Page 21 of The Love Hoax
I say, “All we have to do is act believable so they think I’m in a committed relationship.”
“What will you do when they realize that is not the case?”
“I’ll give it a couple of weeks after the wedding and then tell them it didn’t work out and that I’m devastated. It will buy me several more months of peace.”
Evie whispers. “I have a few questions.”
“Go ahead.”
“This ruse where we play googly-eyed lovers is for just one night, right?”
I look away. “So here’s the thing…”
Evie seems to brace herself. “Spit it out, Adam,” she says, though there’s a measure of amusement in her tone.
“It’s a weekend affair. Starts on Thursday night and goes through Sunday evening. People are coming from all over to participate. I’ll completely understand if it’s asking too much of you.”
“I guess she’s marrying well.”
I do not share that I am essentially funding the wedding. Instead, I say, “Brad’s a good guy.”
“Where is the wedding? Is it a long drive from here?”
When I don’t immediately reply, Evie says, “This caper is getting curiouser and curiouser.”
“Well, that’s the other thing?—”
A small chuckle escapes her lips. “Where is this fabulous weekend wedding?” she repeats.
“In Breckenridge.”
“Colorado.”
“Yep.”
“I may not be great at geography of the American West, but I’m pretty sure that’s really far from here.”
I nod.
“So, your family lives in Breckenridge?”
“Nope. They’re in Denver, about an hour-and-a-half away.”
She is quiet for a moment. Then, “If the affair is over an entire weekend, I don’t think we can get away with just a few cutesy interactions. We will need to learn a lot about each other.”
Maybe it’s me but I’d swear Evie is enjoying this.
“With my family, think of it like prepping for an interrogation,” I say, meaning every word. My sister just completed her FBI training. For now, I leave out that nugget of information.
Evie laughs. It’s like music to my ears.
She asks, “Have you ever heard ofThe Newlywed Game?”
“No. What is that?”
“It was a TV program back in the ‘60s. They would bring in newlyweds and ask them questions to see if they really knew the person they had just married. It was very funny, but often contestants got irritated when their partner didn’t know some of the basics. We can’t let that happen.”
“My sister is already suspicious. We need to learn every detail about each other.”
