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  “The dogs? Really?”

  She nodded. “I had taken the smaller dogs out for their walk and Gia stepped on something and let out the most pitiful little sound. I scooped her up in my arms and cried because I felt so bad for her!”

  “O-kay then…”

  “You think I’m weird, right?”

  “I wouldn’t say that…”

  “You’re definitely regretting being on this trip with me. I can tell.”

  “I never said that, Willow.”

  “You don’t have to. I can tell. You have a very expressive face.” When he turned to look at her like she was crazy, she waggled her finger at him. “There! Right there! You think I’m crazy!” Sighing, she went on, “It’s okay. I get that a lot. I guess it’s why I don’t date a lot. Most guys don’t want someone who’s as…emotional as me.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with being emotional,” he countered. “And honestly, I don’t think you’re weird.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. I’m not used to someone being so honest about themselves. I think this test or quiz or whatever it is you want to call what we’re doing really is kind of fascinating. I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation like this with anyone I’ve ever dated.”

  “Me either.”

  “Can I ask a question?”

  “You should probably stay focused on the road.”

  He laughed, and it was low and gruff and so masculine that Willow almost hummed dreamily.

  “I meant can I ask a question that’s not part of the quiz.”

  “Oh, um…sure! Why not?”

  “Actually, I have two questions.”

  It was hard not to tense up. It was one thing to be the one in control of the questions and to wrap her head around them before she had to answer, it was quite another to have no idea what was coming her way. So instead of internalizing and freaking herself out, she said, “Lay them on me.”

  “How did you get the name Willow?”

  “Gammy named me.”

  “And she’s the one we’re going to see, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “How come she named you?”

  “Because she told my parents they were picking uptight names, and she thought my siblings were a little on the serious side. So she challenged them to let her pick my name and they would see if the name really affects our personalities.”

  “So you were like…an experiment?”

  “I never thought of it like that, but…I guess.”

  “And that doesn’t offend you?”

  She shrugged. “Like I said, I never really thought about it.” They drove in silence for several minutes. “What was your other question?”

  Levi seemed to consider his words carefully before asking, “What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?”

  Okay, clearly he hadn’t thought this through because once Willow shared her most embarrassing thing, he was going to have to do the same.

  “Falling in front of you kind of tops the current list,” she said with a hint of humor.

  “You didn’t really fall in front of me…”

  “It was right in front of the window at McGee’s and you saw it because you ran right out to help me. So, yeah. That’s a biggie.”

  “But is it the most embarrassing?”

  “I believe I’ve shared enough of my embarrassing moments earlier. Let’s put Levi under the microscope, shall we?”

  “Well…I guess that’s fair. After all, you did tell me a lot about you.”

  “Levi?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Quit stalling.”

  Her bluntness was kind of cute in this instance and he knew she had him pegged. “Fine. The most embarrassing thing I ever did was…back in high school, my buddies and I streaked across the football field during the halftime show.”

  “No!” she cried, her hands going over her mouth as she started to laugh. “You did not!”

  “Unfortunately, I did.”

  Lowering her hands, she giggled a little more. “Did you get caught?”

  “Nope,” he said proudly. “We had a plan and knew exactly where to run to. Plus…we had football helmets on so no one could see our faces.”

  “Oh, my gosh! Why would you do that?” And yet, she was still laughing.

  “Because we were stupid and thought it would be funny,” he replied, shrugging. “You know how immature guys are at 18. Looking back, I’m shocked we didn’t get caught even as much as I’m shocked we did it at all. Still…it makes for an interesting story.”

  “Do you share it a lot?”

  He grinned at her and saw she was blushing slightly. “Not in a long time.”

  They drove in silence for several miles and he wondered if he’d thrown them so far off track with the test that Willow didn’t want to continue. And for the life of him, he had no idea why he felt the need to ask his own questions.

  No, that wasn’t true. He was genuinely curious about her name. Her siblings had fairly normal–almost boring–names. Willow was the name you would think of two free-spirited parents would choose for their child. Certainly not the one two seemingly uptight psychologists would pick.

  Curiosity and all…

  The other question? Yeah, he had no clue. It was something that just came to mind. The silver lining to it was that she could see how he had a way more embarrassing story than she did. She was a klutz, that was a given, and unfortunately that meant things were going to happen that were out of her control. His story proved that he opted to embarrass himself. Maybe it would make her feel a little better about herself.

  Or maybe he was just an idiot.

  Either was an option at this point.

  “So, what’s the next question on the list?” he prompted, needing to break up the silence and hoped she still wanted to play at getting to know you.

  “Oh, um…let me pull the quiz back up,” she said, staring down at her phone. “Oooh…this one’s interesting. Do you believe success comes in the form of money or happiness?”

  “Wow, that is a good one.” And one he was all-too-familiar with. “Happiness. Definitely happiness.”

  “Tell me why.”

  “Well, there’s the old adage how money can’t buy you love or happiness, so…”

  “Okay, but what about personal experience?” she challenged.

  “Well, take my job. You mentioned earlier how your parents wouldn’t approve of my being a bartender, but…I’m very happy at my job. And I’m making good money.”

