Page 52 of Fake It Till You Make It

Of course he would be. The news of Rachel Johnson’s imminent return didn’t deter the mischievous light stirring in his prism eyes.

“Maybe,” Noah nudged Tobias with his shoulder, “Mom’s auction will help you find a lady of your own.”

Tobias crossed thick arms behind his head. “Let’s see if I got my facts straight. Older brother’s divorced with a fakebusiness partner. Younger one’s porking any puddin’ he can get his paws on.” His face contorted in displeasure. “Nope. I’m good.”

“You waiting on some special pudding?” Noah chided.

“A modicum of restraint and the woman you really want would still be in town,” Tobias deadpanned.

“How about I send you to the Whynot ER in your own ambulance?” Noah bristled.

“What?” Tobias glared. “It’s the truth. The first one was the right one. And you blew it.”

That struck Amarie as odd. Noah had his love life, rather sex life, on full public display, but apparently he had a protective streak for Rachel Johnson to rival Eli’s overbearing brutish behavior. This was the first time she’d heard of Noah having a hairpin trigger about the farmer’s daughter. When Rachel Johnson returned, she would have a cowboy willing to buck off a few broncos to take his place at her side.

“Boys,” Leah warned. “No more pudding talk unless it’s mine.”

Eli sighed. “I’m officially a traumatized child. Please can we change the subject before another dessert is ruined for me?”

“The local women see you two together and think you’re in a real relationship, Eli. You and Amarie balance one another. The honey to your bee.”

“Momma, don’t get it twisted. The only thing buzzin’ is a partnership. Me and Amarie are a business transaction, nothing more.”

“The more folks see, the more they’re gonna speculate. This is Service. Love has blossomed from less, so be ready.”

“This one won’t.”

Well, Eli didn’t have to sound so sure of himself. Yes, they’d started as business associates, but he could do worsethan her. Sounds like he already had. Amarie placed her tablet on the table to get everyone back on track.

“Eli, we’ll drive traffic to the clinic page. I’ll invite my fifty thousand followers to follow each of you. I’m still thinking of a hashtag. Hopefully we can get the clinic’s TikTok page trending. If we’re really lucky, we can go viral.”

“And you really think it’ll work?”

“We’re all pushing in the same direction. Tomorrow night is Fun Friday at the Black Bear. Most of the town will be there. We can promote—”

“You want to announce about our pages, don’t you?” Eli muttered under his breath.

“Smart one you are, boss. If they can talk and have internet access, invite them to follow us on TikTok.”

“Will that be enough publicity?” Tobias quizzed, taking notes in his smartphone.Impressive, Amarie thought.

“It will if we keep Leah’s county bulletin ad updated with our progress and pay for a TikTok ad campaign.”

“How much is that going to cost?” Eli grumbled.

Amarie released a surprise she’d been holding all day. “We have the seed money.” She beamed. “Matt Johnson gave the clinic a two-hundred-and-fifty-dollar donation.”

“When did that happen?”

“I called to follow up on Belle and the baby before I left the office.”

“You did?” Eli’s voice held a note of shock, and maybe pride. Hard to tell with him.

“Yes, and to say hello to Ruth and Phoebe.” Amarie had thought of them most of the night. She’d thought of her mother. They’d spoken once since her arrival in Service. Wondered if her father had deployed psychological abuse tactics similar to Bucky all those years ago. Had her pet, Princess, been given away to force her and her mother to return home?

Leah clapped her hands, anchoring Amarie to the present.

“Oh my goodness, you’re already the best at the business. We’ve never even charged Matt to care for the therapy animals. This is a special surprise.”