Beth wiped the sweat from her forehead. Georgia weather was definitely not her favourite, especially not the few warm days in winter. Maybe it wasn't the weather, she considered, but the pressure approaching with the coming holiday. Christmas, largely celebrated in her family, was approaching in a few mere weeks and she was expected to bring a date, or risk being set up with one of Maggie's strange male friends. She didn't blame her sister for wanting her to find someone, but the constant pleading for her to find a suitable companion to bring to Christmas dinner was getting on her nerves.
She had considered telling her older sister that she did indeed have a boyfriend and he was indeed attending dinner but that meant lying, and that was a sin in her family. Telling the truth was highly valued, even if the truth could get you into trouble.
Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, she fished a hand into her jeans and pulled it out, pressing it to her ear.
"Hello?" she chirped, waiting for a reply on the other end.
"Beth!" Maggie squealed. "I know you don't like being set up but there's this guy who works at the take-out place down the road. His name is Zach, okay? He's more around my age but you guys would be perfect together."
Beth inhaled deeply, trying to find an excuse to avoid yet another awkward date. "Actually," she said through gritted teeth, "I already have a date, Mags."
"What? Really? Well then, forget take-out boy, my little sister already got herself a date."
"Yup," Beth said nervously, chewing on her lower lip. The phone still pressed to her ear, she sipped the iced tea in front of her to settle her stomach. "I sure did. Hopefully you'll see him around Christmas. Am I still staying at your place?"
She heard a muffled voice in the background before Maggie confirmed Beth's worst fears. "Sure, and I expect this little prize boy of yours to stay here too. I can't have one of you lovebirds without the other, huh?"
Beth nodded, tucking a string of blonde hair behind her ear. "You will, promise. Listen, I should go, Maggie. I promised Rick - you should remember him - that I'd meet him and Lori for lunch at the diner. We'll talk later though, 'kay?"
"Have fun, Bethy. Bye!"
Beth bid her sister goodbye and settled her phone on the table. She'd never lied in her life and God, did it feel terrible. At least she'd gotten out of another date with one of her sister's friends/acquaintances. There was nothing worse than a blind date; there was nothing worse than a blind date with one of her sister's suitors.
Beth settled herself into the booth, sipping at the strawberry smoothie in front of her. Lori had insisted she get it; apparently you hadn't lived until you'd tried it.
After her conversation with her sister, Beth had made sure that both Rick and Lori would be attending the catch-up lunch. Surely, she thought to herself, one of them would know a suitable, and available, man to pose as her fake boyfriend. She'd be helpless without them.
"So," Lori started, tucking a loose black curl behind her ear. "Want to tell us why we had to rush here to meet you early?"
Beth shrugged, smiling at them nervously. "I told Maggie I had a date to the family Christmas dinner and now she expects us, my boyfriend and I, both at her house in less than a few days."
"Let me guess," Rick smirked, leaning forward so their faces were closer together, "You lied."
She nodded quickly, taking another sip to soothe her dry mouth, "I'm a terrible person for doing that, I know. Now I need a date. You guys have a lot of older male friends, right?"
Lori tried to hide her laughter, her hand muffling the sound. "Sweetie, they're way too old for you."
"Rick," Beth pleaded. "You know a lot of people, you're the Sheriff! Convince one of them to put up with me for the week and then we're both home free. That's all. A week. I need a fake boyfriend for just one week, okay? It's Christmas dinner."
The man leant his chin on his palm, staring at her almost curiously. "Okay," he said, nodding his head slowly as if unsure. "I know a guy. Might take a bit of convincing but I'm sure he'll do it. I'll set up something for you tomorrow."
Beth let out a sigh of relief, running a hand through her thick blonde hair. "Thank you so much, Rick. You have no idea how much I need this."
"Let's just hope you guys get along all right, he's not exactly the ideal guy but I'm sure he'll like you," Rick said with a mischievous grin. "You guys could both do with the dating practice anyway."