Page 51 of Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore

I chuckle as I press my hand to her lower back, guiding her toward the food. “Of course.”

Fifteen minutes later, we’re seated at a little golden bistro table, an apple cinnamon candle setting the table aglow, full plates in front of us. Alongside my Crock-Pot, I brought some sparkling apple cider spiked with prosecco. After handing her one of the plastic champagne flutes I grabbed at the market, I hold mine up to her. “To the best fake girlfriend around.”

She snorts, taps her glass against mine, and then hums after taking a sip. “God, this all looks so good. Make sure you tell Vovo I said thank you.”

I allow her to take the first bite—a mixture of the creamy garlic mashed potatoes and apple cider pork roast—and then listen for her pleased moan before replying.

“Oh God,” she says as she licks the corner of her lip and digs in for another bite. “That is fucking orgasmic.”

“I’m glad you like it.” I take a bite and am pleased at how my creation turned out. “But Vovo didn’t make this. I did.”

“What?” Penny doesn’t hide her shock. “Damn, Monty, this is incredible.”

Warmth rushes through me at her praise and I have to look away. Penny Darling is too beautiful right now and the sounds she’s making at my cooking…goddamn.

“I’m being serious,” she continues. “No man has ever cooked for me like this. That’s, like, book boyfriend stuff. You’re better at this whole romance thing than you give yourself credit for.”

“Your ex never cooked for you?” I hedge.

Fork in hand, she pauses, likely catching the grit in my tone.

“No.” She frowns. “He didn’t do much of anything for me.”

I turn my attention back to my food to avoid voicing what I’m really thinking. Like, Why the hell did you agree to marry him, then? And, What the fuck is wrong with this guy?

I know Penny is a sucker for love and determined to find her own happily ever after. But what I don’t understand is how she didn’t recognize that someone who couldn’t even do the bare minimum wasn’t worth her time. She grew up witnessing her father always going above and beyond for his wife. How could she expect anything less for herself?

As if sensing my judgment, Penny moves to fill the silence. “Dick only cared about what affected Dick. If his mom was coming to visit, he’d arrange for dinner—though most of the time, I’d take care of it.” She rolls her eyes. “Lot of good that did me, that woman hated me regardless of how much effort I put into our relationship. I was never good enough for her son.”

My jaw aches from clenching it so hard.

“But the truth is…” She sighs. “I was never good enough for him—”

“The hell you weren’t,” I growl, unable to stop myself.

Penny takes a deep breath and shakes her head.

“I mean, from his point of view. I know I’m too good for him. Or at least that we weren’t good for each other.” She shrugs. “He hated this place. Hated my obsession with books. Believed I cared more about my stories than real life.”

I scowl. “But books are everything to you. Why would he even consider dating you if that bothered him?”

“He also hated fall.” She snorts as she takes another bite, her lips curling into a smile at the taste.

“But you love fall!” I exclaim, incredulous. “It’s like your entire personality.”

“Exactly!” She points her fork at me. “I don’t know…I don’t think he ever really liked me for me. Don’t get me wrong, we had a connection at first. He was in finance and he helped me get the store off the ground. I think he just didn’t believe that I would ever choose this over him. But when it came time to make the choice, I realized that we didn’t have much in common. I think I was searching too hard for my Prince Charming and he was so desperate for someone he could mold into the perfect wife that we were both blind to the reality of our situation. I’m just glad I got out when I did.”

“I’m glad you did, too.”

“Could you imagine me marrying someone who doesn’t like fall?” She flashes me one of her heart-stopping smiles. “It’s the most magical time of year.”

“Pretty sure you stole that tag line from Christmas, Xuxuzinho.”

“What’s more magical than the season of saving yourself?” Her cheeks flush that gorgeous pink as she launches into an impassioned speech. “The flowers burrow down and the leaves turn magnificent reds and oranges so that the trees can conserve water for the winter. And you know why the leaves fall? It’s so that the branches don’t get too heavy and crack under the weight of the oncoming snow. Fruit falls to the ground and seeds ripen so that the trees can preserve their species; animals stockpile food so they can hibernate in the winter. Nature saves itself and it all happens in the fall.”

“Is that what you’re doing by fake dating me?” I ask softly. “Burrowing down? Hiding out?”

Penny’s lips fall open before she quickly snaps them shut.