Page 71 of Tomorrow Belongs to Us
“Dress smart. Do you have a tux?”
“Of course I have a tux.”
“It's just a fake date,” she reminds me.
“How fake can I be?”
“As fake as you need to be to convince everyone that you’re insanely in love with me and that you have eyes for no other woman.”
She has no idea that I’ve been falling in love with her the entire time. “I think I can fake it.”
Chapter 26
MEGAN
“But you recently bought a whole heap of new dresses,” cries Arla.
“I want something a bit more …” I rifle through the dresses on the clothes rack in the upscale boutique.
“All this effort just for Preston?”
The truth is, I have many dresses, and did recently buy some lovely ones that would be perfect for the awards night, but there's something different about going with Lance. I want to look extra nice. Sexy. Sophisticated.
I want to outdo Vivian.
“I'm not going with Preston.” I pull out a mid-length slinky dark red dress with a low neck. I sense Arla staring at me. I can feel her eyes on me.
My motivations are at odds with my resolve. I'm trying to fight the attraction I feel for him, but I also want to 'Wow' him in my new outfit. “I asked Lance.”
“You did what?”
“I asked Lance to be my fake boyfriend.”
“You asked Lance Turner to attend your company's event as your date?”
“I did.” I can't bring myself to look at her.
She lets out a groan. “Why would you do that?”
“Why do you not like him anymore? I thought you were all for this?” I put back the dress and rifle through the rack for some more.
“I should have come out straight after you that night when you left the bar. I shouldn’t have left you both talking. That man gives you ideas.”
I turn and face my friend, trying to get a handle on her sudden dislike of him. She hates that he has a wife, and that he lied to me. I like to think of it as him withholding the truth.
I know now that he didn’t lie. He simply didn’t get a chance to tell me. I believe him. I witnessed the way he and that woman interacted, and I could see that what they have isn’t based on love and respect.
“His divorce is coming through any day now.” I pull out another gorgeous dress. It’s stunning, slim fitting and with a slit to my thigh, but I'm worried that it might be too sexy. I want Lance to want me more than he already does, but at the same time, I don't want to put it all out there. This slit to my thigh isn't appropriate for a company event.
But screw the company. In this I’d be making a statement.
“You're really going to see him again?” Arla moves to my side, her tone demanding, her expression not happy.
“To make Preston jealous.”
“Which wouldn't be a problem if you hadn't gone and kissed him!” she cries.
“We all make mistakes.”
