Filed to story: Help! I’m Falling for My Dad’s Best Friend Novel Free
Now, had I been drinking right then, I woulda spit it all over him. Instead, I just snort. “Excuse me?”
He holds up his hands to keep me from standing. “Just pretend for five whole minutes. You’d still have plenty of time with your family, I swear. The minute we’re done, I’ll drive you home. Promise.”
“Uh, and why would I do this?”
Now, the cute f**ker is looking smug. “Because you owe me that much.”
“Excuse me?” I don’t owe him shit. His mother? Maybe…
“Thing about it is…” He flashes me a grin and leans closer. “I’m not as blind as your parents. I know you’ve got a thing going on with your dad’s friend, Chris Collins. When we went hiking, I don’t think I passed out because I was out of breath. Yeah, I was having a hard time, but I distinctly remember someone grabbing me from behind. I can put two and two together, Harper. Considering your boyfriend is in the military and does ‘super-secret stuff’ I figure it was him that made me pass out. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it at the time.”
I gape, mouth hanging open.
“Pretending to be my girlfriend for five minutes is a small price to pay for my silence, don’t you think?”
I scowl. “Are you blackmailing me? Seriously?”
Brandon twitches his nose. “If you wanna look at it that way. Kinda.”
“You cheeky bastard.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Five minutes. We go in, I introduce you to everyone, and then I’ll drive you to your parent’s home. We don’t even have to say you’re my girlfriend, we’ll just… give that impression. It’s a simple favor, really.”
My frown deepens. “If it’s just that, why don’t you ask one of your admirers? You seem pretty popular with the ladies and I’m sure they’ll be happy to play along. Or even be your girlfriend in ‘real life’.”
“Thing about it is…”
“You’re gay.” I huff. “All the hot ones are. Just figures.”
“I’m seeing this guy right now and it’s not like I can parade him in front of my parents.”
I shake my head. “Brandon…”
“I’m not out yet. My family doesn’t know and I’m not quite ready to bust down the closet door, you know? I’ll crush them. I’m not ready to drop the bomb.”
Drop the bomb. Suddenly, I can relate to his plight simply because I know what it’s like to keep a secret from parents.
“What if your mom calls mine and my parents find out I’m your ‘girlfriend’? I have plans with Kri.”
He shakes his head. “My mom is still mortified and doesn’t talk to yours any longer.”
I cringe. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He smiles. “Do we have a deal?”
“I guess.”
“Awesome!” He grins from ear to ear. “It’ll be our little secret, Harper.”
Somehow, that sounds eerily familiar.
The End