Face Off Read online

  “Do you miss Chicago?” Lana asked her.

  “I don’t, believe it or not,” she answered, surprising herself. She hadn’t really thought about Chicago much since she’d moved, and she’d loved the city. “I thought I would since Kingsville is such a small town in comparison, but I like it here. I do miss the Cubs though.”

  “Have you met anyone?”

  Savannah’s face popped into her mind, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about her quite yet. They were only pretending to date, after all. They hadn’t discussed whether or not Savannah was going to tell Court, and since they were friends, Savannah wasn’t sure she should bring it up with Lana.

  “Sort of,” she finally said. Lana chuckled, and Maddie sat up a little straighter. “What?”

  “Nothing,” Lana said. “It’s just that Savannah told us she was sort of seeing someone. It isn’t something you hear every day.”

  “No, I guess not.” Maddie’s pulse sped up at the thought of Savannah even remotely considering they were seeing each other. Maddie had wanted to go knock on her door more than once since the hike they’d taken, but had somehow resisted. At least so far. The kiss they’d shared on the Fourth of July had fueled her dreams ever since.

  They talked for a few more minutes, and then Lana had to go because her mother needed help with something in the kitchen. Maddie set the phone on the coffee table and sighed, causing Duke to lift his head and look at her with his soulful brown eyes.

  “Sometimes I wish I was a dog, boy,” she said to him. He thumped his tail and rested his chin on her leg again. “You’ve got it made not having to worry about relationships.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Savannah wasn’t sure she wanted to do this. Court and Lana had invited her to dinner and encouraged her to bring along the woman she was sort of seeing. Why the hell had she even let that little tidbit slip out of her mouth? And why was it when someone coupled up they instantly wanted all their friends to do it too?

  She sighed and grabbed her keys off the counter before she could talk herself out of it. They were supposed to be dating, after all. No time like the present to get started. She walked up to Maddie’s front door and raised her hand to knock, but stopped right before making contact. She turned around and looked out at the neighborhood.

  When her girlfriend in college had dumped her, she’d sworn to herself she’d never give anyone else the chance to break her heart so thoroughly. Shauna had decided since Savannah was too busy with hockey and her veterinary studies to spend time with her, she’d find someone else to spend time with. And boy, did she. The last Savannah heard, she’d married the guy and they were living in California with their two kids.

  The devastation she’d felt at the loss of the woman who had promised to love her forever and never hurt her almost cost her both of her careers. She’d locked herself away in her dorm room and refused to come out for weeks. Kelly was the only one she’d let in, and it was Kelly who’d talked her into rejoining the land of the living. It was then they’d set up their rules for “dating.” And for the past ten years it had worked perfectly.

  But now there was Maddie, living next door to her and managing to get under her skin like no one else ever had. She thought about her all the time, and really, that wasn’t acceptable. She was refusing to go out when Kelly would invite her to the clubs, and she knew Kelly wouldn’t put up with it much longer.

  No, this was a bad idea. Pretending to date was going to lead to nothing but trouble, especially since Savannah already wanted to rip Maddie’s clothes off every time she saw her. What good could possibly come from this situation? She made up her mind to walk away and go back home, but a dog inside the house began barking as soon as she took her first step away from the door. And then the door opened, causing her to turn back around, and she got lost in the beauty before her.

  “Duke doesn’t like it when people hang out on the porch,” Maddie said, one hand firmly gripping the collar of a large black German shepherd.

  If Savannah hadn’t spent the better parts of her day with big dogs, she might be a little afraid of this one. He sat down next to Maddie’s feet and watched Savannah, his tail wagging furiously. Obviously, like Leo, Duke was under the impression that anyone who came to the house was there to see him, and not Maddie.

  “Duke, huh?” Savannah said, one eyebrow quirked. “Not a very original name. You wouldn’t believe how many dogs named Duke I see in a given week.”

  “It’s better than my second choice, which was just Dog.”

  “You really need to work on your name choosing ability.”

  “Don’t make fun of his name,” Maddie said, looking as serious as could be. “I might have to let him attack you.”

  “My guess is he’d knock me over and sit on my chest while he licked my face.”

  “Yeah, he probably would.” Maddie laughed and stepped aside. “Come in before he decides to do it anyway and rips my arm off in the process.”

  “We wouldn’t want that, would we, Duke?” Savannah walked past them into the house and waited for Maddie to shut the door. As soon as she let Duke go, he ran to her and sniffed her shoes, the tail never slowing at all. “To what do I owe the honor of your company this afternoon?”

  “Court and Lana are in town,” Savannah said.

  “I know.” Maddie led her into the kitchen and offered her a drink. After getting a glass of water for them both, they went to the living room and sat on the couch. “I talked to Lana this afternoon.”

  “Well, they invited me to dinner tonight, and they insisted I bring a date.” Savannah silently chided herself, because obviously everything she’d decided on the porch a few minutes earlier just flew out the window when she was face-to-face to Maddie. And who could blame her, really? Maddie’s short blond hair was stylishly messy, whether she’d intended it to look that way or not didn’t matter. Savannah watched as Maddie ran a hand through it, a thoroughly sexy move in her opinion.

