“Why not?”

“My mom finally called. She wanted an update on her mother—basically she was asking if Gran was close to kicking the bucket. Mom intimated that she’s going to inherit the house and the business after Gran dies and has made it clear that the first order of business will be selling the properties to the highest offer.”

“But your grandmother isn’t gone yet.” Angi shook her head. “It feels morbid to even talk that way.”

“I know.” He said the words casually, like it didn’t gut him that his mom would discuss his grandmother with such callousness. “But that’s my problem, and I don’t need to bore you with it. What are you doing here anyway?”

“Oh.” She blinked. “Oh, right. I came to see you.”

The flummoxed look she gave him made his heart feel suddenly effervescent, like he’d taken a big drink of soda and the fizz was making him light-headed. He didn’t know what to think of the Angi who wasn’t snarky or ignoring him, implying that he’d been the one to do something wrong all those years ago. When they both knew that wasn’t the case.

“Yeah, okay. If it’s about the nunchuck lessons I gave Andrew...”

“Excuse me?”

“Joking.” He went to pat her on the arm but pulled back at the last second, not trusting himself with even the most innocuous touch.

“I’m here because I need a boyfriend,” she blurted out of nowhere.

Or maybe out of left field was more like it.

Or outer space.

“What happened to your date on Friday?” Gabe asked, raising a brow. “I take it that didn’t go well.”

“Worse than not well,” she admitted. “He was hung up on his ex.”

“Which hurt your feelings?”

“Good Lord, no. I couldn’t care less about Artie. I wish him and any potential Mrs. Caferno only the best.”

“Why do you need a boyfriend?” he asked slowly, hoping that his frazzled brain could somehow catch up with her train of thought.

“Because my mom has a whole line of Arties waiting to take me out.” She scrunched up her nose, rather adorably in Gabe’s opinion. “I mean not literally more Arties. But more guys. Men I don’t want to date. I’m not interested in dating.”

So much for following her train of thought.

“But you want a boyfriend?”

“A fake boyfriend,” she said, and when her chest rose and fell in a shuddery breath like it was tough to get the words out, awareness zinged through Gabe. He didn’t want to be aware of Angi any more than he already was. “I want you.”

Those three words didn’t help.

“You don’t even like me,” he reminded her.

“My mom does,” she countered. “Andrew, too. We have to work together for Christmas on the Coast.”

“It seems to be running fairly smoothly without my involvement.”

“That’s because Carrie’s amazing and set everything up, but as more events take place over the next couple of weeks, we’ll have a lot to do. Organizing, working with the press, keeping things generally running smoothly. Plus making sure we keep bookstore Stuart away from Josie Trumbell.”