Avery:It wasn’t just the watch. He needs a fake girlfriend too. He’s trying to win a big contract.
Edward:Fancy business dinners here you come! Don’t forget your friends. Order a lot of food and bring home leftovers.
Shirley:Forget fancy business dinners, we’re going to plan a wedding!
Avery:Maybe this is a bad idea.
Shirley:This from the girl who took a fake boyfriend to her half sister’s engagement party just so that Cassie wouldn’t say mean things to her.
Edward:That is a good point. You took what’s his face…Nathan…to the party. You introduced him as the love of your life. Your family met him. And now you’re going to pretend you’re in love with your boss?
Avery:Nathan was four months ago. And I will not repeat those mistakes. It is perfectly reasonable to meet your boss, fall in love, and get married. I’ve worked for Blade for three months. That’s enough time.
Edward:You better sell it. And he better too. Your sister’s a raging bitch, but she’s not stupid. She’s going to look for any weakness.
“What time should I take you out tonight? Is seven okay?” Blade said behind me, making me jump.
“Say what?” I stuttered as I slapped the phone facedown on the desk.
“We have to date,” he insisted. “I have a spreadsheet with a schedule of critical-path relationship moments.” He navigated to a folder on the server.
“Is this just hanging out on the server so everyone can see it?” I said, panicked alarm bells going off.
He huffed out a breath, his voice low beside my ear. “No, this is a private server. Only you and I have access.”
He opened up the file and I peered at it. “This is for a six-month relationship timeline.”
“That’s the general consensus on the internet of the shortest possible duration for a successful relationship.”
I shook my head. “My sister is getting married in four months. I need to be wedded and bedded before then.”
“Bedded?” Blade’s voice seemed even deeper.
“Just an expression. Rule number two of fake relationships: Don’t sleep with your fake boyfriend or girlfriend. I did that once, and now…”
“Now…what?”
“Nothing. Never mind. We need to shorten this schedule. I need to be Mrs. Svensson in two months. All of this—meeting the family, the proposal, the engagement party, the couples shower, bachelor and bachelorette parties—it all has to be compressed.”
“Are they going to buy it?” Blade asked.
“I hope you’re a good actor.”
“I’m good at poker.”
“What, are you playing strip poker in your spare time?” I joked then immediately cringed. Though I made snarky comments to Blade, I never let them veer into sexual territory.
Remember the rules for fake relationships, I chastised myself. I chanced a glance at Blade. He was still awfully close to me.
“No,” he said simply. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
“I’ll meet you at the restaurant,” I countered in a rush. I did not need him to see where I lived. Then he would seriously rethink the fake relationship.
* * *
The rest of the day,I silently freaked out thinking about what I had agreed to. Were Blade and I seriously going to do this? I left work early to change. Blade wanted to take me to the Salt House restaurant. It was fancy, and when I went back to the shared room in Brooklyn, I searched my closet in vain for something nice to wear.
“You better hurry and get ready,” Edward said from his sprawl on the twin bed.
