Page 34 of #Awestruck

I still had the urge to run home and hide. But I had a room full of women who wanted to celebrate my nonexistent engagement. Time to face the music.

“There you are!” Tinsley exclaimed when I rejoined them. “I was about to send out a search party for you. We thought maybe you’d fallen in!”

Several of the women giggled at Tinsley’s stupid joke. I tried to smile. “Sorry about that.”I was just busy discovering that in order to get my dream job, I have to pretend like I’m getting married to a man I’ve spent half my life hating.

I wondered what they’d say to that.

But I kept quiet, smiling and nodding as people congratulated me.

“Where’s the ring?” someone asked, and I looked down at my bare left hand.

“Did you have to get it sized?” the woman next to her asked. “I had to get mine sized.”

“It was definitely too big,” I told her, glad I could be truthful about one thing. No way that napkin ring would have fit on my finger.

“When are men going to learn to either take one of your rings or get your sister or roommate to do it?”

“How did you two meet?”

I couldn’t imagine how much worse this would be if I hadn’t known Evan before. “We met in high school. I was a freshman; he was a senior. I had a huge crush on him, and he ... did not feel the same.” There were some laughs. “We reconnected recently, and I don’t know. Things just happened.”

The women sighed and said, “Aw.” Nia perfectly arched her left eyebrow at me but sipped at her drink and said nothing.

“I think it’s sweet that you feel like you don’t have to get made-up. You’ve got your man, and now you’re keeping things casual.” This came from a girl at the far end of the table who sounded like she was on her third glass of champagne. It was meant to be mean, but I couldn’t get too worked up about it. I preferred to be comfortable, and apparently I was the only one seated at the table who felt that way. “I could never go out without my face on. Not when I know paparazzi are following me.”

I was about to ask why anyone would follow me, given that I was one of the most average people on the planet, when I remembered. At the moment I was engaged to Evan Dawson. And he was one of the country’s most famous virgins.

Of course people would be interested that a woman he’d never mentioned and never been pictured with was now his fiancée.

“Big sunglasses are your friend,” someone added. “When you don’t have time to do your hair and makeup, those block most of your face.” Several of the women nodded and agreed.

This was how bizarre my life had become in only a few days. Getting tips on how to avoid the paparazzi from the Jacks’ WAGs.

“Congratulations again, Ashton,” Tinsley said, standing up at the head of the table. “But now it’s time to get down to business. Beverly, would you read the minutes of our last meeting?”

Not caring about whatever it was they were discussing, I tuned Beverly out. And tried to figure out how to get out of this mess. If Evan publicly announced that we were not a couple, Brenda would be furious with me. Which was hypocritical, given that it was her photographer who had put me in this position.

My phone buzzed with another text from Aubrey, but I didn’t open it. My entire family thought I was engaged and just hadn’t bothered to mention it. What was I going to tell them?

“This Tuesday we have our annual Jumping Jacks hospital visits with the kids, and I’d like for each of the participating players to have one of us as his guide and to help out however is needed,” Tinsley said, her sharp voice interrupting my thoughts. “Ashton, I’m assuming I can assign you to escort Evan?”

There was no way for me to refuse. “Sure.”

“Perfect.” Tinsley continued to hand out assignments, and nobody seemed surprised about who they were paired off with. Their meeting closed soon after that, and everyone stayed, chatting in small groups while they ate and drank.

Here was my chance. I could finally chat up some of the women and see what they could tell me about Evan. I introduced myself to a woman named Natalia. She told me she was currently sort of seeing Finn MacNeil. Poor Rory. She was going to be so disappointed that her crush had a semi-girlfriend.

“Kudos on landing Evan Dawson. I didn’t think it could be done.” She raised her champagne flute to me.

“Oh. Thanks.” What were you supposed to say to that? There really wasn’t a good response for it. So I decided to dig around for Evan’s dirty laundry instead. “I can’t be the only woman here who’s dated him.”

“He and I went out once or twice. Which seems to be about his limit. I don’t remember him ever being serious with anyone. Until you, of course,” she said. Another woman walked up and elbowed her in the side, shooting me a side glance. And Natalia immediately shut up.

Uh-oh. This was an unforeseen consequence of the engagement story. Unless they were blackhearted and evil, nobody here was going to tell me if they’d slept with him, because now I was his fiancée, and that would be really petty.

Some of them must have been awful and would have been willing, but I couldn’t see Evan dating a woman like that.

Could I turn it around somehow? “Oh, come on. There had to have been someone who made it past date three.” I tried to keep my voice light and teasing, to show it didn’t bother me.

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