Fake dating was the worst idea she’d ever heard, in fact. If he wanted to fake date, then the attraction she felt couldn’t possibly be mutual. She’d thought they had—more than chemistry, really. She’d felt like they had aconnection. She still felt that way. But Zane had been in such a hurry to clarify he meantfakedating…
Somehow, through the crushed remains of her ego and heart, Vicki dredged up a smile. “Sure, of course. If it’d be helpful for your career, I’d be glad to help out. I wouldn’t want to be the reason you fell out of popularity. Especially when you’re making me a dress. That would be a bad look, wouldn’t it?”
“Dion says it would be,” Zane said with an uncomfortable smile. “And…there’s some other things I’d like to talk to you about, if you didn’t mind?”
The last thing Vicki wanted to do was talk to him more right now. Or anybody in the whole world, in fact. She thought maybe she wanted to go live in the bottom of a depthless cave, or on top of a mountain like a hermit, just as long as she didn’t have to face people and the fact that her great big crush was so clearly not mutual. Her gaze skittered to a clock and she managed anotherweak smile. “You know what, that sounds great, but it’s getting late?—”
It was not getting late. It wasn’t even eight p.m. yet. Vicki didn’t care. “—and I have a lot of school prep to do tomorrow, so maybe we can arrange a fake date for…for Monday?” Maybe he’d be gone by Monday. Maybe she’d never have to see him again, so she’d never be reminded of her foolish hopes. Maybe she could give her contest win to another charity, or even back to the Starlight Foundation, so somebody else could win it and she could go on living in a pit.
“Monday,” Zane said with a strange amount of eagerness for a guy who’d just destroyed her hopes and dreams. Not that he knew that, she guessed. “Monday would be great. I’ll text you?”
“Sure. Sounds good.” Somehow Vicki was pleasant and polite as she got him out the door, and then she went to bed without even brushing her teeth.
CHAPTER 12
Something had gone very wrong.
Zane wasn’t entirely sure how he’d blown it, but he hadclearlyblown it. Vicki had gone from bright and inviting, sweet and cheerful, to brittle and polite, all in a heartbeat. He’dknownfake dating was a bad idea, but he’d hoped, somehow, that it might tell her that he really was interested in her. That was how fake dating worked in the movies, anyway. Two people who weren’t an obvious match faked their way into true love. It was a tried and true method for romance.
Apparently not as tried and true as he’d hoped.
He stood outside her apartment door, wondering if he should knock and apologize, but he wasn’t sure what he’d donewrong. He’d only known Vicki for two days.Actualdating seemed like asking too much, even if?—
She’s your fated mate,his wolf said with infinite patience.How could it be too much?
Zane could practically hear the wolf completely ignoring the entire concept of fake dating, or even real dating. That was beyond its understanding. What it did seem to understand in a way Zane didn’t quite believe was that nothing could betoomuchwhen it came to romancing his fated mate. Even Sarah’s assurance along the same lines didn’t quite overcome his gut-deep uncertainty.
There were so many reasons Zane didn’t date much. Not to get all Freudian about it, but his parents’ relationship was definitely one. He was also always incredibly busy with work, and he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that he’d been known, on occasion, to hide behind Dion and the assumption that they were a couple. And the truth was he reallyenjoyedtaking his mom to red carpet events, never mind the fact that it also meant he didn’t have to find someone elsetotake.
It now occurred to Zane for the first time that maybe another reason he didn’t date very much was he wasreally bad at it.
Bad enough, apparently, that he couldn’t even manage to date the woman of his dreams. Or even fake date her.
After what seemed like forever, he slunk away from Vicki’s door and called a taxi back to the B&B, wondering what he could have done better. He didn’t think trying to explain about his wolf and shifting and fated mates would have gone over well, even though Sarah had told him she was certain Vicki would accept it without hesitation.
Maybe he hadn’t been enthusiastic enough about the idea of fake dating. Nobody ever was in the movies, but he could see why it might be a problem now. He could do better on that front. Zane was sure of it. And if he could nerve himself up to explaining his shifter heritage, that would probably help.
He crept into the B&B, hoping nobody would notice him, so of course Dion appeared in the foyer, a gleam in his eye. “Did you talk to her?”
Zane gave him a morose look and Dion’s face fell. “Oh no. Did she say no? Well, if she’s really not interested, I guess we’ll have to play hardball with the ‘just friends’ angle?—”
“She said yes,” Zane said mopishly. “She just didn’t seem very happy about it.”
Dion’s gaze sharpened and he indicated, imperiously, that Zane should go to the parlor. Zane went, but muttered, “Are you just living in the parlor now? Is that it?”
“No,” Dion said in the tone of someone who had just been unexpectedly presented with a sullen teenager, “but neither of our rooms are suites, and it’s more comfortable to have conversations in here than with one of us standing anxiously in front of the other. What has gotteninto you? My God,” he added with more sympathy. “You didn’t run into your father, did you?”
“No!” Zane threw himself into the sofa, which he had to admitwasvery comfortable. Aaron Jones was at the far side of the parlor in a huge armchair, reading a book by the fire, and offered a nod of greeting as Zane, followed by Dion, came into the room.
Dion beamed at Aaron, but went right back to being piqued at Zane. “Well, in that case, what’s got you in such a mood? Why wasn’t Ms. Hawthorne happy about the idea? Most people would seize the chance to live the high life for a little while. Tell meexactlywhat happened.”
Zane recounted the whole thing up until the point where he’d said ‘dating’ and then hastily corrected himself to ‘fake dating.’ Dion practically pounced on that. “Is she interested inactuallydating you, Zane?”
Zane opened his mouth and shut it again. Aaron, on the far side of the room, said, “Wow. You said he was dim, but I didn’t know he wasthatdim,” in a voice justslightlytoo loud to be ignored.
“You saidwhat?” Zane, injured, looked at Dion, who completely ignored Aaron in favor of clapping his hands enthusiastically.
“But this is perfect! She’s beautiful, sweet, works with children…a regular Cinderella! Oh, I can work with this! Well.” Dion cringed delicately. “I may have some work to do to make you into Prince Charming, but the first thing you’re going to do is grovel andflirt, Zane, do you even know how to flirt?”
