Page 23 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

“Fine, if you really must know, I have an important work event this weekend, and long story short, it’ll look bad if I came alone. Audrey is a freelance actor for hire, so I’m meeting her to go over our cover story, how we first met, all the backstories.”

A few minutes passed as I gaped at him, trying to process his answer. “That,” I finally said, struggling to contain my laugh, “isthe mostridiculous thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.” Alec lifted his shoulders, not looking the least bit concerned that I’d just insulted him. “She costs a fortune, but this function is important, so I’ll pay her whatever she wants. Now, if you’re finished judging me, I have to go.”

“Wait.” A lightbulb flickered in my head, as my mother’s latest threatening text came back to taunt me. “How important is the event?”

He pocketed his phone. “Very. Everything hinges on this.”

I put two and two together. “Is this related to that acquisition you were telling me about? Goodwin Property Group?”

“Maybe.”

“Come on, Mackenzie. Stop being so secretive. How is hiring a pretend girlfriend going to make or break the future of your business?”

He hesitated for a few seconds, before answering, “The woman who owns Goodwin Property Group is interested in both my company and me.”

“Saucy.” I whistled. “She’s got terrible taste, though.”

He ignored my comment. “She’s a wonderful person, and she’s been upfront about the whole thing, which I appreciate. But I didn’t want to jeopardize the deal by repeatedly rejecting her dinner invites. I felt really bad, so on the spur of the moment, I lied and told her I already have a girlfriend.”

“Did they teach that in business school? Start your business partnership with a lie?”

“That’s why all I need to do now is find a convincing girlfriend for the next few weeks. Once the acquisition is completed, we’ll stage a respectable breakup. I’ll get my deal, and Audrey will have enough money for her next holiday or a deposit on her first home.”

The bulb grew brighter. It was an outrageous idea, but it might be my best bet to get things up and running as quickly as possible, before my mother had a chance to follow through on her ridiculous threat. She would stop at nothing to make sure I failed, and I wouldn’t put it past her to do something vile, like suing me or reporting me to the authorities with false accusations. I ran a quick pros and cons list, but it was really a no-brainer, because this was a win-win situation.

“You don’t need Audrey,” I said slowly.

Alec raised an eyebrow. “I don’t?”

“You don’t. I can help you.”

“You?Want to help me? Why?”

“Because we’re old friends, and that’s what friends do.”

“Friends?” He snorted loudly. “We’re not friends. You don’t even like me.”

“Well, we’ve known each other for a long time. Maybe longer than I would have liked.” I forced out a smile. “The point is, I’m offering my help. I’ll even do it for free.”

“For free,” he repeated, his expression incredulous.

“With one condition.”

“Obviously you don’t know the meaning of the word ‘free,’ but I’m willing to let that slide.” He folded his arms, leaning against the kitchen countertop. “Let’s hear it.”

My words came tumbling out before I could stop myself. “I can be your pretend girlfriend for the next few weeks, or howeverlong you need me to be, if you help me with the repairs at the shop.”

His forehead creased. “I thought you said you had it under control.”

“I don’t. I’m way in over my head. The tree is still there, because I spent the entire day cutting off a tiny section before flooding the chainsaw. You know the contractor that could start in four weeks? If you can get him or someone else to start tomorrow, I’ll be your Audrey.”

Alec stared at me. “Let me get this straight. You want me to help you, in exchange for you being my girlfriend. Have I got that right?”

“Pretendgirlfriend,” I emphasized. “One word can make a huge difference.”

“Why? If I remember correctly, someone told me a few minutes ago that it was the most ridiculous thing they’d ever heard in their life.”

---