Page 41 of It's About Time
And if anyone knew that I let someone wreck me this badly, it would alert people to my one and only weakness—love.
***
Present Day
“You sure you don’t want a glass of wine?” Laney asks me as she takes a seat across from me on my couch. “Just because I can’t drink doesn’t mean you can’t.”
“No, I’m good.”
Her eyes land on my knee that’s bouncing up and down. “You sure? I mean, I can’t remember the last time I saw you this antsy.”
I blow out a nervous breath because she’s right. I am antsy, and it’s only gotten worse in the last hour. I know I told Elliot that this plan of mine would work, but the truth is, I have no idea if it will.
The fact that I get to piss Tori off will make it worth it, though. People like her deserve every ounce of karma that is coming their way.
“Dilynne,” Laney says, pulling me from my thoughts. “Whatever you need to say, just say it. You’re freaking me out.”
“I asked Elliot to be my fake fiancé,” I blurt out, just like ripping off a Band-Aid.
Laney’s mouth falls open. “Um, I’m sorry. You—you didwhat?”
Standing from the couch, I begin pacing my living room. “You see…”
Laney launches from the couch and rushes over to stop me, grabbing me by the shoulders, forcing me to meet her eyes. “You…asked Elliot…to be your fake fiancé?”
My smile comes out forced. “Yup.”
Laney drops her hands from my shoulders and takes a step back from me, her eyes bouncing back and forth between mine. “I, uh…I’m not even sure what to say to that.”
“I don’t need you to say anything. I just need you to play along with it.”
She shakes her head and then slowly lowers herself back onto my couch. “How did…why did…” She blows out a breath. “How did this even happen?”
“Well, I went to Elliot’s office to deliver his insulting baked goods, and Tori was there. Turns out, Elliot’s dad hired Tori at the law firm.”
Laney’s eyes bug out. “What the hell?”
“Yeah, and I guess she’s trying to win Elliot back.” I scoff. “The fact that the bitch actually thinks he would consider taking her back just confirms how idiotic she really is.”
“Does Elliot want her back?”
“Hell no,” I answer. Of course, I’m speculating, but I’m also fairly confident in my answer. “He’s fully aware that she’s a horrible human being now and doesn’t want to have wasted all of his time in therapy—his words, not mine.”
“I mean, I agree. But how did this result in the two of you being fake engaged?” I don’t say anything, and then I can see the light bulb click on in Laney’s mind. “Vinnie?”
I lift my hands in the air. “Not my finest moment, okay?”
“You really think that having a fake fiancé is going to make Vinnie leave you alone?”
“I don’t know, Laney. But I do know that making it look like I’ve moved on from him will give me the courage to be in the same room as him for the first time in years.”
Laney’s face softens. “Dilynne…”
Myjaw clenches tight as I look away from her. “Look, I hate that he still affects me, okay?”
“You don’t have to explain that to me. Look at how Fletcher affected me all those years. I get it. But you don’t want him back, right?”
I find her gaze again. “Absolutely not. But you and Fletcher were meant to be together. Vinnie and I aren’t. I know that deep in my gut, but it doesn’t make seeing him any easier, especially back at the scene of his crime.”