  “But that sort of disproves what you’re saying. Maybe you’re happy at your job because you’re making good money.”

  Wait…was he?

  Well, shit.

  Levi let that settle in for a minute and then shook his head. “Nope. I was happy with the pub before I was making good money, so I stand by my original answer. I felt successful because I had a job I loved.” And with a big smile, he glanced at her. “Your turn.”

  “Hmm…if I listen to my parents, then I would have to say money equals success.”

  “But that’s not what the question asks,” he reminded her. “It asks what you believe.”

  “Oh. Right,” she mumbled before letting out a long sigh and continuing. “I think being happy makes you successful and it shouldn’t matter what it is that you do for a living or where you live or who you’re with. I mean, some of the wealthiest people in the world are miserable while some of the poorest are happy.”

  “Exactly.” Reaching for her hand again, he gave it a gentle squeeze. “Remember that when you’re around your parents.”

  “Ugh…you’ll have to remind me.” She stared down at her phone and laughed.

  “What? What’s so funny?”

  “The next question.”

  “Uh-oh…”

  “How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?” Looking at him, she said, “You better go first.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her she didn’t ne
ed to answer at all, but…maybe there was more to the story than he realized. Instead, he was more than happy to talk about his own relationship with his mother. “I know it sounds corny but…my mom is literally one of my best friends.”

  “Really?” she asked, her voice laced with awe.

  “Yeah. She’s been my biggest fan and champion my whole life. She’s been to every event, every game, every…everything for me. I can tell her anything, and she’s perfectly happy to call me out when I’m doing something stupid or when she thinks I need to work on something.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know. But you have to understand, I’ve got three older sisters–two that you’re going to meet in the next two days–and I was a little outnumbered growing up.”

  “And what about your relationship with your dad? Is he…you know…are you close to him too?”

  “We are. I think my dad was psyched to finally get a son, and we do a lot of stuff together, but he’s just a big softie with my sister’s too.”

  “That sounds…weird.” Then she let out a laugh that was a little more of a snort. “Sorry. That was mean of me to say.”

  “It’s okay, Willow. It’s obvious we grew up with very different family dynamics. Most of the time when you mention your parents, I feel like you just did; it seems weird to me. I can’t imagine not laughing and having fun with my folks.” He was still holding her hand and squeezed it again. “Maybe when we get back home after this trip, I’ll introduce you to them.”

  “After…after the trip? Why?”

  He shrugged. “Um…because I thought you might like them?”

  “But…we won’t be fake dating anymore.”

  Damn. He hadn’t thought of that.

  “Yeah, but…we’ll still be friends, and all my friends have met my parents.” Then he held his breath and waited to see how she responded.

  “Oh,” she said, smiling. “Then that sounds wonderful. I can’t wait!”

  At some point, Levi knew he was going to have to come to grips with his feelings for Willow. When he first offered to be her fake boyfriend, it seemed like a nice thing to do. A way to help a friend out. But deep down, he knew he was lying. He had feelings for Willow. Real feelings that had nothing to do with being her friend and everything to do with her meaning much more.

  Unfortunately, this trip was not the time to be introducing that topic. It seemed she was already tense enough about being around her parents and pulling off this whole fake relationship thing and he didn’t want to add any more pressure to her.

  But once the trip was over…all bets were off.

  “So…do you want to answer the question?” he asked cautiously.

  “Believe it or not, I have a good relationship with my mother. It’s not perfect, but…it’s good. She genuinely wants me to be happy, but she doesn’t always agree with what exactly that means.”

  “Huh?”

  “To her, I should be happy going into a field where I can make a good living. Her theory is that I went to school for it, I’m educated in it, so, therefore, I will succeed and then be happy. She can’t grasp the flaw in that logic.”

  “I’m guessing you’ve discussed this with her.”

  “Too many times to count.”

  “How does she feel about you walking the dogs?”

  “She doesn’t quite…understand it,” she said slowly. “My father is not a dog person, so we were never allowed to have one when I was growing up. So she doesn’t quite get why I’d choose to do this or why that was the job I chose instead of something more stable.”

  “And what do you tell her when she asks?”

  “I change the subject,” she said, laughing. “There’s no way to explain to her that I love the feeling of these dogs just loving me for me. The unconditionalness just…it’s awesome! They’re always happy to see me, always excited to go out with me, and their owners appreciate me.” She groaned. “Oh, boy. That made me sound totally pathetic. Forget I said it. All of it.”

  “Willow…”

  “No, I’m serious! Um…next question! What do you value most in a friendship?”

  If they weren’t in the middle of the New Jersey Turnpike, Levi would be tempted to pull over and hug her. Because if anyone needed a hug, it was Willow. Since he couldn’t, he squeezed her hand again and said, “Honesty. I think honesty is the most important aspect of a friendship. Or any relationship, really.”

  “Oh.” When she went to gently pull her hand away, he didn’t stop her.

  But he hated to think that he’d hurt her feelings, so…

  “And the ability to pack the perfect snacks for trips,” he added. “Especially if there’s chocolate involved.”

