“I don’t want to back out. This is important to you, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah. My family has some inability to believe that I’m fine with being single. With Kate getting married now, all of the attention’s even more so on me to settle down than it was when she was in the same boat,” I explain, hearing how ridiculous that all sounds. “This is just the . . . safer option.”
That’s my family, though. Lucky me.
His eyes flick between mine, searching for something, I think. He blinks too soon for me to figure out if he found what he wanted.
“That’s that, then. You can trust me to pull it off. For now, I just need to know the dress code. I’m assuming I’ll need to bring a suit?”
“Yes.”
He reaches for the coffee mug and just holds it in front of him as his fingers tap the bunny ears curving out of the front side. “When should I pick you up tomorrow? You mentioned a rehearsal dinner, didn’t you?”
I nod, some of my jitters starting to settle. “Eight? It’s going to take a few hours to get there, and the rehearsal’s at six.”
“Eight it is. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about before then?”
“You’re actually really sure about this?” It explodes out of me, and my chest turns as red as my dress. “Have you thought about what it actually means to pretend to be my boyfriend?”
“Was there a guidebook I should have purchased, Jill? I’m afraid I haven’t done any prerequisite reading,” he teases, and shit, it always sounds so much like flirting when he talks to me like this.
I laugh to cover the hitch in my breathing. “No. I just mean that I want you to be prepared for the whole pretending thing. Dating someone usually entails physical touching.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that aspect in a relationship.”
“Alright, smarty-pants. Do you have any boundaries? Because we need to really sell this. My family is a bunch of sharks, and if they smell blood in the water . . .” I tap my thumb to my four other fingers in a chomping motion.
His chuckle is soft yet controlled as it scatters up my arms. When an ache in my left heel has me shifting my weight to my left foot, he lowers his gaze to the shiny red tip of my high heel, letting it linger there. When he lifts it again, my eyes snatch onto his and hold them in place.
“Off the top of my head, no. Do you?”
“Same. I’ll think on it tonight, though. Just to be safe.”
“Of course.”
“Okay, well, I guess that’s all I came here for. Thank you again, Grayson. I really didn’t expect you to do this for me.”
His eyes bore into mine as I try to appear as confident as I can. Truthfully, I’m not at all. Maybe he can tell. If he does, he doesn’t say anything about it. Relief courses through me when he nods once.
“Stop thanking me. It’s truly not that big a deal.”
“Yeah, it is. But I’ll let it go for now.”
He cracks a smile, revealing twin rows of pearly white, straight teeth. “Good girl. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I have to look away when I feel my eyes bulge. My throat strains around nothing as I spin on my heel and stare at the door. The sudden warmth blooming low in my belly has me nearly jumping away from where he sits at his desk, watching me.
“Would you mind telling Ivy that she can go ahead and get back to work now?”
Reaching for the door, I nod in reply. Then, I’m gone, rushing past Ivy and grabbing her arm on the way to our cubicles. She releases an oof sound and falls into pace beside me.
“What happened? Did it go okay?” she asks, voice low enough he can’t hear from his office.
“Yep. We’re leaving at eight tomorrow.”
Good luck, future me.
2
