Page 24 of Love is Fake

I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions and when I’m tired I’m even more of an open book.

I smile grimly. “Just thinking about my to-do list,” I admit. “It’s not a pretty picture.”

Lennox frowns, looking like he wants to ask what I mean, but then his phone buzzes insistently in his hand again.

“You should get that.” I nod towards the cell he isn’t even looking at because all his attention is on me.

“You’ll be back tomorrow.” It’s half statement and half question, an edge of unease in his tone, as if he thinks I might never come back.

“Of course, bright and early and pumped full of caffeine,” I joke. It has the desired effect, snapping him out of whatever thoughts he was having.

Nodding briskly, Lennox answers the call and turns away, breaking off our eye contact and, I suppose, effectively dismissing me. I wave to his back and turn on my heel, still halfway panicking about the traffic I’ll hit. Before I’m even able to make it to the door, however, Lennox’s voice stops me.

“Isabella. Good work today,” he says and there is no grudgingness in his approval.

He looks as if he’s about to say something else, but then his back is turned to me again as he throws a goodbye wave over his shoulder.

“You too,” I tell him quietly, smiling to myself as I walk to Lennox’s truck.

On my drive home, I bask in the high of his praise while at the same time telling myself it shouldn’t be all that important to me. On the up-side beating myself up over my reaction to him is better than obsessing over all the work I have to do when I get back to my apartment or wondering how I’m going to survive on a few short hours of sleep night after night. That’s if this long-ass commute doesn’t kill me first.

Chapter

Seven

It’s on the second day of us working together, with me trying to cover up my yawns as we work through Lennox’s warm-up, that he throws me for a loop, again.

He stops and gazes down at me, hands on hips, looking like something out of an inspirational fitness poster. It shouldn’t be possible to see every muscle in his upper body through his training shirt, but apparently Lennox Gray defies the laws of physics.

“This isn’t working.”

“Huh?” I frown up at him, noting his serious expression.

“We can’t go on like this, it’s not working,” he repeats, gesturing between us.

I mirror his stance, because if he’s about to kick me out before we’ve even really gotten started he has another thing coming.

“I thought I had 48 hours before you decided whether or not we should work together, by my reckoning, that still gives me until the end of the day.”

Part of me wonders why I’m fighting for a job I wasn’t even sure I wanted in the first place.

It’s not because of Lennox, definitely not because of him. It’s a pride thing, I tell myself;because no-one likes to be told they’re not good enough.

Lennox waves his hand as if it doesn’t matter. “This isn’t about the trial period.”

“So why does it sound like you’re breaking up with me? ‘It’s not working’,” I parrot, doing a truly terrible impression of him. “It’s not you, it’s me,” I joke, to ease the tension which has ratcheted up between us like nothing else.

Lennox raises an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware we were dating, Isabella. Did I miss the part where you asked me out?” His voice drips with sarcasm, making me feel flustered beyond belief. He tilts his head at me, analyzing my reaction which just unsettles me even more. “You know, you blush a lot.”

“Yeah, well, you would too if your skin was almost translucent,” I grumble back, lamely.

We stand there in silence, sizing each other up long enough for me to feel rattled, which isn’t all that hard. Apparently, all Lennox has to do is look at me to throw me off my game.

“So are you going to tell me what you mean by ‘this isn’t working’ or do I have to guess?” I ask eventually. “Because if you’re firing me, I’d rather you just tell it to me straight instead of dancing around it. Not that I think youshouldfire me, because you’ve barely given me a chance, but it’s your knee so it’s your look-out,” I ramble on until I manage to pull on the emergency brake.

Lennox breaks into a smirk. “You’re cute when you’re all angry and have the whole righteous indignation thing going on.”

“Sure, because that’s not at all patronizing,” I interrupt, rolling my eyes.

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