  That did the trick.

  “Then this is your lucky day,” she said cheerily. “Because I just happen to have my famous death by chocolate brownies. I’ve been told they are literally to die for.” Twisting in her seat, she turned to grab her cooler from the backseat.

  “Well, I’d hate to die and miss out on the rest of this little adventure of ours, so…feed them to me with care.”

  And when Willow held a piece of the brownie up to his lips, he knew death was definitely on the menu.

  The death of him thinking that he was going to be able to pretend this wasn’t real.

  5

  “Oh! And if you ever need someone to do a quick alteration on your dress or anything, Levi is definitely your guy!”

  Beside her, Willow heard Levi groan even as his sister laughed.

  So this is what a normal family is like…

  “I’m telling you, Willow, my brother is an absolute whiz with a needle and thread! Our nana taught him how to crochet too! Want to see the afghan he made for me last Christmas?”

  “Nat! Geez!” Levi cried with exasperation. “What the hell?”

  With a mischievous grin, Natalie stood. “I just think this is information your girlfriend should know.”

  “Oh, uh…we’re not really boyfriend and girlfriend,” Willow explained for at least the tenth time in the last two hours. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why Natalie wasn’t getting the fact that this wasn’t real.

  Natalie–who looked a lot like Levi–waved her off and walked back to the kitchen. “Can I get you guys something more to drink? Soda? Water? Dinner will be ready in an hour or so.”

  “I’m good, Nat!” Levi called out before he leaned forward and hung his head. “Why did I think this was a good idea?”

  Scooting closer, Willow studied him. “Your sister is very nice, Levi. Very friendly.”

  “And she’s got a big mouth.”

  They sat in silence for several minutes before she blurted out, “So you can really sew?”

  “Oh, God…”

  “Why does that freak you out? It’s a great skill to have! I can do the basics like fixing a small hole in a shirt–and I usually stab myself in the finger several times until I bleed and then practically pass out–but I certainly can’t do any kind of alterations.”

  “You should see what he was able to do with my old prom dress!” Natalie said when she breezed back into the living room. “It was like he deconstructed it and made me something I’d actually wear again! And I did!”

  Levi muttered a curse while continuing to stare at the floor. Reaching over, Willow gave him a gentle pat on the knee before smiling up at Natalie. “I’m not good with things like that. I’m a bit of a klutz, so…”

  Again, Natalie waved her off. “Well, as long as you’re dating my brother, you won’t have to worry!” She sat down in the large, oversized chair opposite the sofa where Willow and Levi were sitting. “And believe me, you have my sympathy on the klutzy thing. My younger daughter, Olivia, is the same way. I swear, my poor girl trips over her own shadow.”

  Willow nodded sympathetically. “Yeah, me too.”

  “And she struggles so much because her sister, Penny, is a dancer. I swear she came out of the womb dancing.”

  Willow couldn’t help but smi
le. “She’s lucky. I took ballet when I was little, but…as you can imagine, it was a bit of a nightmare.”

  “Olivia tried too, but…even she knew when to throw in the towel.” She shook her head. “Levi, remember when the girls were both in that Christmas recital two years ago? I sent you the video?”

  “And Olivia knocked down half the set?” he said, shaking his head. “I still say you should take her for martial arts classes. I think she’d be awesome at that.”

  “Oh, no! She knocked down the set?” Willow asked, shocked that they were making light of it. “Was she hurt?”

  “Oh, no,” Natalie replied. “She did it on purpose because the teacher made her be a tree. One of her branches was particularly long, and she thought it would be funny to use it when the narrator mentioned a storm was brewing.” She laughed. “You’ve got to hand it to her, she’s clever!”

  “I don’t doubt that,” Willow said. “But maybe she was sad because she was given a menial part. Was Penny in more of a lead role?”

  Natalie nodded.

  “It was her way of getting the attention on her,” Willow reasoned. “It’s got to be hard on her to have a sister who can do all the things that she can’t. And even if she doesn’t say it bothers her, her actions say otherwise.”

  “Willow…,” Levi said quietly.

  “No, no, no,” Natalie interrupted, holding a hand up to her brother. “One of Olivia’s teachers said the same thing, and I blew it off. But…it kind of makes sense.”

  “Has she done anything else like it since?”

  “Well…”

  “You don’t have to answer that, Nat,” Levi said before turning to stare at Willow. “I thought you didn’t like psychology?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t particularly want to do it as a profession, but with all those years of school studying, it kind of comes out once in a while.” Turning her attention to his sister, she smiled sadly. “I’m sorry, Natalie. I spoke out of place. I hope I didn’t offend you.”

  “Are you kidding me? For starters, I’m not easily offended. And honestly, we’ve thought about talking to a child psychologist about it.”

  “Is she aggressive?”

  “Definitely not. Not in a hurtful way. But the tree costume incident was really just the beginning. Any time there’s a project that both she and Penny are involved in, things…happen. We attributed it to her just not being…you know, graceful, but I have to wonder if there’s more to it.”