Page 19 of Let’s Be Real

“Decker’s wife is Georgia, right?” Nate glanced over at me, his hands loose on the steering wheel.

“Right. And Kelly’s marrying Josh.”

“Josh and Kelly, Josh and Kelly,” he repeated, his eyes narrowed on the road. “Got it.”

I still found it hard to believe Nate was coming with me this weekend. All week I’d waited for him to back out, but he hadn’t. And I was so relieved, I couldn’t even bring myself to feel awkward about the situation.

Because on the outside looking in, it definitely was.

Nate and I had never been alone together. Any conversations we’d had had always included Adrian. And now, we were about to spend three nights sharing the same hotel room while our days were loaded with prewedding activities with my family, who could have taken or left me.

He cleared his throat. “What are we saying about us?”

“Us?”

“You and me. Us. Am I coming with you as your friend, or…?”

“Oh.” I sat up straighter. “Why haven’t I thought about that? I told Kelly I was bringing my boyfriend, but of course that ended. She’s going to get a kick out of that.”

Everyone would. Despite not being close to any of my family, they were all too aware of my track record. For a while, I’d thought they’d been hoping I’d marry someone respectable, and it would rub off on me. Or, at the least, I’d settle down and grow out of my ridiculous hobby—as if managing a sex club was a hobby.

It certainly wasn’t a career.

But they’d mostly given up hope I’d shape into someone they’d be proud of.

“Did you tell her his name?”

“Hmmm.” I rubbed the side of my head, trying to recall my last conversation with my sister. “I don’t think so. If I did, I sincerely doubt she’d remember. All I put was a plus-one on my RSVP card.”

“All right.” He nodded. “Will it be easier if I’m your boyfriend for the weekend?”

“What?” I squeaked.

His brow dropped in an instant. “Never mind. That wasn’t my brightest idea.”

“Wait.” My hand shot out to his arm. “No, you just caught me off guard. I…you’d really do that?”

He shrugged. “If it would make things easier, I don’t see a problem. I can also be there as your friend, if you want. Either way is fine with me.”

“Really, Nate?”

His eyes slid over to me, and he nodded. “Really, Samantha.”

I leaned against the passenger door, considering it, even though my instinct leaped toward him, arms out, yelling, “Yes, yes, yes!” Having Nate with me as a friend was more than I could ask for. Posing as my boyfriend? That was beyond generous. And maybe a little crazy—which was probably why I liked the idea so much.

Plus, I had no doubt my parents would be pleased as punch I’d landed a man like Nate Wells. Successful. Handsome. A fine, upstanding citizen of Denver. I was sure he had his faults, but I didn’t think they’d be able to find them during a three-day weekend. Give them a little longer, they’d pick him apart as thoroughly as they always managed to do me, but I wouldn’t allow that.

I hated putting Nate even more into the line of fire, but when it came down to it, I couldn’t turn him down.

“This is a crazy thing to do, isn’t it?”

“Not so crazy,” he said, steady as always. “We’ll be there together anyway. Why not let them believe it’s something more if that makes things easier for you?”

I pinched my bottom lip between my fingers and stared at his profile. Nate looked like an older, more refined version of Adrian, whose face I knew better than my own. But he didn’t scowl at the world like Adrian did. He faced it head-on, like nothing scared him.

And maybe nothing did.

He really was handsome. Dashing, Adrian had called him. He had that cartoon prince hair, windswept and thick, a tendril sometimes falling over his forehead. Strands of silver peppered his sideburns, but the rest was the darkest brown.