Butterfly Bayou (Butterfly Bayou 1)

Fake date her? Make a schedule?

Of course, fake dating could lead to real dating. It might be a way to get to know her. Or it might be a complete disaster. It was ridiculous because there was a perfectly fine solution sitting right in front of them.

“Absolutely not. You’re not going to pull a fast one on this town. I know they seem like country bumpkins, but these are smart people. They would figure it out. The reason it worked for Lisa was because it was real. She was madly in love with Remy and everyone knew it.”

Her shoulders had straightened and she stood up again. “Understood. Thank you for coming to my rescue, Sheriff. You should get back. I will try to keep my 911 calls to a minimum.”

He stayed exactly where he was. “Or you could actually date me. I have zero interest in playing games, Lila. I’m too old for that. I’m going to be open and honest. I’m very attracted to you. I don’t normally think about women I haven’t talked to, but I’ve been thinking about you ever since I saw you at Remy and Lisa’s wedding. I thought you were beautiful and remote and mysterious. I became a cop because I like a good mystery, and that’s what you are to me.”

“I’m not a mystery. You know what happened to me.”

“There’s more to you than one incident.”

“I don’t know. I think it summed me up nicely.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about that, Armie. I think you should go.”

“And I think I should stay,” he replied. “Tell me you won’t sleep better if I’m on your couch.”

“You don’t have to sleep on the couch. I’ll be fine.”

Ah, but she’d said the magic words. He didn’t have to. Not he couldn’t. He shrugged out of his jacket. “Go back to bed. I’m going to secure the house and I’ll be out here on the couch.”

“What about Noelle?” she asked.

Noelle was asleep and wouldn’t even know he’d left the house unless she woke up and got his text. “She’s fine. She can get around and I’ve got my radio on me. She keeps hers on at her bedside. We live next to your in-laws. Delphine, Sera, and Zep will all help out if she needs something. Go to bed, Lila.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

She groaned. “I don’t want to be this person.”

“The person who needs help every now and then?”

“Yes. That person.” She wrinkled her nose his way and sighed. “I’ll get you some sheets.”

She walked away and Peanut was staring at the empty dish again.

“Yeah, buddy, neither one of us is getting everything he wants tonight.” Maybe he should have taken her up on the fake-date thing, but that wasn’t what she needed. She needed to really fit in, not make some kooky plan to trick people.

Although kooky plans were pretty much the only plans people made in Papillon.

Peanut wandered into the living room, like he was looking for something. Bill, more than likely.

Armie followed, kicking off his sneakers while Peanut managed to jump up onto the lounger that had been Bill’s favorite chair. The dog huffed as he settled in.

“His whole life changed in an instant and he doesn’t understand why or how.” Lila had a set of sheets in her hands.

That had happened to more than the dog.

“Sometimes all you can do is get through a day.” He took the sheet from her and spread it over the couch. “One foot in front of the other.”

“Just keep swimming. It’s funny. I have a couple of nephews and they like that movie. I was babysitting one night. I liked holding the babies. After what happened, holding John or Brendon was one of the only ways I could calm down. I watched that movie about a hundred times. I was treading water in Dallas. I wasn’t swimming. I need to swim, Armie.”

He understood what she was saying. He’d been there.

“And you will. You have to be patient.” He stood in front of her, letting his hands find her shoulders. She hadn’t kicked him out. It was enough for tonight.

She turned those gorgeous eyes up to meet his own. “You won’t change your mind? About the pretending-to-date-me thing?”

“I want you to think about actually dating me.” He rather thought she was a woman who would appreciate honesty. “I’m not a good bet. I’m forty. I wasn’t the best husband the first time. I was a workaholic, and being a cop in the big city sometimes made me difficult to be around. I have a daughter who needs me and might always need me. My current job doesn’t pay well, and I’ll likely stay in this crazy-ass town for the rest of my life. But I would like to date you. I would like to see if there’s anything between us because I felt something the first time I saw you. I felt it again yesterday, and I feel it right now. I’m tired of logic. I’m tired of responsibility. I want one thing for myself.”