Chapter 5

“Iowe you an interview,” Benson told Tessa as they walked into Tate’s jewelry store.

“Are you serious?” Tessa asked.

“Absolutely. I promised I’d give you an interview.”

“When should we do it?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“Do you think it could make it harder for me to get a job because people won’t want to hire me because they’ll be trying to avoid looking like they’re favoring me just for my position?” Tessa asked.

“That may be the case with some people. But being married to me will help your chances, anyway. There will be people who will agree to interview you just because you’re attached to me. Is it fair? Nope. But that’s how the world works.”

Sariah finished helping the customer she was with and turned to Benson and Tessa. “Hey, guys! What can I help you with?”

“We need an engagement ring,” Benson said.

Sariah’s eyes grew large. “Are the two of you getting married?”

“Yes,” Benson told her.

“What a surprise. I didn’t even know you were dating.”

“We’ve been keeping it on the down-low,” Tessa said. “We were trying to avoid the media’s attention until we were ready.” She wrapped her arm around Benson’s. Her body heat seeped into his arm. She felt amazing. He could get used to this fake engagement thing. No more searching for his next conquest. He could keep the same beautiful woman by his side permanently now. As long as they kept their agreement to keep their distance emotionally, this could work well for him. Constantly looking for another woman to date was exhausting. It had been exciting for a while, but now that he was done with it, he had to admit there was a part of him that was relieved. He just hoped the whole thing didn’t blow up in his face.

“So you’re ready to step into the spotlight now?” Sariah asked.

“That’s the plan,” Benson said.

“How exciting!” Sariah squealed. “Tessa, you were amazing at keeping your feelings for Benson under wraps. I never would have guessed.”

“Well, no more hiding now,” Tessa said.

“What kind of ring are you looking for?” Sariah asked.

“This round cut is nice.” Tessa pointed to a solitaire with a white gold band.

“Are you sure?” Benson asked. “That’s pretty small.” He looked up at Sariah. “What do you have that’s bigger?”

“Not too big,” Tessa said. “I don’t want some huge diamond catching on things.”

“You should at least go with a full carat. That one you were just looking at was only half a carat. I can afford to buy you a better ring than that.”

“I don’t care about what you can afford,” Tessa said. “I care about what I’m wearing daily.”

“You should get what you like. Money is no object.”

Tessa pointed to a round cut solitaire. “Is that one a full carat?”

“This one?” Sariah pulled out the ring Tessa was indicating.

“Yes. That one.”

Sariah checked the tag. “Yes, it is.”

“I want to try that one on,” Tessa said. She slipped it onto her finger. “Ooh. It’s so pretty.” Her cheeks flushed as she rotated her hand so the diamond would catch in the light.