"Told you."
Up close, more details emerged. The way her sweater slipped off one shoulder when she moved. Small hands, no rings. When she tucked her hair behind her ear, the curve of her neck made me forget what I'd been about to say.
"So." She took another sip. "Let's talk so I can get back to work."
Right. Straight to the point. Even if that point was currently sitting across from me looking way better than any fake date had a right to.
"Here's the situation," I started. "My twin brother Hudson's getting married Saturday. Valentine's Day. Big wedding at The Hill Country Grand. Three-day nightmare of family obligations, forced smiles, and everyone comparing me to Hudson without saying his name."
Her gaze never left my face.
"My mother's been on me for weeks about bringing someone. Every woman I know would think showing up together means something. That we're heading somewhere serious."
"And you're not," she said.
"Nope."
"Ever?"
The question caught me off guard. "What?"
"Not interested in anything serious ever, or just not right now?"
I shifted in my seat. "I don't do serious. Not built for it." The lie came as easy as breathing.
"Uh-huh." She didn't seem convinced. "So you want to pay me five thousand dollars to pretend to be your girlfriend for three days."
"That's the deal."
"And what exactly does that involve?"
"Show up to the wedding events. Rehearsal dinner Friday, ceremony and reception Saturday, Sunday brunch. Act like we're dating. Hold hands, maybe some light PDA. Convince my family it's real enough they stop asking questions."
"Light PDA," she repeated.
"Nothing you're not comfortable with." I held her gaze. "This is business. We set boundaries, stick to them."
Those brown eyes assessed me. "Your family's going to ask how we met."
"We tell them the truth. Sort of. I called an Uber, you picked me up, we hit it off."
"And they'll believe that?"
"Why wouldn't they?"
"Hunter, you offered your Uber driver five grand to fake-date you. That's extremely weird."
"But they don't need to know that part."
The corner of her mouth lifted. "What happens when the weekend's over and you show up alone? Won't they ask questions?"
"We broke up. Mutual decision, no drama. We'll say we'd been seeing each other casually for a few weeks. Nothing serious, but bringing you to the wedding seemed fun. After the weekend, we realized we weren't compatible."
"And your family will buy that?"
"Why wouldn't they? Happens all the time."
She was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. So what do you need from me? Specifically."
