Page 21 of Matched with Her Fake Fiance

“Thank you. I don’t need any more glares from Sharon’s office. Come in while I finish up.” I open the door and walk in, waiting for him to enter before I close it.

“This is where you live, huh?” he says, his hands tucked into the pockets of a blue suit that is doing wonders for his figure. And that’s when I have to relax and not worry about him or how good he looks. This is all pretend, make-believe. Maybe we need to cue up a few episodes of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood as a reminder of how that’s supposed to go.

There is a small scuffle and I turn to see Evie with eyes wide as she takes him in. “Dani, you’ve brought a friend over.” Her words are said through clenched teeth.

“Evie, this is Miles Clark. Miles, this is one of my roommates, Evie Evans.”

With a more pointed look, Evie frowns and glances in my direction with her eyes wide. It’s all starting to click. “Miles, huh?”

I’d purposely left off the title of why this man was here, looking like a GQ model in our humble abode. “Will you be okay here while I hurry and change?”

Miles looks down at a nice watch and says, “I can do that.” He glances up at me with a grin and now I get the whole swoon part of romance movies. Thank goodness for this sturdy handrail because it’s keeping me upright.

I force a smile and nod. “I’ll hurry.” A mental plan swirls in my head as I run up to my room. I’ll just have to do my makeup in the car. Not a big deal.

It isn’t until I get to my room and hear Kenzie’s voice downstairs that I worry about what’s going to happen next. She’ll either scare him away or make things so awkward that I’ll be wishing I’d just turned him down.

I didn’t offer him a drink or a place to sit at all. Great first impression, Dani.

My fingers fumble with the zipper on the black bag and even though I’m trying to hurry in order to spare Miles from what I know will be a full interrogation by two of my roommates, it’s taking longer because of the rush.

I finally get the zipper down and open the bag to see a beautiful burgundy blouse and a nice pair of black slacks. The feel of them is almost like my yoga pants and I’m wondering what other tips I can learn from this guy about fashion and comfort. All the business attire I’ve ever tried on were uncomfortable or itchy, but pulling on this outfit is like curling up with the softest blanket in the world. And it all fits. What kind of magic is this?

Maybe this is the cousin pair to the jeans the friends wore inThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

I glance in the mirror, admiring the fit and the look. When my hair is done, I might pass for someone not just walking out of a business office. I’d have to figure out where he got these pants and buy them in all the colors to wear to work.

Now I sound like my mother.

I run a curling iron through my long hair, doing my best to keep it simple so I can hurry. The amount of laughter floating up from downstairs is making me anxious. I don’t experience the fear of missing out too often, but this is definitely an exception.

Grabbing my phone and makeup bag, I head back down, not prepared for what looks like girls around a campfire listening to scary stories. Instead, it’s three of my roommates on random chairs they’ve pulled up to listen to Miles, who’s on the chair next to the computer desk.

“And then she turns, and Dr Pepper is flying through the air. Everything happened in slow motion.”

“Great, are we retelling the DP events of the other night?” I say, embarrassment cropping up.

Millie turns and grins. “Of course. We needed the other side of the story.”

“How did you get my side of the story?” I say, jabbing my pointer finger into my chest. Ow, that kind of hurt.

Evie and Millie turn to Kenzie.

She gives me a weak smile. “I might’ve let it slip.” Now I just hope she can keep my secret without spilling the beans.

“Oh Dani, you look gorgeous,” Evie says, standing and bridging the gap between us. She takes my hands and holds them out, looking at the shirt and outfit. “What are you doing wearing those though?” She points and I glance down at the casual flats I’d put on.

“They’re black and they’re comfortable.”

Miles stands, and inside I’m panicking. Nothing like having my shoes scrutinized in front of my date. Fake date, I mean.

Evie takes my arm and spins around to Miles. “Give us just another minute.”

He nods, looking like he’s trying to hold back a smile. And all the emotions wash through me. No wonder no guy has ever stuck around with me. I’m not eye candy and my fashion sense is below the threshold.

“What’s wrong, Dani?” Evie asks as she shuts the door to her room.

“I’m a social disgrace.” The emotions are close to the surface, not in the I’m-going-to-cry-now kind of way, but in an I-shouldn’t-have-agree-to-this sensation.

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