Page 133 of Fumbled Into Love

It was something I told myself I would never do again, but I also never expected to need a fake girlfriend, find one, allow her to move in, and then fall head-over-heels in love with her.

Declan slides into one of the two empty chairs and Gia falls into the other, her face a picture of indifference. He beams in her direction and it’s clear as day on his face, the desperation to find love.

His confession was heartbreaking.I’m all alone now. No matter what I say, I know that the hole in his chest remains.

It’s how I felt when I moved to Seattle and my life was so far from how I had imagined it. I was utterly alone and I felt the void, but I had my mom and sister when I needed them.

There’s no imagining how he must feel.

A soft tap hits my shoulders and I spin to find Coach Barrett standing beside his wife.

“Is this her?” he asks, nodding his head toward Gia.

I refrain from saying, “Fuck no,” and instead tap Nathalie to get her attention.

“Nathalie, this is my head coach, Dan Barrett. Coach, this is my girlfriend, Nathalie. She works with Henry’s wife, Sawyer, at a non-profit that provides after-school sports activities to low-income communities.”

I add Nathalie’s profession to the introduction, hoping it will help her. She plans events like these, after all, and having arelationship with an NFL coach who supports your cause can do wonders.

“It’s great to meet you.” Coach Barrett laughs before saying, “Gotta say, my wife and I thought you made her up.”

Nathalie and I exchange an uncomfortable glance and then a knowing smile.

“She’s real.” I pull her close to my side. “Very real.”

“That I am,” Nathalie responds, plastering on a smile before snaking her arm around to pinch my ass.

I barely manage to conceal my yelp when Connie, Coach Barrett’s wife, tells Nathalie to contact her about helping raise money for GameChangers and they leave to mingle with other people.

I only breathe again when they’re on the other side of the room.

“We barely survived that,” Nathalie whispers.

“But we did,” I respond, high on the fact that by the end of the weekend, it will be real. All of it.

“You all remember Gia, right?” Declan says, eyes flickering around the table and then to Gia, who forces a smile.

Surprisingly, Maren is the one who offers an olive branch.

“How have you been?” Maren asks, “Last time you mentioned that you were traveling to Italy. How was that?”

“The stylist ruined my hair for the Oscar De La Renta show,” she pouts and Maren’s lips curl inward as she blinks.

“You looked beautiful,” Declan says, clasping her hand on top of the table.

Declan whispers in Gia’s ear and Nathalie offers him a small, reassuring smile. Maybe we’ve all misjudged her. Maybe she’s nervous.

Servers fly around the room as they begin to serve the meals. A plate lands in front of me and I plow through my steak, inhaling the food. I worked up an appetite facing Savannah and then Coach Barrett. I make sure Nathalie eats to soak up the alcohol, but she eventually slides her plate in my direction.

I kiss her forehead and dig into her food. When I finally finish devouring the rest of her dinner, I glance up to find Gia’s plate nearly untouched.

“Is something wrong with your food?” Nathalie asks. “Do you have an allergy? I can talk to someone.”

She turns her nose up at Nathalie and it takes every fiber in my being not to say anything. Nathalie grips my thigh below the table and I snatch her hand.

“I’m not hungry,” Gia pouts and looks are passed around the table. Declan glances away, embarrassed, and I empathize with him.

“Oh, alright.” Nathalie slumps into her seat, but tries again, even though I know she’s not Gia’s number one fan. “We didn’t get to talk last time, but I would love to hear about yours and Declan’s first date!”

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