Page 31 of Matched with Her Fake Fiance

He chuckles and says, “That sounds like it would be fun. I’m not the best at games, though. Are you all overly intense and should I expect a fight to break out?”

I laugh, thinking of the last game night we had just a few weeks ago. I’d invited my new roommates and the competitive natures in all of them came out. “No fist fights, just friendly banter.”

“Just tell me when.” There is a pause and he says, “Oh, did you check that link I sent?”

I pull my phone away and put him on speaker, searching for the message screen. With a click on the link, it pulls up to a page on the internet and there’s a picture of me falling into Miles’s arms just outside Top Shelf.

I scan the article, and the caption underneath the picture says, “Miles Clark out on the town with new unknown girl.”

When my brain refocuses on the present, I realize Miles is talking again.

“I mean, are you okay?” His voice is soft and tender, making me like the guy that much more. As a friend, obviously. I can commit to being friends after this.

After an internal examination, my stomach is tight, and I have to walk over to the window at the edge of my cubicle just to make sure no one is out there right now. “I’m kind of freaking out. Why?”

“What’s got you scared?”

Oh, I don’t know, Miles, the way I’m looking at you in this picture like you’re my hero after saving my life from the cement below. Or that someone managed to get a picture of that moment and now has it plastered all over the city. Awesome.

I blow out a breath. “I’m good at staying under the radar, so I guess it’s surprising to have my face on the front page of the Boston Globe.” I mean, I was on the front page of the Life section back in the day for taking third place in my fifth-grade spelling bee. That picture I knew was being taken. This one definitely not.

“I’m so sorry, Dani,” he says, sounding tired. “I can usually spot the paparazzi a mile away. Next time we go out, I’ll make sure to focus on that.”

“It’s okay. I mean, that’s just what we’ll have to figure out for the next few weeks.” Not that having cameras in my face sounds ideal. “We have to kind of sell our relationship, so your mom doesn’t bug you, right?”

When he speaks again, he sounds a lot farther away. “If at any point you feel uncomfortable, please let me know.”

“Will do.” And then the thought comes to me that this is his daily life. When we’d looked up pictures with Kenzie, there had been thousands, if not millions. “How do you deal with it all the time?”

He chuckles a bit. “It’s not as new to me as it is for you. I mean, I’ve been in newspapers and gossip columns since I was around ten. At this point, I ignore most of it.”

“I’ll have to remember that for next time.” Please let there not be a next time.

“Okay, when do you want to go on your shopping spree?” he chuckles and the pinch of anxiety in my chest eases up slightly.

I glance at the calendar I pulled up on my screen to verify delivery dates of the décor for the mixer. “Well, this week will be better than next. I’ll be trying to put everything together for the mixer and I might be zoned into that for most of the week.”

“Lucky for you I don’t have anything big I need to attend next week. How about Friday?”

I nod to myself. “That should work. I have a meeting with my division until three-thirty, but I can be ready to go after that.”

“I’ll pick you up at Boston University then. Plan on 3:35.”

I smile and say, “Count on it. But I have to warn you, I’m the worst shopper ever. Like, I usually buy things and take them home so I don’t have to try them on, lack-of-patience type. I might need sustenance halfway through.”

Miles laughs and says, “I’ll buy you some pretzel bites and hold them out to nudge you along.”

I let out a laugh and say, “I think you just read my mind. Don’t forget the cheese!”

“Cheese it is,” he says, letting out a low rumble of a laugh. “Once Sonia gets your measurements, it’s a lot easier to get things fitted in the future.”

“What happens if you gain weight in between fittings?” I’m being annoying right now, but having someone fit me with the right styles and sizes is something I’ve never experienced.

“Then, you just retake the measurements.”

I sigh. “That sounds awful.”

“Taking measurements isn’t like running an Iron Man Race, Dani,” he says with humor in his voice.

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