Page 69 of Fake it For Good
“I had not been there in a long time,” I assured her. “I can’t explain it. I just wanted to show him a little piece of who I am. Why I’m so passionate about the kids.”
“And because you might be falling for him just a little,” she teased. “He can’t fall for a girl he doesn’t know.”
“I don’t know about that, but he took pity on my kids,” I said with a bright smile.
“Is he writing a check to the orphanage?”
“No, he is going to go to the toy drive tomorrow!” I felt giddy. I wanted to clap my hands and dance. “He’s bringing some. I don’t know how much some is, but he said he’s going to have his PR team put out a statement about it. They’re going to run a quick social media campaign advertising the toy drive. He said he was also going to put together a giveaway. I don’t know the specifics, but he was thinking a thousand-dollar shopping spree at his store.”
“No shit!”
“Yes, for every toy donated, a person gets their name entered into a drawing,” I explained. “He says they do it for other events and it’s usually very successful.”
“Oh my gosh,” she gasped. “That’s awesome. Did you ask him to do it?”
“Nope,” I said. “It was all him. After the trip to the building, he took me home.”
“And did you give him an incentive to help?” she teased.
“No. He walked me to my door, gave me a kiss, and went on his way. He called me the following day to tell me his plan. At first, I was going to reject the idea.”
“Why would you reject it?”
“Because it felt like I was using him,” I said. “I mean, he’s already paying me a lot of money. He talked up the nonprofit on his big night. It seems like I’m the one benefiting the most from this.”
“Because you hate to take help from anyone,” she said.
“I’ll take help all day for the kids,” I replied. “But he’s a generous man. I don’t want to take advantage of his kindness.”
“He offered, though, right?”
“Yes, but I think he offered because he felt bad,” I said, sighing. “I didn’t mean to make him feel bad. I just wanted to show him a little piece of who I was. After meeting his ex and seeing all the people he calls his friends and acquaintances, I just felt so out of place. Like I didn’t know him at all. Things are murky. We’re in a very gray area. I do like him, but this isn’t real. I know that. There’s this chance he might actually like me a little.”
“Ah, so you thought you would sabotage things before he got the chance to dump you,” she said. “That’s a typical page from Noelle’s playbook.”
“I wasn’t sabotaging it, but he sees me in dresses I would never buy,” I explained. “We go to fancy dinners and stuff that are a part of his world. That’s not my world. I would never fit into his world. I wanted him to see who I was and where I come from.”
“But not your whole story,” she said.
“No, he doesn’t need all my dirty little secrets,” I muttered. “I just wanted him to know I wasn’t one of them.”
“And then he turned into your knight in shining armor,” she said.
“I suppose he did.” I looked out the window and tried to make all the pieces fit. There was Cane and his lavish lifestyle and successful business. There was what the two of us did when we were alone. Then there was the contract between us. Add in my background and I wasn’t sure how all those pieces fit together or if they ever could.
“Don’t think too hard on this,” she said. “Just appreciate what he is willing to share with the kids.”
“I am,” I said. “I just feel out of sorts. Too many thoughts and feelings. I don’t want to think.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think you can stop thinking,” she said, laughing. “You have one more event?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Get through that and see where things sit after the contract is up. If he calls you and wants to take you out, you’ll know it was real. If he doesn’t, I don’t know if I would be willing to totally give up. You’re a strong woman. You could talk to him about what you’re feeling.”
“Oh no,” I said. “I’m not going to go dropping a bucket of feelings on him. Not a chance. I’m just going to ride it out. What happens, happens. If it doesn’t that’s okay. I’m going to chalk this up to an experience I can look back on and smile about. No matter how it all shakes out, we did have a good time together. That’s a big deal.”
“Okay,” she said. “We’ll talk again in a couple of weeks and see how you’re feeling about just letting things sit.”
