I clap my hand over my mouth to keep myself from snorting with laughter. "Honestly? She's not smart enough for that. She's just an attention hog who is completely oblivious to the fact that other people have life goals other than fawning all over her, and who?—"
My hand flies up again. "Wow. I'm sorry. Now I’m the one who sounds like a mega bitch."
"No judgement, promise." He extends his hand. "Devin Lewis."
My breath catches in my throat as his large hand envelops mine. "Laila Johnson."
"So…Laila Johnson… This is probably going to sound insane, but I think we could help each other this weekend. May I ask you to keep an open mind while I explain my idea?”
I would happily listen to Devin read out the terms and conditions of my music streaming subscription. "Sure."
"Okay." His hands splay over the Formica table as he leans forward. "I’m a stockbroker at Watley Investments. I just started with them. There's a lot of room for advancement and an opportunity to get bigger clients. The only thing is, I didn't realize what a family-oriented company it was."
I nod, thinking I might begin to see where this is going.
“I’ve always kept to myself at work. The more people know about me, the higher the odds of offending someone, you know? Like, maybe they won’t like which baseball team I support, or think my favorite kind of music sucks. I’ve always thought the less I say, the better. Allow my work to speak for itself.”
I’m nodding harder. “I could see that.”
"Anyway, there's a big company retreat this weekend. Skiing at a winter chalet, bonding with the team, the whole bit."
"Over Valentine's Day? Isn't that kind of…I don't know…rude? I mean, maybe people have their own plans with their partners."
Devin holds up his hands. "Tell me about it. But I've come to realize that my boss Jim doesn't actually run the firm. His wife Callan does. She gets these ideas in her head and runs with them and logic be damned."
"Huh. I know the type," I mutter darkly.
"Don’t get me wrong, Callan is very smart about some things. She's just a bit…odd." His warm brown eyes lock with mine. "And for this weekend she expects all the brokers to show up with a serious date and be social. Skiing, card games, fancy dinners, that sort of thing."
He sighs. “I just can’t show up alone to what’s essentially a couples event. It would be so much easier if I had a partner with me.”
Yep, this really is what he's asking. "And you…" I can't even bring myself to say it.
"Need a date. Yes." He drums his fingers on the table for a moment. "I know it sounds crazy, Laila. But you would be perfect. You're beautiful. You have a great energy around you. And…" He gestures to my laptop. "I don't know what you're working on, but you were locked in for an hour solid. So you definitely have focus, and I can only assume you're smart."
Devin smiles. “I've checked out the chalet’s online reviews. They have incredible food. Beautiful views. Skiing. There's even a little library. I bet you could hide away with your work here and there when we aren't being forced to play charades."
I tear my gaze from his, staring down at my hands. “And this is the whole weekend?"
"Yes. Longer, even. We drive up Wednesday, have Thursday mostly to ourselves, since a few people can't arrive until then. Friday is the company activities, and Saturday is skiing and some special romantic dinner."
I can’t stop my teeth from sinking into my bottom lip. It’s like they have a mind of their own.
"We would just go as friends, of course," he adds hastily. His fingers drum again for about ten seconds. "Cheesy but wholesome fun. And if you have work to do or there are any parts you don’t like, you can always duck out for a bit."
Claudia has been doing laps of the diner, getting the construction workers coffee and beer and garlic bread. On her next pass, she stops. "Laila, don’t hate me but I've been half-listening here. Devin is a good guy. He's been coming here for over a year, usually on his own for lunch although he was also here after work with some coworkers once. For what it's worth, I trust him."
She flashes me a grin, then nods slowly.
A prickle runs through the back of my shoulders, drenching me in a feeling of inevitability. This is meant to happen.
Claudia knows something.
She disappears, and Devin holds his hand out, palm up, across the table. "What do you say, Laila? May I be your husband for five days?"
“Wait – husband?” I sputter. "I thought you said you needed adate."
"Yeah." His eyes drop as he stares down at the table with a guilty look. "I promise you I hardly ever lie. But I really wanted this job, and I may have kind of implied that I had a wife. I was going to call them tomorrow and say that she's sick, so I couldn’t go on the trip."
