Page 91 of Fake it For Good
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “You don’t want people talking to her?”
I dismissed my jealousy and the feeling of being used. “No. That’s what I hired her to do. She’s supposed to be bringing attention to the company. I just hope she remembers who paid her.”
“The Mrs. Claus thing is a hit. I knew it would be. Between the orphanage and tonight, your tarnished star is burning bright once again. Welcome back to the game.”
“I never left the game,” I insisted.
“Nah, but you were benched. Now, you’re the MVP. The competition is going to be nipping at your heels. You said you wanted to step it up. You did. I think you need to hire Noelle again. When it’s time to launch next year’s Christmas line, she has to be there.”
I didn’t even want to think about hiring her again. It was too weird to think I would have to pay her to be at my side.
32
NOELLE
“Thank you,” I said and handed a business card to the woman I had been talking to for ten minutes. She was interested in possibly donating a house she inherited. My eyes were seeing dollar signs. If it wasn’t suitable to use as a home, we could sell it and put the money toward a bigger house.
I was exhausted. I felt like I had been talking for hours. Cane came by occasionally to deliver a plate of appetizers and drinks. I had somehow ended up glued to the Carver Toy display. I loved that the Mrs. Claus schtick was working. If Cane ever stuck around long enough, he would see how well it was working. Instead, I had been left to my own devices. Not that I minded. I had met a lot of people. They all wanted to copy Cane. The orphanage visit and the giveaway were still making headlines. He promised me it would shed a light on my nonprofit, but I could have never imagined the full-on spotlight it was bringing. It was amazing. I had such high hopes for the future.
The evening was winding down. Fewer people milled about the giant playland. The raucous laughter from those that had a little too much to drink faded. The train had stopped its regular rounds around the room. If I heard “blow my horn” one more time, I was going to scream. The liquor had flowed freely, and the uptight suits had really let their hair down.
I hadn’t missed Kelly. She was like a shark circling. Her take on the Mrs. Claus outfit wasunique. I worried she was going to experience a major wardrobe malfunction with the cut of her dress. If she bent over, her lady bits were going to hang out. If she laughed just right, I was certain a boob would be exposed. I watched her watch Cane. I wasn’t worried he would ever take her back. But there was a hint of jealousy I couldn’t completely ignore. She circled him, waiting for her moment to go in for the kill. If she upset him in any way, she was going to deal with me.
I felt a hand on the small of my back and didn’t have to guess who it was. I smiled and turned to look into Cane’s face. “There you are,” I said. I forgot where we were and gave him a kiss. For a second, I was sorry and about to apologize for revealing our relationship in public. Then I remembered we were supposed to be faking an engagement. It always got so mixed up in my head.
“You’ve been busy tonight,” he said.
“I met a lot of people,” I said. “I’m going to need tea for my poor throat. I’ve been talking all night.”
“You made a lot of new friends?” he asked.
“I don’t think I would call any of them friends, but yes, I did make a lot of connections.”
“For your nonprofit,” he said.
“Yes. You really put us on the map. Everyone wants to be Cane Carver.”
“I doubt that,” he said.
“Your tie looks like it’s dying,” I teased.
He looked down and shrugged. “It’s a one-time-use thing.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked with my hand on his cheek.
“I’m fine.”
“Let’s sit down,” I said and pulled him to a chair. I assumed he was tired. I knew this had been a really busy time for him. He’d been working hard all month. The man needed to sit back and relax. “This is it, right?”
“What’s it?”
“You said after tonight, you only had a couple more days at work before you could take some time off.”
“I meant a couple of days,” he said irritably. “I’m not going on vacation.”
“You look exhausted, Cane,” I said and patted his knee. “I think you need a long soak in the hot tub. A night in watching movies and relaxing.”
He looked at me, scrutinizing and appearing not to like what he saw. “Why are you doing this?”
