"Yes. Close the door, please."
He raises an eyebrow, but does as I ask.
I gesture to the chair on the opposite side of my desk. “Have a seat.”
He again does as I ask, looking at me quizzically. "Is everything okay with the Reebok campaign? Zoe said—"
"The campaign's fine." I take a sip of coffee, buying some time. "This is about something else."
"Okay..." He leans forward slightly, studying me.
"I need a favor." The words come out in a rush. "A… sort of personal favor."
His expression shifts, surprise breaking through his professional mask. "A personal favor?"
"Yes." I set my coffee down and force myself to meet his gaze. "My family has this annual Christmas trip to Colorado. We go to our home in Aspen every year."
"Sounds nice," he says cautiously.
"It is. Or it was. Until my ex got engaged to the woman I'm pretty sure he cheated on me with, and now they're both going to be there because his parents and mine have been best friends since the dawn of time, and my sister told my parents last night at dinner that you and I are dating so I wouldn't have to go alone, and now my mom thinks we're sharing a room, and I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend for a week." I finally pause for a breath. "Please." I add quickly.
He stares at me for what feels like an eternity, face unreadable.
"Let me get this straight," he says finally. "You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend on a family trip to save face in front of your ex?"
Put like that, it sounds even more ridiculous than it did in my head.
"Yes," I admit. "I know it's completely inappropriate and probably crosses every HR boundary there is, and you have every right to say no, but—"
"Okay."
I blink. "Okay?"
"Okay." He shrugs. "I'll do it."
"Just like that?" I narrow my eyes, suspicious. "Don't you want to know more details first? Like, when it is, or what it would involve, or why my sister dragged you into this mess in the first place?"
He shrugs again, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "When is it?"
"December 15th through the 22nd."
"Not a problem. What would it involve?"
"Pretending to be completely infatuated with me in front of my family, my ex, and his new fiancée. Sharing a room. Probably some forced participation in humiliating family traditions."
"Sounds manageable." His smile is growing now. "And as for why your sister involved me specifically..." He leans back in his chair. "I'm guessing it has something to do with our previous encounter."
Heat floods my cheeks. "She thought it would be a fitting punishment for you. Her words, not mine."
"Ah." Something flickers in his eyes. "So this is my chance to make amends?"
"Something like that."
"Then I accept. On one condition."
Here it comes. The catch. "What condition?"
"You have dinner with me tonight." He holds up a hand as I start to protest. "Not as a date. As a planning session. If we're going to convince your family we're madly in love, we should probably know more about each other than just..." He gestures vaguely between us. "You know."
