It Started Out as a Bluff

Chapter 2

They finally arrived at the resort where they were staying. “Wow, it’s gorgeous here,” Jo whispered, grabbing her bags. “Do you come to this place every year?”

The houses were built in a log cabin style, three stories high and sitting right in front of the river. Pine trees surrounded the houses, creating the feeling of being in a forest, even though the main road was just across the river.

Motioning for her to follow him, Connor nodded. “Yeah, we own this house and the one on the right as well.”

“Connor!” Came a shrill voice before a blonde curly head of hair flew at him.

“Hello to you too, Evie.” He laughed, catching the girl, and spinning her around. “Evie, Jo. Jo, Evie.”

The little girl’s eyes widened in shock, and she ran inside, yelling, “Connor brought a girl!”

“Let the games begin.” Jo laughed.

“I’m apologizing ahead of time for whatever happens.”

Before she could reply, another voice called out, “Took him long enough. I was beginning to lose hope that he’d ever bring someone home.”

Jo and Connor shared a look, this was the exact reason they’d agreed to this arrangement.

Shooting him a wink, Jo skipped up the steps. “You should’ve gone on sss Prime®. Girlfriends are guaranteed within two to three business days."

“Damn, I like this one!” The voice chortled out. “I’m Liam, Connor’s elder and more handsome brother.” He held out his hand.

Shaking his hand, she laughed. “Connor didn’t tell me he had a blind brother,” she replied cheekily.

“Didn’t I? I could’ve sworn I mentioned my blind, full of grandiose delusions, brother.” Connor responded, hugging Jo from behind and kissing her on the cheek for good measure. It took everything in Jo not to tense up at his touch. Her family wasn’t affectionate, and touch wasn’t something she was used to. “We’re twins.” He rolled his eyes. “He’s older by five minutes.”

“Wow. I have never been so insulted in my life!” Liam huffed, with a smile. “You better hang on tight to this one Connor, otherwise I might steal her away.”

“Oh, will you now?” A new voice chimed in. A tall blonde walked into view and stared at Liam with a raised eyebrow, daring him to say another word. When he kept quiet, she laughed. “Smart man.” Turning to Connor and Jo, she rolled her eyes. “I’m Renee, Liam’s better and more gorgeous half.”

“Now that’s a statement I can agree with.” Jo grinned, eyes twinkling. “I’m Jo, by the way.”

Renee linked arms with Jo and stole her away from Connor, leaving the two boys to catch up. “So, how long have you and Connor been dating?”

“About seven months. We met at a dinner some mutual friends hosted, and we hit it off.”

“Do you love him?”

The question took Jo by surprise, and she stopped in her tracks, trying to think of what to say. “I know this will sound weird, but it’s still too early for me to know." She answered after a moment, deciding honesty or at least partial honesty was the best way to go. “I don’t like to rush things, especially relationships, I’ve seen it end on a bad note too many times to count.”

Renee nodded. “Fair enough, I can understand that. Where was your first date?”

“We went hiking at Thunderbird Falls Trail.”

“He took you hiking in the middle of January!?” Renee stopped dead, shocked.

Jo laughed. “It’s Alaska, we go hiking year-round. Besides, it was actually really beautiful because the waterfall was frozen.” She hadn’t actually even been to Thunderbird Falls but had seen plenty of pictures of it and had always been in awe of the beauty. She couldn’t even imagine what it’d look like in real life.

“You Alaskans are a strange bunch.” Renee laughed. “So, tell me about you. Did you grow up in Alaska?” She asked, leading her out to where the rest of the family was.

Jo always hated that question. She never really knew how to answer the question that inevitably came afterward. She always hated telling people she moved around a lot as a kid. “I’ve lived there for about ten years now.” Was the reply she gave, before changing the subject. “So, I guess you’re in charge of introductions since you stole me away from Connor?”

“Well, you’ve met Evie, she’s my little hellion.” She nodded towards the little girl. “Next to her is Charlotte, Liam and Connor’s youngest sister. Then there’s Jackie, the grumpy-looking one, but don’t let her fool you, she’s sweet. She's the eldest sibling. Liam and Connor, you met. Their mom, Anastasia, is the one on the far right of the table. Gary, their father, is the one cooking over by the grill. And that’s everyone.” Once they got closer to the table, Renee yelled out, “Hey, everyone, this is Connor’s girlfriend, Jo!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at her. Jo's eyes traveled to Connor, who gave her a sheepish grin in return. “Hey, everyone.” She waved with a nervous grin. While she could handle smaller groups of people, larger groups tended to make her a bit anxious.

“It’s been a while since Connor brought anyone home, he must like you.” Gary chimed in. “In fact, I can’t even remember who the last person he brought home was.”

“It was Amelia, remember?” Jackie asked, with a wicked grin. Everyone groaned at the mention of the woman.

Curiosity piqued, Jo couldn’t help but ask, “Amelia? Who is that?”

“A mistake. And can we please never bring her up again?” Connor pleaded.

“Please.” Anastasia agreed. “Besides, food is ready.”

Sitting across from Connor and shooting him a mischievous smirk. “So, is this when I get to hear all the embarrassing stories about Connor?”

“I don’t have any embarrassing stories,” he replied, shooting everyone a warning look.

“Please, everyone has embarrassing stories.” She loaded her plate with food. It all looked delicious. If all the food was going to be this amazing, she might never leave. Her family wasn’t big on home cooking.

“Does when he saw me in the park and picked me up and spun me around, only for him to realize it wasn’t me, but some random girl, when her mom called the cops, count?” Evie asked, with a wicked grin.

Everyone laughed and Jo nodded. “That counts.”

The rest of dinner had gone smoothly, Evie was quite a character and had told plenty of embarrassing stories about everyone. After dinner, his parents showed them to their rooms. Jo was relieved that they didn’t have to share a room.