, Paige?" he asks, grabbing one of my hands and interlocking our fingers slowly.

"First, who's the guy downstairs?" I ask.

"Ah, Bradley is my erm- cousin, who came here with me from home." he states, softly stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. Subconsciously, I almost admit that it's soothing and I don't want him to stop. But he does.

"I see." I state, feeling anxious.

"Maybe you should go home, you seem uneasy." Kent suggests. He's right. I feel very uncomfortable sitting here on his bed, despite the fact that he has snacks here for me.

"Yeah, I was thinking that." I say before walking to his bedroom door. As I make my way to the last stair, I crash into Bradley.

"Sorry!" we say in unison, causing us both to laugh. Kent glares at Bradley. Bradley adjusts his glasses.

"I was just leaving." Bradley states.

"That's what I thought." Kent answers with a victorious smirk planted across his face.