Click.There.
My phone rings. I tap the red button, then turn off the phone when Mom and Dad begin to tag-team call me. They’ll give up after about an hour, and I’ll be able to turn it back on.
“Wow.” Molly is slightly wide-eyed. “So she thinks I’m yourgirlfriend?”
I pause for a moment to savor the words that just came out of Molly’s mouth.Your girlfriend. “Apparently.”
“Right. Okay, well…” She clears her throat. “If you need me to, I could be your, you know. Girlfriend.”
Her statement leaves me in a euphoric daze. It’s like she somehow kissed me in the solar plexus.
“I mean, not like a real one, of course. But a fake one.” She’s speaking fast. “I mean, that’s, like, the least I can do to pay you back for your kindness.”
I’d prefer her to be myrealgirlfriend, but if she wants to fake it instead…
“That would be great.” Fake dating wasn’t one of my plans, but I can work with it. Actually, in some ways it’s better because it gives us the perfect reason to stay together and for me to lavish gifts upon her the way I’ve always wanted. After a few weeks, we can upgrade to real dating.
“Okay.” Then she hesitates for a second. “By the way, do you think she recognized me on the phone?”
“Doubt it.”Hopefully she never will. I’m going to have to murder my own mother if she starts to harass Molly about a baby. Parental pressure isn’t what she needs, especially so soon after her breakup with Owen. Besides, she’s too young. She should be able to enjoy her twenties without worrying about whether she has enough diapers or if anybody’s going to notice a puke stain on her chest.
Molly’s shoulders slump a little.
What did I say?Should I have offered more reassurance? “She didn’t call you Molly. She would have if she knew.”
“Right. Yeah, no. I mean…” Molly clears her throat, then fidgets.
“What is it?” I don’t want her to feel like she can’t tell me what she’s thinking.
“Well. If she does recognize me at some point, she probably won’t be convinced we’re dating. It isn’t like I fit your…um…personal brand or anything.” She looks away.
“Mypersonal brand?” What the hell? Who filled her head with this nonsense? Better not be Georgia, or I’m going to make her pay me back for all those special editions I bought.
“Like…you know.” She makes a vague gesture. “Your reputation.”
Just what kind of rep does she think I have? Unlike some of my flashier brothers, I tend to keep a low public profile. Besides, managing a private equity fund that owns a bunch of companies isn’t sexy, like owning a jewelry empire or venture capital firm, even though it is quite profitable.
“I don’t have a reputation, and I don’t have some ‘personal brand’ that you have to worry about.” I don’t care about “personal brand.” I only care about her.
“Okay. As long as it’ll help you get some peace…” Molly shrugs, then smiles. “I don’t mind if you use me a little.”
She doesn’t get it. She’s supposed to use me, not vice versa. I’m going to have to show her that.
“By the way, can you drive me to my—to Owen’s place? I want to grab my things before he gets any ideas. He really doesn’t like my books, and I don’t want him doing anything to them.”
Good. She’s not referring to his place ashersanymore. “Such as…?”
“I don’t know. Setting them on fire? He joked about it a few times, but now that I think about it, he might have been serious.”
“What an asshole,” I mutter. “Don’t worry. If he does anything of the sort, I’ll replace them.”And kick his ass so hard it’ll end up between his ears.
“That’s sweet of you, but it wouldn’t be the same. I have highlights and notations for all my favorite books. I’d hate to lose them.”
Highlights and notations? Now I’m curious what she finds interesting enough to go to such trouble. And if Owen has done anything to those books, he’ll pay.
Molly’s like Georgia, so there will probably be hundreds of books to box. It’d be easiest to hire movers—and same-day hiring is doable if I offer enough money. But if Owen isn’t around the townhouse, it’ll be an opportunity to spend time with Molly. And look at the kind of things she likes—the accessories she has, the items she likes to collect, what she’s loath to get rid of.
And if there’s anything heavy, I can carry it for her. I make a mental note to put on a stretchy shirt before we go. Molly might not see me as real dating material at the moment, but based on the way she was looking at my body last night, her liking for my physique is real enough.
