Page 60 of My Fake Dating with the Grumpiest Highlander
“Grandma or the sheep?”
“Both.”
I stir my spoon through the milk and watch the pale swirl circle the bowl.
“She’s going to organize more dinners. More ‘urgent consultations.’ More situations where we’re forced to interact. It’s her specialty.”
“Fantastic.”
“Unless…”
I stop.
The idea forming in my brain is completely insane. Ridiculous. The kind of idea people usually come up with at three in the morning after too many tequila shots—not after warm milk and two dark chocolate cookies.
“Unless what?” Finn asks curiously.
I take a deep breath and look up at him. He’s watching me with genuine interest.
“Unless we beat her at her own game.”
Silence stretches between us, and I fully expect Finn to shut me down immediately. Honestly, the idea is incredibly stupid.
“I’m not following.”
I bite the inside of my cheek and stare down at my mug.
Stop talking. Seriously, stop now.
Apparently my brain has stopped functioning properly, because I hear myself continue anyway.
“Maggie wants to set us up, right? She thinks we’d make an adorable couple. That we’re ‘perfect for each other.’ That Ragnar liking you is some kind of sign from destiny.”
“Yes. And?”
“And what if we gave her exactly what she wants?”
Finn slowly turns his mug between his hands on the table. I notice he has really nice hands.
Focus, Mary. Dear God.
“You’re serious?”
“I mean, we wouldn’t actually be together. We’d just... pretend.”
He stares at me like I’ve officially lost my mind.
Which, fair.
But suddenly I’m getting weirdly excited about this catastrophic idea.
“Let me rephrase,” I continue, sitting up straighter. “My grandmother is manipulating us into spending time together. She’s going to keep going until either we give in or one of us moves across the country. But if we pretend to date, she’ll relax. She’ll stop scheming. She’ll leave us alone.”
“You’re talking about fake dating,” Finn says flatly.
“Exactly.”
“You do realize that’s ridiculous.”
