Rachel and Jake shed their coats and then join us in the living room. The room seems smaller, or maybe that’s just the walls closing in. The lie about my boss and me is spiraling out of control, growing like a snowball rolling down a hill. I catch his eye, and he gives me a reassuring smile.
A smile? I nearly groan. How can he not be freaking out? I sure am.
“So, John.” Rachel’s syrupy-sweet tone spells one thing: trouble. “What do you do?”
“I’m Abby’s boss,” he replies as if we met on a dating app and not at work.
Rachel’s eyebrows nearly disappear into her hairline. “Her boss? Isn’t that complicated? Or against the rules?”
My cheeks burn. “It’s not what you think. We’re not—”
“Oh, it was complicated at first,” he interjects smoothly. “But no rules have been broken. We’ve found a way to make a relationship work. Abby’s professionalism in the office is impeccable.”
I blink at him, stunned. Wait. Why is he complimenting me? Sure, it’s about a fake relationship, but I want him to mean the words.
“That’s great,” Jake chimes in, his arm casually draping around Rachel’s waist. “Speaking of work, did you hear about the big merger that’s happening after the holidays?”
Thankfully, the conversation shifts to safer, boring territory. I sink into the couch, relief washing over me like warm mulled wine. As the others talk, I can’t help but notice how easily my parents’ attention gravitates toward Rachel and Jake. They’re the perfect couple, after all—successful, charming, and sickeningly in sync.
“Oh, Rachel, honey,” Mom coos, leaving no doubt as to who the golden child is in our family. “Tell John about that promotion you received. Wasn’t it something about becoming the youngest executive in your company’s history?”
Rachel preens under the attention. “You know me. I hate to brag, but…”
She launches into a story not much different from ones she’s told before. I wish someone would’ve cared when I got promoted. Mom and Dad sent Rachel cupcakes, and Jake got her a dozen red roses. I didn’t even receive a congrats from anyone in my family.
I glance at Mr. Barrington, who is staring at me. I can’t read his expression, but I assume he’s probably curious about our family dynamics.
He leans toward me, and his breath is warm against my ear. “You okay?”
I nod, not trusting my voice. His concern is unexpected and oddly comforting.
“Great job on that account last week, by the way,” he whispers. “I meant to tell you earlier, but things got busy with the holiday break coming up.”
Before I can respond, Rachel clears her throat. “So, Abby, how exactly did you and John get together? I mean, dating the boss—that must be quite the office scandal.”
The challenge in her tone, a barely concealed accusation, makes my blood boil. I open my mouth, ready to spill the truth and end this charade.
“Actually,” Mr. Barrington says, his voice calm and steady. “It’s been anything but scandalous. It took me months to work up the courage to ask your sister out. Now that we’re together, we keep things strictly business at work, though we might steal a glance at each other every now and then.”
I stare at him, slack-jawed. I had no idea he had such excellent improv skills. My boss is killing it.
“Oh, how romantic!” Mom sighs dreamily.
“Yeah, real fairytale stuff,” Rachel mutters, but I catch a hint of jealousy in her tone.
As the conversation continues, my unease grows. I need to talk to my boss, to figure out what on earth we’re doing before we get caught.
“Excuse us.” I plaster on a smile. “I need to show mister, er, John where he can freshen up. It was a tense drive in the snowstorm.”
I drag him up the stairs and into the bathroom, where I close the door and turn the fan on. This is the only place we can have privacy.
“What are you doing?” I keep my voice low when all I want to do is scream. “How did you come up with so many details about us dating on the fly like that?”
He runs a hand through his hair, looking genuinely apologetic. “I’m sorry. You looked uncomfortable, and I wanted to help. The words just came out.”
“My family believes you.”
“I can tell them the truth if you want me to.”
