Page 22 of Matched with Her Fake Fiance

Evie settles her hands on my shoulders and waits until I look her in the eyes. “The guy out there doesn’t think so.”

I think of Miles. He’s a lot different than most of the guys on his social level have ever been toward me. I wonder why there’s a difference. From how it sounds, his mother isn’t the most likeable person in the world.

“It’s not like he’s here for—” I break off, knowing I have to keep this to myself.

“What is he here for? I mean, you’re an amazing person. Loyal, funny, adventurous. We typically don’t have gentleman callers this early in the morning.”

“Gentleman callers,” I say with a laugh, sitting down on Evie’s perfectly made bed.

“I know, I need to catch up with the times or whatever. It just seems like the early nineteen hundreds were simpler when it came to dating.” Evie walks to her closet and disappears inside for a moment. Our house is small, but it has a lot of great quirks, like mini-walk-in closets. She comes out a few seconds later and hands me a pair of black open-toed high heels. “They didn’t have to worry about dating apps or social media messing things up back in the good ole days. Wear these.”

I give her a dry look. “Evie, have you ever seen me wear high heels? They’re like death traps waiting for a good hole in the ground to help me go flying. I’m not a bird.”

Evie laughs and shakes her head. “Well, for the time being, you’ve got an attractive guy who you can cling to if something like that happens.”

She has a point. Which makes me think of touching Miles. Under that suit, he’s probably got an amazing body. As the heat rushes through my chest, I shake off those thoughts and remember that I’m trying to be punctual to work. At least we set up the ground rules early.

I slip on the shoes and stand up. “I feel like I should be at the circus right now.”

“No circus. Just an awesome restaurant with a hot, rich guy.” Evie wags her eyebrows at me.

“In eight hours,” I groan, not too excited about having to go to work in between. I just want to do my job and make it awesome, but there’s always the constant worry of Sharon looking over my shoulder as I work.

I roll my eyes and we head toward the door. Evie stops and says, “I think I have a clutch that will match your outfit as well.”

She’s back in seconds with a small, shiny black clutch. I grin at her. “You don’t think the phone in my back pocket would work, huh?”

“Absolutely not. Now go have fun. At work.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

“Can we skip to the good part? Where I’m eating at Top Shelf and not slogging through phone calls to alumni?” I’m both excited and terrified to go there.

I leave the room and am grateful to be heading out since Kenzie and Millie start oohing and aahing in an obnoxious way.

“Aren’t you both late for work?” I say, glancing at my non-existent watch.

“Some of us have a more flexible schedule than others,” Kenzie says, wagging her eyebrows behind Miles’s back. I try to give her a silent threat, but she just grins wider.

Miles opens the door to his car for me and it takes me a moment to jumpstart my brain with the action. Maybe guys like Miles aren’t only in fairytales and Hallmark movies.

I pull down the visor, opening the mirror, and start applying the limited amount of makeup I wear. I’ve never been the one to have time for the full face of makeup and I have no idea what contouring is. My mother stopped wearing makeup when my dad got sick, and I never had the desire to go almost full-costume makeup on a day-to-day basis. I like the simple routine of mascara, eye shadow and blush. It’s easy whether I’m wearing my glasses or contacts.

It's only a couple minutes drive and I have to give him a couple directions to drop me off. My building isn’t easily accessible from a parking lot.

“Thank you so much for the ride,” I say, smiling at him. Dang, Miles has a great smile. And his lips are perfect. I just want to…

“Have a great day. Should I pick you up here?” he asks.

I think a moment. “Maybe over by the softball field? That isn’t a far walk from where my last meeting is.”

I get out of the car and watch him drive away. What would life be like to have a hunky guy drop me off for work every day?

CHAPTER9

Miles

Why is everything with Dani so effortless?

She didn’t freak out at me because she needed four hours to get ready for the day. And she was genuinely grateful for the ride to work.

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