Chapter Two
Addilyn
I’ve been searchingfor a while, but I haven’t found anyone who says they will be your date for extended period of time. They all talk about being your date for a wedding, a funeral, a reunion, but nothing like I need. But I’m desperate. Desperate and fucking pathetic to even contemplate such a thing.
Picking up my phone, I dial the number of a date. A date that I’m using Google to find. This has to be what rock bottom looks like. I’m sure it doesn’t get any worse than paying someone to be your fake boyfriend so your family gets off your ass.
The ringing is loud in my ear, almost as loud as my racing pulse. My stomach is swimming with nerves and suddenly my throat becomes completely dry and I’m not even sure any words are going to be able to come out.
“Hello?” a deep voice says on the other end.
Shit, he really answered. I should have given this more thought. Planned out exactly what I’d say to this guy instead of sitting here frozen in place.
“Hello?” he asks again.
“Umm, hi. Is this Nate Wheeler?” I ask.
“It is. Who’s this?”
Just the pathetic girl who googled you to be her date. “Addilyn Mitchell,” I say instead.
He lightly laughs and I feel like the biggest fool. I should just hang up and deal with my mom, this is so humiliating.
“Well, Addilyn Mitchell, what can I do for you?” he asks and I’m pretty sure he said it with a smile.
He knows why I’m calling. He knows I’m some pathetic chick that found him online and is about to ask him to be my fake boyfriend. Even thinking it makes me close my eyes against the embarrassment.
“Oh, umm, well I got your number offline,” I stutter.
Again he chuckles and I kinda want to punch him in his face. A face I have no idea what it looks like. He could be ugly. He could be some psycho that uses this as a cover-up to find desperate women, lock them in a room and starve them to death. Fuck, what am I doing?
“I figured that much. How about I ask the questions?” he suggests.
“Sure,” I whisper.
“Are you looking for me to be a date to something?”
Covering my face with my hand, I nod my head. “Yes,” I whisper.
“Okay cool. Do you want to tell me a little about it? What is it? Where is it?” he asks, getting right to business.
Here it goes. “Are you going to lock me in a room and starve me to death?” Oops, not what I meant to say.
A full blown laugh comes through the phone and for just a second I grin. “No, I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to bring you to my house or come to your house. I’m not even going to ask for your address. I’ll meet you there and we’ll go our own ways after. No harm. You’re the one in control here, not me. I have some rules, but we’ll get to that. For now just tell me what you need?”
What I need is an understanding mother. Can he provide me with one of those? “I know in your, umm, ad it said you do weddings, funerals, reunions, things like that. I’m needing something a little more than that.”
“Cool, let’s hear it,” he says.
“I want to hire you to be my boyfriend for Christmas. Two weeks to be exact, at my parents,” I blurt out. My stomach is in knots and I’m sweating with nerves.
I hear him blow out a breath and I know he’s going to say it’s too much. That he really does have a family he needs to be with. He’s probably going to tell me to get my pathetic ass out there and meet someone for real.
“Let me tell you my rules before we even move on. I don’t do this to meet women or find romance. I’m not looking for a relationship, I’m just good at pretending to be in one. I don’t have sex with my clients, ever. That is a hard no. You’ll be given plenty of attention in front of people. Enough that no one would question if what we have is real, but in private there is nothing like that,” he says with much professionalism.
“Believe me I’m not looking for a relationship. I just need my mother off my back, even if it’s only for two weeks. She wants me married and to start having kids. I’m not there yet. I understand if it’s too much. Hell, it’s too much for me,” I say.
“You want your family off your back for the holidays, I get that. I don’t normally do two weeks long, but in light of the holiday I’m willing to do this for you.”
Completely shocked and terrified it’s going to blow up in my face, I look over at my little tree. Two weeks with a stranger pretending to be my boyfriend. How bad could it be? Rolling my eyes for even thinking such a ridiculous thought, of course it’s going to bad. It’s going to be a fucking disaster.
“My family is a lot to handle, are you sure?” I ask, nervous of the whole situation.
“I’m sure. I just need to know where and when?” he says, sounding completely sure.
“We’d leave in two days, I was hoping to be on the road around ten in the morning. It’s in New Jersey, which is about four hours from me.”
“Well, Addilyn Mitchell I guess I’ll see you in two days. We’ll meet at Murphy’s Bar at nine forty-five. My buddy owns it and he’ll let you leave your car there. We’ll iron out the details on the ride. Just relax and know that I really am good at what I do. You have nothing to worry about.”
Nothing to worry about? I bite my lip, hoping and praying he's not wrong.
