Read Online Her Fill-In Fiancé by Stacy Connelly - Free Book Online Page A

been uncomfortable, but it was familiar, like the high-backed wooden chairs that had once circled Grandma Pirelli’s dining room table.
    Far less familiar was the comfort of Jake at her side, on her side.
    After a tense stare-down, Nick shoved away from the table, pulled out his wallet and tossed a few bills beside his plate.
    â€œWhere are you going?” Sam demanded. “We’ve got a party to plan, and, dude, if anyone needs a good party—”
    â€œLet me know what you need and when it’ll be, and I’ll show.” Nick tossed the words over his shoulder as he walked out of the diner without a glance back.
    Sam sank back in his chair with a sigh. “Well, I’m thinking Nicky should be in charge of entertainment since he’s such a joy to be around lately.”
    Drew’s brown eyes narrowed as he stared out the door where their brother had disappeared. “Maybe we should cut Nick a little slack,” he suggested with a glance at Sophia. “You coming home for the parents’ party has struck a nerve.”
    â€œI’d think he’d be angry if I didn’t show up. Instead he’s ticked off that I’m here?”
    Sam shrugged. “Maddie’s best friend went to Disneyland over spring break, and ever since, Maddie’s been dying to go. Carol wants to take her there over the summer.”
    â€œEleven months out of the year, Nick’s the one making sure Maddie eats her veggies and does her homework andbrushes her teeth. The few weeks that Carol has her, life is all Christmas and Disneyland.”
    â€œAnd here I am,” Sophia said, following Drew’s explanation, “showing up for the good times…”
    Running away from the bad…
    She could feel the question in Jake’s gaze, and the weight of guilt as Sam and Drew tried hard not to look at her. “Maybe I need to back out of planning anything. The party was your baby, and I shouldn’t have come in acting like I have all the ideas.”
    Sam and Drew exchanged a look. “You do have all the ideas,” Drew pointed out. “Don’t you bail on us, too.”
    â€œCome on, Jake. Back us up on this one. We’re guys, right? Tell Fifi here that we can’t do this without her.”
    Sophia rolled her eyes, ready to tell Jake he didn’t have to second anything Sam said in the name of guyhood, but before the words could form, Jake shifted toward her. He caught her right hand and ran his thumb up her palm, where he started turning the ring she wore on her middle finger around and around.
    It was a subconscious habit she’d had for years, spinning the ring when she was nervous or stressed, and yet when Jake played with the silver filigree band, a completely different tension gripped her. Desire quivered low in her belly, along with a feeling of being completely exposed.
    If Jake had picked up on her insignificant habit of twisting her ring, what else did he see? How easily he could turn her on with nothing more than a simple touch? How she could fall for him as quickly in Clearville as she had in St. Louis even though now—now she knew his tenderness, his sincerity, was all for show?
    Stressing her given name, he said, “Sophia already knows I can’t do without her.”
    Sam cleared his throat and said, “Yeah, well, then youknow we’re in pretty deep here. Especially if you won’t help us, Sophia. ”
    She used her brother’s blatant whining as an excuse to extract her hand from Jake’s. She was surprised the ring hadn’t melted into goo right along with her resistance and self-control, but the silver band looked exactly the same as she reached for her purse. Pretending that she too was still cast in stone, she said, “All right. I’ll help.”
    As she pulled out a pen and paper, she was suddenly glad her brothers had done so little with the anniversary party. It would give her something else to