‘So sorry.’ Jess came rushing back into the office. ‘I was speaking to a big publisher about getting a huge author here to do a signing.’
‘Amazing! Can you say who?’
‘Not yet, but if it’s confirmed, you’ll be the first to know. So you seem much better. Tell me everything.’
Jess pulled up a chair and I filled her in on what had just happened.
‘No way!’ She gasped. ‘That’s brilliant! I’ve never met anyone who’s done the fake-dating thing before, and Ben’s an excellent choice. He’ll charm the whole family, give your ex an inferiority complex and make your sister jealous as fuck.’
She had a point.
I was still processing everything, and so far I’d only really focused on the fact that I wouldn’t have to face those dirty littlerats (loved that insult!) or my family alone. I hadn’t had the chance to think about the other benefits too.
My ex was good-looking, but compared to Ben, he looked like an ogre. As much as it pained me to say it, Ben was quite possibly the hottest guy I’d ever seen in real life. Ugh. And he knew it. But for the purposes of being my fake boyfriend, this was extremely beneficial. Like Jess had said, Ben would make my ex feel inferior, and my shithead sister would be greener than the Incredible Hulk when she saw that I was dating someone hotter than she was.
She always had to be the best and have the best. If I bought a dress that cost thirty pounds, she’d have to buy the one that cost fifty. When I bought my first car, I chose the basic model. When she passed her driving test, she bought exactly the same car, but one with a sunroof and leather seats. And of course, when I got a boyfriend and she thought I was happy, she had to steal him from me.
Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t all on her. You can’t steal a man who doesn’t want to be taken. He should’ve ignored her and been loyal to me, but he didn’t.
Anyway, the point was, to her everything was a competition. And shealwayswon, so it’d feel good to feel like a champ for a change.
I know it was petty, but after what they did, I deserved to have at least one smug moment. I couldn’t wait to see everyone’s faces when I walked in with Ben on my arm.
Excitement flooded my belly.
Then fear.
‘What if people know it’s not real?’ I said quickly. ‘I mean, how likely is it that someone like Ben would date someone like me? Maybe he’stoogood-looking.’
‘Stop that right now!’ Jess scolded. ‘Ben would be lucky to have a woman like you. Where’s my kickass, confident bestie gone?’
‘She was destroyed when two of the people closest to her fucked her over.’
I hated how insecure it made me. The way what had happened made me question everything about myself. My attractiveness (everyone thought my sister was prettier), my intelligence (how could I be stupid enough not to realise what was going on right under my nose?), my sexual abilities (I was sure she was more adventurous and experimental than me) and my personality (was I too boring?). It completely destroyed my self-esteem.
Don’t get me wrong, I was doing much better than I had been a year ago, but I still had a long way to go until I felt like me again. Maybe I never would.
‘Oh, hon.’ Jess took my hands in hers. ‘You’ll get there. For now, once you’ve booked your tickets and got a killer outfit, try to put it out of your mind until you walk into that wedding with your head held high and Ben by your side and show them all that you’re not just surviving, you’rethriving.’
‘Hell yeah!’ I cheered. ‘Did I ever tell you that you’re the best bestie a girl could ask for?’
‘Not often enough!’ Jess laughed. ‘Come here.’ She opened her arms and I fell into them, giving her a grateful squeeze.
‘Oh, crap. I forgot to ask if I could have the time off! Sorry! I know the timing is shit, considering that Jane and Jackson won’t be here, so having me and Ben away might be too much.’
‘We’ll figure something out,’ Jess said. ‘I’m not going to let you miss your brother’s wedding. Or rubbing those arseholes’ faces in it. I only wish that I could be there to see it. Something tells me it’ll be epic!’
15
BEN
‘You didwhat?’ Theo stopped in his tracks.
We were walking to the building at the back of the library that was being renovated for the readers’ retreat and I’d just told him about the fake-dating agreement.
‘You heard,’ I said.
‘That’s…’
