Page 20 of Faking it with my Bad Boy Crush

"Good," I said, keeping my voice level. "Then we're starting fresh. No history. Just business."

"Just business," he agreed.

He left through the back door, and I locked it behind him, my hands shaking slightly as I turned the deadbolt.

What had I just agreed to?

Fake dating Ethan Caldwell. The boy I'd crushed on at fourteen who didn't even remember I existed. The corporate lawyer trying to destroy local businesses. The man offering me legal protection in exchange for community acceptance.

I returned to my grandfather's files, but the Portuguese words blurred in front of my eyes.

What would you think of this, Vovô?I whispered to the empty bakery.

But I already knew. He'd given Ethan a second chance when the boy deserved punishment. He'd seen something worth saving in an angry teenager destroying his property.

Maybe he'd tell me to take the risk. To accept the help. To give Ethan another chance to prove he'd learned the lessons about building instead of destroying.

Or maybe he'd tell me to be careful. To protect myself. To remember that people don't really change—they just get better at hiding who they really are.

But if he really believed that, would he have helped him in the first place? I didn’t know.

I pulled out my phone and texted Tessa:"I did something potentially very stupid. Tell you when I see you. Bring coffee and judgment."

Her response came immediately:"Oh this is going to be GOOD. Can't wait."

At ten o’clock, I’d start fake dating Ethan Caldwell.

At ten o’clock, I’d become the girlfriend who believed in him—the woman who made him look human, trustworthy, and invested in the community.

At ten o’clock, I’d give the performance of my life.

I just hoped I remembered it was a performance.

Because the alternative—actually falling for him, letting those old feelings resurface, confusing business strategy with real emotion—would be the biggest mistake I could make.

And Maya Romano didn't make mistakes. Not anymore.

Not when everything I'd built was on the line.

Chapter seven

The Proposal

Ethan

Ileft the bakery at 5:21am, the cool island air hitting my face like a wake-up call. My hands were still shaking slightly from the adrenaline of that conversation—from the way Maya had looked at me with those honey-brown eyes, assessing every word, calculating every angle.

She'd agreed. That was the important part.

But the look on her face when I'd said I barely remembered her from twenty years ago—that flicker of hurt before she'd masked it with professional distance—that look was going to haunt me. But I’d had to say it. This was a business arrangement. Clean. Professional. Temporary. Acknowledging, let alone teasing, herabout her childhood crush on me would break the rules before the game had even started.

I repeated that to myself as I drove back to my hotel, and it still felt like a lie.

I was at the farmers market at 9:45 AM, fifteen minutes early. I'd dressed down—dark jeans, a simple button-down shirt, no tie. The goal was to look like someone who belonged on Lopez Island, not a corporate lawyer on assignment. Approachable. Casual. The kind of guy who might actually date a local baker.

The farmers market was already crowded, islanders and tourists mingling between stalls of fresh produce, handmade crafts, and artisanal goods. I spotted Honey & Hearth's booth immediately—a professional setup with a vintage tablecloth, carefully arranged baked goods, and a hand-painted sign that managed to look both traditional and appealing.

Maya stood behind the table, talking to a customer with easy confidence. She wore jeans and a soft yellow shirt that made her olive skin glow, her dark hair in a braid over one shoulder. She looked comfortable, in her element, completely unlike the guarded woman who'd negotiated with me in her bakery last night.