“I didn’t read Wikipedia.”
“Good.” She wouldn’t ask what he had looked at, damn it, even though she was curious. “I am successful. But I’m getting old.”
“You’re under thirty.”
“Old in internet years.” She stretched her legs out, and her knee cracked, punctuating her claim. It was because of an old softball injury and not her age, but she liked the drama of her body concurring. “I lost momentum a while back.”
“Sponsors?”
“Yes.” That had hurt, though she’d understood how the game worked. Sponsors and brand partnerships went where numbers went. “My five-year plan was on track before. I need to get it back.”
“What’s your five-year plan?”
“I want to have my own makeup company.”
“Ambitious.”
“I suppose.” She spun her bottle. “So. What do you think?”
He nodded once. “Okay.”
“Okay?” She wanted to rub her ears and make sure she was actually hearing right, but that would ruin her confidentapproach.
“Let’s do it. I can certainly charm your parents for a weekend.”
Charm them? He was tall, handsome, rich, famous, and breathing. He didn’t even have to talk to charm her mother.
He stuck out his hand. “Here’s to a mutually beneficial, manufactured, and discreet romance.”
Just what every girl dreams of for her first romance.
It wasn’t a romance. It was a fauxmance at best. Jia hesitated for a second. It had been her idea—why was it spooking her now that it was coming to fruition? She forced herself to accept his shake. “Yay,” she said.
A knock came on the trailer door. “Five minutes, Mr. Dixit.”
She came to her feet and Dev immediately followed. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
“When will I see you again?”
Oh damn. She hadn’t really planned that far ahead. “Um...”
“This Friday. We can have dinner somewhere.”
“Somewhere private,” she reminded him.
“That would be nice.”
“Cool. You can pick me up at work. I’ll text you the address.”
She followed him to the door, and she kept her gaze studiously on his back. She was noticing nothing other than his back. She was not going to look—
Oh no, she looked. Her gaze shot back up to his head from his firm backside. Almost immediately, she avertedher eyes. She wasn’t going to lookanymore.
She was surprised when Dev descended the stairs first—he seemed like he was all about manners and ladies first. But then he turned around and extended his hand to help her down the concrete.
Jia hesitated on the top step, where she was eye level with him. His makeup was going to haunt her if she drove away without fixing it. “Hang on a second.” She popped open her purse and pulled out one of her emergency makeup sponge blenders. “Do you mind tilting your chin up? May I touch you to fix your makeup?”
“Sure.” He slowly angled his face up to her.
