Back Simmer Down
Chapters (31)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for Faker
  3. TITLES BY SARAH SMITH
  4. Dedication
  5. Chapter 1
  6. Chapter 2
  7. Chapter 3
  8. Chapter 4
  9. Chapter 5
  10. Chapter 6
  11. Chapter 7
  12. Chapter 8
  13. Chapter 9
  14. Chapter 10
  15. Chapter 11
  16. Chapter 12
  17. Chapter 13
  18. Chapter 14
  19. Chapter 15
  20. Chapter 16
  21. Chapter 17
  22. Chapter 18
  23. Chapter 19
  24. Chapter 20
  25. Chapter 21
  26. Chapter 22
  27. Chapter 23
  28. Epilogue
  29. Acknowledgments
  30. About the Author
  31. What’s next onyour reading list?

“How are Lemon and the kittens?” I’m dying to visit them, but I’m not sure how I can bridge the gap of Callum’s rejection to ask if I can take them for a while.

He beams when I mention them. “Adorable. It turns out the gray one’s a girl and the two others are boys.”

I’m about to ask if they’re leaning toward any names yet when a stunning brunette woman saunters up to Finn. He turns to her, scoops her hand in his, and pecks her lips. I have to physically restrain myself from saying “aww” out loud. Finn and his lady are ridiculously cute together. There must be something in the water. Everyone around me has been bitten by the love bug, it seems.

She smiles at me and sticks out her hand. “I’m Grace.”

Returning the pleasantry, I shake her hand. Then I pause while still gripping her. The memory of hiding in Callum’s closet while he talked to Finn slingshots to the front of my mind. This is the woman Finn was gushing about.

“Oh, you’re Grace!”

They’re both speechless at my comment. I have a lot of explaining to do.

“I um . . .” I attempt a smile. “This is going to sound terribly creepy, but do you remember Easter weekend when you two went camping at Haleakala?”

Confusion mars their faces as they nod. I quickly explain how I overhead Callum’s conversation with Finn while I was hiding in his closet, back when we were trying to keep our relationship under wraps.

Grace chuckles while Finn bursts into laughter.

“Wow. You were quite committed to keeping things with Callum a secret, weren’t you?” he says.

“We figured it would be easier that way,” I say.

Grace excuses herself to check out the jewelry stand next to us.

Finn shakes his head. “Maybe you thought it would be easier, Nikki. But all Callum wanted was to make things official with you.”

“It took me a while to see that,” I mutter. “I thought we both were fine with the casual thing. I know I wasn’t his one and only.”

This time the wrinkles in his forehead read confused.

“You don’t have to cover for him, Finn. While I was hiding in the closet, I overheard you two talking about that other woman he was seeing.”

“What other woman?”

“Don’t you remember? That same conversation when you were talking about going camping with Grace, you asked when he was going to spill his guts to that woman he was into, that woman he had history with.”

Finn tilts his head to the side, his face making a seamless transition from confusion to clarity. “Nikki. I was talking about you.”

Finn’s words from that morning echo in my head.