  “That’s interesting, because I was just about to call you and tell you the exact same thing.”

  “I’m not completely surprised,” Savannah said, wondering if they somehow knew about them. She looked down at Duke, who was sitting on the floor but resting his chin on her thigh. “Did you tell Lana about what we’re doing?”

  “No.” Maddie shook her head. “I figured we should talk about it before we tell anyone.”

  “Then I guess we should decide a few things.”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Are you changing your mind?” Maddie asked, leaning back into the corner of the couch and looking at her. Savannah shook her head, even though yes, she was. “And are we trying to fool everyone, or just Faith and Lisa?”

  “I don’t see why we can’t tell Court and Lana the truth,” Savannah said after some contemplation. Her first instinct was to say the latter, but she thought better of it. The less people who knew this wasn’t a real relationship the better. Less chance for anyone to accidently slip in front of her moms.

  “But we’re going to lie to everyone else?” Maddie asked, sounding skeptical. “Even Kelly?”

  “Especially Kelly,” Savannah replied, chuckling softly. Maddie didn’t know this, but Kelly was the worst at keeping secrets, especially from Lisa and Faith. “I think if she knew it was fake, she wouldn’t be able to help herself. With you or Faith and Lisa.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s the biggest flirt I know. She’s always trying to come on to women, but I think if she knew we were together, she’d leave you alone.” At least she hoped that would be the case. She’d never had a girlfriend to put the theory to the test. “If she knew it was fake, she’d probably flirt mercilessly with you, which would in turn give it away.”

  “Okay, then we probably won’t get away with sitting this far apart.” Maddie indicated the empty cushion on the couch separating them. “We’ll have to hold hands and act like we have feelings for each other
.”

  That won’t be a problem, Savannah thought, and wondered where it had come from. It was no use denying it, at least to herself. She was incredibly attracted to Maddie, and she was beginning to worry spending time together was going to be more difficult for her than it would be for Maddie.

  “Should we try it?” Maddie asked, and Savannah forced herself to stay put while Maddie moved close enough for their thighs to touch. She took Savannah’s hand and entwined their fingers before pulling it over to rest on her lap. Maddie’s thumb gently caressed hers, and she felt a heat growing deep in her belly. She wanted to pull her hand away, but she couldn’t. “This isn’t so bad, is it?”

  “No,” Savannah said, her voice a bit hoarse. She cleared her throat and gave it another go. “No. It’s the opposite of bad.”

  “Good,” Maddie said before letting go of her hand and putting a few inches between them. “Be back here at six, and I’ll drive us to Lana’s.”

  Wait, what? Savannah looked at Maddie and wondered if she was really as unaffected by their closeness as she seemed to be. She was pretty sure there was a mutual attraction thing happening between them, but maybe she was reading things wrong. This really was going to suck if she was the only one feeling what she thought was a spark between them.

  “Okay, I guess I’ll see you at six,” Savannah said as she started to stand. She stopped when Maddie put a hand on her arm.

  “I didn’t mean you had to leave right now,” Maddie said. “Let’s figure out what we’re going to tell people, and when.”

  “I assume we’re going to tell Court and Lana tonight.” Savannah made the statement with the hint of a question in her voice, and Maddie nodded her agreement. “I guess we should probably tell my moms and Kelly soon, because I’m sure they’ll be seeing Court before the wedding. Lisa and Faith love Court like she was one of their own. What about your sister? When will you tell her?”

  “Probably this weekend, if it’s okay with you,” Maddie said. “Amy wants to come spend the night on Friday, so I figured I’d tell them then, or when I take her back home on Saturday.”

  “Should we do the big reveals together?” Savannah was worried they wouldn’t be able to pull this off, but since Maddie had been so gracious in offering to help her out, she felt she deserved to have Savannah give it her all. And since she lived right next door, it would make sense for them to see each other on the weekend, right?

  “It might be more convincing that way,” Maddie said with a nod.

  “Yeah, except for Kelly,” Savannah said. Kelly would know they were lying if Maddie was there when she told her. “Kelly knows me too well. I think I could make it more believable if I told her on my own.”

  “Oh, okay,” Maddie said, sounding a little disappointed, which was in total contradiction to the smile Savannah was sure was fake. It made her heart hurt to realize she’d disappointed her, and she silently vowed to never do it again.

  “But if you want to be there, I’m sure we could make it work.”

  “You’re sweet,” Maddie said as she squeezed Savannah’s knee and shook her head. “But you’re probably right. It’s fine for you to do it on your own.”

  “Okay, so when did we start dating?” Savannah knew it would be a question most people were going to ask, and it was best to be on the same page.

  “The day after the carnival?” Maddie asked. “Since Lisa wanted me to ask you out, we could say I did it that night, and we had our first official date the next evening.”

  “Perfect,” Savannah said with a nod. For the first time, she was thinking this could really work. She just needed to keep reminding herself it wasn’t real, even though they’d be trying hard to convince everyone else it was.

