When the bill arrives, I slip my credit card into the folder and sign the receipt once the server brings it back.

“How was your taco?” I ask Diego, trying to break the ice.

“Bit too fancy. I should’ve stuck with the classic.”

“Aw, don’t tell our server, she’s going to be crushed.”

Diego gives me a brief smile, and then the awkward silence is back.

After a few eternally long moments, he asks, “When do you want me to move in?”

“Tonight, if you can. The sooner the better.” I grab my phone and text him the address. “That’s me,” I say. “Whenever after 8 p.m. is fine.”

“Great. Anything else?”

“Ah, yes.” I fish a brown manila envelope out of my bag and slide it across the table toward him. “This is for you.”

He looks skeptical again.

“What’s this?”

“The first half of your payment,” I reply, nonplussed.

Diego chuckles and shakes his head. “You brought an envelope full of cash?”

“Yeah, why? What did you expect?”

Still grinning, he says, “I don’t know, PayPal?”

Oh. That would’ve made a lot of sense, actually. I guess I got a bit caught up in the movie stereotype. I blush and shrug, getting up. “I can do that if you prefer.”

“Nah,” Diego says, also standing. “Cash is fine.” He makes the envelope disappear into an inside pocket of his jacket.

“Okay, then, see you tonight.” I don’t know if we should hug, or kiss on the cheek, or whatever… We’ll need to decide what our thing is, but for now, I simply give him a professional nod and stroll out of the restaurant without looking back.

Five

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Heading home now

A new text from Blair.

Want to do something fun tonight?

Yeah, to get to know my fake boyfriend better.

So Blair will be home tonight. Good, as I need to catch her up on my crazy decisions of the past two days. And bad, as afterward, I need to convince her to traipse all the way back to Brooklyn on a cold December night.

Great, almost there myself

We need to talk

Oh, okay

Everything all right?

Yeah

Just promise to keep an open mind

Now I’m curious

Hints?

No can do

You wouldn’t believe it anyway

More radical than the hair?

Definitely

Should I be worried?

No

Just open-minded

Wish I had my running shoes with me

This train is way too slow

See you at home

Blair is the only person I’m going to tell. A, because I can trust her, and B, because I have no choice if we’re driving to Old Saybrook, our hometown, together. Our families live across the street from each other, so she’ll need to corroborate my fake romance.

I get home first and set Blair’s favorite herbal tea to steep. We’re going to share a mug, and she’ll come on board. Or maybe I should spike her mug with booze.

Five minutes later, just as the tea is ready, the key turns in the lock and Blair walks in.