Page 63 of Faking Romance

There are several people already seated. A man at the head of the table with the same blue eyes as Gray who, based on photos I saw online, is his father. His mother sits diagonally from him. Her hair looks perfect as if she just came from a salon. His sister sits next to her.

But it’s the woman sitting across from his mother that has my breath catching. She looks like a model. She rises from her chair, focusing her gaze on Gray as she seemingly ignores my presence. She’s tall, even taller than me, and graceful, and makes me look like the ugly duckling.

Lydia.

Gray’s ex-girlfriend is at this family dinner. What. The. Fuck?

I glance over at Gray. He looks…confused.

The room is silent for way too many seconds. It’s Lydia who breaks the trance.

“Gray! It’s so good to see you,” she says warmly in a voice that sounds like she’s a villain in a cartoon film. She sounds sincere in the fakest way possible.

She walks over and places her hand on his shoulder as she leans in and kisses his cheek.

“What are you doing here, Lydia?” Gray says, his voice low and menacing. He looks ready to punch a wall. I can see his jaw pulsing as he speaks. His hand is still on the small of my back and I feel it vibrate with anger. Oh shit. This family dinner thing is going to end in epic fireworks and not the good kind, more like the kind that happens when a fireworks factory catches fire, abrupt and too intense.

“Oh, uh, your parents insisted I join. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to congratulate you on your latest film venture,” she says with a smile that is as fake as her voice. She might look gorgeous, but it’s clear after ten seconds of hearing her speak that the beauty is only skin deep.

“Thank you,” he mutters, his voice staying evenly toned, his only tell being his clenching jaw. Although, I swear there’s a vein beginning to emerge in his forehead.

I watch them look at each other and I wonder what unspoken words are passing between them. Does he miss her? I feel my nostrils flare as jealousy begins to course through my veins. She left him. He should be way more livid. He should be screaming and putting on a spectacle as he tells his family we are leaving, but no, he’s silent.

“Gray, darling, please be seated with your friend and introduce us,” his mother says, giving me a fake smile that rivals Lydia’s. Lovely, a table of fake people. The irony that Gray and I started out as a fake couple is not lost on me as I walk up to a chair and take a seat, deciding to play the super sweet and classy girlfriend.

“It’s so nice to meet you all. I’m Roxy Benedict, Gray’s girlfriend,” I state as I place a napkin on my lap. I can feel Gray walking behind me and taking a seat as Lydia sits on his other side.

I almost feel as if I’m watching a movie instead of my life. While I’m having some weird out-of-body experience, Gray’s father begins to speak.

“I didn’t realize you were bringing a plus-one,” he says dryly. “So I took the liberty of inviting Lydia. You two should talk after dinner.”

Wonderful. This is just great. I half expect him to add one of those villainhahahas after his words, but he just motions to a woman at the door to bring food. The woman and two others set silver plates with little domes on them on the table, while a man sets salad plates in front of each of us. The staff quickly add a place setting for me as well.

Gray’s sister has been sitting silent, but her eyes stay trained on me. “So, Roxy, I hear you own a bookstore,” she says quietly before taking a bite of her salad, adding, “I’m Adriana, Gray’s sister, by the way. It’s nice to meet you.” She levels her stare at her father before returning to mine with a smile, a real one. OK, so one of his family members seems to be normal. Promising.

“Uh, yes. I just opened it,” I state.

“Oh, that’s so sweet. A small business. Just like the movies,” Lydia says with a smirk that I want to slap right off her smug face.

“It’s quite impressive. You should all visit it,” Gray says before taking a bite of salad.

“So, son, tell us about this deal with Pierce. How much will you be making?” his father asks, seemingly ignoring me as if I’m the hired help. How in the hell did Gray spawn from these people?

My family is kind and supportive. And as I sit there and listen to Gray talk about his film deal, I realize for the first time how lucky I am. His family questions everything he says. They are awful. Yes, my siblings are all super accomplished and smart, and yes, I have a big old chip on my shoulder, but they have never once judged me. Even when I had to move back home after my breakup, penniless and with no real career, no one said a word about it. They just opened their arms to me like they always do. As the dinner continues, his family ignores me aside from occasional smiles from his sister, I begin to realize how wrong I’ve been about my own family. How have I been so blind? And Gray is right, my business is impressive. I’ve accomplished that with very little help from anyone else, and after hitting an all-time low. I’m a phoenix and I’ve risen from my ashes. Shit. That is impressive.

“Dessert will be served on the veranda,” the woman in a kitchen uniform says from the door.

I realize our meal is over. A meal including filet mignon and lobster tails. I wanted so badly to refer to it as surf and turf, but I had a distinct feeling that wouldn’t help the situation.

Everyone rises from their chairs.

“Where’s the bathroom?” I whisper to Gray as I follow him out into the hallway. He motions to a door.

“I’ll just be outside,” he says as he points to a room to our right where giant sliding walls open onto a patio that overlooks a vista view of the lake. I hadn’t realized how close we were to it.

I nod and excuse myself as I go into the bathroom. It’s enormous, like the size of my apartment. There is a basket filled with fresh hand towels and a basket to drop them in when finished. It’s like the fancy bathrooms at the country club where my dad plays golf. That’s probably the only time I’ve seen something like that.

With an eye roll, I walk out and head toward the back deck. I see Gray’s parents talking with their daughter, but I don’t see Gray and I don’t see Lydia. A shiver runs over me.

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