Page 2 of Just One Spark
"Of course," I said, my mouth suddenly dry.I had no idea if I was allowed to grant her request.I wasn't used to dealing with the publicity stuff, and I wished I could avoid it.
"We asked our readers to send in their questions for this interview, and there was one burning question."
"What's that?"I asked, feeling a little hot despite the cold temperatures.
"Our readers want to know if you're single."
I coughed."I'm sorry.What?"
She smiled."You could host a contest on opening day, and the winner gets a brew bath with Rowan Hart.We'd be happy to promote that for you.You'll have so many people applying?—"
I cleared my throat in an attempt to stop her rambling."I'm not single."
Hattie raised her brow.
Jane frowned."Who are you seeing then?"
My heart rate picked up.Why had I lied?I should have known she'd have a follow up question.They'd want to know who I was dating.My gaze swung to Hattie, who was looking at me expectantly."I'm engaged to Hattie."
Why had I said I was engaged?I should have said we were dating.That was more believable.But I panicked.The opening was supposed to be about my brews, not my single status.Hattie would understand even though she hadn't talked to me for years.Not really.
"You're engaged," Jane said slowly as if she'd missed something important.
I stepped toward Hattie, thinking that we needed to act this out to make it more believable.I placed my arm over her shoulders drawing her into my side."I've been so busy with the renovation, and finalizing my brews, that we haven't had time to share the good news."
"Our followers will certainly be disappointed."Jane clamored on about setting up a time to tour the brewery.
Hattie was stiff under my arm, and I was worried that she'd tell Jane that I was lying.That we weren't even friends, much less engaged.
"We'll be in touch," Jane finally said, and then moved away with her photographer.
Hattie moved away."What was that?"
I followed her to the edge of the hot cocoa bar."I'm sorry.She started talking about women clamoring to get into the bath with me, and I panicked."
"So you said we were engaged?We don't even talk anymore.No one will believe it."Her voice was soft, a hissed whisper.
"We were friends at one time."We were younger then, just entering the teenage phase.She'd created distance between us, and I was helpless to stop the progression.It was normal for friends to drift but I was upset that it was Hattie that had initiated the break-up.
She crossed her arms over her chest, and I was worried that Jane would look over and see that my supposed fiancée was very much upset with me.I had to fix this, and fast.
I moved closer, forcing Hattie's chin to lift so that she could maintain eye contact with me."She was making the grand opening a spectacle with single women competing to climb into a tub with me.I had to do something.I wanted the grand opening to be about the brews, the renovation, the bath house.Not my love life."
Hattie sighed, and I hoped that meant she was softening toward the idea.
"Would you mind pretending to be my girl, at least until the opening?It will take the pressure off of me and keep the focus where either belongs on the brewery."
"The story is that we reconnected, and fell madly in love?"she asked, and I detected a twinge of sarcasm as if the idea was ludicrous to her.
For me, it wasn't that far from the truth.I'd crushed on her from the moment I realized I liked girls."Something like that."
She looked away from me."We'll have to pretend to be engaged over the holidays, be seen in public together, do all the usual holiday events."
"That's fine with me."I was actually getting excited about the idea of spending time with Hattie.She'd been running from me for years, and I'd finally be close enough to her to discover why.
She gave me an exasperated look."You'd have to bring me to your family's gatherings as.your.date, and tell everyone that we.are.engaged."
"I don't like lying to my family but we can't have the story around the brewery be about my love life and not the hard work we did to get here."
