Free Her Fill-In Fiancé by Stacy Connelly

is. I mean, look at the way you’ve taken charge. You had a meeting with Rolly’s manager and a menu including your parents’ favorite foods set up before our lunch even arrived.”
    â€œThat wasn’t exactly hard. My brothers aren’t the only ones who come here all the time. Most of the staff probably knows what my parents like to order. And with the party being outside, the decorations will be easy enough. Cut flowers on the tables and some balloons.”
    Her smile faded, and Jake thought about the one obligation he hadn’t mentioned—inviting her parents’ friends. She’d argued so strongly when her brothers decided she should make the calls, Jake hadn’t expected her to agree. But when Drew pointed out she was the one with easiest access to their mother’s phone directory and Sam assured her it would be a piece of cake, Sophia reluctantly gave in.
    But she seemed to want to get it over with—and to get out of town—as quickly as possible.
    He’d asked Sophia that morning what was in Chicago for her. She hadn’t given him much of an answer, and he didn’t care much for the one he’d come up with on his own. He was doing his best to ignore the nagging reminder, not wanting to look too closely, knowing he wouldn’t be able to avoid the possibility if he did.
    The father of her child was in Chicago.
    â€œJake? Jake? ”
    Realizing Sophia had been calling his name, he forced aside the memories. “Sorry. I was looking around. Driving in was my first time seeing the town. Any chance of getting a tour?”
    Just as she had when Sam suggested she be the one to invite most of the town to her parents’ party, Sophia looked more than willing to simply disappear. She glanced up and down the street in front of the diner like a convict on the lam. “There’s not much to see.”
    Hoping to dispel the haunted look in her eyes, Jake caught her hand. His thumb again found the simple silver ring on her middle finger and spun it around. Sophia’s breath caught, a hint of color rising to her cheeks, reminding Jake of the instant attraction between them from the moment they met. An attraction he might have used to his advantage, but not one he’d merely fabricated, no matter what Sophia thought.
    His gaze dropped to her parted lips, remembering the way she’d looked straight from the shower—her short, dark hair caught up in a towel, her face fresh and free of any makeup, the clean scent of soap clinging to her damp skin.… The old saying about playing with fire rang true as his body started to burn. Breaking focus and taking a deep breath, he pointed out, “This is your hometown, but I’ve never been here before, remember? There’s everything to see. And I can guarantee it’ll all be worthwhile with you by my side, giving me an insider’s view.”
    Sophia stared up at him, her eyes narrowing, as if mentally trying to take him apart to see how he worked without any true interest in putting him back together again. It took more willpower than he would have thought not to shift beneath her gaze. Eventually, she turned and started walking. “So you want me to show some of the local flavor?”
    Again, not a phrase that should be running through his head if he wanted to keep from pulling Sophia into his arms and experiencing some serious local flavor.
    Looking around for a quick distraction, he caught sight of the biggest building on the block. “Is that the grocery store where your dad used to work?”
    With its false front and wooden sign proclaiming Leary’s Grocery & Goods, the building reached for an old-fashioned air, but failed to deliver. It was too big, too bulky, lacking the subtle charm of the rest of the town.
    â€œYeah,” she said, her pace picking up speed. “My dad worked there practically his whole life. He started as a box boy when he was a kid and made his way