Page 16 of Fauxmance

I rolled my eyes at that.

My middle name had always been a point of contention between my mother and me. My older sister got Elizabeth, and I got stuck with Wilhelmina? How was that fair? Mom thought it was unique. I saw it as old-fashioned and embarrassing. She'd done one of those ancestry searches before I was born and found out that it had belonged to my great-great-grandmother—which pretty much proved my point. But whatever.

Only a handful of people knew my full name.

That list now included the guy in front of me.

After revealing mine, I'd asked for his middle name, but he denied having one. So, Hayden was either telling the truth…or it was bad. Like worse than Wilhelmina bad. I vowed to find out one day, so I could tease him back.

If we ever got out of here.

"You know the good thing about this situation?" he said.

I tilted my head, waiting.

"At least I didn't have to go to dinner with my family."

"Oh yes, that sounds awful," I said.

"You have no idea, Maggie."

Checking my phone screen, I saw it had been almost an hour since we'd been in here.

"Maybe there are some benefits you haven't thought of yet," he went on.

I shot him a hopeful look. "Do you have anything to do tomorrow night? Want to be my escort?"

Hayden shook his head slowly. "I don't think that's a good idea. I loathe weddings, remember?"

"Have any friends who might want to go?" I tried again.

"Nah, the guys in my band are more about rock concerts than stuffy ceremonies."

My ears perked at that. "You're in a band?"

He nodded.

"Are all the guys as hot as you?" I asked then blushed like crazy. Why had I said that?

"They're okay," he said, his eyes bright. "But they can't compete with all this."

Oh, I bet they couldn't.

"You don't think any of them would want to take me? Ouch," I said.

"It's not about you, Maggie. It's the second-hand embarrassment from having to wear a tux, hanging out with parents, and being man candy for the night."

"Don't guys like being man candy?"

"Some do."

"But not you or your friends."

Hayden shrugged. "I don't mind it. But like I said, I'd rather jump off a cliff then spend time at a lame wedding."

This is crazy, I thought. I'm stuck in an elevator with a musician who's friends with a bunch of other male musicians. And none of them will go on one no-strings-attached date where they'll get free food.

I threw up my hands.

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