Page 14 of The Great Dating Fake Off
Two men in line in front of us who are distantly related to Benji start shouting loudly about Italian wedding tradition. One of their gesticulating arms whacks the back of Sebastian’s head. Sebastian lurches forward, his chest nearly smashing into mine.
We were standing closer than I realized. My smile falls away.
Crap. Benji.
Smiling at Sebastian is not at all what I need to be doing while waiting for my fake boyfriend to come back. It’s hard to imagine anyone is paying attention to us—it’s like a cut scene from Home Alone in here, McCallisters take the Adirondacks—but I don’t want to mess up my first hour on the job by talking to another guy or huddling over our phones like we’re exchanging numbers. Appearances are everything.
The humor slips off Sebastian’s face as he side-eyes Benji’s family. He’s probably afraid they’re going to bludgeon him with a rogue elbow next.
I take a small step backward. “Well thanks, I’ll—”
“It smells like the inside of a camper van in here.” A Jennifer Lawrence doppelganger almost Sebastian’s height falls into place at his side, cheeks pink like she’s been standing in the sun. She wraps a possessive hand around the handle of the sticker-covered suitcase. “The grounds are picturesque, though. Ugh, the line still hasn’t moved?”
Sebastian straightens, clasping a hand to the back of his neck. “Not much. Guess we’ll die here.”
My brain scrambles to play catch-up.
The woman’s black shift dress is loose and short, barely hitting halfway down her toned thighs. Her striking features, fierce red hair pulled into a sleek, high ponytail, and dramatic, colorful jewelry scream effortlessly cool. “I just had an entire phone conversation with work and you’re somehow farther from the check-in counter than when you started.” Her attention snags on me and she brightens. “Oh, hi there!” She pauses and unabashedly scans me from head to toe. “Cool boots.”
Sebastian jumps in. “Alessia, this is Nora. She works at a bookstore in Great River.”
“Nice to meet you, Nora.” Her fingers land on Sebastian’s elbow and drift up the back of his arm. “Are you here for the wedding?”
My breath catches like a hangnail on a sweater.
I had no idea he was taken.Disappointment brands my skin with heat.
“Wedding,” I say, my pulse tripping over itself. “Yes. Ferraro-Mazzelli.”
“The two-for-one Italian special, eh?” Alessia’s grin is as lovely as the rest of her, but her catlike eyes are really alluring. Remarkable how hot people always find each other in the wild. “It should be a great week, so long as none of these people murder one another.”
The crowd seems to dial up the bitter noise all at once, as if taking Alessia’s statement as a suggestion.
“Right,” I say, avoiding Sebastian’s eye. “Totally.”
Benji swoops in on my left, triggering a jump-scare. “I’m back. Oh no, my dad is at the counter.”
I blink up at him. “Huh?”
“My dad,” he repeats louder, oblivious that anyone but me is listening. At a staggering six feet four, Benji’s got two or three inches on Sebastian, who leans back to avoid Benji’s arm. “See him up there? He’s probably ruining that desk woman’s life with special requests and requirements for his room. There are hotels across America and Italy that fear the name Ferraro. And one of my aunts is behind him, and she doesn’t even speak English. We’re never getting out of this lobby.”
Sebastian’s thick brows furrow as he studies Benji. “Wait, I remember you. You work at the bookstore, too.” He offers a hand. “I’m Sebastian Rossi.”
“Benjamino Ferraro.” Benji is the first to pull away from the handshake. “I own the store. Bought it two years ago.”
“It’s a great spot. I didn’t realize it was a family-run place.” Sebastian’s gaze flits between us as he props his hands on his hips. “Are you two cousins or something? Siblings?”
If Benji and I are giving off sibling energy, this week is doomed.
Benji’s timid gaze meets mine for a few seconds. “We aren’t related. That would be weird, since Nora is my girlfriend.” He scratches his chin, turning back to Sebastian. “We weren’t dating when I hired her, for what it’s worth. It was all aboveboard. I’m the owner, so I guess that makes me HR, and I say it’s fine.”
Every word out of his mouth sounds more pained than the last. I didn’t think he’d flounder with something as simple as an introduction. I should’ve known this introvert couldn’t just extrovert himself at will like a human pop socket.
Sebastian’s eyes drift back to me, curious. “Girlfriend?”
“Yup.” I attempt a chill, not-at-all forced smile on behalf of the both of us as I snake my arm around Benji’s waist.
He gives my head three hard pats.
