Page 20 of Fake It For Love (Faux Love)
“Good,” he said.
There was no way we were going to be able to have an actual conversation. This was so damn weird. It was probably better if I just got up and walked away. There was no way we could ever pretend we were a couple. There was so much tension between us it could be cut with a knife.
He turned to look out at the ocean. I took the opportunity to stare at his profile. His jawline was perfectly chiseled. The bit of skin exposed by his unbuttoned collar revealed the same tanned skin I saw on his arms. I wondered if that meant he spent a lot of time shirtless under the sun or maybe he just had a farmer’s tan.
He turned back to look at me. He said nothing. We both stared at each other. The shock at seeing him on the tarmac was nothing compared to what I felt now. He was handsome.
Back in high school, I did have a tiny crush on him. I never acted on it because he was Norah’s ex. That would have violated the girl code. She was crazy about Tony, but I wasn’t going to risk our friendship chasing after her ex.
And then prom happened. I was never going to forget that night. I wondered if he had. That would be a blessing. I hoped like hell he did forget. But even if he did, I hadn’t. I would not be able to relax around him if I was constantly stressing about that night.
“This is weird,” he said again.
“Yes, it is. Is it too weird?” If he said yes, then all that money I was counting on was gone. I wouldn’t blame him if he said it was too weird. It was probably for the best.
“Can we just have a drink?” he asked. “Maybe eat some dinner and then we’ll figure it out?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I think that’s a good idea. You’re buying.”
He grinned and reached for the menu. “Absolutely.”
“Have you been to the island before?” I asked him. We were both casually scanning the menu like this whole thing was totally normal. It wasn’t normal. Not even a little normal.
“No,” he answered. “You?”
“Nope. My first time. I haven’t been anywhere in a long time.”
“Where do you live now?”
“New York,” I answered.
“You do?” He seemed surprised.
“Well, not in the city. Geneva. We moved there after high school. I stayed. What about you?”
“I live everywhere and nowhere,” he said.
“That’s vague.”
“Not trying to be vague,” he said. “I just don’t really have a home. I travel a lot for work.”
I nodded like I knew what that was like. My idea of traveling was an overnight stay in Albany for a work thing. I went nowhere.
The waitress returned to take our order. I was grateful for the interruption and distraction. Feeling a little self-conscious, I ordered a chicken salad. Ryan ordered himself grilled fish. Then we fell into an awkward silence once again.
We both sipped our drinks and tried to look interested in the water or anything else. I felt him looking at me. It wasn’t all that surprising he wanted to check me out. It had been a long time since we’d seen each other.
And this was part of the interview process. He needed to size me up, literally. There was no point in sitting through this awkward dinner if he had no intention of going through with the contract. It was just too weird. He knew too much about me. I would have preferred a total stranger. That was the only reason I agreed to any of this. It was supposed to be anonymous.
“So—”
“Don’t,” I said with a shake of my head. “Let’s just eat and get through this.”
He nodded and fell quiet again. I didn’t know the full reason why he needed a date, but if he was willing to pay that kind of money, it had to be important. I knew I needed the money. Maybe there was a way we could make this work.
We had been friends once. Then Norah dumped him, and I had to take her side in the situation. We spent the last couple years of high school not liking each other. He didn’t like me because of what Norah did. I was guilty by association. I didn’t like him because that was part of the code.
Our dinners were served relatively quickly. We both ordered another drink. I had a feeling we were both looking for a little liquid courage. I told myself I would get through dinner and then decide.
There was no reason to make a hasty decision when there was so much riding on it.
