I’d never been to Simon’s house. Which felt weird considering I was picking him up to take him home for the weekend, where he would meet my family and pretend to be in love with me. When I pulled into his driveway, I noticed just how close he was to the inn’s gardens. He’d told me his property bordered the southeastern edge, but I guess I’d imagined a more distant border. He could have thrown a rock from his front porch and hit the garden’s pathway. No wonder he’d seen Ida and me talking in the garden. I walked across the grass, charmed by a different view of the gardens I’d loved for so long.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?”

I spun around. Simon stood on his porch, his hands pushed into his pockets. He was wearing dark jeans, an untucked button-down shirt, and a blazer. More casual than the suits I’d normally seen him in, but it was a look that suited him.

“It’s lovely.”

He walked down the steps and crossed to where I stood. “The gate’s down there, at the corner.” He pointed.

“Okay, if I lived here, I really would walk to work every day.”

Simon gave me a quick tour of the rest of the house before we left. It wasn’t very big, but it was full of clean, modern lines and space so well appointed it didn’t feel small. The décor was far more than I expected of a bachelor pad. It was minimal but still intentional. And there were books everywhere. Funky bookends of all different styles filled the mantelpiece, the bookshelves, and the table behind the couch. “You decorate like I do,” I said. “With books.”

“Yeah, I figured it was better than antlers or those weird singing-fish things.”

I grinned. “Or cats.”

“Definitely better than cats.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So. I guess I’ll grab my bag, and we can go.”

I gripped my keys a little tighter. “Sounds good.”

Things were quiet the first few minutes of the drive. I navigated the car to the highway and headed west toward Asheville, nothing but some casual small talk filling the silence between us. Finally, Simon cleared his throat like he wanted to say something but then froze, his mouth hanging open.

I glanced his direction. “You okay?”

He gave his head a slight shake as if to clear his thoughts. “Sorry. I was trying to think of the most appropriate way to start this conversation.”

“Simon, I think we’re far past appropriate with the whole charade we’ve cooked up for this weekend. Whatever it is, just say it.”