  Chapter Twelve

  Savannah shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot as they stood on the Carusos’ front porch waiting for someone to answer the door. She felt incredibly nervous about this, but had no idea why. They weren’t going to lie to Court and Lana, so there was no reason for any nervousness.

  “It’s a good thing we aren’t going to lie to them,” Maddie said quietly. “I’m beginning to think you might not be able to pull it off if you’re this anxious now.”

  “I’ll be fine when it comes time to tell other people,” she said, sounding brusque to her own ears. She sighed and looked at Maddie. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I think I’m a bit edgy because these are the first people we’re even mentioning this to. I’ll be fine this weekend when we tell our families.”

  Maddie looked unconvinced but didn’t say anything in response. Savannah took her hand and smiled at her, and Maddie seemed to relax a bit. She had no idea she was making Maddie tense by her own actions. She took a deep breath to calm herself just as the door opened, and they were face to face with Lana.

  Lana smiled but looked confused. Understanding seemed to dawn on her when her gaze focused on their hands which were still clasped. Savannah tried to let go, but Maddie tightened her grip slightly.

  “Is it Savannah or Maddie?” she heard Court call from somewhere in the house behind Lana.

  “Yes,” Lana called back.

  “Sorry, honey, but that isn’t really an answer,” Court said as she emerged from the kitchen and walked up behind Lana. She noticed their hands right away, and a big smile broke out and she looked at Savannah. “Okay, wait. This is who you’re sort of seeing?”

  “And this is who you’re sort of seeing?” Lana asked Maddie.

  “This is a story I need to hear,” Court said, grabbing Savannah by the bicep and pulling her into the house.

  “Indeed,” Lana said. She stepped aside for Maddie to enter, and they all went straight to the living room.

  “Is it your friends?” came a voice from the kitchen. Savannah assumed it was Lana’s mother.

  “Yes it is, Mom,” Lana called back.

  “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.”

  “Then you better make this quick,” Court said, the interest obvious in her expression. She motioned for Savannah to start explaining.

  “Well, you know Lisa,” Savannah said to Court, but then she looked at Lana. “You don’t, but I have a feeling you will.”

  They spent the next fifteen minutes or so explaining the reasons behind what they were doing, and Court and Lana were just looking at them like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Savannah leaned back on the couch and looked at Maddie, who simply shrugged. She seemed to be just as surprised at Court and Lana being rendered speechless.

  “Mom,” Eric said as he walked into the room. He stopped abruptly when he must have sensed the seriousness of their conversation. He walked backward out of the room. “Sorry.”

  “It’s a good thing you two are dating,” Lana said with a smirk, making air quotes around the word dating. “Otherwise Eric would have no doubt tried to get you together.”

  “Yeah, he did it with us,” Court said with a laugh. She ran a hand through her hair and stared at Savannah. “Have you told Kelly you’re dating?”

  “Not yet,” Savannah replied.

  “We invited her tonight, but she said she was busy,” Court said. “How are you ever going to convince her this is real? Are you ready to give up clubbing with her? I mean, she knows you better than anyone. If she sees you chatting up other women, she’ll know this isn’t real.”

  Maddie looked at Savannah, her heart sinking a little to realize her fears about Savannah being a player were just confirmed. Savannah looked at her nervously, but refused to meet her eyes. She felt Lana’s eyes on her, no doubt realizing Savannah hadn’t told Maddie about her lifestyle.

  “Court was the same way when we met,” Lana said to Maddie.

  “And after we met, I completely changed my ways,” Court added.

  “Yeah, well, this isn’t real, so she doesn’t have to change her ways,” Maddie said, even though it made her heart hurt to say the words. In reality, she had no right to think Savannah wouldn’t see anyone else while they we
re doing this. Savannah looked at her, and she forced a smile. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Lana asked, and Maddie saw out of the corner of her eye when Savannah turned her head and looked at her, presumably waiting for her answer.

  “Of course,” Maddie said, her voice breaking. She shook her head and stood. “Excuse me for a moment. I need to use the restroom before dinner.”

  She walked out of the room and was totally aware of the silence following her. She was sure they were all watching her. What Court had said shouldn’t be causing this reaction in her. She was pretty sure it was jealousy, and she wasn’t very in tune with that side of herself. She’d never felt jealousy before. She quickly learned she didn’t much care for it.

  “Hey, Maddie,” Eric said as he walked up behind her when she turned down the hall toward the bathroom. She turned to face him and smiled. He was a wonderful young man. He enveloped her in a hug. “It’s really good to see you again. How do you like it here in Kingsville?”

  “It’s okay,” she said with a nod. “Hey, congratulations by the way. Your mom told me you were drafted in the first round last month. You must be pretty excited.”

  “I am,” he said, looking embarrassed as he glanced down at his feet. “I’m not expecting to make the team this year, but maybe next year.”

  “You never know. You must be pretty good to be taken so early in the draft.”

  “I guess.” He smiled as he met her eyes. “So…are you dating Savannah?”

  Maddie wasn’t sure what to say in response to his unexpected question. She looked toward the living room for a moment before turning back to him. She made a quick decision based on what she knew about him. He’d always been more mature than his age.

  “It’s complicated, but yes, we are dating.”