Page 91 of Let's Kiss and Tell

“You’re just sleeping with her?”

I cough and then take a sip of my water. “No, no.”

“Then what? You’re not official?”

“No.” I wince. “We’reofficial.”

“Bro, what the fuck is going on?” Jay says impatiently, clearly annoyed by my cryptic answers.

I take a breath and mentally prepare myself for saying what I’m about to out loud. I go through all the possible outcomes of letting this information go, wondering if there are now too many loose ends. I wonder if Lucy has told anyone on her side…She must have, right?

“Okay, so she’s pretending to date me,” I finally say. “And I’m pretending to date her…We’re pretending to date each other.”

Jay blinks. “Like she’s an escort?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Okay,” Jay says, confused. “Then what do you mean you’repretendingto date each other?”

I roll my head back and move my glasses to pinch the bridge of my nose. “She needs a boyfriend for the column she’s writing,” I explain, “and I need to bring someone to Julia’s wedding, so…”

Understanding floods Jay’s features. “So you’re pretending to date each other.”

“It’s fucked up, isn’t it?”

“No.” He shrugs a shoulder. “No. It’s just…a little weird?”

“I thought the same thing when she proposed it but—”

“Sheproposed it?” Jay asks.

“Yeah,” I say, and he frowns. “What?”

“Why did she propose it?” he asks skeptically.

“I told you, she needs a boyfriend for her article.”

“Dude, she’s using you.”

Jay clearly doesn’t understand what’s happening here. He doesn’t know Lucy and doesn’t know she wouldn’t use me.

“No, she’s not.” I give a pointed look. “It’s an equal partnership. I even asked her to be an expert for one of the stories I’m working on. She’s talented, and she’s brilliant too.”

“What story?” Jay ignores the last bit.

“This feature on sex work because of the Alf Olson scandal,” I reply, giving him the topline. “But she’s a sex expert and her perspective is valuable. We’re helping each other.”

“Marsh…” Jay says slowly. “Look, I’m always going to look out for you, and as yourfriendand someone who used to work atThe Journal,I’m telling you this is a bad idea.”

“Why is it a bad idea?” I ask, now slightly annoyed.

“Think about it,” he says, adjusting in his seat. “She meets you at a work party, finds out that you’re the newsenior writerfor the parent company she works for. She makes up this scenario about needing to write a story to get close to you…so you can get her a job.”

I let out an incredulous laugh. “You don’t know what you’re saying. It’s not like that.At all.”

Jay puts up both hands in the air like he’s surrendering. “I’m just telling you how it looks from my perspective.”

“Also, she’s not making up anything,” I add. “She has to write these stories. I’ve read them.”