The Pretend Fiancé

Harvey reached over and brushed some grass from her face. Her eyes sparkled in joy. She was absolutely adorable.

He got up and swung the kids around. Bella laughed, and he met her gaze. “Want me to spin you around too?”

Her face lit up as she laughed some more. “No, no, no.”

“Yes!” the kids shouted.

“You’re all ganging up on me!” she retorted with a grin.

“Get her!” the kids shouted.

As Bella ran off, they playfully chased her. When their father called the kids over for ice cream, they all took off.

Bella crashed onto the ground to catch her breath. Harvey tumbled down next to her on the grass.

“You’re so good with the kids,” she said.

“I love kids.”

“I can see that. Do you ever want any of your own?”

“Not right now. But I do eventually.”

She turned her head toward him. “You’ll be a great dad.”

Her lips were so close that he knew he could kiss her. He held back.

“And you’ll be a great mother,” he said.

“Why thank you.”

He helped her up and she shot him that alluring, flirty smile.

“Thanks, boss.”

Boss. That’s right. She’s your employee. So stop this right now!

But he couldn’t deny the sizzling connection between them. Their eyes locked. He knew she was attracted to him. He could tell by the seductive way she looked at him. She wanted him without a doubt, as much as he wanted her. This woman had totally captured his attention. He was intrigued by this gorgeous beauty and wanted to know more about her.

“Look how bright the stars are,” she said.

He stared up at the twinkling lights high in the night sky.

Bella looked up and admired the stars. “I love looking at the constellations.” She pointed. “Oh, look. There’s The Big Dipper.”

“Where?”

“It’s shaped like a bowl and a handle. There are three stars in the Big Dipper’s handle organized in a line. There are four stars that make up the Big Dipper’s bowl, like an irregular square. The Big Dipper looks like a kite, with the string being the handle and the bowl being the kite itself.”

“I think I see it.”

“Some Native Americans saw the bowl of the Big Dipper as a bear. The stars of the handle were three warriors chasing it.”

“Really. Oh! I see it!”

It was amazing. Harvey had just spotted his very first consolation with his bare eyes, without using a telescope.

“And if we can see this, then we can see the North Star. That’s one of the brightest stars to spot.” Squinting, she glanced up. “I found it. Now the North Star is the first star in the handle of the Little Dipper. The Little Dipper is not as bright as the Big Dipper. It has a handle made up of three stars that connect to a four-star bowl.”