“Honestly? I’m all over the place. On the one hand, I represented my client to the best of my ability and on the other, I’m getting harassing phone calls. People stop me on the street, it’s overwhelming.” To be constantly reminded of Erik at every turn—coupled with her own thoughts revolving around him twenty-four, seven—was torture itself.
“I could imagine. You two looked pretty convincing on film. Is there something between you?” He stared at her with a bit too much intensity.
The question she’d dreaded since coming into his office. How much to say? She should have left when she had a chance. He was too intuitive by far. Best to be vague. “He’s a good actor.”
“He is, but that’s not what I’m asking.” He removed his tie and folded the blue silk.
“Are you asking as my boss or my brother?” She wanted to evade and deflect because she had no clue how or what she felt for Erik. Well, perhaps she did but she didn’t want to face the truth of her own feelings. “Never mind, don’t answer that. I like Erik. We had a good rapport on screen and in real life. But My Future Fiancé is a reality TV show meant to give the illusion of a modern-day happily ever after. It’s lights and mirrors with no basis in reality.”
Another tense silence followed her pronouncement.
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” he asked.
Belle brought her hand up to her aching temple and rubbed. She wanted to bury her face in her hands and wish it all away. “We have to carry on this charade for another two weeks. I have to go dress shopping, cake shopping, and shoe shopping. Football preseason begins on Monday, so of course, Erik doesn’t have to be involved in any of those things.”
“He’ll be on the road with the team.” Howler narrowed his eyes, peeling the label off the bottle. “Sure is a lot of trouble if you have no intention going through with the wedding.”
“Sadly, it’s what I signed up for.” It was a bitter pill to swallow. The payoff would be a car and the financial ability to help her brother realize his dream. “Once the season is here, I’ll call off the engagement.”
“It sounds like a solid plan. Is Erik on board?”
“Yes.” Her parting salvo stuck in her mind. Would she continue representing him, or quit and move on? She need only say the word and Howler would reassign Erik to a different agent.
Everything inside her screamed no but common sense prevailed. “We’re both professionals who came together for a common goal. There were fourteen engagements in seven seasons, only one of which lasted longer than a month and that ended in a divorce. The show isn’t about the destination but the journey.”
And as soon as she could make it happen, her romantic journey with Erik would end. Patience. She had to have patience and control. It was a lack of self-control that landed her in this mess to begin with. Patience would get her out of it.
Chapter Forty-Four
“Welcome to My Future Fiancé’s engagement edition.” Darius flashed his too-white smile and turned to Erik. “I’d like to welcome Erik and Belle back to the show.”
They were in the lounge at the auditorium. He sat next to Belle on the couch, with Darius on a chair across from them. She hadn’t said a word to him since they’d entered the set. More than the air-conditioning was causing the chill in the air.
“How are you two dealing with the public outpouring of support for your engagement?” Darius asked.
“The last two weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least,” Belle said, smile tense. “Who would have thought there was so much that went into planning a wedding?”
“My understanding is it’s a lot.” Erik clasped her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. She stiffened at his touch. “Unfortunately, it’s fallen to Belle. Preseason has started and I’ve been on the road.”
“How do you feel about that Belle?” Darius asked.
“I miss him, of course. We’re newly engaged as you well know.” She lowered her eyes, biting her bottom lip. For someone who wasn’t a trained actor, she played her part well. He’d almost think she was telling the truth.
Erik lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. He missed the hell out of her. He’d been in California for the first game and he’d tried to put his head back into the game. Although MFF was in the past, the memories of his time with Belle played themselves out in his head over and over. “I missed her too. It’s hard when we both work full time.”
She’d been true to her word. No playful texts, or emails, just business. It sucked. He thought of her non-stop but she’d moved on.
Belle removed her hand from his and shifted in the seat. As it had been on the show, the couch was lumpy, forcing her to slide next to him. In this case, he didn’t mind a single bit. Any opportunity to be next to her was an opportunity he’d cherish.
“Have you picked out the dress yet?” Darius asked.
Erik hid his laugher on the pretext of coughing. Darius knew damn well that she had, considering the show had filmed her at the dress shop.
“I have a few that I like. Of course, I can’t show Erik. That would be bad luck.” Another teasing smile that didn’t reach her eyes. It was more painful than he could have anticipated. He wanted to see her laughter and have the heated back and forth they’d had over the past month. To see her laugh for the rest of his life.
Darius turned and looked fully into the camera. “Erik might not be able to see it, but our viewers can take a peek.”
The light on the camera went off while the director played the clip. His heartbeat picked up and he willed Darius to get up and leave. After an infuriating minute, Darius stood and walked to the back of the set. Erik rubbed nervous hands down the front of his jeans. Alone at last. Well, they were hardly alone but close enough he could talk to her.
