I open my side of the adjoining doors and knock. Oh shit. Should I have walked out into the hallway to knock on the real door? Do I leave and go there? What if I do, and then she opens this door?Oh, God. I’m spiraling already.Deep breaths, Jordan.
The door opens, and I feel like a gust of wind blows through, nearly knocking me off my feet. My lungs gasp for air. I thought nothing could eclipse how stunning Kennedy looked the first time I saw her on the plane.
I. Was. Mistaken.
Tonight, she’s flawless—and she’s dressed like this to be withme. Her long blonde hair cascades in soft waves past her shoulders, and her green dress hugs the curves of her hips so fucking perfectly my knees feel weak. And if that wasn’t hot enough, she’s wearing a leather bomber jacket over her dress in a perfect mix of femininity and badassery, and I want to obey her every command. I swallow down the lump in my throat, my body instinctively swaying toward hers.
She gazes at me, the flecks in her emerald green eyes mimicking the color of her dress. Her lips are pursed together as her brows slightly raise.Oh shit. I’m staring.I haven’t even said a word to her yet.Geezus, Boucher, pull it together!
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
I run my fingers through my hair. “Are you ready to go? I have a car waiting for us downstairs.”
Her nose scrunches. “It’s not some fancy car or a limo, is it? I don’t need to be treated like some celebrity. I don’t need to be wined and dined.”
Shit.Hannah didn’t get into specifics about this. “It’s a car service.” I rub the back of my neck. “I’m not sure the specific make and model, but it’s not a limo. At least…I don’t think it is. But it would really throw off the image we’re trying to portray if we show up in a beat-up Toyota Camry.” She huffs out a laugh, the grip on her purse strap loosening. “You really don’t like all the fancy stuff, huh?”
“Not really. I fly so many rich assholes, they’ve turned me off thehigh life,no offense.”
I smile as I shrug. “None taken.”
“They show up to the airport in ridiculous sports cars with their designer luggage, and they treat my crew and me like we are the lowest of humanity despite literally being in charge of their lives.”
My teeth clench at the thought of anyone treating my girlfriend, fake or not, that way. “That would irritate the shit out of me, too. You know, maybe you’ve just been around the wrong rich assholes. We’re notallbad.”
She scoffs, “Yeah, right. And black licorice is delicious.”
I laugh at the thought of how gross that stuff is. “While I do feel the hit from that dig, I do agree that anyone who likes black licorice is a psychopath.”
“Right? That stuff is nasty!” We both let out quiet laughs, sparking something deeper inside me. She’s never talked to me like this before—like we’re not just pretending. Like I actually belong in her world. And in this moment, I can’t stop wondering if the road we’re on could stretch to something more. Like we could actually go from fake dating, to friends, to forever.
24
kennedy
When I’m traveling, I always try to find unique places to eat. Some place with great online ratings, good food, and an amazing atmosphere, but nothing too fancy, because usually I’m eating alone. I know some people thrive on dining solo, and I do it all the time, but something about sitting in a fancy white napkin restaurant by yourself just feels odd.
And now here I am, in one of Dallas’s top restaurants, which has at least one Michelin star, where you have to spend an entire paycheck just to purchase an appetizer. But I’m not alone.I’m on a date. A fake one.And so completely out of my element. Perusing the menu is enough to make me lose my appetite. There’s a seafood tower listed at ‘market price.’What does that even mean?Do they take you behind the building and remove a kidney as payment? And you certainly can’t ask what the price is, otherwise they’ll think you’re cheap. I like things to be spelled out clearly—here are the goods I will give you in exchange for this amount of money. I shift in my seat as I continue down the menu.Goddammit, half the menu is listed as ‘market price.’I know this is nothing more than a publicity stunt, and I know he’s paying, but…fuck.
“Good evening; my name is Gary, and I’ll be the head server this evening,” a waiter says, approaching our table as another gentleman fills up my water glass and yet another one drops off a basket of bread. “This is Nick and Brady; they will be assisting your table tonight.” I tap my nails against the back of the fancy as hell menu.Three waiters feels excessive.“If you’d prefer sparkling water, just let us know, and we can arrange that. Can I start you with any drinks before starting your courses?”
I dart my eyes between Gary and my date sitting across from me. I feel like Jack at dinner on the Titanic, not knowing which piece of silverware to pick up first. Except Kathy Bates is not here to instruct me. Only a twenty-three-year-old kid who was born eating at these kinds of places.
What the fuck have I gotten myself into?
“Give us a minute with the drink menu, Gary,” Jordan says with a surprising air of confidence.
“Very well.” Gary bows his head, walking off to somewhere in the back of the restaurant.
Probably taking the kidneys of the folks from the table next to us, whodidin fact order the seafood tower.
Jordan sets his menu down gently, propping his elbows on the table and lacing his hands beneath his chin. “I’m guessing this place is too fancy for you?”
“I just…do we need an entire team of waiters to serve us?”
He laughs, his eyes sparkling with something I haven’t noticed before. A small smile creeps up on my cheeks seeing him like this.He’s in his element.
