‘I’ll be keeping a keen but loving eye over you all,’ Arty says, sort of jokily, but I suspect he means it.
‘That’s alright by us,’ Jake replies.
It will have to be.
We leave the office in a bit of a daze – I do at least. Once we’re outside, in the sunshine and the cool breeze, I feel like I can finally exhale.
My gaze keeps falling to the opal ring on my finger. It keeps catching the light, twinkling beautifully, a surge of colour every time it pings sunshine in all directions. Wow, it really is beautiful.
‘I guess he’s testin’ me,’ Jake says quietly.
‘He’s testing us,’ I reply. ‘Good thing you had this ring in your pocket.’
‘Oh yeah, that old thing?’ he replies. ‘It was in my things, thought I’d better keep it on me, just in case. Maybe you should hang on to it. Other people might question why you don’t wear your ring. It fit okay?’
‘It fits perfectly,’ I reply.
I want to ask more questions about why he has an engagement ring in his things, but I can’t muster up the courage. Plus, we’re supposed to be playing happy families.
Still I can’t help but wonder, was he going to propose to someone else at some point? Has he been engaged before? Did it not work out? Why didn’t it work out? But also, why do I care? This is all just for show. I think it’s my creative brain, wondering, wanting an answer to every question, simply unable to let a plot hole slide. I guess I’ll have to try harder.
‘It suits you,’ he tells me.
I glance at my hand again. It really does. It fits like it belongs there.
‘You don’t have to wear it, if it makes you feel weird,’ he says. ‘We can just tell everyone it needed resizing or somethin’.’
‘No, no, I’d love to wear it,’ I insist. ‘It’s cute.’
He smiles.
‘I guess you should call your friends,’ he suggests. ‘Tell them we’ve got a lodge for the week.’
‘Yeah, I suppose I should,’ I reply.
‘You gonna invite JJ too?’
‘You read my mind,’ I say with a smile.
‘She’s cool,’ he says. ‘She’ll keep us in check.’
Hmm, I wonder if he likes her – but who wouldn’t?
A week in a lodge, with my best friend and his fiancée, my other best friend/agent, and Jake – my cowboy fake fiancé.
What could possibly go wrong?
19
When I heard the word ‘lodge’ I imagined a small log cabin – what I should have imagined is like a hunting lodge or even a ski lodge. It’s a large detached property that somehow still looks cosy, sitting in its own large private gardens next to the equestrian centre. It totally makes sense why Jake wants to buy the place now. This would make one hell of a family home.
It’s early afternoon when we arrive.
‘This,’ JJ says, leaning forward between the front seats, ‘is giving Netflix drama. If someone doesn’t die mysteriously in a lake, I’ll be disappointed.’
Jake is the first one out of the car. He smiles as he approaches the lodge – the place he wants to call home. How often do you actually get to sleep in a place before you buy it? Honestly, I’m so glad this deal is working out for him even better than we expected.
‘Right,’ I say, gripping the strap of my bag as I climb out. ‘Here’s hoping this isn’t awkward.’
