“Oh, hush, James! We just gotta trust these two silly lovebirds to shack up in front of the good Lord’s eyes and hopefully not get struck by lightning while we’re off on our empty nesters’ cruise.”

Kerry’s face twists in confusion. “Hold on, what? When did you book an empty nesters’ cruise? Is that even a thing?”

“I booked it as soon as I found out you had a man,” Grace says matter-of-factly, crossing her arms. “We’ll be gone for a month. Now, Son,” she adds, turning to me with narrowed eyes, “give James your information so we can call you every day. We’ve got the whole town on our side. And they’ll beat you down if you hurt our baby, ya hear?”

I nod, swallowing hard, and shake Mr. James’s hand—a handshake so firm I’m certain he’s trying to crush my bones. Message received.

After we bid her parents goodbye, I help Kerry load her belongings into the car. We exchange flirtatious glances, but they’re tinged with exhaustion, at least from my end. The moment her parents retreat from the window, I sharply exhale.

“Kerry,” I mutter under my breath, dragging my hand down my face. “Why the hell did you lie to your parents? I haven’t done something like that since I was a teenager.”

She rolls her eyes, still in semi-acting mode, as she adjusts her stance for any nosy neighbors peeking out. “I’m sorry, okay? But what was I supposed to do? Tell my parents I’m working for my fake boyfriend as his nanny for his two kids? You should be thanking me for lying and possibly saving your life from my dad.”

She steps closer, swaying her hips with exaggerated charm, her smile mesmerizing. “Did you see how happy the town was to see me happy the other night? Did you see how happy my parents were to hear I got my career back?”

I nod reluctantly, rubbing the back of my neck, trying not to fall deep into her spell. “I did. But imagine how disappointed everyone’s going to be when they find out the truth.”

“Well,” she says, her eyes sparkling with mischief, “that just means we’ll have to make our lies become truths, won’t we?”

I arch a brow. “Explain.”

She flirtatiously wraps her arms around my neck. Her touch is light, but her words are layered with something more. “Simple. We carry on with our whirlwind romance, then gracefully break up right around the time school starts. Lie one, done. Afterward, I’ll just tell everyone I decided to accept an exclusive homeschooling offer with one family. Lie two, done. Then I remain the girls’ teacher. Voila! Turning my lie into the truth, Mr. Grimes.”

She finishes with a dramatic flair, her grin wide and unapologetic.